The cold, synthetic voice of the mechanized hunter-killer patrol unit still echoed in the dark and narrow tunnel passage. Red light from their sensors swept back and forth, creating a terrifying and oppressive atmosphere. The situation tensed instantly. Ryu's group of four was surrounded by steel monstrosities that seemed designed specifically for destruction.
"Damn it! How did they get here!" Bacchus cursed, annoyed, gripping the handle of his Earthen Hammer so tightly his veins bulged. "This tunnel is supposed to be a secret!"
"Looks like our 'secret' isn't a secret anymore," Raven murmured tensely, her twin pistols instantly raised in a combat stance. Her sharp eyes quickly assessed the enemy before them. "And judging by their looks... these aren't just ordinary patrol units we've encountered before. That armor... those weapons... they look much more dangerous."
Taurus stood facing the mechanical monstrosities, calm but exuding a pressure ready to explode. He shifted his massive frame slightly, as if warming up his rock-hard muscles. "There are four of them... and it seems one is larger and has more sensors than the others... possibly the leader," he said in a low voice, sharing his analysis. "This area is quite narrow, which might hinder their movement, but it also means we have less room to maneuver."
Ryu swallowed. He still felt a throbbing pain from his old wounds, but his warrior instincts were fully awakened. He observed the movement patterns of their mechanical legs and tried to look for joints or connections that might be weak points. "They use their legs for balance... if we can destroy one of their legs..."
"Not bad, kid!" Bacchus turned to smile at Ryu approvingly. "Then I'll take the lead in clearing a path! Taurus! Cover our backs! As for the fierce gun-toting lady and little Ryu, find opportunities to provide covering fire or attack the weak points we expose!"
Before Bacchus could finish speaking! The mechanized patrol unit that appeared to be the leader emitted another synthetic voice. "Target grouping detected! Initiating eradication protocol!"
At that, the energy machine guns mounted beneath the bellies of all four robots began to spin and glow with a bright blue light!
"Dodge!" Raven shouted a warning!
Multiple blue energy beams shot through the air towards them with speed and precision!
Taurus roared! He slammed his foot onto the ground with such force that the tunnel floor trembled, before raising both clenched fists in defense! The skin on that part of his arms instantly hardened and turned a dark gray, resembling granite!
Clang! Clang!
A few energy beams struck Taurus's stone arms directly! Sparks flew, and the sound of clashing metal rang out loudly! Though it left scorch marks and made Taurus stumble back slightly, he managed to block the first wave of attacks! "They hit harder than I thought!" he shouted.
Bacchus seized the moment Taurus drew the robots' attention and lunged at the nearest robot with incredible speed for someone his size! "Yaaargh! Earthen Hammer's Fury!" he roared, swinging the giant hammer, its head emanating a dense brown aura of earth, with full force at one of the robot's front legs!
BOOM!
The sound of twisting and breaking metal thundered! That mechanical leg was smashed and bent out of shape, causing the robot to lose balance and tilt to one side!
"Now!" Raven shouted! She agilely dodged the returning energy fire before using her twin pistols to accurately shoot the red sensor on the head of the staggering robot!
Bang! Bang!
The sensor shattered! The robot emitted a synthetic shriek before its system glitched and temporarily shut down!
Ryu didn't let this opportunity go to waste either! Though he couldn't move at full capacity, he used his remaining speed to rush to the side of that robot and used his katana to slash at the joint of its other, still functional, leg!
Slice!
Although his sword couldn't cut directly through the metal armor, it inflicted considerable damage on the joint mechanism, causing the robot to lose its balance even more severely!
"Hahaha! Well done, you two kids!" Bacchus laughed heartily, before turning to deal with another robot rushing towards him.
The battle in the narrow tunnel was fierce and chaotic. The remaining three mechanized patrol units began to change tactics. They spread out and tried to launch a pincer attack from multiple directions. Their energy machine guns fired continuously, forcing Ryu's group to constantly dodge and seek cover.
"They're getting smarter!" Raven shouted as she rolled away from a shot that grazed her head. "We need to destroy that leader unit first! Otherwise, they'll keep coordinating!"
Taurus nodded in acknowledgment. He noticed that the largest robot with more sensors often commanded and provided covering fire from the rear. "I'll draw it out! Bacchus! Get ready!"
