(POV - 3RD)

After the meeting, both Kiryu and Lucia are seen walking through an abandoned city road, their mission was to scout out the sector and if possible, clear out the Corrupted to allow Babylonia to retake the area.

Although they were assigned to each other, it did not stop the awkward atmosphere between the two, especially if the female Construct was too reserved and Kiryu was busy fiddling around with his helmet's system to scan the area.

The sound of their boots crunching through the rubbles and pebbles simply made things even more awkward as none knew how to start talking.

Lucia would occasionally glance at her new Commandant but refrained from asking any questions in case of accidentally being too personal. 

Kiryu's silent and helmeted face which masked his expression simply did not help one bit.

However, before neither of the two could even say something, they were soon greeted with the mechanical sound of metal groaning and shuffling from beyond them as both of them saw a horde of Corrupted slowly approaching them.

"Commandant, please stay behind me!" Lucia said as she took a stance, raising her blade but only to hear metal getting sliced.

The Construct turned to see Kiryu already ahead of her and with a blade in hand, slashing at the Corrupted that got too close to him while occasionally delivering a kick or punch that easily dented and tore the metallic frames of the Corrupted.

It was also the perfect time for Kiryu to use his natural strength he held back many years.

Kiryu raised the GUTS HYPER handgun given to him by his father, shooting the bullets which tore through the metallic shells of the Corrupted before quickly slicing through more with his blade.

The Commandant slowed before swiftly reloading his handgun and continued shooting at the weak points of the Corrupted, dispatching any that got too close to him.

One Pilgrim Corrupted tried to fire a bullet back at Kiryu but he immediately ducked, allowing the bullet to shoot past him harmlessly before retaliating by throwing his Sparklence Blade directly at the machine, piercing its head.

Kiryu dashed forward, leaping onto the Corrupted before ripping out his sword and decapitating the machine and then raising the GUTS HYPER once more, firing into the incoming Tamers.

Snapping out of her shock of watching her Commandant leap into the horde, Lucia immediately followed suit, sprinting forward and catching sight of an Executor Corrupted jumping at Kiryu.

With her frame built for speed, Lucia easily caught up to the Corrupted, slashing at it with her blade before it could inflict any injury onto Kiryu while also avoiding the attacks sent her way.

The Commandant and Construct then stood together back-to-back against the Corrupted horde.

"My thanks." Kiryu said, glancing back at Lucia.

"Commandant, that was dangerous of you to do that." She replied, cutting down a Repairer swinging at her.

"Not that I'm inexperienced, but we'll deal with this horde first then talk." Kiryu said, shooting through a few Aerial Monitors.

"Understood... please retreat if it becomes too dangerous." Lucia requested.

"Same to you." 

Kiryu and Lucia then continued dispatching the horde with relative ease although it was clear the numbers were not dwindling down any time sooner. 

Each Corrupted they both took down, more simply came from nowhere and replaced its mechanical brethren. 

Although Lucia was a Construct and therefore cannot feel as much fatigue as humans do, even Kiryu whose body structure was much different also knew both of them cannot keep this up.

While he has no doubt in Lucia's proficiency in combat but getting swarmed around will just pose as another obstacle and an potential danger to both of them. 

After cutting down another group of Corrupted, Kiryu quickly noticed the growing horde on Lucia's side, all of the zombified machines crawling and clawing towards them.

Kiryu gripped tightly onto the Sparklence sword, its blade slowly began to glow a radiant golden light that hummed with energy which he then raised the sword up high.

Unbeknownst to everyone but Kiryu and his father, nature of the Sparklence Blade itself is made to store kinetic energy that made impact with the blade of the sword. 

Like heat getting conducted through a metal surface, the build up of the energy and power within the conduit will and can eventually be unleashed like a bomb.

Which is precisely what happened when Kiryu swung down his sword with all his strength.

The sheer force of the outburst instantly generated a glowing slash that caused shockwaves and tremors across the ground as it blew up dust and debris along with the Corrupted, effectively opening a route to escape from the horde.

"Lucia, with me now!" Kiryu ordered as he dashed through the opening, the said Construct quickly following close without questioning whatever the hell just happened.

As the duo ran through the ruined city, the Corrupted horde lumbered behind them, far but still quick enough to catch up especially with the more mobile units.

Kiryu pressed a button on his helmet, displaying several routes on his HUD as they continued running through the streets. 

"Commandant, what's our next move?" Lucia asked as they rounded another corner.

