Mutagen

Day 319 - 10:31 AM - Storeroom, Four Squares Blacksmith Stall, Toyosu Wholesale Market, Toyosu, Koto City, Tokyo

It was supposed to be a leisurely day. But, of course, things would not go as planned anyway.

Such was life.

But for Mark, the sudden situation became the perfect opportunity. Furthermore, some unexpected factors lined together to back it up.

The perfect stage for their battle debut in Japan was now created.

"Well then," Mark said to the two people staring at his group in confusion. "We're heading out for a bit."

Mark told Mako and Yasuo in Japanese without waiting for a reply before he turned to speak to the girls in Tagalog.

"Let's go."

Mark then opened the door and headed out with his group fully armed.

CRASH!

The sounds of items breaking and the battle outside became louder through the opened door. It snapped Mako and Yasuo out of their confusion. No matter what Mark's group suddenly came out with, there was a more important matter.

"SH*T! I need to protect my store!"

Yasuo yelled as he grabbed his own weapon just near the door, a heavy-looking mace, and rushed outside.

Mako also realized that she should not stay away from Mark's group as she was supposed to guard and observe them. But before she could follow them out of the door, the communicator hidden under her uniform sounded.

"Home to Escort. Home to Escort. Mako, do you read?"

A woman's voice, surely unfamiliar to Mark's group, sounded from the communicator.

As she hurried to follow Mark's group outside, Mako took out a single-ear earpiece with an extended mouthpiece and replied.

"Loud and clear, Aira. I'm in a hurry, so please, keep it short."

Seemingly knowing the rest of the situation, the woman on the other side of the communicator responded.

"The Reclaimed City is under attack by a swarm of [Mutated Giant Hornets]. Estimated at least three thousand, and sizes varied. All western areas are under attack at once, but we will prioritize sending rescue and extracting the guests. Take cover and wait in safety. Over."

But at this point, Mako was already outside the storeroom, staring at the spectacle before her.

"Negative for rescue. Send reinforcements instead... The guests decided to skirmish. Over."

There was a short silence on the communicator. It was not only Mako, but the hidden escorts must be relaying the same information.

After all, Mark's group was already on a rampage for their debut battle.

***

Within the Wholesale Market, the battle between humans and giant hornets continued. While the attack of the enemies was quite a surprise, most of the people within the market were [Ability Holders] belonging to [Freelancer Groups] and [Territorial Groups]. After all, they were selling materials and other things they gathered outside after fighting monstrous enemies.

These people were combatants that had already adapted to fighting unexpected enemies.

Although their goal was only to protect their stall and wares, these [Ability Holders] were able to fight without getting pushed back. The only problem was the annoying number of enemies entering the broken windows. After one was killed, another would take its place. As such, it would only be a matter of time before they began to tire.

Fortunately for them, a group of newbies decided to take this situation as the stage for their debut.

The moment Mark's group went out of the storeroom, Mark immediately issued orders as if he already knew the situation outside.

"Formation," Mark yelled loud enough for his members to hear. "Snapping Turtle. We're heading outside."

[Formation: Snapping Turtle]. It was one of several formations Mark planned for the group and something they practiced for about a few hours a day for two weeks.

Before, Mark's group only moved in fights where the attackers were backed by the defenders and supporters. For example, Abbygale and Miracle had the tendency to rampage around where Iola would carefully watch over the two from behind and fill in the gaps in their defense. It worked. However, it had many disadvantages than advantages. Furthermore, it drains the supporter physically and mentally.

As such, Mark created these formations that would be more efficient than their usual scattered fighting style.

And as said, [Formation: Snapping Turtle] was only one of the few formations created to tackle different situations.

When Mark gave the order, Abbygale immediately went forward as the lead of the group. Given her speed and aggressiveness on the battlefield, she was the most suitable head of the snapping turtle. She had the swiftness to charge forward and retreat at a moment's notice.

On both sides of Abbygale were Miracle and Spera. They were the front legs of the formation. Although, right now, Spera was on the right and Miracle was on the left, their position could change depending on the situation. The two had different functions within the formation. Spera was more inclined to defense, while Miracle was more on the attack. Since the formation was moving south with its left side close to the wall of the building, Spera was on the right side to focus on defending against attackers.

Right behind the three in front was Mark. He was the neck and the direct offensive support to the entire formation. Although he was positioned at the neck, he was supposed to move around the center. Since he was the most balanced among his group, he was the best person to run around and fill in the gaps needed wherever within the formation.

And, of course, the center. Iola. The shell and the overall support of the formation. Although she would not use it immediately and was only using two pistols since they were hiding their cards, she was still the shield and defender of the group.

