Halochassis

A metallic claw burst from a mountain of shattered concrete and twisted steel. Chunks of rubble slid down its armored surface as the massive hand dug into the ground and pulled itself upward. Dust drifted through the air like gray fog, filling the battlefield with the smell of scorched stone and burnt mana. Emerging from the wreckage was Azazel, the black Halochassis slowly rising after taking the full force of a giant flaming phoenix. The armor’s surface glowed faintly in several places where the intense heat had melted and warped its outer plating.

Inside the cockpit, warning lights flickered across Shin’s visor. The impact had rattled every bone in his body, and a dull ache lingered in his chest despite the Halochassis absorbing most of the damage. He glanced at the floating displays projected before his eyes.

[Hybrid Armor at 73%]

”Still good,” Shin muttered, releasing a slow breath of relief.

His fingers moved across the controls as Azazel’s scanners activated. Waves of blue data spread across his HUD, sweeping over the battlefield in search of the sniper responsible for the devastating attack. Shin turned left, then right, studying the countless signatures scattered across the area. Most were debris, magical residue, or distant combatants. Then one signal immediately caught his attention.

Far to the east, nearly a kilometer away, a bright green mana signature pulsed on the display. The scanner magnified the image and outlined a slender humanoid figure standing atop a distant tower. Even from that distance, the silhouette’s pointed elf ears were unmistakable.

Lireina.

Before Shin could react, danger alerts exploded across his HUD.

A storm of wind tornado arrows screamed through the sky.

The spinning projectiles tore through the air with deafening whistles, carving visible trails through the clouds as they rushed toward Azazel. The pressure generated by their rotation kicked up dust and shattered loose debris across the battlefield. Azazel immediately raised its energy shield. A brilliant purple barrier unfolded before the Halochassis just as the first arrows struck.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each impact sent violent shockwaves through the armor. The shield rippled like the surface of a lake under heavy rain while sparks and fragments of wind mana exploded outward.

”Damn it, Lireina! Please don’t make this harder!” Azazel cried.

The relentless barrage continued without pause. Hundreds of arrows crashed against the barrier, filling the air with flashes of green light and shrieking winds. Shin could barely see beyond the storm.

Then another mana signature descended from above.

A blue Halochassis pierced through the clouds and landed beside Azazel with a thunderous impact. It was Samael.

”Azazel, are you okay? Oh shi...”

Aether’s sentence was cut short as several tornado arrows suddenly changed direction and rushed toward him. The projectiles swarmed through the sky like a flock of predatory birds.

Samael immediately accelerated upward. Blue thrusters ignited behind the Halochassis, leaving streaks of light as it weaved through the incoming attacks. Arrows exploded around him one after another, sending bursts of compressed wind across the battlefield.

”Aegis Mode!” Samael shouted.

The Halochassis’ eight sword wings detached and rotated around its body. They rapidly arranged themselves into a perfect octagonal formation. A massive energy shield expanded between them, creating a glowing blue wall large enough to protect both Halochassis.

The incoming arrows slammed against the barrier in rapid succession. Brilliant flashes illuminated the sky while waves of force rippled across the shield’s surface.

”Let’s push and keep her busy!” Azazel ordered.

”Got it!” Samael replied.

Protected by the enormous shield, the two Halochassis surged forward. The endless torrent of arrows continued raining upon them, but Samael stubbornly endured the assault. The giant barrier moved through the storm like an umbrella against a hurricane, forcing a path through the deadly barrage.

The ground below blurred into streaks as the pair accelerated to breakneck speed. Wind howled past their armor. Buildings and ruined streets disappeared behind them in seconds. Despite Lireina’s continuous fire, they relentlessly closed the distance until the sniper’s tower finally came into view.

Perched atop the structure was Lireina herself.

She was in her Second Form, wearing a beautiful frilly green dress adorned with delicate flower ornaments. Emerald mana swirled around her body like dancing petals carried by a spring breeze. The contrast between her elegant appearance and the devastating destruction she was causing made the scene almost surreal.

The moment they entered effective range, Azazel spread its purple crimson wings. Energy gathered between the mechanical feathers, causing the surrounding air to tremble.

Then Azazel opened fire.

Dozens of glowing energy shards erupted from its wings and streaked toward the tower like a meteor shower.

