Fernanda looked at him thoughtfully and murmured:

— If we had Julius' help from the beginning, would humanity have advanced so much?

— Hard to say... He doesn't do anything other than kill ghouls! — commented one of the scientists, as she watched Kay walk away.

— Captain Julius, the strongest being in humanity... and Kay, the laziest of soldiers. I'd pay to see a fight between those two! — exclaimed Fernanda, with a mischievous smile on her face.

The scientist chuckled, a little skeptically:

— That title of his doesn't inspire any confidence...

— Julius is 100%, but he has experience and skill in combat. Kay arrives at 150%, versatile and unpredictable, a real wild card... Wouldn't it be interesting to see those two fight? Who knows, we could arrange that someday! — suggested Fernanda, with an idea shining in her eyes.

— Neither of them would accept that, you know. Both are only interested in killing ghouls. Even now, Kay is only training the division because she knows that this is vital to face the ghouls and avoid more casualties. There is nothing else on their radar. — said the scientist, with a hint of frustration in her voice.

Fernanda thought for a moment and, with a sigh, said:

— I imagine that is the case... Anyway, wouldn't it be good if the two of them joined forces to face the ghouls?

— Indeed. — answered the scientist, with a serious air.

— But, with the distance between the countries and the lack of socialization, especially with Julius, that is something difficult to happen. — Fernanda added, thoughtfully. "As if they would be able to collaborate in any way..." she thought, with a touch of irony.

Meanwhile, the soldiers were leaving the base, the movement happening at a fast pace.

— Is everything working? — asked Fernanda, with a tone of concern.

— Yes. It will be difficult to assess all the statistics of the suits with just these screens here, but if something is not normal, it will be shown in focus. — replied the scientist, adjusting one of the panels.

The scene changes. The soldiers were already positioned, with Kay in front of them, her imposing presence dominating the field.

“Are you filming?” exclaimed Fernanda, her eyes attentive to the movement.

“Yes!” — replied the scientist, with a firm voice.

“Separated into three groups, the distance between each soldier is the limit of the tentacles’ reach. So, even if they get out of control, they will only hit the soldier in front, if they move. That should give us time to stop it!” said Kay, her voice full of determination.

“Understood! Let’s keep an eye on it!” replied Takemichi, with a firm look.

“Lena, I need an aerial view. Take care of this!” — ordered Kay, her tone unquestionable.

“Okay, but how will I know?” — Lena exclaimed, a little apprehensive.

“They should react the same way. If you see anything different, let me know!” Kay said, her eyes cold and calculating.

“Understood!” Lena replied, her suit opening its wings as she began to rise.

“Wait!” Fernanda approached quickly, a worried expression on her face.

— It's dangerous to get close! — Kay warned, staring at her.

“I know. Take this camera. We'll have vision too and we can warn you if anything happens!” Fernanda insisted, handing over the camera as she walked back to the scientists.

Lena, now floating high above, watched the soldiers and recorded everything, her penetrating vision scanning every movement.

“We have footage!” Fernanda announced, her tone professional.

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“You can use force, because it will be necessary! Just try not to hurt yourselves or others!” Kay said with an authoritative command.

“Okay!” the soldiers of the first and fifth squads said in unison.

“Spread out!” Kay ordered, her defiant gaze sweeping the line of soldiers.

The soldiers spread out around the ones who were training, the tension rising in the air.

“Just be careful in case anyone goes flying!” Kay warned, her gaze now sharp as a blade.

“You got it!” — Takemichi replied, ready to act.

Kay stood next to the box, his posture calm but his presence overwhelming. He turned on the box and, in a deep voice, began to speak.

— I will summarize what you must do, should the ghouls not obey. They cannot survive without food and cannot hunt without their senses. So, you will make a deal where the ghouls will serve you, and in exchange, you will keep them fed. This is what we already do when we touch the corpses of the ghouls! Do you understand? — Kay exclaimed, his voice resounding like an absolute order.

— Yes! — the soldiers responded, confidence beginning to grow, but tension still hung in the air.

— Then I will summarize this training in just one command! — Kay said, putting on his mask with disturbing calm.

The soldiers were anxious, their bodies tense. Kay pointed forward, his hand firm and resolute. He immediately lowered his finger.

