Ex-Rank Awakening: My Attacks Make Me Stronger-Chapter 107: EX . 48 Hours

In a dimly lit military strategy office lined with glowing tactical maps and data screens, Rebecca and Raven sat across from each other, the tension between them thick as steel wire. A silent projection hovered between them, an image feed of patrolling squads, energy signatures, and demon activity patterns. As the door hissed open.

Nikko stepped into the room.

Her presence was like the click of a loaded weapon. Both women turned to her immediately.

Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Are you done tending to your sugar baby?"

Rebecca, without so much as a word, offered a subtle nod of agreement, her expression unreadable. But Nikko didn’t flinch. She glided past them with graceful confidence and dropped into a seat at the table.

"Ignore the cheap shots," she said flatly. "Let’s focus. What did our soldiers find?"

Instantly, the room’s tone shifted to serious.

Rebecca tapped the center of the desk, activating a projection. Dozens of red markers lit up across the eastern border of their region.

"It’s worse than we expected," Rebecca said, her voice tight. "The demoness you encountered didn’t just bypass our sensors, she cloaked dozens, possibly hundreds of A-ranked demons across our border. Our entire detection grid was compromised."

Raven leaned forward, her tone grim.

"And that’s not even the worst part. From the corpse of the A-rank you and Leon fought... we discovered it used to be one of ours."

Nikko’s eyes narrowed.

"Come again?"

"It was once a Federation soldier."

With another tap, Raven brought up a digital image of a bald-headed man in a Federation uniform.

"This is Combatant Falan. C-rank Trial Taker. He and his squad were marked dead after engaging a supposed C-rank stronghold. But when we sent a higher-ranked squad to sweep it, the enemy didn’t even measure up to D-rank. Something was off. And now we know why."

Nikko’s expression sharpened with dawning horror.

"You’re telling me they’ve found a way to turn us... into them?"

Rebecca stepped in, bringing up data logs and images of multiple soldiers and squads.

"Yes. We’ve identified similar cases, discrepancies in squad deaths, anomalous reports, falsified demon ranks. It points to one thing: demonification. They’re using us against ourselves."

Nikko sat there in stunned silence.

"How long has this been happening, and how many of our soldiers have been reported dead during that time?"

Rebecca clenched her fist, her jaw tight. As Raven answered, her voice colder than before.

"This has been happening for five days. So far, we’ve confirmed over 400 missing soldiers... unaccounted for. And likely converted."

Nikko’s chair screeched as she stood abruptly.

"Four Hundred."

Her voice was low but sharp.

Rebecca looked down.

"I take full responsibility. I had just begun investigating when you encountered the demoness. I didn’t act fast enough."

There was a moment of Silence. Before Nikko slowly sat back down, her gaze burning.

"If they’re as powerful as the last one, no, if they’re even close, we’re facing an army of near S-rank demons."

"Exactly," Rebecca said gravely.

"When is the skirmish expected?" Nikko asked.

Raven glanced at a countdown screen.

"Two days."

Nikko exhaled.

"Good. That gives us a little time to prepare. We’ll need reinforcements. Immediately."

Rebecca nodded.

"The capital already sent one."

Nikko raised an eyebrow.

"Who?"

Rebecca gave a rare smile.

"Vanguard Taco."

For a moment, Nikko said nothing. Then she leaned back and let out a breath.

"Perfect."

****

The room was dim and quiet, the warm hum of ambient light casting soft shadows across the walls. Leon stirred, blinking away the remnants of sleep. After a full three-day beatdown followed by hours of deep rest, his body finally felt whole again. No aches, no stiffness, just power humming beneath his skin.

He stretched his arms wide, rolling his shoulders with a satisfying crack before sitting upright on the bed.

"Now that was a damn good nap," Leon muttered with a grin. He stood up and rotated his joints a few times, light on his feet.

"Best medicine really is just sleeping."

Dressed in a clean uniform, he stepped out of his room into the hallway, and made his way toward the common area. As he entered, he spotted his squad, Adrian, Eleanor, and Eden, gathered around the central table, deep in discussion.

The moment they saw him, they froze.

Eleanor’s eyes widened, and she blinked once before shouting,

"Captain?!"

Then, louder, with sheer relief:

"CAPTAIN!!!"

Without waiting another second, she sprinted at him and threw her arms around him, nearly lifting him off the ground in a tight hug.

"W-Wait—Eleanor—I just got healed—!" Leon wheezed, flailing a bit in her grasp.

Adrian walked over with a smirk and smacked Leon’s shoulder hard.

"When the hell did you get back?"

Still struggling in Eleanor’s embrace, Leon managed a laugh.

"Been back for a while now. I was just resting"

Eleanor finally released him, taking a step back and placing a hand on her chest.

"I’m just glad you didn’t die, Captain."

Leon chuckled as he ruffled her hair.

"Relax. I won’t be dying till after you do."

"Y—Wait, hey!" she snapped, realizing what he meant.

Turning to Eden, Leon raised an eyebrow.

Eden gave him a small nod.

"It’s good to see you again, Captain."

Leon blinked.

"...Okay, who are you and what did you do with the real Eden?"

Eden actually cracked a faint smile.

"Nice one, Captain."

Before Leon could poke further, a loud chime rang through the base, followed by the sharp, automated voice of the base system echoing through the walls:

"ATTENTION. All soldiers stationed at Base 1, prepare for a Category 6 Demon Skirmish. Estimated engagement: 48 hours. I repeat, prepare for a Category 6 Demon Skirmish Estimated engagement: 48 hours."

The room dropped into dead silence.

Eleanor’s brows creased.

"You think this has something to do with that demon from before?"

Adrian’s expression hardened.

"Category 6 means there’s at least one confirmed S-rank demon. And if there are others like the one that ambushed us..."

He paused grimly. "This skirmish will be catastrophic."

Eden said nothing.

Leon, however, just stared at the wall... and smiled.

A soft hum filled the air.

All three of his squadmates turned in unison, eyes widening in disbelief, as an aura unlike anything they’d felt from him before bled out. It was no longer the turbulent, feral force of a growing F-ranker. No, this was refined, dense, and imposing, a clear and unmistakable signature of E-rank power.

"I’ve got a few bones to pick with the demon race," Leon said quietly, grin widening as his aura flared in tandem with his heartbeat.

He turned without another word and walked calmly back toward his room.

A beat passed in silence.

"Is it just me," Eleanor finally said, blinking in disbelief,

"or did Captain just release the aura of an E-rank...?"

Adrian and Eden didn’t respond.

They just kept staring after him.

Mouths slightly open.

Eyes wide with shock.