Doujin Artist: Wait. Isn't that just a way of saying Kato has such a weak presence no one notices her? That's not something to praise!
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: I thought it was some kind of awakened power, but turns out she's just... sadly unnoticeable?
Amegakure Village's Angel: Being this unnoticeable might as well be a power. Look — even those bugs didn't notice her.
Curly-haired Guy: Konan, could you not? The more you say, the more I feel sorry for her. Even those crazy bugs ignored her... that's just depressing, come on!
Machete Girl: Huh? What are those mantis-like bugs on the right chasing?
Doujin Artist: Looks like a drone?
Eriri focused her gaze, and the camera zoomed in. Everyone in the stream could now clearly see — yes, it was a drone, and by the looks of it, definitely military-grade.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Is that...?
This is an Actor: Looks like the Self-Defense Forces are here.
Boom!
The wall on the side suddenly collapsed, sending up a huge cloud of dust.
The screen quickly switched to the source of the sound. Several light tanks rolled through the gap and slowly entered the school grounds. The crunching of bug corpses under the treads echoed, and the dark green bug goo mixing with the dirt gave off a nasty stench.
Kasumigaoka and Megumi Kato looked at each other, both completely stunned. Tanks? At school?
Bzzzzzz.
Just then, more drones flew overhead. A calm but firm voice came from their speakers.
"This is Okada Isamu, commander of the Fourth Operations Unit of the National Self-Defense Force. By order of HQ, all mutant creatures in the Chiyoda District will be completely wiped out! Everyone here must leave the school immediately! I repeat, everyone here must leave the school immediately!"
Soul Society's Villain: A full wipeout?
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: So they're treating the school as a battlefield now.
Curly-haired Guy: Hey hey, if those machines really go all out... there's no way the school buildings can take that kind of firepower.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Gin-san, that sounded a bit weird, but yeah, the commander already said it, so Eriri should go meet up with Kasumigaoka and the others and get out.
Machete Girl: What about Aki Tomoya? Isn't he still in the school?
Curly-haired Guy: Forget about him. Let that idiot die!
Doujin Artist: I mean, I don't really want to help him either, but he's still a person. And since that commander made an announcement, he'll probably give us a little time to get ready, right?
Boom.
A loud explosion.
Flames shot into the sky. Smoke followed right after.
Eriri felt the ground under her feet shake hard. Dust started falling from the ceiling in little puffs.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: They—they're firing?! They didn't even wait?! Where's the time to prepare?!
Doujin Artist: How should I know?! What the hell is wrong with these guys?! Don't they care if there are still people inside?!
Machete Girl: Aki Tomoya made it out. You should get out too.
Curly-haired Guy: Tch. That idiot's still alive?
In the stream, Aki Tomoya was hugging his laptop, stumbling and crawling as he ran out of the school building, looking relieved to be alive.
But that relief didn't last long. A huge, scary-looking head suddenly burst out of the ground not far in front of him.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Wh-what is that?!
Amegakure Village's Angel: Looks like... a rhinoceros beetle?
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: That thing's way too big!
On screen, the creature crawling out of the ground had thick black armor, curved branched horns, and six hooked legs. It definitely looked like a rhinoceros beetle.
But its size completely shattered people's idea of what a beetle should be. It was over ten meters long, and when it stood up on its legs, its head was level with a two-story building.
This thing clearly went against all scientific laws. If you didn't see it with your own eyes, you'd never believe a bug could grow that huge.
Even the viewers in the chat—people who had seen plenty of crazy stuff—were shocked. So you can imagine how stunned the people in Eriri's world were.
Aki Tomoya, Kasumigaoka, Megumi Kato, and even the soldiers from the Self-Defense Force all stared blankly at the giant beetle, frozen with fear and disbelief.
Then the tank drivers suddenly heard the voice of their commander in their earpieces.
"Fire! What are you standing around for? Shoot now! That thing is our main target for this mission!"
"Yes, sir!"
The tank crews snapped out of it and quickly hit the fire buttons.
Boom, boom.
The cannons roared like thunder.
The shells hit dead-on. A blast of fire exploded from the giant beetle's body. The shockwave was so strong that it flung Aki Tomoya, who was standing nearby, into the air. He tumbled a few times before slamming into the ground with a thud.
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Is he dead?
Shark-Faced Guy: Probably not.
Soul Society's Villain: His chest is still moving a bit. He just passed out.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: He's alive. But the computer he risked his life to save? Completely shattered. That means both his world and his future are gone.
Curly-haired Guy: Serves him right. This is what happens when you dig your own grave.
Machete Girl: Sure, he had it coming, but the Self-Defense guys were out of line too. They saw there were civilians near that beetle, but they still fired right away!
This is an Actor: Don't get mad. If I'm right, they won't be around much longer.
Just after Aizen sent that message, the beetle on screen suddenly lowered its head. Everyone stared in shock as its forked horn began to glow with a strange blue light.