The Girls' Screams

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Amid the deafening explosions, Kaguya's position was engulfed in a sea of fire. Bullets rained down like a torrential downpour, followed by a barrage of missiles and artillery shells. The ground beneath her feet was ravaged beyond recognition, debris flying, thick smoke billowing into the air, filling it with the heavy scent of gunpowder.

"Cease fire!" Ryouko Kusakabe commanded with a wave of her hand, and the gunfire abruptly halted.

The once solid ground had been blasted into a barren, scorched wasteland, fires raging across the surface. Thick black smoke rose high into the sky, obscuring vision, while the pungent smell of burning filled the air.

"Did we get her?" one of the AST members asked hesitantly, turning her head. The intense heat of the flames had rendered the infrared scanners useless, making it impossible to determine if anyone remained inside.

"Impossible," Ryouko scoffed, her voice stern. "She's the most dangerous Spirit the world has ever seen. There's no way she could be taken down so easily."

"You're absolutely right," a soft, mocking voice drifted out from the thick smoke. "How could I, of all people, be defeated by a ragtag bunch like you? That would be way too embarrassing."

Emerging from the smoke was none other than Kaguya, her silver hair flowing gracefully. Not a single scratch marred her flawless skin, and she appeared completely unscathed, just as she had before the attack. The only difference was that instead of her usual clothing, she was now dressed in AST's Realizer Unit armor.

"You… how did you...?" Ryouko's expression faltered, clearly recognizing the AST equipment Kaguya was wearing.

"Good food must be savored slowly to fully appreciate its flavor," Kaguya smiled lightly. "The same goes for all of you. If I defeated you too quickly, it would be far too boring."

"You talk like you've already won," Ryouko scoffed, gripping her assault rifle tightly, aiming it squarely at Kaguya. "Let's see if you can escape our encirclement first. Fire!"

At her command, an even more intense hailstorm of bullets descended upon Kaguya, like a tidal wave threatening to swallow her whole.

"You people never learn, do you?" Kaguya smiled faintly, a look of feigned helplessness on her face. "Do you really think this kind of pitiful attack is going to bring me down? If that's all you've got, then it's a waste of my time."

As she spoke, Kaguya stomped her foot, and the ground beneath her cracked like a spiderweb, fissures spreading in all directions. At the same time, her Realizer Unit activated, releasing a powerful jet of energy from her back. With both forces propelling her forward, Kaguya shot into the air like an arrow, hurtling toward the AST members at lightning speed.

The AST members were caught off guard, their eyes widening in shock as they instinctively pulled the triggers of their rifles. A relentless stream of bullets poured toward Kaguya, forming a metallic torrent in the air.

Just as the bullets were about to strike her, a translucent hexagonal barrier appeared around Kaguya, the Realizer Unit's defensive ability—Territory Field—springing to life.

Bang, bang, bang!

The bullets struck the Territory Field, showering it with sparks, but the shield remained completely intact. Even the explosive force of the missiles failed to penetrate its defense.

By then, Kaguya had already plunged into the midst of the AST formation, her hand gripping her light sword. A playful smile curved her lips as she swung the sword effortlessly, creating a cascade of sword shadows in the air. Blades of energy shot from the weapon, forming beams of light that streaked through the sky like rainbows.

The AST members, now in complete disarray, scrambled to defend themselves. They hastily discarded their assault rifles and drew their own light swords to block Kaguya's attack, but it was already too late.

With a quick flick of her wrist, Kaguya disarmed the girl in front of her, sending her light sword flying from her hand. In the same motion, Kaguya closed the distance, delivering a swift chop to the back of the girl's neck. The girl's eyes went blank, and her body went limp as she fell from the sky.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept toward Kaguya from behind. Without even looking, Kaguya spun around and unleashed a flurry of sword shadows, deflecting the attack with ease. In the same instant, she kicked out with her leg, landing a solid blow on the next girl's rear. The girl let out a yelp as she was sent tumbling through the air.

