Austronesian Empire, Imperial Maharlika, Mindanao, Lanao del Sur, Marawi City, In the Streets of Marawi City

2000, 3, 1st Week, January

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQbe0lZ_GOw

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The streets of Marawi City echoed with the relentless crack of gunfire as demonic forces overran the area. Many soldiers from the Black Armored Division could barely contain them as their improvised barricades were useless and the bodies of the fallen were piling on the sidewalks.

It was then that a storm of fire showered the city. Missiles rained from the sky, suddenly appearing to fly at speeds impossible for a human being to grasp. The rain of fragmentation missiles showered the city, unleashing columns of fire and destruction that reduced buildings to ruins and killed both of the few soldiers that remained and the demonic horde that roamed the streets. Rotten demons, hellhounds and gazer devils were reduced to ashes, their inhuman bodies pulverized en masse. In a single instant, more than two-thirds of the demonic forces that were attacking in the city were wiped out by the weapons created by mankind itself.

Then, ten silhouettes crossed the sky, and everyone witnessed reinforcements had arrived and the turning of the tide.

Over a hundred AH-72 attack helicopters, known as Heaven's Punch, descended from the skies, each armed and fully loaded. They drop their payloads upon the city and the main battlefield. Accompanying the 19th Black Armored Division's air force were the Austronesian Empire's most strongest and advanced units.

These armored warriors wore suits made out of steel known as Adamantium, a metal originating from an ancient meteor found deep within the Pacific. This formidable alloy rendered their armor impervious to the forces of Hell, even with flames of hell that could incinerate all life.

Despite the height they seemed unfazed by falling from the drop pods each of them were in, in fact, they seemed to do so with clear determination.

The moment they stepped out of the drop pods, not even a second had passed, hundreds of demons were already annihilated by their weapons.

A pair of Archangels flew through the air with jetpacks, wielding swords and advanced pistols in their gauntlets. They dived into hell like birds of prey, and tore through the ranks of demons apart with ruthless efficiency.

Any flying demons attempted to escape in vain, only to be cleaved in two by the blade of the Archangels or blown apart by fire of mass explosive rounds. On the ground, it was no different as the demons were crushed without much trouble, their hellish flames unable to even damage the paint of these cybernetic warriors.

A demonic beast that resembles a rhinoceros confronted the Archangels. It charged forward, its intention clear to crush the armored warriors. And yet it was denied by a hail of Hypersonic 8mm Armor-Piercing Reactive bullets, fired at a rate of 30 rounds per second, injuring the beast as explosions erupted when the rounds made an impact and shredded its armored body, stopping dead in its tracks by the fusillade of these warriors, leaving it roaring in rage and pain.

One of these warriors threw an anti-tank grenade into the beast's gaping mouth, and moments later, its body swelled and burst like a balloon.

"The Archangel unit..." Major General Francisco whispered. "Those nerd bastards in the Science Department really did it. It never ceases to amaze me every time I see them, even in the first testing that I've first witnessed decades ago, and the transhuman fear they exude... you never adjust to that."

All this was witnessed by the soldiers of the 19th Black Armored Division. Major General Francisco Dianopra Agraviador once again witnessed the display of raw power of an unstoppable force that is capable of sweeping away all opposition on the battlefield, that was what these Archangels were. To him, they moved like a blur, their reactions so swift that he found it hard to believe that a human could move with such fluidity and agility.

"What are you waiting for!?" he shouted. "The Angels of Death have descended and dived into hell itself along with us! Where is your courage!? What kind of warrior stands gawking while our saviors bring death to our enemies!?"

The Mobile Tank Fortress that General Francisco rode advanced towards the war zone, it was clear in his voice how inspired he was. And apparently he was not the only one. The Black Armor soldiers were now in even better spirits, they were fighting harder and shouting even louder.

The arrival of the Archangel unit had marked a turning point in this battle.

———————————————

"RAWRRRR!!!"

One of the four dragon commanders roared as it prepare to unleash its devastating attack upon the new forces, only to hear something broke through the sound barrier, and like a blazing comet, a powerful object impacts the dragon, piercing its skin as the object flies through it and slammed into the ground not far from the creature. The flare burned the earth, eating it like a predatory creature.

The dragon howled in pain. As the dust cleared, it saw its right arm and wings severed, a flare consuming the wound.

Before the dragon could comprehend what was happening, a green light blinded it, and the light landed on the Dragon's remaining wing. Unlike the previous one, it made the wings glow green, enveloped by electricity. Not long after, the wing was crushed under its own weight. The dragon screamed, but it was too late. The wing is utterly destroyed, leaving exploding blood across the land.

