"It's quiet."

"Too quiet. If it weren't for the erratic behavior of the arthropods and the rising toxicity in the air, I'd question whether the boss was even in this region."

The ground is barren, a sea of scorched rock and fine ash stretching endlessly in every direction. The occasional tremor sends thin cracks through the brittle terrain, wisps of toxic fumes curling up from unseen fissures beneath the surface.

Far in the distance, sporadic eruptions send plumes of molten debris skyward, brief flashes of fire breaking through the suffocating haze.

"The boss should be underground."

"Underground?"

"Just a gut feeling."

"That's Commander Lukas for you."

"I see everyone's in high spirits. Good. Let's get started." Lukas exhales, glancing at Ayu. "Find the boss for us."

Ayu bolts forward, her steps covering several meters at a time. Her path zigzags erratically, never settling into a rhythm.

Seconds pass. Then minutes.

The air grows heavier, thick with the acrid stench of sulfur and decay. The haze clings to everything, turning even the faintest movement into ghostly blurs.

The arthropods scuttle beneath Ayu's notice, too weak to pose any real threat. The battlefield remains unchanged—still, lifeless, empty.

Lukas' eyes narrow.

Where are you?

He analyzes Ayu's feed through Chiara.

No visible vibrations, but her body is reacting to the toxic air. Not enough to hinder her yet, but if this keeps up, it could be a serious problem.

As for the boss…

Why hasn't it shown yet? Is it waiting for more of us? No… that wouldn't make sense. Bosses don't require all seven of us to engage. The Tower suggests, never enforces. So, is it just further from the border? Or…

Is it in the sky?

"Alonso, Chiara—check the sky."

They both nod and ascend.

"Ayu, move inward. The boss may be avoiding the region's edge on purpose."

She confirms back.

Time slowly passes. Then Lukas notices it—a small vibration on the ground.

"Lukas!" Chiara's voice comes through. A reply follows, her visuals highlighting the same disturbance.

How intricate is that filtering algorithm of hers, really?

Lukas checks, but Ayu has already noticed it too. She shifts her stance, her body tensing, ready.

Let's see what we're working with today.

The vibration intensifies.

Then, it appears.

The ground detonates. Ash and rock burst outward in an expanding shockwave as the creature tears free from its subterranean prison.

A gaping maw erupts from the ground—jagged, serrated mandibles snapping violently, their black chitin slick with moisture. Its face is grotesque, a writhing mass of armored plates and shifting, pupil-less eyes that gleam in the toxic air. Segmented antennae whip outward, tasting the battlefield with unnerving precision.

Ayu is already moving.

Her body twists, a roll so clean it barely disturbs the ash beneath her. The centipede's monstrous bulk continues rising, displacing earth as its colossal frame emerges from the depths.

Each segment undulates, thick and armored, layers of glossy black plating shifting as it pushes further upward. The ground groans under its sheer weight, cracks spreading outward.

And it keeps coming.

Fifty meters.

Seventy.

One hundred.

Still not done.

The massive body coils as more of it rises, its segments stretching across the battlefield like a living fortress. Lukas watches as the creature finally slows, towering over the land.

154 meters.

Twice 77?

Lukas receives a 3D image of the beast from Chiara, a detailed scan overlaying in real time. His mind processes the structure, noting every joint, every possible weak point. No blatant flaws. No immediate vulnerabilities. But not many means of attack either.

Ayu keeps moving, effortlessly weaving between the massive creature's shifting body.

The centipede lunges.

Its movement is precise but eerily disconnected, like a machine running through motions without urgency. Its mandibles snap where Ayu was, not where she is. It swings its body in massive arcs, its weight alone enough to crush the land beneath, but never quite catching her.

Ayu barely looks like she's trying.

She dips, rolls, slides between the gaps of its shifting limbs, making it seem far easier than it is. The beast towers over her, yet it never quite finds her.

Her light steps barely disturb the ash, leaving only fleeting imprints that vanish the moment she moves.

The fight continues, but the creature shows nothing new.

"Alonso, Wang, Chiara, Arjun."

They confirm and move forward.

Arjun ascends slowly. He is still new to flight—not as fast, not as maneuverable—but steady. Once he reaches a safe altitude, he adjusts his position, keeping a clear firing line while maintaining distance.

