Heavy blades tore through steel while mounted cannons blasted holes through nearby structures. The impacts, shook walls and sent pieces of scrap metal flying through the air.Then people began dying.Guards screamed as the Reapers cut through their positions, blood spreading across the ground as bodies fell.Tianna gritted her teeth.“Keep fighting! They’re slow! We can overwhelm them!”More grenades flew across the battlefield. Smoke covered the ground while fire and explosions erupted from every direction. The defenders fought desperately to prevent the machines from reaching the inner areas of the shelter.One Reaper reached the mess hall, only for its foot to become trapped in a weighted net.Zayne immediately took advantage of this. He fired a grenade launcher directly into its chest.Boom!The explosion tore through its armor and sent the Reaper crashing into the pit. Yet even after taking the blast, the machine remained active. Its optics still glowed while its arms clawed agai

“It’s done.”Not long after Max spoke, the battlefield finally grew quiet. The last of the serpent vessels had been smashed apart, their metallic bodies scattered across the shelter grounds. The B-Rank Reapers had also been incapacitated, most of them torn apart after the defenders concentrated their attacks on the weakened machines.Max stood among the wreckage and took a quick look around.He had no interest in celebrating yet. His first concern was the people he had brought into this world. The four super soldiers and the young boy he had purchased as slaves were still hidden exactly where he had instructed them to stay.They were not properly equipped for combat yet, and the moment they arrived and realized a battle was taking place, Max had given them one simple order. Survival came first.He soon found them in the lower chambers of the shelter. They looked frightened and uncertain, but none of them had been hurt.Relief finally reached him.Good. They listened.Outside, the surv

As soon as Aaron taunted them, the four Modified Reapers, X-07 through X-10, opened fire in disciplined bursts. Their combat programming allowed them to coordinate their attacks with impressive precision, sending plasma bolts across the ruined streets and forcing the mutants to scatter. Even if their hardened skin could protect them from one or two plasma shots, that did not mean they could stand in the open and absorb attacks forever. There had to be a limit to how much punishment their bodies could take.The four-eyed mutant immediately began calling out commands. With four separate eyes tracking different parts of the battlefield, it could keep up with attacks coming from several directions at once.“Left flank! Duck low!”His warning came just in time. The other mutants reacted quickly, avoiding the opening volley that might otherwise have torn through them.“Tsk…” Riyah frowned as her planned ambush failed because of the four-eyed mutant. It seemed to possess an ability that allo

The thrusters roared to life, their engines filling the area with a sharp mechanical noise. These compact propulsion packs were small, but each one could lift roughly 100 kilograms. Blue flames burst downward as Noli’s group and the two remaining Modified Reapers were suddenly carried into the air.The acceleration pushed them above the battlefield, giving them a clear view of Aaron and the remaining mutants. None of them had expected the survivors to take the fight into the air. Before the mutants could react, Noli’s group spread out and positioned themselves around the battlefield, cutting off every obvious escape route. Rifles and plasma fire immediately rained down from above, forcing the scaled mutant and the four-eyed one to retreat toward cover.Aaron’s face filled with fury as he raised all four swords, but the airborne assault continued without giving him a chance to recover.“Block their path!” Riyah commanded from below.She had no intention of letting these members of the

“Miniature Pulse Mine for only 1 RP? You’re all mine!” Max exclaimed when he saw the first item.The mines were cheaper than the pulse mines he had seen before because their range was limited, but Max was more than satisfied with the price. He immediately purchased all fifteen, leaving himself with only 70 Reputation Points. He continued checking the rest of the weekly inventory. Spending more would mean completing additional Guild Missions to earn more Reputation Points, but Max did not mind. He needed to strengthen the shelter as much as possible. After everything that had happened with the floating cities, he had no idea when another crisis might begin.[ Muscle Fiber Enhancer ] [ 10/10 ][ Cost: 3 RP ][ Effect: A single-use injectable serum that temporarily strengthens muscle fibers. Increases Strength and Endurance by 25% for 30 minutes. ][ Note: Overuse may cause muscle tearing and fatigue. ][ High-Jump Boots ] [ 5/5 ][ Cost: 3 RP ][ Effect: Mystical boots with movement amp