102. Mechanic Hydra
A red flash sliced through the silence of the mechanical graveyard. Shieeeek! The Mechanic Hydra's laser barrage tore through the air and slammed into the ground. In that single strike, half the mechanical legion's metal plating melted away, vaporizing in an instant.
─[All units, scatter! Pong!!!] Omega's sharp mechanical voice reverberated. The surviving machines scattered at the command.
The Mechanic Hydra's assaults poured out relentlessly. Flashing electricity, acidic liquid, resonance waves, cooling nitrogen, high-pressure steam, plasma orbs, dark matter. Attacks of every form blasted outward in all directions.
"Iris. Dodge those incoming attacks and get close to Omega."
─[Confirmed.] One Iris zipped toward Omega. I spoke to it right away.
"Omega. Isn't that black device on its body the weak point?"
─[Pong. That's the regeneration core. Destroy it, and the Hydra loses its regen. But right now, it's pointless to target it. Unless every head's function drops below a certain level, you can't pierce the protective barrier shielding the core.]
Omega answered, then—
─[Fortunately, it doesn't seem to have the time-manipulation ability the old Mechanic Hydra had! Still, that dark matter-spewing head is dangerous, so block it first. Pong!]
It kicked off the ground and leaped high. Omega's massive fist, forged from rebar and gears, spun wildly in midair.
Kuwoong! The powerful punch smashed one of the Mechanic Hydra's heads, exploding it into a shower of metal shards. But it was futile. In the blink of an eye, a new dark matter head regenerated.
─[Is that head the most dangerous?]
─[Yes! Completely removing it is impossible right now, but keep smashing it or we're in trouble! Pong!]
─[Got it. I'll neutralize it then!]
Arachne's thick threads sliced through the air. They instantly wrapped one head tight. It seemed to freeze—
─[Grrr...]
Geeeh! The bound head corroded and scattered. Soon, a new one sprouted from the body. It had judged the disabled head a lost cause and discarded it to regen fast.
─[Threads don't work on the body... I'd need to wrap all the heads at once.]
Arachne scanned the Mechanic Hydra top to bottom and sighed deeply. I could guess why. Binding all those massive serpent heads at once would take a ton of thread. Sure, she could produce that much. But spinning it would take time, and precisely snaring every head with that volume was tough. The heads were surprisingly quick for their size.
─[I'll keep neutralizing that one for now. No chance for it to spew dark matter.]
Bastet Daong circled the Mechanic Hydra at light speed, confusing one head. Next up was the Necro Puppeteer.
─[I'll use a superpower that massively boosts strength. I can't move while it's active, so cover me.]
Two SS-grade puppets stepped forward: Jellyfish Queen and Niara Nephensis. Jellyfish Queen extended an arm, forming a rainbow explosion orb. Niara raised both arms, tearing the sky open. Beyond the rift, countless stars twinkled in the cosmos.
─[An artistic explosion.]
The rainbow orb collided with a head, blinding light and thunderous boom erupting. Then—
─[Come forth, ye stars.]
A massive meteor blazed down from the torn sky.
Kwaaaaang! The ground quaked, dust billowing. It cleared fast, revealing two crushed heads. But in a flash, new ones grew.
The surviving mechanical legion kept hammering the body, drawing no blood but holding aggro. Techno Reaper and Cyborg Dragon targeted heads from the air nonstop. Blue energy slashed space from the reaper's scythe; plasma flames roared from the dragon's maw.
...Princess still not ready?
Before the Hydra appeared, I'd ordered Omega and the exploration team: Draw its eyes. Keep them off Blood Jellyfish Princess. The constant barrage was to block its view too.
Simple reason: Princess packed the strongest punch right now. Normally weaker than other SS-grades, but not today. Prepping for long expedition, she'd guzzled waterfall blood nonstop. At least tens of thousands of Pigkings' worth stored up. And she grew stronger the more blood she drank.
She's charging her ultimate, so we're holding... but it's taking forever.
If even her attack failed, we'd retreat. I checked via Iris. She stood rigid, hands clasped, eyes shut serene.
As battle peaked, Princess slowly raised her eyelids. Her mouth parted, red mist drifting out.
─[Dye the world in blood.]
The incantation fell. Everything turned red. Scrap mountains, ground, sky—even the Hydra. Only our side—exploration team, Omega's legion—stayed unchanged.
─[Grr...?] The Mechanic Hydra finally noticed her. Too late.
Plip. A raindrop fell from the sky. Clear water.
Plip plip. More followed, intensifying.
Plip plip plip— It became a waterfall roar.
─[Kr, Kraaaaa!!!]
The Hydra's world-shaking scream pierced the heavens, shaking the earth. The red world—and the Hydra—began fading translucent at the clear water's touch. Like filthy blood cleansed pure by holy water.
The beast thrashed its seven heads, body convulsing wildly. Useless. It could only accept dissolution.
Good, Princess's attack worked... I sighed in relief. I'd guessed as much from the chant. For a split second—0.1 sec—her danger spiked to SSS-grade. Felt it in my bones.
As everyone stared dazed, Omega snapped to and bellowed.
─[Now! Barrier's down—smash the core! Pong!!!]
─[Leave that to meow!]
Bastet Daong vanished as Omega's voice echoed.
─[Solorb folks, watch meow!!!]
She reappeared opposite—beyond the Hydra's body. She'd blitzed through at lightspeed, piercing the body. Naturally, the black regen core was wrecked.
Princess smiled, job done, then—
─[Pii... We did it...]
Drained, she collapsed. The world regained its colors.
The Hydra lived, but no issue.
─[Mechanic Hydra's lost regen! Pong pong!]
It was near death, super-regen gone.
─[All-out assault! Pong pong pong!!!]
Omega's legion and exploration team overwhelmed it. No real resistance—the beast crumbled pathetically.
■ Mechanic Hydra
Actual Danger Level:SS-grade x7
Current (Nerfed) Danger Level:A-grade x7
Abilities: Electricity, acidic liquid, resonance waves, cooling nitrogen, high-pressure steam, plasma orbs, dark matter
Notes: Infant stage, weakened. Grows naturally over time, gaining power, intelligence, and destructive instincts. This subjugated specimen was only one month old.