"Into that building, I think we lost them for now." Replied Kiryu, running up the stairs before stopping on a certain level, providing a vantage point.

Below them was a large number of Corrupted roaming the streets, officially losing the duo in the chase but now stalking the area for them.

"Lucia, can you remind me what our mission objective was?" Kiryu asked.

"The task was to clear out this sector of Corrupted and to set up a beacon for Babylonia's forces to land down and deploy a checkpoint." Stated the Construct.

"And what was the level of Corrupted listed as?" The Commandant questioned.

"The official level was set to approximately low... but from what we've encountered, the amount of Corrupted in this sector is above medium and close to high." Lucia added.

"Was there a mistake made by the scouting team?" Kiryu said quietly before pressing the comms attached to his helmet.

The air in front of them buzzed for a few second before it patched through, displaying Celica's face on the air.

"[Commandant? What's the matter, did something go wrong in the mission?]" Celica asked, noticing their current standings.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but the level of Corrupted here was officially set to low, right?" Kiryu asked, glancing out the window.

"[That is correct... what happened?]" Celica answered back, checking out their task description but seeing nothing wrong.

"Then why is the amount of Corrupted here equivalent to a medium and near high level?" The Commandant questioned, barely a tinge of annoyance in his tone.

"[Wait, what? If that's the case then do you need to retreat?]" 

"No, though we're extremely outnumbered, I can think of a few plans but that will require... a high level of collateral damage to this place."

"Wouldn't that be counterproductive to the task? Especially when retaking this sector?" Lucia asked, guessing Kiryu's plan.

"Celica? What is the president's say on this?" Kiryu asked again, earning a few seconds of silence before getting an affirmative answer.

"[Hassen did state that collateral damages won't matter as long as the majority of Corrupted are taken care of, Nikola also seconded that so it's fine.]"

"Alright, good to know." 

"Commandant? What's your plan?" Lucia said before Kiryu handed her several small devices and a remote controller-like item.

"All I can say is that the collateral damage is going to rise." Kiryu stated.

"[You call blowing buildings up a solution?]" Celica dubiously questioned him.

"Hey, as long as it works." Kiryu retorted before turning back to Lucia.

"These are miniature C4s, specifically remade to demolish obstacles, attach these to the side of that building over there." Kiryu stated, pointing at a high-rising office structure.

"Once you are done, inform me and I'll lure them to that point and you'll detonate the bombs on my mark." He explained, but noticing Lucia's troubled expression.

"Commandant... wouldn't it be safer for you to arm the bombs while I distract the Corrupted?" She reasoned worriedly.

"Logically, you are correct, but I'm capable of rebounding the kinetic energy stored within my weapon so I can clear out faster than you... no offense." Kiryu answered.

"But..." Lucia wanted to protest, but Kiryu just patted her shoulder.

"Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll retreat if the situation gets too dangerous, alright?" Kiryu reassured before he made his way out the door.

"...Understood, please be careful." Lucia called after him as she watched.

Kiryu then stopped before looking back.

"Don't worry, I'm not a Commandant for nothing."

=============================

Lucia silently snuck around the Corrupted as the designated building came into sight, she quietly began sticking the C4s onto the pillar foundations of the structure.

There were occasional machines clanking around which prompted the Construct to duck behind a pillar for it to pass by before quickly resuming sticking the bombs on.

After retreating to a considerable distance from the soon-to-be detonation site, Lucia notified Kiryu through the comms.

"Commandant, the charges are placed."

"[Have you retreated to a safe distance?]" Replied Kiryu.

"I am returning to your position as we speak." Answered Lucia.

"[Good, I'll start then you strike when they're focusing on me.]"

"Understood." 

The comms then went silent as Lucia waited for the signal to begin and after a few seconds of listening to the Corrupted, the sound of something tearing through metal occurred.

Lucia instantly leapt down from her vantage point to see Kiryu almost effortlessly culling the Corrupted with his blade, the Construct was quick to join in the fight to aid him.

Cutting down several Aerial Monitors, Lucia immediately leapt back as a pack of Hydraulics stomped onto the spot where she stood before charging at her.

Meanwhile at Kiryu's side, the Commandant was parrying slashes sent by several Executors before decapitating them in one motion. He then raised his gun to shoot off the Pilgrims aiming at him from afar.

The sounds of metal slicing through metal soon attracted more Corrupted to join the fray, exactly what Kiryu wanted as he motioned Lucia to slowly retreat with him.

