Rin Miyo woke up from a terrible dream where she had to relive the horror of losing her travel companions and her bodyguards from Japan to the Icebugs who attacked Dallas Airport. Since she was young, they had been by her side through everything. But everything had to come to an end eventually. The trip to the US was supposed to be their last get-together before their studies, careers, and family obligations separated them for good.

Rin's body shivered from seeing their faces again in that dream. They were impaled and ripped apart right in front of her eyes. Rin had ordered her bodyguards to save her friends, but they too fell victim to the savagery of the Icebugs. She survived the attack because she noticed that the monsters avoided damaging the fountain of the Duty-Free Zone and kept drinking from it to use their Ice skills. So she jumped into the small water body and hid there until the Icebugs left the area.

Even after they left, Rin didn't dare venture out of the fountain because one of the Bugs could just pop out of their tunnels and find her alone in this ruin. So the water fountain became her refuge until Bison arrived to look for survivors and found her munching on the preserved food in the airport food court. Then, Bison took her to the old stadium where he was rounding up all the refugees to shelter under the protection of its massive blast doors, which could have survived a nuclear attack.

Inside it, she befriended a frail German youth called Albert since he was the only one who knew enough Japanese through anime to understand her. Though she could understand English, she wasn't comfortable speaking it without sounding like a fourth-grader. So she kept silent and had Albert translate for her whenever anyone asked her a question.

Sometimes Rin felt sorry for Albert's polite and helpful nature, which people took advantage of. She tried her best to whisper to him to grow a spine and ask for things in return for his help. Albert taught her about the Monster App on her phone in return for her advice and friendship. Rin cursed herself for ignoring the Monster App when she found out that it could have given her the power to save her friends and bodyguards. 

Rin spent the next several days in the stadium fulfilling the conditions to hatch her Monster Egg. When it did, she found a baby Metallic Blue Mosasaur that clung to her body with the grip of its long tail and demanded all her attention whenever she was summoned. Rin named her Queen and did everything she could to pamper the little thing.

As her Monster slowly grew in size, Rin had to find a container that she could fill with water to allow Queen to swim around in it. Eventually, Queen grew too big for the small pool, so Rin couldn't summon her since her Monster hated trying to walk on land with her heavy body and flippers. 

Selvaria took over the container as her Monster Galatea, a baby Seal, had more use for it. Rin noticed that she was half Japanese and could speak the language fluently, though she kept a distance from everyone. Nevertheless, Selvaria revealed her identity as Admiral of Vector to Rin because Rin shared her Yakuza family connection. This established a strange bond between the two, who felt they couldn't really talk about their past that easily with others who might detest their background.

Three days after Queen hatched, she was ready to evolve. Once the evolution was complete, Queen had grown to the size of an adult Orca and acquired sharp metal scales over her body like a Pangolin. But the new skills she acquired made it quite tricky for Rin to use in a battle on land. 

[Monster: Savage Mosasaur Leviathan (Forge)

Type: Body, Sea, Dino, Strength, Metal

Mastery: Ranged Weapons

Combat Style: Monster-User Fusion

Skills: Titanium Scale Torpedoes (Beginner), Titanium Scale Missiles (Beginner), Sonar Pulse (Beginner), Sea Mines (Beginner)

Skill Features:

Titanium Scale Torpedoes- The Titanium Scales on the Monster's body can be detached and transformed into high water pressure powered Torpedoes that can only lock on targets on the sea's surface or submerged underwater. Four Torpedoes can be launched in a row before entering a cooldown of one minute. 

Titanium Scale Missiles- The Titanium Scales on the Monster's body can be detached and transformed into high water pressure powered Missiles that can only lock on targets on the sea's surface, in the air above, or nearby land. Six missiles can be launched in a row before entering a cooldown of one minute. 

Sonar Pulse - The Monster's passive sonar skill can be weaponized to shoot multiple high-frequency sound beams at opponents both under and above water, damaging their senses. The Skill requires a cooldown of one minute after being used.

Sea Mines - The Titanium Scales on the Monster's body can be detached and transformed into mines that float up to the surface of a water body. They will explode into a storm of sharp metal shrapnel upon contact with a heavy object. Eight Sea Mines can be launched in a row before entering a cooldown of one minute]

Though her skills were overpowered, Rin never found an opportunity to use them on the Icebugs in Dallas. Albert warned her that it would be a death sentence if she transformed and tried to attack with a body essentially beached on land. This frustrated Rin when Bison and the Tamers from the UGP fought the Icebug Swarms as she could not help them. When Albert denied Selvaria's request to join the fight because of his ignorance about her experience, Rin could not just stay silent and let another powerful Tamer be barred from entering the battle to save lives.

When Rin arrived at the UGP HQ in Alaska, she was overjoyed that Seward had the perfect environment for Queen to swim to her heart's content. There was plenty of marine life for her to eat, and the climate was far better than that in Texas, where Queen's metal body heated up very quickly. Rin spent most of her first night wandering the shoreline while watching Queen frolic in the sea. However, by midnight Rin grew so jealous of her Monster that she activated her Monster-Fusion form to see what Queen saw in the ocean.

By 3 AM, Rin returned to the apartment the UGP created for new arrivals. She found a Tamer Battalion uniform outside her front door and a tablet that served as a welcome kit. She picked them up and proceeded into her new apartment, which is more spacious than the one in Japan and had a better view of the town. Though there was hardly any furniture, Rin didn't have a problem using the floor for dining and bedding. 

The tablet had the breakdown for the Tamer Battalion Combat Force and its Support Wings. It detailed the different kinds of roles available to new Tamers, a guidebook on how to level up skills, and gave suggestions based on the type of monster skills that suited each department. In addition, an interactive map marked out the Industrial, Training Grounds, Farmlands, Civilian zones, Tamer Arena, Recreational centers, Church of Asher, and a free mess hall for Tamers to eat if they had nothing to cook at home.

