CHAPTER 43: A MERCENARY ENTERS THE SCENE

The Mutant Devil Wolf, with its wings replaced by jet engines, angled its thrusters down and soared upwards. It circled the convoy and the advancing hover tank, its mouth opening to reveal a large gun barrel. To the man standing resolutely on the deck, the creature's next move was apparent.

Sighing, the man spoke to himself in a deep voice. "Why won't these bastards let me retire already?!" He shifted his attention to the Tank Controller. "Frederick, that bastard will start firing at us, activate the shields, and take evasive maneuvers."

Inside the tank, a young man with blonde hair smiled at his orders. He was currently holding a joystick in his hand as he controlled the tank using a VR headset that provided him with a 360 view of the entire vehicle. He answered the man resolutely.

"Yes, Cap'n."

Oblivious to their planning, the Devil Wolf hovered above the tank with the gun barrel inside its mouth aimed at them. The two heavy machine guns mounted on its wings began to spin as rounds of ammunition shot forward rapidly. Its aerial bombardment would soon begin.

-Woosh, Woosh Woosh!

Mortar shells rained down from the skies. The man took a large puff from his cigarette and yelled at his crew. "Brace for impact!"

Inside the tank, Frederick was acutely aware of the unfolding situation. With a swift, calculated movement, he yanked a gear to the left of his cockpit. Simultaneously, his right foot pressed down firmly on a pedal, and he deftly swung the joystick to the right. These precise maneuvers were mirrored in the tank's nimble response, as it glided across the vast dunes with the agility and speed of a NASCAR, effortlessly drifting over the shifting sands.

-Boom! Boom, Boom!

Explosions rang out across the field as the tank accurately dodged every single one of them. The aerial bombardment continued as more and more shells rained from the skies above. Even with all the sudden and completely unexpected movements, the man in the black trench coat stood resolutely and unwaveringly. His face resembled that of a predator; even more so than the Mutant Devil Wolves themselves.

Plumes of dust covered the field as the tank plowed through them at astounding speeds. After a while, the Mutant Devil Wolf stopped its onslaught. It was unclear whether it was tired or just needed to reload its ammunition. This did not go unnoticed by the man on the deck, as he ordered his gunner once more.

"Lance, it's your window."

Inside the tank in another portion, another slender man held onto a joystick as he gazed at the vision presented before him inside the VR headset. With his available controls, he shifted his control stick at the exact angle and axis needed to blast the monstrosity out of the sky. After briefly aiming, he clicked the button on his joystick.

-Szzzwh-BOOM!

Sparks of electricity snaked across his cockpit momentarily as a large booming sound was heard. His whole body jerked backward.

Outside, a large beam of ionized energy rapidly shot out from the tank's gun barrel and headed straight for where Lance had predicted the trajectory of the flying beast would be. As Lance had calculated, the Mutant Devil Wolf flew exactly toward his shot. Noticing something was wrong, it tried to change course, but it was too late; the large energy beam obliterated the entirety of its left wing and gave it slight burns to its side.

Smoke rapidly formed a trail from its flight path as it swiftly descended to the ground in pain; without two thrusters to power its flight, the beast had lost its aerial advantage. The monstrosity, however, did not want to go down without a fight.

With its body briskly plunging toward the vast dunes below, it turned its head in the tank's direction and opened its mouth; the gun barrel extended outward and swiftly discharged one final shot.

Seeing the large gun shell heading in their direction, the man on the deck gritted his teeth.

"Shit… Brace for impact!"

-Boom!

A large explosion occurred, sending sand and smoke across their field of vision. Luckily, the tank was fine as the ionic shields they had set up prior ate up the majority of the damage. The man who had his face covered with his sleeve looked around to analyze the situation.

"Lance, Frederick! Status Report!"

The one who immediately answered was Frederick, who controlled the tank's maneuvers.

"Cap'n, shields are down to 50% capacity. Those bastards are smart! That thing did not run out of ammo as we assumed. It was charging up that attack; the whole thing was bait!"

Following up, Lance spoke in a panicked voice. "Captain, two hostile biological signals detected in the 9 and 3 O'clock directions!"

The man, draped in a shadowy trench coat, stood still for a moment. He flicked his cigarette away with a casual flick of his fingers, and as it tumbled through the air, his eyes slowly closed, exuding an aura of imminent danger. Around him, a surge of electricity crackled to life, its vibrant arcs dancing menacingly. Particles, mysterious and charged with energy, began to coalesce around his forearms, swirling in a hypnotic dance.

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As the particles converged, they took on a formidable shape - a massive halberd, its presence alone commanding attention. But it wasn't just any halberd; at the end of its elongated pole, the blade was uniquely crafted into the shape of a semi-circular gear. Each tooth on this gear-shaped blade was honed to a deadly sharpness, promising a lethal cut with even the slightest brush against its edge. The unusual design of the blade added a layer of complexity and danger, hinting at the wielder's skill.

The man, his eyes sealed shut, expertly maneuvered the blade, its copper metal aglow with eerie, lightning-like sparks. A sudden, forceful twist to the left, complemented by a solid stomp of his left foot for balance, sent the blade slicing through the tense air.

-Ting!

Instead of cleaving nothingness, it met a tangible entity, thwarting its advance. As his eyes snapped open, he was confronted with a monstrous maw, gaping and greedy for a taste of him. Mercifully, the halberd held firm, wedged defiantly against the creature's menacing front teeth.

He smiled gleefully at the dreadful creature and laughed.

"HAHAHA! You bastards… Do you know how many of your filth I had exterminated over the years?! Hold on now, don't let me damage your teeth too much! I still have to sell them afterward!"

