"Damn, it's Athena, protect her!" Sam shouted, shouldering his rifle and launching a fierce attack on the lower body of the beast.
ToTo saw that Filia had already rushed in, amidst the hustle, he threw a protective shield over her.
Filia remained unfazed; in her memory bank, she knew that such beasts were tough-skinned, and hitting them head-on was futile—the weak spot was at the back of its neck.
With her legs tightly gripping the beast's shoulders, Filia drew a military knife and swiftly plunged it into the beast's nape.
The once ferocious beast from just a moment ago collapsed thunderously.
Of course, this was just one; there were many more fiercer monsters behind her.
Taking a breath, Filia once again plunged into the legion of monsters. Beneath her mask, her pupils started reddening, awakening her bloodthirsty instinct.
The seemingly indomitable monster legion began to disintegrate due to Filia's solo strikes, causing their formation to crumble.
Brook didn't even have time to marvel at how badass the girl he recruited was; he immediately led his team to charge forward, tearing a hole in the monster camp.
Thus, a seemingly hopeless battle began to turn in their favour.
More and more people gathered in front of the Zeus command room, where drones continued capturing Filia's silhouette.
Her performance was truly outstanding; not only was she incredibly fast, but her knife skills were swift and ruthless, and her pistol was remarkably accurate in crucial moments.
Most remarkably, her decisiveness and judgment were beyond ordinary; her attacks were never haphazard. She not only fought the enemies herself but also seized opportunities to assist her teammates.
Such talent left several generals in the command room impressed.
"Who is this girl?" General Lin of the Alliance Army inquired, rubbing his chin.
"Look into her eyes; she must be of the Bloodline," General Di of the Bloodline Elite Corps proudly remarked.
An operator, seeing the leaders discussing the girl, quickly pulled up her profile.
When it was revealed that she was Athena, a half-human, half-bloodline individual, both generals' expressions changed.
"No wonder she went to Alpha. Did you guys not want her?" General Lin, normally at odds with General Di, seized the chance to taunt.
"Hmph, aren't you the one who rejects those with impure bloodlines? You have no right to criticize me," General Di retorted, his pale yet beautiful face filled with disdain.
"You've said enough."
The issue of bloodline discrimination was what Luciano detested the most. As soon as he spoke up, everyone quieted down.
Because everyone knew that just a month ago, Luciano had married a half-human, half-bloodline girl.
Meanwhile, on the 3-11 battlefield.
The countdown to 45 minutes was about to end, and Alpha seemed poised to win the battle.
But just as everyone fought bravely and the number of surviving monsters dwindled, an advanced shaman from the Beast Tribe appeared on the battlefield.
As that dark green sinister energy began to emanate, the dead beasts inexplicably came back to life.
"Damn it, what's going on? Why didn't anyone tell us there was a high-level shaman here?"
Brook was about to explode; the only way to deal with such a high-level shaman was to call upon the great wizards within the Alliance Army.
To defeat magic, one needed magic.
Such a crucial intelligence oversight could likely lead to the annihilation of Alpha.
This sudden turn of events also made Luciano tense. Why was the intelligence incorrect? With just one high-level shaman, the battle could not be won at all. Glancing at the countdown again, time was running out for Alpha.
Luciano quickly activated the microphone.
"Calling Alpha, evacuate immediately. Support ships will land in two minutes. Calling Alpha, evacuate immediately."
Luciano's loud proclamation prompted the initiation of the aerial drone cover for the evacuation.
However, when Brook shouted for evacuation, very few members could escape this fierce battle.
As Filia dispatched another revived monster and surveyed the grim battlefield, her brows knitted. Stepping on an enemy's head, she opened the communicator.
"Captain, if we evacuate now, many won't make it out. Staying here means certain death."
The voice of the central figure in this battle finally reached the command room.
Upon hearing this statement, Luciano was taken aback. The voice sounded so much like his wife's. Before Luciano could contemplate further, Brook's voice came through the communication channel.
"No time for silly talks; save as many as you can, everyone for themselves! Ah!"
Just as Brook was speaking, a beast leapt at him, engaging him in close combat.
"Athena, run!" ToTo, now injured all over, ran over, trying to pull Filia for evacuation but failed to budge her.
"Athena? What are you thinking? It's almost too late."
"No, I can't leave. It's just one high-level shaman, right? I'm going to take him down." Filia affirmed, sheathed her dagger, and in defiance of the chaos, moved through the desolate battlefield to confront the shaman casting spells.
"Athena, are you out of your mind? We're not equipped to handle that. The commander ordered an evacuation; you're throwing your life away." ToTo, not wanting to witness Filia's demise, held onto her arm once more.
"I'm not crazy. You go ahead; I'll go alone." Filia's resolve was firm; pushing away ToTo, she ran out.
Inside the command room, as everyone watched, their faces grew somber.
After two seconds of silence, Luciano immediately spoke into the microphone.
"I declare this mission over. All Alpha team members able to evacuate, do so immediately. No reckless sacrifices."
With his command, a small fraction of the remaining members who weren't yet trapped made a mad dash for the evacuation point.
Amidst the crowd, one figure going the opposite way stood out.
Luciano watched as she approached the high-level shaman.
With a heavy sigh, Luciano spoke again, his tone unusually severe.
"Athena, is it? I'm ordering you now to evacuate, this is a military command."
Filia, running, found the cacophony unbearable. Glancing at the unmanned drone monitor hovering above her head, her lips curled into a slight smile.
"To hell with you, who the hell are you!" After uttering this curse, Filia removed the communicator from her ear and tossed it aside, then raised her middle finger at the unmanned drone monitor.