The commander quickly realized the spider drones had been rendered useless. What he hadn't anticipated was that among the enemy was an esper wielding powerful electromagnetic abilities. Brow furrowed, he issued a terse order:
"Deploy the exo-units. Prepare for engagement."
He turned to Zeus and said, "These exosuits aren't reliant on computerized systems. They should be immune to EMP interference."
Zeus's expression darkened.
"We underestimated them. Quickly—send someone to find the Emissary. Once he arrives, these espers will no longer be a threat."
"We'll begin the search immediately. For now, the exo-units should be enough to delay them."
Zeus said no more. He, too, was at a loss. Only now did he truly understand: the so-called sanctuary of his temple was far from invincible. After a moment of hesitation, he activated his comms and contacted the one person he could still appeal to—Supreme Commander Sam of the Alliance forces.
Sam appeared on the monitor, visibly irritated in his nightwear.
"It's nearly five in the morning, Zeus. What is it now?"
Zeus glanced at the time.
"My apologies, sir. We're in trouble. The X Legion has sent four powerful espers to extract Xiao Feng. One of them, previously unidentified, possesses an extremely potent electromagnetic ability. We're barely holding them off."
"Powerful? What level?"
"We can't determine her classification, but she's stronger than anything we've encountered. Hades is already dead. Ares and Poseidon have been taken alive. I'm out of options."
Sam pulled his robe tighter, his face hardening.
"Sounds serious. Your orders are simple—don't let her escape. I'll send reinforcements immediately."
"If you can really send help, I'd be grateful. But you must understand—she may be beyond even Level Ten."
"I understand," Sam said grimly. Then his eyes narrowed. "Isn't my uncle—the Emissary—still at your temple?"
"We've dispatched search teams. His whereabouts are unknown. But if he were here, we'd have nothing to fear."
Sam's voice grew sharp with anger.
"Listen, Zeus—if anything happens to my uncle, you'll answer for it. Personally."
Zeus stammered, "The Emissary is surely fine. His purification ability alone can obliterate any esper threat."
Sam's tone was icy.
"He better be. If he's harmed, I'll see you broken. Now stall them. I'm mobilizing our forces—hold on until we arrive…"
"Understood…" Zeus ended the call. He didn't know whom Sam could summon—or how long his own side could endure. Sighing, he opened another line and whispered,
"Darling… wake up. I need you. I'm in trouble…"
···
···
Earth Dog watched as dozens of heavily armored exo-soldiers advanced slowly toward the temple entrance. He muttered to Pandora,
"Looks like it's my turn. Your electromagnetic pulses won't work on these brutes."
To his surprise, Pandora smiled—a rare sight. Though laced with contempt, her smirk was strangely captivating. Her long blade slid from her wrist with a metallic hiss.
"My pulse may be useless, but my blade remains exquisitely sharp."
Earth Dog cracked his neck.
"Leave the heavy lifting to us men."
And with that, he charged from behind the stone pillar.
As the exo-soldiers marched toward the temple hall, Earth Dog's armor deployed fully. Tiny missile ports snapped open along his suit. One by one, micro-missiles locked onto their targets.
In his HUD, a swarm of targeting reticles lit up. The exosuits locked onto him at the same moment he fired. A storm of miniature missiles launched in unison—dozens of them streaking through the air like a meteor shower.
The sheer spectacle was overwhelming.
No one who had not witnessed it firsthand could fathom the sheer destructive power Earth Dog carried alone.
Each suit was hit by multiple missiles, engulfing the entire force in fire and shrapnel.
Inside the command vehicle, Zeus and the commander stared in disbelief.
They had never seen such concentrated firepower from a single combatant. In under two seconds, the entire exo-unit squad was reduced to smoldering wreckage.
The commander barked,
"All units, open fire! Kill that bastard—now!"
Alliance troops and vehicle-mounted guns opened up in a deafening barrage. Earth Dog, now exposed in front of the temple, became the sole focus of their assault.
But his armor, reinforced and sealed after the missile barrage, withstood the hail of bullets and cannon fire. Unfazed, Earth Dog slowly retreated back into the temple.
At that moment, K appeared beside him, grinning. He raised a finger to his lips and gestured for Earth Dog to move aside. Standing at the edge of the wall, K unleashed his full ability.
Outside, the wreckage of the destroyed exo-suits began to stir.
Metal scraped and shifted, like black sludge drawn to a drain. The twisted remnants slithered toward the temple's entrance, piling up before the doorway—forming a thick, makeshift iron wall.
K exhaled and smiled.
"Let's hope this holds for a few minutes."
Earth Dog checked his remaining weapons. He was running low. Pandora walked over and narrowed her eyes at K.
"Why trap ourselves inside?"
K replied calmly,
"We can't take them head-on. We need to find Xiao Feng and get out—fast."
Pandora scoffed.
"Just a pack of weaklings. I could crush them alone. You go find him."
She glanced at a nearby window. Her blade gleamed once more as she sprinted forward and vaulted through it, vanishing into the night.
K raised his communicator.
"Rush—have you found Xiao Feng yet? We're out of time."
Rush's voice crackled through.
"I've got him. He's still talking to the old man. We're leaving now."
"Hurry—we've got hostiles incoming," K said as gunfire and screams echoed through his earpiece.
Meanwhile, Rush turned to Xiao Feng and said,
"We've got to go. Now."
Xiao Feng nodded to the Emissary.
"You're sure the three of them are in that place?"
The Emissary replied,
"Yes. I'm too old to go with you, but once you find them, you'll gain allies like no other. In the end, only we can truly trust one another."
Xiao Feng nodded slowly.
"I understand. If I find them, the Alliance won't stand a chance."
The Emissary smiled faintly.
"I'll await your good news…"
At that moment, the door to their chamber burst open. An Alliance soldier stormed in—and froze at the sight before him. His rifle immediately snapped up—trained on Xiao Feng.