-Roar!

"Shut up! Your breath stinks, motherfucker!" With a forceful swipe and the help of the tank's movements, he was able deftly to throw the foul beast off of the deck. In a simple motion, he rotated his body and swung the halberd to his right this time.

Like a stalwart shield, the halberd stopped another attack. This time it was a metallic tentacle, its abyssal-colored plating gave a menacing vibe as the closer one looked at its details. Without giving him time to breathe, two more tentacles followed suit, then three more, then ten more…

He continued to swiftly deflect the incoming attacks as sparks and flares resounded around his figure continuously. As the barrage of attacks continued, annoyance began to fill his heart.

"Enough of this!" he roared, anchoring his stance firmly, adeptly deflecting the relentless onslaught. As he did so, his form became a spectacle of dazzling electric arcs, weaving a dance of brilliant energy around him. Amid this electrified maelstrom, particles of unknown origins converged at three distinct points, materializing into a trio of riot shields. Their appearance, forged from what seemed like titanium, added a formidable edge to his defense as they surrounded his figure.

Because of the deep layers of dust blown together into clouds, the entire tank's vision was obstructed. With his feet solidly mounted to the ground, he courageously pressed onwards in the direction where the tentacles were emerging from as he continuously deflected them.

With a running start, he jumped into the air and off the hover tank's deck. The riot shields he conjured levitated magically in their original positions, covering his back and two sides indefinitely.

With the shields protecting all his sides, he marched onwards as he continuously deflected the incoming robotic tentacles. Soon, he met the gaze of the biological amalgamation. With half its tentacles already attacking his melee, the beast was using that time to charge up its beam attacks with the rest of its robotic limbs!

The other tentacles had their 'flower buds' open as orbs of plasma coagulated together and readied for discharge. Noticing the incoming barrage, the man stood valiantly and smiled.

"So this is how you want to play, huh? Got it." Closing his eyes, the conjured shields merged, forming an even larger shield the size of a two-story building. Its colossal plating gave a menacing vibe. The beast saw this and ignored it as it rapidly shot its lasers in his immediate vicinity.

-Boom, Boom Boom!

The man levitated the titanic shield in front of him as he continuously marched toward the beast's direction; occasionally, tentacles would come and attack him from his sides.

In mere moments, he would reach his prey. However, a final obstacle occurred, one that he had no anticipation of. Behind him, the Mutant Devil Wolf with 'Normal' Metallic wings was in a diving position as it continuously split the air; it was heading in his direction rapidly!

Noticing this, he knew that he couldn't go against it directly. Because of the continuous barrage of energy beams coming his way from the front, he had no way of shifting the shield in its direction for support. His back was left bare, and the monster knew that! Within mere moments, it would completely swoop down on him; there was no more time left to react!

'Man, these bastards are really smart...!' With no choices left, he decided to continue striding forward. He would rather try to die and take down the tentacled monstrosity in front of him rather than thwart his own momentum to defend an attack from behind. In fact, he was confident that he could probably take down the one in front of him and still figure out a way to defend against the one from behind.

Within mere moments, the foul beast lunging at his back would reach its target, its mouth was primed and ready to gnaw on his flesh and bones.

-Kaboom!

Emerging from the swirling dust, Hermes Wilson, clad in his white trench coat, unleashed a powerful strike. His gunblade sliced through the air toward the massive beast's neck, trailing a fiery arc of smoke and flames. The resulting explosions surged toward the Mutant Devil Beast, and with a singular, swift motion, its colossal head was severed.

Landing gracefully on the sandy terrain beside the fallen beast's head, Hermes sheathed his gunblade to his back and declared in an icy tone, "Magnum Carnage, First Movement…"

Meanwhile, the figure in the shadowy trench coat didn't pause in his pursuit. Closing the distance to the beast, he forcefully planted the large shield into the ground at an angle. Using the tilted shield as a ramp, he ascended with determined strides, leaping off its peak towards the monstrous creature, deflecting oncoming tentacles with ease.

Above him, his halberd poised for a devastating strike, he brought it down with monumental force, akin to an elephant crashing into a tree. A resplendent trail of electricity followed its descent.

-Crackle! Boom!

The impact left a gruesome scene below - a gaping wound oozing with blood and brain matter. Successfully striking the beast's head, the man extracted his halberd from the now lifeless body. Turning to Hermes, he inquired, "Hey, young man. Who are you, and what platoon do you belong to?"

As Hermes approached, the dissipating dust clouds revealed his figure more clearly. Removing his glasses, he wiped away the sand before replacing them. His eyes, stoic and unwavering, met those of the middle-aged warrior.

"Oho? You are a Mercenary I see…" The man's eyes went to the emblem attached to a belt strap that revolved around his left shoulder epaulet and underneath his armpit. The symbol resembled a pile of gold coins and a Christian cross above them. Hermes shifted his attention toward it and began to ponder.

'So the setting whoever is managing this chose for me is that of a mercenary… Speaking of which… Is this even fake? Everything so far has been so real…'

Hermes adjusted himself and bowed in a gentlemanly manner; he had no clue about their customs so he just stuck to whatever he was familiar with; since they both spoke Luminaric, the chances for them misunderstanding his intentions were fairly small.

'My name is Hermes Wilson."

"Hahaha, you're fairly polite for a mercenary."

The man pulled out another cigarette from his inner pocket and took a large puff. Exhaling the smoke, he looked back at Hermes with unwavering eyes.

"The name's Mason… Mason Melbourne. Nice to meet you, kid."

End of Chapter