"We can't let this truck get any closer. You have to stop it now." As soon as Carla received those orders from Dheng, she activated the thrusters in her legs and the sides of her arms, proceeding to reach the truck in the blink of an eye. With the trucks evenly spaced out, she had to be especially smart about how she was going to stop them and avoid causing an accident.
'How did the Gazanerrin capture a beast this large?' she questioned, fear slowly taking over. However, with her mission objectives given, she chose to move on with them and ignore her fearful thoughts and emotions.
[Attention all squadrons] She sent an automated message to the other Malware units. [Our objective has been given. Stop these trucks from getting any closer to the suburb. That's no machine they're pulling. It's a beast, I repeat. It's a beast.]
Carla, now in the path of the truck at the extreme left, leaped over it and landed on top of its roof. As soon as she did, the co-drivers started shooting at her, but their shots were missed with such grace. She quickly disarmed them and considered overriding the vehicle's systems manually.
[Error!! This technology is too outdated to be overridden.]
''Vintage trucks?'' she asked herself. "These things haven't been seen in over three millennia."
With no other option, Carla placed her palms on the truck and sent an electromagnetic pulse throughout it, causing its spark plugs, batteries, and other various components to permanently shut down. "First truck's down," she said.
"Second truck's down," one squadron replied. "I need assistance, commander. The others are occupied with riders on those hog hound beasts at the moment."
"Hog hounds?" At that moment, two hog hounds rammed straight into the sides of the truck, knocking Carla off onto the ground.
Their riders quickly shot trap nets at her, weighed down with cannonball-like orbs, and dragged her along.
"Do not move, or we will shoot," the four Gazanerrin—two on each of the two beasts—threatened with their weapons pointed at Carla. However, instead of looking afraid as they hoped, Carla had a smirk on her face, her chest glowing violently.
*BOOM*
A large blast erupted from the woman's mechanical body, setting her free and incinerating the beasts and their riders. In the process, the blast catapulted her into the sky, giving her an overview of what was happening.
'One truck's down, but it hasn't stopped the others,' she thought. 'If I can take out the one on the extreme right, it'll slow down the vehicles.'
With one more blast, this time from her back, Carla zoomed past the two trucks in the middle and landed on the back of the third truck. Without wasting any more time, she quickly generated an electric charge and shot the wheels and engine of the truck. As soon as the vehicle became immobile, the last moving truck stopped moving, due to how vastly sized and heavy its cargo was.
"Perfect," Carla cheered. "The beast's transportation has come to a complete halt. All that's left is..."
Carla and the others were interrupted by the loud, heavy sounds of the tarp tearing and a majestically horrifying beast breaking free from the binds that held it down as it roared.
"Oh no. Zhao!"
------------------
"Carla!!" He quickly cried out. "We have to stop this thing from moving, now. It's a beast. The Gazanerrin are going to confront the demon-tier beast with another one. STOP THE TRUCKS NOW."
"I can't let that happen," Dheng said, turning his attention to the person who responded to him. He caught eyes with a pair of blue glowing and hypnotizing eyes overshadowed by a white cloak that covered the body of the stranger.
"I shan't let you ruin my plans. Cease now and avoid losing lives." the stranger declared, swiping his hand and causing an unknown force to overwhelm Dheng. He tumbled on the sides of the beast's body and fell near its head, feeling the hot breath beating against him while its soul-searching red eyes almost terrified him.
[!!WARNING!!]
[Demon tier beast detected. Do not attempt to approach any further.]
A paralyzing fear took over Dheng's mind as he locked eyes with the beast. To others watching, it was only a second, but for Dheng, it felt like much longer than that. The creature's eyes emanated fear, hatred, bloodshed, pain, and suffering, but what was even more frightening was the robed man standing on top of it.
"I shall show you metal people true fear. This IS WHY MUTANTS MUST BE FEARED," the robed man let out a battle cry, his eyes glowing in unison with the beast. The creature became unsettled and started shaking the platform it lay upon. "MUTANTS AND NORMALS. ONE MUST WORSHIP THE OTHER. I AND MY BEASTS SHALL BE THE ONES TO SHOW ALL OF YOU AND THE REST OF THE WORLD WHO THE TRUE RULERS ARE. THE BEAAAASSSSSTTTTTSSSS….."
*ROOOOOOAAARRRR*
The beast's cry resembled that of a certain boy who could transform into a large creature by biting his thumb with more depth, strength, and struck greater fear in all who heard. With each passing moment, the ground beneath everyone shook more violently.
[TAKE COVER!!] Dheng's system warned, prompting him to quickly leap off the platform and regroup with the other Malwares, including Carla.
"A demon-tier beast," Dheng said, anticipating Carla and the others would ask about what they were witnessing. "The Gazanerrin have a demon-tier beast. And that man..." Dheng's eyes quickly darted to the man in the white robe, roaring alongside the creature with his hands raised high. "It must be him."
"Must be whom?" Carla asked. "Who are you talking about?"
A mighty gush of wind emanated from the beast, blowing away anything in its proximity. Those on the hog hounds were swept away effortlessly, along with their beasts. Meanwhile, the Malwares used their thrusters to counter the force of the wind and stood firm in front of the creature.
*SCREEEAACH*
The beast's roar turned into a bloody scream as it tore through the tarpaulin and crushed the platform it was once tied to. The creature was a colossal beast, resembling a sturdy lion. Its powerful legs had paws with four toes, each toe equipped with sharp claws. Its head was a fusion of a crocodile, with a shortened, square jaw, and the muzzle of a wolf. Its jaws boasted curved teeth the size of a thirteen-floor building.
Covered in feet-long aqua-blue fur with a white underbelly, the creature stood tall with four tails protruding from its backside. Its body was outlined with bone spines and spikes on its shoulders, hindlegs, and forehead. The most intriguing feature was the large, house-size crystal on its ripped chest, emitting a blue glow that was similar to the white-robbed man's eye color.
"You weren't kidding," Dheng said to Carla with his eyes glued to the beast's mesmerizing presence. "That thing really is large. Compared to Neveah…"
"It'll be a playground for it." She replied. "We have to find a way of getting it away from here. There are people in that town. We must get them to safety before it's too late for them."
"That's not going to be easy, sir." One of the squadrons pointed at the white robbed man on top of the beast and the creature's glowing eyes. "That man's controlling the beast. That must be his mutant ability. As long as he's on top, there's nothing we can do to stop the beast."
"Then it's settled," Dheng shouted with a blend of bravery and stupidity in his voice. "We're taking that man down. He must be the leader of the Gazanerrin. Given the little chat I had with him, he must be the mastermind behind all of this."