"I-I'm Poli, from the ACPU Mobile Patrol Unit. I'm here to help!"
Poli?
Mo Chen took a closer look at her.
It was indeed her.
In the game, she was part of a police-like unit. No wonder she looked so familiar earlier.
Poli noticed Mo Chen's gaze and instinctively tried to cover herself with her hands, embarrassed about her cheerleader outfit.
She had worn it for a cheerleading competition, where she was a substitute, but the sudden Rapture invasion left her no time to change.
Mo Chen said to her, "Right now, evacuate everyone here."
"Yes, sir!"
Poli saluted crisply before turning to assist Noise and Shifty in evacuating the residents in the community.
Being a member of the police unit, she was very familiar with the area and evacuation protocols. The drills she had practiced countless times made the task second nature to her.
As she was leaving, Mo Chen added, "Make sure to evacuate the Nikkes as well."
Humans could typically run on their own, but it was different for Nikkes. Some might be coerced into fighting. Those who had passed combat evaluations could manage, but sending trainees into battle would be a death sentence.
Poli hadn't expected Mo Chen to call her back specifically for this. She froze for a moment, then saluted again and answered firmly, "Understood!"
Without hesitation, she rushed toward the community.
On her way, she couldn't help but glance back at Mo Chen.
He really was exactly as they had said.
Mo Chen didn't notice her gaze. His focus was locked on Storm Bringer in the sky above.
It looked different from how he remembered it. Not only was it larger, but its arsenal was far more terrifying.
Its blade-like wings, multi-barrel Gatling cannons, high-energy ion cannons, and missile launchers made it far more dangerous than an ordinary Tyrant-class Rapture.
As if on cue, a translucent barrier suddenly appeared around Storm Bringer.
A force field shield!
Mo Chen recognized it immediately.
"Boom! Boom! Boom—!"
Countless bullets, shells, and high-energy particle beams struck the shield, blooming into brilliant explosions like fireworks during a festival.
But none of them penetrated.
In the Ark's command room.
Deputy Chief Doban slammed his hand on the table, shouting furiously.
"Shoot it down! Take it down immediately!"
Rage burned in his chest.
These Nikkes were useless—allowing a Tyrant-class Rapture to get this far. As expected, they couldn't be trusted.
"What about the full-power high-explosive rounds?"
One of his subordinates wore a grim expression.
"But sir, the area below is a community with a Nikke academy. Many trainees are down there. If we detonate above them—"
"Get out of my way!"
Doban shoved the subordinate aside and strode to the console. Without hesitation, he slammed his fist onto the launch button.
"Boom—!"
A high-explosive round hit Storm Bringer, triggering a massive explosion.
The shockwave swept outward instantly, distorting the air and wreaking havoc on the surroundings. Buildings nearby crumpled under the impact, only to be obliterated moments later by the ensuing hurricane-like gusts.
A massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky.
In the command room, Doban stared coldly at the monitor, sneering.
"Attack often comes with sacrifice. Losses are inevitable."
If anyone was to blame, it was the people who had the misfortune of being in the Rapture's path.
"C-Commander…"
A subordinate's trembling voice broke the silence.
Doban frowned, irritation flashing in his eyes. But when he glanced at the display screen, his expression froze, and his eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.
On the screen, Storm Bringer remained completely unscathed.
The high-explosive round had been entirely blocked by its protective shield!
The Rapture flapped its massive wings, rising higher into the air. A blinding light began to gather at the particle cannon embedded in its chest.
Dovan felt a sinking sense of dread.
The next moment, his worst fear came true.
A blazing high-energy particle beam shot out from Storm Bringer's chest, striking the cannon turret that had launched the explosive round. The seven-to-eight-meter-tall turret was obliterated in an instant under the searing heat of the beam.
It was completely vaporized.
"Boom—!"
Mo Chen looked up at the explosion in the sky, his expression darkening.
Who was the idiot that fired a high-explosive round here?
Thankfully, he had already evacuated the surrounding area beforehand. Otherwise, the explosive's power might have killed more allies than Raptures.
A sharp glint flashed in Mo Chen's eagle-like eyes, a hint of killing intent rising in his heart.
Whoever was responsible had better hope he never found out.
Moreover, it was clear to Mo Chen that the Ark's current combat strength wasn't sufficient to take down Storm Bringer.
After all, the Ark's elite forces had already been dispatched to deal with Material H, leaving mostly regular Nikke units behind.
Mo Chen couldn't shake the suspicion that this was a deliberate scheme orchestrated by the enemy.
Ordinary Raptures lacked the intelligence and capability to plan something like this. However, the Heretics controlling the Raptures were a different story.
Figures like Chatterbox and Material H had already demonstrated intelligence rivaling or even surpassing humans in the original game. They could set traps and lure Nikkes into their schemes.
It was entirely possible that this attack was a calculated diversion.
Opening the system store, he scrolled through its offerings.
Fighting a flying Rapture like Storm Bringer wasn't inherently difficult. The challenge lay in engaging it at all—it flew too high. Even a long-range sniper rifle would lose its power over such a great distance.
To deal with it, he needed either a weapon with immense long-range power or…
Mo Chen's eyes lit up as he spotted an item.
That would do.
It was a katana with a dark purple hilt and an elliptical tsuba. Its ancient, understated design exuded a sense of quiet power. Even with its sharpness hidden, it felt as immovable and imposing as a mountain, suffocating anyone who looked at it.
Ryūjin Jakka.
The Zanpakutō of Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni from Bleach.
Ryūjin Jakka's ability was to release and control flames, incinerating or detonating enemies at will.
Known as the oldest and strongest fire-type Zanpakutō, it was said to possess the greatest offensive power in the Soul Society.
Its initial release generated heat so intense it reduced everything in its path to ash, while its final form's temperature rivaled the core of the sun.
In Yamamoto's hands, its power was so overwhelming it instilled fear. Even Yhwach had suffered grievously in their first battle and barely escaped with his life.
The phrase "All Things in the Universe, Turn to Ashes" perfectly encapsulated the katana's might.
Mo Chen had wanted to acquire this blade before, but its cost—a staggering 200,000 points—had been far beyond his means. He had to put the idea aside.
But today, the system's store refresh included a discount sale—and Ryūjin Jakka was finally available.