The Church of Asher drew Rin's attention as it was the only religious center in Seward, headed by a young boy from Russia with a... talking Dinosaur? Though that detail was intriguing, Rin's desire to meet someone there who could help her find some peace was the most appealing feature. Hopefully, she could find a cure to these nightmares there. If not, then she might soon dread going to sleep.

Rin fell asleep thinking about this mysterious Church and woke up after 9 in the morning from experiencing the same terrible dream of watching in horror as her friends and bodyguards die in front of her. She slapped her face gently and reminded herself that she now had the power to protect herself and save others. Though it could not bring back what she lost, there was no way she would just stand back and watch another tragedy if she had the power to help.

Rin took a hot shower, quickly donned her new Tamer Battalion Uniform, and rushed to the Mess Hall to eat a heavy breakfast. There were all kinds of western food that she hardly ever got a chance to eat at home... speaking of which her appetite longed for a proper home-cooked meal by her family's bodyguards. Rin wondered if those who stayed back in Japan survived the change brought down by fluffals. Though Japan wasn't hit by the Pink Pillars, there has been a social and political upheaval in all the nations surrounding China. 

Almost every Non-UGP nation government initially adopted the monster app for the sole purpose of communication. Very few tried to hatch the monster eggs, and even fewer wanted to evolve them into their second form. The ones who were keeping track of the news being propagated by the UGP learned about the Duel Mode feature and began creating underground Monster App tournaments since their nations had banned any form of combat that used this device.

Over the last two weeks, these rules that prohibited the usage of the Monster App fell on deaf ears. Criminals of all kinds had taken advantage of the Monster App for their operations and conflicts with the law. The world was going through a Super Villain upheaval that forced these nations to use their military when their local law enforcement failed to deal with the insanity brought about by the Monster skills. Unfortunately, their Military's death toll was staggering when they faced Evil Tamers whose powers could terraform the environment or were nearly invincible against conventional weapons.

It prompted their governments to adopt the Monster App for combat purposes against these internal threats, but the initial hesitation had allowed the Criminal organizations, Warlords, Separatists, and Anarchists to get a head start. Furthermore, Admiral Radford's message about the App being connected to Fluffals who could subvert Tamers into serving him had been completely ignored as propaganda by the UGP to stop others from gaining this power.

Rin's own family belonged to a Yakuza Crime syndicate in Japan. Her Grandfather was the current head of the organization, and thus his position afforded him the privilege to assign bodyguards for his family members. Rin had no idea what had happened to her parents. Her only family connections were the bodyguards assigned to her and a grandfather with whom she never really connected. 

Rin could not help but find it strange how Queen looked remarkably similar to the water serpent symbol on her family crest. To intimidate their rivals, her family had long ago adopted the image of the Mosasaur. They used the Mosasaur Graffiti to mark their territory and business cards. Hell, their subordinates even tattooed the ancient water serpent on their body. The higher their position, the longer their tattoo became. It was a symbol of pride and terror, depending on who caught a glimpse of it.

Rin tried her best to reconnect with her family through the Monster App, but there was no reply. However, she didn't panic about their safety because the Japanese news channels used the Monster App to report that her Grandfather and his subordinates had surfaced into public view after obtaining monster skills. 

Not only that, her family declared the territory under their influence was off-limits to the government. The rival families quickly followed this announcement and mimicked the same, splitting the country into Yakuza zones that the government could no longer tax or represent. This bloodless collapse of the elected government system had been in place since WWII surprised many nations worldwide.

The new territorial leaders discussed the practicality of reviving the Shogunate to unify the nation under one military rule or declare the descendants of the Imperial family as rulers once more. 

Not only Japan but nations with ancient cultures and history were slowly regressing back to their old ways since the world economy and trade had collapsed. No one had any incentive to care about what others thought of them anymore. What really mattered was doing what was best for their own people and subduing any uprising that threatened to ruin their civilization, even if that meant abandoning the Democratic systems.

Though the Monster invasion could qualify as a global threat, it was currently limited to the territories of the UGP nations that were already battling to contain the expansion. It created a no care attitude among Non-UGP nations for anything far away. This inward short-term focus would only last until the monsters start crossing their borders. But most people would not know this truth until it's too late.

Until that happens, people will take advantage of the Monster's skills to destroy their nations and create something new that can adapt to the changing world. The extremists who overthrew the Canadian government didn't seem worried about the Icebugs or re-establishing an ancient order. Instead, their obsession lay in changing the societal hierarchy and waging war on fellow Tamers who serve Non-Tamers.

Rin watched their video with disgust as she completed her hearty meal. When she left the Mess hall, she checked the map on her tablet and noticed that the Church of Asher was close by. Since her only task was to sign up for Bison's Tamer Police force, there was time to visit the Church.

Rin soon found herself staring at a small army of Tamers dressed in Roman Togas and wearing pieces of ivory studded with precious gems. The Church building is covered with larger versions of the gemstones. White marble pillars were being installed around its wooden frame. The smell of roasted food filled the air, and the cries of children playing Yugioh card games at the dining tables placed outside the Church irritated the ears.

Rin gravitated towards a pillar made of several precious gemstones. On the surface of which is etched, 'In remembrance of our loved ones lost during the apocalypse.' These words resonated with her desire to find some closure. As she was admiring the pillar, the Earth shook as something big approached her from behind. When Rin turned around, she came face to face with Aaron's head that had been lowered to smell her.

Aaron. "Aaron smells of terrible dreams."

Rin was caught off guard by the heavy smoker parrot voice the Marble Dinosaur monster spoke in. The odd-colored gems that served as his eyes penetrated her soul and showed sympathy for her problem.

"You can smell dreams?" Rin asked in Japanese with a disbelieving expression on her face. Aaron looked confused for a moment before replying to her in Japanese.

"Aaron can smell everything! But only Asher can help the Dreamer." He replied confidently.

"You can speak Japanese?" Rin had reflexively asked him the question in Japanese before. She was surprised by his ability to respond in a different language.