— Submit! — Kay ordered, her murderous aura radiating like a dark storm.

"What pressure is this?" — the soldiers thought, frightened, their bodies freezing before the force of her presence.

As Kay's murderous intent ran through the field, the suits began to manifest tentacles, which rose with immense force, pointing towards the sky. Kay watched Lena from afar, who remained silent, motionless, like an eagle watching its prey.

"You who have already manifested the tentacles are free! The others, come closer to the center!" — Kay ordered, her murderous aura dissipating, but still leaving a sense of oppression in the air.

The tentacles of the suits retracted, returning to their normal form, but the tension remained. The soldiers with panicked expressions moved away, while the others, who had not been hit, regrouped in the middle, confused, trying to understand what had just happened.

"It actually hit more people than I thought... I thought it would be less!" — Kay thought, watching the soldiers.

From afar, Mira watched, her concern evident.

Kay was focused, his senses sharp as he directly accessed the soldiers' ghouls, without even needing to touch them. "As soon as my aura touches them, I see the ghouls gathered... this is wearing me out more than I imagined!" — Kay thought, feeling the growing weight of the connection.

Lena waved from afar, signaling that everyone was properly positioned.

— I'm going to gain altitude. Fly to me and stay at the same altitude. If you go past me, I'll hold you back and you'll have to go back to your ghoul! — Lena instructed, the confidence in her voice unmistakable.

— Got it! — the soldier replied, with total focus.

Lena quickly climbed to a considerable height and signaled for the soldier to follow.

"Just flap your wings and go to the leader..." — the soldier thought, remembering the feeling of when the ghoul tried to fly.

With a concentrated effort, he detached himself from the ground and quickly approached Lena, staying aligned with her in the air.

— Let's go down! — Lena ordered, her voice cutting through the air.

— Okay! — said the soldier, obeying immediately and flying to the ground.

The two descended in a perfect maneuver, as if they were dancing in the air.

— I did it, captain! — said the other soldier, with a smile of relief.

— Very good. Take us to the ground! — said the captain, stopping flapping his wings and looking at the soldier who accompanied him.

Carefully, the soldier flew to the ground, carrying Takemichi with precision.

—Turn the wings inwards! — ordered Takemichi, adjusting his posture.

—Right! — replied the soldier, obeying quickly.

—Here too! — said Mira, moving away with her own controlled ghoul.

The soldier, already on the ground, stood up, and the tentacles of his suit remained still.

—Put them away! — Sarah shouted, with authority.

—Right! — replied the soldier, returning the tentacles to the suit.

Kay approached quickly, her gaze sharp.

—Take care of this guy! — said Kay, trapping the soldier's wings with her own tentacles, relentless.

—Didn't you manage? — exclaimed the captain, with a tone of concern, seeing the soldier's difficulty.

—He's afraid of me! You can't meditate with me around! — Kay replied, his voice low and cold.

“I'm sorry!” — the soldier said, embarrassed, trying to keep control.

“Leave it to me!” — the captain said, manifesting his wings with determination.

Kay, with a quick movement, released the ghoul's wings and the soldier soon tried to run away again. The captain, with speed, went after him and managed to catch the soldier before he could get away.

The other soldiers, feeling the pressure, were visibly embarrassed for being afraid of Kay, the relentless leader.

“My part is over here. I need a shower!” — Kay said, heading towards the scientists, her tone tired but still determined.

“Wait!” — Joana exclaimed, running after him, trying to reach him.

“I can't, I need to eat!” — Kay replied, without stopping, her voice full of exhaustion, but also of urgency.

“There's something wrong with him!” — Fernanda said, with a worried expression, as she communicated on the radio.

Suddenly, Kay faltered. His steps were uneven, his body seemed to have lost its rhythm. With a thud, he fainted, falling heavily to the ground.

The soldiers rushed towards him, alarmed. Thais was the first to reach him, hurriedly removing his mask. She noticed something alarming. Kay's face was pale, almost skeletal, and his lips were dry. When she touched his forehead, her heart sank. Kay's temperature was dangerously high, and he was burning with fever.

"He has a fever!" Thais exclaimed, panicked.

"He's overworked his body! Take him to the infirmary! He just needs to take some medicine and rest and he'll be back to normal!" Fernanda said, quickly approaching, trying to calm the others.