"At that moment, the man said: 'I am Agent D-1.'"
"Go for him, my giant!" Eliot shouted through the speakers of his tank, his voice a mix of desperation and arrogance.
"Again with that," Agent D-1 replied calmly, effortlessly dodging the giant's blow. "I told you it's useless, and now you'll see why." With a confident smile, the agent extended his arms to the sides as his body began to emanate metal. The floating platforms beneath his feet integrated into the process, rapidly expanding to form a colossal humanoid robot, resembling the Kaiju giants from movies or the mecha robots from anime. Its design was imposing: a gleaming white body with crimson details on the joints, chest, knees, elbows, and shoulders. A black visor on the robot's head lit up with two red points of light that seemed to stare directly into one's soul.
"Allow me to introduce you to my KIBOROT," the agent announced from the cockpit inside the robot, proudly gesturing to his creation. "As I said, with a single punch, I can make you disappear. You're no match for my KIBOROT."
The robot gracefully evaded the controlled giant's attacks, moving with almost supernatural precision. Then, it raised one fist, which began to glow an intense crimson red. With calculated fury, it aimed at the giant's chin and delivered a devastating blow. The impact was so powerful that it sent the cabin containing the five subjects flying through the air, while the giant collapsed defeated onto the ground.
"Wow, I think I might've overdone it," Agent D-1 commented, scratching the back of his neck with a carefree expression. He extended the robot's other hand and caught the cabin mid-flight, ensuring it didn't crash.
"But… what…?" Eliot was left gaping, unable to process what he had just witnessed. The person he had dismissed as a mere loudmouth turned out to be far more dangerous than he had imagined. "No, damn it! What do I do?" he stammered, looking at his second-in-command for a solution. The latter responded urgently: "We should leave immediately." But Eliot remained paralyzed, overwhelmed by the scene unfolding before him.
"He… but how is he here? And why?" Akira muttered, annoyed and somewhat embarrassed to realize that this person, whom he had always considered a nuisance, had saved the day—and, consequently, his life as well.
"Well, maybe that giant did put up a fight," Adora remarked, crossing her arms as she surveyed the aftermath of the battle. "But the other controlled ones were strong too. Now I understand why they defeated the other units," Mukio added, interrupting the moment.
"Yeah, you all did nothing against it," Akira accused, glaring at his companions in frustration.
"It's really hard not to hurt someone while fighting at the same time," Adora retorted, defending her performance.
"Come on, those are just excuses," Agent D-1 replied as he descended the arm of his robot, which dissolved into tiny metallic particles once he touched the ground. He removed his glasses and carefully cleaned them before speaking again. "I am Agent D-1, my name is Rafael Amarrish. Pleased to meet you. And if you're wondering how I got here so quickly, it's because I'm Akira's master," he explained with a sly smile.
"I think the spoiled brat forgot to tell me where he was going. Luckily, I planted a tracker in one of his nanomachines."
"Arrogant! I don't need a babysitter," Akira protested, crossing his arms and glaring at Rafael.
"You're still young, and your behavior gives you away, spoiled brat," Rafael replied teasingly, adjusting the cuffs of his red coat.
"I'm glad you're here," Mukio interjected, breaking the tension with a friendly smile.
"Please, put some clothes on. You look like you just escaped from an asylum or something," Rafael said, pointing to the sorry state of Mukio's suit, which elicited laughter from the girls.
"Here, use this," he added, activating nanomachines that quickly reconstructed Mukio's suit, adding a red coat identical to the one he was wearing.
"My pupil couldn't have done that," Rafael declared, looking at Akira with a satisfied smile.
"I hate you," Akira muttered under his breath, though everyone could hear him clearly.
"The other reason I came here is that Adrian contacted me. He said he'd finished developing the cure for the controlled ones," Rafael explained seriously, adjusting his glasses as he spoke. "Also, Miss Marie told me someone called her saying that Chief Adrian was an idiot."
"Well, that was Akira!" Mukio interrupted, pointing at the robot boy with a mischievous grin. Without missing a beat, Akira ducked behind Megumi for cover.
"Spoiled brat… The boss who lets you get away with these things should teach you a lesson," Rafael retorted sternly, though his eyes twinkled with amusement.
"Alright, Megumi, can you bring that tank over to us?" Agent D-1 requested, gesturing toward the armored vehicle where Eliot remained holed up.
