Shattering the Golem Advance
The artificial engine noise from the mana-powered vehicles could be turned off, but Allen had deliberately left it on to distract the intruders' attention.
Two tactical transport vehicles—the same ones that had carried the cartel members all the way to Maze City—shot out simultaneously from behind the factory. They resembled trucks in appearance, with one key difference: the troop compartments were protected by rectangular steel plating.
Just before the smoke grenades detonated, the scout spiders Allen had deployed everywhere detected unusual movements from the enemy. Fragments of information gathered one by one, reconstructing in Allen's mind.
"They're planning to blind us with smoke and charge in all at once. The two trucks will probably loop around and head here too. They're moving."
Footsteps multiplied from within the smoke. The growing volume meant they were closing in.
Taylor, who had been guarding Allen's blind spots, hurled the hole-riddled car door aside.
"This should be enough. Leave close combat to us."
"Brother, who'll handle the trucks?"
"Allen will take care of it."
Allen nodded and fell back. Even with the exoskeleton's support, his arms ached from wearing the powersuit gauntlets.
Probably because the weight balance is off.
Wearing individual pieces like plate armor disrupted balance due to the weight, but donning the full set distributed it evenly for comfort.
Of course, the biggest issue was Allen's own body. He'd managed to build up some durability through treatment and training, or his shoulders might have dislocated.
Thud!
Detaching the powersuit arms from the exoskeleton sent them crashing to the ground with a heavy thump. That sound was quickly swallowed by the screams and explosions echoing from ahead.
With roles assigned, it was Allen's turn to stop the trucks.
A spider serving as a relay climbed onto Allen's shoulder. It amplified the scout spiders' signals and relayed them to him.
Allen's vision split. His right eye saw his current location, while his left scanned the surroundings as if he'd launched an aerial drone.
The Corona Cartel's transport vehicles were splitting into two prongs, approaching from this direction.
One of them has Nobak.
He wanted to accumulate as much damage as possible before the bastard showed his face. In any war, it was best to set up winning conditions first.
A box?
Beep—!
No, hold position.
Beep...
The response had an odd pitch variation, likely due to ambient noise. Allen ignored it and focused on the trucks.
Scout spiders positioned on nearby rooftops transmitted the trucks' locations in real time.
Distance: 200m. Position: 10 o'clock.
Allen targeted the truck approaching from the left first. Abandoned buildings and factories cluttered the area, making the angle tricky, so he sidestepped a few paces.
Now a gap in the crumbled brick wall came into view. There was another wall beyond, but one was easier to breach than two.
His right eye aimed the mana round launcher, while his left tracked the approaching truck. Just as it reached Allen's firing point.
The mana round streaked out at high speed. The armor-piercing round engraved with [Penetration], [Spiral], and [Acceleration] punched through the brick wall.
The angle shifted slightly in the process, but as Allen predicted, it slammed into the truck's wheel.
"What the fu—!"
The truck lurched violently. Before the driver could finish cursing, it smashed into the brick wall.
As the driver flailed from the impact, the steadfast truck collided with another wall and skidded sideways, tilted over. With its wheels off the ground, it ground to a halt.
The shaking stopped, and the magitechwear embedded in the driver's body injected stimulants. The pain regulator kicked in, dulling the agony.
As the driver regained his senses, something fist-sized appeared before his eyes.
"Wha—."
He tried to say, What the hell is that? but his mouth moved sluggishly. Puzzled by the phenomenon, he realized its identity in that instant.
It was a mana round. Only then did he understand why time seemed to slow.
They say time slows when death approaches.
That was the driver's final thought.
Boom!
A massive explosion shattered the transport's windows, flames engulfing the cab. Not satisfied, a follow-up mana round turned the vehicle into a blazing inferno.
Was it the bull? Some punishment where they lock you in and light a fire below...
Allen set aside the random thought and focused on the remaining truck. The moment he fired an armor-piercing round to shred its wheel.
Crunch!
The metal plating over the cargo bay tore open, something bursting out. A massive figure skidded across the asphalt, spraying sparks and debris.
It was Nobak, but bulkier than Shiba's intel or Allen's own observations suggested. His arms and legs were thicker and more elongated. His torso too.
When did he swap it in?
Body proportions so distorted by enormous magitechwear were commonly called golem suits. Nobak wore one everywhere except his head.
It might seem like a powersuit at a glance, but the differences were clear. A powersuit went over the body; a golem suit replaced body parts.
Nobak, stretched from 7-head to 11-head proportions, stomped forward, crushing the asphalt. He looked like a gorilla body topped with a human head.
His immense weight made every metal footfall echo with a deafening boom.
Fire.
Allen's signal reached the hidden panther. Fooling the streetlights and moonlight, it gaped its jaws and unleashed a beam.
Ziiiing!
