Chapter 56 - Lightning Crab

The opponent’s support unit made the opening act, his movements sharp and deliberate. His fingers danced over the glowing hologram display projected within his HUD, and an intricate lattice of orange circuits illuminated his arm like molten veins.

“Lightning Rifle, Equip X2!” he commanded, his voice cutting through the tension.

Two shimmering cybernetic circles materialized on either side of the opponent’s Frame Unit, crackling with energy. From them emerged a pair of futuristic rifles, their sleek white exteriors pulsing with electricity. Without hesitation, the towering orange mech gripped the weapons, arcs of lightning dancing along their barrels, and unleashed a volley of crackling bolts straight at Myrrh!

Myrrh’s white-and-gold Frame Unit jolted into motion, her thrusters flaring as she sprinted in a wide semicircle. The lightning bolts struck the ground mere inches from her, each impact searing the air with the acrid scent of ozone. Her evasive maneuvers were desperate but precise, the bolts grazing her armor.

Sweat pricked my forehead as I realized she wouldn’t last long without support. I slammed my hand against the [Light Shield] and [Beam Rifle] options in my WEEB System, circuits along my arm igniting in a brilliant blue glow.

“Light Shield, Beam Rifle, Equip!” I bellowed, channeling every ounce of urgency into my command.

In an instant, two luminous cybernetic circles materialized around Myrrh, and she summoned a radiant shield in one hand and a sleek rifle in the other. She raised the shield just in time to deflect a bolt of lightning, the impact sparking against its surface like a firework.

But then, a sharp, high-pitched buzz filled the air, followed by Myrrh’s pained cry.

“Aaaah!” Her voice was strained, trembling with agony.

“Myrrh! What’s happening?” I shouted, panic clawing at my chest.

The opponent’s support unit sneered, tilting his head with an air of smug superiority. “Fools!” he jeered, his grin cutting like a knife. “The Lightning Rifle is the perfect counter to your precious Light Shield. That shield of yours is metal—highly conductive! Every bolt I fire will crawl through your Frame Unit’s armor and fry you from the inside!”

The opponent Frame Unit unleashed another barrage of crackling lightning bolts from her twin Lightning Rifles, the air hissing with static energy. Myrrh darted to the side, her Frame Unit’s thrusters sputtering as they struggled to keep up with her frantic maneuvers. The first shot scorched the ground just inches from her feet. The second grazed her shoulder, leaving a glowing streak of molten metal on her armor. The third left her no escape.

Cornered against the jagged remains of a blast wall, Myrrh had no choice. She raised her shield to block the incoming bolt, its surface flaring bright as it absorbed the energy.

“Kyah!” she cried, her voice trembling with pain as the electric current surged through her Frame Unit, sparking against the circuits.

“Hahahaha!” The opponent WAIFU’s laughter rang out, mocking and triumphant. “So much for your arrogance! You’re just a first-year wannabe!”

Her partner, the support unit, smirked, his cold gaze locking onto me. “Now then,” he growled, his voice laced with menace. “Show me that mysterious power of yours, fourth place!”

His words weren’t an insult—they were a calculated taunt. He wasn’t just mocking my rank in the written exams; he was challenging me, daring me to reveal the trump card he suspected I had. My stomach churned as I realized his plan. He wanted me to lose control, to unleash my Weapons of Mass Destruction, to prove to everyone just how dangerous I could be.

“Zaft, don’t fall for his trap!” Myrrh’s shout snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts.

Her Frame Unit tossed the sparking, useless shield to the ground with a defiant clang. In a fluid motion, she raised her beam rifle, the barrel glowing hot with charged energy.

“I’ll go close range!” she declared, her voice fierce and unwavering as her thrusters ignited, propelling her forward like a streak of white and gold lightning.

The opponent Frame Unit twisted and weaved through the green lasers, her movements fluid and precise. But each evasive maneuver gave Myrrh the chance she needed. Her metallic leg thrusters roared to life at full throttle, leaving trails of blue exhaust as she surged forward, firing erratic beams from her rifle. The shots weren’t meant to hit—they were a calculated distraction, a smokescreen for her real objective: closing the distance.

