Slowly, I took a peek behind my s.h.i.+eld to see what the tank was up to. It didn't do anything. I could only a.s.sume it was reloading its weapon.

Beatrice and Jeremy were both unconscious. Meanwhile, Hope and Inghild went to take care cover behind the barracks.

Putting the s.h.i.+eld away, I immediately formed a long, sharp blade from my right arm. I'd imagined an exceedingly sharp edge beforehand.

It was the first time I had seen a tank up close, and the size of it was enough to make me doubt myself.

'Can I do it?' I thought.

The tank switched its aim to Hope and Inghild.

Sensing danger would befall them, I cut the muzzle of the tank's cannon from afar. Then, a screeching sound was heard when the tank ruptured and exploded into flames.

It was Grandpa, appearing from our truck four buildings behind me.

A golden Carthia gun gleamed in his hands.

Seeing that the tank was destroyed, Hope and Inghild walked out of hiding.

"I thought I didn't need to come out to the battlefield like this. It's been too long. I'm old," said grandfather.

I noticed Jeremy was scratching his head as he struggled to stand up. As for Beatrice, it didn't look like she would be waking up anytime soon.

The sound of metal breaking apart caught my attention. I gulped.

A metal hand emerged from the tank and flailed wildly after it had gotten out. In an instant, my brain recognized it as a Vasquez unit.

"Another one?! Oh, no. We need to run, right now!" cried Inghild.

The new Vasquez leaped out of the tank and crushed our truck under his feet with ease. He then smirked at us.

"That was like. . . four hundred meters from here. They have evolved so much," muttered Inghild.

He scrambled for his rifle and readied its aim at the Vasquez.

"How about Jessica? She's in the truck, right?" I asked grandpa nervously.

"No, she's back at our hideout. It looks like my hunch was right. It's too dangerous for her to be here."

With Beatrice down, we were one short of people to fight. Vasquez units were not to be taken lightly and I knew better than to face those guys head-on. After I had experienced fighting one of them firsthand, I came to that conclusion.

"Ah, the sergeant was right. You guys do raid this checkpoint after all." The Vasquez laughed maniacally. He kicked the sc.r.a.ps of the flattened truck to the side and stomped his foot onto the road repeatedly. "Come at me! I'll crush your heads like watermelons. Except I will be savoring the taste of blood instead."

"We fight?" Hope was having second thoughts.

"Yes, yes we are," replied Inghild.

Without saying a word, Jeremy dashed towards the Vasquez with a rifle in both hands. He used one of the Vasquez's leg to leap upward and kicked his face. Seeing an opportunity, he fired the rifle, exposing the interior of his metal face until it ran out of bullets.

"Why, you!"

He recklessly released beams after beams at Jeremy but he dodged it with no difficulty. To me, he was the exact definition of wind considering the way he moved around.

"Arrrgh, stop running. Let me have your neck!" growled Vasquez.

"Fate."

I froze when Jeremy spoke. It was the first time I heard him talk, let alone his voice.

Jeremy unleashed volleys of rapid kicks at the Vasquez's deteriorated face. That Vasquez struggled to stand his ground against that attack and stumbled. Jeremy then punched right through his head with such force that it blew off his neck.

The Vasquez proceeded to cease functioning, leaving an empty sh.e.l.l behind.

'Wait, if he can take down one so easily, then how was he unconscious just now?' said my inner voice. I gave grandpa a look and he understood.

"Jeremy had his limbs replaced with metal ones, which are made of custom t.i.tanium. He requested such surgeries. Oh, and Vasquez are built of mostly metal, except they have human brains inside their heads. To give it the bit more personality, I suppose?"

"Huh?" I said.

"Well, Jeremy was defeated when we fought the first Vasquez only due to him letting his guard down. If he's serious, he can take down a couple of 'em," said Inghild.

"So he's stronger than Beatrice?" I asked.

"You could say they're about the same." Inghild rubbed his hand. "It's just that Beatrice, as a full-fledged human being, he's on top. But if we include Jeremy, she comes second place."

"You said they're the same," I remarked.

"Did I? Nah, no women in our group can compete with Beatrice, and among men, Jeremy's the MAN."

I understood his reasoning. He could have worded it better though.

"Um, about Beatrice herself," said Hope. He was dragging her along the pavement. From the looks of it, he seemed to have a hard time.

"She's heavy!" He paused for a moment. "Don't tell her I said that."

I ran to Hope and got a better overview of Beatrice's condition. She did not have any wound aside from scratches.

"She looks alright," I said.

"You think? Urghhhh, what did she eat?!"

