Chapter 25 – Cracks in the Steel
The ruined factory chamber trembled under the aftermath of the sentinel's attack.
Broken metal pillars leaned dangerously. Conveyor belts hung loose from the ceiling, swaying slowly as dust drifted through the air.
Ronan stood near the edge of the collapsed pit, breathing heavily.
Across the battlefield, the Iron Sentinel Prototype remained motionless.
Its red blades glowed like burning metal.
The energy wave it had unleashed moments earlier had nearly flattened the entire chamber.
And yet the creature itself looked untouched.
No damage.
No cracks.
No weakness.
Ronan wiped a line of blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Alright… you're definitely the toughest one so far."
The sentinel tilted its head slightly.
Almost as if observing him.
Analyzing him.
Then its system-generated voice appeared again in Ronan's vision.
---
Target Status: Alive
Threat Assessment: Increasing
Directive: Eliminate
---
The sentinel moved.
No warning.
No hesitation.
Its body blurred forward with terrifying speed.
Ronan reacted instantly.
He jumped sideways as one of the glowing blades sliced through the ground where he had stood.
SHRRRAAAANG!
The blade cut deep into the concrete, leaving a glowing scar across the floor.
The second blade followed immediately.
Ronan ducked beneath it.
The weapon sliced through a rusted steel pipe behind him.
The pipe split like paper.
Steam burst into the air.
Ronan rolled away, creating distance.
Too fast.
This monster wasn't like the previous guardians.
The Chain Warden had relied on range.
The Iron Executioner had relied on overwhelming power.
But this sentinel—
Combined both speed and strength.
And its armor looked far stronger.
Ronan narrowed his eyes.
I need information.
The system flickered again.
---
Predator Instinct – Active
Combat Analysis Running…
---
Faint red lines appeared across the sentinel's body.
Not a single point like before.
Instead—
Multiple thin highlights traced along the creature's armor joints.
Elbows.
Knees.
Shoulders.
But every one of them was extremely small.
"Great…"
Ronan muttered.
"Tiny weak points."
The sentinel attacked again.
Its blades crossed in a deadly X-shaped slash.
Ronan jumped backward.
The blades slammed into the floor.
BOOOOM!
The shockwave sent debris flying across the room.
Ronan landed on a broken metal platform and quickly leapt off again as the sentinel followed.
The creature moved like a machine built only for combat.
Precise.
Efficient.
Relentless.
The blades flashed again.
Ronan dodged left.
Then right.
The sentinel kept advancing.
Each strike came faster than the last.
Metal pillars collapsed around them as the battlefield slowly crumbled.
Ronan's breathing grew heavier.
His stamina was dropping quickly.
I can't keep dodging forever.
He needed to attack.
But the armor covering the sentinel was too thick.
Then—
An idea appeared.
Ronan glanced toward the fallen body of the Iron Executioner.
The massive rusted hammer still lay beside the corpse.
Half buried in the cracked floor.
A plan formed instantly.
Ronan dashed toward it.
The sentinel noticed.
Its blades slashed toward his back.
Ronan slid beneath the strike.
The glowing blade barely missed his shoulder.
Then he reached the hammer.
Up close, the weapon looked even bigger.
The metal head alone was nearly as large as his torso.
"Let's hope this works."
Ronan grabbed the hammer's handle with both hands.
It was unbelievably heavy.
His arms trembled immediately.
But adrenaline pushed him forward.
The sentinel charged again.
Ronan lifted the hammer just in time.
The glowing blade struck the hammer's metal head.
CLAAAAANG!
The impact shook Ronan's entire body.
He nearly dropped the weapon.
But the strike deflected.
The sentinel paused for a split second.
That was enough.
Ronan swung the hammer with all his strength.
The massive weapon crashed into the sentinel's shoulder.
BOOOOOM!
The impact echoed across the chamber.
For the first time—
The sentinel staggered.
Its armor dented slightly.
Ronan's eyes widened.
"It worked!"
The sentinel immediately recovered.
Its blades flashed again.
Ronan dropped the hammer and rolled aside.
The blades sliced through the ground.
But now he knew something important.
The sentinel's armor wasn't indestructible.
It just required far more force to break.
Ronan's mind raced.
Heavy impact weapons.
The Executioner's hammer had been designed to crush armor.
And it had just proven effective.
He grabbed the hammer again.
The sentinel rushed forward.
Ronan waited.
At the last moment—
He swung.
The hammer collided with the sentinel's forearm blade.
CLAAAAANG!
Sparks exploded into the air.
The sentinel pushed forward.
Ronan gritted his teeth.
His muscles screamed under the pressure.
But he held his ground.
Then he twisted the hammer and struck downward.
BOOOM!
The weapon smashed into the sentinel's knee joint.
This time—
A loud crack echoed.
The sentinel stumbled.
One of its legs bent awkwardly.
Ronan grinned.
"There you are."
The machine staggered backward.
But it wasn't finished.
Its eyes glowed brighter.
The red energy across its body surged again.
---
Combat Mode Escalation
Guardian Protocol: Maximum Output
---
"Oh come on…"
Ronan muttered.
The sentinel's blades expanded again.
The red energy intensified.
Then the creature charged with even greater speed.
Ronan barely raised the hammer in time.
The blade slammed into the weapon.
CLAAAAANG!
The force threw Ronan backward.
He crashed into the ground and slid several meters.
His grip nearly slipped.
The sentinel raised both blades.
Preparing a finishing strike.
Ronan forced himself up.
His arms trembled from the hammer's weight.
But his eyes remained focused.
He had already cracked one joint.
If he could break another—
The monster would slow down.
The sentinel attacked.
Both blades slashed downward.
Ronan stepped forward instead of back.
The blades struck the hammer's metal head.
CLANG!
The impact sent shockwaves through the chamber.
But Ronan used the momentum.
He twisted his body.
And swung the hammer upward.
The weapon slammed directly into the sentinel's chest.
BOOOOOOM!
This time—
A visible crack spread across the armor.
The sentinel staggered again.
Red energy flickered across its body.
Ronan breathed heavily.
"Now we're getting somewhere."
Across the battlefield, the sentinel slowly straightened again.
Despite the cracks forming across its armor…
It still stood.
Still dangerous.
Still determined to complete its mission.
The system flickered once more.
---
Guardian Integrity: 87%
Combat Difficulty Increasing
---
Ronan stared at the message.
"Only eighty-seven percent?"
He laughed quietly despite the exhaustion.
"Alright then…"
He lifted the hammer again.
His body hurt.
His stamina was fading.
But his eyes burned with determination.
"Let's see how many cracks you can take."
Across the ruined factory chamber—
The final guardian stepped forward once more.
And the battle continued.