"Who is that?" Jasmine asked as she looked at the large thing in front of her. It was mechanical and made of the same parts as the Humvee and bus she had been on.
"Do you mean what is that?" Rei asked as she looked at the giant robot in front of her. It was different from what they were fighting before. She held her M4W tightly.
"I am Titanstride and our Goddess wants him," Titanstride said back as his eyes looked around. His blue eyes looked around. "You are not him," he shouted.
"Titanstride?" Yuriko asked. She thought about this large robot. She knew this could be bad.
"You are not getting him," Lois stated as she stared back.
"Danna-sama, is not going with you," Saeko added.
"Then die," Titanstride said as his right arm released a wave of steam. The gears shifted and the metal slid back to reveal a sleek cannon. It was glowing blue. "Die," it shouted as a piercing beam erupted from the cannon, slicing through the air.
"Watch out," Lois shouted. The girls jumped away and dodged the blast. The blast hit the ground and left a small explosion. There was dust and derby flying into the air.
"We need to be careful," Yuriko said as she looked at the damage.
Titanstride's cannon whirred to life, its internal mechanisms charging with a rising hum as he prepared to fire again. "You will be dead," he growled, his optics burning with intent.
Before the shot could be unleashed, Rei moved first. She raised her M4W and pressed the trigger repeatedly. A barrage of bullets tore through the air. They streaked toward Titanstride's metallic chest. The rounds struck with force, some bouncing off his reinforced plating, while others dented panels, sending sparks flying.
Titanstride staggered slightly, his stance shifting as the kinetic force pushed against him. His optics locked onto Rei. "You," he growled, his cannon adjusting its aim and fired. The beam surged forward and headed towards Rei.
She reacted fast, diving aside, narrowly avoiding a direct hit but the blast's force sent her tumbling. Her body rolled before she landed hard on her back. She thought that might have been enough to kill a normal person. She got up and exhaled.
She looked up and heard multiple footsteps coming toward her. "Dead Water," she said.
More Dead Water creatures rushed forward, their forms twisted and unnatural, their red claws gleaming as they charged toward Rei. Rei was about to raise her gun.
Yuriko ran ahead. She raised Jackal and gripped the weapon firmly with both hands. Yuriko fired her trigger multiple times. Four bullets cut through the air, each one finding its mark.
Three of the creatures collapsed instantly, their skulls cracking apart, their bodies crumpling.
Yet one remained, still pushing forward. He rushed toward Yuriko. Yuriko's eyes widened.
Before it could reach her, Saeko jumped forward. She swung her in a swift arc and slashed through its leg. The Dead Water stopped. Saeko then pivoted effortlessly, bringing her sword down a second time, severing its head completely.
The Dead Water were covered in a green mist.
"Thank you," Yuriko said as she looked at Saeko.
Saeko wiped the black blood from her sword. She looked at Yuriko and gave a firm nod. "These make it more complicated," she said.
Meanwhile, Saya soared atop Carptie. She aimed her Ray Gun at Titanstride. Saya looked at him and pressed the trigger. A red energy wave was fired and it streaked downward, slamming into Titanstride's chest.
The impact forced him back, his body jerking from the blast, chunks of metal ripping off his plating.
Titanstride growled, adjusting his stance, raising his arm. "Stop, you," he shouted as he fired a beam. It missed Saya entirely and struck the roof. There were chunks of concrete and steel plummeting downward.
Saya moved Carptie forward, avoiding the collapse. She saw the chunks of concrete crashing down on the ground.
Titanstride recovered, his optics flaring as his systems recalibrated.
Lois ran forward. She switched her M4W firing mode. She pressed the trigger and fired an under-barrel grenade launcher round. The grenade streaked through the air and impacted Titanstride's shoulder. There was a violent explosion which sent shrapnel flying.
"No, my arm!" Titanstride roared as he emerged from the smoke. His right arm was ruined, the plating completely stripped away, exposing damaged internal mechanisms.
Titanstride lunged forward. He closed the distance in a blur of movement. He then snatched Lois in his damaged hand and gripped her tightly.
"You will pay," he snarled as his fingers tightened around her.
