Jorgen fixed his gaze on Lorelley.

  The Floor Boss stood like a colossal aberration amid the ruined field, so still it seemed part of the ndscape itself. That unnatural stillness weighed heavily in the air. Even so, Jorgen’s voice rose firm and thunderous, leaving no room for argument.

  "Stay sharp. It’s an Ether-Css—weak to impact damage. That means Makina and I will be the stars of the show. Don’t let the acid intimidate you: it’s slow and cks energy. Maik, Nail, draw its attention! Fnk it from both sides! You, Luca—you’re with me. We go straight in."

  "And what about me, Jorgen?" asked Marge, pressing the lever-action rifle against her shoulder.

  "With Maik and Nail. Keep that thing still."

  The orders rippled through the group like a shared heartbeat. They moved as one, boots sinking into the damp earth, the air thick with the stench of rust and rotting sap. The silence of the dead forest broke under the metallic roar of their weapons activating.

  “C-Captain, what should I do?” asked Nene as she set the bag of cores on the ground.

  "You? Don’t get in the way!"

  Jorgen shoved her aside with a swipe of his hand, knocking her to the ground. Then Makina grabbed her shoulder.

  "I agree with him. You’ll just be in the way," she said, already repositioning her rifle. "Remember what we talked about before? Just stay with me."

  The first group dashed to the sides and activated their Techniques.

  [Squire Technique Deployment II: Great Shield.] (10 R.P)

  [Squire Technique Deployment II: Roar and Draw.] (5 R.P)

  Maik and Nail shouted.

  Light burst from their bodies. The blue and gold glow condensed and solidified into enormous translucent shields. Around them, a roaring aura began to pulse, pulling the monster’s attention like a magnet.

  Lorelley reacted instantly. Its jaws opened wide, releasing an insectoid roar that made the metallic trees tremble. The air vibrated, and with a cw swipe, it lunged at Maik. The impact crashed against the shield—a sound that reverberated through everyone’s bones. Taking advantage of the rebound, it spun toward Nail, jaws snapping.

  The squire took the full brunt of the beast’s weight. His arms shook under the pressure; his bones groaned with each passing second.

  "Now!" Jorgen roared.

  His body fred with green light as he deployed his Technique and lunged at Lorelley with his greatsword. But the boss, as if anticipating the strike, pressed its jaws harder against the shield. The sound of cracking gss shrieked through the air, and with a beat of its translucent wings, the creature unched upward, hurling Nail toward Jorgen like a human projectile.

  A pink aura radiated from its sickly green body, and from its deformed maw it fired a blob of acid the size of a basketball.

  The same pink ball that had melted through the ground earlier was now racing toward Nail’s face. He froze—until...

  Marge’s voice cut through the chaos.

  "Not so fast!"

  Then she activated her Technique.

  [Hunter Technique Deployment II: Net] (12 R.P)

  A crimson mesh shot out from her lever rifle, wrapping around Nail before he collided with Jorgen. The squire’s body spun midair, caught and dragged aside, diverting the impact. The path was clear for Jorgen to charge forward.

  His fellow squire, moving alongside him, stepped up to block the acid bst.

  [Squire Technique Deployment II: Great Shield.] (10 R.P)

  Luca blocked the attack, shaking off the corrosive residue immediately after.

  Meanwhile, Nene turned to Makina. The sniper’s rifle was already aimed, her lips barely moving as she murmured,

  "…Miss Makina, w-why isn’t that thing moving from its spot?"

  Makina didn’t take her eye off the scope. Her voice was cold and sharp.

  "Quiet. It doesn’t matter. It’s a stupid bug—scared. Look how aggressive it got. It’s just desperate."

  But Nene couldn’t believe that. Not entirely. The heavy air, that stillness amid the chaos… something in her gut screamed otherwise. It was the same icy dread she’d felt when F-rank insectoids pretended to flee—only to drag her into a hidden nest moments ter.

  She couldn’t know what a monster of that level thought, but she could imagine what it felt.

  It was weak. That was a fact—it was only an E-rank Floor Boss, an Ether-type insect. By nature, it was cowardly.

  How did she know? Because she was, too.

  Following that logic, if she were in its pce, she’d run. Six against one—it was hopeless.

  She would never stay and fight… unless she was certain she could nd a fatal blow.

  She remembered what she used to do—watching an F-rank beetle for hours to make sure it was alone, defenseless, confident nothing could harm it. Only then would she throw her knife from afar. Because even something that weak could kill her if she slipped up.