"Get ready." Was all he said, dodging a Tamer from the side before slicing off its heads.

More Corrupted soon join the growing horde as the duo continued fending them off, it wasn't before long that the entire area was almost covered by machines lumbering towards them.

"Commandant! Is it time?!" Lucia asked, quickly leaping aside before stabbing through several Gardeners charging at her.

"Not yet..!" Kiryu yelled, kicking a Jitterbomb towards an approaching group of its brethren, causing it to blow up against the group.

The two fended off more before Kiryu's helmet notified the exact thing he wanted to see, the majority of the Corrupted are now gathered in this area and right beneath the armed building.

Just as Kiryu and Lucia sliced away another set of Corrupted, the former soon shouted.

"NOW!" He slashed behind him, clearing a path for them with another shockwave generated from his blade.

The duo then bolted like hell with Kiryu turning his head back every seconds to see the horde in pursuit, the building was looming just besides them and will soon be in position to blow.

Which is when Kiryu pressed the detonator. 

A massive explosion and a discharge of dust and debris soon rocked the area behind the duo, almost causing them to stumble but the damage is already done as the building began to topple down and right on top of the horde of Corrupted.

One Corrupted attempted to thrust the blade in its arm out towards them but the massive structure instantly flattened it into scraps before anything could happen.

After a few minutes of crumbling ruins and the lack of noises from the horde, Kiryu then clicked onto a button on his helmet, causing the visor to shine blue as it scanned the area.

"..." Kiryu stayed quiet while surveying the damage several more seconds which caused Lucia to tentatively ask the important question.

"Commandant, did we succeed?" 

"...Surprisingly, the tactic worked better than I anticipated." Kiryu admitted while he continued scanning the area in case.

"As we speak, the level of Corrupted have decreased by a major 90 percent, once we placed down a beacon, we can let Babylonia take care of the rest." He added.

"Commandant... WATCH OUT!" Lucia suddenly shouted before tackling Kiryu just as a powerful shockwave slammed their bodies into the rubbles.

"What happened!?" Kiryu exclaimed before turning the Construct over to see a large gash in her back, slowly oozing out fluids and sparks.

"LUCIA!" The Commandant shouted, quickly flipping her around to see her barely able to move her limbs and body properly.

"[Commandant, what happened?! Lucia's signal suddenly fluctuated violently!]" Celica demanded from the comms.

"An ambush by an unseen enemy, Lucia shielded me but she's severely injured." Replied Kiryu before his helmet visor lit up in alarm.

Despite nothing is seen in the distance, dust suddenly stirred up as an invisible figure entered the area, drawing up sparks before revealing itself.

"A Musashi IX model... and an elite variant one as well..." Kiryu muttered.

Back in F.O.S Academy and Babylonia, they were taught about enemy types that spans from normal models such as the Repairer, Ground Monitor and Gardener are classified as "Ordinary" Corrupted types while "Elite" models are more diverse in their abilities and attack patterns.

The Musashi IX model are classified as "Boss" along with other unique enemy types, their attacks are far more inflicting than the models below it which makes it far more dangerous if a squad of Constructs encounter one.

Moreover, there are certain times where the so called "Boss" enemies have different stages of attacks despite being the same models.

Conveniently, the movesets were classified into "Test", "Elite", "Knight", "Chaos" and "Hell".

Although Kiryu wanted to know more about the logic behind the classifications which made him briefly reminisce about video game stages, there was no time to waste right now.

Just as he was about to take out his blade, a hand grabbed his wrist.

"Commandant... please retreat... I will hold it off..." Lucia said weakly, straining herself to get up as more fluids leaked from her back.

Realistically, it was logical to retreat especially from a dangerous unit such as the Musashi IX, cadets in the academy were taught that dire situations such as this often resulted in the destruction of the Construct's current body frame, they still have back-ups in case.

However, leaving a Construct behind and letting them die?

Unacceptable, which Kiryu simply replied.

"No."

"Commandant-" Lucia began, trying to dissuade the boy but was cut off.

"I'm not leaving you behind nor am I letting you die." Kiryu repeated stubbornly before contacting Celica through the comms.

"I request immediate pick up."

"[Already sent, and the enemy?]"

"I'll deal with it." Kiryu answered, standing up after leaning Lucia against a wall at a safe distance from the incoming fight.

