Meanwhile, inside the mayor''s mansion, Carlos had the writhing, ck-blooded mayor slung over his shoulder, dragging him unceremoniously toward the grand entrance.


    The once-glorious hall was now in shambles, scattered debris, shattered ss, and lifeless bodies of guards strewn across the marble floor. Carlos''s boots echoed loudly as he walked, his pace steady and deliberate.


    Cleo followed closely behind, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings as her systems confirmed the sessful extraction of all data from the mansion''swork.


    "There''s nothing else left here. Let''s move,"


    she said curtly.


    When they reached the armored vehicle parked just outside the entrance, Carlos opened the cargopartment and dumped the mayor inside without a shred of gentleness. The octopus-headed man groaned in protest but didn''t dare speak as Carlos mmed the hatch shut.


    Carlos climbed into the driver''s seat while Cleo took her ce beside him. With a low hum, the vehicle roared to life, its reinforced tires crushing debris underfoot as they sped away from the mansion.


    Cleo activated hermunicator, her voice calm yetmanding.


    "Rex, we''re done here. Retreat."


    There was a brief crackle of static before Rex''s voice came through, agitated and unusually tense.


    "Erm, I''d love to, but that''s not happening. We''ve got...plications."


    Cleo frowned, her tone sharp. "


    What do you meanplications? Rex?"


    But Rex wasn''t listening; he couldn''t afford to.


    On the rooftop, his normally cocky demeanor was gone, reced by razor-sharp focus as he squared off against two hulking figures. They were experimental soldiers, twisted creations of Nexum Dynamics, their bodies rippling with unnatural muscture and enhanced cybeics.


    Their wild, frenzied movements reminded Rex of something, or rather someone... Ys. Only these creatures had none of Ys''s discipline or intelligence. They were pure, mindless brutality.


    One of the soldiers charged him, its wed hand swiping toward him with bone-shattering force. Rex barely dodged, the ws slicing through the air just inches from his face.


    The second soldier followed up with a leaping strike, its fists mming into the ground where Rex had been standing, sending a shockwave through the rooftop.


    "They''re strong; I''ll give them that,"


    Rex muttered, flipping backward and creating some distance.


    "But uracy? Not your strong suit, is it?"


    Despite theirck of precision, their relentless aggression kept him on the defensive. Every attack came with full, devastating power, forcing Rex to dodge and counter when he could.


    He managed tond a few solid blows, but every wound he inflicted was rendered meaningless as the soldiers'' flesh regenerated before his eyes.


    "Why does everything these dayse with automatic regeneration?!"


    Rex growled, frustration leaking into his voice as he delivered a powerful kick to one of the soldiers, sending it crashing into a nearby wall with a deafening


    crunch


    .


    Dust and debris exploded from the impact, but the creature simply moved itself from the rubble, snarling like a feral animal.


    With a flick of his wrist, Rex crafted his heavy ymore, the de materializing in a shimmer of golden light.


    "Alright, enough ying around,"


    he muttered, gripping the massive weapon with both hands.


    He turned to the second experimental soldier and lunged, his de moving with speed and precision that seemed impossible for someone his size. Each strike was calcted, designed to exploit weaknesses in the soldier''s movements.


    The monstrous creation barely had time to react as Rex delivered blow after blow, forcing it to stagger under his relentless assault.


    But even as hended hit after hit, Rex grimaced.


    "Damn it! Your skin''s like steel!"


    he shouted, leaping back to survey the damage. Despite his efforts, the wounds he inflicted were shallow, and the soldier''s regenerative abilities made them vanish almost instantly.


    Before he could press the attack, the first soldier, now recovered from its earlier crash, joined the fray once more. The two experimental soldiers charged him in unison, their eyes glowing with unbridled fury.


    Rex braced himself as they closed in, their movements wild but devastatingly fast. One swung its wed hand at him, forcing Rex to duck and roll to the side.


    The other followed up with a powerful strike, its fists mming into the ground and creating a massive crater in the road. The sheer force of the impact sent chunks of asphalt flying through the air.


    "Cheating bastards,"


    Rex muttered, gripping his ymore tightly as he prepared for the next round.


    But before he couldunch his counterattack, a voice rang out from below, cutting through the chaos.


    "That is, Captain Rex!"


    The words made Rex pause. He turned his head, his glowing HUD instantly locking onto the source of the voice, a familiar figure standing among the wreckage of a crashed transport ship.


    The man was battered and bloodied, but his uniform, even in its torn state, made his rank clear. His identity shed across Rex''s HUD.


    The general was wide-eyed as he stared up at the towering warrior. There was no mistaking the 2.5-meter frame, the white-and-gold armor, or the iconic ymore.


    It was the same figure who had fought alongside him during the first wave of that hellishary invasion years ago. The same figure who had disappeared after the fighting, leaving nothing but stories behind.


    "It really is you,"


    the general muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief.


