Chapter 72 - No Room for Errors

The metallic beast lunged, its massive claws tearing through the air. The team barely had time to react before the floor cracked beneath its weight.

Hotaru rolled to the side, dodging a swipe that could have cut her in half. She looked up—two glowing red eyes locked onto her.

"Tora! Tell me you found a weakness!" she shouted, gripping her daggers.

"I'm working on it!" Tora yelled, fingers flying across his tablet. "That thing is layered in military-grade armor!"

Ryuuji, dodging a tail swipe, scoffed. "Great. So basically, we punch it and hope it explodes?"

Sai spun mid-air, slashing his katana across the beast's leg. Sparks flew, but it barely dented the surface. "That won't work."

Mira threw a metal pipe like a spear. It bounced off uselessly. "I hate to say it, but we might be screwed."

Kuro, perched on a broken console, flicked his tail. "You humans always overlook the obvious."

Tora's eyes widened. "Wait. The glowing core in its chest! That's the power source!"

Hotaru smirked. "Then let's crack it open."

The beast charged again, sending debris flying.

"Split up!" Hotaru commanded.

Mira and Sai dashed left. Ryuuji and Kuro went right. Tora stayed near the control panel, furiously typing.

Hotaru ran straight at the beast.

"ARE YOU INSANE?" Mira shouted.

Hotaru jumped, flipping over the beast's head and landing behind it.

"Ryuuji, distract it!"

"On it!" Ryuuji whistled. "Hey, overgrown tin can! You fight like a malfunctioning toaster!"

The beast snapped its head toward him.

Sai moved like lightning, slicing across its joints. Sparks erupted, and the beast stumbled slightly.

Mira seized the moment, swinging her staff into the weakened joint. The beast collapsed to one knee.

Hotaru saw her opening.

She dashed forward, daggers drawn, and plunged them into the glowing core.

The beast screeched. The entire room trembled.

"EVERYONE, GET BACK!" Tora shouted.

The beast exploded in a burst of electricity.

Hotaru hit the ground, rolling to safety. Smoke filled the room. Silence.

Then—

"DID WE WIN?" Ryuuji called out, coughing.

Mira groaned. "I think so."

Sai pulled Hotaru up. "Nice work."

Tora, breathing heavily, held up a holographic drive. "I got the data. We need to move—now."

Hotaru took one last look at the smoking remains of the beast.

"Shiro won't stop here," she muttered.

Sai sheathed his sword. "Then we don't stop either."

They had won this battle. But the war was far from over.

To be continued…

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