Fear, to an extent, can be overcome but terror debilitates. Making men regress to as they were when they were born as courage, pride and honour are stripped away.

That is what it was like to stand before the Hayulâ – the Monsters from the Ocean Deep.

Kruin blinked a few times, returning himself to the present.

He stood on the edge of a cliff at eighty meters tall, his body made almost entirely of metal only it wasn’t his actual body.

He could control it and countless sensors told him how the rain felt as it washed over the small island he stood atop but they weren’t really a part of him.

No, Kruin was in the head of this colossal humanoid structure, floating in a transparent sphere which was filled with a pale blue liquid.

He wore a skin tight black suit which was lined with tubes that were connected to the top of the sphere which hung from the ceiling of the space it was in via steel cables along which the tubes ran as they disappeared into the sea of cables above. The Sphere was also held in place by steel cables on the floor.

His head was covered in a black helmet which had a bold “4” marked on its visor and although his real eyes were closed, he could clearly see everything from the perspective of the colossal machine he was piloting.

His helmet also covered his mouth and had a tube which supplied him with air.

Seated in front of him were two operators who were behind a wide console.

Beyond the console was a large holographic display which showed them everything Kruin was seeing alongside other angles that were provided by sensors.

Beneath Kruin, at the centre of the smooth metal floor was a circular hatch.

[Hawk.] Kruin breathed while scanning the horizon as the storm continued to rage.

“Sir?” The one referred to as Hawk replied. She had short black hair and bronze brown skin although the top half of her head was wrapped in a black bandana.

The rest of her body was covered in a dark grey suit which resembled those worn by fighter pilots. It was form fitting while also loose and comfortable.

It's special seals around the neck, wrists and ankles made the suit airtight.

The suit was also pairable with a helmet which sat by Hawk's side.

[Chocolate, Vanilla or strawberry ice cream. Which is your favorite and no, Neapolitan isn’t an option.]

“Strawberry, sir.”

[You, Redacted?]

“If there was a flavour more plain than Vanilla, I’d choose that, sir,” Redacted answered in a robotic manner while adjusting his glasses. He had slanted eyes, tanned skin and his hair was cut really short. His mouth and nose were covered by a black bandana.

[Huh… I’m a Vanilla man as well and I guess we don’t need to ask Chocolate which his favourite is, mmm?] Kruin chuckled.

Silence followed and his eyes remained locked on the horizon.

He could see clearly, even in the dark of a moonless night thanks to the sensors all across his larger metallic body.

Sensors which allowed him to see all spectrums of light and hear all frequencies although any information he received was filtered down to just what he needed and this data would be displayed on the visor inside his helmet although he was able to see using another, yet unseen method.

Innumerable hydraulic systems and motore filled the air outside the soundproof head with sound as Kruin shifted his weight from one leg to the other.

These components were all protected by plates of metal that were whole meters thick at points although the largest of his radiators were uncovered.

The four of them sat along his back with two on each side in am X like manner and they helped dissipate the heat his core was generating.

[A-G2-44, this is Central Command, come in.] A raspy male voice said from the speakers in Kruin’s helmet.

[Mama Bird, this is 44-Ghoul. Talk to me.] Kruin yawned while flexing his shoulders and this made his entire metallic frame burst into life.

It was very close to the human form and so every movement he made in the sphere was reflected in the metal frame although there was a delay of a few seconds as countless hydraulics shifted two thousand tons of weight.

Atop the Ghoul's shoulders were two front-facing guns that were fifteen meters long and were belt-fed from a box that was mounted at the bottom of his back.

[A C-Class Hayulâ has just emerged from the Philippine Trench. We want you to help them boys before returning to your post. Three Alsayaadin are currently stationed on a chain of small islands fifteen Naughty Miles west of the Trench.]

“C-Class? Really?” Hawk raised a brow.

[It’s a little small to call in the cavalry, don’t you think, Mama Bird?] Kruin asked.

[Yeah but the suits wanna put on a show to get more money into Gen 3’s and the three you’re going to watch over are all 3’s.]

“Sounds a little backward to me.” Redacted scoffed although his voice sounded like it was coming from a suppressed megaphone.