"Aaron is the system, and the system is Aaron. Therefore Aaron can speak in all tongues that use it. Now follow Aaron if help is needed."

Rin was confused by that statement but awkwardly nodded her head in acknowledgment. Aaron then lifted his head and turned towards a beautiful garden tended to by the followers of the Church. A newly constructed Gazebo stood at the center of this Garden. Admiral Radford, Sergei, and Asher were seated inside it. Upon Aaron's arrival, the occupants halted their conversation and looked toward Rin, who was following Aaron.

Aaron. "Asher should help this Dreamer."

Asher. "Dreamer? I see... Have a seat for now. I need to finish my meeting with the Admiral and my brother."

Aaron tilted his head towards the Admiral and sniffed the air before turning to Rin.

Aaron. "Dreamer, go sit inside. If Dreamer needs help, Aaron will translate."

Rin silently nodded and walked into the Gazebo and sat beside the Admiral, who took a curious glance at Rin and the uniform.

Admiral. "I recall Bison mentioning a woman from Japan as part of the survivors of Dallas. He had requested me to help you return to Japan."

Rin shook her head to say no.

Admiral. "I see... on behalf of the UGP, we welcome you into our Tamer Battalion. However, don't hesitate to find me whenever you need to arrange a flight to Japan."

Rin smiled at the kind offer and bowed slightly with her head.

Sergei. "Do you think their new leadership will allow our aircraft to come close to their air space?"

Admiral. "As long as it's one of their own, I doubt they would have a problem."

Asher. "Has Japan been taken over by Tamer extremists, as well?"

Sergei. "Not exactly. Most nations have peacefully transitioned power to those who have mastered the Monster App and its skills."

Asher. "Meaning the Tamers now rule over the Non-Tamers?"

Sergei. "Yes, that is what it means. But I would like to stress that it wasn't violent or forced upon them as the Canadian extremists did to their government."

Asher. "So far, no one has told me how they accomplished it?"

Sergei. "There is a video that came in a few hours after the declaration of war. The extremists have a Tamer who can summon a giant Turtle Zeppelin. It had several cannons that shelled the government buildings. The occupants were holding a crisis meeting on how to handle the Monster Invasion."

Asher. "Why did their military not protect the city?"

Sergei. "The Military were the ones attacking the city Asher. That is how the extremists possess that army of five thousand."

Asher. "What caused this sudden uprising?"

Admiral. "The Communications Wing received word from several high-level politicians who managed to survive the massacre. Before this military coup, their government had imposed harsh punishments on those who used the Monster App. Anyone who wanted to become a Tamer had to leave their country. Now I have no idea why they went so far, but I know that it caused most of their Tamer population to revolt, and the Canadian Military shared this sentiment as they were failing to fight the bugs through conventional means."

Asher. "Will you be sending the Tamer Battalion?"

Admiral. "I am afraid that our combat Tamers are stretched too thin as it is with the rescue operation across our territories. There aren't enough of them to counter five thousand extremists, so we have to use our regular forces. There are around fifteen thousand troops stationed in Seward alone."

Asher. "Your Tamers are unwilling to fight?"

Admiral. "There is the fact that these are not monsters but humans. Most of our Tamers were civilians who signed up to kill Monsters. On the other hand, our regular forces have been trained to fight against humans for years. It would be unwise to force our Tamers to wage war against the extremists when they already have to deal with the monster invasion."

Asher. "Does that really matter? Only Monsters harm the innocent! If your tamers were noble, they would not hesitate to kill them."

Sergei. "Calm down, Asher! From what the Admiral told me on the way here. He does not wish to launch a blind attack on these... people who might not be in control of their actions."

Asher. "Please explain."

Admiral. "Soma Nathan, the Head of the Intelligence Gathering Support Wing, believes there might be a Tamer among them with a brainwashing ability that is causing this radical behavior towards their own citizens. So killing them all will be the same as killing the innocent if it is not properly investigated."

Asher. "I see... So how long will it take to ensure that they are just garbage that must be eradicated?"

The Admiral took a few moments to carefully consider his words since Asher seems quite irritated by the lack of decisive action.

Admiral. "A RECON Tamer team will be leaving Seward by nightfall. Major General Travis Fjord, who created that magnificent recruitment video that we released last night, is among their number. He will record whatever they find and send it back to us every three hours. We will use the footage to study the enemy, identify high-value targets, uncover their attack plan on Seward, sabotage it, and plan an offensive against them. This is not something that can be done overnight. It may even take a week or more depending on their intel."

Asher. "A week or more? Tell me what will happen to the Non-Tamers in Canada by then?"

Admiral. "According to the remnants of the Canadian government. There are forced labor camps meant to re-educate people into a class dedicated to serving the Tamers of Canada. Those who can't adjust will be executed, and those who change their minds will be placed in the army."

Asher stared at the Admiral for a few seconds in shock before taking on a furious expression.

Asher. "Correct me if I am wrong, didn't their leader praise Fluffals in his speech?"

Sergei. "Yes, he did."

Asher. "Since these extremists harmed the innocent, enslaved them into servitude, forced conscript them into their army, and dared to praise the Demon Emperor himself. Therefore, I have no choice but to lead the Divine Tamer Order in a Holy Crusade to exterminate this menace before it can grow any further."

Sergei. "A Crusade? Asher, your divine Tamer Order has barely a hundred Tamers who aren't part of the UGP. Most of them haven't seen combat against monsters, let alone other Tamers. Even if you have Aaron protect them, many will die. Are you ready to have their deaths on your soul?"

Asher was disturbed by the idea of his followers dying due to inexperience.

Asher. "If they can't help, Aaron and I will go fight them alone. We fought against the spawn of Fluffals for five days in Saint Petersburg. So don't tell me that I don't have the strength to take them all on."

Admiral. "Son... According to your own testimony, Aaron did all the work during those five days. Fighting on your own against metal Birds who were weak to lightning and leading a Crusader force against an army of Tamers of different abilities are two different things."

Asher. "Then what do you suggest I do?"

