Assault Begins!

A blinding flash erupted from Star’s outstretched palm, followed by an earth-shaking blast. District 1 officers were thrown back like leaves in a storm. The room descended into chaos as District 3 officers surged forward, weapons drawn, clashing with their counterparts.

Amid the mayhem, Shinku’s breath caught in his throat. He was falling—free-falling through the air. His surroundings blurred, and panic gripped him.

“We’re in the air? I thought I was dead!” he exclaimed.

Roton’s voice broke through the chaos, calm and steady. “Yo-ho-ho! Nope, you’re still alive, thanks to me.” Roton grinned as he held onto Shinku, their descent slowing. “This is my Program: Glitch. It lets me teleport somewhere nearby by sending my data into the location—or even teleport someone else, but it’s not perfect.”

Shinku blinked. “Not perfect?”

Roton chuckled sheepishly. “Used to be able to control it like a charm. But, as I’ve depreciated… well, it’s gotten a little random. Thankfully, this time, it kept us from being obliterated by Star’s blast. Yo-ho-ho!”

Before Shinku could respond, a booming voice echoed below.

“Occupy them, Star!” Vitron commanded

Star, with unparalleled agility, leapt into the air, aiming straight for Roton and Shinku. Roton acted swiftly, pulling out his hydroarm and firing shots down at Star mid-flight. The projectiles crackled as they raced toward their target, forcing Star to twist and dodge effortlessly, his movements fluid and precise.

From above, Shinku scanned the room. Amid the chaos, he locked onto Vitron, who was retreating toward the tunnel with Anthril. Shinku shouted, “The president! He’s trying to escape!”

Vitron’s voice bellowed. “Destroy their vehicles! Ensure they cannot leave! Eliminate as many District 1 officers as possible!”

Shinku aimed carefully. With precision, he fired an EMP shot directly at Vitron. The crackling burst struck true, sending the president crashing to the ground, his body immobilized.

“What is this?!” Vitron growled, his voice laced with frustration. “I’ve been completely disabled!”

Anthril moved swiftly, erecting a shimmering shield of data behind himself to block further attacks. Without hesitation, he grabbed Vitron by the underarms, dragging him toward the tunnel. Their trench coats fluttered behind them as they retreated, Anthril’s pace relentless.

Vitron’s eyes narrowed as he glared at Shinku. “Capture that officer!” he barked, his tone venomous. “He’s integral to my plan! Tell Star—don’t kill the one with white hair! He must not die! We’ll need him after we finish preparing Mother Brain.”

Anthrill nodded sharply. “Understood, sir.”

A sinister smile crept across Vitron’s face. “Who would’ve thought what I needed would present itself so easily!”

Star landed on the ground with practiced ease, his piercing eyes locked on Roton. The two engaged in a deadly dance, Roton dodging Star’s strikes with nimble footwork, countering with precise shots from his hydroarm. Star’s movements were relentless, each attack pushing Roton closer to the edge.

“Yo-ho-ho, you’re a persistent one, aren’t you?” Roton quipped, dodging another attack.

Over the communicator, Roton’s voice carried urgency. “Everyone who can—stop the president from reaching Mother Brain!”

Officers rallied, breaking through the chaos to pursue Vitron down the tunnel.

Meanwhile, Johe barked orders amid the chaos. “Bontly! Protect the vehicles! If they’re destroyed, we’re stranded!”

Bontly, saluted. “Yes, sir!” Without hesitation, he and several others peeled off from the group, racing toward the parking area.

The sound of weapons firing and energy crackling filled the air as the battle raged on. Shinku’s mind raced.

“We can’t let them kill Mother Brain,” he muttered.

The tunnel leading to the room housing Mother Brain was chaos incarnate. Tackle and a group of District 1 officers sprinted forward. At the entrance, Anthril stood tall.

Anthrill tilted his head slightly. “Oh well,” he said. “I can’t stop all of you… but I’ll do my best.”

From the room behind him, Vitron’s voice echoed, filled with frantic urgency. “Keep feeding it the viruses! Don’t stop until I say so!” Crawling on the ground.

In the chaos of the tunnel, Xenox used his sharp, appendage-like limbs, he dispatched any officers who dared to stand in his way. Oil painted the walls as his twisted laughter filled the air.

Tackle’s eyes burned with fury as she locked onto Xenox. “Xenox!” she screamed, accelerating toward him like a missile.

