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"A dead city." Gotthardt surveyed the buildings around them, all overgrown with Ether crystals, and couldn't help but sigh. "This place looks far worse than the metro hub district. My augur is detecting a large number of active targets."
"Wait—this machine can talk? And what's an augur?" Jax-03 turned his head in confusion toward the Leviathan Dreadnought.
"There's a pilot inside. He's a senior of mine—he's been fighting longer than I've been alive." Ignis gave a brief explanation, his tone calm and direct. "Brother Gotthardt, is your body holding up? The Ether radiation here is intense. Will it affect the unit's performance?"
"The machine spirit's response is slightly sluggish, but it's within acceptable parameters. Radiation levels are high, but the outer armor plating has blocked most of it. No major issues."
The Leviathan Dreadnought flexed its massive joints, the siege claw opening and closing several times with a low clank.
"The targeting system seems a little off, but it's nothing serious. We'll recalibrate after firing." Gotthardt swept his gaze across their allies. This small force, hastily formed from two separate organizations, was clearly split down the middle. It needed unification.
"Friends of the Cunning Hares, dealing with Ethereals is your specialty. This stretch of the route is yours. As for the Jaxcalibur Squad, protect your cargo trucks. I will provide support and command."
The old veteran naturally assumed command and began issuing orders. "I'll handle fire support. Guide, I'll leave the route to you."
"He just started commanding on his own..." Jax-03 glanced at his captain, but the latter offered no reply, only a slight shake of the head.
"Alright then—stay close behind me!"
A Bangboo leapt down from the Leviathan Dreadnought's head and struck a stylish landing pose. Unfortunately, its overly cute appearance robbed the moment of any real intimidation.
"Boss! It's your show now!" Billy piped up excitedly.
They had entered through a residential district, surrounded by rows of high-rise buildings and their associated living facilities. As the Leviathan Dreadnought advanced, it didn't produce much of a roar, but it continuously knocked over streetlamps and nearby installations, creating considerable noise regardless. After all, this was only a two-lane road—far too narrow for such a mechanical behemoth.
The crack of Ether stalagmites and metal rods snapping off buildings and crashing to the ground quickly drew the attention of Ethereals. The monsters burst out from houses and street corners, appearing in significant numbers.
"So, this is Hollow Zero, huh... The numbers are really something..." Nicole let out a quiet sigh as she flipped a switch on her case and chambered a gravity shell. Since Markus had promised to cover all operational expenses for this mission, the mistress of the Cunning Hares held nothing back and went straight for her trump card.
After a brief charge-up, the W-Engine amplified the shell's power to its maximum. A small black sphere of Ether was launched from Nicole's case-mounted cannon. Its immense gravitational pull dragged in all the Ethereals along its path, clogging the road ahead entirely.
"Gravity-based weaponry?" Gotthardt mused briefly. But seeing the Ethereal swarm gathered together, he immediately began to aim.
The first shot went wide, but the subsequent barrage struck true. The old veteran pushed the four thermal laser cannons to their absolute limit, perfectly blanketing the Ethereals drawn in by the gravity shell. After only two or three firing cycles, the enemies at the front were completely annihilated by his overwhelming firepower.
"Too weak... and far too slow." Gotthardt looked down at the scattered Ethereal fragments dissipating on the ground, clearly unimpressed.
Although the enemies ahead had been eliminated, many more leapt out from buildings on both sides. Anby and the others plunged into close combat. The white-haired girl's chainsword roared to life; Ignis had just replaced its teeth a few days ago, and it was eager to chew through something. A Metro Goblin swung a length of pipe it had scavenged from somewhere, smashing it toward Anby. She blocked the blow, her chainsword effortlessly shredding the pipe before she swept horizontally, tearing the Ethereal clean in half.
"That's your work, isn't it? The materials are lacking, but it seems more than sufficient." Gotthardt directed the question toward the Salamander.
Ignis's power fist crackled with electricity as he caught a Hati lunging at him from the side of a residential building. He crushed its skull in his grip, then destroyed the core lodged in its throat.
"Correct. Materials were limited. Otherwise, I would've made one for myself."
As he spoke, he seized a Thanatos that blinked into existence behind Nekomata. The power field detonated, blasting it into fragments.
Startled by the sudden movement behind her, Nekomata kicked a Tyrfing away from her front. Taking advantage of its unsteady footing, she pounced. First, she knocked aside its blade-arm with the knuckle-guard of her short blade, then drove the knife straight through its core. Noticing that the surrounding Ethereals were still focused on the giant behind her, she lowered her body and began launching stealth attacks from the rear.
"For Glory!" The Leviathan Dreadnought unleashed a thunderous roar, crushing an armored Hati beneath one massive foot. At the same time, it twisted its torso, the siege claw clamping down on a boar-shaped Ethereal. With a sharp crunch, the claw tore it apart effortlessly.
