"Designation Graver identified. Attempting immediate neutralization."
Countless guided missiles launched from the helicopters.
The tanks began pouring out shells.
All kinds of attacks struck Graver, and black smoke billowed from its body.
"Damage report."
We'd poured out firepower in an instant, so there had to be some effect.
That was the complacent thought I'd entertained.
Until I saw the bastard after the smoke cleared.
"Wh-what..."
It was perfectly intact—to a degree where you couldn't even imagine it had been hit by such an attack.
Everyone showed no small amount of confusion.
"What kind of monster is that..."
"T-Team Leader. Your next orders?"
"Don't give it a chance to move! Concentrate fire!"
If Graver moved again, it would mean at minimum the annihilation of the ground forces.
We couldn't let it move in this situation.
Once more, a barrage engulfed Graver.
But Graver would wait no longer.
Breaking through the barrage, it began advancing toward the tanks.
"We can't stop its charge! Tank unit, fall back!"
They began pouring missiles into the creature as it exposed its back.
Even so, the situation was desperate.
Was it determined to destroy the tanks by any means necessary?
Taking the attacks with its entire body, it reached toward a tank.
One tank that hadn't managed to open the distance in time was caught.
Graver smashed the tank to pieces with brute strength, as if handling a toy.
"Push the helicopters right up to its nose where it can see them—we need to buy time!"
"Team Leader! We'll be in danger too!"
"So, what, we just let the kids on the ground die?"
We had to buy time for the ground troops to escape.
What human could ignore a fly buzzing right up in their face?
Get in as close as possible and pour out firepower.
Then pull up sharply to escape its attack range.
That was the plan I came up with.
If this plan failed, at least everyone aboard this helicopter might die.
But if we did nothing, everyone would die.
"Hey, you bastard!!"
Shouting, I began firing every weapon we had.
Perhaps it hadn't expected us to approach this close; it was enough to draw its attention.
"I've drawn its attention! Get in as close as possible!"
Graver reached out to catch the fly approaching it.
If there was one thing it had overlooked, it was that we had a veteran pilot.
By a hair's breadth, we managed to evade its attack.
"Fuuuuck! I knew I could count on you!!"
"If you make me pull this crazy shit again, I'm quitting!!"
Graver watched the fleeing helicopter.
Suddenly, it saw something small drop before its eyes.
Immediately, flames ignited and began to engulf it.
"How's the taste of our new incendiary? Gonna burn like a bitch."
It was sweeping its face with its hand to put out the fire.
A futile effort.
The incendiary's flames spread to whatever parts they touched.
The fastest way to extinguish them was not to touch them.
But there was no way it could know that.
The bastard kept rubbing its face as if in agony.
"We've opened up enough distance! Concentrate fire again!"
Right while Graver was pinned in place.
The barrage from ground and sky came rushing in again.
Graver had no choice but to take all the attacks with its body, completely defenseless.
"Good, if we just maintain this..."
I had overlooked something.
Operations never go according to plan.
When everything is going smoothly, always be suspicious.
Whether an unexpected situation is brewing.
Graver grabbed a handful of dirt and shoved it into its own face.
Once, twice, and then a third time.
Soon, the dirt clumped together and completely covered Graver's face.
I now realized something was wrong.
And what I realized was that Graver was considerably enraged.
With the flames on its face extinguished, Graver checked the distance between itself and the tanks.
They were already quite far apart.
I'd judged that even if it rushed now, it was a distance we could sufficiently intercept.
No, that's what I had thought.
"What the hell is that bastard doing now?"
Graver raised both arms toward the tanks and slammed them down at the ground.
With a tremendous impact, the earth surged upward, and even the tank unit was caught in the blast.
"Fuck, what the hell is that?"
Graver began approaching the entangled tank unit.
The tank unit couldn't budge because of the heaved and collapsed ground.
At this rate, they'd be annihilated.
The helicopter group began forced attacks to draw its attention.
This time was different.
Was it saying it wouldn't let the approaching group get away this time?
It began picking up exposed rocks from the ground and throwing them.
Three or four helicopters crashed to the ground from the unexpected attack.
"Open the distance! We're not safe anymore either!"
The helicopters no longer had any way to approach Graver.
With the flies gone, Graver turned back toward the tank group.
It began lifting tanks stopped in place and crushing them.
Tanks breaking apart with each exertion of force.
And the means of attack gained in hand.
Killing troops while obtaining weapons.
Just how were we supposed to neutralize a bastard like that?
At least the remaining personnel needed to retreat.