”Crap!” Lireina cried.

She instantly abandoned her firing position. Her body blurred as she rolled across the rooftop with remarkable agility. The energy shards struck where she had been standing moments earlier, blasting apart stone walls and sending debris flying in every direction. Explosions echoed through the city as chunks of masonry tumbled from the tower.

Inside Azazel’s cockpit, Shin clenched his jaw so hard that his teeth hurt.

He never expected Lireina to be here.

A knot formed in his chest as he watched her through the targeting display. Ever since their relationship had deepened, he had sworn to avoid fighting her whenever possible. The thought of hurting her made him uncomfortable in a way no battlefield ever had. Even now, he was deliberately aiming at the tower rather than directly at her.

Unfortunately, the same restraint could not be expected from Aether.

The pilot of Samael grinned as combat data streamed across his visor.

”Buster Mode!”

Samael’s eight wing segments immediately transformed. The metallic parts detached from the Halochassis and spread across the sky like a flock of mechanical birds. Their engines glowed bright blue as they entered independent flight patterns.

Moments later, the drones unleashed a barrage of concentrated mana beams.

Brilliant blue lasers tore through the air from every direction, converging on Lireina’s position. The sky flashed repeatedly as the drones rained destruction upon the tower, turning the battlefield into a storm of light, explosions, and roaring energy.

Lireina moved like a leaf carried by the wind. The instant Samael’s mana beams converged on her position, her body reacted on its own through Autonomous Evasion. She rolled across the rooftop, slipped beneath a beam that grazed the edge of a chimney, and sprang toward a neighboring tower before the explosions could consume her. Chunks of stone burst into the air behind her while clouds of dust and smoke swallowed the rooftop she had abandoned. 

Without losing momentum, she sprinted across the rooftops with graceful, almost dance-like footwork. Every leap was aided by her Air Trampoline magic, invisible platforms of compressed wind launching her higher into the sky. She bounded effortlessly through the air, chaining double and triple jumps until she looked more like a bird gliding across the heavens than an elf engaged in battle.

”Damn, she’s so nimble!” Samael cried as he desperately tracked her through his rifle’s targeting scope. Every time the reticle settled on her body, Lireina was already somewhere else, leaving only a trail of emerald wind mana behind.

”Stop that.”

Azazel reached over and pushed the barrel of Samael’s rifle downward before another shot could be fired.

”What the hell are you doing?” Samael growled, his frustration crackling over the communication channel.

”Lireina is blessed by Autonomous Evasion. No matter how perfect your aim is, she’ll always dodge it,” Azazel replied calmly. ”You’re only wasting energy.”

Samael stared silently for a moment before exhaling through gritted teeth. He reluctantly lowered the weapon.

”You’ve got a point,” he admitted. ”Every shot is just feeding my energy into empty air.”

Without warning, a sharp whistle sliced through the wind.

Clang!

An emerald arrow slammed directly into Samael’s metal helmet with enough force to jerk the Halochassis backward. Sparks scattered across its visor as warning alarms echoed inside the cockpit.

[Hybrid Armor at 82%]

The system chimed as the impact registered.

”Fuck!” Samael roared.

Ignoring Azazel’s advice, he immediately retaliated. His drones pivoted toward Lireina and unleashed three concentrated mana beams that ripped through the sky. The brilliant blue blasts raced after the elf, but she simply twisted through the air with elegant acrobatic flips. She landed lightly on an invisible platform of wind, pushed herself sideways, and avoided every beam by mere inches. The attacks struck distant buildings instead, reducing rooftops to showers of shattered stone.

”So how are we supposed to defeat this bitch!?” Samael shouted in frustration.

”We don’t,” Azazel answered without hesitation.

Almost as if proving his point, another wind arrow shot straight toward him. It struck the center of Azazel’s helmet with a loud metallic crack. The impact echoed inside Shin’s cockpit, but the reinforced Hybrid Armor absorbed the blow completely. The arrow shattered against the black armor and fell harmlessly to the ground.

”We just need to keep her busy until the mission is finished.”

Azazel spread his massive crimson energy wings. Purple light flowed through every mechanical feather as powerful thrusters ignited beneath them.

”Let’s lure the Untouchable Windwalker away from Mount Kaiser. Follow my lead!”

