Chapter 253

’I was wondering why he had asked us to secure our VMS gear. These guys are huge. Well... not as massive as the Aberrants, but still significantly larger than any spiders I’ve ever known. Sheesh.’

The persistent hum of mechanical rotors filled the air, causing Ray to lift his gaze.

Dozens of drones were filing through the sky, weaving between the skyscrapers as if they were recording the carnage or reporting live data back to a central hub.

’The control tower....’

"Move," Trisha uttered coldly.

She didn’t wait for a response, roughly pushing past the Aspirants who were idling in front of the exit.

She stepped out into the open air to find that the elite forces from the other carrier were already deployed and on the move.

Seeing her fearlessly lead the way, those who had been reluctant finally found their courage and stepped out.

Soon, the entire group stood before their carrier, its massive blades finally slowing to a halt.

Ray’s eyes rapidly scanned the vicinity, taking in the tactical situation.

The giant spiders were everywhere; some were perched atop the high-rise buildings, while others burrowed into the concrete walls.

However, the majority remained on the ground level, engaged with the Iron Corps.

The soldiers were keeping their distance, maintaining a perimeter while opening continuous fire on the monsters.

While their bullets were unable to secure immediate kills against the thick carapaces, they were still successful in injuring the beasts and slowing the advance.

"Aspirants! Time to get to work!" Lincoln shouted.

He stepped to the side, pointing toward the chaotic battlefield with a stern expression.

’Let’s see how you all make decisions when there’s no formal command structure in place,’ the Sergeant thought privately.

’No specific orders?’ Ray wondered, glancing at the other Aspirants.

It was as if he had gained a sudden surge of motivation.

"Those of you who are too afraid to fight, hurry up and help the Corps evacuate the civilians to the nearest shelter!" Van bellowed at his peers.

The other students turned to look at him as if he had suddenly lost his mind.

Who did he think he was? A Captain?

Like hell they would listen to a tech-guy like him.

Just then, one of the beasts swung a jagged, serrated talon, ripping a man who was trapped under a pile of rubble to shreds.

Blood sprayed into the air, painting the gray concrete a vivid scarlet.

Van’s jaw tightened, his face contorting with rage. "NOW, you bastards!" he screamed.

The sheer intensity of his voice acted like a trigger.

Instantly, the Aspirants surged forward like programmed robots.

Those who knew they were too weak for direct combat quickly activated their VMS boots and bolted toward the danger.

Weaving expertly between the crumbling buildings, they reached the clusters of terrified civilians.

Lincoln gave a subtle, approving nod. ’Good decision-making.’

Frost began to creep around Trisha’s hands as she kicked off the ground at full speed.

The VMS gear on her feet hissed once, the internal engines coughing to life before fully activating.

Compressed gas sprayed through the air, propelling her upward.

She locked eyes with one of the nearest beasts and immediately sent a dozen ice spikes flying.

The spikes lodged into the narrow cracks of the creature’s carapace, driving deep into the sensitive flesh of its joints.

One of the spiders lost its footing for a moment—and that was all the opening Trisha needed.

She drew her sword, the blade gleaming as frost coated the steel.

With the boots propelling her downward at blazing speed, she descended in a whirlwind of strikes.

She severed one of the beast’s primary leg joints, causing it to stagger and crash into the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

She wasted no time, cutting through the dust cloud to slide underneath the beast’s soft underbelly.

Just as she prepared to deliver a lethal slash, one of the beast’s talons intercepted her blade.

Simultaneously, a second limb shot toward her legs while the spider’s mandibles lunged for her head, ready to tear her apart.

Suddenly, a crystal golem burst out from the side, crashing into the beast’s head with the force of a wrecking ball.

The impact threw the monster to the side, causing it to stagger away from Trisha.

Kai had officially joined the fray.

With his arrival, the other Aspirants began to spread out, covering different sectors of the city.

The evacuation effort was now in full swing; grabbing two terrified children by their waists, one Aspirant kicked the ground, the VMS boots shooting him into the air.

He landed on a low building before springing off again, leapfrogging toward the designated safety zones.

— WIIIIII!

The kids shouted in amusement, as if they were enjoying some sort of high-stakes amusement park ride.

Tapping his bracelet a few times, Van watched as the mechanical spiders crawled upward, surrounding both of his arms to form a bulky, formidable arm cannon.

Sliding one of the beast cores Ray had provided into the open slot, he pointed one hand forward while his second arm was raised to the left and—

Bang—! Bang—!

Two distinct shots of pure energy surged out with blazing fury.

One crashed directly into the eyes of a beast that three Iron Corps members were battling, blinding it instantly, while the second shot smashed through the exposed joints of another monster.

It was a precise, sniper-like shot that tore through the sensitive anatomy, forcing the beast to crash head-first into the ground and kick up a thick cloud of dust.

Flames roared into view as Berg dashed forward, fireballs shooting from his hands like rhythmic cannonballs.

Each shot produced a sharp recoil that pushed his hands backward, but he would quickly reposition and fire away again.

Nearby, Chloe nocked two arrows into her bowstring and fired.

One of the arrows ricocheted harmlessly off the thick carapace, but the second managed to dig a few inches into a joint.

With a focused telekinetic push, she forced the arrow to tear deeper through the joint, allowing the beast to stumble for a split second.

That was more than enough time for Felix to bolt in, delivering a thunderous punch directly into the beast’s mandibles.

Its head was jerked to the side for a moment, only for its talons to slash back toward the werewolf.

Felix quickly vaulted into the air, utilizing the propulsion of his VMS boots to escape the reach of the serrated limb.

’Woah! These things are awesome. Why don’t we have tech like this in our world?’

Swinging his hands in wide arcs, Felix sent four obsidian slashes tearing outward.

They smashed into the beast’s carapace but, for some reason, were unable to rend through the organic armor.

’How solid is this armor?’

Landing back on the pavement, he squeezed his hands into tight fists and lunged forward again with a wild, small smile. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Never mind about that! I will just punch your armor to pieces! Haha!"

Caster drew a new pair of short swords; his original blade had been shattered on Planet Palatine during the grueling fight with the golems.

Without a hint of hesitation, he zipped forward into the fray.

Every single person was joining the battle except for one fellow.

’Now... uh... how do I make a flashy entrance?’ Ray mused as he stood back, calmly staring at the absolute chaos unfolding before him.