I was sure Hope himself was the one who needed to gain and consume more food. His thin figure supported my a.s.sumption.

Hope put her inside the back of a supply vehicle. Inghild had suggested using it to get back to the hideout fast. I looked at the flattened truck and grimaced, remembering the previous battle.

If I had not pulled out a s.h.i.+eld, he would have crushed me. I would have met the same fate as that truck itself.

Jeremy yanked a large, blue spherical object from inside the Vasquez's chest that he'd defeated.

"What's that?" I asked Jeremy.

He put the sphere inside a leather bag.

"A core. Vasquez's source of power" answered Inghild. "This core is in perfect condition, unlike that one with the first Vasquez. It sort of shattered from the Carthia guns we used against it."

"Hmm, you used it to power something?" I asked.

"Yes! That's right. Since the army has cut off the power supply throughout the town, we're relying on a generator. A single core could help us a lot for a month or so. Cores are used to power up lots of high-tech and advanced weapons and equipment. We're lucky to have one here."

"Oh. . . Okay."

I learned plenty of stuff ever since I joined the group. In fact, I sometimes relished the feeling of learning something new. It made me happy.

We were about to enter the supply vehicle when grandpa called for me. The both of us were outside while the others waited inside.

"Yes, grandpa?" I asked.

"You did a good job. I just wanted to commend you, Ava. Your clothes are fine?"

"Ah, yes. My Aegis protected me. A few dark spots dirtied my dress, but the rest's okay."

"I see. Well, I'm afraid this is the last time we see each other? Hmm?"

I frowned.

Suddenly, I felt a hard push from the back, and my head crashed into one of the street lights. An intense pain had struck me in the chest.

While gritting my teeth, I put my hand over my chest. Looking at a perfectly circular hole there, I gasped for air. Blood poured from it endlessly.

"Thank you, Inghild," said grandpa.

My eyes caught sight of Inghild holding an unknown gun swathed in black and white stripes.

"You know, I'd a.s.sumed that if a User was physically and mentally distracted, the Aegis would be dormant. When it happens, you're open for any surprise attack from your blind spot. After all, the weapon is connected to your brain, and it responds to any external stimuli."

Grandpa watched over me with an evil grin. In my mind, he looked like the devil himself, even though I hadn't seen one. His impression was that of a villain in one of my storybooks that I have read. His cold eyes were void of emotions except for the l.u.s.t of seeing weak people succ.u.mbed to despair.

"If you yourself are not aware, then the Aegis would also be unaware of what's to come," he said.

My throat felt parched.

I kept taking in as much air as I could, but that dry sensation inside it did not go away. Ominous chill hugged at my body, while intense heat took over my chest.

"Why. . ." My voice came out hoa.r.s.e.

I forced myself to talk but the pain prevented me from doing so. The hole in my chest didn't appear to repair itself.

No matter what kind and how bad my wounds were, it all healed without fail. Somehow, that didn't happen. The wound from Inghild's shot at my chest did not recover as it should. It left a hollow sensation behind, which brought me great discomfort.

Convinced that my regeneration ability was not active, I immediately clogged the hole with red crystals produced from its surrounding flesh. Jagged edges sc.r.a.ped at my insides, as the wound finally closed and sealed off. Blood was still pouring from it albeit a bit lesser in volume.

"Without a heart, you can't survive. I'm actually surprised that you're still breathing. I guess your regeneration is barely keeping you alive at the moment. Interesting," said Grandpa as he approached me. "The Aegis itself acts as a temporary, secondary heart, I suppose. It pumps your own blood throughout the body for you."

I saw Hope running towards him from behind with a pistol in hand, but Grandpa pulled out a gun and shot him in the shoulder. He yelped and fell, screaming in pain.

Grandpa clicked his tongue. "You're still useful, Hope, so I'm keeping you alive for now. I know you don't have the nerve to shoot someone that saved your life."He then glared at me. "Your wound won't heal. The gun that Inghild used to shoot you is a plasma radiant gun. An old piece of technology, but it did its job."

He crouched and grabbed the back of my head in one hand. "When one of the bullets. .h.i.t you, the plasma stored inside it will burst out and opened a huge wound at its target. That plasma will be continuously circulating around your wound, destroying nearby tissues endlessly, preventing any unexpected recovery."

Swiftly, he pulled at my hair and yanked me up forcefully. When our eyes met at the same eye level, he paused. "What do you think, Ava? Hmm? The way you are now, I'm not sure if it's even worth it talking to you."

Tears left my eyes, realizing that his betrayal broke my heart.

His words stabbed me harder than when I'd activated my Aegis. It was hard to accept at that time, but trust was not something to be relied on when you were at war.