Bim X-50 lunged at Nugia. They were only eight feet apart. For a split second, a blue glow flickered in the monster's eyes from behind the visor. The sound of rapid gunfire and the screams of Meyra and Zilla suddenly vanished into a void.
Nugia stared into Bim X-50's eyes. But the crystal spike embedded in his thigh was taking a far greater toll than what was visible on the surface. He couldn't move an inch. The toxin released by the spike spread rapidly, leaving Nugia paralyzed.
The rest of Unit 009 held their breath; the collision was a countdown away. The beeping indicator of the Silent Banshee-X caused Reyna's heart to weaken, then throb violently.
Thump... Thump...
Her finger trembled uncontrollably as she squeezed the trigger.
Suddenly, "Reyna, HOLD!!!" Zilla's scream shattered the freezing silence.
Meyra charged forward behind her Iron Shell Wall. The plasma surface appeared cracked, emitting a static screech that was painful to the ear. The earlier toxic crystal barrage had eroded the shield's energy integrity to its absolute limit.
"STOP!!" Nugia roared.
Screech!
The soles of Meyra's boots shrieked in protest, mirroring the expression on her face. A powerful, massive, and jagged blow streaked toward Nugia. Nugia raised his daggers. His arms shook violently; the impact was inevitable. A gust of wind echoed through the chamber.
Whoosh!
Clang!
The first strike landed from above, sparks from the impact creating momentary shadows. Nugia parried the insane pressure exerted by the monster, forcing his knees to slam into the floor. The air around them was displaced instantly. Dust kicked up, creating a thin, smoke-like ring. A sound like an electric current buzzed sharply.
Amae stood frozen. The floor held him with a terrifying grip. Saltwater began to leak from the corners of his eyes. Move, you fool, move! his mind screamed.
The second strike came. Amae, Reyna, and Zilla closed their eyes. Their screams were caught in their throats. Suddenly, a dark silhouette stood there.
Meyra had intercepted it.
CRASH!
Cklark!
Meyra's Iron Shell Wall shattered into pieces. Both of them were dragged by the residual force of the impact until they were sent tumbling back.
"Nugiaaa! Meyraaa!" Zilla screamed hoarsely. She lunged forward, showering Bim X-50 with a barrage from her Stingray-27. She broke through the chaos with speed.
"Amae! Attack him!" she commanded.
In the control room, Snake chuckled. "Shh... shh... shh..." His snake-like hiss made Lion clench his fist. Varkas smirked, his eyes locked onto Nugia's limp and helpless body on the monitor.
Back in The Hollow Rim, Zilla fought alone to draw Bim X-50's full attention. The beast lunged. It pounced. Zilla dodged. She leaped.
"Reyna! Do something for them!" she ordered frantically, never ceasing her aim at the chest of the destroyer of her two teammates.
Reyna slung her sniper rifle onto her back harness. She rushed to Meyra, who had sustained far worse damage than Nugia. The direct impact from the monster had broken and torn her left arm. With the last of her strength, Meyra pressed the release button on the jaw of her Dominator V-1 helmet. The hiss of the pneumatic system sounded, and the helmet detached, revealing Meyra's deathly pale face drenched in sweat.
Fresh blood flowed. Suddenly, Reyna realized that the black stains on the floor were the blood of other victims—other test units before them—from Bim X-50's brutality. She covered her mouth with both hands.
"Rey...na..." Meyra whispered. Her gaze was vacant, her lips trembling as a darker, thicker red fluid leaked out.
Drop by drop, clear tears fell into the pool of red stains, instantly obscured. Reyna looked at Nugia, who lay unconscious.
"Mey... Nugia..." she whimpered softly.
Meyra reached for Reyna's cheek as she knelt beside her. With her right thumb, she wiped away the tears. Slowly, the corners of her lips pulled back—a sign of fragility more agonizing than the wound itself in Reyna's eyes.
"Don't... cry, Rey... do something... for Nugia!"
Reyna immediately grabbed the medical equipment from the emergency pouch on her tactical belt. She sprayed a pain suppressant, then wrapped Meyra's arm with medical bio-foam as a brace. Then, with swift precision, she moved to Nugia. The medical manuals and the training in the Free Zone—back when those two idiots Amae and Nugia played with their weapons—suddenly became her savior.
In another corner, Zilla thought hard as Bim X-50's assault grew blind and ferocious; her rapid fire was nothing more than ant bites to the beast. She racked her brain, remembering the training and the various weapons in her gear.
"Tactical bombs, Lullaby Web, Mono-nanowire!"
Suddenly, she jolted, realizing something as her watch emitted a repeating 'tick' code. She activated the scan feature in her Dominator V-1 helmet. "An energy surge... it's just like before!" she whispered to herself. The helmet's indicator caught the circuits that were spiking.
Zilla screamed hoarsely, "Reyna!! Amae!! Use your shields!!"
CKLARH!
All the jagged spikes vibrated before finally...
Click!
Hundreds of sharp, toxic spikes scattered in every direction. Strangely, not a single attack reached Amae, who was already deeply broken.
Zilla was thrown back, rolling across the metal floor with a shield now covered in deep gouges from the crystal rain, eventually shattering. Her breath came in gasps; the oxygen in her helmet felt thin as the 'Low Energy' warning flickered in the corner of her vision.
Behind Reyna's Iron Shell Wall, the bodies of Meyra and Nugia lay limp, untouched. Reyna protected them with all her strength and emotion. However, when she saw their leader thrown aside, her soul shrieked. "Zilla!" she screamed.
Bim X-50 now locked its sights on Reyna. It charged, sprinting toward her.
Meanwhile, behind the smoke and dust of Bim X-50's attack, Zilla's body trembled. She rose from the brink of death with every ounce of strength she had left. "Reyna! Make sure you aim true!" she wheezed parau.
Zilla sprinted from the side to intercept Bim X-50.
Zipp! She stopped right in front of the beast that was hunting Reyna. Her hands moved quickly, grabbing something from her tactical belt. Zilla threw it along with her Dominator V-1 helmet. "Hey! Catch this!"
Whirr!
The helmet spun through the air, accompanied by a rhythmic red pulse. And then—
BOOM!
The Dominator V-1 helmet exploded just before touching Bim X-50's human face. The blast from the EMP-Scan Timer tactical bomb wounded the monster's face. Instantly, it let out a harrowing roar.
"ARRGGHH!" The screech was deafening, causing a piercing ring in the ears of those still conscious. Instinctively, they all covered their ears.
Zilla collapsed; the scream pierced her. Without the protection of her Dominator V-1 helmet, her ears were vulnerable to the mana radiation soundwaves from Bim X-50.
In the rear, Reyna grabbed her weapon, trying to aim through the pressure of the sound. Through the lens of the Silent Banshee-X, she saw the monster lunging forward. Her finger trembled violently over the trigger. One second of missing or being too late, and Zilla would be pulverized.
"Reyna! NOW!" Zilla commanded with a voice that thundered—not as a leader, but as a life hanging in the balance.
The Silent Banshee-X indicator light flashed red, signaling an unstable target lock due to Reyna's shaking hands. But before her, Subject Bim X-50 had already raised its crystal fist from a distance, ready to crush Zilla into the floor of The Hollow Rim. The countdown to destruction had begun.