    "Captain Rex."


    Rex let out a low chuckle, even as he sidestepped another w strike from the experimental soldiers. "


    Well, well, if it isn''t General Kael. I''d say it''s nice to see you again, but under these circumstances..."


    He deflected another strike with his ymore, sparks flying as metal shed against flesh


    . "I think we can skip the pleasantries."


    One of the soldiers roared and lunged at him, its ws outstretched. Rex leapt backward,nding on a cracked section of road just as the soldier''s attack connected with the ground. The impact was catastrophic, creating an explosion of concrete and leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the street.


    Rex sighed, rolling his shoulders as he tightened his grip on the ymore


    . "So, General...


    " he called out, his tone almost conversational despite the chaos around him.


    "Mind telling me what the hell your mayor got himself into this time? Because these guys?"


    He gestured to the regenerating monsters before him.


    "They don''t exactly scream normal citizens.''"


    The general didn''t answer, his focus fixed on the battle before him. Rex turned back to the experimental soldiers, his grin returning despite the odds.


    While the car sped through the rain-slick streets, Cleo''s fingers danced over the holographic interface of her wrist console.


    She was crafting bird drones in real time, sending them one by one into the stormy sky to scout Rex''s location. Her instincts told her something was wrong, and she wasn''t the type to sit idle while chaos brewed.


    Just as her fifth drone shot into the air, Carlos stiffened in the driver''s seat.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Stay updated through empire


    "Cleo, we''ve gotpany,"


    he muttered, his eyes narrowing as several ck armored cars appeared on the road behind them, their headlights cutting through the night like twin des.


    Mounted on top of each car was a heavyser turret, and as soon as they came into range, the guns whirred to life. Bright streams of crimson energy lit up the night, streaking toward their vehicle in a deadly barrage.


    Thankfully, Carlos had learned from thest ambush he survived. His car, once a standard six-seater, was now a fortress on wheels, a two-seater bristling with Cleo''s upgrades. The shields red to life the moment thesers hit, creating a shimmering blue barrier that deflected the onught with ease.


    "Ha! Not this time,"


    Carlos said with a smirk, gripping the wheel tightly as he maneuvered around obstacles at breakneck speed.


    Cleo stood up from her seat without a word, her calm demeanor unshaken by the chaos outside. She reached behind her, grabbing the sma machine gun secured to the back seat. Its sleek, metallic frame glowed faintly as she powered it up, the weapon humming ominously in her hands.


    She leaned out of the car window, her sharp eyes locking onto the vehicles chasing them. With precise aim, she pulled the trigger, unleashing a storm of sma rounds.


    The glowing projectiles tore through the air like miniature suns, mming into the pursuing cars. The unshielded vehicles didn''t stand a chance. One by one, they exploded in fiery bursts, sending debris flying in all directions.


    "That''s what you get for not bringing shields,"


    Cleo muttered under her breath, her expression cold and focused as thest car went up in mes.


    Carlos let out a relieved chuckle, his grip on the wheel loosening.


    "Nice work, Cleo. Now we just need to—"


    "Carlos,"


    Cleo interrupted, her voice sharp.


    "Get ready. Something big ising."


    Carlos didn''t have time to ask what she meant. From the bridge ahead, a massive shadow leapt into the air, its hulking frame silhouetted against the stormy sky. The creaturended directly in their path with an earth-shaking


    boom


    , its sheer weight cracking the pavement beneath it.


    "Shit! No, not my car again!"


    Carlos yelled, mming the brakes with all his strength. The car screeched to a halt just meters away from the monstrous figure, its shields flickering briefly from the sudden jolt.


    Before Carlos could say another word, Cleounched herself out of the car, using the momentum of the sudden stop to propel herself toward the creature.


    As she soared through the air, golden energy flickered around her body. Her power armor materialized piece by piece, her sleek white wings unfurling with radiant light. In her hand, a long golden spear formed, its edges glowing like molten fire.


    The creature, a massive, gori-like beast, roared as she closed the distance. But Cleo was faster. With a single, precise strike, she drove her spear through the creature''s thick torso, piercing what should have been its head. The sheer force of the impact created a shockwave that echoed across the bridge.


    She flipped gracefully in midair,nding on the ground with a practiced ease. Behind her, the golden spear embedded in the creature''s body began to glow brighter and brighter until it detonated in a powerful explosion.


    The creature''s upper body was obliterated, leaving nothing but a smoldering stump where its head once was.


    Cleo scanned the remains with her wrist console, her system sweeping for any signs of life. But it detected nothing. Satisfied, she turned and began to float back toward Carlos, her wings leaving faint trails of light in the air.


    But before she could reach him, a deafening


    thud


    made her stop in her tracks.


    The headless creature, which should have been lifeless, mmed its massive fist into the ground. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the road, cracks spiderwebbing outward. Cleo barely had time to react as the creature''s other fist came swinging toward her with terrifying force.