  So why wasn’t Lorelley panicking?

  "It’s not being aggressive… it’s being patient… waiting to—"

  Her breath hitched. Her heart hammered in her chest.

  [Swordsman Technique Deployment I: Pierce.] (7 R.P)

  Jorgen’s deep voice tore her from her thoughts. His body fred with green light again. The greatsword thrust forward, slicing the air like a bullet.

  In that instant, the amorphous insectoid glowed pink—and spat acid. Jorgen’s ugh broke in his throat.

  "Ha. Got you, bastard." [Swordsman Technique Deployment I: Pierce.] (7 R.P)

  He triggered the same Technique, aiming downward, propelling himself toward the wet ground to evade the acid. Instantly, Marge unched another net, ensnaring Lorelley and pinning it down. The horrific creature shrieked, bound and thrashing.

  "Now! Kill it, Maki!"

  Nene looked at Lorelley—and something in its eyes froze her blood. Those weren’t the eyes of a terrified, cornered insect.

  Its gaze was fixed—too fixed—on Jorgen… and, judging by the chill running through her veins, on her.

  Fear consumed her again. Just like the first time she’d been attacked. Just like before…

  "Oh God—MISS MAKINA, DON’T SHOOT!"

  Makina didn’t hear. She pulled the trigger.

  [Sniper Technique Deployment II: Precision Shot ; Connect: [Bang-Bang! (9x39mm cartridge)]] (15 R.P)

  The detonation thundered. The bullet cut through the air with surgical precision.

  But Nene already knew. She activated her Resonance in desperation, eyes fixed on Maik.

  [Residual Synchrony — Target: [Maik Roge (Squire Technique II)]: Great Shield] (0.5 R.P)

  The spell sparked weakly, forming only a faint translucent shield on her right arm. But it was enough for her to hurl herself toward Makina—just as Lorelley turned two of its eyes on them.

  For an instant, everything froze. The air shattered with a deafening hum.

  A sharp, splitting sound filled the field—Lorelley vanished in a fsh of blue light. A sonic boom cracked through the air, leaving a streak of dust behind.

  "It disap—UGH!" Jorgen’s voice was cut short as his body was sent flying with a thunderous crash, smming into a colossal metal trunk. His Assault Suit fractured in pces.

  A heartbeat ter, the sharp sound of a shield breaking sliced through the silence.

  "W-what just happened?" Nail’s voice trembled, fear thick in his throat as he saw Marge’s net torn to shreds.

  The dust began to settle. And there stood Lorelley—right where Makina had been a second ago. Only now, two figures were impaled against the trunk.

  "AAAHHHHH!"

  Nene’s scream ripped through the air like a bde. Her arm hung shattered, white splinters of bone piercing flesh and muscle. Blood streamed down in heavy rivulets, staining her suit. Beside her, Makina gasped for breath, forehead bleeding, eyes wide—unable to comprehend what had just happened in that single second.

  “…What the hell…?”

  Lorelley stared at them with crimson eyes now glowing pink. Its jaws opened, corrosive liquid dripping as it readied another bst.

  Suddenly, a fsh of green streaked across the field—Jorgen was back on his feet, greatsword sparking against the ground. But before he could reach the enemy, the creature vanished again in a burst of blue lightning.

  Once more, his body was thrown high into the air, blood pouring from his nose.

  Still, the Hunter refused to let the situation break his steel nerves.

  As he plummeted, he waited for the disgusting beast to strike, pnning to counter with a downward ssh.

  But Lorelley didn’t chase him—it moved away.

  That’s when Jorgen understood.

  "That damn thing…" he spat, breathing hard. "That blue light—it studied us! It knows if it fights near me, it dies! It knows Makina can shred it from afar! Damn it, it’s never done that before! Guys, watch ou—"

  Before he could finish, a blue net spread across the forest, threads of the same color wrapping around every member of Team Neo.

  [Swordsman Technique Deployment I: Pierce] (7 R.P)

  Jorgen nded, but unease coiled in his chest. He had never—never—seen Lorelley use that Technique.

  Then he remembered the words of that man in the bck suit and blue tie—so elegant it almost felt like a crime to breathe the same air as him.

  "We have a deal. Once you’re inside, the things you thought you knew will vanish. What you once understood will become incomprehensible. When that happens… just remember why we hired you."

  “…So this is what he meant… when he said they needed a bizarre core.”