A crossover anime/manga story, set in everyday Tokyo, but within a loop of a game.

Page 101

"They are those guys who possess extraordinary powers."

……

the next morning.

"It's raining."

Asuna Yuuki stretched out her slender, fair right hand, feeling the coolness of the raindrops falling into her palm. She looked up at the sky, which was covered by clouds and had a gray, oppressive feel. Then she looked at Asagiri standing in front of her and said softly.

"It has been 24 hours."

"Yes."

Asagiri nodded first, replied casually, then put on the dark gray mask and said softly.

"Be ready for battle."

"clear."

Upon hearing Asagiri's order, Asuna Yuuki took out the exorcist's sword from her inventory and put on the crimson cloak, while Kotoko Iwanaga put on the brooch, the dark green "Sorcerer's Ring," and the masquerade mask.

Although Kato Megumi did not have any equipment for disguise, she took out her cursed dagger and Indian battle axe. Holding the axe in her right hand and the dagger in her left, she had a kind of beauty that combined the characteristics of a berserker and an assassin.

Just as the four of them had changed into their combat gear, a cloud of dust suddenly swept in from a distance along the path.

The miniature Mita had not yet arrived, but the words representing her were already appearing in mid-air.

"Player, player! Someone has invaded the research base! It's starting!"

35

Chapter 35 The oppressive feeling of the human Asura.

Five minutes later, at the main gate of the research institute base.

Two members of the Demi-human Countermeasures Bureau's mobile unit, armed with guns, nervously swallowed as they listened to the broadcast coming through their earpieces.

"The invaders have broken through from the north!"

"Members of the northern mobile unit, please respond! Please respond!"

"Report, there's only one intruder, he's wearing a pure black mobile force combat uniform... Ah!"

Upon hearing the screams coming through the headset, the two mobile unit members guarding the door couldn't help but tremble.

After a few seconds of deathly silence, the communication was interrupted by the soft sound of water droplets falling to the ground, and a steady male voice.

"Hmm? Is communication still maintained?"

"Hello everyone, my name is Sato. The higher-ups in your Ajin Countermeasures Bureau call me 'Hat,' but I'm not very satisfied with that nickname. It's too ordinary. I would prefer you to call me the savior who will lead the Ajin camp to victory."

"You must be wondering right now, why? Why would this guy infiltrate the research base?"

"My goal is to take Nagai Kei away, and..."

At this point, Sato paused slightly before slowly beginning to speak.

"Kill everyone here, so please look forward to it."

After saying that, Sato seemed to crush the communication headset, and with a burst of static noise, the communication channel fell completely silent.

"Huh? The communications have been cut off?"

Just as the two members of the mobile unit were feeling lost, they noticed three strangely dressed people walking from a distance: a petite girl wearing a long dress and a masquerade mask; a mysterious person wearing a dark red cloak and carrying a long sword, whose face was not visible; and the person walking in front, wearing a dark gray mask and a long black overcoat, with a slender figure.

"Who are you? Stop right there..."

Before the two mobile unit members could even raise their guns, they felt a chill on their necks.

"Boom."

Kato Megumi cleanly and efficiently killed the two members of the mobile unit with her cursed dagger, her expression remaining calm.

Although this was the first time she had taken someone's life with her own hands, she did not hesitate or waver in the slightest.

Either clear away the obstacles in your path, or die in this other world, your body unable to return to reality.

This is the player's destiny, and Kato Megumi had already made up her mind long ago.

"Only two people are guarding the main gate? It seems that Sato is indeed a high threat, and most of the defense personnel have gone to try to stop him."

Upon hearing Asagiri's words, Yuuki Asuna glanced at the two Mobile Force members lying in a pool of blood and said softly.

"Can Sato break through the research base's defenses?"

Asagiri remained noncommittal: "Although he is extremely bloodthirsty, he is not stupid. It would be difficult for the members of those mobile units to stop his actions."

Kato Megumi said softly, "I just heard them say in their communication headset that Sato broke through from the north side of the research institute base."

"North..."

Upon hearing this, Asuna Yuuki breathed a sigh of relief and said with a sense of relief.

"Chika and the others chose the east direction, so they should avoid running into each other for the time being. The player team in the north is in an easy position. With Sato clearing obstacles ahead for them, they can wait and wait for the enemy to attack."

"That's not the case."

Kotoko Iwanaga shook her head and spoke softly.

"Besides the four teams from last night, there must be other player teams that have arrived here. Because Sato cleared the obstacles, the north route does seem to be the easiest, but precisely because of that, those... those... well, how should I describe it..."

Asagiri spoke up at the opportune moment, reminding them: "A wild player team?"

Kotoko Iwanaga suddenly realized and said with a smile.

"Yes, that's roughly the idea. Most of those wild player teams will definitely choose to break through from the north. To be honest, compared to other player teams, I'd rather face those members of the Demi-human Countermeasures Bureau's mobile forces. After all, we know they're just humans with guns, while players' abilities are all kinds of strange and unpredictable. You never know what kind of skills or talents might have unusual effects. The former is easier to deal with."

……

Ten minutes later, inside the research institute.

"The metal gate did not close..."

Asuna Yuuki observed the crack in the ground, then looked up at the metal door above, her brows furrowing slightly.

"No wonder Sato dared to launch a strong attack even though he knew the research institute's defenses had been strengthened. It seems that his comrades have cracked the system here, not only the mobile unit's communication channels, but also the central control system."