”Got it!” Samael answered.

The two Halochassis blasted into the sky together, accelerating toward Lireina with booming engines that shook the surrounding rooftops. Their crimson and azure trails streaked across the battlefield as they deliberately drew closer, hoping to lure the Celestial Warden farther away from the mountain.

Lireina immediately understood their intentions.

If both Halochassis continued pressuring her together, even she would eventually be overwhelmed. She needed more power.

She stopped in midair and slowly raised one graceful hand toward the heavens. The atmosphere instantly changed.

The surrounding winds answered her call.

Gentle breezes became raging currents as emerald streams of mana gathered from every direction. Leaves, dust, and flower petals spiraled around her in a massive vortex, as though the entire sky had become a giant whirlpool centered upon her body. The air trembled with immense magical pressure.

”Oh spirits of nature,” Lireina whispered, closing her eyes in quiet prayer. ”Grant me strength in this battle.”

The vortex grew larger with every passing second. The roar of the wind drowned out every explosion below as emerald light illuminated the darkened sky.

Azazel and Samael continued charging forward, determined to strike before the spell could be completed.

Then Lireina opened her eyes.

They blazed with brilliant emerald light.

”Activating Third Form!”

BOOM!

A colossal explosion of wind erupted from her body.

The shockwave blasted across the battlefield with hurricane force. Buildings rattled violently as windows shattered in every direction. Trees bent until they nearly snapped, while loose debris and broken masonry were hurled high into the sky.

Azazel and Samael were caught head-on.

Their massive Halochassis were thrown backward like weightless dolls. Warning sirens blared inside both cockpits as the violent gust overwhelmed their thrusters. Neither machine could regain control before crashing into the streets below.

The impact shook the city.

Concrete craters formed beneath their armored bodies as dust billowed into the air, briefly obscuring everything in sight.

When the dust finally settled, the two Halochassis slowly lifted their heads.

There, suspended high above the battlefield, stood Lireina in all her glory.

Her Third Form radiated an almost divine presence.

She had grown significantly taller, standing well over seven feet in height. Her flowing white evening gown shimmered beneath the sunlight like freshly fallen snow, while elegant floral ornaments adorned her waist, shoulders, and long emerald hair. Six magnificent angelic wings extended from her back, each feather glowing with gentle green mana that scattered sparkling particles into the air with every graceful movement. Around her floated several ornate muskets forged entirely from condensed wind mana. They slowly circled their master like loyal guardians awaiting her command.

For a brief moment, the battlefield fell silent.

Even Shin found himself staring.

”So this is Lireina’s Third Form,” Azazel whispered, unable to hide the awe in his voice. ”It’s... beautiful...”

”God damn it!” Samael roared, snapping himself out of the trance.

His eight metallic drones immediately detached and assembled into their familiar octagonal formation. Blue energy surged through every weapon as they locked onto Lireina’s radiant figure.

Without another word, the drones unleashed another relentless barrage of mana beams, filling the sky with blinding flashes of blue light.

However, every mana beam Samael unleashed was intercepted before it could even come close to its target. The floating magical muskets surrounding Lireina pivoted with flawless synchronization, each one firing a condensed wind bullet at precisely the right moment. Brilliant flashes of blue and emerald collided across the sky as the projectiles met head-on. One after another, the mana beams exploded into harmless bursts of light, their shockwaves scattering glittering particles across the battlefield. The deafening chain of explosions echoed through the ruined city, while Lireina herself remained perfectly still in the center of the barrage, her expression calm and unwavering.

The two Fallen Angels could only watch in disbelief.

Every single shot had been neutralized.

Not one had slipped past her defense.

”Her accuracy is insane...” Samael muttered, unable to hide the disbelief in his voice. Even with the assistance of combat AI, he had never seen anyone calculate trajectories with such terrifying precision.

”If that doesn’t work, then I’ll go short-ranged!” Samael shouted. ”Strike Mode!”

The eight metallic drones immediately abandoned their firing formation. They accelerated toward one another, their mechanical joints locking together with a series of loud metallic clanks. Blue mana surged between the connecting parts until they fused into a single colossal buster sword. The enormous blade radiated enough energy to make the surrounding air shimmer with heat.

Samael gripped the weapon with both hands.

