Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

"Hide!" Kirito Nagisa's voice rang out.

But she no longer needed to remind him.

Members of the Trinity Justice Fulfillment Department quickly stepped forward to shield Lin Yi behind them.

The bulletproof shields in their hands slammed heavily to the ground, piecing together a makeshift barrier.

Jian Xianhecheng stepped out from the group.

Instead of seeking cover, she stood in the most conspicuous spot.

The halo of blood above his head began to spin faster, and viscous blood droplets dripped down, turning into scarlet mist that surrounded him the moment he left the halo.

A near-maniacal smile spread across her lips, and a suppressed chuckle escaped her throat.

“Finally…” she licked her lips, “a somewhat decent prey.”

But there was no response from deep within the cave.

The silence lasted for three seconds.

Then a trail of flame shot out from the darkness—a rocket, a man-portable anti-armor type, with a warhead painted with two-tone stripes representing high-explosive armor penetration.

"boom!"

Almost at the same instant the rocket appeared, another gunshot rang out from behind the ranks of the Justice Realization Unit.

It wasn't the dull sound of a sniper rifle, but the distinctive firing sound of a marksman's rifle.

The rocket exploded into a fireball in mid-air.

Fragments and shockwaves spread outwards, but were weakened by the aura field of the Trinity students before reaching the defenses.

The shooter was a short-haired girl who was crouching behind cover.

The muzzle of her rifle was still smoking, one eye was pressed against the high-powered scope, and the other eye was closed.

After pulling the trigger, she didn't even immediately eject the cartridge and reload, but maintained her aiming posture, waiting for the possible second or third shot.

"The sniper is on the upper left rock ledge inside the cave entrance, and the rocket launcher operator is in the lower right crater." Her voice came through the internal communication channel. "Two people, maybe more."

Kirito Nagisa raised his hand, about to order suppressive fire—

The darkness at the cave entrance stirred.

Four figures slowly emerged from the shadows.

Leading the way is the spinning of the spindle.

She was still wearing her dark combat uniform, but her mask had been removed, revealing her hard-lined face.

Her right hand hung at her side, her fingers slightly bent—a posture that suggested she could draw her sword at any moment.

Behind her were three other Arius soldiers.

One of them, with an empty rocket launcher slung over his shoulder, was slowly loading a second warhead.

She pulled a new bullet from the side pocket of her backpack, chambered it, and locked the locking mechanism—the whole process took less than five seconds, and she didn't look at the weapon in her hand the entire time, her eyes fixed on the Trinity array in front of her.

The other two men were holding assault rifles with the muzzles pointed at the ground, but their fingers were on the trigger guards.

Their stance is unique: feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and weight evenly distributed between the feet. This is the preparatory posture for raising a gun, aiming, and firing in a short time.

The combat uniform had several repair marks, but the equipment was in excellent condition, with a thin layer of anti-reflective coating on the gun barrel.

Saori's gaze swept over the dark crowd in the passageway.

Trinity uniforms, Gohena's combat uniforms, Valkyrie's police uniforms, the Federation Student Council's dark blue jackets... This is a combined force capable of taking down a medium-sized college.

But there was no sign of tension on her face.

Saori raised her left hand and pressed an inconspicuous button on her collar.

No sound was emitted.

But a certain signal has already been sent out.

The next second, footsteps came from deep inside the cave.

It wasn't just a few people, nor was it just a few dozen.

That was the sound of hundreds and thousands of boots hitting the ground, dense, heavy, and uniform, as if the whole earth was shaking.

A figure emerged from the darkness.

One, ten, a hundred... They were wearing the uniforms of the Arius branch school, old-fashioned but well-maintained.

Everyone was armed—from old bolt-action rifles to the latest assault rifles, from individual rocket launchers to heavy machine guns; the equipment was haphazard but in astonishing numbers.

Their faces were expressionless, their eyes vacant as if their souls had been ripped out, but their hands holding guns were as steady as rocks.

This silent army filled the entire space behind the cave entrance and continued to pour out.

The passageway was not wide, so they could only form a dense formation of four columns, but this only made the sense of oppression more tangible—this was not a disorganized rabble, but a well-trained army.

