T.A.L.O.S

Listing every single implant embedded within an Enforcer's body was next to impossible.

To begin with, their bodies were plastered with implants that had never been released to the public in Eden. Consequently, no one knew their exact performance specs, let alone how to counter them.

Even Swoo, who prided herself on knowing every piece of information from the game, did not know exactly what kind of implants had been grafted onto Talos.

The most she knew was that they possessed a neural acceleration implant that surpassed Enoch's Horde, and a Repulser, which was the original prototype of the Mugeuk.

She also knew that their physical capabilities far exceeded human limits, and that they wielded tech weapons ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that were virtually impossible to dodge unless one possessed matching physical specs.

Of course, about seventy percent of Eden's population possessed specs that went beyond the limits of a normal human. Thus, only those who reached that baseline were considered "ordinary humans."

Talos had surpassed even that standard long ago.

They could analyze and counter the neural acceleration implants that mercenaries boasted of with their bare eyes.

It was unclear what kind of implants allowed them to do this. It could be the drugs they were pumped with, or perhaps it was because every member of Talos was a rehabilitated cyberpsycho who could push their chrome to its absolute limits.

Whatever the case, it did not matter to Swoo right now.

She had known of Talos's strength for a long time. She knew how flawless the coordination of a four-man squad was. She also knew that after those four, eight more—two full squads—would be deployed.

The time from the call to Talos's deployment was roughly forty seconds.

But this was South Peak. Unlike other districts with wide roads and spacious streets, this was Eden's slum, packed to the brim with old, dilapidated buildings. And even among the slums, District 8 was exceptionally labyrinthine.

For two tactical transports to descend into such a place, they would need a bit more time.

They might jump out early to save time, but that would actually play into her hands. Even Talos were ultimately human. Humans could not exert their full strength without solid ground beneath their feet. Shooting them down mid-air would be child's play.

Even if they tried to block it with a Repulser, the result would be the same.

Now that her targets were in sight, she would not give them a blind spot. Instead, she would occupy their blind spots and take the high ground.

I should send Enoch a commemorative photo.

Swoo blinked to snap a picture, her lips curling slightly. Bringing her wide-spread arms together, she clapped her hands.

In an instant.

The world lit up as if someone had switched on a giant spotlight in the sky. A falling bolt of lightning slammed into the tactical transport. The light of its black halo flickered and sputtered.

RUUUUUMBLE—!

The sound chased the light.

Despite the deafening roar, the tactical transport remained intact. However, completely blocking the impact seemed impossible.

The flickering anti-gravity thrusters proved as much.

Is that why they wore power suits during the Abyss War? If so, where did they draw that lightning from?

Filing away the unresolved questions for later, Swoo snapped her fingers. With a sharp *snap*, her body materialized in mid-air.

She snapped her fingers once more, and this time, she was standing right on top of the tactical transport.

The glittering panorama of Eden stretched out before her eyes.

It had a different flavor compared to when she had viewed it from the Lastral.

Yet, it still felt like a box overflowing with jewels. And indeed, it probably was. Had she not found one today? A slightly rough, but brilliantly shining gem.

She did not want that gem to lose its luster. She wanted it to become even more brilliant than before and continue telling her its story.

"Heh."

Chuckling softly, Swoo stamped her foot. The roof of the tactical transport dented inward. Even though she had put a decent amount of force into it, it only bent. It seemed she couldn't tear it open no matter how hard she tried.

Durability check complete.

Swoo leaped off the transport. The rushing wind spun her body around. With the nightscape of Eden at her back, Swoo raised a hand and pointed at the tactical transport.

The transport's doors were slowly beginning to slide open.

A spark of fire bloomed at the tip of Swoo's finger.

She visualized the magic circles to draw the flames.

Thousands, millions, billions of magic circles. It wasn't complicated. The moment she conceived them, they disassembled themselves.

Following Swoo's will, they intertwined and wove together, manifesting the outcome she desired.

The shape of the flame shifted. From a roaring fire to a piercing one. She drew upon her past experience of shaping a spear out of wind. The tip of the flame was honed to a razor-sharp point. But even that wouldn't be enough.

She added compression.

The crimson flame bled into orange.

Orange to yellow. Yellow to white.

White to blue... Swoo pushed away the sudden wave of heat with wind and compressed it once more.

Blue to indigo, violet, and then back to white.

No, perhaps it was better to call it pure light now. Even though it was a flame she had conjured herself, she couldn't look at it directly. The fire forged at her fingertip was blindingly brilliant.

The transport doors opened completely.

