Long-term salvation

The sky finally collapsed, and an unseasonably heavy rain poured down.

Armed Shrine Maiden Toyokawa Shoko (XVIII): The Beginning of Collapse

"Wakaba Mu... Mu is missing?!"

When Xiangzi saw the message on the communicator, she suddenly jumped up from the bed. Su Shi beside her opened her sleepy light blue eyes and asked blankly:

"Xiangzi? Mu is here?"

"No... Hey, you just slept with me all night, don't make that expression!"

Xiangzi pinched Sushi's cheek in embarrassment, and with a tearful yet slightly teasing expression, he quickly changed out of his pajamas and put on the red and white clothes of the armed shrine maiden. Seeing the panic on the face of the person in front of him, Sushi immediately realized that something was wrong:

"Something happened to Xiao Mu?"

"She joined the GOC without telling me and became an armed shrine maiden and an AS pilot!" Xiangzi said angrily. She picked up the cello case on the edge of the room. "Director Makise Kurisu and Senior Saikawa helped, and now that something's happened, they have no choice but to contact me... eh... these guys!"

"I understand," Su Shi nodded, without mentioning anything about today's live show. She knew exactly what to say and when. After taking a deep breath, the girl said seriously, "Xiangzi, please bring Xiaomu back."

Xiangzi paused slightly, then she put on the cello case and reached out to hug Su Shi.

Smelling the warm fragrance of the light brown-haired girl, Xiangzi exhaled gently, rubbed her cheek, and responded softly:

"I will."

After saying that, Xiangzi no longer hesitated and quickly ran out of the apartment, leaving Su Shi alone standing at the door, looking at him silently.

Instead of leaving along the street, Xiangzi went straight up the stairs and kicked open the iron door on the roof of the apartment building.

The sky had become an inverted sea of ​​asphalt, with the folds at the bottom of the clouds occasionally flashing a dark red like viscera. Damp mist rose from every corner, weaving with the rain into a grayish-white web.

Amidst the violent storm, a Black Hawk helicopter slowly descended.

The helicopter's rotors sliced ​​through the rain, creating an umbrella-like mist above the fuselage, only to be blown away by the strong wind the next second. The hatch was flung open, and Saikawa Ayane reached out and pulled Xiangzi inside, handing her a towel.

"What the hell..."

"It's not just Wakaba Mu's problem," Saikawa Ayane said with a frown. She ran a hand through her damp hair, her exoskeleton humming softly. "Kasukabe City's Metropolitan Area Outer Discharge Channel—that massive underground drainage facility—is experiencing a blockage, and a massive reaction to the otherworldly energy."

"what?"

"We killed two members of that cult during this time, but we couldn't find the final leader or the missing members... Now, we know where they are."

Kasukabe City's Metropolitan Area Outer Suburban Discharge Channel? Xiangzi knows a little about it, but didn't construction just start two years ago? (The original timeline was 1992, and it was completed in 06.)

As if seeing the confusion on the girl's face, Saikawa Ayane explained helplessly:

"The Japanese government has invested heavily in Shinohara Heavy Industries' Labor robots, and has essentially completed the initial construction of the tunnel. Because of this, you're likely to face attacks from these devices."

Hearing this, Xiangzi reached out and wiped his face - facing those labor machines with enhanced output in the drainage facilities flooded by accumulated water, this was definitely not good news, not to mention that it might be enhanced by supernatural forces.

At least there are no military mechas involved, otherwise it would be a troublesome matter.

"What about Mu?" Xiangzi raised an eyebrow, a hint of anger and accusation in her eyes... but it was all directed at herself. "Did the enemy try to kidnap her because of her identity as a GOC armed shrine maiden?"

"It's highly unlikely, otherwise we wouldn't have found their location. While the enemy can spread fear with some otherworldly artifacts, this doesn't mean they're very capable or intelligent."

