The night had finally descended upon Chiba, its towering buildings glowing one after another like a cascade of stars. The streets, once filled with people (dominions), buzzed with an unnatural urgency. The way they moved—swift and deliberate—felt orchestrated, as though they were following commands they didn’t question.

  For nearly five minutes, the city remained in this frenzied state, every dominion hurrying as if their movements were predetermined. Then, the streets fell silent. not a single dominion could be seen in the emptiness that stretched through every corner of Chiba.

  In the midst of silence, a sound of drones roared in the sky, it flew synchronized in every inch of the streets as if they were looking for somebody. Its deafening sound can be heard all around the places of Chiba. Haruka on the other hand, didn't dare to breathe as she peek through the window's edge, her sweat running through her face swiftly as she pressed her lips together. "They started." she said with a low tone of voice.

  Ai nodded, swallowing hard as the weight of their perilous situation pressed down on her.

  The train stations stood eerily silent; their gates locked tight to prevent another catastrophe like what happened earlier. Chiba’s once-bustling streets were now a grim war zone, the oppressive presence of the Aether Sentinels casting long shadows under the dim streetlights. They loomed in the stillness, their mechanical forms ready to spring into action at the slightest sign of movement.

  The Aether Sentinels were a terrifying force, each one meticulously engineered for its role on the battlefield. There were the melee combat models, towering machines built for close-range devastation. These brutes relied on sheer physical strength, wielding massive weapons or striking with blunt force that could shatter concrete and crush anything—or anyone—unfortunate enough to stand in their way.

  Then came the ranged combat units, sleek and deadly. These machines preferred to keep their distance, their precision unmatched as they rained down projectiles or fired energy-based weapons with pinpoint accuracy. They were hunters, calculating and merciless, designed to strike before their targets even realized they were in danger.

  Finally, there were the tactical and utility robots, the most versatile of the lot. These units were built for strategy, blending offense and defense effortlessly. Some carried shields, deflecting incoming fire, while others moved to repair their damaged comrades or disable enemy machines with surgical precision. Together, they created a seamless, coordinated force that could adapt to any battlefield.

  Each category had its purpose, and together, they formed a nearly unstoppable machine army—cold, efficient, and utterly relentless.

  /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

  All of a sudden, the sirens echoed throughout the city, reverberating across the streets and every corner of the area. The once beautiful lights of the buildings turned red, casting an eerie glow over the roads, making the city look intimidating.

  Ai's eyes widened in shock, her hands trembling slightly as she clutched the edge of the window. "They really want to catch us now," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. She noticed Haruka staring at her instead of the chaos outside. Turning to meet his gaze, she asked softly, "What's wrong?"

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  "What's your plan right now?" Haruka asked, her eyes focused on Ai despite the chaos outside the apartment.

  Ai's eyebrows lifted as she felt the intensity of Haruka's question. She knew Haruka was serious, and if she came up with a plan, Haruka would do everything to get them out of this situation. "Hear me out. I have a plan, but we need t—"

  A sudden beeping interrupted her. They turned to the window, spotting a drone flashing a red light at their apartment. The beeping grew louder, its sound sharp and alarming. It caught the attention of nearby drones.

  Their eyes grew wide, and their mouth fell open in disbelief. They froze as they kept on looking at the drone as if they were being petrified. It suddenly flew over them and in a matter of seconds, it exploded when it collided with the wall of the apartment. And, because of that explosion, it alerted the Aether Sentinels, the melee combat sentinels immediately went to where the explosion has been occurred. In its back, a materialized sword suddenly appeared, then it wielded the enormous sword on its hand. as it was getting closer to where the explosion was, it swung its massive sword, causing a tremendous deadly shockwave launching its way to the area where the smoke was visible.

  Haruka sensing the danger coming upon them, she instantly hugged Ai and crouched on the floor. AI was confused by her sudden action but as she was about to speak, the apartment got sliced in half, sending debris flying everywhere. Their eyes widened in shocked but fortunately they are in their state of mind, they immediately stood up and jumped from the 2nd floor apartment, landed safely and started to run as fast as they could. but as soon as they started to move, the drones followed them behind. Haruka held Ai's hand in her right hand while her other hand, a materialized sword appeared out of nowhere. She pressed her lips together as sweat was dripping in her face. As they turned to left corner of the street, a massive army of military dominions stood on the edge of the street, waiting for them with guns pointing towards their direction. When they saw them on the other side of the road, they didn't waste no time, they fired their gun in deadly precision.

  Ai took a pen in her pocket and put it closer to her mouth. "Penny-chan, please protect us" she said, her voice low yet calm.

  Haruka didn't have time to react, nor she has the ability to stop or deflect the bullets coming towards them. Yet, despite their crucial situation. A transparent barrier instantly envelope them, it deflected all the bullets and save them from the danger. She then looked at Ai, she saw her holding a glowing pen. "Ai, what is that?" she asked. Ai looked at her with a smile on her face and thumbs her finger. "This is Penny-chan, my weapon and my partner." she laughed slightly.

  Haruka then walked closer and stopped. she postured herself to attack. "Stay behind me, I'll carve our path to safety." she said, her determination can be seen on the way she gestured herself. Ai was surprised because she didn't see Haruka waver or shaking, even though she knew it's a battle against her own kind, she wasn't afraid to draw her sword against them instead she is willing to fight for her, by her side. And, because of that, she smiled, it clung to her, Haruka's resolve and determination, it clung to her, every inch of her body.

  Haruka took a single step, and instantly running towards the army of dominions but they fired at her as immediate. Bullets flying in her direction with deadly precision, it's too fast but as it was about to hit her, she dodged it and even cut it half using her sword. Ai's eyes widened as she saw Haruka dodging bullets and slicing it by half. She thought they can be able to do this, to escape from this hellish they're in. But all of a sudden, the melee combat sentinel landed in the middle of the road, swung its swords at its fullest towards Haruka.

  "HARUKA!!!" Ai screamed, her hair was dancing along the wind because of the impact of the attack,

  But Haruka was faster. She slid beneath the sentinel’s feet, dodging the blow, then turned and swung her sword with all her strength. With a sharp cry, she sliced the sentinel in half. The strongest combatant of the military, the Aether Sentinel, fell in two pieces. Its upper body hit the ground and exploded.

  Haruka turned to face the dominion army and raised her sword. "Don’t stand in our way!" she shouted.