Halochassis

The slums of Luminous City were filled with flames. Fires spread from one wooden home to another, consuming roofs and walls while thick black smoke rolled into the afternoon sky. The setting sun hung low over the city, bathing everything in a deep orange tint that blended with the glow of the burning homes. The air was thick with smoke, ash, and the bitter smell of scorched wood. Screams and distant cries echoed through the narrow streets, occasionally drowned out by the crackling of flames and the thunderous sounds of the battle.

There, the battle between the Chosen One and Armaros continued. The enormous Halochassis had taken on his dragon form, his crimson and black metallic body towering over the burning slums. Heat shimmered around his armored frame as his dragon head opened its jaws. Several blazing fireballs gathered inside his mouth before he unleashed them toward Alexander Goldheart.

The Chosen One did not dare to move.

All the fireballs struck their mark, exploding against Alexander one after another. Each impact shook the ground beneath him, sending waves of heat through the streets and scattering burning debris into the air. Flames swallowed his golden figure as explosions followed in rapid succession. The noise was deafening, with each detonation sending a deep boom through the surrounding buildings.

However, even after the continuous barrage of fireballs, nothing seemed to have worked.

Alexander remained standing.

His golden armor gleamed through the flames as though the fire surrounding him was nothing more than a warm breeze. Not a single scratch could be seen on his body.

“Damn it. Is he really this invincible?” Adzeel inside Armaros muttered.

The frustration in his voice was almost drowned out by the roar of the flames. Adzeel tightened his grip on the controls as Armaros’s dragon claws dug into the scorched ground, leaving deep marks in the dirt.

“Bandit Leader, I will support you!” Risha inside Mastema shouted.

Mastema’s white iron boots slammed into the ground. The impact cracked the pavement beneath her feet as green flames erupted from the gaps in her power armor, spilling around her legs like burning smoke. Her mechanical frame shifted with a series of metallic clicks as additional weapons unfolded from her armor.

Mastema was now equipped with three shields, one in each arm and another mounted on her back. Each shield was far larger than a normal defensive barrier, reinforced with thick white metal plating and a rotating gatling barrel embedded in its center. The barrels began spinning with a sharp mechanical whine, ready to unleash a storm of ammunition.

This was Mastema’s Full Armor Module, a specialized weapon system created by Aether Nox specifically for that Halochassis.

“Initiating Big Bang!”

Mastema spread out her gatling guns, and the weapons immediately roared to life.

Bullets erupted from the barrels in a furious torrent. The sound was almost continuous, blending into a single deafening roar as thousands upon thousands of rounds tore through the air. There were less than a million bullets fired in total, yet the sheer volume made the attack resemble a metal storm descending upon the battlefield.

Risha did not simply fire blindly.

Using her psychic powers, she controlled the trajectory and velocity of every bullet. The ammunition curved through the air, changing direction in mid-flight and converging on Alexander from multiple angles. Some bullets came from above, others from the sides, while countless more rushed directly toward him.

Every single bullet struck the Chosen One.

A massive cloud of smoke erupted around Alexander, swallowing his golden figure completely. The ground trembled beneath the relentless barrage as bullets struck the protective barrier again and again. Dust and fragments of stone were blasted into the air, mixing with the smoke until the battlefield disappeared behind a thick gray haze.

For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of gunfire.

Then, slowly, the firing stopped.

The barrels of Mastema’s weapons continued to spin for a few seconds before gradually slowing down. Empty shell casings scattered across the ground, clinking against the broken pavement and piling up around her metallic boots.

When the smoke finally cleared, the Chosen One revealed himself.

He was still standing.

Alexander Goldheart remained completely unscathed, his golden armor shining beneath the orange afternoon sky. Not a single bullet had pierced him. Not even a mark could be found on his body.

A golden energy barrier surrounded him, shimmering like a transparent dome of sunlight.

“So that is why none of our attacks are taking effect,” Armaros muttered.

Adzeel stared at the barrier through Armaros’s vision. His frustration deepened as he realized that all of their firepower had been absorbed or deflected by the same golden protection.

“I’ll rip him out of his shield, Bandit Leader! Prepare for a finishing shot!”

Armaros’s massive dragon body began to shift.

Metallic plates separated and folded inward as his wings compressed against his back. His claws shortened, his long neck contracted, and his enormous body reshaped itself through a series of heavy mechanical movements. The roar of his transformation echoed through the burning streets until Armaros returned to his humanoid form.

Then, the armor around his arms opened.

He unleashed his Wing Buster Module, a weapon system that Aether Nox had created specifically for Armaros. The specialized module equipped dragon-head gauntlets onto both of Armaros’s arms. The metallic heads opened their jaws, exposing glowing interiors filled with concentrated energy.

The dragon-head gauntlets elongated themselves, transforming into enormous cannons.

Aether flames began gathering inside their barrels.

Crimson energy swirled around the weapons, accompanied by the low rumble of accumulating power. The intense heat caused the air around Armaros to distort, while sparks of burning aether drifted from the cannons and disappeared into the smoke-filled sky.