Amihan left Mark's shoulder and sat on Iola's instead. Together with Iola, she was at the center of the formation. Her powers to control the wind were versatile, whether the attack, defense, or support. And in this formation, she was a mid-range attacker and secondary defender.

Moving as the hindlegs, it was Emika. Her ability to control her hair and turn it into giant vines would help more behind the formation. Her reach was not short either, and she could both attack and defend the person behind her.

And, of course, the tail. Mei, who was the sniper. She might be at the back of the formation, but her attacks could reach further than the head. Besides, it was the most sensical position for a sniper in any group or formation.

The moment the group appeared, they ran towards the exit of the Wholesale Market. And without stopping, they took down any hornet that arrived within the attacking range of their formation.

Every hornet that came within a few meters away from the center of the group fell lifeless.

Of course, their group, all clad in black clothing and armor and taking down the giant hornets like tiny mosquitos, took the attention of the people around them.

"Wait for me!"

Mako helplessly shouted as she chased the group.

A hornet was attracted to Mako's shouts, but the seemingly weak Mako was not weak at all. Her hand flashed a dark-colored dagger from her sleeve before her figure blurred as she accelerated her footsteps. Her figure became clear as she passed by the hornet that froze mid-flight.

The hornet that Mako passed by then fell before splattering into several bisected pieces. She then continued running after Mark's group, who had already killed a few dozen hornets before reaching the entrance of the market.

Mark's group rushed out of the Wholesale Market, contrary to the thoughts of most people inside. And just by standing near the door, they had already seen a much worse situation.

Loud screams filled with fear and terrifying gunshots echoed from every direction. Gun muzzles continuously flashed as they spewed bullet after bullet. And the annoying buzzing sounds from the hornets were everywhere.

Just like Mark had said before, the civilians living within their delusions were unable to properly react to the sudden dangerous event and were panicking. It was as if the beginning of the apocalypse was here once again.

Everything was in chaos.

It was the perfect stage.

However, the entrance they went out of was facing the east, opposite where the enemies were coming from. As such, Mark instructed the group to run across the highway to an open space on the other side.

And in that direction, Mark led the group to a vast circular park.

One would think it was stupid to go to an open space when fighting enemies from the sky. The most rational tactic was to enter an enclosed space and siphon the enemies through the limited entrance that the enclosed space had.

However, it would work if the enemies were in small numbers. Too many to fight in an open space but quite too few to fight in an enclosed space. Because if the number was too large, the fighters would tire first before the battle could end.

Furthermore, an enclosed space would limit the abilities of the fighter. To Mark's group, who were more versed in mass battles, enclosed spaces were a no go for the most part.

The group reached the park, and they all stood at the center. The formation was now facing west, and the turtle was ready to snap.

After noticing a group of people not running but staying still in an open space, the aggressive hornets immediately charged to their new targets. Not one by one. Ten at most was already the least number.

It would have been a terrifying sight. In fact, some people saw the situation from the building nearby. Many of those people thought that a stupid group of people was standing at the center of the circular park. Furthermore, the witnesses saw they had pitiful children with them, making them think the older members were neglectful guardians.

But then, the eyes of the witnesses widened.

It started with the girl at the frontmost of the group.

The witnesses could only see a blurry figure as Abbygale moved from place to place. Her shoes made of metal splattered the bodies of hornets in one kick. As if that was not enough, she would use the ones flying lower as footholds to reach the hornets flying higher.

But then, at one point, Abbygale's kick missed. Some of the hornets were smarter than the others and managed to dodge. With her kick missing, she lost balance mid-air. But when the witnesses thought she would fall on her back, like a cat, she spun mid-fall upright.

Still, some of the hornets were already on her tail, and there was no way she would be able to dodge the incoming attacks mid-air.

It was when a barely audible clack could be heard as she kicked the inner side of her shoes together. Then, the shoes released a noticeable glow at some parts.

A trail of light was created as Abbygale's shoes burst forth a force enough to spin her body mid-air without needing a foothold. And using that force, she kicked several incoming hornets with a wide swing of her right foot before she tall to the ground.

With a graceful landing, the head of the snapping turtle moved forward once again, destroying the hornets in front of the group.

At this time, hornets from all over the place seemed to have reacted to something. While most of them continued to attack the civilians and the defending army, a noticeable number of the giant hornets flew in a particular direction.

It was towards the Toyosu Roku-Chome Park. The park where a group of [Ability Holders] were holding out the assault of the giant hornets.

And as more hornets came, the fight intensified.

It was when the other members of the black-clothed group shined even more.

Mako stood hiding near the trees outside the park. Her eyes focused on the mysterious group of people before her. She had her doubts at first, but now, it was more of an admiration.

Mark's group was no prey. They were the predators.

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