Phase 3 was annihilation given mechanical form, and the Iron Warden moved with terrifying freedom now that it was no longer anchored to the floor by its power tendrils.
Its legs carried it across the chamber in strides that covered ten meters at a time while its arms swung in coordinated patterns that turned the entire arena into a killing field. Its eyes, burning red with whatever passed for rage in a machine, tracked every survivor with predatory focus.
"SCATTER!" Dante's command came too late.
The Warden's hammer caught Leon mid-dodge, the impact hurling the wounded tank across the chamber like a discarded toy. He hit a pillar with a sound that suggested breaking bones and didn't get up.
"Leon!" Sera's scream cut through the combat noise as she ran toward her fallen teammate.
"No! Stay in cover!" But she wasn't listening since her healer's instincts overrode any survival sense.
The Warden's cannon arm tracked her movement.