Kirito Nagisa's pupils contracted slightly.

She finally understood why Arius had been able to infiltrate Trinity's ranks for so long, and why they had been able to orchestrate infiltration and attacks time and time again.

Trinity's intelligence department has always believed that Arius is a terrorist organization operating through an underground network, with no more than two hundred members and primarily equipped with light weapons.

But the army in front of us has at least five hundred men, and its equipment level far exceeds expectations.

This is not a simple terrorist organization; it is a military force with a complete organizational structure and logistical system.

“So,” Saori began, her voice echoing through the passage with a metallic quality, “Trinity has finally decided to come and die in person.”

Kirito Nagisa took two steps forward and stood at the very front of the formation.

"The last attack in the dormitory area was carried out by your people."

Saori tilted her head: "You were lucky that time. The number of bodyguards at the tea party exceeded our expectations—our original plan was to take away at least the aura of either you or Saintia from Lily Garden."

She paused, then added, "Of course, it would be even better if we could take both."

"You will never have this opportunity again."

“Really?” Saori smiled. “I think today’s opportunity is quite good.”

The conversation ends here.

Because the flowers in the sacred garden have not yet moved.

Without any warning or command, the pink-haired girl shot out like a cannonball.

She moved so fast that she left an afterimage on my retina, her long pink hair stretching out in a straight line behind her.

Saori's reaction was already exceptional—she parried the moment Mika started, two tactical daggers slid out of her sleeves and crossed in front of her.

This is the "reverse cross" from Arius's assassination techniques, specifically designed to defend against heavy thrusts. It disperses the impact force across both arms, preventing a single point from taking all the damage.

But she underestimated the power of Saint Garden Unflower.

That's not "strong," that's "inhuman."

The fist slammed into the crossed daggers, and the metal blades couldn't even withstand it for half a second before shattering into four pieces with a piercing crack.

Fragments flew in all directions and embedded themselves deeply into the rock face.

The residual impact force was transmitted to Saori without diminishing, and she was sent flying backward as if hit head-on by a battering ram, her back slamming hard against the rock wall at the edge of the cave entrance.

Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the rock wall.

"Cough—!" Blood spilled from Saori's mouth, her aura fluctuated violently, cracks spread, and her combat uniform on her chest caved in.

If the halo hadn't absorbed most of the impact, this blow would have been enough to knock her unconscious instantly.

The battle erupted in full force the moment blood was drawn.

"Captain!" a soldier named Arius exclaimed.

But the exclamations were drowned out by an even louder noise.

They opened fire.

Almost at the same moment Saori struck the rock wall, all the gun barrels at both ends of the passage spewed fire.

Without warning or confrontation, this long-simmering conflict entered its most brutal phase the moment blood was drawn.

Gunshots converged into a deafening roar in the enclosed space, making speech impossible; they could only rely on gestures and communication channels.

On the Trinity side, the Justice Fulfillment Department quickly deployed its formation.

The soldiers in the front row crouched down, holding up their shields; the heavy bulletproof shields were pieced together to form a mobile cover.

The gunners in the back row extended their gun barrels through the gaps in the shields and fired precise bursts.

Their firing rhythm was excellent; they worked in groups of three, taking turns firing to maintain a continuous barrage of fire.

But Arius chose a completely different tactic.

They had no cover, no formation changes, and didn't even seek cover.

The soldiers in the front row stood there, raised their rifles, and pulled the triggers.

Bullets rained down like a storm, regardless of whether they hit their targets or whether they would accidentally injure friendly forces.

This is pure firepower suppression, using ammunition quantity to compensate for deficiencies in accuracy and protection.

The bullets struck the shield of the Holy Trinity, producing a dense, drum-like thud.

The shield, made of special alloy, was quickly covered with dents, and in some places even cracks began to appear.

"Change!" the front-line commander shouted.

The first rank of shield bearers retreated, and the second rank replaced them.

Those who retreat immediately check the condition of the shields; the seriously wounded step back, and the lightly wounded have their cracks temporarily filled with quick-fix agents—this is the standard procedure that Trinity has summarized from countless conflicts.

Gohena's side was even more direct.

Hina Sorasaki didn't even give the order to fire.