Admiral. "I suggest you focus on training your Crusader force for the eventual war with the extremists. In the meantime, I will have the Non-Tamer troops get equipped with the best weapons and armor that our Tamer from the Moon can create out of Titanium. Then, the new Knight Core battalions will join your army and launch a combined offensive against the extremists."

Sergei. "Does that include the Legion of Combat Mechs?"

Admiral. "You already heard about her project? As far as I am aware, she is building a Wireless Power distribution tower in Seward to power them up. I am afraid they will be unable to join any operation outside of Seward."

Sergei. "I see... then Asher will have to rely on the Knight Core alone? Tamers are still needed to deal with their best warriors."

Admiral. "The Church can recruit volunteers among the Tamer Battalion, and I will personally request our best Tamers to join the cause, but it will be up to them given the enemy's nature."

Asher. "What about Zao? He is powerful enough to destroy several hundred monsters on his own."

Admiral, "Chairman Zao is planning to lead his own forces to Beijing to rescue his family there, so he will be unable to participate in this offensive."

Asher. "Oh... Isn't that a suicide mission?"

Admiral. "Nothing to be worried about. He isn't planning to kill himself, and quite a few Chinese Tamers are protecting him. However, there is another matter I wish to discuss. Why not let Sergei lead this combined army of Knights and Tamers?"

Asher. "What?"

Admiral. "Sergei is wise beyond his years. He has been trained by the best under your father's supervision. He has also led several offensive missions already, so he has far more combat and leadership experience than most Tamers in Seward."

Asher's furious expression slowly mellowed down before looking towards Sergei for his thoughts.

Sergei. "I believe that would be for the best since I can personally train your army and round up as many Tamers who served with me before."

Asher. "Since it is you, I won't mind this proposal. But I will train with Aaron in the Tamer Arena and join the army when it sets out."

Sergei. "Of course, it will inspire your followers to see you at the head of the army with me."

Admiral. "Well then, I shall take my leave and check up on the Combat Mechs."

Sergei. "Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of piloting one of them, so I will join you."

Only Asher and Rin were left inside the Gazebo after they left. Aaron had wandered off to smell more people.

Asher. "My brother Sergei thinks Aaron's aggressive personality is becoming part of me. I think that is why I lost my temper with the Admiral."

Rin. "Bad people need to be stopped." 

Rin replied slowly in English. Though it was a bit crude, her understanding cheered up Asher.

Asher. "Now, tell me your name and what seems to be bothering you."

Several minutes later, Asher and Rin walked through the Church while admiring the gemstones used to decorate the interiors.

Asher. "Instead of forgetting about your loved ones to cure your nightmares, I believe you should try to immortalize who they were and what they meant to you."

Rin. "How?"

Asher. "There are many ways to do it. For example, you could create something with your hands or use your monster skills. Whatever you make in their honor will give both parties peace. But I cannot guarantee that it will help you sleep better, but it is worth trying."

Rin. "I want statues! But I am not good at building."

Asher. "I can have Aaron create statues out of Marble and gemstones for you. Then, just share with me your best videos of them."

Rin pulled her phone out and scrolled through her gallery of videos. Then, after picking out the best ones, she used the monster app to transfer it over to Asher's phone.

Asher. "Do you have any suggestions of where you would like their statues to be built?"

Rin recalled her night swim in the sea in the Gulf of Alaska. When she returned to the land, she found a cliff with a beautiful view. She shared this location with Asher, who agreed to build it there and told her to visit it before nightfall.

Asher then bade goodbye to Rin because he had to attend to his follower's requests. Rin walked away from the Church with mixed feelings. She wasn't a religious person, but something about the boy made one feel good inside. His offer to honor the memory of her friends and bodyguards with marble statues made of Gemstones did leave a deep impression of gratitude. If he fulfilled his promise, then she would repay him somehow.

Rin then looked at the time and realized she was about to be late for the inauguration of the Tamer Police force. She rushed to the town center, where a six-story building had been requisitioned for them.

When she got inside the main hall, she found over thirty Tamers standing in front of Bison, who was giving a speech. She looked around and found Albert, Mason, and Zext standing together at the corner of the hall. She walked over to them and silently waved a hello.

Albert. "What took you so long? Bison thought you changed your mind and gave up on this."

Rin. "I was busy."

Mason. "Why are you wearing the Tamer Battalion uniform? We are supposed to be getting our own soon."

Zext. "Why do you care, Mason? You will still be wearing cosplay armor."

Mason. "Hey, I got my reasons to hide my identity. Plus, it works well with my combat style."

Albert. "Shhh... Don't piss Bison off."

The group became quiet as they noticed Bison was glaring at them to behave while he spoke.

Bison. "As I was saying... The UGP leadership has officially recognized our Police Force. They will provide us with unique uniforms, vehicles, badges, armor, and weapons in a few days. But, they want us to help them out with a special mission until then."

Gloria. "Let me guess, clean up this filthy place."

Bison. "Ah, No! The Administrative Support Wing will handle that. Since we are all new faces in Seward, none of the locals will know about us or what department we belong to. That is why the UGP wants us to go undercover and try to sniff out the extremist spies in the population. I don't have to tell you how much I hate Tamers who abuse their powers, but there is no need for us to fight them unless they choose to become violent with the people or us. So our primary job is to identify these suspects, track their movements, record their contacts and conversations. Once we have compiled all the information, we will launch a full crackdown on their entire network. Any questions?"

Zext. "Do we get free food for this gig?"

Bison. "If you need food, just go to the Mess Hall for now. Once this building is cleaned out and furnished, I will arrange for an all-you-can-eat food court on the top floor."

Zext seemed happy with that news. Then suddenly, the front door opened, and Soma walked into the hall to discuss a matter with Bison. Soma exited the building several minutes later with Rin, Mason, Zext, and Albert, who all volunteered to work under Selvaria instead of the police force. As they followed Soma towards the Industrial area, they chatted amongst themselves.