Saikawa Ayane didn't notice the emotion behind Xiangzi's words, but she still pursed her lips, clasped her hands together and apologized earnestly:

"Sorry, Xiangzi! We just wanted to give you a surprise, and this is also what the little girl asked for...Ah, it's all my fault!"

Hearing this, Xiangzi's chest heaved a few times. Reluctantly, he reached out and tugged at his senior's cheek, causing the latter to look back at him with tears in his eyes. Xiangzi, his anger having faded somewhat, took out his communicator, glanced at the mission briefing on it, and asked aloud:

"Never mind... Saikawa-senpai, what is the GOC Tokyo branch's operational plan? I only saw the order for the AS troops to break into the underground drainage facilities."

"Armed priestesses and shrine officials will control the Underground Shrine's central operations room, cordon off the surrounding area, and implement information control. Fortunately, there aren't any tall buildings above, just single-family homes... We'll relocate all residents—even though it's 50 meters underground, I think you should still be able to cause quite a stir."

Saikawa Ayane said this, she stood up and opened the helicopter door:

Four M9S AS mechas and an equally tall metal box stood in the wind and rain. Rainwater gathered into streams on the slope of the armor, slowly flowing down along the legs that looked like human beings, and merged into the accumulated water on the ground.

In front of these metal weapons, three girls wearing shrine maiden costumes and raincoats had been waiting for a long time. They raised their heads and looked at Xiangzi.

"Ave Mujica," Shoko whispered the name.

"Triangle Chuhua, codename Doloris."

"Hachiman Kairin, codename Timoris."

"Youtianji Ruomai, code name Amoris."

And... Shoko Toyokawa, codenamed Oblivionis.

Xiangzi jumped off the helicopter that had just landed and rushed into the rain. She reached out to take the raincoat handed to her by Sanjiao Chuhua and put it on. Then she looked at her teammates and said calmly:

"This is the end, my friend... Our companions, and those ordinary people, are imprisoned and bound by the dark nightmare. It is time to end it all."

"Let's go and end this nightmare."

+ + + + + + + + + + + + +

Thick darkness enveloped every inch of space like asphalt. Ruo Yemu pressed his knees deeper into his chest, lowered his eyes slightly, and listened to the beating of his own heart.

At this moment, there was a sweet smell of corruption floating in the air, like the rust that falls when a rose withers.

"I got caught," Wakaba Mu whispered, "I wasn't alert, it was a mistake."

[Hold on!] [Someone will definitely come to save us!] [Try to find a way to leave] [Ha, you're too weak]

"Mortis."

[I'm here] A dark figure emerged from the shadows. She slowly embraced Wakaba Mutsu, who was sitting on the theater stage, and said with a low smile, [You know what to do at this time].

"Only this time, only once."

"Yes, I obey... After all, we are all "Wakaba Mutsu."

The darkness was suddenly torn apart! Raging water poured in, crashing mercilessly into the girl—but within the current, the iron giant's eyes lit up—that was her mecha, her toy, her killing weapon.

The cockpit was already open, waiting for the girl to enter.

"Mu!!!"

As if hearing such a voice, "Ruoye Mu" opened his eyes and revealed a ferocious smile.

Armed Shrine Maiden Toyokawa Shoko (19): Underground Shrine

When four AS mechas dragged a metal box into the second shaft, a large amount of rainwater had already poured into this "metropolitan area outer drainage channel". The not-so-turbulent water flow was hitting the concrete pillars, creating gray-white foam.

Water droplets exploded into a grayish-white mist on the surface of the pillars, and countless fine cracks climbed up along the base of the pillars. In the thousands-meter-long underground corridor, a series of emergency lights flashed simultaneously, smearing the water mist with dim spots of light, casting a dim yellow hue on the already turbid torrent.

"Sensors detected the Labor robot in the water ahead."