Crack!

Three lightning bolts seared through the air, fired in rapid succession. Myrrh ducked and weaved, narrowly avoiding the first two. But the third bolt struck her Beam Rifle dead center, sending sparks flying.

Thinking fast, Myrrh released the weapon, letting it fall from her grasp just before the electricity could course through her Frame Unit. The rifle hit the ground with a heavy thud, its charred surface smoking. Now, completely weaponless, Myrrh pressed forward with nothing but her wits and speed.

I clenched my fists and slammed my hand against the [Buster Sword] option in my WEEB System. My left arm ignited with glowing blue circuits, pulsing like a heartbeat. Pointing toward Myrrh, I shouted, “Buster Sword, Equip!”

A massive blue-and-white sword, shimmering with a faint, almost ethereal glow, materialized from a glowing cybernetic circle. Myrrh grasped the hilt as it fully manifested, her Frame Unit trembling slightly under the weapon’s immense weight.

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

She tumbled forward, narrowly evading another lightning bolt that hissed past her shoulder, and used the momentum to propel herself into a lunging charge. The thrusters on her back flared one last time as she raised the buster sword high, pouring every ounce of her mechanical strength into the strike.

“Yaaah!” Myrrh roared, her voice ringing with defiance as the giant blade came crashing down, aiming for a decisive blow.

For a moment, victory seemed inevitable. The opponent’s WAIFU was locked in a dual-wielding stance with her Lightning Rifles, weapons ill-suited for close combat. But just as the blade descended, her partner’s voice boomed across the battlefield, laced with triumph.

“Beast Transformation, Activate!”

The support unit thrust his glowing, orange-circuit hand toward his WAIFU. A surge of energy erupted from his palm, swirling toward her like a fiery storm. The air itself seemed to tremble, and Myrrh’s buster sword strike met resistance—not from metal, but from a sudden and monstrous transformation.

In a sudden, jarring transformation, the orange-and-black Frame Unit reconfigured itself, plates of metal shifting and interlocking with mechanical precision. Within seconds, it morphed into a hulking mechanical crab, its tank-like wheels grinding against the battlefield floor. Sparks of electricity crackled ominously from its massive lightning pincers, which snapped open and clamped down on Myrrh’s descending buster sword just before it could cleave through its armored head.

“What the—?! She transformed?!” Myrrh’s voice trembled with shock.

The opponent WAIFU’s voice boomed from the crab Frame Unit, dripping with condescension. “This is a weapon exclusive to us third years! Don’t underestimate us, you filthy beansprouts!”

With a powerful crunch, the mechanical crab’s pincers exerted immense force, crushing the buster sword in Myrrh’s grasp. The blade splintered with a deafening crack, shards of glowing metal scattering across the ground like shattered glass.

But the assault didn’t stop there. The crab’s other massive pincer swung in a deadly arc, seizing Myrrh’s left mechanical arm in a vise-like grip. With a swift, brutal snap, the pincer severed the arm clean from her Frame Unit. The dismembered limb tumbled to the ground, trailing a cascade of sparks and wires.

“Guh!” Myrrh gasped, her voice thick with pain and disbelief. “She got me!”

Her thrusters ignited in a desperate burst of energy, propelling her backward and out of the mechanical crab’s immediate reach. As she landed, her Frame Unit staggered, the severed stump of her left arm emitting erratic flashes of light and crackling electricity. Myrrh clutched the damaged joint, her breaths coming in ragged, pained bursts.

The opponent’s support unit smirked, his orange-circuit hand still glowing faintly as he cast a taunting gaze in my direction. “So, Mister Fourth Place,” he drawled, his words sharp and mocking. “Now’s the time to show your ace. Or are you just going to watch her get dismantled?”

I clenched my fists, teeth grinding as I struggled to suppress my frustration. Activating the WMD series was a double-edged sword—it would expose my secret to everyone. And even if I wanted to use it, there was another problem: I had no control over when it would manifest. The WMD series only responded in moments of synchronicity, when Myrrh was pushed to the brink, and our brainwaves aligned perfectly.

For now, all I could do was watch, waiting for the moment when everything would finally click into place.