"Lois," Rei shouted. She attempted to rush towards her however the Dead Water surged forward, forcing her to fire her weapon to keep them at bay.
Jasmine twirled the Lasso of Submission and threw it forward, the golden rope coiling around Titanstride's right wrist, pulling tight.
"What?" Titanstride said as confusion flickered across his expression. "What is this?" he asked. He felt his strength going.
Saya seized the moment, swooping toward Titanstride as she fired direct shots into his exposed shoulder panel. The blasts struck, forcing him further back. His grip loosened on Lois.
At that moment, Lois raised her M4W, switching to the grenade mode, and fired a round at Titanstride's head.
The impact triggered twin explosions.
Titanstride's arm detached, crashing to the ground, and his entire body staggered, before finally collapsing.
Lois fell, gravity pulling her toward the debris until Saya swooped in, catching her just in time.
Lois exhaled in relief, giving a small smile. "Thanks," she said.
Saya studied the wreckage below. "He's more than I expected," she responded.
Then from the lingering smoke, Saeko emerged. She rushed onto Titanstride's fallen form, scaling his damaged plating. She raised her sword high as she leapt into the air. Saeko brought the blade down, driving it directly into his blue glowing optic.
Titanstride screamed, his head jerking back violently, his optics flickering in distress.
"My eye," Saeko landed gracefully. She took a step back.
The battlefield fell silent, smoke curling around the remnants of Titanstride's broken form. "You will all pay," he said as he got up. His right arm was gone. The left side of his head was destroyed. His chest panel was exposed.
"Full Beam Pulse," Titanstride roared, his core surging with power as raw energy ignited within his system. A concentrated beam of white-hot destruction tore forward. Its intensity melted the ground upon impact, leaving a searing, molten trail in its wake. The pulse ripped through the area.
"Watch out," Lois shouted.
Saeko, Rei, Yuriko, and Jasmine darted to the side as they barely avoided the catastrophic blast.
The beam struck the advancing Dead Water, their bodies vaporizing instantly, the twisted creatures dissolved.
Jasmine steadied herself, brushing dust off her sleeve. "That was close," she remarked.
Titanstride's beam flickered, the core's glow dimmed. His energy was was drained.
"Now is our chance," Lois declared as she raised her M4W, switching to the grenade launcher attachment. She fired a tube straight at Titanstride's face.
The projectile struck his optics directly, detonating upon impact. A violent explosion rocked the area. The flames and shattered fragments of metal bursted outward. The force ripped part of his face away, exposing his inner circuits, some sparking wildly, others leaking mechanical fluid.
Rei reacted instantly as she pulled the trigger and sent a hail of bullets into Titanstride's chest. Each round tore through weakened plating, stripping away metal layers, revealing a tangled mess of exposed wiring and hydraulic pistons, his frame losing integrity with every hit.
Saya, still atop Carptie, raised her Ray Gun, its barrel was glowing red. She fired and unleashed waves of red energy. It slammed into Titanstride's core.
The mechanical giant lurched as his body shuddered under the assault.
"Stop it, you brats," Titanstride bellowed.
"Brats?" Yuriko raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.
Jasmine lifting her Red Hawk pistol. She fired rapidly. Each shot hammering into his exposed form. She unloaded her entire magazine, piercing his face, his chest, sending more mechanical fluids and cables spilling onto the ground.
Yuriko stepped forward. She aimed her Jackal pistol. She fired a single bullet. It went through the air and struck Titanstride's core, dead center.
Then, Titanstride exploded. A massive eruption of fire and metal tore through the battlefield. His body split apart, the force sending jagged, molten fragments soaring in every direction.
Panels ripped from his frame, tumbling through the air like shattered armor. Flames engulfed his remains, his mechanical form collapsing beneath the weight of his own destruction.
The ground shook violently as he collapsed. Smoke curled upward, thick and black, filling the air.
Saya descended from Carptie, landing gracefully beside the group. "He's down," she said.
Lois also jumped off. "He is," she confirmed.
"Hopefully, that's the last of him," Jasmine exhaled.
Then they heard the low hum of engines rumbling in the distance. They grew louder.