Xiangzi whispered as she controlled AS to raise its arms and reach out to grab the robot, whose surface was already covered with holes. AS exerted a little force with her palm, and the robot's waist was cut off. Hydraulic oil and some dark brown liquid immediately wrapped around the broken body and it slowly sank.

"It's been handled... Wait, the water is getting turbulent, be prepared."

Steel nails popped out from under the soles of the mechas and pierced into the ground, allowing several mechas to remain roughly stable in this torrent.

Looking at the green horizontal line that was constantly shaking on the screen, Xiangzi gritted his teeth and prepared himself to withstand the impact.

Violent tremors like an earthquake created huge waves that rolled down the corridor, shaking off the rusted metal grids on the concrete dome. The turbid water in the drainage ditch used for diversion surged back abnormally, and the two streams of water collided with each other, making a thunderous explosion!

The four AS tanks then raised their machine guns and fired at the vague figure appearing in the flickering lights. The shells crashed into the water curtain and exploded inside. The slender, long-shafted armor-piercing projectiles parted the water flow, but only pierced a phantom.

"Save ammunition, we still need to keep moving forward—high-energy response ahead!"

As the water flowed, several Labor robots used for engineering construction suddenly emerged from underwater. Their mechanical parts hung scattered, connected by tendons of flesh and blood that came from nowhere, and the spherical joints on their limbs were wrapped in waterproof rubber sleeves entangled with metal thorns. However, the originally eye-catching orange-yellow paint was stained by the sewage into a mottled brown-black.

The roar of the machine guns once again echoed in this underground world fifty meters deep. The shock wave of the shells tore through the water surface, splashing several almost transparent white water walls, and the metal plate on the left shoulder of the leading engineering robot was blown away.

The turbulent water flow without any regularity was interfering with the shooting of the AS, forcing Xiangzi and the others to compensate with more intensive firepower.

However, under the firepower coverage of the four mechas, the fuselage of the engineering robot in the front was not directly penetrated. The strange metal steel plate layer on the front chest gradually shattered, revealing the huge heart inside that was constantly beating - as if this heart had resisted the blow that was enough to penetrate the main battle tank!

But the heart was immediately shattered, turning into a pool of minced meat mixed with twisted human remains.

"These robots contain the missing people and the workers who are currently constructing the drainage facilities!" Upon seeing this, Yutenji Wakamugi controlled the AS to retreat half a step, resisting the increasingly fierce current. "We need to try to rescue them... No, their skulls are deformed!"

"Then we can only let them rest in peace."

Xiangzi said in the communication channel that she saw the remaining five flesh-and-blood machines had spread out in a fan shape, and two machines equipped with welding guns came from the flanks, bypassing the concrete pillars and encircling them. The blue-white electric arcs drew twisted bright lines in the humid air, evaporating the surrounding sewage.

The flow of water is not an obstacle to them, but a help.

After realizing this, Xiangzi's heart moved slightly, and he said to his companions on the communication channel:

"Chuhua...Doloris, help me stabilize the aircraft. The others, prepare for close combat."

Holding his breath, under the covering fire of his companions on both sides and with the support of his companions in the back, the AS mecha, the leader's machine, pulled the trigger of its cannon:

Steel and gunpowder!

Before the cannon's entire magazine was emptied, the flesh-and-blood machines, infused with the energy of the otherworld, were instantly blasted apart! A flash of orange-red fire flashed through the dim passage, casting the shadows of tall, straight concrete pillars on the walls, but the latter never moved again!

At this moment, the sewage that was instantly vaporized by the explosion of the flesh and blood machine was forming a gradually expanding steam ball, covering the entire passage tightly, leaving only the sound of rushing water.

"Let's continue advancing," Xiangzi exhaled slowly, feeling a little more irritated and worried. He then controlled the mecha to replace the cannon's magazine. "According to the GOC's speculation, if it's an ordinary person recently captured, they might be able to hold out a little longer... I hope so."

