Nest in the Ruins (3)

Once he got close to Mara, Rex gently patted her on the head. In the past, Mara would have been furious, but now, seeing him as a towering 2.5-meter giant in his black-and-white armor, she was more afraid than angry. Rex noticed her reaction and quickly realized it wasn't as funny anymore.

He withdrew his hand and cleared his throat. "Mara, get your men ready. We're heading into the bug hive. We'll wait for you all at the top of the hill." As soon as he said that, the armor on his legs began to shift.

It now looked as if he had some kind of propellant system attached to his legs. In an instant, he leapt into the air, and the ground beneath him cracked from the force of the takeoff. The jump was so powerful that he landed at the top of the hill with a loud crash, sending debris and dust flying everywhere.

As Rex landed, a familiar voice came through his communicator; it was Carlos. "Was that really necessary?"

Rex chuckled. "Haha, not really, but I looked cool, didn't I?"

Carlos sighed. "Show-off."

With a slight shake of his head, Carlos turned to Mara. "Mind if I hitch a ride in one of your helicopters? No way I'm doing what he just did." He headed toward one of the waiting helicopters, got in, and settled down.

Mara, still a bit unsettled, climbed into the helicopter too, instructing the pilot to head for the top of the hill. A few minutes later, the helicopters were diving into the bug hive, descending several meters in a near-free fall. The only way for the Crimson Claw members to enter the hive was by air.

As they neared the ground, the helicopter's searchlights illuminated a 2.5-meter warrior clad in white armor, wielding a massive sword in each hand. He was cutting through a swarm of bug warriors with ease. Any bugs that got too close were stopped by an energy barrier, only to be sliced in half a moment later by the giant's swords.

Meanwhile, in one of the helicopters, Carlos dismounted one of the side-mounted miniguns. "I'm borrowing this for a bit. I'll see you on the ground!" With the minigun in hand, Carlos leaped out of the helicopter, his power armor absorbing the fall.

Data streamed across his helmet's display, ensuring he was within the safe jump margin. Just before hitting the ground, some kind of force slowed his descent, kicking up a cloud of dust.

From within the dust cloud, the gunfire of a minigun echoed through the hive. Moments later, a barrage of bullets rained down on the bug warriors.

As the bugs noticed this new threat and charged toward Carlos, fire suddenly rained down from above. The combat drones had finally been fully repaired and rejoined the fight, launching their attack on the swarm below.

Once they landed, the combat drones created a perfect circle around Carlos and Rex, their mounted miniguns firing continuously at the swarm of warrior bugs. This cleared a safe landing zone for the helicopters, allowing more Crimson Claw members to disembark and join the fight.

The helicopters were making constant trips in and out of the hive, each time bringing reinforcements, increasing the firepower on the ground.

Rex was already standing atop a pile of dead warrior bugs, his massive frame towering over the battlefield. Crimson Claw members flanked him on all sides, firing nonstop. When they ran out of ammo, they quickly retreated, reloaded, and returned to the fight.

Carlos, meanwhile, had taken up position on some rocks with other heavy gunners. He was wielding two miniguns, one in each hand, mowing down bugs without pause. Whenever he ran low on ammo, a teammate quickly resupplied him, thanks to the cargo drones that Cleo kept sending their way. For now, ammunition wasn't a concern.

Just as victory seemed inevitable, bloodcurdling screams cut through the air.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

"Help! Help!"

"Run!"

"I don't want to die! This thing's impossible to kill!"

Rex whipped his head toward the direction of the screams. His eyes narrowed as he spotted them, a squad of bug sentinels towering over even him. These creatures had thick, impenetrable carapaces and crushing limbs that could tear through anyone in their path with ease.

The sentinels had appeared in Mara's sector. Just minutes ago, her squad was holding its own, thanks to Carlos's fire support. But when the bug sentinels emerged, everything changed. Mara ordered her squad to focus fire on the sentinels, but the bullets bounced off their armored shells. In mere minutes, her entire squad was wiped out.

Now, the bug sentinels were charging straight for Mara, and she stood frozen, paralyzed by fear. Her legs, which had carried her through countless battles and helped her survive long enough to rise as the leader of the Crimson Claws, betrayed her in this crucial moment. She wanted to run, but her body wouldn't move.

As the sentinels closed in, Mara could only curse her fate, meeting a noble one day and the next, facing a brutal death.

Just as she braced for the end, a blinding white light descended from the sky, landing between her and the oncoming sentinels. The creatures were stopped in their tracks.

A familiar voice reached her ears: "Little Mara, I have to commend you for your bravery in taking on these big bugs. But next time, maybe choose an enemy more your size."

Mara's eyes snapped open, and in front of her stood a massive, white-clad figure drenched in green bug blood, with radiant, shining wings. Rex had arrived. The white aura emanating from him left her in awe.

Even Rex, though, was struggling against the sheer strength and weight of the two bug sentinels. "Mara, if you don't mind, move aside. I can't fight with you in the way," he said, his voice firm but calm.

Her subordinates rushed over and pulled her to safety, leaving Rex alone with the sentinels.

Now free to act, Rex let out a fierce roar and drove the sentinels back a few meters with a powerful swing of his sword. With the help of Cleo's tech, he took to the air, launching hit-and-run attacks like an eagle striking its prey.

However, despite his best efforts, the sentinels' thick carapaces remained largely intact. His swords left a few shallow cuts, but nothing that would slow the creatures down. The battle was far from over.

Rex decided to switch tactics. He flew high into the air, then let himself drop in a free fall, landing directly on the back of one of the bug sentinels. The impact was so strong that half of his two massive swords sank deep into the creature's thick carapace. The bug screeched in pain.

"Haha! So you can feel that, huh?" Rex laughed, his voice dripping with mockery.

As he held his position on the bug's back, a laser cannon began to form on his armor shoulder. Once it was fully charged, Rex fired the cannon pointblank at the bug's back while using his buried sword as an anchor to stay in place. The cannon took 10 seconds to recharge between shots, but Rex didn't mind. He was confident in his position, blasting the sentinel again and again.

However, Rex had made a critical mistake; he hadn't expected the second bug sentinel to jump.

"WHAT THE HELL?! That bug can jump!?" Rex shouted in disbelief.

Despite its hulking frame, the other bug sentinel leaped with surprising agility and slammed into Rex, smashing him into the cave wall. Its massive limbs tried to crush him, but Rex used his powerful wings to push the creature's claws away.

"You damn thing! Let's see if you like this!" Rex growled as he aimed his laser cannon at the bug's face and fired. The sentinel screeched in pain, trying to retreat, but Rex wasn't about to let it go. He grabbed hold of its limbs, keeping it in place.

"Not so fast!" Rex fired the laser again, this time blowing the bug's head clean off. The sentinel's headless body collapsed to the ground. It was then that Rex realized something important: the bug's head was its most vulnerable point.

Wasting no time, Rex pulled himself out of the debris just as the second sentinel charged at him again, slamming into the wall where he had been pinned moments before. Rex leaped onto its back, yanking his sword free, and waited for the creature to turn around.

"Come on, you ugly bastard! Charge at me!" Rex taunted, a smirk spreading across his face.

As if it understood his challenge, the bug sentinel rushed at Rex with full force. At the last second, Rex flew forward, using his two massive swords to pierce the area around its head. The creature froze in place, stunned by the strike.

In the next instant, Rex's laser cannon fired again, this time at point-blank range. The blast obliterated the sentinel's head, causing the bug to collapse lifelessly to the ground.