"Sure," she replied, raising an eyebrow as Akira stayed hidden behind her. "But this guy isn't my boss," Megumi added, crossing her arms.
The tank Eliot was in fell into a shallow hole before positioning itself beside the group. With a fluid motion, Rafael used his ability to dismantle the vehicle, trapping its occupants inside an improvised metal structure. Then, he gathered nearby materials and assembled a functional ship.
"Hey, can't you do that?" Megumi asked, glancing curiously at Akira.
"No! Unfortunately, I still have a long way to go. Plus, my mana is almost depleted. I can barely keep this armor up right now," he replied, visibly frustrated.
"Alright, everyone, get on board. Grand Boss Drake is fighting somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, and he'll probably need us. It's important that we're in better shape for what's coming next," Rafael instructed, pointing to the newly constructed vessel.
Rafael approached the fallen giant lying on the ground, observing it with a mix of respect and sadness. "You fought well. Too bad there was no saving you from the start," he murmured, briefly bowing his head.
"I'll give him a proper burial," Megumi said, using her earth magic to cover the giant's body and bury it deep underground. "Rest in peace," she added solemnly, while Akira nodded silently, sharing a moment of respect.
"That's enough for now," Rafael declared, turning toward Eliot, who remained in a state of shock, kneeling with a blank stare. "Damn fool," Rafael muttered, though without genuine hostility.
"Looks like this one got traumatized," Mukio commented with an ironic smile, looking at their defeated enemy.
"We should beat him up," Adora suggested, crossing her arms.
"We're not like them," Rafael responded firmly. "It's better if we board the ship. There's no time to waste."
Everyone boarded the ship, bringing along the controlled individuals they had captured, along with some soldiers and the radar chief of that continent. The vessel took off quickly, disappearing over the horizon as it left the battlefield behind.
During the journey, Rafael informed them about the progress made in other regions of Europe thanks to the collaboration of the other agents. "Of course, they didn't have to face that giant," Amaya muttered, slowly regaining her strength as she listened attentively.
"Did you record everything, friend?" Melisa asked, turning to the camera person who accompanied her. He nodded, assuring her that he had captured every detail.
"Well, I think I saw a hangar at that base. Maybe there's a ship there that can take us to the airport," Michele suggested, pointing to the remains of the facility that were still visible from the windows of the ship.
Upon returning to the base, they found a small operational ship, which they used to head toward the hangar. Meanwhile, Melisa reflected on what had happened. "If all of this is so secret, I should make it public," she thought aloud, feeling Michele's hand on her shoulder. For a moment, she believed their adventure had come to an end, but instead of suggesting they abandon the mission, Michele surprised everyone with her words:
"We need to keep going with this."
The others stared at her, mouths agape, unable to hide their surprise. "What? Why did you change your mind?" they asked almost in unison.
Melisa smiled with determination. "I know it's dangerous, but if there are more people like those who saved us, there's a chance we could be safe. Besides, I want to uncover the truth behind all of this... and find whoever hurt my uncle."
Ian turned on the radio, and a clear voice echoed inside the ship: "Europe has been saved. Communications have been restored. Apparently, something magical happened… someone saved us." The transmission ended on a hopeful note, filling everyone with relief, though it also left more questions than answers hanging in the air.
On the way back to the hangar, Creg was engrossed in listening to the final fragments of the recording he had made during the mission. Suddenly, he furrowed his brow and looked up at the group. "I heard something interesting. According to what I captured, it seems they're planning to go to a specific location in the Pacific Ocean. Apparently, it's an icy island," he informed them seriously, adjusting his headphones as he reviewed his notes.
"So, the Pacific Ocean, huh?" Melisa commented, crossing her arms as she processed the information. "Well, that will be our new objective," Michele declared with determination, looking at the others with a resolute expression.
Meanwhile, in the shadows, a hooded figure maintained encrypted communication. Their barely audible voices resonated on the line as they said, "Ma'am, I have new information. It seems they're heading to a location in the Pacific Ocean."
The voice at the other end of the line responded calmly but firmly: "Understood. Keep monitoring them, and as soon as you have the exact location, send us the data."
"Understood," the shadowy figure replied before vanishing completely, blending into the darkness as if they had never been there.