She simply raised her hand and pointed to the targets carrying rocket launchers in the center of the Arius formation.

The next second, more than a dozen rifle grenades flew out from Gohena's formation.

"Charge," Hina uttered only two words. The black wave surged forward, clashing with Arius's rifle.

The halos collided violently, bursting forth with bursts of intense light.

Arius soldiers' auras shattered under heavy close-quarters attacks, and they fell to the ground screaming, losing their fighting ability. Meanwhile, Gohena students were forced to withdraw from the battle due to aura overload caused by excessive damage.

This is Gohena's specialty in combat—close-quarters annihilation, using the most savage methods to destroy the enemy's formation and morale.

Valkyrie's SRT forces opted for a different tactic.

Instead of launching a frontal assault, they dispersed to both sides of the passage to use the terrain for precise sniping.

An SRT member crouched behind a protruding rock on the cliff face, his Dragunov sniper rifle steadily resting on the rock.

She took aim at an Arian officer who was directing a squad charge—the man's helmet had a red marking, clearly indicating he was a captain-level officer.

Inhale, hold your breath.

Pull the trigger.

With each shot fired, one of Arius's machine gunners or commanders fell.

Their bullets specifically target the weak points of the aura—joints, neck, and brow—achieving maximum results with minimal losses.

The Federal Student Union's emergency response team is responsible for suppression and support.

Their equipment is the most diverse, ranging from old-fashioned bolt-action rifles to the latest energy weapons.

The firepower wasn't concentrated, but it was always used to disrupt Arius's attempts to rally for a counterattack.

Lin Yi stood still, not participating in the melee.

He is observing.

Arius's soldiers fought in a very strange way.

They are not afraid of death—or rather, they don't even have the concept of "fear".

This is not courage; it is the manifestation of having been completely stripped of one's instinct for fear by something.

And there are too many of them.

New soldiers kept pouring out from the depths of the cave, as if what lay behind it wasn't an underground base, but an infinitely respawning barracks.

The combined forces of the Holy Trinity and Gohena held an absolute advantage in individual quality, but Arius was making up for the quality gap with sheer numbers.

They'll be worn down if this continues.

Kirito Nagisa was clearly aware of this as well.

"Mihana!" Kirito Nagisa suddenly shouted, "Break through the gap on the right!"

Upon hearing this, Mika Seizono, who was rampaging through the Arius formation, turned around, her pink pupils locking onto the direction indicated by Nagisa Kirito.

There, a dozen or so Arius soldiers formed a small defensive perimeter, blocking a key section of the passage with heavy machine guns and rocket launchers.

Wei Hua grinned.

Instead of rushing forward, she took a small half-step back, bent her knees slightly, and brought her right fist to her waist.

Her long pink hair moved without wind, and the halo above her head began to spin at an unprecedented speed, even emitting a low hum.

Then, Mika Seien leaped directly into the center of the crowd.

A visible cone-shaped shockwave burst forward from her fist.

The halos of the Arian soldiers at the center erupted with blinding overload flashes at the same moment, then dimmed simultaneously. Their figures were thrown away by the shockwave, crashing into the wall and losing consciousness.

The shockwave left a huge crater in the rock face.

"Boom——!!!"

The entire underground space was shaking.

A huge crater with a diameter of more than five meters was blasted open on the surface of the rock wall, and spider web-like cracks spread outwards.

Wei Hua shook her slightly numb right arm, still wearing that carefree smile, but her breathing became noticeably more rapid.

"Continue." Kirito Nagisa's voice rang out again, this time pointing in another direction, "Left flank, heavy machine gun position."

Wei Hua turned around and gathered her strength again.

Arius clearly recognized the threat posed by the pink-haired girl.

At least thirty gun barrels were turned towards her simultaneously, and bullets swept in like a storm of metal.

The shieldbearers of the Holy Trinity quickly moved towards Weihua, their shields forming a hemispherical shield.

This time, Arius responded.

The roar of some kind of machinery coming from deep inside the cave entrance.

It's like a giant gear turning, with hydraulic rods extending and retracting.

A colossal creature slowly emerged from the darkness.

That was a... mech.

It is over four meters tall, covered with thick composite armor, painted dark purple, and has the emblem of Arius painted on its chest.