"It was cracked so easily...?"

Kato Megumi murmured to herself, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"No matter what, the Bureau for Countering Demi-humans is an official agency of this world. It's strange that such an important research base system could be hacked so easily..."

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from behind the corner of the long corridor in the distance.

"Here we come, get ready."

Meanwhile, in a combat conference room several kilometers away from the research base, Yu Tosaki, the head of the Ajin Countermeasures Bureau, was standing in front of a large screen. Although the image displayed on the screen was shaking, it was still clear that it was connected to the tactical helmets worn by the members of the mobile unit.

"Huh? It's appeared?"

Wearing a white suit, Tozaki Yu's expression changed upon seeing the four figures appear on the screen, and he immediately gave an order.

"Zoom in the picture!"

"Yes."

Yu Tosaki looked at Asagiri, who was wearing a long black trench coat and a dark gray mask, on the screen and murmured.

"You were the ones who killed those SWAT team members at the tram station... were you...?"

"Persona, Human Asura".

Before Tosaki Yu could finish speaking, he suddenly saw Asagiri on the screen take out a black gun and press it against his temple.

The scene that appeared on the screen the next second left both Tosaki Yu and the petite, short-haired woman in a suit beside him looking utterly incredulous.

A towering black shadow, over two meters tall, appeared in the corridor. It had no facial features, and its body was covered with eerie patterns that shimmered with a faint red light. Its massive body exuded a terrifying sense of oppression that made it hard to breathe. Even through the screen, Yu Tozaki couldn't help but subconsciously take two steps back.

"That is……"

Watching the bullets fired from the mobile unit members' guns strike the tall, dark figure, yet unable to stop him from approaching step by step, Tosaki Yu turned to look at the petite woman beside her and said in a low voice.

"That thing... is it that?"

"It does not seem……"

Shimomura Izumi stared intently at the person Shura on the screen and replied in a similarly low voice.

"Our demi-human IBM, although it looks black, doesn't have this kind of defensive capability that can withstand even bullets, and humans can't see IBM..."

"Then what exactly is this thing!?"

As the tall, black figure on the screen approached step by step, Yu Tozaki felt as if someone was gripping her neck, making it hard for her to breathe.

The mobile unit members on the scene were clearly in a panic, no longer caring about tactics. Due to intense fear, they could only keep their triggers pulled, unleashing all the bullets from their guns at the human demon in an attempt to stop its actions.

When their magazines were completely emptied, the Asura finally stopped. His tall, black body was covered with countless craters.

"Even rifle bullets can't completely penetrate the defenses...?"

Yu Tozaki observed the person Shura on the screen and noticed that the bullets had penetrated into his body instead of passing through him. Although he tried his best to hide it, his eyes still showed an expression of disbelief and shock.

Something that even rifle bullets can't penetrate...

What kind of monster is this?

Just then, Yu Tosaki and the others in the war room breathed a sigh of relief as they watched the tall, black body of the human demon gradually dissipate as if vanishing into thin air.

Fortunately, although this monster's defense was incredibly strong, a volley of rifle bullets was enough to completely destroy it...

Just as everyone in the war room breathed a sigh of relief and felt a sense of relief, they saw a snow-white, cold light suddenly pierce out from the smoke formed by the dissipation of the tall, dark figure.

"Sword skills that send stardust flying."

The entire screen suddenly became bright and dazzling, followed by a flash of red cloak, and then complete darkness and the system message that the connection had been lost.

The atmosphere in the operations room instantly became deathly silent. Everyone looked at each other, some even appearing bewildered.

What just happened?

Why did the connection suddenly drop?

"Reporting, Mr. Tozaki..."

The technician, sitting in front of a computer, looked up at the monitoring information on the screen and cautiously began to speak.

"The members of that mobile unit... have all lost vital signs and are confirmed dead."

"die!?"

Upon hearing the technician's report, everyone in the entire operations room, including Yu Tosaki, wore expressions of disbelief.

Those were fully armed mobile units, wearing heavy bomb suits that could even withstand pistol bullets.

They're all dead just like that? And... no one saw the enemy's movements clearly, or even knew what had just happened.

"Are these guys... really human?"

Yu Tozaki stared intently at the screen that had plunged into darkness, her eyes involuntarily trembling.

He had originally planned to use the demi-human named Nagai Kei to lure the extremely dangerous demi-human "Hat" and all those who appeared out of nowhere and possessed strange powers to the research base, and then wipe them all out in one fell swoop. But now it seems...

Can the members of the mobile unit really defeat these monsters?

36

Chapter 36. Driving a tiger to devour a wolf.

"Mr. Tozaki..."

A high-ranking official from the Demi-human Countermeasures Bureau sensed the increasingly heavy atmosphere and cautiously inquired.

"How about... we ask for help?"

"Requesting help? Are you kidding me!?"

Upon hearing this, Tosaki Yu strode over, grabbed the executive by the collar, and became extremely agitated, abandoning his usual elegance and composure, even appearing somewhat frantic.

"The minister put me in charge of the Ajin Countermeasures Bureau precisely to deal with this situation! And now you're telling me to request aid? What's the point of the Ajin Countermeasures Bureau then!? What kind of aid do you want to request? Do you expect me to have military bases launch missiles at our homeland!?"

Upon hearing this, the executive's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, but he still forced himself to continue.

"If we can eliminate these people, even if it causes public outcry, we can just say it's a military exercise..."