With those words, Taurus roared again! Immense physical power was fully unleashed! He stomped his foot onto the ground with such force that it created a deep crater, before lunging at the two smaller robots that were about to flank Bacchus! His iron-hard fists smashed into the robots' armor!
Bang! Bang!
Though their armor was thick, it couldn't withstand Taurus's immense punching power! That part of the armor caved in visibly, and their internal systems began to take damage! The two robots froze instantly, giving Bacchus an opening.
"Thanks, friend!" Bacchus shouted, before swinging his Earthen Hammer at those two robots again! This time, he didn't aim for their legs but for their torsos, where their power cores were located!
Boom! Crackle!
Sparks and small explosions erupted from within the two robots! They collapsed to the ground, motionless!
Now only the leader unit remained standing! Seeing its comrades destroyed before its eyes, it began to fire its energy machine gun maniacally at Taurus and Bacchus!
"Now's our chance!" Raven shouted to Ryu!
The two of them seized the moment the leader unit was focused on attacking Taurus and Bacchus and launched an assault from two different directions! Raven used her twin pistols to continuously fire at its sensors and joints to create confusion and divert its attention! As for Ryu... he decided to take a risk!
He gathered all his strength and quickly jumped onto the back of that robot! Though its automated defense system tried to shake him off, he held on tightly! He saw a circuit panel that looked like its "mechanical brain," which had thinner armor than other parts!
"Shadowless Sword Dance: Piercing the Core!" Ryu shouted inwardly! He focused all his power into the tip of his sword and thrust it with all his might through the armor into the circuit panel!
Shlick! Spark!
Blue sparks flashed from the area where Ryu's sword had pierced! The leader unit emitted a tormented synthetic shriek! Its body began to vibrate violently before all the red lights from its sensors went out! Then its massive body collapsed heavily onto the tunnel floor!
Silence enveloped the area, broken only by the heavy panting of the four fighters.
"Hah... hah... is it... is it really over?" Bacchus slumped to the ground, exhausted, sweat pouring down his body.
Taurus nodded slowly. He bent down to examine the wreckage of the mechanized patrol units with interest. "They were much stronger than we thought... and it seems the Nebula Empire's technology has advanced far beyond our predictions."
Ryu could barely stand. Raven helped him sit down. "Thank you... thank you all so much... If it weren't for you..."
"Don't mention it, kid," Raven patted his shoulder lightly. "Consider it a workout." Though she said that, a faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
As they were about to rest, Taurus spoke up. "Wait a minute... I think the wreckage of these things is quite interesting. Especially that leader unit... its internal mechanisms look very complex."
Ryu's eyes widened when he heard that. An idea popped into his head. "Taurus-dono! Do you think... if we bring some of its parts back for Da Vinci-dono to see... he might be able to learn something from them?"
Bacchus's eyes widened. "Hey! That's not a bad idea, kid! That young sage is as sharp as a tack. If he sees the real thing like this, maybe he can create something even cooler to fight the Empire!"
Raven nodded in agreement. "I'm also curious to see what that 'Artificer' you guys talk about can 'create' from these scraps of metal."
The four of them looked at each other before quickly making a decision. They helped each other pry off and cut out the most important-looking and technologically interesting parts from the wreckage of the mechanized patrol units: the main sensor head, a small power core (which Taurus confirmed was not dangerous), parts of the energy machine gun, and the circuit panel Ryu had stabbed. They didn't take everything, as it would be too heavy and cumbersome, but enough for Da Vinci to "study" thoroughly.
"Alright! We've got 'souvenirs' for the master craftsman!" Bacchus said cheerfully, helping Ryu carry the heaviest parts. "Now all that's left is to get back to the village safely!"
They started their journey again. Though tired and wounded, everyone's heart was filled with renewed hope and determination. The recent battle had proven that when they worked together, they could overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. And the "souvenirs" they were bringing back might be the key to turning the tide in the future battle against the Nebula Empire.
The path to Ashwind Post was still long, and danger might still lie ahead. But the spark of hope... was about to be passed on to someone who could make it blaze even brighter... Leonardo da Vinci.
[End of Chapter 25]