[GLOBAL HOST POPULATION: 992,417]
[LUIS MENDOZA - LEVEL 2 (33% Progress to Next Level)]
GFH Forward Operating Base "Iron Haven" - Manila Outskirts
Aya adjusted the strap of her katana as she stood at attention among the assembled forces. Fifty Hosts—some in GFH uniforms, others in scavenged armor—stood in disciplined rows alongside 20,000 regular military personnel. The air hummed with tension as General Azura, a broad-shouldered man with a face like weathered stone, climbed onto the makeshift stage.
"Listen well!" his voice boomed without a microphone. "The Lions-Bane has turned Manila into its hunting ground. We cannot fight it—not yet. But what we can do is ensure no more monsters enter our world through the chaos!"
A holographic map of Manila's exits flared to life behind him—twelve major routes, all now marked for blockade.
"The Crimson Blades, the Free Host Coalition, the Shadow Pact—they're all scrambling to escape the city. We will let them," Azura continued, his gaze sharp. "And when they reach these choke points, we will cull them. Every Guild Host we eliminate is one less threat to the people!"
The crowd erupted in cheers. "FOR THE PHILIPPINES!"
Aya's grip tightened on her katana as her god's voice whispered in her mind.
"This one speaks well for a mortal," Ryujin, the Blade Tempest, mused. "But words are wind. Let us see if his steel matches his tongue."
Aya smirked. He's smarter than most. That's enough for now.
The Ambush Point - Northern Highway
Three hours later, Aya crouched behind a barricade of overturned trucks, her team spread out along the ruined highway. Jax, the sniper, peered through his scope at the eerily quiet city skyline.
"Something's off," he muttered. "Where the hell is everyone?"
Mira, the medic, chewed her lip. "You'd think someone would've bolted by now."
Aya's eyes narrowed. "Intel said the Guilds were massing near the ports. They should've hit our lines by—"
[INCOMING TRANSMISSION]
The radio crackled. "This is Scout Team Sigma! We—oh god—we found them! Hundreds of Guild Hosts... but they're dead. Heads missing. Doesn't look like the Lions-Bane's work. Requesting immediate backup!"
Aya was already moving. "All units, advance! Jax, high ground. Mira, stay sharp."
Ryujin's voice hummed in her skull. "Finally. Something worth your blade."
The Killing Field
The stench hit them first—copper and bile, thick enough to taste. Then came the sight:
A mountain of corpses piled in the ruins of a shopping mall, every single one missing its head. Crimson Blades insignias glinted on blood-soaked armor. Free Host Coalition banners lay trampled underfoot.
"What the hell did this?" Jax whispered, rifle sweeping the shadows.
Mira knelt beside a body, her glowing fingers hovering over the neck stump. "Clean cuts. No tearing. This wasn't a monster."
Aya's katana slid from its sheath with a shink. "Then what—?"
[HOST DETECTED]
The notification flashed in Aya's vision a second too late.
A figure stepped from the shadows—a man in a tattered GFH uniform, his face obscured by a blood-splattered visor. In one hand, he held a serrated machete. In the other...
A severed head.
[HOST IDENTIFIED: UNKNOWN]
[LEVEL: ???]
[PATRON GOD: ???]
The man tilted his head. "Ah. Fresh meat."
Ryujin's voice turned deadly serious. "Aya. Run."
But it was too late.
The killer moved—