Just as Kaguya was between strikes, another AST member seized the opportunity. Her Realizer Unit roared to life, propelling her forward at high speed. Gripping her light sword tightly, she lunged at Kaguya's exposed back.

Seeing Kaguya make no move to react, the girl's heart leapt with excitement. She thought she had finally caught the powerful Spirit off guard and would be able to take her down.

But before her sword could land, Kaguya suddenly turned around, smiling brightly. With a mere flick of her finger, the girl's light sword shattered into countless fragments.

Her face drained of color as panic set in. What was meant to be a sneak attack had turned into a deadly trap. Watching the silver-haired girl's sword slash toward her, she felt her heart stop. Her mind was consumed with a single thought: I'm going to die.

Just as the sword was about to pierce through her, another light sword intercepted it, blocking the attack.

Clang!

The deafening clash sent the girl flying backward from the shockwave, but thankfully, she remained unharmed.

"Captain!" the AST girl exclaimed in relief, realizing it was Ryouko Kusakabe who had come to her rescue.

"Oh?" Kaguya let her sword hang loosely at her side, smiling with faint amusement. "Impressive, Captain Ryouko. To block my strike… quite a rare feat."

"Spare me the flattery," Ryouko sneered, though her confidence was a facade. "If that's the best you can do, then you've really disappointed me." Despite her bravado, her hands were still tingling from the sheer force behind Kaguya's blow.

"Is that so?" Kaguya's smile grew more wicked as a hint of malice glinted in her eyes. "Well then, let's see just how many of them you can protect."

Before Ryouko could react, Kaguya vanished in a blur of light, her movements too fast to track. In an instant, she appeared before another AST member. The girl, panic-stricken, raised her light sword to defend herself, but Kaguya's speed was overwhelming. In the blink of an eye, the sword slashed toward her, and the girl braced herself for the worst.

"Wait… nothing happened?" the girl murmured, surprised that she felt no pain.

It was only when she looked down at herself that she realized, to her horror, that she had been stripped down to nothing, left completely exposed like a lamb.

And she wasn't the only one. Within moments, Kaguya had darted through the AST formation, turning several unsuspecting girls into bare, helpless "little lambs."

"Ahhhh!" Screams of panic echoed through the air as the AST girls, now stripped and humiliated, began plummeting from the sky like a shower of falling stars.

"Well, isn't that quite the spectacle," Kaguya, the orchestrator of their misery, shamelessly commented, watching the scene unfold before her.

Thankfully, several AST members quickly flew over to catch the "little lambs," preventing them from being smashed into pieces upon impact. However, no one dared to approach Kaguya again, keeping their distance for fear of becoming the next "little lamb."

"Go!" Ryouko Kusakabe commanded, drawing her laser sword and assuming a battle stance.

"But, Captain..." an AST member next to her displayed a timid expression. It wasn't that they were afraid of fighting, but the prospect of such a humiliating defeat was unnerving.

"Useless! Are you scared off by this small challenge?" Ryouko Kusakabe shouted angrily.

Nevertheless, the AST girls exchanged hesitant glances, still somewhat fearful and reluctant to move forward.

Gritting her teeth, Ryouko Kusakabe activated the jets on her back, propelling herself forward at high speed while swinging her laser sword, aiming at the seemingly defenseless Kaguya.

Just as her sword was about to pierce Kaguya, the latter seemed to have anticipated the attack. With a faint smile, Kaguya casually waved her arm, sending her long sword flying through the air, clashing with the oncoming blade.

Boom!

A dull thud resounded as Ryouko Kusakabe felt a massive force travel through her sword, nearly losing her grip on the laser sword in her hand. Fortunately, she managed to hold onto it, but she was forced to retreat more than ten meters before stopping.

Her pupils contracted in shock. She had just put all her strength into that strike, yet Kaguya had easily deflected it. And this was without using her Spirit Power!

If Kaguya was this powerful without using her Spirit Power, the consequences of her actually using it would be unimaginable. No wonder she was so arrogant and confident in her victory. This battle was going to be tough, Ryouko Kusakabe thought to herself.

What she didn't know was that Kaguya wasn't even a Spirit, so where would she get Spirit Power from?