Zext. "I was too lazy to be a police officer. Though I don't look forward to being bossed around by Selvaria. Why does she always have to act high and mighty when she can't do squat without my Mana."

Mason. "If you don't like her, why even volunteer to work for her?"

Zext. "Selvaria ain't that bad to look at compared to Bison."

Mason. "I see... to be on the safe side, let me be the one who gives her Mana."

Zext. "Aww, you got a thing for her?"

Mason. "Shut up! I was worried she might kill you for that big mouth of yours. There is also something called Skill Synergy. I want to team up with people who can benefit from my Ice Dragoon's Aura skill. That includes Albert, who needs a bodyguard during combat."

Zext. "You are reducing yourself to a bodyguard?"

Mason. "What's wrong with that?"

As the two argued, Albert walked up to Rin's side.

Albert. "I am curious to know why you signed up for this."

Rin. "You first."

Albert. "Well, Selvaria saved my life and stopped my corpses from ruining the evacuation. I can't ignore her when she needs help."

Rin. "I admire Selvaria because she is strong and not afraid of anything. She is also a good person who is adored by her animals. I want to serve under a person I can respect and support."

 Albert. "Well, yeah, but Bison is respectable and needs support."

Rin. "Bison has too many who follow him, while Selvaria has none. I want to be the support she needs to not feel alone."

Albert dropped the topic when he realized Rin didn't want to further explain her reasoning to him. The group soon found themselves at the factory where the Combat Mechs were being constructed. Albert walked around the place like a Gundam fanboy. Albert studied the process from the trucks that brought the raw material into the finished product and commented on how simplistic and efficient it all was.

One of Selvaria's advanced 3D industrial printers created dozens of Titanium Knight Jousting armor, Tower shields, and Long Swords for the Knight every fifteen minutes. As a result, there is a long queue of Soldiers eagerly waiting for their turn to receive this gear. So far, around several hundred have been wholly equipped from head to toe. 

The soldiers moved towards an empty yard nearby, slowly being transformed into a training field for the Knights and Combat Mech Pilots. They practice combat movements, sword swings, and shield walls. Razack, the leader of the Marines, stood in front of a hundred Knights and shouted commands every few seconds, which his soldiers enthusiastically followed. Nearby there are four other centuries of Knights following the orders of their own leaders.

Rin overheard Selvaria rewarding Zext with a modified transport Drone called the Junkjet from Soma after he promised to bring in new printers for her. When Selvaria granted Zext's request and sent him off on a machine that flew through the air like a rollercoaster, she created a unique Lightning powered rail Gun for Soma, who needed an offensive weapon for his RECON mission in Canada.

It only took twenty minutes to create the weapon, which Soma test-fired on a titanium block nearly 2 kilometers away. The sound of thunder accompanied the shot, which penetrated the target leaving behind a perfectly circular hole. Soma almost cried tears of joy and declared himself the 'Thunder Sniper' before leaving the Industrial area to gather the Recon team for their mission.

Right after Soma left, Mason walked up to Selvaria before kneeling on one knee and declaring his loyalty to Selvaria if she could create a unique armor and weapon for him that would resonate with his own skills like what she made for Soma. 

Selvaria. "Other than loyalty, what else can you offer in return for Vector tech?"

Mason. "I am willing to offer you anything for what I asked."

Selvaria. "I see... I require a personal army of loyal Tamers who will answer to me alone. I want you to gather several more Tamers like you who are willing to swear loyalty to me and no one else. If you complete this task within twenty-four hours, I will grant your request for Vector grade armor."

Mason. "What if they too want something in return for their loyalty to you?"

Selvaria. "I will offer them the same reward that I am offering you when it comes to armor. Though you will be placed as the head of these Knights since you are among the few people I truly trust."

Mason was touched by Selvaaria's kind words of affection. He got up and thanked Selvaria before beginning his search.

Selvaria then walked over to Albert, who was still studying the construction of the latest Combat Mech. 

Selvaria. "Do you wish to pilot it?"

Albert's jaw dropped open out of the shock of the opportunity before he nodded vigorously.

Albert. "It has been my dream to pilot one in combat since my body is too frail. But my necromancer-type abilities won't work from inside a Mech."

Selvaria. "Who says you can't?"

Albert. "Huh? But that shouldn't be possible. These things are covered in Titanium armor. How can my Mana pass through it?"

Selvaria. "Get inside and see if you can use your skills before making conclusions."

Albert nodded his head reluctantly. He didn't believe that it would work, but he was willing to give it a try. Albert climbed up into a completed Combat Mech nearby and activated the interface. He pulled out his phone and docked it into the slot meant to integrate the Butler's AI into the machine. When Albert spoke, his voice came out of the head of the Knight like a person using a megaphone.

Albert. "I see that you designed the interface to be beginner-friendly."

Albert then activated his combat style and transformed into a white Moth-Man.

Albert. "It's a little cramped here with these wings, but thankfully I can absorb them back into my body when I don't need them."

Selvaria nodded and then used the Monster App to order a Food Production Support Wing to make a delivery. Two minutes later, a tamer on the back of a Bull monster pulling a wagon arrived with her requested contents. Several soldiers waiting in line for their gear rush over to pull out several corpses of giant farm-raised Ice Crabs and lay them on the ground in front of Albert's Combat Mech.

Selvaria. "Now, use your monster skills to make them move."

The hands of the Combat Mech lifted up and aimed themselves towards the corpses. Nothing happened for three minutes. Rin assumed that the experiment was a failure but was shocked by what happened next.

The Combat Mech started pouring out Mana from its entire frame, slowly drifting towards the corpses. It took over a dozen seconds before Albert's Mana could make them rise up. It lasted for five seconds before they dropped dead again.

Albert. "It did work, but I exhausted half my Mana Pool to do it."

Selvaria, "Please tell me the difficulties you faced."

Albert. "Wait... you didn't expect it to work either?"

Selvaria. "If I said that, then you wouldn't have tried. Now that it does work, I need to know how to make it easier for you to release your Mana and execute the Skill."

