The battle continued, but within seconds the bance tipped in the Medusa’s favor. Every blow she took seemed to teach her something; as if her body—that amalgam of flesh and crystals—were grotesquely adapting to the Hunters’ rhythm.

  Now she could hold her own against the two shields, the gunfire, and Jorgen’s assaults. He had left Luca behind after making sure the Assault Suit had begun first aid.

  It was terrifying to watch her fight.

  The way she wielded the shield could no longer be coincidence. She was no longer just a creature—she had assimited the way Maik, Luca, and Nail used it. Every movement carried the shadow of their styles, repeating them like a hungry echo.

  Another shot thundered inside the dome. The Medusa deflected it without even looking and redirected it toward Marge, but Nail intercepted the trajectory with his shield, trembling under the force of the impact.

  "Damn it… I’m out of bullets! Jorgen, Marge, I can’t support you anymore!" Makina shouted, frustration shaking her voice.

  She had no time to curse further. She ran to try to drag Luca away from the fight.

  "Nene, help-! Where are you going?!" Makina yelled when she saw the girl change direction.

  "T-Trust me! I have an idea to get out!" Nene replied, her voice breaking, as if every word tangled in her throat.

  The roar of battle shook the dome again, and Makina had to focus on moving Luca. There was no room to argue. She would trust Nene’s judgment.

  Meanwhile, Jorgen managed to break through the Medusa’s guard thanks to the energy net Marge deployed from her rifle.

  "Swordsman Technique Deployment I: Ssh ; Connect [Bite and Sever (Arghnipraksma/Spinal Column/Lumbar)]" (10 P.R).

  The greatsword descended with brutal brilliance, aiming to split the creature’s spine in two. But at the st instant, the humanoid monster twisted its body, escaping being cleaved in half. Even so, its abdomen was sliced open. Sickly purple entrails spilled across the flooded floor.

  "Hurt… no more… please…" the creature growled, its voice echoing like a broken prayer, with what sounded like… tears?

  Jorgen noticed.

  "Did it… slow down…?"

  "Boss, don’t get distracted!" Nail shouted.

  It was the st thing Nail managed to say before stepping in. His shield, weakened by the ck of Resonance Points and his Vitality, shattered with the sound of crystal smashing against the ground. Tentacles pierced his chest and neck with macabre precision.

  "NAIL!!" they all roared in unison, but there was no time to mourn. The tentacles kept attacking like living spears.

  The st shield bearer stepped in front of Jorgen and the falling body, but its wielder was already breathing with difficulty.

  "Boss… I’m running out of… Resonance Points too…" he said between gasps.

  Jorgen smmed the buttons on Nail’s Assault Suit, praying the system would be enough. He cursed himself for being fooled by that apparent sluggishness.

  There was no time to stand still. If he stopped, they would all die.

  "Makina, come get Nail!"

  "On it!"

  Nene, for her part, prepared to bet everything on a single theory.

  She activated her Resonance.

  "Residual Synchrony – Target [Incomplete Territory (Technique)]: Domain."

  The dome shone in her vision… but this time she wasn’t trying to break it—she was trying to read it. With only five seconds of crity at 5% output, she could barely distinguish noise. Blood ran hot from her nose and ears, but she didn’t stop.

  She activated it again. And again. And again. Ignoring the ringing in her ears as her Vitality rapidly dropped.

  There had to be a pce... somewhere where...

  "I found them!"

  There were small areas where the orange color blurred. Incomplete points. Fws. She had deduced it when she first cracked the ceiling: lines like veins, extending toward those defective areas.

  If she could open them…

  She ran to one side of the dome. Pced both hands against the cold, pulsating surface. She activated her Resonance, no matter the pain tearing through her head.

  "Residual Synchrony – Target [Incomplete Territory (Technique – Breaches)]: Domain."

  "What are you doing, brat?!" Jorgen exploded when he saw her.

  There was no time for stupidity. Luca was critical, Nail might not survive. They needed every resource—not distractions.

  But then it happened.

  The dome opened.

  A real hole. An exit.

  Jorgen stopped shouting. His jaw simply dropped.

  Faster than that, his mind screamed that he had to take advantage of what was about to happen.

  The Bizarre was about to fall to the ground once more, immobilized. He had to exploit that stun window.

  The Medusa reacted before they did. She hurled her shield straight at Jorgen’s face, forcing him to guard. Then she wrapped her own body in her tentacles, like an armored cocoon. She blocked the shots, Jorgen’s ssh, and Maik’s blows. A perfect defense.

  "What are you waiting for?!" Nene coughed, almost spitting blood. "While it’s immobilized, let’s get out and run to the Fissure!"

  "Nene’s right! Move!" Makina ordered, dragging Luca by the legs.

  Maik ran to help, taking the wounded man’s weight. Marge carried Nail’s body.

  "Good," Jorgen said between ragged breaths. "Next time the brat opens an exit, Makina, Marge, and Maik go first with the injured. We’ll buy you time. And at the end… the brat and me."

  "B-But, Jor-"

  "That’s an order! Stay sharp! It’s getting up!"

  The Medusa rose with a wet shriek and unched a direct charge toward—

  "Nene!"

  "You hurt! Dangerous human!"

  "NO!"

  "Swordsman Technique Deployment I: Stab" (7 P.R).