The Leviathan Dreadnought continued to rake the advancing Ethereal swarm with sustained fire. The four thermal laser cannons plowed through the asphalt road, and thanks to the powerful fire-control system, each shot covered a significant number of targets. Some Ethereals leapt down from buildings on both sides and climbed onto its main armor, launching attacks. These strikes were utterly insignificant. The upper body of the war machine spun at high speed; massive centrifugal force combined with its newly restored smooth surface flung the would-be attackers violently to the ground.
Billy had just finished covering Anby and was in the middle of reloading when a Farbauti was hurled right in front of him.
"What the hell is that?!" He jumped in surprise, but his hands never stopped moving. He quickly pulled the trigger, blowing apart the Ethereal's core with a single shot.
More Ethereals followed, flung through the air, but they lacked the Farbauti's robust physique. Most smashed into building walls or the ground, shattering into pieces.
"Oh! This is way too cool!" Billy stared at the Leviathan Dreadnought spinning like a gigantic top and exclaimed, "It's like a combined mecha straight out of a hero squad! Think I could commission the big guy to make me a statue?"
As he spoke, another Hati was thrown his way. Perhaps offended by his irreverent attitude, Gotthardt sent the leopard-like Ethereal straight at him. The Intelligent Construct dodged sideways, thrust his right hand into the Ethereal's mouth, and fired a shot that detonated the core inside. Deprived of its core, the Ethereal crashed into a broken streetlamp and slowly faded away.
That close call forced Billy to refocus on the fight. His twin guns roared as he first opened a gap for Nekomata, relieving her from the encirclement of several Hati, then dropped a Thanatos that blinked in behind Anby.
The Jaxcalibur Squad formed a defensive ring around their two unmanned cargo trucks. Jax-03 tried several times to provide fire support, only to be stopped by Jaxcalibur-01. Though these fighters looked like irregulars based on their equipment, their coordination in battle was exceptionally tight. Every Ethereal that approached their sector was intercepted—none broke through their defensive line.
The giant's autocannon began to roar, and a massive column of flame erupted from the dragon-head-shaped muzzle brake as Dragon's Breath Canister Shells were fired. A torrent of iron rain and fire swallowed a group of mutants attempting to surge out from a building. Trapped at the stairwell, they were reduced to a carpet of shattered Ether crystals.
"Conserve supplies. Our ammunition is limited this time." Jaxcalibur-01 issued the order. "Before we enter our main engagement zone, avoid firing as much as possible. Don't forget—our equipment isn't particularly effective against Ethereals."
Hearing the command, Jax-03 lowered his designated marksman rifle. "So, we just watch?"
"They don't need help." Jax-05 said, pointing toward Anby. "That girl alone is holding an entire approach. And that strange robot is backing her up with firepower. There's no need for additional support—especially with that piece of industrial machinery here."
Gotthardt's augur detected even more targets converging on his position. He noticed humanoid figures pouring out of nearby buildings, their heads forming bizarre triangular shapes with glowing tips. The old veteran instantly recognized this as energy focusing for some kind of beam weapon and immediately activated the four heavy flamers mounted at his waist, sweeping them across the surrounding structures.
Unlike the Salamander's flamethrowers, the Leviathan Dreadnought's weapons had far greater range and vastly wider coverage. Massive quantities of secondary-converted ether fuel ignited alongside roaring flames, setting the surrounding buildings ablaze together with the Ether crystals embedded within them. Although the Ethereals still managed to fire their lasers, all of them were blocked by the shield Gotthardt had already deployed.
The flames couldn't climb upward fast enough, and those small creatures continued pouring fire onto the Leviathan Dreadnought. While the shield rendered their attacks harmless, it was still necessary to prevent them from targeting the others who lacked such protection. The veteran shouted a warning as the siege claw swept sideways, slamming into the midsection of one building. The massive claw shattered its load-bearing structure, and amid screeching metal, the building collapsed with a drawn-out groan.
Thanks to the shield, not even dust—let alone debris—reached the others.
Seeing the Leviathan Dreadnought's movements, Ignis immediately understood his intent and called for everyone to regroup. The Salamander activated the deflection shield of his Iron Halo, while Gotthardt began systematically clearing the surrounding buildings.
He demolished nearby support columns with the siege claw, while more distant targets were handled by the thermal laser cannons. In less than two minutes, the steel behemoth reduced five or six buildings to rubble, eliminating all threats hidden within.
"I get why Belobog Heavy Industries needs him now..." Nicole muttered as dust filled the air and the godlike machine stood at the center of it all. "This speed is practically on par with demolition charges."
"So, it really is engineering machinery..." Jax-03 murmured.
"Good. The enemies in this phase have been identified. My augur shows them retreating." Gotthardt's voice echoed through the Dreadnought's vox array. "Guide, where to next?"
"Ah—uh! This way!" Belle snapped back to attention when her name was called. "I recorded some footage so we can report back. That's okay, right?"
"If it's just the building demolition, that's fine. The combat footage might need some editing—make it look less threatening," Ignis replied evenly. "After all, it's officially still an engineering machinery."
Belle transmitted the route via comms to the Dreadnought. She had expected the hulking machine to be outdated electronically, but it turned out to be surprisingly advanced.
