Red lines spread across the cone-shaped Calamity, a faint light glowing through them. It gradually grew in intensity until they all connected, and once that happened, the thing collapsed into several diamond-like plates.
Though it might have appeared as if the monster had been destroyed, the Valkyries knew all too well that it wasn't the case.
The pieces weren't falling toward the ground. They all floated around a small orb the size of a football, moving one by one until they were aligned into their new position.
[I can see the core!] Zero Three's voice came through the comms, prompting Nine to refocus her eyes and prepare her sniper rifle.
The pieces had formed two rings around the orb, the outer one spinning clockwise and the other in the opposite direction. It looked like an abstract take on the sun, another nonsensical form taken by one of humanity's greatest enemies.
[Back away, Three!]
Following Nine's warning three energy bullets flashed through the sky before hitting the target and causing another explosion. Zero Three used the opening to make some distance and equip her weapon, a pair of short swords with shining green blades.
The long-range shots did little damage to the monster; it moved its diamond-shaped pieces just in time to intercept the bullets, blocking some and deflecting the others. When the shooting stopped the Calamity turned to face the source, but as it had its sights on the blonde Valkyrie, another one was already above it swinging down a large halberd with the orb at the center as her target.
Sadly the attack failed to reach its mark as more of the red pieces moved in to block it. Zero Three rushed in swinging both of her blades but got blocked as well. Nevertheless, for that one moment, most of the pieces were occupied which gave Nine the opening she needed to snipe the core from afar.
The Calamity had more than enough pieces to block all the bullets, however it failed to notice the fourth one which was hidden behind the third allowing it to slip past the diamond shapes and pierce through the orb at its center.
All of a sudden, the force moving the pieces disappeared, leading to the Calamity crumbling toward the red plains below.
"D class aren't much of a challenge, huh..." Zero Three muttered while watching the dead monster fall. "They can't even hide their cores properly."
Just then, the young Valkyrie noticed something twinkling near the ground. Crossing her arms in front of her chest she prepared for the impact, and a moment later something collided with her.
Another cone-shaped Calamity. Its sharp tip pressed against a layer of blue light coating the arm guards the young Valkyrie wore. Zero Three had charged her protective Force Field to its full capacity, focusing its effects on her arms. Even so, the calamity was pushing her back, which was not a good sign, and so was the appearance of two calamities with the same form.
"This might be a C class, maybe even a B…" Nine grimaced, an anxious look taking over her face. "You two, keep your guard up!"
Zero Five moved to support Zero Three, but another one of the cone-shaped Calamities shot up at her out of nowhere. She barely avoided a direct hit, but that left her too busy to back up Zero Three.
[Three! Twenty degrees to the left, please!]
Doing as told, Zero Three found herself facing Nine's direction. The cone was still pushing against her Force Field so it rotated as well, leaving its back wide open to the blonde Valkyrie who found no trouble shooting its core even in that form. As expected, the base of the cone was the least protected area with the core being closer to it than the sharp tip.
Without waiting for gravity to do its thing, Zero Three left the frozen Calamity behind and went to support her comrade. Her mistake was assuming there were no more enemies, and because of that, she was too late in noticing the lance shooting toward her from an obscure angle, its speed far exceeding that of the other three so much so that even Nine who was observing the situation from afar, didn't see it coming.
The lance collided with Zero Three's Force Field, however since she was too focused on the offensive trying to help Zero Five, the layer of protection she coated herself in was lacking, allowing the Calamity to tear through it and penetrate her skin.
[THREE!]
"Don't worry." Gritting her teeth, the young Valkyrie turned to engage the new enemy. "It's just a surface wound!"
An enemy capable of piercing through the Valkyries' defensive Force Field was really bad news. Just like the others, split into many diamond-shaped pieces then formed the same abstract sun, although this last one was much larger and with three rings instead of two.
Another cone appeared from the red plains below. The one Zero Five was fighting retreated and each of the cones took a spot beside the larger Calamity before shifting forms as well.
"This doesn't look good." Zero Three glanced at her wound and grimaced.
The rings made by the red diamonds began spinning faster while the cores shone with a brilliant light.
The Calamities turned to face the injured Zero Three, the light from their cores casting an ominous glow on her petite form. A bullet pierced through one of them instantly shutting it down, but before the other two could be stopped, beams of light shot out bending at impossibly sharp angles as they surrounded the young Valkyrie from all directions.
[THREE!!!]