Chapter 1358: Sisters Failed to Prove Aether wrong: Part-2

Nightfire blinked at the absurd sight, her mouth hanging open. She glanced at Nyx, who stood there with her hands on her hips, looking almost embarrassed.

"Are you fucking serious?" Nightfire hissed.

Nyx shrugged, tilting her head with a sheepish smile. "Oops, I forgot my energy was limited due to the absence of Arcane. Sorry!"

A vein throbbed on Nightfire’s forehead. She opened her mouth to retort, but before a word could leave her lips, the metallic figure lifted its heavy foot and stomped on the ghost, squashing it with a crunch. In one swift motion, it grabbed Nightfire and—before she could twist free—flipped her over its shoulder and slammed her hard into the ground.

"Arrhh!" Nightfire choked, pain bursting through her ribs. She coughed and looked up just in time to see the metallic figure looming above.

"I... I am so innocent, girl~" she croaked, her words tumbling out in a desperate joke as pink mist oozed from her skin. The mist should have sent any man or woman, even... monster reeling with lust, but the figure didn’t even flinch.

The figure simply pointed its gun at her head, the barrel inches from her forehead. It pulled the trigger.

Nightfire’s world froze.

"I am dead!!" she screamed, squeezing her eyes shut, bracing for oblivion. "I’m fucking blasted to pieces... and it’s all because of you bitches! How am I going to fuck Aether now? Aweeeee—Wait..."

No pain? No explosion?

Nightfire cracked open one eye, then the other, baffled to find herself still in one piece.

"Wait... I’m alive?"

She sat up. Across clearing, she saw Thalia locked in a brutal fight with the metallic monster, her bare hands flying in wild arcs, flames pouring from her mouth and coiling around her fists.

"Everyone get up and fight it!" Thalia bellowed, eyes wild, blood trickling down her knuckles as she pummeled the metal face with blazing, furious blows. Each punch left her hand more battered, yet she refused to back down... the heat in her strikes forcing the figure to stagger, inch by inch.

Selene sprang from behind, wielding a massive tree branch like a club. She swung with all her might, slamming the makeshift weapon into the machine’s skull.

THUD!

The tree branch shattered into splinters. The figure stumbled, unsteady at last!

Raven darted forward, seizing her moment. With a cry, she drove her sword deep into the figure’s visor socket.

"ARHHHH!!" she screamed, her body convulsing as raw electricity surged up through the blade, through her arms and spine, burning her nerves. Still, she grit her teeth, muscles shaking, and rammed the sword deeper into the glowing eye.

Chuckk!

A sickening sound echoed, metal and something almost flesh-like parting under her strike.

But in that instant, the figure unleashed a massive current—an explosion of blue lightning arced through the blade, hurling Raven away like a ragdoll. She crashed to the earth, smoke rising from her.

The metallic figure staggered, circuits flickering, oil and something darker—blood?—dripping from the gouged socket.

With a metallic shriek, it yanked the sword free.

Chucckk!

Drip...

Thick, glistening drops of blood leaked from the ruined eye, splattering on the earth below.

"So you can bleed too?" Nyx said coldly, gripping a jagged rock in her hand. She strode forward and slammed the stone down on the figure’s dented head.

The rock shattered in Nyx’s grasp, fragments scattering in every direction as the metallic figure crashed to the ground with a bone-jarring impact.

Circuits sparked in its chest, oil hissing and pooling on the grass as it tried, uselessly, to rise.

"Nope~" Nightfire dropped onto its back, landing squarely and without a shred of hesitation. She glared downmeven as her body trembled from exhaustion and pain. With a wicked, almost desperate grin, she kicked hard, heels slamming into cold metal.

"How dare you try to blast my beautiful face? Hmph~" She gave it another swift kick for good measure, her boot thudding against the armoured plates.

The metallic figure buckled beneath her, joints whining and sparking, then collapsed completely, all movement stilled. For a moment, it lay there.

Everyone froze, tension winding tight in their chests. Each girl’s body shook with exhaustion, blood running down faces and arms, torn clothes and bruises marking every inch of their skin.

"I-Is it over?" Raven groaned, her voice hoarse as she clutched her side, wincing at every step. Pain twisted her face as she limped closer, eyes fixed on the fallen figure.

"Is it really dead?"

Nobody dared answer. They watched, wary and silent, every sense focused on the thing that refused to move, not trusting the moment of stillness.

Finally—

"Yah."

"We fucking did it!"

"Now I want to see Aether’s face."

"Hahah..."

Relief broke over their battered faces, almost in disbelief. Smiles returned, laughter bubbled up, shaky and half-hysterical.

For a heartbeat, they forgot their wounds, sharing grins and tired nods.

"Are you guys alright?" Selene asked, her voice trembling as she inspected her shaking hands. She could still feel the violent vibration where the blade shattered in her grip.