Albert. "I think the Gold inside my phone's circuitry allowed my Mana to pass into the Mech."

Selvaria. "Gold inside your phone? I see... come out of the Mech for a few minutes while I modify it."

Selvaria walked over to a 3D printer that had just finished the construction of a Giant Heat blade for the Combat Mechs. She paused the production and entered commands to make it create a golden phone case which she asked Albert to use.

Selvaria. "Dock your phone into the Mech with this Gold case on and see what happens."

Albert followed her commands without any hesitation this time. His Mech repeated its previous actions, but the Mana tendrils came out faster this time. 

The Ice Crab corpses rose again and didn't fall back down until several minutes later.

Selvaria. "How is it now?"

Albert. "Better, but I think if there is a Golden nervous system inside the Mech, I wouldn't have to suffer double the Mana costs to use a skill."

Selvaria. "Interesting... I will have to create a unique Mech like that and see if your theory works."

Albert. "Will that be mine?"

Selvaria. "If you are willing to do something for me."

Albert was surprised by her generosity and felt less afraid of combat if you could fight under this protection.

Albert. "Sure, anything."

Selvaria. "Rebecca and her Ant Golem Army are currently building Earthen Fortifications around Seward. I want you to help her with the construction with your Necromancy skills at nightfall."

Albert. "But where will I find enough corpses around Seward for that?"

Selvaria. "Do you really need intact corpses made of flesh or just bones?"

Selvaria point at the Ice Crabs that are basically walking Exoskeletons. Albert thought about it for a minute and nodded his head. 

Albert. "Right, it is possible, and there should be plenty of giant beast skeletons in forests. Maybe even Mammoths and Cave bears."

Selvaria. "Give Rebecca some company while you are at it. She has been working alone for most of the day."

Albert. "Will do."

Soon a White Moth-Man flew into the sky and headed towards the rising Earthen walls around the town of Seward. Selvaria then approached Rin with a questioning look.

Selvaria. "So..."

Rin. "So..."

Selvaria broke an awkward grin before smiling and asking a question in Japanese.

Selvaria. "Have you reconsidered my offer to be my left hand?"

Rin. "Depends. What would you have me do?"

Selvaria. "In our time at the stadium, you mentioned that your Grandfather ordered your bodyguards to train you in stealth and spy work. So I would like to employ those skills."

Rin. "You want me to spy on the UGP?"

Selvaria noticed the confusion in Rin's voice and eyes.

Selvaria. "Before they became the UGP, the founding members of Vector wrote down everything these nations had done to advance their hegemonic rule over Earth, which resulted in a Cold War that almost destroyed the world. The nations of the UGP might have let go of those ambitions for now, but that is temporary. It's only a matter of time before they retake Earth from the monsters. After that, the UGP might set their sights on Vector or the other countries."

Rin. "Then why share Vector Technology with them?"

Selvaria. "Simple, by making the UGP dependent on Vector Tech to fight back against the invasion, they will change their attitude towards my people and allow us to live on Earth again."

Rin. "Why do you want Vector to return to Earth? Are they not thriving on the Moon?"

Selvaria. "Contrary to popular belief, it is easier to restore Earth to a pristine state and carve out our piece of land on it than to make the Moon a habitable world of a large population. Sadly our current leadership has envisioned a life for us on Mars instead of taking the chance to reclaim Earth."

Rin. "Are they capable of building a colony there?"

Selvaria. "Oh, they have already sent two colony ships to Mars a few years ago. But it will take a few centuries before the planet is terraformed for human life without the protection of Domes. Those Centuries could easily be spent gaining a foothold on Earth and giving our future generations a chance to live without fear of dehydration, starvation, or solar radiation."

Rin. "Isn't there a high chance the UGP will betray your people and kick you out once the invasion is over?"

Selvaria. "This monster invasion will not be ending anytime soon. Even Admiral Radford knows there will be more waves of Pink Pillars and more conflicts with super-powered humans. Regarding your concerns about technology transfer, I have only shared the primitive Gen 1 tech created over forty years ago during the cold war with a few modifications. Vector is currently on Gen 6 tech, and 12 prototypes Gen 7 tech. I don't think the UGP is capable of catching up with us anytime soon."

Rin. "I see... so you want me to spy on them to make sure you have the upper hand."

Selvaria. "Yes, now tell me if you will accept my offer or not."

Though these revelations surprised Rin, they did not change her mind on the path she wished to take. She slowly nodded and bowed slightly to Selvaira, who mirrored it. Selvaria steps forward to hug Rin, surprised by the gesture but returns a warm hug. Selvaria broke the embrace and walked over to a metal container next to the 3D printers. She pulls out a piece of black cloth and brings it over to Rin.

Selvaria. "I had this made just in case you agreed to become my left hand. It has an active camouflage feature that will help you in your work."

Rin accepts the cloth from Selvaria and is grateful for the gift. She then shares all of what she learned about Asher's Crusader Force, Bison's Undercover Spy network crackdown mission, and the situation in Japan and the rest of the world with Selvaria. 

Rin. "So who should I spy on first?"

Selvaria. "Hmm... I think you should prioritize studying the combat strength of the Crusader Force."

Rin. "Why them?"

Selvaria. "Something about that group makes me uneasy. Very few cults can live up to their preaching of tolerance and understanding. So at some point, they build armies dedicated to spreading their faith by violence."

Rin. "Asher wishes to liberate the Non-Tamers of Canada from extremists. Isn't that a noble cause for his Order?"

Selvaria. "Will they stop at liberating Canada? If left unchecked, their Order will eventually find justification to free Seward from the control of the UGP. Though I don't trust the UGP, I can predict their future actions and know what they want from Vector. This Church is unpredictable because it is centered around a very young man who is naive and idealistic in his views, according to what you told me about him. He could easily make his blind followers do anything he asks if his temper gets out of control which seems to have happened today, and he attributed it to his Monster."

Rin. "You don't believe our Monsters have an influence on our personalities?"