  Jorgen lunged using his mobility technique. He reached the creature’s back… a grave mistake.

  The Medusa twisted her torso impossibly mid-leap, tearing into Jorgen’s shoulder with a tentacle ssh that split flesh and muscle. Then she kicked him in the back with such force that his spine cracked like dry wood. She aimed her tentacles at him.

  And then...

  "Argh!"

  The Medusa colpsed to the side, coughing blood. Nene had activated her Resonance again; saving Jorgen.

  But she paid the price. She dropped to her knees, water mixed with blood rising to her legs. She coughed as if the air were made of bdes.

  Even so, she screamed:

  "GET OUT NOW, ALL OF YOU!!"

  Maik and Marge obeyed on pure instinct, rushing out while carrying the wounded.

  Makina tried to lift Nene, but the girl shoved her toward the exit.

  "Wait!" Makina shouted, just as the opening closed in front of her.

  Inside the dome, the air grew heavy.

  "M-Mister Jorgen…" Nene panted. "I can do it one more time… just…"

  "Aagh…"

  Jorgen could barely stay standing. The Medusa too. Her legs trembled; she seemed exhausted by the whole ordeal.

  Nene raised her bloodstained face.

  "Stop… please… we just want to leave…"

  The Medusa answered with a guttural murmur.

  "Arghnipraksma… only wants sun…"

  "Huh?"

  "The… sun… AWRGH!"

  The creature screamed as her own chest began to open. A crack split her skin, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. But she growled and stood again, charging at the humans once more.

  "Brat…" Jorgen growled. "Go, quickly. Open another exit. Makina’s already outside. I’ll distract it. Then we’ll leave."

  But as he saw the Medusa approach, something shone within her. A blue light in her chest. A gem, embedded deep in her torso.

  Her core.

  "I just… need a few seconds to see clearly…" he whispered.

  Normally, he could seize that core with his Resonance. But without his dominant arm, he couldn’t be fast enough. He needed to focus… a few seconds of clear vision of the exact point.

  Seconds the creature wouldn’t give him.

  He needed time. An absolute distraction. A good one—so she wouldn’t notice his pn, and then he could rip out her core.

  And so, once again, Jorgen charged at her.

  The final battle… had just begun.

  "Linx, you look worried. Let me guess… it’s your beloved F-Rank Girl—am I right?"

  The pyful voice cut through the silence of the monitoring room like a needle tearing through velvet.

  Cloe appeared leaning against the doorway, wearing a half-smile. The cold lighting highlighted the soft edges of her face, while in front of her, the beautiful Manager barely reacted.

  Linx had been wearing that expression for quite a while now: lips pressed tight, brows furrowed, and a lingering shadow in her eyes.

  "Cloe… well, honestly, yes. It’s been five days since she went in. I know that inside the cavity that’s barely five hours; but you know how it is; there’s the dey between report and report…" Linx murmured, never taking her eyes off the screen. "I really don’t like what I’m seeing in her data."

  "Huh? What do you mean? That girl’s with Jorgen’s group. Trust me, nothing’s going to happen to her." Cloe tilted her head and smiled, as if that alone were enough to dispel all tension.

  She knew Jorgen would protect Linx’s little Hunter. Or rather… Makina would force him to.

  That girl might give off bitchy vibes, but she was the complete opposite.

  Besides, the entire team was stable, disciplined, and strong; such a basic cavity shouldn’t pose any real threat. Still, the seriousness on her companion’s face sent a chill down her spine, sliding like a drop of ice.

  "…The T8000 Assault Suit just returned a biometric reading," Linx whispered, her voice cracking. "Multiple fractures in the carpals, metacarpals, phanges; humerus, fibu, and radius. Look."

  She unfolded the holographic dispy, a green glow washing over her face. On the screen, a message appeared unexpectedly: Data updated.

  Cloe raised a hand, ready to joke or brush it off—but her gesture froze halfway. Her blue eyes widened instantly, huge and crystalline, like two moons falling toward the earth.

  "…H-How? W-Wait. I need to check on my team. Oh my god." Her breathing grew erratic as she stepped back. "P-Please, don’t do anything stupid. I’ll be back with answers."

  The Cloe who always teased her during breaks rushed out, nearly tripping over the door. Her worry was so intense it left behind a sudden emptiness, as if the air itself had fled the room.

  "Huh…?" Linx whispered, still processing what she had just seen.

  She immediately switched the screen back to the main panel. She had only looked away for less than a minute. Thirty seconds talking to Cloe, another few sighing. That was all.

  And that tiny pse had been enough for the system to send an additional update.

  When she saw the new data, something cold and heavy closed around her chest. As if invisible hands were tearing her soul out in a single, violent pull.

  Report, Assault Suit Model T8000 by Himmel Inc:

  User: Neonphy Nerlhyta

  Physiological Constants:H.R = ERRORR.R = ERRORPulse = ERRORT = 25°C (descending)Physical Condition: Cranial Fracture: Occipital BoneRight Fractures: 12-C / 22-C / 43-C1Left Fractures: 41-CPenetrating Wound: Sternum (Pulmonary Damage)Multiple Muscle Tears (View more details?)The final beeping sound echoed through the empty room—endless, sharp, like a suppressed scream.

  And Linx, for the first time in a very long while, felt true terror.

  "…Nene?"

  Ouro