"I think its neck had some kind of cutter... damn thing turned my sword to dust in seconds."

Nightfire grimaced, running a hand over her sore back, every muscle aching from being slammed to the ground.

"Thank goodness I didn’t hold on there," she muttered, half-laughing, half-groaning, trying to rub away the pain.

"Anyway, let’s take this bastard—" Thalia started, kneeling to grab the thing’s arm, but was cut off by a sudden, dazzling light. At the very edge of the barrier, a golden-white portal shimmered and flickered into existence.

Everyone tensed again. Faces turned grim, eyes narrowing as each woman tightened her grip, bracing for another round.

They prepared for a new threat to emerge—

But nothing came through.

Except—

<Auto Mode Engaged>

The voice was mechanical, echoing from everywhere and nowhere. The group flinched, spinning around, startled by the unfamiliar words and the emotionless tone.

Selene frowned deeply!

And then, to their horror, the metallic figure that had been lying dead at their feet jerked, servo motors whining and gears grinding. Slowly, it pushed itself upright, the ruined socket still oozing dark fluid and oil. Its visor flared, eyes cold and fixed on the shining portal.

It began to walk toward the light.

"Stop it!" Thalia shouted. She launched herself forward, aiming a gut punch straight at the figure’s armoured chest.

But the figure’s arm snapped up, moving with chilling precision. It caught Thalia’s fist in midair, grip unbreakable. Without hesitation, it hoisted her off the ground, lifting her as if she weighed nothing more than a feather.

Its other hand whirred and shifted, mechanical parts sliding and transforming... metal plates folding, pistons locking—until its fist became a monstrous, gleaming battering ram.

BAM!

The first punch landed with a sickening crunch, rattling her ribs.

BAM!

The second blow smashed through her guard, cracking bone, forcing the air from her lungs in a scream.

BAM!

The third hit broke her further, ribs splintering, agony exploding behind her eyes.

There was no mercy!

"ArrHH!" Thalia coughed blood from her mouth as pain tore through her chest. Summoning the last of her strength, she poured fire onto the metallic figure’s head, flames surging and wrapping the metal in a furious blaze. Its helmet glowed, yet it didn’t react, didn’t even flinch.

The figure just kept punching, each blow as mechanical and merciless as the last.

"LET HER GO!!" Raven screamed, eyes wild with fury. She thrust out her hand, blackish-purple flames erupting from her palm and shooting toward the metallic figure, engulfing its frame in writhing shadow-fire.

Ssshhh!

A hiss filled the air—white smoke leaked from vents across the figure’s metallic structure, and, with chilling speed, every last flame vanished. Not a wisp of heat or ember remained, as if the fire had never existed.

Raven gritted her teeth, rage burning in her eyes as she lunged with her thin sword raised high. She dove at the figure, aiming straight for its exposed socket—but before her blade could make contact, an enormous surge of current shot through her.

"ARRHHHH!!" she screamed, her body convulsing violently.

Not only Raven, but Thalia too... the entire ground suddenly lit up, a web of blue lightning arcing through soil and roots, crawling up their legs and flooding their nerves with agony.

Selene grit her teeth and swung a heavy wooden branch, smashing it down onto the figure’s head with all her might. The blow made it stagger, just enough for Nyx to hurl a jagged rock, aiming for its visor.

Finally, the figure’s grip slackened. With a mechanical hiss, it let go of both Raven and Thalia, letting them fall to the ground, gasping for breath and wincing in pain.

Nyx and Selene exchanged a quick, determined nod, then attacked again in unison. Nyx hurled another stone with all her strength, while Selene slammed the thick branch across its chest.

But the figure moved with unnatural speed, its arms darting out. It caught both the rock and the branch in midair, hands closing around them with a bone-snapping grip.

Then, in a blur, it hurled the stone back at Nyx. The rock struck her square in the face—Nyx’s nose broke with a sickening crunch, blood pouring down as she collapsed to the ground.

"Arrhh!!!" Nyx screamed, clutching her face, crimson staining her fingers.

Drip...

At the same time, the machine yanked the wooden branch from Selene’s grasp and brought it down, slamming the end across her neck.

Thud!

"Arrh!" Selene cried out, falling to her knees, the world spinning around her.

The figure paused only a heartbeat, then strode toward the portal.

But Nightfire, face twisted with pain and fury, staggered to her feet and blocked the glowing portal. Her hands trembled, but she stood firm.

"Y-You will—" she began, voice shaking with rage.

Before she could finish, the metallic figure’s arm lashed out. It slapped her head with brutal force.

SLAP!

Nightfire’s body spun from the blow. She rolled across the ground, landing in a heap.

And finally, the figure stepped into the swirling portal. With a last flicker of golden-white light, the figure and the portal both vanished.