An Enforcer clad in a suit resembling an insect's carapace stepped into view. It was a bulletproof suit that no round could pierce. Blades wouldn't leave a scratch either. But what about the flame gathered at the tip of her finger?

Their heads turned in unison. Four tactical masks locked onto Swoo.

One of them raised an anti-materiel sniper rifle and aimed. Two others drew pitch-black swords, while the last one gripped the empty air with his bare hand.

The squad leader.

The bare-handed Enforcer had to be the one equipped with the Repulser. Was that gesture the trigger to activate it? Was it offensive or defensive?

Considering Talos's nature, it was highly likely to be offensive. They inherently possessed the arrogance that nothing could surpass their own firepower.

Solving the countless calculations flashing through her mind, Swoo smiled brightly.

It didn't matter what plans they made.

Swoo never entered a losing game.

She only played when victory was absolute.

She curled her fingers. The pure white flame hovered in the air. Swoo aligned the tip of the flame with the tactical transport and snapped her fingers.

A beam of light pierced the night sky.

Enforcers felt no emotion regarding their missions. From the moment they joined Talos, they became weapons that followed nothing but the manual.

They woke at a set time, ate a set diet, went through a set routine, and underwent maintenance at a set time. When a call came, they boarded the transport, suited up, and received briefing on the target location.

Throughout the process, not a single word was exchanged with fellow Enforcers. Communication was conducted strictly through the dedicated Talos network.

Thus, they did not know the names, let alone the genders, of the Enforcers standing right beside them. Every Enforcer wore the exact same suit and moved in the exact same manner.

They felt neither curiosity nor frustration about this.

It was because they were either broken humans incapable of such thoughts, or cyberpsychos who had already shed their humanity once before.

This mission was no different.

Their objective was to handle a cyberpsycho who had appeared in South Peak. The only difference from previous missions was that this was a subjugation, not an execution.

High command had ordered them to capture the target alive and integrate them into Talos, utilizing their background as a former soldier. Thus, the four members of Talos Squad 16 boarded the transport to carry out the order and arrived at South Peak.

A minor issue arose during the process.

The transport was struck by a sudden, out-of-nowhere bolt of lightning.

And immediately after, an unidentified assailant attacked the vessel.

Why had lightning suddenly struck? Who was this assailant? They did not ask these questions. The only thoughts allowed in their minds were those concerning the mission.

There was no agitation.

Enforcers operated by accounting for countless variables. And such Enforcers possessed a license to kill.

They immediately moved to eliminate the threat.

Naturally, they expected victory. Defeat was not an option. Enforcers were Eden's ultimate military force, and in the history of Talos, not a single defeat had ever been recorded.

They believed this time would be no different.

A beam of light sliced through the night sky. It pierced the tactical transport. And so, they crashed.

That had to be what happened.

Otherwise, there was no explaining why they were currently splayed out on the ground like this.

*Gurgle.* The squad leader spat out a mouthful of rising blood. He couldn't spit it properly. Lying flat on his back staring at the sky, trying to spit only caused it to run back down his throat.

The leader of Talos Squad 16 gasped for air as he pushed himself up. Simultaneously, his nano-computer initiated a body diagnostic.

A ruptured tendon, a few broken ribs. Despite the lingering shock and burns, there was no obstacle to continuing the fight.

The other squad members were in a similar state. Since they wore the same suits, their injuries were comparable. They weren't dead, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠their bodies could still move, so they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could resume combat.

VUUUUUUM—

He activated the Repulser. That served as the signal. The remaining three squad members rose to their feet. In their hands, they held medium-length daggers and tech pistols.

However, their primary weapons would be the daggers.

No matter how advanced a tech pistol was, firearms did not synergize well with neural acceleration implants. A blade, swung by pushing their physical limits to the maximum, was far more effective for executing a specific target.

Through his cracked tactical mask, the leader stared directly at the opponent before him.

He couldn't... see clearly. Static, like that of a broken display, filled his field of vision.

It didn't matter.

Whether he could identify the target or not, the mission to eliminate them remained unchanged.

"Found you on the first try."

With a heavy *thud*, the asphalt road ruptured beneath a powerful step. Amidst the wreckage, a girl's laughter, completely out of place in this chaos, drifted over.

"Honoka."

Honoka. Whose name was that?

He didn't know, but hearing that name made his chronic migraine flare up with sudden intensity.

He ignored it. He kicked off the ground violently and lunged forward. The crackling current discharged from his neural acceleration implant surged through his entire body. In the slowly grinding world, he prepared to unleash the Repulser—

"Ibaraki Kou turned out to be a much cooler guy than I thought."

The Enforcer's body locked up.