Selvaria. "I haven't experienced any deviation in my behavior, have you?"

Rin. "No, but I heard from Asher that it depends on how much time you spent in a combat state with your Monster. Admiral Radford mentioned that Aaron was in control of Asher's body during the five days they were fused together."

Selvaria. "Interesting... if that theory is correct, it justifies my approach of not being too dependent on our Monster skills and using advanced technology instead."

Rin. "I admit that does sound logical but don't you want to be closer with your Monster Partner?"

Selvaria. "I love Galatea and the abilities she shares with me when we are fused, but ever since I learned that Fluffals conquered the Metal Bird Monster Race world by making them dependent on his technology, it made me wary of the Monster App. That is another reason why I want the UGP to focus more on human technology."

Rin had heard the same speech by Admiral Radford on the Monster App a few days ago, but she didn't sense any evil from her Monster or the App itself and chose to ignore the warning. Rin then took her to leave Selvaria's Workshop and headed towards the direction of Asher's Church once more.

When Rin arrived at its front door, she noticed the Church was almost empty except for a few followers who stood guard. They remembered seeing her in the morning with Asher and directed her towards the spot where the Divine Tamer Order is currently training under the guidance of Sergei.

Before Rin went there, she donned the Active Camouflage cloth over her body that hid everything apart from her shadow. Rin then used the training she received from her family to stealthily move towards her target through the dense forest.

Rin soon found an army of Tamers numbering around a hundred in total in a flat plain by a river. The Tamers were divided into groups of five, with Sergei personally swapping members of each team until they all had a balance of tamers who specialized in close combat, ranged, support, healer, and artillery Monster skills. 

Asher was not there, but it didn't surprise Rin as he had mentioned that he would be gaining combat experience in the Tamer Arena until the offensive operation began. Rin watched as Sergei picked two squads at random to fight each other in a 5 versus 5 Duel Mode. 

Half of the Tamers in each squad could not execute a skill when the duel began as there were too many opponents and factors to consider. So they just stood frozen until they were knocked out by the enemy. Sergei waited patiently for an hour and then told them to stop. He then called out the teams who failed to score even one victory against their opponents. 

Five of the worst-performing squads are separated from the rest. Sergei ordered this group to conduct a battle royale against each other until five were left standing. It came as a shock to these tamers as no one had done such a massive battle so far in Seward.

When the five victors of the battle royale were identified, Sergei had them form into a new squad. He then called out the team that had gained the highest victory before and had them fight this new team. The Battle Royal victors ended up crushing them in less than a minute. 

The shock from their victory convinced Sergei that he needed to change his approach to the survival of the fittest. Soon the whole army conducts a series of battle royales to create new teams amongst the victors of each round. Sergei assigns these new squads ranks based on the match they won. When all the squads are created, Sergei asks them to figure out a leader among each team by battle or vote.

The Squads ranked in the top ten of the Battle Royale decided to battle it out for the Squad leader position, while the rest chose to discuss and vote based on who was best fit to coordinate their abilities. Sergei summoned these new leaders to assemble before him when the selection process was done.

Sergei. "All of you will now either fight against each other or vote till one among you can be declared the Centurion of this hundred Tamer army."

The Twenty Squad leaders were stunned by the prize. They activated the Duel Mode without hesitation and began attacking each other. In less than five minutes, one Tamer was left standing. He is a young man of Indian origin who transformed into a Humanoid Leopard that wielded a fiery bow and arrow. His agility and reflexes were the best among the Tamers who fought in battle Royales. The accuracy of his fire arrows and the explosive power behind his attacks had blown most of his opponents before they could execute their skills. 

Sergei. "Identify yourself and your Squad Rank."

Ram. "My name is Ram Verma. I belong to Squad One."

Sergei. "From now on, you are the Centurion of the first army. All five-man team squad leaders present here will be under your command during combat."

Ram. "I am grateful for the command, but I fear I am inexperienced in leading so many into battle."

Sergei. "That is why I will personally tutor you in army tactics every day. Once you are proficient enough, I will the UGP's new Knight corps battalions fight with your army so that they can learn how to fight tamers in their new combat gear."

Ram. "Battalions? Isn't that too many?"

Sergei. "The Canadian extremists will number several thousand by the time we launch the offensive. You all should get used to fighting such numbers even if they can't use monster skills against you. To compensate for that, you must repeat these matches between different squads so that they learn to survive fights against Tamers."

Since the Sun was setting down, the training for the day was concluded, and the Crusader Force dispersed. Suddenly Rin remembered Asher's request to inspect the spot by the cliff where he had promised to have Aaron build statues for her loved ones. She quickly dashed to the promised site and found a dozen Human statues of Marble embedded with precious gemstones. 

The life-like details on these figures made them seem like humans who had been petrified rather than being sculpted. When Rin inspected each one, she almost felt souls resided inside them. They were all facing the Gulf of Alaska with smiles on their faces. Rin had a few tears rolling down her cheeks as she slowly got down onto her knees while facing them all. 

When darkness consumed the sky, Rin made an internal promise to come back soon and watch the sunset again with them. She returned to the industrial district to give her intel report about the Crusaders to Selvaria. As Rin approached the Combat Mech factory from the rear, she spotted the figure of a figure climbing toward the windows below the factory's roof. 

Rin froze and thanked herself for not removing the active camouflage cloth wrapped around her body, because of which her presence wasn't noticed. However, this mysterious figure soon reached the windows that revealed what was going on in the interior and pulled out his phone to start recording. 

Sensing that this must be a spy, Rin pulled out her phone and sent a message to Selvaria about the suspicious figure by whispering his location. Once the message was sent, Rin expected to receive a reply from her. But instead, the window through which the Spy was recording exploded. 

Somebody had shot a rocket launcher from inside. Rin had no doubt that it had to be Selvaria, but she could not believe that woman was willing to destroy her own building to get him. The Spy fell to the ground and landed with a great thud. Rin slowly came out of her hiding spot to inspect the body of a thirty-year-old white male covered in metal shrapnel and pieces of broken glass. The fall itself had damaged his back and nearly killed him. He is struggling to breathe as his lungs have been stabbed and fill up with blood.

