"Everyone! We're here to help! Wait, what's going on?"
About ten minutes later, the Sons of Calydon finally arrived. But by the time they'd dealt with the stragglers, it seemed they were no longer needed.
Beneath the colossal Magnaflame, the mercenaries and mobsters were all on their knees with their hands up. Anby, Number 11, and the others were interrogating them with Nicole's crew.
"What happened? And what's with the cool giant robot?!" the members of the Sons of Calydon exclaimed, their eyes sparkling.
"Caesar! Lucy! You finally made it," Belle called out.
"Ah, but it looks like you've already handled everything," Caesar said, a little disappointed. They had come expecting to be the saviors, but the battle was already over. And they had missed seeing the cool robot in action.
The mercenaries and mobsters, if they could read minds, would have been furious. Fight that thing? We were just hired for a job, not a suicide mission!
"Billy must be thrilled to see a giant robot like this. Where is he?" Caesar asked, and then turned to see him clinging to Anby's leg, sobbing his circuits out.
"What's wrong with him?"
"Um, I think... he's a little overwhelmed," Belle said, her smile twitching.
"Why, Anby, why?! Why didn't you tell me the Boss had other armors?!" Billy wailed, his coolant leaking like a waterfall. "You know I'm the number one Star Knight fan! This is the ultimate betrayal!"
"I'm sorry, Mo Wang made me promise to keep them a secret," Anby said, patting his trembling metal shoulder. She felt a little sorry for him. To see such cool armor and not be able to try it on... it was the ultimate torture for a mecha fanatic like him.
Just then, his eyes locked onto Number 11's Red Light Layer armor, his mechanical pupils turning into stars. "Big Sis 11—!" he cried, and slid across the ground on his knees towards her.
"Eek~! Don't even think about it!" she yelped, and her helmet snapped shut.
"W-w-w-why can't I just try it on for one minute?!" he begged, his eyes glued to her red armor. To him, it was the classic Star Knight leader's color.
"No," she said flatly. This was a gift from Mo Wang. She wasn't about to let Billy get his grubby hands on it.
"Damn it! I want a cool armor too! Boss, come back!" he cried.
Everyone else just looked at him with disdain. They knew the chances of him getting an armor from Mo Wang were practically zero. Unless... he turned himself into a mecha musume. But... a Billy mecha musume? A white-haired one? Hmm... maybe it wouldn't be so bad?
"Poor Billy. But to be honest, I'd like to try one of those armors myself," Harumasa said.
"Me too! I want to try the blue one!" Soukaku added.
"The Boss has some incredible technology. I doubt even the military could create a robot like this," Yanagi mused. Is he part of some secret organization? Or maybe... some special military unit?
Nicole, on the other hand, was practically drooling at the sight of Anby's armor. "Waaah~! How much do you think one of these would sell for? Ten million Deni? Twenty million?!"
"Nicole! Calm down! Anby will literally kill you if you sell her armor," Nekomata said, holding her back.
And where was the mastermind behind it all?
...
In a certain Hollow, Mo Wang and Miyabi were staring at the building in front of them.
"Mo Wang, are we... in a Hollow?" Miyabi asked calmly.
"Looks like it," he said, annoyed. To think that he, a veteran Proxy, had fallen into such a trap. Who would have thought they had missiles that could create Hollows?
"To think that organization has even mastered the ability to create Hollows. They're more dangerous than I thought," Miyabi said, her voice betraying a hint of concern.
"Yeah, but why go to all this trouble for a guy like him?" he said, looking back at the unconscious Pullman.
"I feel like they have some other motive," he muttered.
"Don't worry," he said, snapping out of his thoughts. "They think they've won just by trapping us in a Hollow? What a joke. They don't know who they're dealing with." He was Phaethon, the legendary Proxy. He could get them out of here in a flash.
"Come on, Pippi-yabi! Let me show you what a real top-tier Proxy can do," he said, and got out of the car.
"Mmm, I trust you," she said, without a hint of doubt.
"Look out!" she suddenly yelled, and drew her blade, appearing in front of him in an instant.
A large group of mercenaries, dressed in Defense Force gear, had surrounded them.
"Target acquired. Engage?" the leader said.
"Oh? You guys actually followed us in here?" Mo Wang's expression darkened.
"Mo Wang, stay back," Miyabi said, her eyes fixed on the men in front of them. "These guys are strong."
"Oh, so..."
"Protect Pullman. I'll take care of them," she said, and charged forward.
He wanted to tell her that he was stronger than her, but seeing the serious look on her face, he took a step back. Being a pretty boy who needed protecting wasn't so bad sometimes.
Her blade was a silver flash, deflecting a barrage of bullets.
"Seventh squad, fall back! Second echelon, load special ammunition!" the leader roared. The soldiers she had engaged suddenly dropped their weapons and formed a human wall to block her path.
POP!
A smoke grenade exploded at her feet, and a paralyzing numbness spread through her arm. The wounds on the soldiers she had cut were oozing the same purple substance.
"You...!" Her face paled for the first time, and she stumbled, using her sword to support herself.
"Finally caught you, Lord Ethereal Hunter," the leader said with a smirk.
"Your target... was me?" she said, her voice filled with anger.
"Heh, you finally figured it out. It took a lot of effort to catch you."
Of the seven Ethereal Hunters in New Eridu, Miyabi, with her straightforward personality (i.e., she didn't like to use her brain), was the easiest to approach.
"Damn you!" she cursed, and tried to grip her weapon, but her vision went black, and she collapsed.
"Heh, finally," the soldier said, and was about to grab her when he felt the cold barrel of a gun against the back of his head.
"What the...?"
He turned to see Mo Wang standing behind him. He hadn't even felt him approach.
"Sigh~ I told her to be careful. And look what happened," he said with a sigh. "What a pain. In the end, it looks like I have to do everything myself."
The soldier looked around in horror. All of his men were gone, taken out without a sound.
"Who... who is this man?!"