When Shizuka announced the Test of Courage, Darius's pupils contracted slightly.
In his ears, the sentence was automatically translated into an entirely different picture—"Headquarters has decided to launch a suicide-squad-style reconnaissance mission into the core of the contamination zone tomorrow night."
A foolish decision.
Throwing untrained civilians into a high-risk area under conditions of minimal intelligence and an enemy of unclear identity was no different from feeding them to predators.
That night, after Hayato was sent to rest and the others dispersed, Darius did not return to his room. He commandeered a square table in the corner of the hall and designated it the "Forward Operations Command Center."
"Emergency meeting."
He said only those two words, yet managed to gather three people in front of the table.
Yukino came under duress; she was wearing her earphones with a stiff expression, as though her soul had already floated out of her body.
Yui responded with enthusiasm; her face was full of energy, her back perfectly straight, ready to receive orders at any moment.
And then there was one unexpected attendee—Zaimokuza. This heavyset classmate in his samurai-style shirt had been physically dragged out of his room by Yui. Previously deep in the writing of his fantasy novel, he now looked thoroughly bewildered.
"Why hast thou summoned me? Could it be that the wheel of fate has at last begun to turn?" Zaimokuza adjusted his glasses with an aura of chuunibyou overflowing.
"You are 'Heavy Infantry.'" Darius assigned the codename succinctly, then spread a sheet of paper torn from his notebook across the table.
It was a rough map of the forest area surrounding the Chiba village camp, drawn from memory.
"According to the description given by Hiratsuka-sensei, also known as 'The Berserker,' the Test of Courage route begins from this western-style building, follows a small footpath into the forest, makes one loop, then returns. Total distance approximately 1.5 kilometers."
Darius used a red marker to draw a winding line on the map.
"This is a road to death."
He fixed his gaze on the other three, his voice heavy.
"This route is narrow, the vegetation on both sides is extremely dense, and visibility is low. It is perfectly suited for ambushes. I predict we will face high-intensity resistance at three locations."
He marked three positions on the map with skull drawings.
"Point A, at the entrance. The enemy will exploit our psychological fear upon first entering the darkness to launch the opening wave of psychological attacks."
"Point B, at the middle bend. The most complex terrain—a classic 'meat grinder' style trap."
"Point C, before the finish line. The enemy will consolidate their remaining forces to carry out one final suicide charge."
Zaimokuza listened with blood boiling, his eyes flashing behind his lenses: "So that's how it is! A battle in the night where life and death hang in the balance! My spear has long thirsted for blood!"
Yukino quietly turned her earphone volume up another notch.
"Therefore, we need to deploy our combat forces." Darius ignored Zaimokuza's theatrics and began assigning tasks. "Heavy Infantry."
"Present!" Zaimokuza snapped to attention.
"Your role is the most crucial." Darius pointed to the map. "You will act as 'bait' and 'mobile fortress,' marching at the very front of the formation."
"Bait?" Zaimokuza's expression froze.
"Your physical size is effective for drawing the first wave of attacks and providing protection to personnel behind you. This is the highest honor." Darius's tone carried not a trace of emotion. "Rest assured, your sacrifice will not be in vain."
Zaimokuza opened his mouth as though to protest, but under Darius's gaze—which seemed capable of piercing the soul—he ultimately swallowed his words back down and nodded with tragic resignation. "I... understand."
Darius turned to Yui.
"Agent 'Pink Hazard.'"
"Ready!"
Darius produced a cloth bag from his backpack and pushed it forward. Inside were the black cookies Yui had baked that afternoon, whose hardness was on par with diamonds.
"This is your ammunition. 'Anti-Materiel Tactical Grenades'—twelve rounds in total. Remember, do not be stingy with your firepower. The moment you hear my order, or see anything that moves, throw these."
"Understood! Mission completion guaranteed!" Yui clutched the cloth bag tightly, her face glowing with pride at being entrusted with such grave responsibility.
Finally, Darius's gaze settled on Yukino. Yukino closed her eyes, pretending she wasn't there.
Darius extended a hand and tapped the table in front of her slowly. Yukino reluctantly opened one eye.
Darius picked up a block of wood as thick as a forearm from the corner of the room—normally used to prop open windows—and set it beside Yukino's hand. It was roughly 1.2 meters long and quite heavy.
"Your weapon."
Yukino stared at the large block of wood, then stared at Darius with a look that seemed to ask, "Have you lost your mind?"
"This is the 'Sacred Sword of Physics,'" Darius explained. "Your ability is 'Hellfire,' but before it fully awakens, your energy is unstable and liable to cause friendly fire. Therefore, at this stage, physical attacks are the most efficient and safest option."
Yukino took a deep breath, apparently about to say something.
"I know you have questions." Darius cut in before she could speak. "You are probably thinking that our enemies are merely elementary school children dressed up as ghosts."
Yukino nodded vigorously. Finally, a line of reasoning from a normal person.
"You are wrong." Darius's expression turned deadly serious. "They are not ordinary human larvae. Under the pollution of the 'T-Virus,' they have undergone preliminary mutation. Although their physical forms have not changed greatly, their aggression and infection rate are extremely high."
He leaned toward Yukino, lowering his voice until each word seemed to press out from between clenched teeth.
"Remember—the moment you encounter them, do not hesitate. Strike the head with a heavy blow. You must completely destroy their central nervous system to halt regeneration."
Yukino stared at Darius's face, which looked terrifyingly serious in the dim lamplight. Hearing that horror theory delivered with such a straight face, she felt the processor in her brain had fully burned out.
She gave up trying to think. She quietly reached out and wrapped her hand around the heavy block of wood.
It felt... surprisingly well-balanced in her grip.
"Good." Darius nodded with satisfaction. "Operations briefing concluded. Everyone, return and prepare for combat. In twenty minutes, assemble at the front door."
With that, he turned and headed to his room. Yukino, Yui, and Zaimokuza remained seated, staring at the "operations map" on the table in a long silence.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Night had fallen completely.
At the front door of the western-style building, Darius checked his equipment. He strapped a monocular night-vision device—obtained from who knows where—onto his head, then flipped it down.
A quiet click sounded.
The world before him was instantly bathed in an eerie shade of green.
"Operation 'Silent Village' purge." He whispered softly, "officially commencing."