The dome chamber was a killing field. Damon Blackwood's forces three squads of Obsidian Rankers led by two powerful Rank 7 bodyguards blocked the entrance, while the ten-foot-tall Bastion Golem, shimmering with an impenetrable defensive field, stood ready to annihilate anyone foolish enough to challenge its position in the center. Kenji's small group was caught in a lethal pincer.
"We fight," Kenji said, his voice hard and level. "We fight the Bastion Golem first."
Elara didn't argue, but her eyes, wide with strategic assessment, questioned the logic. "Tanaka, the Golem is C-Rank, but its defenses are Legendary tier. Even if we defeat it, Blackwood's forces will be on us instantly. We need to create an exit."
"Elara is right, Kenji," Mateo buzzed, his hands shaking slightly, ready to deploy his sonic power. "Their Rank 7s are designed for perimeter defense. If they trap us here, we're finished."
Kenji pointed to the Golem. "The Bastion Golem's defense is its weakness. It's a kinetic repulsion field, designed to absorb and throw back physical force. That means it's built on rigid structures. My Sonic Disruptor is the only thing that can break its structure without being repelled. We defeat the Golem, and the resulting debris gives us the chaos we need to exit."
He pulled the two remaining low-grade healing potions from his pack and handed one to Elara. "I need you to freeze the Golem, but only for a fraction of a second. Not to hold it, but to shock its core and force a momentary structural expansion."
Elara nodded, understanding the suicidal precision required. "A momentary thermal shock. It will push my core, but I can do it. Mateo, get ready to move us the second the Golem falls."
Before they could execute the plan, Damon Blackwood stepped forward, his voice dripping with condescension. "Trying to solve a C-Rank puzzle while a Rank 6 Elite watches you? Pathetic. Guards, hold your position. Let the Scrapsmith destroy himself on the Bastion. We collect the pieces."
The Golem lumbered forward, its footsteps shaking the foundation of the bunker. The kinetic field around it was now visible a faint, iridescent gray haze that pushed the air itself away.
"Now, Elara!" Kenji screamed.
Elara pushed past her exhaustion. [Frost Weaver: Core Lock!]
A single, incredibly thin, high-pressure shard of absolute zero ice shot out. It didn't aim for the armor. It targeted the Golem's visible, central core housing. The impact was negligible, but the immediate, localized cold caused the Golem's internal stabilizing magic to contract violently.
The Bastion Golem let out a non-vocal shriek of pure kinetic feedback. Its rigid armor plates expanded momentarily in a desperate attempt to regulate the thermal shock.
That's the structural weakness!
Kenji didn't hesitate. He dashed forward, absorbing every loose scrap of kinetic energy in the room to fuel his own speed and resilience. He aimed the Sonic Disruptor not at the core, but at the interlocking plate seams on the Golem's lower leg the point of maximum weight and structural stress.
Vvvrrrrrummm.
The silent, focused ripple struck the seam. It didn't cause an explosion, but the sheer force of the molecular vibration was enough. The Golem's right leg instantly lost its structural integrity and disintegrated into a plume of dust and residual kinetic magic.
The massive Bastion Golem crashed to its knees, shaking the entire dome.
Damon's sneer vanished. "Impossible! A Rank 2 can't bypass that defense!"
The Golem, now crippled, used its remaining strength to stabilize its core, its arms reaching out wildly. The dust cloud was thick.
"Mateo! Blind them!" Kenji ordered.
Mateo unleashed a [Sonic Burst: Wide Area Distortion]. A deafening, confusing roar of sound filled the chamber, momentarily overwhelming the Rankers' comms and balance.
Kenji rushed to the Golem's downed head, his hands outstretched, ready to claim the Epic Scrap. The core housing was split open by the impact. Inside, pulsating with a dark, rich gold, was a crystalline shard the Epic Scrap of Absolute Defense.
He grabbed it. The psychic flood was immediate and overwhelming, filling his mind with centuries of military shielding theory. The knowledge wasn't painful, but stabilizing it was taxing.
[EPIC SCRAP: ABSOLUTE DEFENSE INTEGRATED]
[RANK UP REQUIREMENT COMPLETE]
[USER: KENJI TANAKA HAS RANKED UP TO RANK 3 (LOW)]
Kenji felt the power surge, his Scrap core solidifying further. But before he could savor it, the true danger arrived.