Chapter 45: The Butcher and the Three Musketeers (BONUS CHAPTER)
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Upon first seeing the Death Road Butcher, the squad was paralyzed by the sheer, oppressive weight of its presence. Standing firm before a creature of that scale required more than training—it required a psychological fortitude that few possessed. Unlike ordinary Ethereals, this titan didn't rely on its limbs; it wielded a massive, long-handled cleaver, a weapon forged from solidified Ether-energy metal.
The Butcher's weapon was an independent entity, meaning it could throw the massive tool across the battlefield, turning a melee encounter into a lethal projectile hazard in an instant.
Kenji felt his pulse hammer against his ribs—a primal human response to a predator of this magnitude. But as a Rider, he forced the panic down. A high-pitched ringing echoed in his ears, and a needle-like prickling sensation crawled up his scalp—his "Rider Sense" was screaming. He scanned the ruins, catching a faint, yellow flicker in a shadowed corner.
Instinct took over. Kenji lunged toward Zhu Yuan, raising his heavy shield just as a jagged blade struck the metal. Sparks showered them both. Peering through the shield's viewing port, he finally saw the assailant.
It was a Thanatos—a slender, humanoid Ethereal draped in a tattered white cape. Its right arm had mutated into a recurve bow made of reinforced blades. It was a dual-threat hunter, capable of sniping from the shadows or gutting enemies in close quarters with its bow-blade.
The creature moved with a speed that defied physics. It didn't just run; it blinked through space. "Teleportation" was the only word for it. Though Kenji's shield held, the sheer kinetic force of the surprise attacks was terrifying.
Zhu Yuan didn't hesitate. She had sensed the threat but, seeing Kenji step up to cover her, she chose not to dodge. She entrusted her life to his defense, focusing entirely on her aim.
BANG!
She unleashed a full blast of Ether buckshot. The Thanatos shimmered and vanished. To a creature that moved between dimensions, the bullets were moving in slow motion.
"It's a Thanatos. This is going to be a nightmare," Qingyi said, her expression grim as she joined them. Dealing with a Death Road Butcher was hard enough; adding a teleporting assassin to the mix turned a difficult mission into a potential massacre.
"Kenji, Qingyi and I will handle the Butcher. Since you can actually track the Thanatos, stay with the veterans and cover their blind spots," Zhu Yuan commanded.
The Butcher's strength was astronomical. If Kenji tried to tank its cleaver, he'd be launched through a building regardless of his shield. Qingyi's synthetic body was the only thing that could bait the titan while Zhu Yuan searched for an opening to strike its core.
"Understood!" Kenji replied, pivoting to support the veteran unit. He wasn't sure why his vision was tracking the "teleportation" trails, but he wasn't going to question a tactical advantage.
Beep beep beep—
Static crackled in his earpiece, followed by a familiar, chillingly calm voice.
"The strongest AI on the planet has taken over your comms. Please move fifty meters east. Your 'Amazon Prime' delivery has arrived," Fairy whispered. She had bypassed the PSB encryption without leaving a trace.
"I'm a little busy here!" Kenji hissed. He couldn't just swap places with his Bangboo double in front of fifty witnesses. He needed a distraction—a "bitter trick."
"Don't worry," Fairy prompted. "Two more Thanatos units are moving in to 'help' you with your exit."
Fairy, you sadist! Kenji thought.
In his mind's eye, two yellow streaks of light converged on his position. He lunged, blocking a lethal slash meant for an old soldier, then physically kicked another veteran out of the path of a second blade. The man's shoulder was grazed, exposing bone as blood sprayed across the asphalt.
"Thanks, kid!" the veteran roared. He didn't let the pain stop him, immediately returning fire to force the Thanatos back. But as he turned to thank Kenji, he saw the young man fly backward in an "exaggerated" arc, crashing deep into a ruined storefront.
The veterans didn't have time to mourn. They formed a tight defensive circle, weapons raised against the three hooded hunters lurking in the fog.
Inside the rubble, Kenji scrambled up. The Substitute Cloth was already there. They swapped gear in a blur of motion, and as Fairy applied the Mosaic distortion over him, the real Kenji sprinted toward the alley where his bike was hidden.
Back on the main road, Qingyi and Zhu Yuan were locked in a desperate struggle with the Butcher. As a machine, Qingyi was the only one who could trade blows. Every time the Butcher's cleaver fell, she met it with her three-section staff, the impact sounding like a mountain collapsing.
The Butcher, realizing its vertical chops were being parried, shifted to a massive horizontal sweep. Qingyi blocked, but with no leverage against the sheer momentum, she was launched ten meters back, her boots plowing deep furrows into the cracked earth.
Zhu Yuan blurred through the air, appearing above the Butcher's neck. She aimed her shotgun directly into the central hollow of its chest—its core. But a massive black hand rose with surprising speed, shielding the weak point. Zhu Yuan didn't waste a second; she fired a round to her side, using the recoil to jink her body mid-air just as the Butcher's blade whistled through the space she had occupied a heartbeat ago.
"Zhu Yuan, this thing isn't just a brute; it's an elite among elites!" Qingyi's voice crackled.
"I know! But the squad..." Zhu Yuan didn't dare look back. She was terrified that if she saw Kenji in trouble, her resolve would break. She had to stay focused on the titan in front of her.
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