Chapter 259: The Flame Dragon Nihilister

The ground there was scorched, and the hot magma flowed beneath, with the intense heat from below palpable even just standing on the surface.

"This area is Nihilister's territory."

Johan stood up, and the armor on his body automatically covered half of him, shielding him from the intense heat.

After all, he was still a human. Even though half of his body had been modified into mechanical parts, the other half would still feel the effects of the heat, and his resistance to it wasn't as strong as a Nikke's.

Mo Chen took out a GANTZ battle suit and handed it to Johan.

"Put this on."

The GANTZ battle suit was one Mo Chen had exchanged earlier, a lower-tier version meant for a Nikke squad, while the vanguard forces had already been equipped with the standard or even high-tier versions.

This lower-tier GANTZ was of no use to him, so he decided to pass it on to Johan as a way to make use of it.

Johan's cold eyes glanced at the suit Mo Chen was holding, and he paused for a moment.

But his straightforward personality took over, and without the usual polite exchanges like the others, he simply accepted it.

"Thank you."

After putting it on, Johan froze.

Even though he had seen and worn countless types of armor, he was still stunned after donning the battle suit.

Not only did the suit protect against the intense heat, but his physical stats seemed to have been significantly boosted. He picked up the remains of a Rapture from the ground, gripped it tightly, and with a "creak," the metal was crushed under his grip.

Such grip strength was beyond what any human could achieve.

He had previously investigated Mo Chen and seen video footage of him wearing the suit while fighting, but it wasn't until he wore it himself that he realized how effective the suit truly was.

A voice came through the communicator.

"…No heat sources detected within the radius."

"It's possible that the target is hiding in gaps of cover to avoid detection."

"In the southwest direction, a large amount of energy fluctuations detected, moving rapidly toward the east. Suspected to be Rapture forces!"

"Boom—!"

Before Cecil could finish speaking, the ground began to tremble, as if an entire army was charging toward them. In the distance on the horizon, a black line appeared. The line rapidly expanded and in the blink of an eye became a surge of rushing waves.

It was the Rapture army!

This Rapture army was massive.

Not only was their number enormous, but there were also a large number of advanced units. Nearly a third of them were Master-class Raptures, and there were even twenty to thirty Lord-class Raptures. 

Even the Pilgrims would struggle to deal with such a vast number of Lord-class Raptures!

However, strangely, the Rapture army didn't head toward them but instead bypassed them and moved straight toward the east, as if they were blind and hadn't noticed them at all.

The Raptures' unusual behavior left everyone puzzled.

"The east direction—it's Eden's direction!"

Everyone froze in shock, realizing what was happening.

The Raptures' target wasn't them, but Eden: Eden's coordinates had been exposed!

It was actually not that hard to understand.

During the previous volcanic eruptions, a significant portion of the optical camouflage had been damaged. Additionally, a thick layer of volcanic ash had settled onto the camouflage's surface. Although the Nikkes had begun clearing it immediately, there was still a period of downtime.

During this brief window of failure, the Rapture forces managed to detect Eden's location.

At its core, optical camouflage was merely a form of disguise, not an actual defense mechanism. Once its concealment was compromised, it became completely useless.

"Estimated time until the first wave of attacks on Eden: twenty minutes."

Cecil calmly analyzed the situation.

Most of Eden's Pilgrims had already deployed to hunt down the Heretic. Although some Nikke units remained in Eden, their combat strength was generally average. With an incoming Rapture force of this scale, they would struggle to hold the line.

"Adjust mission priorities. The defense of Eden takes precedence."

Dorothy turned around. Unlike her usual elegant and composed demeanor, she now wore a serious expression as she addressed Mo Chen. "Apologies, Commander. Given the urgency of the situation, we must retreat—"

Just as she spoke, an unexpected anomaly occurred.

"Whoooosh—!"

A sharp, piercing sound suddenly erupted from the sky, akin to the shrill cry of something cutting through the air at high speeds.

Everyone was taken aback and instinctively looked up.

Cecil's urgent voice echoed through the communicator.

"The Heretic designated as Nihilister—she is closing in at high velocity from above!"

Above the clouds!

"Whoooosh—!"

The vibrations in the air intensified.

A pure white cloud was silently split in half by an invisible force. The once-unbroken sky now displayed a stark division, as if cleaved by an unseen blade.

And within that divide, a burning figure descended like a meteor, its body ignited in violent flames as it plummeted through the atmosphere.

Like a comet crashing to earth, it struck the ground with a deafening impact!

"Boom—!"

A thunderous explosion shook the battlefield!

The ground caved in, shattering apart inch by inch. Rocks were sent flying as flames surged outward in a violent storm.

A scorching gust of wind, carrying shards of debris, roared toward them. Everyone instinctively shielded themselves, stepping back under the force of the blast.

As the dust gradually settled, the monstrous entity became visible.

A crimson-black dragon stood amidst the inferno, its entire body wreathed in flames. Even its core was made of fire.

The dragon's head was massive and menacing, its blazing red eyes shining with a ferocious light, as though capable of igniting everything in its gaze. Every breath it exhaled was accompanied by flickering flames, and from the corners of its mouth, razor-sharp fangs gleamed with a terrifying glint.

Dorothy swiftly activated a protective barrier to deflect the incoming heatwave. Even in the face of an enemy's ambush, her graceful stance remained unshaken. A sharp glint flickered in her bright eyes.

"…Nihilister, the Queen's legion general."

Johan raised his mechanical arm to block the scorching flames and suffocating heat. His eyes narrowed as he locked onto the monstrous creature before them, speaking in a deep voice. "An ancient relic that should have long since decayed… A Heretic."

Standing in the midst of the raging inferno, Mo Chen neither flinched nor moved away. The rolling flames, scorching winds, and searing heat waves seemed incapable of harming him, swirling uselessly around him.

Malice.

It was a pure, overwhelming malice.

A relentless and brutal hatred directed solely at humanity.

Mo Chen could feel the sheer intensity of Nihilister's mental power—something fundamentally different from any Tyrant-class Rapture or Heretic he had faced before.

That naked, overwhelming presence radiated without restraint, flaunting its strength and cruelty for all to witness!