"Excellent. Route confirmed. Prepare to charge!" Gotthardt surged forward first, the Leviathan Dreadnought launching into a dash with agility completely at odds with its bulky appearance. It moved so fast that Ignis and the others could only follow behind.
As he advanced, Gotthardt eliminated high-threat targets on the move. Buildings concealing long-range firepower were smashed apart directly, then gutted from within as their load-bearing structures were destroyed, before he set the collapsing ruins ablaze. Any fool daring to block the street was simply crushed underfoot; if something looked convenient, he would casually grab it with the siege claw and crush it like a stress toy. He even spotted an overpass covered in Ethereals attempting concentrated fire. Their weak attacks were quickly drowned out by a four-interlinked thermal laser barrage, sending both them and the overpass skyward.
Ignis and the others only needed to mop up the stragglers along the route, which wasn't particularly taxing. The only inconvenience was that collapsed buildings blocked the road, requiring the Salamander to carve out new paths.
"Just ahead at the intersection—turn left and you'll see the spatial rift leading toward the mech hangar near the Mountain Lion Gang's base," the Bangboo slung over Ignis's shoulder reported. "But there's a very strong Ether activity signature up ahead. At least on the level of the Dead End Butcher."
No sooner had the Proxy finished speaking than a gigantic Ethereal burst forth—taller than the Leviathan Dreadnought itself, easily seven or eight meters high. It was roughly humanoid, its body composed of silver-gray Ether crystals crisscrossed with glowing green energy lines. The stone-giant-like creature charged straight at Gotthardt, attempting to leverage its immense mass for advantage.
The Leviathan Dreadnought didn't budge. The quad-linked thermal laser cannons on its left arm opened fire, blasting Ether crystals off the creature's body. However, against such thick armor, energy weapons could only ablate layer by layer; compared to autocannons, their lethality was lacking. Gotthardt couldn't help but miss his Leviathan Storm Autocannon—those armor-piercing torrents would have punched straight through this abomination long ago.
Watching the enemy close in and raise its right fist to smash down, Gotthardt nearly laughed in irritation. That speed, and you want to contest me in close combat? Instead of retreating, the Leviathan Dreadnought charged forward. The siege claw struck first, seizing the creature's left leg and yanking it sideways, instantly breaking its balance. The massive punch only grazed the Dreadnought's frontal armor before slamming into the ground, while the giant Ethereal struggled to rise—only for the Dreadnought's colossal foot to pin its shoulder down.
The sheer weight of the steel behemoth crushed the Ethereal's body structure. The veteran knew well that an Ethereal's greatest weakness was its core. While cores in massive targets were often buried deep, he chose to attack the head first—most Ethereal cores were located there.
The siege claw came down in a brutal arc, its razor-sharp pincers tearing a massive gash in the creature's head. From the dense cluster of energy lines exposed within, he knew he'd struck true. Pinned down, the giant Ethereal thrashed wildly, swinging its remaining arm at the Leviathan Dreadnought in a desperate attempt to topple it.
Too slow. The siege claw intercepted the arm as the left-mounted cannons unleashed a full barrage at the head. Amid explosive thunder and firelight, the claw severed the arm completely, then followed with a rapid sequence of strikes that destroyed the creature's remaining limbs.
Its head core was finally exposed under the sustained bombardment. In that pitch-black, void-like mass, the old veteran sensed fear. With a roaring impact, the siege claw descended, ripping apart what remained of the head along with the core inside.
"They're retreating!" Jaxcalibur-01 exclaimed in surprise as the surrounding Ethereals fled. Though he hadn't carried out many operations inside Hollows, this was the first time he'd ever seen Ethereals run.
"Looks like the fighting over there is finished," the Proxy's voice sounded. "Ether activity in the area is dropping. Hard to believe."
"The road is clear. Full speed ahead." The Leviathan Dreadnought emerged from a heap of rubble, its frontal armor scratched and paint chipped—the worst of its losses.
"Feels like we didn't really get to do much..." Billy said, holstering his pistols.
"Shut up!" Nicole swung her case and smacked him. "If Markus hears you, what if he docks our pay?"
"Nicole, Markus's people are listening," Anby quickly reminded her.
Jaxcalibur-01 glanced over at the Cunning Hares bantering back and forth, feeling a twinge of envy. His own team had its joker who could lighten the mood, but they could never live so openly in the spotlight like this.
"Relax. The boss won't refuse payment over something like that." Jax-03 walked up and hooked an arm around Billy's shoulder. "He's not short on money, and you covered us pretty well just now, didn't you?"
Jax-04 cast a questioning look about teaching him a lesson, but Jaxcalibur-01 shook his head. Ether radiation inside Hollow Zero was extraordinarily intense—without stable mental states, they'd quickly become Ethereals themselves.
And Jax-03 wasn't wrong. The Cunning Hares had escorted them the entire way, and so far there hadn't been a single situation requiring them to disengage their safeties.
"Move out. There's a spatial rift ahead. We'll regroup before crossing." Gotthardt issued the order. "We need to move fast—my size isn't exactly ideal for staying hidden."
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