Chapter : 316
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Chapter : 316
Suddenly, the dark shadows of the warehouse came alive. Metal doors slammed shut behind the 13th Unit. The exit was completely blocked. Dozens of men stepped out from behind the shipping containers. They dropped down from the rusted catwalks.
They were brutal, angry thugs. They wore dark leather vests and metal masks. They held giant swords, spiked clubs, and glowing magical crossbows. They completely surrounded the 13th Unit. There were at least forty of them.
"This is a trap," Sayma stated politely. She pushed her glasses up. Her analytical mind instantly went to work.
"It is a meticulously planned ambush," Luis bragged from the catwalk. "Anny sent you right into my slaughterhouse. You royals are too trusting. You ask too many questions. I am going to bury you right here under this scrap metal."
Ken let out a long, dramatic groan. He slouched his shoulders. "I knew it. I totally called it. The crying girlfriend was a fake. Now I have to do cardio. This is the worst."
"Kill them all!" Luis roared. He pointed his finger down at the team.
The thugs charged forward. They screamed loud battle cries. They swung their clubs and fired their magical crossbows.
"Vanguard, form up!" Princess Iris ordered smoothly.
The 13th Unit instantly snapped into action. They did not panic. They had faced much worse than common street thugs.
Zinia stomped her boot onto the concrete floor. "Stone Wall!" she shouted. A massive slab of solid rock ripped out of the ground. The glowing crossbow bolts slammed into the rock. They exploded harmlessly into the stone.
Laxmi grinned wildly. Her eyes lit up with pure excitement. "Finally! I get to hit something!" She slammed her fists together. Bright orange flames roared to life around her hands. She dashed around Zinia's wall. She threw a massive fireball directly into a group of charging swordsmen.
The fire exploded. The thugs screamed and flew backward. They crashed into the rusted factory machinery.
Naomi moved like a red blur. Her green wind magic swirled around her boots. She dashed right into the middle of the enemy crowd. She spun her twin silver daggers. She did not aim to kill. She aimed to disarm. She sliced through wooden club handles. She kicked the thugs in the chest. She moved with flawless, blinding speed.
Ira stood perfectly still. Her face was completely flat and emotionless. She raised her hands. Two long, high-pressure water whips formed in the air. She lashed out. The water whips grabbed the ankles of three thugs at once. Ira yanked her arms back. The thugs flipped upside down and smashed onto the concrete floor.
Luna yawned loudly. She pointed two fingers at the catwalks above. "Zap," she mumbled lazily. A brilliant yellow bolt of lightning cracked through the air. It struck the metal railing. The electricity shocked five thugs standing up there. They dropped their crossbows and fell over, totally knocked out.
The battle was chaotic. It was loud. Sparks and dust filled the warehouse.
Ken Eliot did not join the fight. He did exactly what he always did.
He shrieked loudly. He waved his arms in the air. He ran away from the center of the room. He found a very nice, sturdy metal crate near the back wall. He dived behind it. He curled into a comfortable ball.
"I am providing moral support from back here!" Ken yelled over the explosions. He popped his head over the crate. He pointed a finger at a thug trying to sneak up on Laxmi. "Watch your left, Laxmi! He has a really ugly sword!"
Laxmi spun around. She punched the thug in the face with a flaming fist. The man flew across the room. "Thanks, farm boy!" Laxmi laughed.
Ken ducked back down. He pulled another chocolate eclair from his pocket. He took a bite. He chewed happily. He watched the fight like it was an entertaining movie.
The common thugs were absolutely no match for the elite Royal servants. The girls dismantled the gang with perfect teamwork. Sayma threw golden honeycomb barriers to block incoming attacks. Naomi sliced through their defenses. Zinia crushed them with rocks.
In less than five minutes, almost the entire gang was groaning on the floor. Their weapons were broken. Their armor was scorched. They were completely defeated.
Up on the catwalk, Luis watched his men fall. His arrogant smirk completely vanished. His face turned pale with pure panic. He gripped the metal railing. He could not believe it. His highly trained mercenaries were getting totally destroyed by a group of girls.
"Get up! Fight them!" Luis screamed at his fallen men.
But nobody stood up. The thugs were entirely beaten.
Naomi spun her daggers and slid them into her belt. She looked up at Luis. She offered a fierce, confident smile.
"Your trap failed, Luis," Naomi called out. "You are all out of men. Come down here and surrender. We just want to talk."
Luis started to shake. He was terrified. He realized he was trapped. He looked at the locked doors. He looked at the fierce warriors standing below him. He had absolutely no escape route.
He backed away from the railing. His eyes darted wildly around the catwalk. He was breathing very fast.
"No," Luis whispered. His voice cracked with sheer desperation. "I cannot go to prison. I cannot fail her. She promised me."
He reached deep into his dirty brown jacket. He pulled out a small glass vial.
The vial contained a thick, dark green liquid. It glowed with a sickly, toxic light. It was the raw, unrefined Devil Flour serum. It was the exact same biological nightmare they had seen in the underground laboratory.
Luis stared at the glowing vial. He looked completely desperate.
"I will not lose!" Luis roared.
He popped the cork off the vial. He brought the glass to his lips. He drank the entire toxic serum in one massive gulp. He tossed the empty glass vial over the edge of the catwalk. It shattered on the concrete floor below.
Ken stopped chewing his eclair. He peeked his head over the metal crate. He let out a long, tired sigh.
"Oh, come on," Ken complained quietly to himself. "Another giant monster transformation? Why do these guys always drink the glowing green juice? It never ends well for them. This is getting incredibly repetitive."
Luis fell to his knees on the catwalk. He grabbed his own throat. A horrific, agonizing scream tore from his lungs. The transformation was beginning, and the simple warehouse brawl was about to turn into a massive, terrifying boss fight.
---
Luis screamed. The sound echoed off the high metal ceiling. It was a terrifying, wet noise. His body violently rejected the toxic serum.
The transformation was fast and brutal. Luis's dirty brown jacket ripped into shreds. His muscles bulged to impossible sizes. His skin turned a sickly, glowing green color. Thick, dark scales erupted across his chest and arms. His fingernails stretched into razor-sharp, jagged claws.