While Armaros charged his attack, Mastema released the shields from her arms and back.

The three shields detached from her armor and hovered in the air.

Risha immediately took control of them with her psychic powers. The shields moved independently, their gatling guns spinning as they positioned themselves around Alexander. Without giving him a chance to react, all three weapons unleashed another torrent of bullets.

The battlefield once again erupted with gunfire.

Thousands of rounds rushed toward Alexander from different directions. The bullets struck his golden energy shield and bounced away, their metal bodies flying off at sharp angles before crashing into the surrounding buildings and pavement.

But it did not matter.

The barrage was never meant to damage him.

It was a distraction.

Mastema deliberately kept Alexander on the defensive, forcing him to maintain his golden energy shield while the floating weapons continued attacking from multiple directions. Every second that Alexander spent protecting himself gave Armaros more time to charge his Wing Buster.

Risha waited for the right moment.

Then, with her psychic powers, she reached beyond the barrier.

Her telekinesis wrapped around Alexander’s body.

The Chosen One suddenly felt an invisible force gripping him from all sides. His golden energy barrier remained intact, but Risha was not trying to destroy it. Instead, she attempted to pull Alexander away from it.

His body began to move.

The golden barrier remained where it was, hovering independently in the air.

Risha’s eyes widened as she realized her plan was working.

With enough psychic force, she telekinetically grabbed Alexander and pulled him away from his golden energy shield.

It was only possible through telekinesis. Normally, removing a caster from their own shield spell was almost impossible because the barrier would move together with its caster, keeping them protected no matter where they went.

But Mastema’s psychic powers allowed Risha to separate Alexander from his protection.

For the first time since the battle began, the Chosen One was exposed.

And behind him, Armaros’s Wing Buster cannons were fully charged.

Alexander Goldheart’s golden eyes widened slightly. For the first time, there was a flicker of genuine surprise across his otherwise calm and confident expression. He had not expected a Halochassis to accomplish something that should have been impossible. The machine had somehow separated him from his mana shield, stripping away the golden barrier that had protected him from every attack so far. For a brief moment, the air around Alexander felt different, strangely empty without the familiar hum of his shield surrounding his body.

And now that Alexander was completely exposed, Armaros finally had the opening he had been waiting for.

“Get fucked! Twin Buster Cannon!”

Adzeel’s voice thundered through the interior of Armaros as he pulled the triggers of both dragon buster rifles. The weapons responded with a violent mechanical roar, their massive barrels glowing hotter by the second. Mana and flame spiraled together inside the cannons, creating a blinding crimson-orange light that reflected across the ruined buildings below. The heat pouring from the weapons was intense enough to make the air itself shimmer around Armaros.

Then both cannons fired.

Two enormous beams of concentrated flame erupted from the dragon buster rifles and tore through the sky like twin pillars of destruction. The combined blast struck Alexander directly, swallowing his golden body in a violent storm of fire and dark crimson energy. The explosion produced a deafening boom that rattled broken windows, shook loose chunks of masonry, and sent dust rolling through the streets below. A dark crimson radiance suddenly spread across the battlefield, so bright that many of the surviving adventurers had to shield their eyes from the glare.

For those watching from the ground, Alexander Goldheart had simply vanished.

“Hit confirmed, Bandit Leader!” Risha shouted from inside Mastema, her voice filled with excitement. “The buster cannons hit Alexander Goldheart and completely disintegrated him!”

“Haha. Hahaha!” Adzeel laughed inside Armaros.

His laughter echoed through the cockpit, rough and exhilarated. After everything they had endured, after all the destruction caused by the Celestial Wardens, it finally seemed as though they had accomplished the impossible. Their greatest enemy had been erased right in front of them.

The buster cannon beams slowly faded, leaving trails of smoke and embers drifting through the heavens. The roar of the weapons died away, and the battlefield became strangely quiet.

There was nothing in the sky.

No golden armor.

No glowing aura.

No trace of Alexander Goldheart.

Not even a fragment of his body remained.

The surviving adventurers stared upward in stunned silence. Some stood frozen with their mouths open, while others slowly lowered their weapons as the reality of what they had witnessed finally reached them. Then grief and panic spread through the crowd.

“No. The Chosen One is dead!”

“This is impossible! Alexander Goldheart can never be defeated!”

“What are we going to do now? The Halochassis are too powerful!”

Their voices cracked with fear. Some adventurers fell to their knees. Others backed away from the machines that had just defeated the strongest Celestial Warden in existence. The flames burning through the slums painted their terrified faces in flickering orange light, while the smoke hanging over the battlefield made the entire scene feel like the end of the world.

Inside Armaros, Adzeel heard every cry.

He clenched his fists tightly, the metal joints of Armaros’ hands creaking under the pressure. A wide smile stretched across his face, almost animalistic, like a dog baring its teeth after cornering its prey. He had finally defeated Alexander Goldheart, the man he had spent so much time hating. Yet instead of satisfaction, an uncomfortable emptiness settled inside his chest.