"[Wait, Commandant, you're not possibly thinking about taking on a Musashi IX all by yourself?!]" Celica exclaimed.

"Just prioritize watching Lucia's condition, I'll be done soon." Kiryu stated before the Sparklence Blade manifested in his hand despite the former reaching out to stop him.

=============================

"Commandant? KIRYU?! Respond!" Celica demanded as the comms simply replied with static and nothing else.

"What's that idiot doing?!" She snapped before rushing off to another terminal, intending on deploying a rescue squad of Constructs.

However, before she could do anything, a hand held her shoulder, prompting Celica to look back to see another uniformed man with an almost impassive face.

"Vice president?!" The girl exclaim as Daigo Madoka looked at her before speaking.

"Let us watch the situation first." He simply stated.

"Sir, with due respect, I do not think the Commandant is suited to directly engage in combat with a Musashi IX, especially an elite variant!" Celica retorted.

"You'd be surprised from what Kiryu could do with a sword other than culling the Corrupted, from the notes he sent back from the academy, he did train himself extensively in combat."

"Uhm... how did you know?" Celica questioned curiously.

"Of course I would know, he is my son after all." Daigo answered back simply.

"...Huh? Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait what-"

While Celica's mind was still going haywire realizing Kiryu and Daigo's relationship, the latter walked towards the screen where the fight is occurring between the human and machine. 

=============================

The wall behind burst apart as an invisible shockwave impacted it as Kiryu immediately dodged the attack, the Musashi IX was quick to retaliate by leaping forward and raising its greatsword.

Just as the blade was brought down onto Kiryu, he jumped to the side before slashing at the Corrupted's torso, drawing out sparks and leaving a gash in the metallic body.

However, that was enough to remotely affect the Musashi IX's performance as it quickly slashed at Kiryu again who avoided the attack before raising the Sparklence Blade to block another strike that was a second too fast to dodge.

Sparks erupted as the two swords clashed together, had it been any normal blade, the weapon in Kiryu's hand would have shattered. 

The Corrupted pushed down its blade harder to overwhelm the Commandant but Kiryu quickly adjusted the angle of his sword, allowing the Musashi IX's greatsword to scrape down the blade and into the ground.

Kiryu then stepped directly onto the blade, forcing it deeper into the ground which the Corrupted tried to pull out. Kiryu quickly took the opportunity to cut at machine several times, allowing the damage to build up.

As Kiryu continued slashing at the machine, the Corrupted finally pulled its weapon back out from the ground, forcing the Commandant to back away as the Musashi IX began to spin in a circle until the dust around it picked up in the speed.

"What's it doing..?" Kiryu questioned before quickly recalling one of the attacks of the Corrupted; its generation of shockwaves while spinning around.

It's dangerous against a lone opponent but completely devastating to several individuals should they be surrounding the Musashi IX.

Kiryu immediately leapt to the side as a shockwave blew past him, drawing up wind and dust before he dodged several more attacks while closing in on the distance.

Just as he scraped past another shockwave, Kiryu stomped onto the ground before leaping into the air and over the continuous attacks of shockwaves.

He flipped in the air before twirling around with masterful movement and aimed his Sparklence Blade right down towards the Musashi IX's back.

Without hesitation, Kiryu plunged his sword straight into the metal torso, forcing the Corrupted to stop its spin and attempt to shake off the human on its back.

The Commandant continued stabbing his weapon right back into the Corrupted, drawing out sparks and several cut wires and fragments. However, he soon neglected to see the incoming hand of the Musashi IX grabbing him by the shoulder and throwing him forward.

Kiryu was quick to balance himself as he rolled onto the ground, minimizing the damage before he turned to see the Corrupted lunging straight at him.

"Shit!" Kiryu exclaimed, raising his Sparklence Blade to intercept the attack before the machine started barraging him with several attacks to which he dodged and deflected.

Due to the speed of the Musashi IX clashing straight into him, Kiryu was forced back several feet before he repositioned himself and pushing the greatsword off his own weapon.

The Musashi IX did not stop as it brought its blade down towards Kiryu once more, just as the blade closed in on his head, Kiryu raised and swung his blade upwards in an angle, allowing sparks to erupt from the brief clash as the attack was parried.

As the deflection caused the Corrupted to stagger shortly, but it was enough for Kiryu to leap forward and stab the Sparklence Blade straight into the Musashi IX's chest again.

Sparks shot from the damage before Kiryu twisted his weapon, causing the blade to light up faintly as the kinetic energy stored started to thrum from within.