"Wha... what!?" The dragon roared. Blinding with rage, it unleashed a massive beam of flames, incinerating an entire area and attempting to burn anything near it.

But a blue projectile landed on the dragon's neck. Exploding and burning its scales is relatively easy, causing the dragon to puke blood. Tracking where it came, it realized the attack was near its foot, but no one was there.

Then, a couple of humanoids in full-body metallic armor manifested from thin air. They fired off the same blue projectiles, impacting the dragon's body. Another one fired some kind of vacuum fire, literally atomizing the dragon's leg and causing it to fall.

The dragon, now powerless, breathed heavily as it barely moved. It looked around and saw more of its brethren slain by these metallic humanoids.

One of the metallic men approached the once mighty dragon. From his wrist materialized a blade with a crackling noise, covered in blue lightning.

With one swing, the humanoid decapitated the Dragon.

———————————————

In the streets of Marawi City, far from the main battlefield, Trese and several soldiers who had survived the demonic onslaught on the frontline were hurrying through the city, as if searching for something.

“General, where the hell are we going?! You know desertion is punishable by death, right? That was you and the Major General's warning,” one of the soldiers exclaimed as glanced back at the battle behind them, and he was shocked. The demons were scary enough, but he had no idea that the Archangel Unit would be so terrifyingly powerful.

Judging by the fearsome display of their power, all the soldiers could do was pray that the Archangels could hold the demons off for long.

“As you are being retarded, Sergeant?! I'm finding something,” Trese said with a grave look on her face.

Soon enough, they arrived in front of a large warehouse that once seemed heavily guarded. But with the current situation, all of the guards were now in battle.

Opening the doors of the warehouse, Trese switched on the lights and revealed something big inside.

"What is that?" one of the soldiers asked, staring at a giant humanoid object towering two meters tall.



Trese let out a grin. "Gentlemen, I present to you the Hercules Exosuit. These babies boast various special traits from immense strength that lets you push a fully loaded Tank Fortress with ease, durability enough to withstand a barrage of .50 caliber BMG and RPG rockets, and the capability to survive hazardous environments such as radioactive wastelands and the harsh lands of Antarctica. It is literally a tank but a suit, and such fine work."

"Hercules exosuit? What!?" one of the soldiers exclaimed as he realized something, "Did you steal a secret government's property!?"

"Calm down, I built it myself with the blueprint that I 'borrowed'."

"That is still a federal crime!"

"Hey! I can execute both of you and lie about you committing cowardice or desertion unless you keep your mouth shut to those government officials or that blonde American bitch from the IDAC!" Trese threatened.

Despite outnumbering her two to one, the soldiers knew well that she was trained by the infamous Major General and was skilled enough to kill two men armed with submachine guns with an unloaded pistol.

"So, what are we supposed to do?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Guard the warehouse while I suit up."

With a nod of their heads, the two soldiers went outside to stand guard.

Moments later, they heard screaming from inside.

"Fuck! Where is the damn gun!?"

Thump!

Thump!

Thump!

Soon enough, an eight-foot-tall humanoid clad in armor stepped out of the warehouse, wielding a giant sledgehammer the same as her size in her hand. Despite the hammer's immense size and weight, she seemed to carry it as though it was a feather.

"Um... General, what happened back there?" the soldier asked cautiously.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe some idiotic engineers forgot to build the guns and weapon systems on that thing," Trese grumbled from underneath her helmet. "Now I have to resort to the old ways once again."

"Grrr..."

Just then, the three spotted a massive Hellhound with the same size as a grown man across the street. The moment the demonic dog locked eyes with them, its fiery gaze gleamed with bloodlust as it charged toward them at breakneck speed.

"Fire at that thing!" the second soldier shouted, aiming his MK Mark III rifle and opening fire, joined by his partner.

The bullets managed to wound the Hellhound as the 8mm rounds took their toll, but the creature showed no signs of slowing down or stopping as it closed in on the two soldiers.

Before it could reach them, Trese dashed forward and swung her hammer with tremendous force, sending the demon crashing into an abandoned armored vehicle. As it attempted to rise again, Trese lifted her iron-clad foot and crushed the demon into meat paste.

