After a flash of brilliant light passed before Duanmu Huai's eyes, he arrived at a battlefield billowing with thick smoke, along with the sound of—
BIU BIU BIU gunfire.
"Damn, what kind of cheap 1990s laser sound effect is this?"
Hearing that noise, Duanmu Huai immediately complained. It reminded him of when he was a kid watching Star Wars, when those stormtroopers fired laser guns at the protagonists and it sounded exactly like this… damn tacky.
However, now was obviously not the time to complain about sound effects. At the moment, they were positioned on the outskirts of a ruined city. Humans and robots were using a collapsed overpass as the dividing line, attacking each other across it. Naturally, the humans were steadily being forced back, while the robotic troops advanced unwaveringly, attacking the enemies in front of them with those BIU BIU BIU flashlight guns in their hands.
"Gureya, give them something explosive! Anne, the air is yours. Lorena, take Bambi and Kula to rescue the wounded. Odelle, Eclair, Ranni, and Phyllis provide cover!"
After issuing his orders, Duanmu Huai clenched his warhammer tightly and, together with Olgis sitting on his shoulder, charged straight into the smoke-filled battlefield.
Next, Gureya stood up, gazing at the battlefield ahead and taking a deep breath.
"Strun—Bah—Qo!"
A dragon shout like thunder instantly echoed across the entire battlefield. In the very next moment, the previously clear sky was engulfed by rolling storm clouds. Countless bolts of lightning and meteor-like fireballs rained down from the heavens, smashing directly into the robotic army on the ground.
But that wasn't all.
Facing the weapon-wielding robotic troops, Gureya caught her breath and raised her head once more.
"Zun—Haal—Viik!"
An invisible force surged forward, and the weapons clutched in the robots' hands were violently ripped away, flying out of their grasp.
At the same time, Duanmu Huai charged into the robotic army like a tiger entering a flock of sheep. Roaring, he swung his warhammer and flung it forward, instantly sweeping away several robots blocking his path. He then raised the hammer high, traced a brutal arc through the air, and smashed it down hard to the other side. Amid flashing lightning and roaring thunder, the mechanical skeletons were instantly pulverized into scattered fragments.
But it still wasn't over.
At that very moment, Odelle pulled a staff out from beneath her skirt and pointed it forward.
"Liquid Sphere!"
With Odelle's incantation, several massive water orbs materialized out of thin air, then burst into torrential rain, drenching the robotic soldiers. Phyllis opened her mouth and gently exhaled—
A freezing breeze swept across the battlefield, instantly encasing all the robots in frost.
Then, Ranni raised her staff high.
"Star-Creation Rain."
At her call, the dim sky lit up with the brilliance of countless stars. Moments later, streaks of meteors screamed downward, piercing through the frozen robots and blasting them into pieces.
Even Eclair joined the attack. Although she had no magic, she possessed overwhelming physical strength. At that moment, she hugged her chainsaw gun to her chest and pulled the trigger at the robots ahead. For an ordinary woman, the recoil alone would have been enough to knock her flat. But Eclair's monstrous strength showed its value here—the nearly human-height weapon remained perfectly steady in her hands, roaring like it was mounted on a heavy gun platform. Screaming explosive rounds tore through the air, blasting the robots into fragments.
Duanmu Huai and his group had appeared far too suddenly and moved far too fast. The humans who had been chased down by the robot army didn't even realize what was happening at first. It wasn't until the pressure on them eased that they finally reacted, staring forward in shock—
—and what they saw was a scene beyond imagination, utterly incomprehensible.
A battlefield engulfed in lightning and thunder. Robots shattering while frozen in ice. And a gigantic figure wielding a warhammer, looking even more terrifying than those Terminators…
Who in the hell were these people?
Before they could figure it out, the robotic army seemed to realize something was wrong. Soon, amid shrill roaring sounds, dozens of unmanned reconnaissance drones and several large aircraft flew in from afar, rushing toward the battlefield. They launched their attacks downward, and in an instant, countless red laser beams shot toward the battlefield.
Bang bang bang.
To Duanmu Huai, this level of attack was less threatening than mosquito bites. He didn't even bother looking at the drones overhead, continuing to rampage like a rhinoceros through the robotic army, smashing it into chaos. On his shoulder, Olgis extended her hand toward the sky—
—and in the next moment, several small dolls wielding knightly lances shot into the air like missiles, piercing straight through the drones and turning them into fireballs midair.
As for the large unmanned aircraft, they didn't fare any better. Anne raised her grimoire, and in the next instant, surging magical power erupted from her body. Howling winds followed, slamming the aircraft directly into the ruins of nearby skyscrapers and turning them into heaps of scrap metal.
While the front lines raged, Lorena and the others were far from idle. They raced across the battlefield, rapidly rescuing the wounded. As a vampire, Bambi's senses were the sharpest—just one glance was enough for her to tell who was still alive and who was about to die. She quickly located the wounded, while Lorena used her strength to gather them together, administer basic treatment, and send them to the rear.
