1 Unyielding

Over the horizon inside of a dense forest, a dark billowing column of smoke floated up from beneath the treetops. Within its immediate area, a gruesome scene could be made.

A hulking metal beast that spanned 40m in length was wrecked. Its metal frame was crumbling, and many of its pieces were missing from the main body. The engines had exploded from the impact, but strangely, the nearby trees didn't feed the flames but actually suppressed it instead.

Countless bodies were littered along the path from where the space cruiser made the impact to where its velocity had slowed to a stop. Disfigured corpses were strewn alongside the rivers and shrubbery; several had their limbs detached, while others were mangled beyond recognition. Although no two bodies were alike, all were either dead or as good as dead—their blood seeping deep into the earth.

As opposed to the fading rays of the setting sun brightening the lush forest, the backdrop of the sunset had instead heightened the intensity of bloodstained soil and the now fractured woodlands. To any onlooker, the scene before them would seem eerily fitting—as if the forest itself had finally come alive. It was a sight to behold.

This entire display culminated into a single, bewitching view of a lone figure sitting against one of the trees.

It was a human figure that was somewhat intact compared to the bloodied and broken remains of the rest of Crew A-14. It sat upright, leaning against the base of the tree, its chest rising and falling at an unhurried pace. Upon closer inspection, the body belonged to that of a woman who appeared to be in her early twenties.

Her dishevelled dirty blonde hair did little to hide the beautiful, soft features on her rounded face. She had thin, rosy lips and delicate nose hidden behind the blood and dirt.

Her most defining feature by far was her piercing green eyes, which held a hint of resoluteness and conviction within. Although weak, the determined look on her face could not be misplaced, which extenuated the elegantly fit body that hid beneath a dark grey military outfit.

The uniform she wore was plain, a single dog tag hung around her neck that read, "Belrose, A."

Wheezing, she whispered to herself, "How much longer is this going to take?" Her eyes wandered the surroundings as she continued to wait. Suddenly, a light tone pinged in her ears, and a pop-up flashed across her HUD.

「Scan completed. Host has suffered severe injuries that have exceeded the allotted amount of regenerative fluids」

A trace of despair flashed across the woman's face before returning to its original decorum. The pop-up on her HUD continued to blink mockingly as she sat there, her eyes flickering about every now and then. Although her face was calm, her mind was racing as she pondered a solution to her current predicament.

Minutes continued to pass until she spoke up with a cracked voice, "Query: How much longer till I pass out from blood loss?"

「There are approximately 3 hours and 17 minutes before host loses consciousness」

"Well then, let's make it count. I am not dying here."