Starlight pushed open the door to the isolation room. Her expression was complex as she looked at the woman before her—covered in scars, yet with a fire reignited in her eyes.
"Your application has been approved," Starlight said softly.
Maeve's tense body relaxed slightly the moment she heard those words.
"Your sword and shield will be repaired and enhanced, but you cannot act alone," Starlight paused, her tone turning serious. "You will be assigned to a squad and airdropped into Europe with the first wave of troops. Your mission is to assist them in eradicating the Crossed tribes."
"I understand," Maeve nodded without a shred of hesitation.
...
Azure Dragon's cold voice echoed throughout Huaxia via the Sky Base's supreme authority.
"Global purge operation, officially initiated!"
The moment the command was issued, ten thousand pitch-black figures plummeted from the sky like falling stars.
They were accurately deployed via massive orbital drop pods to the continents where the Crossed virus was most rampant.
North America, Europe, South America, Africa...
Overwhelming martial might instantly crushed the blood-soaked wastelands.
Europe, an ancient city long reduced to ruins.
Hundreds of infected, drawn by the commotion, were howling around a building.
Suddenly, a pitch-black drop pod crashed right into the middle of the street.
The pod doors blasted open, and a bare-chested warrior with bulging muscles slowly stepped out.
He glanced at the twisted, manic faces surrounding him, a cruel smile spreading across his lips.
"Magnetic Field Rotation, Fifty Thousand Horsepower!"
Boom—!!!
An invisible force field expanded frantically in all directions with him at the center!
The air was squeezed and distorted, letting out a strained wail.
The surrounding infected didn't even have time to scream before their bodies were instantly crushed and torn apart by the terrifying pressure, exploding into clouds of blood mist that filled the sky!
One strike, and the area was cleared.
On the battlefield, the power of the Sea Tiger Martial Arts was displayed to its absolute limits by these natural-born warriors.
These martial arts fanatics, whom Evil God called "Madmen," turned slaughter into an art form.
They tore through the bodies of the infected as easily as ripping fragile paper.
Evil God and Evil Dragon were like two gods of death walking the mortal realm.
Evil God, merging the Speed Force with the Military Dao Killing Punch, transformed into an untraceable streak of blood-red lightning, darting back and forth through the densest clusters of infected.
Wherever he passed, a continuous chain of explosions rang out, sending flesh and blood flying.
He was a relentless, highly efficient mobile meat grinder.
The entire world trembled amidst this frenzy of blood and fire.
Survivors hid behind cover, watching the screens display the Huaxia forces' overwhelming advance, their hearts surging with endless awe and fear.
Starlight was also on the battlefield.
But she did not participate in the slaughter.
She hovered in mid-air, the holy wings of light on her back flapping slowly.
A gentle, golden rain of light fell from the sky, covering the entire combat zone.
That light possessed a natural suppressive effect on the Crossed virus.
Bathed in the rain of light, the power within the Magnetic Field Martial Artists flowed more smoothly, while the infected became sluggish, their strength waning.
She acted as a holy beacon, providing invisible support to this furious army of destruction.
She watched as those monsters, who were once ordinary people, were reduced to minced meat beneath her comrades' fists. Her golden eyes were filled with an unspeakable sorrow.
But she knew that only the most thorough eradication could bring true peace to this land.
The purge was not always smooth sailing.
Deep within the ruins of Berlin, Maeve's squad encountered stubborn resistance.
Scattered remnants of "Fallen Heroes"—those completely corrupted by the Crossed virus—became their greatest obstacles.
They had not gone mad; they retained their sanity and still possessed formidable superpowers.
"Watch out! It's Translucent!"
The squad leader's roar exploded over the comms channel.
Before his voice faded, an invisible blade materialized out of thin air, slashing viciously at the back of a Magnetic Field Martial Artist's neck!
The martial artist reacted with extreme speed, dodging sideways in an instant, but his shoulder was still sliced open, leaving a wound deep enough to show bone.