Rin waited by his side as Selvaria, and a dozen soldiers in Knight gear rushed towards her location. Selvaria inspected the body when they arrived with her Nanites.

Rin. "Is there a way for us to save him?"

Rin asked because she hoped they could extract some useful information from him. Selvaria didn't answer her question. Instead, she placed her hands on his head and then suddenly twisted it to break his neck. 

Rin. "Wha... why? We could have interrogated him!"

Selvaria. "There is no point in saving spies, and I did the merciful job of putting an end to his suffering. They are trained to resist interrogations. So it's better if we just inspect what he recorded on his phone."

The Spy's phone had been broken by the fall, Selvaria gathered all the broken pieces together, placed her hand on the phone, and the nanomachines poured into the damaged phone and began repairing it.

Rin. "Even if you repair it. The Butlers are designed to only allow authorized users to access their files."

A few minutes later, they returned to her body, and the phone came back to life. It recognized Selvaria as an authorized user and let her access all its files. Rin was stupefied but quickly recovered when she reminded herself that Selvaria was from Vector.

Selvaria. "All Machines can be hacked, especially ones that are broken."

Rin. "Are all his files still there?"

Selvaria activated the phone's 3D display projector, making it play the video for all to see. Almost everything in Seward has been recorded, especially the Church of Asher, Selvaria's Combat Mechs, the Knight core, Rebecca's Ant Golem army building the Earthen fortifications, the Wireless Power distribution Tower, the modified Industrial 3D printers, and the remnants of the pacific fleet that is harbored in Seward.

Selvaria. "These videos have already been shared with other butlers. The extremists know everything we have built here... Hold on! Someone just sent a video to this butler."

The display now showed a young black woman in the Canadian Mountie uniform. 

"Tim! What's the progress of those Mechs? How many are there? Did that silver-haired bitch create something new again? Even if you didn't get a chance to check, it's okay. The others overheard the new Tamers from Dallas complaining about the UGP and saying they wanted to join us because of the boss's video. Try recruiting as many Tamers as you can before our main forces arrive. Oh, and hide out in the forest this Saturday night. Big Bob, Big Blue, and Big Green will be dropping presents soon. Stay safe, Tim!"

Rin was disturbed by the message since Saturday is four days away. However, Selvaria looked unfazed by it. Instead, she yelled at the Knights surrounding her.

Selvaria. "Are any of you tamers?"

All of them denied it.

Selvaria. "Show me your phones! Get your butlers to let me inspect your files."

They obliged, and after several minutes Selvaria returned it to them.

Selvaria. "Alright, I believe you all are not spies. Get some transportation and cover the body. Then, take it to Admiral Radford and tell him everything you saw and heard. Don't utter a word of it to anyone else, even if they outrank you. Tell them if they have a problem, then they can talk to me when I come to meet Admiral Radford in an hour. Understood?"

Knights saluted Selvaria in acknowledgment and then dragged the body towards the nearest empty truck that brought in scrap metal. They dumped the body into its cargo hold and covered it with scrap metal. Then the Knights got on the vehicle and drove it toward the harbor where Admiral Radford's ship is located.

Rin. "Should I have Albert inform Bison about what happened?"

Selvaria nodded, looking troubled.

Rin. "What is it?"

Selvaria. "The extremists are planning to launch a long-range attack at all the places this Spy recorded. So we have to prepare countermeasures as soon as possible, or we will lose Seward."

Rin was confused by that.

Rin. "Surely they can't expect to win a war with the UGP with only long-range attacks, right? In their video, their leader mentioned that he aimed to liberate Tamers and capture the resources of Seward. If he flattens the city with missiles, they will fail in his objectives. That's why I think he will have to launch a ground attack to win."

Selvaria. "From what this Spy recorded, I doubt their strategists would be foolish enough to engage in close combat. So they will aim to cripple our forces and defenses from afar before their main forces arrive to mop up what remains. The three tamers with the word 'Big' in their names might be attacking us from the land, sea, and the air, so we have to build weapons to counter and station them all across Seward before they attack us."

Rin. "What kind of weapons do you have in mind?"

Selvaria. "Phalanx CIWS and Laser weapon systems to intercept missiles. A massive Rail Cannon to target big objects within 50 Kilometers of Seward. It will have to be set up in an elevated position with a clear view of everything. Otherwise, it will be useless."

Rin. "Can you build all that in a short time?"

Selvaria. "We will have to halt the construction of the Combat Mechs and focus on these defenses. I should be able to complete most of it in time, but I don't like the idea of just waiting for them to gain the initiative."

Rin. "Initiative?"

Selvaria. "I believe the best defense is a good offense."

Rin. "You want to attack them first? The Knights and Crusaders aren't ready yet for the offensive from what I saw today."

Selvaria. "My mistake, I should have been more clear. I plan to make the greatest counterattack with my own forces that will make these extremists shit their pants and run back to Toronto."

Selvaria motioned for Rin to follow her until they reached a spot overlooking the Naval harbor. Then, she pointed her right hand towards the location where the last Aircraft Carrier and several other ships were beached because they were declared unrepairable by the UGP's engineers. 

Admiral Radford had ordered they be salvaged for parts to fix the other vessels still in service. Nearby the sea wrecks, over thirty fighter jets were laid in a row. They were heavily damaged by the Icebugs during the initial days of the Monster invasion. Since communications were now all based through the Monster App, Fighter pilots would have a hard time coordinating with the ground forces in real-time, so no one bothered to repair them.

Selvaria. "Tell Admiral Radford that I need all those damaged ships and fighter jets."

Rin saw the look in Selvaria's eyes as she looked at them. There were big plans for that pile of junk running in her head.

Rin. "Are you going to repair them all?"

Selvaria. "Who said anything about repairing? I will create the greatest warship from those relics that will serve as my flagship on Earth."