"Yes! Vice President Mechanus! We're locking onto your coordinates now. Command will take effect in five seconds. Initiating fold-jump of the Hunters squad immediately!"
A rapid reply came through the communicator, followed by a flurry of clattering operational sounds.
Clearly, they had already realized it.
Their Vice President Mechanus had run into an extremely urgent crisis on this outing!
"Immediately notify District 41. Unseal all Hunters within the district. Emergency order: fold-jump device is active. Assemble at the designated coordinates at once!"
Inside the Demonkin Association.
One after another, cloaked attendants wearing tri-cornered hats issued orders with sullen expressions.
Whoosh—whoosh—
Inside District 41, viscous liquids were drained from container after container, and the Hunters sealed within were activated in succession. They instantly received the command, their eyeballs flashing urgent red sparks with a metallic tinkle.
Within just a few minutes, dense ranks of Hunters completed their assembly."Hunter unit assembled... Void Fold-Jump Device activated... target coordinates confirmed..."
"Deployment permission... highest authority... permission requester: Mechanus..."
"Deploy..."
Buzz—
With cold synthetic voices echoing through the factory, massive machinery roared into motion.
At the next instant, a harsh blue light instantly enveloped all the gathered Hunters.
Their bodies became ephemeral at once.
"Void fold-jump initiated—performing emergency transit—"
"Opening—"
In a blink, every single Hunter vanished from the Demonkin Association's District 41.
At the same time.
Out on the wasteland beyond Wandering Souls Alley, Lynn set down his communicator and gave the fleeing Mechanus a bright, white smile.
Mechanus’s mechanical components flashed noisily, panic etched into every circuit.
That guy...
That guy is no longer acting human!!
"Don't come closer! Don't come here!! The one who was talking to you earlier wasn't me!!"
He yelled, but it was already too late.
He immediately felt the spatial tremor pulsing through the area—a sensation he knew all too well. It was the fold-jump technology they had developed by borrowing the Void Leap Beast's ability for long-distance rapid teleportation.
And then, in the next moment.
Swish—swish—
One after another, blinding blue beams descended from the sky. To his horror, they landed all around him.
Within those searing halos, fully armed Hunters leaped out one after another and swarmed around him with a clattering rush.
Their eyeballs focused on Mechanus, blinking red light with metallic tinkles.
"District 41 Hunter unit assembled... By your command... we arrive to assist immediately... We obey your orders..."
Mechanus howled hysterically, "You're falling for a trap!! It's an ambush! Run... run—"
"Please rest assured, Vice President. District 41 Hunters are cutting-edge modified types. We possess superior intelligence and biological killing capability. To date, we have no failure records..."
The lead Hunter suddenly bared its sharp mantis blade and sliced through the space with a clang.
Its expression was solemn as it declared:
"Our creed is speed! Faster! Extremely fast! Rapidly resolve combat... quickly exterminate enemies... quickly penetrate behind enemy lines... No matter the foe, we fear nothing!"
"First strike, final strike!"
Slap—
A tentacle sweeping in from afar instantaneously flattened it into a smear of meat.
[ Ding! Little One has slain a modified Hunter. You received friendship reward: 50 experience ]
Mechanus: "(‧̣̥̇꒪່⍢꒪່ )"
Hunters: "Σ┗(＠ロ＠; )┛"
"……"
"Run!! What are you still standing there for!! You useless pieces of junk!!"
Mechanus bellowed in desperation, spun on his heel, and sprinted away like a rocket.
The modified Hunters beside him abruptly turned, and immediately locked onto the thrashing mass of tentacles in the distance—the Origin Rider barreling toward them.
Hunters: "!!!!"
[ Ding! Modified Hunter fear level toward you +10 ]
In an instant,
the Hunters who had folded in arrived like the wind, streaking past Mechanus with speeds that left him in the dust as they fled forward.
Mechanus: "0ДQ!!"
These worthless things!!
They run faster than him!
He was about to explode in anger!
"Come back!! All of you get back here!! Protect me!!"
He roared, frantic.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, a huge shadow suddenly dropped over him.
He snapped his head up.
Then, to his stunned eyes, the massive Origin-level head carrying the human boy darted across the sky above him.
It drifted down and slammed heavily in front of him.
Below that head, a furious tangle of tentacles writhed, curving into an S-shape and, sparking with flashes, drifted across toward the Hunters who had fold-jumped in.
Mechanus clutched his head and wailed, "It's an encirclement-to-relief ambush!!"
[ Mechanus breakdown +10 ]
Snap—
Pow—
Bang bang bang—
[ Ding! You shot a modified Hunter. Your Firearm Mastery +1 ]
[ Ding! Little One swallowed a modified Hunter, your favor with her +1, you received friendship reward: 50 base experience ]
[ Ding! Little One swallowed a modified Hunter, your favor with her +1, happiness +10 ]
It was like a tiger leaping into a flock of sheep.
Riding Little One and blasting wildly, Lynn emptied rounds at the fleeing Hunters below.
Like a roaring tiger-tank crashing into an infantry square, he was the machine-gunner on top, unleashing a hail of fire at the troops beneath—rat-a-tat-tat.
"Seven o'clock! Two Hunters! Marked for consumption!"
Swish—
Crunch.
"At twelve o'clock, three Hunters in total—Little One!! Speed up and trample them!"
Swish-swish-swish—
[ Ding! Little One killed a Hunter! ]
"Unmatched mode is live!!"
Across the Sight, a flood of viewers followed the tracking feed in shock, watching that one-sided hunt and crushing slaughter unfold.
This was literally a dimensionality reduction strike!
Because this could no longer be called a battle!
It was like a max-level boss returning to the newbie village, or Tyson being thrown into a ring full of underage girl boxers—it was one-sided obliteration!
They had never seen combat like this—it truly was beyond human comprehension!