“Yeah, if they wanted to see just how good their toys were, why would they call for us?” Hawk asked.

[Those are all every good questions, Squad 4, and they are way above my pay grade so quit yapping and start tapping those steel toes of yours.]

[Copy that, Mama Bird. Although I dearly hope you get a promotion one of these days so you can answer my damn questions!] Kruin laughed while turning north and even just this motion was enough to tear into the terrain as Kruin’s metallic body or 44-Ghoul shifted his weight.

Squad 4 was currently on an island that was twenty Nautical Miles south of where they needed to be and so, after taking a deep breath, Kruin began sprinting north.

Each step he took sent out tremors and crushed the ground beneath.

Ghoul's top speed was Mach 5 but to preserve energy, Kruin ran at just below Mach 4 but even then, it wouldn’t be long before they reached his destination.

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[I know he just ate, so he shouldn’t be too hungry but give me his numbers anyway!]

“Reactor’s sitting at a cool nine hundred and rising. Glass reserves are at ninety percent. Actuator checks are mostly green, Chocolate just sent me a smiley face text and we have fifty rounds of 500mm, explosive Javelin rounds, sir!” Redacted reported.

[Wonderful. I know we’re probably gonna just sit back and watch them do their thing but you never know-]

[Come in, 44-Ghoul! This is Mama Bird! Another C-Class just emerged from the Bougainville Trench and it's headed straight your way! Code name: Obsidian Needle!]

“Holy shit- it already has a nickname!” Hawk exclaimed.

[Think of it like a gigantic porcupine.] Mama Bird explained as Kruin stopped moving with half of Ghoul being in the Ocean.

[So what should we do? Intercept?]

[Yeah. The boys upriver can handle themselves. Take care of this one solo and its a cold one from me for each of ya! That said, there’s another Gen 2 a fifty Naughty’s southeast of you so I’ll call em in just in case.]

[Got it, Mama Bird and you’re on!] Kruin nodded while turning to his right and running towards the eastern side of the island where he stood half submerged in the ocean.

“Target pinned at five Nautical Miles off shore and is approaching pretty fast. It’s on the smaller side so this should be a cakewalk.” Hawk grinned.

[Stay focused, Hawk. Won’t exactly be able to eat any cake if you end up like Redacted, now will you?]

“Yeah, yeah.” Hawk sighed while Kruin’s eyes remained as narrow as before.

“Two Naughty’s and closing!” Hawk yelled prompting Kruin to raise his arms defensively in the same way a boxer would.

The tempest of wind and rain made it hard, even with all his sensors, to clearly see below the turbulent waters.

Even with his countless lenses, radar and other means of vision, all he could get was a vague outline.

Kruin’s eyes widened to their limits as he saw an approaching wave but he didn’t need advanced sensors to see the large dark thing within.

It surfaced shortly after, revealing its form.

It stood about seventy meters tall and was essentially a large porcupine only instead of fur, it was covered in thick leathery skin.

Its entirety was lined with countless spines that were one to ten meters long.

The Hayulâ lashed out at Rusty with its large paws but Kruin skillfully dashed backwards, avoiding a strike that had hundreds of tons of force behind it.

He then punched the Hayulâ in its maw, sending it tumbling to the side.

He didn’t give it a chance to recover and kicked its right leg, causing it to fall and this moved so much water that all the sand on the beaches of the nearby island was washed into the ocean.

[Hawk, give that ugly fucker a steel-tipped kiss!]

“Bull’s-eye!”

Kruin stepped on the Hayulâ and positioned the guns on his shoulder so that their barrels were above its head and they angled themselves inwards thanks to their own hydraulics.

Two projectiles then shot out of them and they struck the monster’s head with enough force to embed themselves into its skin.

Kruin then leaned back just as the projectiles, which looked like huge spears, exploded, destroying the Hayulâ’s head in the process.

Kruin breathed heavily in his sphere as he stood triumphantly above the creature and a proud smile crept onto his face as he lowered his arms.

[Come in, Mama Bird. The porcupine is down.] Kruin grinned.

[Looks like my budget is gonna be extra tight this month- hold up.] Mama Bird suddenly said.

[What?] Kruin asked.