No bandages?
Then they used Kula's ice powers instead—
As long as the bleeding stopped, who cared whether it was frozen or bandaged?
Thus, the human soldiers in the rear stared blankly as a petite girl came sprinting over, carrying several burly men at once—one on her shoulder, others in her hands—dumped them in front of them, and then immediately ran back to the battlefield…
"T-This… what is even happening…?"
Looking at the wounded collapsed before them, the soldiers stared at each other, completely at a loss. They had been prepared to fight to the death, but now…
What the hell was this situation?
"Why are you standing around?!"
At that moment, a man who looked like the commander shouted urgently.
"Treat them immediately! Everyone else, move to the front and pull down anyone who's still alive!"
He didn't tell them to return to combat. The front line had turned into absolute chaos—lightning, thunder, raging winds, furious waves, ice storms—none of which they could possibly take part in.
Soon, under the commander's orders, the rear soldiers split into two groups. One treated the wounded, while the other braved the storm of gunfire to rush forward and rescue surviving comrades. The commander himself sprinted to the front, grabbing a wounded soldier and dragging him back.
But at that moment, he suddenly heard a deep, rumbling roar.
Hearing it, the commander's face changed in shock.
"Could this be…?!"
He looked up, and from the opposite side of the battlefield, a massive shadow was slowly advancing. It stood four or five stories tall, its lower half made of tank-like treads, its upper half a gigantic gun barrel.
"Shit—it's an HK Hunter-Killer tank!!"
Seeing it, the commander was terrified. He knew how powerful these monsters were—immensely durable and packing overwhelming firepower, practically unbeatable by ordinary means. Even though these reinforcements looked incredible, there was no way they could fight something like that!
However, at that very moment, something unbelievable happened.
Upon seeing the massive tank, the brown-haired girl in the distance raised her hand and shouted loudly:
"O heroic spirit, answer my call! Destroy my enemy!!"
With her cry, the commander saw a towering figure suddenly materialize out of thin air—a fully armored centaur-like being wielding a round shield and a long spear, even larger than the HK Hunter-Killer tank itself. It reared up high and hurled its spear straight at the tank!
In the next instant, the enormous tank was pierced straight through the middle by the spear, then exploded in a blaze of light.
"BOOOOOOM———!!!!"
Staring at the fireball in the distance, the commander stood there in a daze, hardly believing his own eyes.
Was he… dreaming?
The battle was over.
For reasons unknown, after the tank was destroyed, the robotic army ceased all attacks and vanished. Whether they had temporarily retreated or Skynet had discovered something was unclear. But what mattered most was—
They had failed.
For the first time.
The survivors embraced each other, shouting and crying with joy. They had believed they were doomed, but now they had snatched their lives back from the brink of death. Nothing could be more exhilarating.
After patting the shoulders of those around him, the commander smiled and looked ahead—only for his gaze to stop on the figures who had suddenly entered the battlefield. Hesitating, he nevertheless steeled himself and walked toward them.
"Excuse me."
The commander first greeted Anne, since in his eyes, the girl who had destroyed the HK Hunter-Killer tank in a single blow must be the core figure.
"I am the captain of Resistance Squad B18…"
"Ah, I'm not in charge of that."
Anne smiled and waved her hand, pointing ahead.
"If you have something to say, go talk to the knight."
"Uh…"
Following her finger, the commander looked toward the massive figure in the distance. Swallowing hard, he forced a stiff smile onto his face.
"Thank you."
After thanking Anne, the commander gathered his courage and walked toward Duanmu Huai. The closer he got, the more nervous he became. He couldn't explain why—just seeing this figure made him sweat all over, his limbs going weak. He considered himself a hardened soldier, someone who could face Terminators head-on without fear. But for some reason, standing before this terrifying presence, he couldn't even straighten his back.
It was as if what stood before him was something utterly beyond his reach.
Even so, the commander mustered his courage, stepped up to Duanmu Huai, and looked up at him.
"Ahem, may I ask…"
"Hm?"
Duanmu Huai turned his head toward him. Faced with that grotesque, terrifying helmet and the crimson gaze that felt almost physically piercing, the commander felt his heart skip a beat. But he gritted his teeth and continued.
"I am Ryan, captain of Resistance Squad B18. Thank you very much for your assistance…"
"Mm. No need."
Duanmu Huai nodded, then fell silent again. Ryan hesitated, but still forced himself to continue.
"If you have the time, would you be willing to visit our headquarters…? I believe the commander would be very glad to see such powerful allies join the resistance."
"The resistance? Not interested."
Duanmu Huai shook his head.
"We have our own business to handle. However…"
As he spoke, Duanmu Huai looked at Ryan again. Under that gaze, Ryan finally couldn't hold on any longer—his legs gave out and he dropped to his knees.
"You don't mind if I ask you a few questions, do you?"
Duanmu Huai said calmly.
(End of the Chapter)