Meanwhile, Wang and Alonso accelerate, closing the gap between them and the centipede in seconds.

Chiara moves in a controlled orbit mid-range, adjusting her trajectory as she prepares her shots.

Lukas watches from afar, his eyes tracing their movement, analyzing every shift in the centipede's reactions.

Alonso dives first.

His body tilts forward, swords unsheathing in one seamless motion. The centipede twitches, a mandible jerking toward him, but it's too slow.

Steel flashes.

His right blade slices through an exposed gap between the chitin, just deep enough to push off the armor and redirect momentum. He twists midair, reversing his grip to strike a second weak point before slipping past.

Wang follows instantly.

His blade carves downward in a clean, controlled arc, widening the fresh wound Alonso just made. He flips, rotates mid-air, and slashes again, cutting deeper before pushing away.

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Then—impact.

A precise shot.

Chiara's bullet tears through the exposed wound at the exact moment Wang disengages.

And a fraction of a second later, Arjun fires. A reinforced round rips through the expanding damage, chitin fracturing under the combined force. Black ichor sprays outward.

The centipede slightly jerks.

They don't stop.

Alonso and Wang reposition, pivoting around the creature's massive body in a tight aerial loop.

Strike—pull away.

Another strike—push off.

Every attack lands only on the soft flesh between its hardened plates. No wasted movement. No unnecessary effort.

The centipede thrashes, but its segmented form struggles to track their erratic patterns.

Another synchronized dive.

Another flash of steel.

Another round of bullets driving deeper into its wounds.

Lukas watches as the damage stacks.

Then, the centipede raises its head.

A screech?

"Everyone, pull back."

They react instantly, breaking formation as the creature unleashes a wave. The distortion ripples outward—a sonar pulse, but something else is mixed in. Lukas EM field distorts for a moment.

A hybrid pulse. Both mechanical and electromagnetic components. A forced override of all EM fields in the area. An effective EMP bomb.

His eyes flick between the airborne fighters. Alonso and Wang momentarily waver, their EM propulsion flickering, but they recover quickly, adjusting their momentum mid-air. Chiara stabilizes her flight with ease, while Arjun slows, bracing against the interference.

Lukas checks their conditions. Ayu is starting to feel the strain from the toxic air, but she should be fine for a while longer. The rest are unaffected.

"Re-engage."

Ayu dashes first.

She moves like a phantom, flashing across the battlefield, her speed unpredictable, weaving between debris, slipping through the centipede's peripheral vision like a shadow. Her bullets fire in rhythmic bursts—never aiming to deal real damage, just enough to keep its attention, to force it to react.

Alonso and Wang move in.

They strike in unison, each hit carving through the gaps in its armor.

Alonso accelerates, his blade flicking downward in a lightning-fast arc before he twists his body midair, spinning into another precise cut. His foot barely grazes the centipede's chitin before he pushes off, flipping backward just as Wang sweeps in.

He rolls into the strike, momentum shifting seamlessly, his sword carving upward at the exact point Alonso just weakened. His body snaps to the side immediately after, avoiding a reflexive lash from the centipede's leg.

A fraction of a second later—

A shot.

Arjun's bullet rips through the exact point of impact.

Chiara fires right after, her round piercing through the fracture.

Chitin shatters. More ichor spills.

They continue—strike, reposition, strike again. Each movement practiced.

Then—an irregularity.

The centipede shifts, body rippling.

Lukas' eyes sharpen.

Needles.

Hundreds.

Launched in an instant, twisting unnaturally mid-air, locked onto each of them.

Guided.

They scatter.

Alonso shifts backward, barely breaking momentum, rolling in the air just as a cluster of needles cuts through the space he occupied a split second ago. His swords move in tandem, striking as he dodges, slicing through the incoming projectiles like threads of silk.

Wang glides between them, his trajectory weaving in sharp, sudden angles. The needles twist to follow—but each time, he shifts, adjusts, accelerating at the last possible moment, letting them slide harmlessly past.

Chiara flips mid-flight, body inverting for a split second as she maneuvers through the narrowest gaps, bullets still firing even as she evades.

Ayu barely reacts to the incoming needles. It's as if they were never aimed at her to begin with.

