Fierce Battle with the Armored Beetle

"D*mn it! I'll hold it off! Lucia, you two run!" Nicole knew she no longer had the means to kill this massive armored beetle. All she could do now was buy time for Ryan and Lucia to escape. This was her duty as a protector.

"Nicole…" Lucia was clearly not as decisive. She hesitated, unsure of what to do.

"Ratatata…" Nicole's electromagnetic rifle opened fire. While it couldn't pierce the beetle's shell, it was enough to suppress its advance, buying precious seconds for the others to retreat.

"I'll help you!" Ryan joined the battle. As a veteran, he had quickly analyzed the situation. If he chose to flee with Lucia now, there was indeed a chance they could escape.

But ever since landing on Isis Beach, Ryan had witnessed too much death and parting. He had watched comrade after comrade fall around him—starting with the beachhead assault, through the battle at Second Company—until only he remained.

So today, no matter how strong the enemy was, Ryan was determined not to leave another ally behind. He would fight to the end!

"Take care of yourself," Ryan said with a grin to Lucia, crouched behind the slope, then grabbed the medic's sidearm and charged forward.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The defensive pistol lacked firepower, but it could at least draw some attention. After all, even an electromagnetic rifle wasn't much more effective against this armored monster.

"Thud thud thud…" The beetle began to accelerate, its heavy strides quickly closing the distance to Nicole.

"Swish!" Its razor-sharp foreleg slashed sideways toward her waist. The creature didn't care about mercy.

But Nicole was no ordinary soldier. She rolled to dodge the deadly strike and quickly readjusted her stance to resume firing.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!" The bullets sparked off the beetle's carapace without leaving a scratch. The creature pressed its attack with terrifying momentum. Nicole was agile, but no human could match its raw speed.

"Tsshh…" Constant dodging had its limits. One foreleg finally caught Nicole, scraping across her armored suit and sending a shower of sparks.

"Boom!" The impact didn't cut her, but it launched her like a ragdoll into a tree with a bone-jarring thud.

"Nicole! Are you alright?" Ryan rushed over.

"I'm fine! Just go! We can't beat it!" Nicole tried to push Ryan away, but her arm hung limp—clearly dislocated from the crash.

"Leave it to me," Ryan said with a deep breath. He felt it—that strange surge, as if some force was guiding him. A voice whispered he could win.

"Shing!" Ryan drew the alloy longsword strapped to Nicole's back. With his left arm, he cradled her and carried her down the slope to Lucia.

"Take care of her. That thing's mine." Ryan gave a faint, almost mysterious smile. Even he wasn't sure where this confidence came from.

"Zzzzz…" The sword scraped along the stones, sending sparks dancing in his wake.

"Screee!" The armored beetle shrieked. At the same time, Ryan's eyes lit up with a flickering blue glow. Luckily, Lucia and Nicole were behind him—otherwise, they might've screamed in fright.

The beetle paused at the sight of those glowing eyes—but Ryan didn't hesitate. He surged forward.

"Slash!" His body leaned low, the alloy blade arcing downward. Though he had never formally studied martial arts, his grandfather had once taught him techniques supposedly passed down from ancient Huaxia. Back then, Ryan thought they were all flair—useless acrobatics that couldn't compare to modern combat systems.

Still, under his grandfather's relentless pressure, he'd trained hard as a boy. He had long abandoned those flashy routines—until now.

To Ryan's surprise, with the power of the Zerg coursing through him, those "useless" forms suddenly made sense. His improved strength and coordination unleashed the full potential of each movement. These weren't just showy forms—they were devastating.

His sword was swift and brutal. But the beetle wasn't easy prey. It snapped out of its daze, its compound eyes glowing red, and charged like a maddened beast. It had recognized Ryan—he was the one who killed their young prince.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!" Blade clashed against armored limbs, sparks flying wildly. From a distance, Nicole and Lucia stared in shock.

Nicole, who had fought this monster herself, knew its power. Even in powered armor, she couldn't take it head-on. Yet Ryan—just one man with a sword—was going toe to toe with it. She couldn't believe it. How could a man like that be just a cook?

"Clang!" After another brutal clash, Ryan used the rebound force to leap high into the air. Twisting mid-flight, he descended head-first in an acrobatic flip—an old move his grandfather had taught him. Back then, he dismissed it as suicidal: a showy leap that left the fighter defenseless.

But now—with strength, agility, and perfect control—it was both graceful and lethal. His weight added to the force, turning it into a meteor strike.

Sensing danger, the beetle raised its leg to block the attack—but Ryan's strike was a feint.

"Clang!" He bounced again, changing direction midair and slashing sideways—his blade targeting the beetle's bronze-colored horn at the crown of its head.