A red heat ray left a charred scar in its path. Reaching the nearby wall, it incinerated a tattered placard.
Regrettably, Nobak dodged the surprise strike, leaving an afterimage.
Reflex Axle.
He must have spotted the pre-launch flash and evaded.
Without magitechwear amplifying reflexes and signal speed to extremes, such feats were impossible. Nobak wasn't a physical trainer; he was a magitech engineer.
"Still playing your cute little tricks, after all these years."
No curses, but rage seeped through his clenched teeth.
Nobak didn't stop moving as he spoke. He pinpointed the panther's position and approached only from angles that prevented beam fire.
"Do you still have your eyes?"
"..."
Allen saw no value in responding. With one side unresponsive, Nobak's face twisted. Humiliated by an "experiment" he'd left below, and now ignored in conversation—it was natural.
"Facial muscles intact, huh. I thought it was synthetic skin, but you kept your original face."
"You..."
The reply veered from his question. Meeting that emotionless face and analytical gaze fueled his fury.
Only he should react that way. In their hierarchy, he was above, Allen below.
Nobak calmed his boiling gut and spoke again.
"Hand over your eyes, and I'll at least let you die painlessly..."
Pop!
The box on a nearby rooftop fired a mana round. Nobak's body blurred as he halted mid-sentence.
In the slowed time, his hand reached for the mana round, blue mist coiling around it.
Allen knew the technique. He'd seen it deflect mana rounds in the mine—enough that Taylor teased him about team-kills for a while.
The blue mist likely mimicked [Slow], delaying mana flow or impact detection on contact.
Thus, the round wouldn't detonate on time—but that didn't matter now.
As Allen signaled, the mana round's shell cracked, spilling water instead of fire.
Two of its three runes were [Flood] and [Rain]. Water pooled shallowly at Allen's feet too.
No need for the massive volume used to freeze guards—just enough to drench Nobak. Water spread spiderweb-like from him.
Nobak charged again. Water chained to his soles splashed everywhere.
Thanks to Taylor's mana training enhancing his eyes and brain, Allen tracked Nobak's movements clearly. His body keeping up was another matter, hence the area attack.
Allen aimed the mana round launcher at the ground—specifically the water streams—and fired.
Tzzzt!
Sparks crackled loudly instead of an explosion. High-voltage current electrolyzed the water, igniting hydrogen bubbles into small flames.
Blue static danced across Nobak's body, charring his remaining eyebrows.
Normal electricity would have hit Allen too, but this was mana-generated.
The unspoken rune was [Target], marking Nobak specifically, so the current sought only him.
Nobak, body twisted from the jolt, regained his stance. His eyes bloodshot with rage.
"I gave you a chance, and you refuse? I'll rip them out myself and see if you're still so cocky."
"Talk to people, not things."
Such a curt response twisted Nobak's face further.
"You're ugly."
The personal jab warped it even more.
End
Allen observed Nobak closely. Heaving shoulders and chest, bloodshot eyes, magitechwear lights flickering unstably from output surges.
Not bad.
Taylor's taunting lesson had worked. He'd barely heard it while focused on the powersuit, so he'd improvised—but it landed.
Provocation is a fine weapon, Taylor had said. Like casual chit-chat about health or weather, traded back and forth.
Allen pondered his next line but held off. No talent for it, no ideas coming, and above all, Nobak was charging straight at him.
Screams and blasts erupted sporadically from the smoke behind. He had to block Nobak alone.
No.
The panther and box were there. With those kids, even well-armed Nobak was manageable—unlike before.
Grinding his teeth so hard his jaw muscles bulged, Nobak crossed his arms in a guard, blocking the front. Checking the box firing mana rounds while pushing forward.
The electric attack seemed to have done little damage, as Allen expected.
Coated in magic resistance.
Then he'd just hammer away until the shield broke.
First, amid the bull-like charge and earth-shaking vibrations, Allen calmly asked.
"Why do you want my eyes?"
"..."
No answer, just like Allen earlier. But the goal was met. As Nobak's attention flicked to him, the hidden panther struck his flank.
[Enhance], [Power], [Acceleration]. Buffed with the full trio, the panther—tiger-sized—was cheetah-swift.
The golem-suited man clashed with the metal beast. The panther swiped sideways with its forepaw; Nobak deflected with his forearm.
Crunch!
It sounded like cars colliding. The panther's metal muscles and joints maxed out, boosting the paw's speed further.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Nobak's golem fists began denting. No major harm visible, but impressive. Misaligned outer armor made hidden weapons hard to access.
Nobak knew this, bulling forward stubbornly. Leading with arms spread like shields, he rammed the panther's chest.
Simultaneously, he swung his right hand low, snagging the panther's hind leg. A moment later, and his left arm would have been sliced by the glowing mana claw