Mutagen

The people of the Reclaimed City rushed to evacuate. Helped by the soldiers and respective members of the Black Lotus, leaving the premises of Kachidoki went smoother than expected. 

Well... It was smooth enough, considering everyone was under the unrestrained powerful pressure coming from a godly being. Although not as heavy as everyone at the riverbank felt during its appearance, anyone within a several-kilometer radius could feel the fear creeping up their backs as their arms and legs shiver uncontrollably. The faintest of hearts had already fallen unconcious.

Those who were on the open streets of Kachidoki and Tsukuda could even see the Serpent God on the other side of the Sumida River. That was how gigantic the Serpent God was as it raised its eight necks up to the sky while spewing flames and summoning tornadoes from some of its mouths.

It was a horrifying sight for the mortals.

If there was something keeping the people up, it was the will to survive and escape the misty-goo-like creatures spawning from underground.

So far, the [Miasmic Residues] only appeared inside underground shelters and sealed-off subways. It would have been a fortunate thing if not for the fact that their sudden appearance caused deaths among the refugees within the underground shelters. And worse, they also began to appear in areas near the water surrounding the different manmade islands of the Reclaimed City. The residues still faced the coastal barriers and walled banks, slowing them down. However, it was only a matter of time.

If there was a leeway, it was the taller buildings as these locations were less prone to the attacks of the [Miasmic Residues] in the meantime. 

The good news was that only the northern parts of the Reclaimed City were prone to the spawning of the [Miasmic Residues]. The closer the location was to the riverside northwest of Kachidoki, the more the residues spawned. It also meant that as long as everyone evacuated to the southern parts of the Reclaimed City, the safer they became.

Unfortunately, it would be questionable if the government would allow the evacuees to the southernmost parts of the Reclaimed City.

Everything south of Toyosu would be the industrial area. It was where the government constructed new factories and farms for the consumption of the Reclaimed City. Normally, only workers were allowed in those areas to prevent thieves. But in case of emergency, exceptions could be made, although it came with a few risks.

However, the southernmost part of the Reclaimed City, the Tokyo Docks, was off-limits to unauthorized personnel. One reason was that it was the most dangerous coastal area facing Tokyo Bay. The other, more important, reason was that it was where the Japanese government built their laboratories and research facilities.

These facilities were off-limits for obvious reasons. Not only it contained the classified results of the government\'s research, but it also housed some dangerous specimens.

In any case, the industrial area should be fine to house the evacuees. Unless something worse had happened, there should be no necessity for the evacuees to take shelter within the research facilities and laboratories.

And currently, outside one of such research facilities, an armored vehicle arrived accompanied by armed guards. It was a research facility by the docks, which was previously used as a maintenance dock for cargo ships before the apocalypse.

In the current days of the apocalypse, only the government had the knowledge of what was happening within this facility and the ones around it.

The people in the armored vehicle came out. They were led by the current Prime Minister, followed by the representatives who did not defect to the side of the traitors.

There was one particular reason why the Prime Minister was spared, even though he knew some information about the Mitsui Clan\'s betrayal. It was not because he did not totally fall to the side of the traitors. It was due to the fact that he was the first prime minister of the Reclaimed City.

Although the previous government was already in shambles due to the apocalypse, government positions still held some meaning. Most importantly, authority.

As the Prime Minister, he led most of the Reclaimed City\'s development after it was established. Along with that, he gained authority above many things, including the results of the research the scientists conducted.

Was the Prime Minister the highest position in Japan? Of course, not. The Royal Family should be above him.

Unfortunately, the apocalypse would spare no one, even those with the highest status. Just like the previous Prime Minister who prematurely retired, most of the royal family fell victim to the apocalypse. There was still a direct heir to be enthroned, but he was still too young to become the head of the country.

That was why the current Prime Minister held the highest position in the Reclaimed City.

Enduring the innate fear trying to overwhelm his body, the Prime Minister took quick strides into the facility.

Along the way, he was met with the Head Scientist of this facility.

"How are the preparations?"

The Prime Minister asked the Head Scientist.

"Nowhere ready." The Head Scientist bluntly responded. "You know the units are still experimental. The power consumption is huge, and the operation time is short."

"How long is the current operation time?"

The Prime Minister asked as he continuously walked towards the inner facilities with everyone.

"Ten minutes for normal operation. Fifteen at maximum. And that\'s if we are ready to abandon the unit on the spot after losing power. Raising the operation time is currently impossible."

"That should be enough," The Prime Minister sternly said. "The units are not our priority but our survival. If the experimental units can help the ones fighting for us even a little, then there is no need to hesitate."

"Haahh..." The Head Scientist sighed. "If you said so. I\'ll authorize the deployment immediately."

At this time, the group reached the docks. It was a gigantic facility that could house several large sea vessels. And what welcomed them was the sight of two newly built warships.

To be specific, two Kongo-class warships.

