The sergeant major and the soldiers didn't respond.
All of them stared at Kaito with a cold, emotionless gaze that seemed to pierce through their helmets and night vision goggles. They remained silent, watching him as if he were a lab rat in an experiment.
Is this how scientists look at their test subjects? Kaito thought to himself.
Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound came from above.
Kaito looked up and saw eight massive, pillar-like objects hurtling through the night sky from the east. They landed with pinpoint accuracy, forming an octagon around him.
Almost instantly, the high-tech pillars emitted a special energy that interconnected, creating a faint blue barrier that enveloped the area.
"A spatial lockdown device?"
Kaito could clearly feel his ability to manipulate imaginary numbers being suppressed. While he could still use it, he could no longer traverse through imaginary space to escape the area. Even moving within the barrier was no longer as effortless as before.
"Interesting."
"Area locked down."
"Commencing Thunder Containment Operation."
A cold voice came through the radios of the sergeant major and the soldiers.
"Execute."
The sergeant major gave the order, and all the soldiers opened fire simultaneously.
A hail of bullets rained down on Kaito.
Kaito took a deep breath.
Transparent World!
In an instant, the speed of the bullets seemed to slow down, as if time itself had decelerated. It was like a scene from a movie where bullets move in slow motion. Kaito's control over his breathing, muscles, and fine motor skills improved significantly. It felt as if he had gone from being an average player to a high-level pro gamer.
Although the slowing effect wasn't as powerful as Time Zero, the energy consumption and strain of this ability were negligible for Kaito. He could maintain it for hours without issue.
Kaito tilted his head slightly, narrowly dodging a bullet that grazed past him.
Then, he stomped the ground with his right foot and charged toward the weakest point in the bullet barrage, his dual swords flashing.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The sparks from the collisions between his swords and the bullets were dazzling in the darkness.
In an instant, Kaito closed the distance to one of the soldiers. He crossed his arms in front of him, bringing both swords down in a simultaneous strike.
Thud!
A dull impact sound echoed.
The sensation of cutting through both the soldier's combat suit and body that Kaito had expected didn't come. Instead, his swords felt like they had struck something both soft and unyielding.
The soldier was sent flying backward.
What kind of suit is this? Kaito wondered.
His Wind Sword and Azakana Sword were among the finest blades in existence. While they didn't have the destructive power of Artoria's Excalibur or Gilgamesh's Ea, their sharpness was unmatched.
The Wind Sword was imbued with wind elements, and the Azakana Sword could cut through any magic.
Even though Kaito hadn't used his full strength—he hadn't activated the monstrous strength he'd gained from Kanroji Mitsuri—the force behind his strike was still dozens of times greater than that of an ordinary person.
Yet, the soldier's combat suit had withstood it.
Without hesitation, Kaito stomped the ground again, his figure flickering like a ghost as he reappeared in front of the soldier he had just sent flying. He swung his swords again.
Once, twice—he didn't believe the suit could withstand a hundred strikes. Even if it could, the sheer force would crush the person inside.
But just as his swords came down, Kaito noticed the soldier, still mid-air, pull a pin from a grenade attached to his waist.
Boom!
An explosion more powerful than the earlier rocket blast erupted.
Kaito was forced back several meters by the shockwave. A magical barrier in front of him absorbed the brunt of the explosion. He frowned as he watched the dust settle, only to hear the sound of the soldier's body hitting the ground.
"Is this guy insane?"
Kaito thought he was reckless, but this was on another level. Detonating a grenade on himself? That was practically suicide.
Were these soldiers brainwashed?
The sound of bullets whizzing through the air came from behind him again. Kaito didn't waste time thinking about the soldier he assumed was dead. He vanished from his spot, and a moment later, a barrage of bullets riddled the ground where he had been standing.
Kaito weaved through the soldiers, his swords flashing.
Although the Wind Sword and Azakana Sword struggled to cut through their suits, the initial softness of the material absorbed most of the force from his strikes, while the underlying toughness blocked the rest.
And if he didn't kill them instantly, they would either try to grapple him or detonate another grenade.
The area was soon filled with the sounds of explosions and thick smoke. The gunfire had completely stopped.
Kaito stood in the smoke, frowning as he considered whether these soldiers were clones.
Hearing footsteps, he swung the Wind Sword, creating a gust of wind that cleared the smoke.
What he saw made his eyes narrow.
The soldiers who had supposedly died in the explosions were standing again, their combat suits unscathed. Their cold eyes locked onto him.
"What the hell is this?"
A sense of absurdity washed over Kaito.
Even if their suits were incredibly durable, their physical bodies shouldn't have been able to withstand the explosions or the force of his strikes. Even with genetic enhancements or otherworldly powers, surviving such impacts without injury was impossible.
Yet, here they were, regrouping as if nothing had happened.
At that moment, several pods descended from the sky, landing heavily between Kaito and the soldiers. The pods embedded themselves halfway into the ground, and their doors opened with a hiss of released pressure.
Three soldiers clad in armor reminiscent of the Master Chief from Halo stepped out. They formed a semicircle in front of Kaito, cracking their necks and stretching their arms.
The one in the center raised his arm and beckoned Kaito with a finger.
"Interesting."
Kaito's lips curled into a grin.
He suddenly understood how Gilgamesh must have felt—this mix of anger at being challenged by insects and amusement at their audacity. The excitement and bloodlust bubbling within him were intoxicating.
He wanted to show these fools the gap between them and him.
The thrill of the game was irresistible.
Kaito released his grip on his swords, and the Wind Sword and Azakana Sword vanished.
"Let's play, then."
Kaito stomped the ground with his right foot.
Boom!
The ground cratered beneath him as he left an afterimage in his wake. The force of his movement created a sonic boom.
In an instant, Kaito was in front of the armored soldier in the center, his fist hurtling toward the soldier's head with the speed of sound.
Kaito's grin widened as he imagined the soldier's head being reduced to pulp.
But then—
A large, black-armored hand caught his fist with precision.
Kaito blinked in surprise.
The armored soldier tilted his head slightly, and Kaito's grin grew even wider.
"Interesting."
Kaito's body surged with power as he increased his strength and speed.
Boom!!
Boom!!
Boom!!
After two more punches, the armored soldier could no longer keep up.
Kaito's fists rained down like a storm, each strike landing with devastating force.
For the final blow, Kaito planted his left foot and swung his right arm back with all his might.
Boom!
The black-armored soldier was sent skidding backward over a dozen meters, leaving a deep trench in the ground. He knelt on one knee, supporting himself with a hand but still looking up at Kaito.
Kaito didn't pursue. Instead, he stood still and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"Hahahahaha!"
"This is too much fun."
Kaito's shoulders shook as tears of laughter formed in his eyes.
After a while, he finally stopped laughing. The three armored soldiers had formed a triangle around him, and Kaito's lips curled into a savage, excited smile.
"Please."
"Give me more surprises."