Then what about the remaining ground troops?
My head knew, but my body wouldn't comply.
I couldn't save them.
But I didn't want to use them as meat shields either.
But even now, time was ticking.
I had to make a decision.
I had to save the operators even if we had to abandon the weapons.
Weapons?
"Team Leader, please give us some kind of order."
"From now on, three helicopters go to the ground and get our people out."
"Huh? What do you mean—"
"Radio the ground troops. Tell them to abandon the tanks and run into the forest right in front of them."
"Then, what about its attention—"
"The remaining helicopters will handle that. The ones breaking off from the group land, pick up the kids, and get the hell out."
"But the retreat order hasn't—"
"You gotta be alive first if you wanna go back and get punished."
Right then, a radio transmission came through over the static.
"This is Scorpion, Team Leader Cracker. Copy that."
"This is HQ. Retreat orders have been issued to all units. Withdraw immediately."
"Retreat orders, are you certain?"
"Affirmative. Pick up the ground troops and fall back immediately."
Thank god.
Now we just had to save the ground troops to go back.
But something strange flashed through my mind.
Issuing a sudden retreat order to the troops?
We hadn't reported our unit's damage status to HQ yet.
In other words, HQ would be under the impression that the damage wasn't severe.
A retreat order under those circumstances?
Something smelled fishy.
"HQ, do you happen to know why the retreat order was issued?"
"In three minutes, a tactical nuclear warhead is scheduled for delivery."
"A nuclear warhead, you say?"
"Blast radius is approximately 3km. Retreat immediately, out."
The radio cut off.
Fuck.
They bring up something this important now?
Helicopters could get away, sure.
The tanks would be caught in the explosion without being able to move.
No, arguing comes after surviving.
Let's save the kids first.
The remaining helicopters passed over Graver's head.
As expected, it began throwing tank debris at the approaching helicopters.
It was already half-successful.
The things we'd dropped over its head.
They were all smoke grenades.
The smoke grenades that fell to the ground began spewing smoke upon impact.
Graver didn't act rashly.
Perhaps it remembered what happened earlier.
On the contrary, things became even easier.
"Good. I've confirmed the ground troops are running."
There was no need to overdo it anymore.
We just had to get out of there.
"See ya, dumbass."
Watching the fleeing helicopters, it seemed to click its tongue in displeasure.
That might have been why it felt even more satisfying.
Ah, there was one more gift left.
I hoped the bastard would appreciate it.
+++
"What? Is that true?"
"Yeah, we never heard anything about this from the start!"
"Damn, there's a limit to being a son of a bitch."
The other team leaders hadn't believed it at first, insisting they'd never heard such a thing.
But it wasn't something to dismiss so carelessly.
Was this really going to end with Team Leader Cracker and not happen again?
Was there any guarantee that something that had happened once wouldn't happen again?
Most of the team leaders showed their displeasure.
"What do the higher-ups say?"
"Who the fuck knows. All they said was sorry for not telling us beforehand."
"What? The unit almost got wiped out and that's all?"
"They're using kids like goddamn chess pieces. Fucking insane."
"By the way, what about Graver?"
"We got a report from the follow-up team."
Everyone seemed to read the result from his expression.
"It didn't die again, that bastard?"
"Disgusting. It's disgusting."
+++
"You didn't lose your temper too much over the facility getting destroyed?"
"Right? Like we'd know they'd launch a nuke?"
The grumbling group was heading toward where the nuclear warhead had fallen.
Since it was an enhanced warhead, they wanted to believe there would be damage to it.
"Arriving at the blast point shortly. Cleanup team ETA imminent."
"Damn, do you see the tanks? Not even a trace left."
"It survived this? No way."
"Even if it survived, at least one limb's gotta be crippled."
Their eyes, checking the blast point from a distance.
Made eye contact with something.
"Fuck, it survived that?!"
"This is insane."
They were looking at it, but they couldn't believe it.
To think it could stand there perfectly fine after taking a nuke.
"Hey hey hey, what's it trying to throw?!"
The distance from it was sufficient.
No, by our standards.
Graver was holding debris, about to throw it this way.
Just a moment before it would throw.
Liquid falling from the sky stopped Graver.
"Oh, it's raining."
Graver realized the liquid touching its body was water.
It looked up at the sky.
One drop, two drops, and countless raindrops.
The rain soon began soaking Graver's body and the ground around it.
Graver discarded its irradiated parts and burrowed into the ground.
Like ice melting under intense heat.
Graver fled while hiding underground.
The rain was growing heavier.