"So, has the captain personally come to the front lines?" Kaguya said with a smirk, holding the laser sword as she gazed at the distant AST girls. "How disappointing. So many of you, yet only the captain has the courage to stand up. Maybe it's time for the AST unit to disband, lest you become a laughingstock."

"Don't underestimate us! I can defeat you on my own," Ryouko Kusakabe shouted angrily.

With a roar, her jet thrusters flared to life, propelling her rapidly toward Kaguya. In the blink of an eye, she was right in front of her opponent, gripping her laser sword with both hands and slashing downward with all her might.

Clang!

Sparks flew as Kaguya effortlessly blocked Ryouko's full-force attack with one hand. Chuckling, she remarked, "If all of you had attacked together, you might have stood a chance. But it seems your team is full of pretty but useless vases."

"Don't insult my subordinates!" Ryouko Kusakabe shouted furiously.

Fueled by Kaguya's words, Ryouko's power surged as her jetpack roared louder, and the laser sword in her hands flared even brighter. Biting her lip, she lunged toward Kaguya, swinging her sword with such speed that it left afterimages, raining down a relentless barrage of attacks.

Clang, clang, clang!

The flurry of blows hammered against Kaguya's sword, sending sparks flying everywhere. Ryouko's frenzied attacks were so intense that they seemed to suck the air out of the room. In her rage, she had surpassed her usual limits, unleashing power far beyond her normal capacity. Against anyone else, the storm of sword strikes would have been overwhelming.

Unfortunately for Ryouko, her opponent was Kaguya.

"It looks like you've reached your limit," Kaguya said, a hint of admiration in her eyes. "You're nearly at the level of a Spirit, which is impressive. But... it's still too weak."

Kaguya's beautiful eyes gleamed as she spoke, and with a sudden burst of speed, she vanished from Ryouko's sight.

A powerful sense of danger surged behind her. Ryouko's pupils shrank, and she quickly turned to defend herself.

Boom!

A deafening explosion shook the air as Ryouko barely managed to block Kaguya's sword, but the force of the blow left her arms numb, and her hands trembled uncontrollably as she gripped her laser sword.

"Oh, you managed to block it?" Kaguya said with a hint of surprise before a smile played on her lips. "Let's see how many more you can block."

With that, Kaguya's sword flashed toward her again.

Clang, clang, clang!

The crisp sound of clashing blades filled the air, Kaguya's attacks coming like an unstoppable tide. Sparks flew as her strikes pounded against Ryouko's sword, gradually dimming its glow. Despite the relentless onslaught, Ryouko gritted her teeth and held on.

Finally, with a sharp "crack," Ryouko's laser sword could no longer withstand the strain and shattered into pieces, scattering in the wind.

At the same time, a cold gleam flashed as Kaguya's sword streaked toward Ryouko's neck.

Ryouko's pupils shrank, her mind going blank.

So unwilling! I'm so unwilling!

I was supposed to go on vacation in a few days, enjoying a "gourmet all-you-can-eat tour of the Thirteen Secret Springs," drinking my favorite beer... How could this be happening?

In her final moments, Ryouko Kusakabe's mind wasn't filled with thoughts of battle but of soaking in a hot spring.

But just as she braced for death and closed her eyes, the expected pain never came. She wasn't dead.

Ryouko hurriedly opened her eyes, confused and disoriented, trying to grasp what had happened.

I'm... still alive?

Yet, the warm breath tickling her ear made her body freeze in place.

"Did you think you were dead, Captain?" Kaguya's voice whispered in her ear, her hot breath brushing against Ryouko's skin. "How could I bear to kill such a beautiful girl like you?"

Ryouko was stunned. Only now did she realize that she was completely naked, and her large, white breasts were being squeezed and kneaded by Kaguya's hands, changing shape under her fingers. One hand was even moving down her belly toward—

Ryouko's delicate face flushed bright red, as if boiling water were about to burst out of her skin. She wanted to struggle, but her body was as stiff as wood, immobilized as if by a spell, unable to move a single finger.

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