[Looks like you’ve got another comin’ your way. Same source as Obsidian Needle. M-Class. Code name: Razor Torrent.]

“Umm… sir? Something’s happening to the one we just killed.” Hawk reported prompting Kruin to scan the Hayulâ beneath him.

“Is it… getting hotter?” Hawk asked.

[44-Ghoul, come in. What’s wrong?]

Kruin’s eyes widened as the Hayulâ’s temperature suddenly increased at an exponential rate.

If something dangerous was going to happen in the next moment, he knew that he wasn’t going to be able to get to a safe distance in time and so he decided to save his crew by crossing his arms in front of Rusty’s head and chest.

And just as he did, the Hayulâ exploded sending out its many spines outward along with its purple blood and guts.

Several of them struck the Ghoul but while most of them bounced off, a few large ones managed to pierce through the steel plates and other openings.

The shockwave was also enough to force Kruin to lean forward to avoid toppling over.

The wind eventually settled and Kruin lowered his spine-riddled arms.

“Phew, that was a new one.” Hawk sighed but her attention quickly shifted to Redacted who looked back at Kruin’s sphere only his eyes were wide open and trembling.

She followed his gaze and gasped upon seeing that blood was leaking out of his suit. It mixed with the blue liquid, steadily making it murkier.

“Sir!” She screamed but Kruin, after shaking his head, turned to the east.

[Focus! We’re not out of the woods yet!]

“But you’re bleeding! That shouldn’t be possible!” Redacted cried.

[And we’ll all bleed pretty badly if you all don’t look forward and give me the readings on the next target!] Kruin snapped making Hawk and Redacted reluctantly return their eyes to the display in front of them.

“The next one is three miles away! We can still retreat and let the other Gen 2 take care of it!”

[We are not abandoning our post dammit! So shut up and focus!]

Hawk clicked her tongue in response to Kruin’s words.

[How is the old boy looking?] Kruin coughed painfully.

“Chocolate and the Reactor are all good but we lost a few hydraulics in the right arm. Two of the lower radiators are overheating meaning we probably lost some coolant so keep an eye on the clock.”

[Got it! Reload and keep me posted!]

Redacted nodded before joining everyone in scanning the waters for signs of their target.

[There it is!] Kruin growled through bloody teeth.

He spotted it swimming behind one of the incoming waves and so slowly backed up to the now rocky shore of the island behind him since he also noticed it was swimming quite fast.

He got to a point where the water was at his knees and just he stopped moving, the Hayulâ jumped out of the water and although it was only fifty meters tall, it was also much faster than Kruin who tried to kick it back into the water only for the monster to dash to the side.

It looked like a mermaid only instead of a beautiful upper body, it had two dark long and thin arms which were capped with claws that were ten meters long.

It had a short head and thick neck that were lined with hardened scales so Kruin knew punching it wouldn't be very effective.

The Hayula lashed out at him once more and he kept retreating toward the island which seemingly made the Hayulâ grow visibly frustrated.

It let out a wild screech before rushing in to grab the Ghoul's legs.

[Hawk!]

“Bull’s-eye!”

Two Javelins shot out of the shoulder turrets but while they only managed to knock the monster back, this was just the opening Kruin needed to dash towards the monster and kick it in the face sending it falling backwards.

“Reload!” Hawk yelled while Kruin straddled the Hayulâ which, in its desperate attempts to free itself, clawed at the Ghoul's belly.

“They’re in!” Redacted cried prompting both Kruin and Hawk to angle the turrets at the Hayulâ’s disfigured face.

“Bull’s-eye!”

Another pair of Javelins struck the monster’s face and this was enough to kill it although, at this point, its claws were deeply embedded in the Ghoul's belly.

Kruin coughed up even more blood which pooled at the bottom of his helmet.

At this point he was in so much pain that he couldn’t hear the several cries coming from his crew.

His vision rapidly darkened and he faintly heard something about the emergence of several more Hayula at various points of the Ring of Fire.

He turned his fading gaze to Hawk and Redacted as they desperately called out to him from their seats.

[Jenette, Bulkkoch, Chocolate…] He wheezed.

[My crew… I will… save you.]