A burst of electrical noise flashed across the communication channel, which was interference from supernatural forces, but the mechas were close enough for the communication to remain smooth.

After controlling the mecha to move in the turbulent water for several minutes, Xiangzi suddenly saw the energy overload warning of the Ozodek scanner pop up on the screen in front of him.

The girl's heart sank, and then she saw the sticky substances vaguely visible on the walls of the corridor in the green halo cast by the emergency light - the dark red gelatinous substance was stretching its body with the waves of water, and the surface had a metallic luster - were they metal, or flesh and blood?

"Oblivionis! Ahead!"

The warning from her companion Hachiman Kailing reached Xiangzi's ears, causing her to subconsciously look forward.

With several translucent cheek sacs containing floating human flesh as the core, the steel supports left over from the construction, and the undestroyed engineering robots were rapidly gathering and growing in front, looking very much like the monsters the girl had seen in the battle at the GOC research facility.

New fleshy membranes are proliferating wildly, connecting and covering artificial objects that are by no means flesh and blood. These translucent tissues are wrapped in shock-absorbing rubber pads, swallowing bolts and rivets into their bodies, and etching root-like biological circuits on the metal surface.

In just a moment's breath, a flesh-and-blood mechanical monster that "grew" from a concrete pillar appeared in front of Ave Mujica's team!

The piercing mental scream penetrated the metal layer of the mecha without any hindrance and was transmitted to Xiangzi's mind:

Music, screams, singing, crying, happiness, anger, joy, despair, everything exploded in the girl's mind, followed by a strange low whistle:

Embarking on the road of...destruction...rebirth...This book deceived me! ! ! No...please...please...

When the second half of her desperate howling faded, a flash of sensation like an electric current pierced the girl's mind—in those fleshy cheek pouches in different locations, several humans were curled up, their hearts praying to be saved, and among them was a girl with long light green hair... Mu? Mu!

She's in the cheek pouch on the lower right, behind the metal shell!

Xiangzi suddenly woke up from her coma. Without any hesitation, she opened fire directly at the flesh-and-blood machine!

The roar of the machine guns formed an endless echo in the drainage ditch, and the shells wrapped in gunpowder smoke fell into the turbid water one after another, making a strange hissing sound.

Xiangzi gritted her teeth, her right thumb firmly pressed against the top of the joystick, forcing the AS mecha's weapon to continue firing, even as the tremors of the machine gun's roar returned. The shells came swiftly from both sides, and even though the roar was filtered and muffled, it still tortured the girls' eardrums.

Through the water-stained surveillance footage, the girl saw that the concrete pillar in front of her had been completely covered by flesh and blood machines, but when the machine gun shells hit the armor under the flesh and blood, they could only produce dazzling sparks.

"...cover me," Xiangzi threw away the empty cannon and began to charge the pile driver on the mecha's arm, "let me directly smash that monster to pieces."

"It's too difficult! And the biosensors have picked up some human life reactions," Sanjiao Chuhua asked through gritted teeth. She manipulated the machine to slowly open the tall metal box, revealing a corner of the metal armor inside. "We have to ensure their survival, especially Wakaba Mu... The attack is coming!"

The jagged flesh tentacles lashed out like whips, forcing the four ASs to scatter and hide behind the concrete pillars in the corridor. The last M9S mecha equipped with combat AI rolled out of the metal box and made the same evasive action.

"be prepared."

Xiangzi exhaled slowly, coordinating his heart with the mecha's movements.

"I'm on it!"

The M9S-type jump thrusters spurted out flames, vaporizing the water, but the mecha made a forward roll, dodging the whip of the tentacles while the pile driver on its left arm began to charge, and the arm blade on its right arm ejected.

"Mu!!!"

Break through the steel shell and cut open the cheek pouch!

Armed Shrine Maiden Toyokawa Shoko (End): After the Rain, the Sky Clears

Wakaba Mutsu...Mortis opened his eyes and revealed a hideous smile.