Myrrh’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts like a jolt of electricity, snapping me back to reality.

“Let’s do it, Zaft!” she shouted, her tone sharp and commanding.

“W-What?!” I stammered, caught off guard. "Are you sure I should use that weapon again?"

“Not that one, idiot!” she barked, her words laced with both urgency and exasperation. “The one my mother taught you!”

For a moment, my mind reeled, then clarity struck like a flash of light. Miss Mirana Alicent’s teachings resurfaced—the lessons she had drilled into me about maximizing the potential of the Weaponry Enhancement Engineering Bios, even at our current, lower clearance levels. It was a technique we hadn’t fully mastered but had no choice but to rely on now.

A grin spread across my face as realization dawned. “Are we really doing this? Here? Now?”

“Yeah!” Myrrh shouted, her thrusters roaring to life as she surged toward the colossal crab Frame Unit, her determination burning brighter than ever. “We’ll settle this, right here, right now!”

I didn’t hesitate. With a swift gesture, I minimized the holographic HUD and extended both hands, now blazing with radiant blue circuits, toward Myrrh’s advancing Frame Unit. The energy flowed from me to her, linking us in a seamless circuit of power.

In that instant, Myrrh’s Frame Unit shimmered with a brilliant light, and a massive Rail Cannon materialized on her shoulder. The weapon was a masterpiece of engineering, its sleek barrel glowing faintly as it hummed with energy.

“Fire!” I shouted, my voice merging with hers in perfect synchrony.

The Rail Cannon roared to life, unleashing three consecutive shots, each projectile tearing through the air with a deafening crack. The first two rail bullets slammed into the crab’s reinforced armor, deflecting harmlessly against its metallic shell. Sparks flew, but the giant mech remained unscathed.

The third shot, however, found its mark. The rail projectile struck squarely in the center of the crab Frame Unit’s face, the impact detonating with a blinding flash of light and a thunderous explosion.

“What the—?!” the opponent WAIFU cried, her voice distorted by the chaos of the blast.

For the first time, their seemingly impenetrable defense had been breached. The metallic crab stumbled back on its tank-like wheels, sparks and smoke pouring from the gaping wound where its head had once been pristine.

As the glow of Myrrh’s Rail Cannon faded, the massive weapon disintegrated into particles of light. Almost instantly, a sleek jetpack materialized on her back, its twin thrusters roaring to life. Without hesitation, Myrrh launched herself forward, her Frame Unit moving like a missile. Using her momentum, she delivered a powerful kick to the enemy Frame Unit, her metallic leg slamming into the crab’s massive body with an audible clang!

The sheer force sent the gigantic crab Frame Unit hurtling into the air, its tank wheels flailing helplessly.

“Wah!” the opponent WAIFU yelped, her voice panicked as her mech spiraled upward.

Not letting up for even a second, Myrrh used her jetpack to ascend, quickly matching the altitude of the airborne crab. As she closed in, her Frame Unit spun with breathtaking agility, the jetpack dissolving into shimmering light as she manifested a Beam Rifle mid-spin.

Three sharp blasts erupted from the rifle’s barrel, each shot finding its mark. The glowing beams scorched through the crab’s thick armor, leaving jagged, smoldering cracks along its shell.

“What the hell!? How can you equip weapons that fast?!” the opponent’s support unit shouted, his voice tinged with disbelief and frustration.

I couldn’t help but smirk as I twitched my hand, the blue circuits on my arm flickering with renewed energy. Myrrh’s Beam Rifle began to shimmer and shift, its form elongating and reshaping in an instant. It transformed into a gleaming Laser Sword, its blade humming with deadly energy.

With a feral roar, Myrrh raised the sword above her head, her Frame Unit blazing with raw power. “Get fucked!” she bellowed, her voice echoing across the battlefield as she plunged the Laser Sword downward.

The blade sliced cleanly through the crab Frame Unit, sparks and molten metal erupting from the wound. The sheer force of the attack sent the colossal mech crashing to the ground, its massive body collapsing under its own weight. Steel parts scattered across the battlefield with a deafening cacophony, the once-formidable opponent reduced to a smoldering heap.