Lukas watches the patterns.

They're evading effortlessly.

"Pulse."

Lukas says just one word, and everyone moves instantly, creating distance from the boss. The wave ripples outward, hitting them, but they barely flinch—defenses already in place. The moment it passes, they resume their attack.

The centipede is feeling the brunt of the damage. Blood leaks from countless wounds, especially near its head, yet it shows no sign of faltering.

The creature goes underground again.

Ayu, however, is reaching a critical point. The toxic gas is taking its toll on her body.

No need to risk it.

"Ayu, fall back. Imani, take her place."

Ayu hesitates for a fraction of a second before nodding and dashing backward.

Imani grips his massive shield with both hands and steps forward.

"Focus on the cracks near the skull. Try to sever its head."

They all confirm.

Imani rushes in, his speed almost unnatural for his size.

Lukas sends him Chiara's model—a predictive 3D visualization of the centipede's movements underground.

Imani positions himself at the emerging point, shield angled, stance firm.

The moment the centipede surfaces, he shifts back, avoiding a direct hit, absorbing the impact at the edges. The force pushes him, his boots scraping deep into the ash-covered ground, but he holds.

Then he moves.

Without hesitation, Imani surges forward, faint light seeping through the gaps in his armor. He doesn't attack immediately—he waits, tracking the centipede's rhythm. As it dives again, he readjusts, repositioning for the next strike.

This time, just as the head breaks the surface, he lunges.

The shield connects.

A brutal impact.

A sickening crack echoes as the damaged exoskeleton splits further, the weakened plates crumbling under the force. The centipede jerks violently, the wound gaping open, raw flesh now visible beneath.

Good. Three more like that, and the head should be dealt with.

But Lukas knows the boss won't make it that easy.

Another stage?

Lukas glances at Ayu just as she removes her mask, blood spilling from her lips. Her face is pale, her breathing uneven.

He reaches into the pouch at his waist, pulling out a handful of herbs and a small bottle of alcohol. Without hesitation, he hands them to her.

"This should help."

Ayu nods weakly and takes them, quickly chewing the herbs and washing them down.

Lukas turns back to the fight.

They need to finish this quick.

The barrage of needles increases in speed, but the team moves faster, weaving through the relentless assault. Damage stacks. Chitin cracks. Blood sprays.

Then Lukas notices it.

The boss is starting to avoid Imani.

The centipede is learning.

It knows.

It's adapting, moving just enough to stay out of Imani's path while keeping up the attack. If it continues this way, they won't land another direct hit.

Should he call Imani back?

That would only drag out the fight. But how else—

No. There is another way.

Imani's stored energy allows him to accelerate in bursts, but right now, he's not getting the impacts he needs to charge. If he can't gain momentum from the boss—

"Alonso, Wang, hit Imani. Help him store energy."

There's a brief pause before they move.

Alonso and Wang dash toward Imani, striking his shield with successive, controlled kicks. Each impact resonates, the force transferring into Imani's frame.

They repeat the sequence. Again. Again.

Then—

Imani signals.

Ready.

"Chiara, move slightly closer to Imani. Wang, Alonso, keep the fight near him."

Lukas watches everything fall into place.

"Imani—prepare to charge."

Imani grips his shield.

The boss twitches.

Then—he moves.

Imani pushes off the ground, the force stored in his body propelling him forward. His steps are heavy, each one kicking up dust and ash as he closes the distance.

The centipede begins to shift, but it's too slow.

Imani angles his shield, tucking his frame low before driving every ounce of momentum into the strike.

Impact.

The shield slams into the weakened skull with a brutal, concussive force. A sharp crack splits through the battlefield, the sound of exoskeleton fracturing under pressure. The centipede's head jerks violently, mandibles snapping open, its entire body convulsing in response.

Chitin splinters, a deep fracture spreading across the impact point. Thick, dark ichor seeps through the cracks, dripping down in slow, uneven streams.

The centipede thrashes, its massive segments writhing across the ground. Its legs scrape against the rock, kicking up debris as it struggles to react.

But something is wrong.

It doesn't collapse.

The convulsions grow wilder, more erratic. Its body twists unnaturally, spasms running through its length.

Lukas watches closely.

This isn't over.

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