"What's the current situation?! Someone report!"
Deep within Throh, a squad of elites stood stranded and unable to contact their peers.
They had been part of a strike team sent out to assassinate a few important members of the Nox's home base on Throh, but before they could even reach the base, they were met with a terrifying ambush.
A woman clutched a radio device and screamed into it, hoping for a response from her squad members, but she was only met with silence.
Her eyes sharpened as she lifted her injured body off the rocks. She held a large gun in her hand, evidently possessing plenty of firepower on her own.
She ran through the desolation of Throh. This deep into the planet, there was nothing but endless desert and cracked dirt. The heat was almost unbearable, especially in the armor that these Heaven's Army soldiers were wearing.
"Reporting to base, we've been ambushed! I repeat, we've been ambushed! Send reinforcements as fast as possible!"
The woman yelled into her radio one more time before raising her gun and cautiously making her way out of the imploded area where she was stuck.
After climbing out of the wreckage, she found a new landscape in front of her.
Underneath Throh's surface was something terrifying.
Something that Heaven's Army wasn't prepared to face.
The woman was quiet.
She didn't even dare let a single breath leak from her mouth.
That thing was right in front of her.
The imploded ground created an opening in its quarters.
If she moved even a little…
"This…this is base reporting! Unit 67, are you still there?"
"I repeat, unit 67 this is base! Do you copy?"
Despite her own personal desires, the woman was unable to reach for her radio.
After all…
"Something" appeared before her.
It was present yet not present at all, alive yet showing no signs of life…
It was a contradictory existence that should not be allowed to exist in this world.
And that existence…was facing the woman head-on at the moment.
"Base…I think you just got me killed."
The woman spoke with a wry smile.
And that was the last expression to ever surface on her face,
"Something" whipped out at her, and her existence was erased in a single instant. The only remaining proof of her presence was the final message she sent to the base.
A control operator panicked. Just now, the only reporting member of Unit 67 had declared her own death.
Considering the mission that Unit 67 was sent on, it could only be imagined what this total wipeout implied.
"Commander! Urgent news!"
An assistant made their way towards the commander's office immediately. They informed him of Unit 67's situation in as much detail as they got from the control operator who was connected to them.
The commander frowned.
"There is something…within the planet?"
It wasn't as surprising as it was unexpected. It was a variable that Heaven's Army wasn't quite equipped to deal with, considering how one of their elite squads was torn to shreds by that entity without even a hint of resistance.
"Contact the Council and fill them in on the situation. In the meantime, Units 34, 27, and 66 should be summoned to my office, and Units 22, 15, and 53 should be sent to General Streuss for further instruction."
The commander's assistant moved instantly. It only took a little over a minute for everyone to gather where they were supposed to be.
"Attention! Our 3000 Lightning Palace will gain infinite prestige in this war! We have just found an entity of unknown proportions and power beneath the planet. Before we can message the association and inform them of its existence, protect the planet from its wrath and keep it contained! Do you understand?!"
"Yes, Sir!"
The three squads he summoned to his office shouted in unison. While they were busy containing the entity, the three squads under General Streuss would lead a second expedition into the cave to capture footage of that entity so it could be analyzed.
"You may die on this mission, but you will die with honor! You will die as protectors of this universe, people who allowed it to persevere during these terrible times! Are you prepared to make this sacrifice?!"
"YES, SIR!"
An enthusiastic response followed his words, carrying enough momentum to shake the world.
The commander smiled.
"Good! Then, I wish you all good luck, and don't make me write home to your families! I owe you all drinks when you get back!"
The deployed squads smiled wryly. The commander's method of cheering them up wasn't the best, but his intent made them smile every time.
Without hesitation, they teleported from the starship and landed on Throh.
The commander sighed from above.
'Just how many of you will I have to send off before this war ends…?'
He lamented their fates, but he could do nothing to stop them. He wasn't lying about the importance of their sacrifices.
'Now that we've discovered something so horrendous, we can only hope everything else works out in our favor. If the Infected Source World's forces appear…'
The last information he heard about the Infected Source World was that a group of cadets was going to take charge of it.
Of course, the instructors above them and even some Heaven's Army troops were overseeing them, but it still remained that the main operations on Calypto were being handled by inexperienced kids.
'If they can hold those pests off until we finish up here, I'll swear my loyalty to them as a whole. I'll even become a dog if it means containing the situation that's already out of our control.'
The commander sighed once more. Unfortunately, he didn't have the freedom nor the jurisdiction to know the overall situation with constantly updating details.
He could only hope that fate would be on their side.
***
In another starship far away from any ongoing battlefield, countless individuals swarmed about as they carried out their individual tasks.
This starship was the main control center, the starship that linked every part of the battlefield together.
And here, they were able to receive information from all across the universe.
"Most of Calypto's forces have been wiped out by the Stargazer Squad! I repeat, only the Blight Emperor and his closest aides remain!"
A shocking announcement came through not long ago and was transmitted everywhere, an announcement specifically naming a squad of students and praising their contribution to the war.
According to the operator, this squad essentially swept Calypto's surface single-handedly.
"Single-handedly?"
"Single-handedly."
A man raised his brows in appreciation when he heard the news. "What's the current situation of this squad?"
"Two are crucially injured, one is still recovering after Elixir treatment, and two are missing."
That alone was enough to shock the man, but when he learned of why they were in such a predicament…
"My gods! Who knew we still had such courageous youths entering our ranks!"
He let out a shout of anticipation. He couldn't wait until these brave students joined him on the true battlefield.
Only people like them were worthy of becoming Hunting Dogs.
"Speaking of, isn't little Jinjin over there? How's he doing?"
"Instructor Baek Woojin is currently investigating the Stargazer Squad for unknown reasons. The cadets have speculated that he suspects them of fabricating their feats."
"Haa…that boy was always too stubborn to recognize others. I hope it doesn't end too poorly for him."
"Indeed, however, sir, this is not the time to be thinking about that. Your troops await your command."
"Right, then shall we get going?"
The man smiled and stood up from his throne. An ornate blue robe signified his high status, and the scholarly aura emanating from him made even the most belligerent fool feel tranquility.
He stood on a balcony overlooking 100,000 troops, all lined up in undeniably perfect formation.
"Men!" The man shouted with all his power.
"Tonight, we feast on the blood of our enemies!"
"Tonight…we kill until we're killed!"
RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
The response was beautifully glorious. The soldiers chanted as one unified mind, with no doubts in their minds about the success of their mission.
Throh was a battlefield where countless different squads and sects fought together while simultaneously competing. It was an environment of brutal war no matter how many thousands of kilometers away one went.
And in this environment, the only way to survive was to contribute.
As contribution points stacked up, the guarantee of safety would increase as well.
For these fighters from smaller sects, and even those from major influences, who came to the battlefield for glory…
Each and every battle was one of fierce survival and competition.