Before she could reach her target, Prog grabbed her arm, yanking her back with surprising strength. “You stop! Now!” he commanded.

Tackle turned to him, her fists trembled with restrained rage.

Prog met her gaze. “I understand your frustration—I dislike Xenox as much as you do. But I will be the one to fight him. You need to stay alive, Tackle. Your determination will take you a long way, but if you throw yourself at him recklessly, you’ll just end up a crash dummy!”

Tackle’s breathing slowed, but her hands still shook.

Prog placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You’re human. Understand that it’s dangerous. You’re more valuable alive than as a martyr.” He turned to Kimida and Aiye, motioning toward them. “You two, with me. We’ll handle Xenox!”

Kimida and Aiye nodded, their expressions resolute as they followed Prog into the dome where Mother Brain was held.

Epongi was slumped against a wall near the tunnel entrance, his body trembling uncontrollably. His mind raced with thoughts of Gork’s death, Vitron’s mercilessness, and the overwhelming chaos around him. He clutched his head, muttering, “I can’t do this. I can’t do this. I can’t…”

Nearby, the air vibrated with a sharp, grating noise. Ballerina stood in the open, using his ability to create powerful sound waves. Vibrations rippled through the air, blowing back groups of District 1 officers and leaving them stunned.

Officers winced, clutching their ears as the noise battered them. District 3 officers took full advantage, swarming their disoriented enemies.

Ballerina surveyed the scene with a look of disdain. “My god,” he muttered. “You’re all so annoying and weak.”

In the comm link, frantic voices rang out as officers shouted over the noise.

“Officers down! More casualties piling up!”

“Can someone please deal with the noisy guy? We can barely fight with this racket!”

Johe’s voice cut through the chaos. “I’m already on it!”

Johe sprinted toward Ballerina, data emanating from his baton as he approached. Without hesitation, he swung his weapon at the source of the noise. The crackling sound of data clashing with vibrations filled the air as Ballerina turned to face his attacker.

Johe spoke over the comm link, even as he continued his assault. “I’ll try to push him elsewhere! If I can move him, the sound won’t interfere with y'all anymore!”

Ballerina cashally swatted away Johe’s slashes. He yawned. “A random officer trying to fight me? How… annoying.”

Roton and Star moved so fast that their forms were almost indistinguishable blurs. Shinku stood below, his eyes wide with awe. Every strike, every evasion, and every counter was a masterclass in combat, but he could barely keep up.

Roton fired his hydroarm, mixing precise shots with his glitching ability to evade Star’s relentless attacks. Bullets sounded off the walls as Star leaped through the air, closing the distance between them with inhuman agility.

“If you knew we might end up fighting,” Star taunted. “you should’ve brought more supervisors to your aid!”

Roton chuckled. “Everyone here had the choice to fight. Any supervisor who isn’t here chose not to. I won’t force anyone into a battle they’re not ready for.”

Star’s eyes narrowed as he launched a powerful kick, which Roton narrowly dodged by glitching away and countering with a barrage of bullets from above.

“That’s where you fail,” Star said coldly, landing on his feet with ease. “You’re too lenient, too soft.” He lunged upward, tanking one of Roton’s bullets with his shoulder as if it were nothing. “You can’t afford to lead like that in a world like ours.”

Roton smirked, but his expression faltered as Star charged energy into his fist.

Star continued mocking. “You’re so old and depreciated that one hit might be enough to finish you.” He thrust his glowing fist forward, energy pulsing around it. “Let’s see if it’ll take the bare minimum. Miniature Crash!”

Roton’s face paled, his body freezing momentarily as the blast rushed toward him.

“EMP!” Shinku’s shouted. A web of energy shot from his hand, aimed directly at Star.

Star snarled in annoyance, spinning mid-air to avoid the attack. His energy-infused fist collided with the ceiling instead, sending shockwaves rippling through the room. Dust and debris rained down as Roton glitched to the ground beside Shinku, landing with a heavy thud.

Panting, Roton looked at Shinku and said, “Are you sure you want to fight the monitor? This will be high difficulty for you! Go stop Vitron!”

Shinku’s expression hardened. “And let Star kill you? No way. I’m not gonna let you die like that!”

Roton chuckled “Yohoho. You’re something brave, I’ll give you that.” He fired another round of bullets at Star, who dodged and prepared another assault.

Shinku smirked. “We’ll stop the president together—once we take down Star.”