Its design is very crude, more like a product pieced together from various parts, but the sense of oppression is real.

The armor surface was covered with welding marks and repair patches, clearly indicating that it had been through many battles.

Its arms are not human-like hands, but two multi-barreled rotary cannons.

A cylindrical device protrudes from its back, currently charging and emitting a blinding blue light.

“Walking tanks…” Kirito Nagisa’s expression changed. “How could they have something like that?!”

Kiwatos's tech tree is extremely skewed.

Students have access to a variety of firearms, explosives, and even manned rocket launchers, but vehicles—especially manned combat vehicles—are strictly controlled.

This is not just a matter of resources, but also involves an ancient agreement: conflicts between students must be limited to the scope of "individual confrontation".

The appearance of the mechs shattered this tacit agreement; the two machine guns began to spin, and a metal storm instantly enveloped the area in front.

The shield array of the Holy Trinity was the first to bear the brunt.

The special alloy shield shattered under the continuous bombardment of the machine gun.

The students wielding shields had their halos flashing wildly. After enduring attacks far exceeding their limits, they unleashed bursts of overloaded light, their shields slipping from their hands, and they fell to the ground, most unconscious on the spot, while a few were seriously injured and unable to move.

Blood stained the ground, but thanks to the final protection of the aura, no one died; they were simply rendered unable to fight.

"Scatter!" Hina Sorasaki shouted sternly.

Gohena attempted to retaliate, but ordinary weapons were ineffective against the mech armor.

"Mihana! That mecha!" Kirito Nagisa's voice was shrill.

Mika Satoshi rushed out again, evading the bullet trajectory at high speed.

The distance has been shortened.

The energy weapon on the back of the mech was fully charged, and a bright blue beam shot out.

Without using a perfect dodge, the beam grazed his back, carbonized his combat suit, and burned his skin.

But the aftershocks still struck her right arm.

She abruptly stopped charging up her strength, stomped her feet hard on the ground, and rolled sideways.

The energy beam grazed her back, instantly carbonizing the outer layer of her uniform, and sending a burning pain through her skin below.

She was still a little slow.

The aftershocks of the beam struck her right arm.

Wei Hua let out a muffled groan as the shockwave sent her flying, crashing into a pile of rubble.

"Mihana!" Kirito Nagisa exclaimed in shock.

The mech turned its cannon and aimed it at the pile of rubble.

The machine gun started spinning again, this time targeting Mika Seien.

But no flames came out of the cannon.

Because a figure appeared in front of the mech.

Lin Yi had moved to that position at some point, standing five meters directly in front of the mecha.

The mech's sensors locked onto him, and both machine guns turned simultaneously.

The energy weapon on his back began to recharge again, and blue light gathered inside the cylinder.

Lin Yi raised his left hand and made a grasping motion towards the mecha.

Dark surged from the ground, climbing up the mech's tracks and invading its body.

Almost instantly, the mecha froze.

The machine gun's rotation came to an abrupt halt, and the blue light emanating from the weapon's charging quickly dimmed, as if a power source had been cut off.

A harsh metallic scraping noise emanated from the joints of the armor, as if the internal structure was being forcibly twisted by some force.

A rapid electronic alarm sounded from the cockpit, but it was quickly drowned out by the dismantling.

Lin Yi's left hand remained loosely clenched, with faint black arcs of electricity flowing from his fingertips, as if the four-meter-tall war machine before him was nothing more than a toy with a little weight, and he was the child who decided the toy's fate.

"Crack—Bang!"

The cannon barrel on the right arm of the mech broke off at the base, and the heavy metal part crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

Next was the left arm, followed by the hydraulic joints in the leg.

The entire mecha was like dough being kneaded by an invisible hand, with the armor plates concave inward, sparks flying from the circuits, and a sickening metallic deforming sound coming from inside.

three seconds.

From the moment Lin Yi raised his hand to the moment the mecha turned into scrap metal, only three seconds had passed.

The war machines that had been wreaking havoc were now nothing more than a jumbled pile of twisted metal debris, lying limp in the middle of the passage, blocking the advance of Arius's follow-up troops. (End of Chapter)