The streets were still somewhat empty, and as I followed the Lieutenant with the Typhoon Magnum in my hands I wondered: Could I really do anything meaningful to save someone on the next era? I had all kinds of bullshit on me, but would it be enough?

I got drawn from my musings as the soldiers on the back shot at something. A moment later everyone was firing at the firing at the small swarm of undead that came from behind us. I guess they were hoping to catch us in a pincer since I saw six Chariots coming from the front at full speed.

Don't let their size distract you, those things are fast.

"Don't let the swarm catch up with us! I'll clear a path!" I saw the Lt nod and I launched myself at the Chariots, at point-blank, the Typhoon Magnum left a hole from its head to where its ass would be, were it a somewhat normal animal this shape. The recoil from the shot was enough to get me enough air and land on top one another Chariot and repeat the process. I guess that going full Mario on the Chariots worked too well as two Templars crashed through a building and rushed me from my left side.

They didn't get very far as a hail of bullets tore their sides and they fell into dissolving motes of light. My Cycled Muffler shone red as I captured the energy before it went back to wherever the Honkai came from. I checked corners and then turned to signal them to advance.

We could try to find a vehicle, but odds are we going at high speeds and getting t-boned by Chariots or Templars. Holy crap, those things are FAST.

We had a controlled run, the Lieutenant pointing a way, how many town squares to go straight via raised fingers. I would take off and clear a path so they could advance covering all sides on two columns of three and the Lt at front. Like a continuously breaching advance.

What do I know? I'm not military.

All vehicles were either burning, crashed into pile ups cutting our path, or a combination of both. There even was a three-decker pile-up once! And we were nowhere near a highway, so I guess the outbreak caught this city at peak hours or something.

Damn, now I'm getting sad.

[ZEA Notification: Surrounding allies require attention]

[ARK Notification: Enemy incoming.]

Ok, thanks you two. The rushing Templars… oh wow, ok. The levitating legion of monsters was rushing at full speed and we wouldn't be able to lay down enough fire to kill them all without having the ones behind them use their fallen as cover.

Or could we?

Zea calculate how much we must compensate for recoil, Ark, point me best place for landing a finisher to kill enough of them for the others to pick off the rest.

[ZEA Notification: Power rerouted for bracing]

[ARK Notification: Damage maximizing bullet path located]

So I pulled out a progrisekey that I hadn't used yet.

"BULLET!"

Better get ready for brand new finisher!

"PROGRISEKEY CONFIRMED: READY FOR QUICKDRAW"

Wait, the Magnum has a hammer on the back? I pulled the thing.

"TYPHOONRISE!"

Energy began gathering at the end of the muzzle, so I aimed where Ark pointed me to. I pressed the trigger.

"TYPHOON THUNDERER!"

The magnum sent me back as six shots left its maw and bored holes on the ranks of the oncoming Templars. The fact that they exploded was nice, the shockwave they sent my way wasn't.
Every remaining glass pane, from where I stood to where the Templars died, shattered into a few hundred pieces, and what cars survived suddenly began to blare their alarms. The looks the squad sent my way were not those of amusement. "Path is clear?" I tried.
We… just kept running after that.

I must admit I wasn't the most physical of guys in my last life, and that I should expect high endurance from military types, but holy shit, is that base far. I had my isekai constitution and the suit to help me keep going, but these guys were all keeping pace with me most of the time. Only times they slowed was when Honkai showed up and they fell in formation while I went and did my thing by murdering anything with one or no eyes first. They'd catch up with me as I killed the monsters and sometimes finish up those that (barely) survived the, heh, Finishers.

But the trek was dragging on from collapsed buildings and once, a row of tanks and APCs mauled by Templars and Chariots, going by the shapes of the holes on them. The dried blood on the floor told me that no one inside those tanks survived to become an undead.

The squad steeled their expressions when they saw that. I simply grimaced under my mask. If this were the events of the game, there would be at least some mass produced anti-Honkai weaponry, nothing special, but even common weapons could be kitted to dispatch lower level beasts reliably.
Here, they didn't know that, and they clung to my Shotrisers with a vice grip. That or they were feeling the pain from the recoil. Or both.

I couldn't help myself, I had to ask. "How close are we?" we'd been walking and shooting for hours at least between killing Honkai and backtracking from the fallen buildings. A curious pattern of destruction had begun appearing, buildings, cars and ordnance half melted into slag and potholes that looked like burnt plastic. Yeah, this looked like someone used lightning strikes as swords and cannon fire. However, my meta knowledge only had so much to go on and I needed to stablish a base so I could print Rider Gear for the oncoming invasions.

I could have tried to give this squad Raidrisers, but it's easier to explain a fantastical gun than a suit of Power Armor. Maybe I could release it for the final battle or something…?

"We should be close, sir" We'd gotten inside another store to rest a bit, a bar if I'm correct. It had thick walls and bars over the windows. It was something that I could have found back home or in Detroit, but here in what I suspected was Japan, it stuck out. The Lieutenant kept talking, in a lower tone of voice. "But why is it so damn quiet?"

As if waiting for her comment the roar of Honkai and Firepower washed upon us. The distinct sound of .50 cal., tanks, .30 Cal. and rifle fire met the roars and moans of the Honkai Undead and monsters that came from… somewhere, the Lieutenant handed me what looked like an IR armband and the squad all fastened theirs.

We ran back into the street faster than before, since the roars of the Honkai were beginning to drown those of the weapons fire. In the few moments we'd heard it, it had grown by a lot.

Hold the line, people!