The two warships were similar in size. However, there were distinct differences between the two.

One was pure white in color. It was mostly armed with cannons and deployable sea traps. It seemed less bulky as if its design aimed for more mobility than usual.

The other was a black warship with yellow accents. Its color seemed to imply a streak of lightning amidst the darkness. It was also armed with cannons, but instead of having deployable sea traps, it was equipped with missile launchers.

But the physical looks aside, these warships were the products of the new technological advancements that the apocalypse brought. Their hull was made from newly discovered compound alloy, and their weapons were far from ordinary.

As the Prime Minister looked at the two warships. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, remembering the sight of the gigantic eight-headed enemy.

"It is as if it is destiny, isn\'t it?"

The Prime Minister said as he opened his eyes.

Those words sounded odd, but no one around actually disagreed.

It was because everyone here knew the names of these warships.

The white one was Amaterasu. The guiding light and humanity\'s hope. It was more of a transport vessel that could fight dangers and destroy its pursuers.

And the black one was Susanoo. Portraying the powerful hero who could destroy his enemies by raining lightning from the sky. It was an attack vessel that could rain missiles from long distances.

The names might be peculiar, but it was what humanity needed at this moment, names that could bring hope and inspiration.

"Weapon checks are done! Susanoo is ready to go!"

A shout came from the personnel making final checks on the vessel.

"Are we letting it sail to the battlefield?" The Head Scientist asked. "We already sent drones to monitor the situation from both air and underwater. Those black formless creatures were mostly appearing from underwater. Sailing to the affected area could pose a threat to the personnel inside the ship."

The Prime Minister instead turned to one of the representatives, who was wearing a maritime soldier\'s uniform. He was the current Admiral of the Maritime Self-Defense Forces.

And at that signal, the Admiral Spoke.

"We don\'t need to sail too close. It was already questionable whether our cannons would work on that monster. We can only rely on missiles, which we can launch from here. Although we should at least leave the docks since the shipyard equipment might end up becoming obstacles."

It was a sound plan. Safe for the most part, but it should at least help even a little.

Just because there were brave warriors fighting for their safety did not mean they would just lay low and hide.

The Prime Minister and the representatives immediately went to the control room of the docks. As these warships were their current final trump cards, the exit of the docks was blocked, and high-tech locking mechanisms held the ships in place.

In order to disengage the locks, the controls were locked with keys held by the Prime Minister and a few loyal representatives.

The only thing left to do was to insert the key and press the button.

And soon, the sound of a warship\'s engine echoed from the docks.

***

Day 341 - 1:02 PM - North Riverbank, Sumida River, Ruins of Tokyo

While the Prime Minister was leading the preparations to help, the fight in the Sumida River was already intensifying.

BOOM!

Another explosion occurred as Gar\'Vlam threw a basketball-sized fireball at Mark. However, it missed and fell into the river, causing the ice to melt and cause a steam explosion as the fireball submerged into the icy river.

Just like with Mark\'s attacks, getting stronger as he clad his sword in [Miasma], Gar\'Vlam\'s fireballs were getting bigger and hotter. Right now, the temperature of Gar\'Vlam\'s attacks was even higher than the flames Shin could release in his attacks.

Before, Mark could make small movements to dodge the fireballs from Gar\'Vlam. He could even try to slash them with his sword. But now, larger strides were needed to evade since the heat from Gar\'Vlams attacks was not only causing Mark physical damage. They also brought mental and emotional damage.

The weather was as cold as winter, and Gar\'Vlam\'s attacks were as hot as lava. It was not surprising that the continuous temperature change around Mark would weigh him down mentally.

It was already like this when Mark\'s body was covered in temperature-regulating armor. What if he did not have this armor? This situation would have been worse.

And as if the threat that Gar\'Vlam brought Mark was not enough, the Serpent God would chime in from time, with each attack being different from before.

First was flames, then Mark was almost blown away by a wind spiral next. Then, getting showered with boulders and shot with a water cannon. And those were not the end of it.

As the next clash between Mark\'s sword and Gar\'Vlam\'s fist blew him away another time, Mark knew he was not getting anywhere.

Mark was trying to conserve energy while fighting Gar\'Vlam since they would still have to deal with the resurrected fragment of Yamata-no-Orochi.

But it looked like Mark underestimated the extent of Gar\'Vlam\'s recovery.

The current Gar\'Vlam, despite still far from full recovery of his strength, was two to three times stronger than the [Infected] Sinogo.

As Mark landed at the frozen river after the previous clash, he finally decided.

There was no need to hold back, as he was the weaker one in the first place.

Mark\'s aura suddenly exploded, causing the other battles to halt shortly. The sudden surge of his energy was surprising since everyone barely felt anything from him all this time.

And there, Mark\'s Demon Form began to emerge.

Mark\'s transformation caused both surprise and curiosity among both enemies and allies.

After all, Mark\'s Demon Form was a form of a Pure Blood Demon Monarch.