Just as Smasher tightened his grip on his weapon, ready to fight, everyone around him ignored him completely and went straight for the guards Oda had brought, leaving him standing there, stunned.
A surge of inexplicable irritation rose in his chest.
Were they… looking down on him?
Just as Smasher picked a target and was about to move, a thunderous crash suddenly drew his attention.
Behind him, the main gate of Arasaka was smashed apart by a massive figure. Debris scattered everywhere. Close behind it followed a large number of Arasaka agents and troops. Bullets rained down on the figure, sparking on impact, but none were able to deal any meaningful damage.
In its hand, it held a high-ranking Arasaka executive, who was screaming in sheer terror for help.
The executive, upon seeing Smasher, immediately lit up with hope and shouted:
"Smasher! Hurry! Take him down and save me!!!"
Watching this unfold, Smasher couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. At the same time, Roland, hearing the desperate cries, instantly locked onto Smasher.
"So you're here."
Smasher's heart sank. In that moment, he finally understood why no one else had paid him any attention.
He had already been targeted.
Wasn't that giving him a bit too much credit?
Without any hesitation, Smasher acted purely on instinct.
His Sandevistan activated instantly. Smoke bombs mounted on his legs deployed at once, while two flashbangs fired from his shoulders toward Roland. He raised his weapon and fired several shots at Roland's eyes, heart, lungs, and other vital points, then immediately turned and ran without looking back.
Bang!
In the very next instant after Smasher's attack, a massive figure burst through all the obstructions. The Arasaka executive Roland had been holding was flung far away by sheer force.
Oblivion's razor-sharp giant claw lunged straight toward Smasher.
Realizing he couldn't match Roland's speed, Smasher immediately turned, drew his energy weapon, and braced it in front of himself. At the same time, the thrusters on his body roared to full power.
Boom!
A white shockwave exploded outward from the point of impact, and the ground beneath Smasher shattered instantly. Just as he thought he had blocked the strike, a terrifying force surged through his weapon. The world spun, and in the next instant, he was slammed straight into a wall.
"Not bad. You actually managed to take one of my hits."
"Cough… cough…"
Smasher shoved aside a chunk of rubble and looked at Roland with lingering fear. A massive claw mark now tore across his chest, exposing the internal mechanical structure beneath. If it had gone any deeper, he would have died on the spot.
"I think we can talk."
Seeing Roland preparing to strike again, Smasher quickly spoke up.
"Oh? I don't think we have anything to talk about."
Roland flicked his tail and looked at him with a teasing expression.
"I'm just a mercenary. There's no real grudge between us. I can join you and bring all the Arasaka secrets I know."
"Hah. If I kill you, those secrets are mine anyway. And I won't have to pay a thing. Rebecca, go deal with him."
"Huh? Why me?"
Rebecca, who had just leapt onto a wall and taken down an Arasaka guard with a single shot, turned her head in confusion. With a quick movement, she became a streak of yellow light, dodging a barrage of bullets as she arrived beside Roland.
"Because you're Rebecca-chan."
"???"
Rebecca immediately had several question marks pop into her head at Roland's completely off-topic answer.
"Dude, are you…"
As she spoke, she pointed at her head, making her meaning obvious.
"Anyway, I'll leave him to you. I've got other things to handle. Don't disappoint me."
Roland's expression stiffened slightly, realizing how odd that sounded. After a brief cough, he turned and charged into the depths of Arasaka Tower.
"Fine."
Rebecca shrugged, then turned her attention to Smasher. The moment Smasher saw that his opponent had changed to her, a spark of hope lit up in his eyes again.
As long as I take down this little girl, I can use the chance to escape.
He quickly assessed the battlefield. Although Arasaka's forces were being slaughtered by PROJECT, their numbers were still considerable. It would take time to wipe them out.
In that time, if he could eliminate the girl in front of him, he could survive.
With that thought, Smasher stopped hesitating. He activated Sandevistan again, raised his massive energy hammer, and appeared in front of Rebecca in an instant.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out, and smoke billowed where Rebecca had been. Feeling the impact, Smasher showed a hint of a smile.
But that smile froze the next second.
Rebecca stood there, inside an energy sphere wrapped in yellow lightning, looking up at him.
"So this is how weak you are?"
Smasher's pupils shrank sharply. His entire body trembled as blue energy surged through him.
"Don't underestimate me, you bastard!"
Whoosh, boom.
The massive hammer, wrapped in terrifying blue energy, smashed into Rebecca's shield.
Crack!
With a crisp sound, the shield shattered like glass. Smasher's face lit up with joy. In an instant, he drew the energy gun at his waist.
Boom!
A massive explosion erupted across the battlefield. Everyone fighting instinctively turned to look, only to see a figure blasted out of the smoke.
Right behind it came a figure moving like a streak of yellow lightning.
Smasher had already lost one arm. His eyes were filled with confusion and disbelief.
Since when had Sandevistan become so insignificant?
He couldn't understand it. Even if others had Sandevistan, how could they be this much faster than him?
He couldn't make sense of it.
Meanwhile, Rebecca's feet crackled with yellow lightning. She shifted her stance, spun, planted her feet apart, and gripped her weapon tightly, aiming straight at Smasher.
"Bye-bye."
Whoosh.
Smasher turned his head blankly toward her as a terrifying yellow beam slowed in his vision.
So… this is what death feels like.
Whoosh.
As the yellow beam vanished, a massive circular hole appeared in Arasaka Tower. Where Smasher had stood, only a pair of black cybernetic legs remained, partially melted.
"Phew… done."
Rebecca blew on the barrel of her gun, then, wreathed in yellow light, rushed back into the fight.
The Arasaka personnel who witnessed everything were on the verge of collapse.
What kind of monsters were they fighting?
What they didn't know was that compared to those above ground, the researchers in the underground base were facing the overwhelming pressure of Oblivion head-on.