Its thrusters ignited with a thunderous roar.

The Halochassis shot forward like a missile, tearing through the air at full speed. The giant sword was raised over its shoulder, ready to cleave Lireina in half with one decisive strike.

Lireina never flinched.

She calmly watched Samael rush toward her until he entered striking distance.

Then she gracefully spun in midair.

Her long white gown fluttered like blooming flower petals as she unleashed a powerful roundhouse kick.

The kick never touched Samael.

Instead, the compressed wind gathered around her leg burst outward, transforming into a gigantic crescent-shaped air slash that screamed through the sky. The invisible blade distorted the atmosphere in its path, slicing through clouds and leaving a shimmering trail of emerald mana.

”Shit!”

Samael immediately raised his buster sword.

The air slash crashed into the massive blade with a deafening explosion.

The impact sent violent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield. Samael’s thrusters strained at maximum output as the Halochassis was pushed backward through the sky, sparks erupting from its feet while the enormous sword trembled under the overwhelming force.

At that exact moment, Azazel seized the opening.

Its crimson wings flared brightly as Shin accelerated from below, hoping to catch Lireina before she recovered from her attack.

But Lireina’s movements flowed as naturally as the wind itself.

Without even looking at him, she twisted her body once more and unleashed another elegant kick.

A second emerald air slash erupted toward Azazel.

Shin’s eyes widened.

There was no time to dodge.

The invisible blade struck Azazel head-on.

Boom!

The Halochassis was launched backward like a cannonball. Its armored body smashed through the rooftop of a nearby building before crashing into the street below. Concrete shattered beneath the impact as dust and broken pavement erupted high into the air.

”Grah!”

Inside the cockpit, Shin cried out in pain as the violent collision shook every part of his body. Warning alarms flashed across his visor.

”Azazel!” Samael shouted.

He immediately disengaged from Lireina and boosted backward. Landing between the Celestial Warden and his fallen ally, Samael lowered into a centered swordsman’s stance. The giant buster sword rested firmly before him as he prepared to intercept any attack aimed at Azazel.

”Are you still okay?”

Shin forced himself upright inside the cockpit, breathing heavily as he steadied his trembling hands on the controls.

He already knew how difficult it was to fight Lireina in her base form.

Her Second Form had widened that gap even further.

Now that she had revealed her Third Form, the difference in power had become almost overwhelming.

Every movement she made carried effortless elegance. Every attack was executed with absolute precision. She barely seemed to exert herself, yet both Halochassis had been driven into a corner.

A bitter smile formed on Shin’s lips.

There was no doubt left in his mind.

Among the legendary Celestial Wardens, Lireina was second only to Alexander Goldheart in sheer combat ability.

Even with Azazel’s strength and Samael’s support, victory felt impossibly distant.

For the first time since the battle had begun, Shin couldn’t imagine a realistic way to defeat her.

High above the battlefield, Lireina silently gazed down upon the two Halochassis.

Her brilliant emerald eyes remained serene, almost sorrowful, as though she regretted having to fight them at all.

Her six radiant seraphic wings slowly flapped, keeping her suspended effortlessly in the sky while emerald feathers of mana drifted around her like glowing leaves.

Then a brilliant green magical circle appeared beside her right arm.

Ancient runes rotated within the spell formation, releasing waves of immense magical energy that caused the surrounding air to hum.

Lireina reached into the glowing circle.

The moment her hand emerged, she was holding a weapon that made both Fallen Angels freeze.

It was an enormous railgun forged entirely from emerald mana.

Intricate patterns of wind magic covered its sleek frame while streams of green electricity crackled violently along the barrel. The weapon emitted a high-pitched mechanical whine as compressed mana rapidly accumulated within its chamber. Every passing second intensified the pressure, causing the surrounding air to vibrate and the hairs on Shin’s neck to stand on end.

Azazel’s threat analysis system immediately flooded the cockpit with crimson warning messages.

[WARNING: EXTREME MANA CONCENTRATION DETECTED]

[ESTIMATED IMPACT LEVEL: CATASTROPHIC]

Shin stared at the charging railgun, his heartbeat pounding inside the cramped cockpit.

His instincts screamed the same conclusion long before the computer finished its calculations.

”Run,” Azazel muttered.