Maeve's heart sank heavily.
"He's moving! We can't lock onto him!"
The warriors stood back-to-back, vigilantly scanning every inch of shadow around them.
The only sounds in the air were the wind howling through the ruins and their own heavy breathing.
Suddenly, Maeve felt a chill strike from behind!
She spun around violently, raising her reinforced shield.
Clang—!
With a loud crash, an overwhelming force transmitted through the shield, sending her flying backward.
She slammed heavily into a broken wall.
Yet, the agonizing pain in her body was nothing compared to the pain of the memories flashing through her mind.
It was as if she had returned to Vought Tower, standing before Homelander once again.
That sense of powerlessness and humiliation—of being manipulated and turning a blind eye to evil—engulfed her once more.
'No!'
'Never again!'
She stared at the distorted silhouette flickering in the air, preparing to deal her a fatal blow, and an unprecedented madness erupted in her eyes.
"I am not that coward anymore!!!"
She let out a beast-like roar and charged recklessly at the figure!
She abandoned all defense, completely exposing herself to her opponent's attack.
Squelch!
The blade pierced her abdomen, but she didn't take a single step back.
She used her own body, her muscles and bones, to trap her opponent's weapon in place!
In Translucent's moment of shock, Maeve thrust the longsword in her other hand into his body with all her might.
She could feel the resistance from the tip of her blade, and the agony of his weapon twisting inside her.
But she merely held onto him in a death grip, using her battered sword to inch by inch nail this invisible enemy to the wall.
She didn't stop until the distorted silhouette fully materialized and lost all signs of life.
Maeve let go and collapsed to her knees, gasping heavily for air.
She had won.
In the most tragic way possible, she had personally buried her past self.
Meanwhile, in the Sky Base's command center.
The Magnetic Field Martial Artist squad leader frowned deeply as he looked at the massive holographic map.
The purge operation was highly efficient, but some anomalous data made him uneasy.
"Report," he said, opening a comms channel with Ian.
"We've detected unusual energy signatures in parts of North America and Australia."
"Some of the infected tribes are displaying high levels of organization and intelligence. They even know how to use the terrain to set traps and ambush our squads."
The screen switched, displaying drone footage.
Deep in the Australian desert, a purge squad had actually been subjected to a saturation attack by several intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Had they not reacted in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"They are utilizing armories left over from the old era, even... nuclear weapons," Evil Dragon added from the side, his voice grave.
...
On the North American continent, inside an underground military bunker surrounded by mountains.
The massive screens here were also broadcasting the Huaxia forces' global purge operation.
The ancient Matriarch leaned back on a comfortable sofa, holding a glass of red wine, a cold, mocking smirk on her lips.
At her feet, Soldier Boy was like a tamed beast, happily enjoying her pampering.
"My powerful king, look at them. They are like a bunch of savages who only know brute force," the Matriarch said softly, her fingers gently tracing Soldier Boy's robust chest.
"They think that by clearing the weeds on the surface, they can own the entire garden."
She watched Huaxia's thunderous methods with cold detachment, not a single ripple of emotion in her heart.
She had used this time to acquire a vast amount of knowledge from a national library database.
She had integrated all the Crossed brethren on the North American continent who possessed ancient intelligence, silently establishing her own underground kingdom.
She was even attempting to use modern biotechnology to find ways to enhance the virus, or perhaps even evade Huaxia's detection.
'A head-on conflict? That is something only fools would do.'
...
Sky Base.
Ian listened to Evil God's report without any change in expression.
He tapped his fingertips on the desk, seemingly pondering something.
After a long while, he looked up.
A new command was issued to Azure Dragon.
"From now on, change the purge strategy."
"Aside from those who stubbornly resist, who are to be eliminated without exception... as for the infected who display high intelligence, possess organizational skills, or have undergone special mutations..."
The corners of Ian's mouth curled up slightly.
"Capture them alive."