Kiryu continued to push his blade further into the machine whereas the Musashi IX raised its weapon slowly to slash at the Commandant, the former immediately gripped the handle tightly before spinning around.

The Sparklence Blade easily sliced through the Corrupted as the sword filled up with kinetic energy effortlessly bisected the Musashi IX, causing a horizontal shockwave that engulfed the area with dust and metallic debris.

As the smoke and dust dissipated, Kiryu stood there breathing slightly awry before noticing Lucia stumbling into the area despite her wound.

"Commandant!" She exclaimed before almost collapsing.

"Lucia, I told you to stay where you are, you're bleeding as we speak!" Kiryu stated, quickly holding onto the Construct.

"My... mission is to ensure you stay clear of harm's way, I cannot let you combat the Corrupted alone by yourself!" Rebuked Lucia.

"That is the case, but you cannot protect me properly if you are injured like this and besides... I already took care of the Musashi IX." The Commandant reassured.

"I... I see..." Lucia faintly said before falling silent.

"Lucia? Lucia!" Kiryu exclaimed, shaking her just as he heard a faraway sound.

He looked up to see a Babylonia aircraft quickly descending onto the ground, allowing a group of Constructs to file out along with another personnel.

"Sir, what's the situation?" 

"This sector has been cleared but my Construct is severely injured and require immediate treatment." Kiryu answered.

"Understood, please follow me."

=============================

Few hours had past since both Kiryu and Lucia were retrieved from Earth, the latter was quickly sent to the laboratory for treatment and reparations while the former was asked to fill out a report for the mission details.

However, Kiryu is seen standing outside the door to the laboratory. 

"Must you really be wasting time standing here instead of filing in the report?" A cynical voice asked as the door to the laboratory opened.

"Seeing that I already submitted my report, yes. I will waste time standing here especially if the Construct under my command is injured, Asimov." Kiryu rebuked at the figure.

The said figure was a young man with black hair and red eyes along with a thin physique donned in a white coat and scarf-like cloak that reached down to his ankles and a face that had the eternal expression of a scowl that seemingly never changed.

"If you truly insist on standing here waiting, then I will say that Lucia's Inver-Device isn't damaged as badly as you think, her M.I.N.D is stabilized and the damage is mostly physical."

"Good to know." Kiryu replied back simply to the head scientist/researcher of Babylonia.

"Also, here. I've analysed enough data for sufficient improvements for the Sparklence." Asimov stated, returning the said item to Kiryu.

"Got it, anything else?" He asked.

"Your Construct wants to speak with you, if that's all then I'm leaving." Asimov said impassively before exiting the area as Kiryu entered the room.

"Sir..." Lucia began, slowly getting up but Kiryu stopped her.

"Don't, just stay still and let your body adjust but anyway, I'm glad to see you alright." Kiryu said, sitting down next to her.

"Commandant... I want to thank you for the assistance, but it doesn't change the fact I allowed you to take on a dangerous enemy." Lucia started.

"It's nothing, it's what we should do for each other." Kiryu answered, smiling lightly.

"But-!" 

"As your Commandant, if I say it's fine then it's fine, got it?" Kiryu asked, patting Lucia on the shoulder, still smiling.

"...Yes sir." Answered Lucia whose mouth was twitching much to her confusion.

Afterwards, a silence engulfed the area again, almost making the atmosphere awkward as it had in the beginning but Kiryu broke it before it could get too awkward.

"Let's start over, shall we?" He said, prompting Lucia to look at him as he raised his hand.

"I'm Kiryu Madoka, graduate of F.O.S Academy and your Commandant, please take care of me." He introduced himself once more as the Construct returned the gesture.

"I... I am Lucia, frame designation is [Lotus] and I am the sole member of the Gray Raven squad. Please take care of me as well." She stated, not even realizing she had a smile on her face.

As the Construct and Commandant shook hands, cementing their bonds for the first time ever since their meet up and mission.

"It's my honour and pleasure to meet you, Lucia. Let's make this world a better place, even by the tiniest margin together, shall we?" Kiryu asked.

"Yeah... sure!" Lucia answered, smiling just like Kiryu.

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I apologize for the delay due to a long-ass writer's block, somehow ideas keep on leaving my head along with the motivation to write so I'm still trying to get back to writing chapters for my books. University classes are hell along with my job but I hope you enjoyed this chapter of the book which it may take some time to update along with others.