Something was wrong.

It had been too easy.

Adzeel had imagined this moment countless times. He had imagined Alexander struggling, bleeding, screaming, and finally realizing that his supposedly unbeatable power was not enough. He had imagined revenge feeling heavy and satisfying after everything that had been taken from him.

Instead, Alexander had simply disappeared after one attack.

Adzeel’s smile faded slightly.

Even after completely defeating his archenemy, his thirst for vengeance remained unsatisfied. Deep down, he had expected Alexander to resist. He had expected the Chosen One to show him why everyone feared his name. The ease of the victory only made Adzeel more uneasy.

Then a deep, thundering voice rolled across the skies.

“Be not afraid, my fellow adventurers. I am still here.”

The voice was calm.

Too calm.

It carried across the ruined district with such tremendous force that even the smoke seemed to tremble around it.

Adzeel’s expression changed.

Everyone turned toward the sound.

Armaros lifted his head, and the surviving adventurers followed his gaze. Their eyes widened one after another as a familiar golden brilliance slowly appeared high above the battlefield.

Alexander Goldheart.

He was standing in the heavens.

Completely unscathed.

Not a single scratch marked his body. His golden armor remained spotless, his radiant aura burned as brightly as ever, and his golden eyes looked down upon the battlefield with the same unwavering confidence as before.

It was as though the Twin Buster Cannon had never touched him.

“What the-!” Armaros muttered.

“How are you still alive!?” Mastema cried. Risha’s voice trembled with disbelief. “I am sure that your existence was deleted! But now-”

Alexander answered without hesitation.

“It was a simple principle. I deleted my own existence just before your cannons would hit me. I decided to exist once more when you thought that everything was over.”

His thundering voice echoed across the burning slums.

Adzeel’s grip tightened around the controls.

Before either Halochassis could react, the heavens suddenly split apart.

A jagged rift tore open in the sky, spreading like a crack through glass. Strange golden light poured from the dimensional wound, illuminating the smoke and flames below. The surrounding air warped violently, and a low, unnatural rumble vibrated through the battlefield.

Something enormous moved behind the rift. Then a gigantic golden sword emerged.

Its blade was so massive that it seemed capable of cleaving an entire building in half. Golden energy crawled along its surface like lightning, and the pressure radiating from it forced the air downward.

Alexander swung. The sword descended with terrifying speed.

Mastema barely had time to raise its arms before the enormous blade passed through the machine. The force of the strike carved a gigantic trench through the battlefield below, ripping apart stone, soil, and debris in one catastrophic motion. The earth exploded upward, clouds of dust and shattered masonry filling the air as the golden slash continued forward.

Mastema was shattered.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

Risha screamed as the cockpit violently shook around her.

The white mechanical armor of Mastema was torn apart in an instant. Massive pieces of metal were flung into the surrounding ruins, some spinning through the air before crashing into broken streets and burning buildings. Sparks showered from the ruined machine, accompanied by the smell of scorched metal and leaking mana.

When the dust finally began to settle, there was no longer a Halochassis standing in the trench.

Only Risha remained.

She lay among the wreckage, her clothes burned and torn, her skin covered in dirt and small cuts. Smoke curled around her body while the heat from the ruined battlefield made every breath painful. Her vision blurred in and out as she struggled to keep herself conscious.

The only remaining piece of Mastema was the mechanical gauntlet still attached to her left arm.

“Rishaaaa!” Adzeel screamed from inside Armaros.

The sound of his voice was raw with panic.

Alexander looked down at the survivor lying within the enormous trench. His expression remained calm, though his golden eyes narrowed slightly with interest.

“Interesting.”

His voice carried effortlessly through the destruction.

“You still managed to live even after getting hit by my existence-erasing sword. That’s the second time a Halochassis prevented my instant victory by now.”

Risha tried to move.

Her fingers twitched against the dirt.

But there was nothing left.

Her muscles felt like they had been drained of every last trace of strength, and even breathing seemed to require more energy than she could afford. Her ears rang from the impact, drowning out most of the sounds around her. The flames flickering nearby became distant and blurry, their orange glow slowly fading from her vision.

Risha finally collapsed.

Her body went limp, and her eyes closed as unconsciousness took over.

Inside Armaros, Adzeel stared at her fallen form.

His jaw tightened.

His hands trembled around the controls.

For a moment, there was no hatred on his face, only shock and fear.

Risha was down. The battlefield was nearly destroyed. Alexander Goldheart was still standing.

And now Adzeel was the only one left.

The massive crimson dragon-shaped Halochassis slowly raised its head toward the golden warrior hovering above the ruined city. Smoke poured from Armaros’ armor while flames reflected against its blackened metal frame. The mechanical dragon spread its enormous wings, and the sound of its engines rumbled across the devastated streets.

Adzeel clenched his teeth.

There was no one left to stand beside him. No one left to save him. No one left to fight Alexander Goldheart.

Only him.

And now, Adzeel would have to face the Chosen One himself.