"By Christ, I feel like I could skill Satan himself with this!" Trese laughed triumphantly, kicking the remains of the demon towards a nearby building with superhuman strength, further reducing its body to a bloody mess. "Now who's next to face the daughter of the Lord himself!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

All of a sudden, a sharp crack of numerous gunshots pierced the air not far from the three. Meaning, the demons were finally in the city. Trese and the two soldiers immediately followed the source, and the sounds of battle intensified as they drew closer.

As they reached the junction at the end of the street, the scene before them was gut-wrenching.

"What the hell happened here?" one of the soldiers whispered with a shaking voice.

The street they entered was filled with corpses of a hundred soldiers with their heads bitten off, their blood splattered across the pavement and webbed to the walls, as well as a couple of tanks lying lifeless and abandoned on the street. It was an absolute display of carnage.

And standing in the center was a giant demon, towering over five meters tall and exuded an aura of terrifying power. It had insect-like legs, large wings, and... two other special appendages.



"God damn..." one of the soldiers murmured, his eyes focusing on the two certain objects on the demon.

"Well, I didn't expect there to be a giant insect demon with big milkers here," Trese remarked, eyeing the demon's big guns in surprise, and for some reason, feeling envious the more she looked into it.

"Oh? A bunch of humans?" the giant insect said, casually munching on the head of a soldier. "I don't have time for you all. Could you pretend we never saw each other? I'd like to eat in peace :3"

Trese smiled, but her eyes betrayed her deep contempt for the creature in front of them. "That's not going to be possible. You devour the servants of the Lord, and for that, I shall punish you by crushing you like a piece of tofu."

The demon insect tilted her head indifferently. The human wore some sort of armor that made her look formidable, but she was only human after all. There wasn't much they could do against a powerful Baron-rank demon like herself.

"Fine, I'll eat you then. Your arms and legs look juicy."

"Nakakadiri ka, you fuck!"

With a roar, Trese lunged forward and swung the sledgehammer with all her might, sending the weapon with the force of a wrecking ball, something the Insect Demon easily avoided by sidestepping the initial strike, but to her surprise, the hammer changed direction mid-swing, defying the momentum Trese had imparted.

Enhanced by the Power Armor, Trese Trese's strength was sufficient to make these changes of direction, even among the strongest men on Earth, few could have such an ability to handle heavy weapons in such a manner.

"Stop running away!" she shouted in frustration.

"You really like swinging that thing around," the Insect Demon scoffed in a mocking voice. This human was slow, very slow. She could easily defeat it, and she knew that. "You move that thing like a fucking shopping cart!" she taunted.

"Shut up! I will crush you, you demon cunt!" Trese shouted back, her determination fueling another powerful swing of her weapon with all of her might. The hammer slammed into the earth with immense force, splitting the concrete and sending debris flying where the Insect Demon had stood just moments before.

Wasting no time, Trese leapt into action, raising her hammer high for another powerful blow. As she swung down with all her strength concentrated on this attack, she felt the impact reverberate through her hands unexpectedly. Perplexed, she saw that the demon's arm was covered by a kind of twisting shield, making an unpleasant noise, as if it was reacting to the blow with signs of pain.

Was it that shield she had hit?

Before Trese could fully comprehend what was happening, she felt a sharp pain seared through her chest, accompanied by the sight of blood. The Insect Demon was too close. In its right hand was a sword... no... it was not a sword. Trese realized that the thing had legs and wings, but its jaws were as long as a deadly blade.

"What kind of demon are you?" Trese managed to gasp out.

"I am an Entomancer," the demon replied coldly. "These insects, I summon and control them. I use them to fight, and I will use them to kill you."

"So you're serious now!" Trese sucked in a deep breath, tightening her grip on her hammer, and she struck again, but the shield bug intercepted her attack, emitting a painful screech. Trese would not stop there as she used the rebound from the shield to redirect her strikes. Blow after blow, she relentlessly hammered at the insect shield with enough strength to shatter a boulder into dust, attempting to shatter it with her weapon. She heard the shield bug screeched in agony with every blow, cursing her for every attack. And yet it stubbornly stayed alive in protecting its carrier.

Realizing Trese's disadvantage when she paused to catch her breath, the Insect Demon did not wait to make a thrust, pushing the blade forward and aimed to strike her down.

However, in a blink, Trese jumped back and avoided the attack in a nick of time.

The Insect Demon turned her head unnaturally towards the other two soldiers, whom she had not ignored this time. The General in the Power Armor stood at their side, breathing rapidly, trying to recover oxygen as fast as possible.

"Your blood is red, General. I thought it would be yellow," remarked one of the soldiers.

"What are you surprised about now?" Trese retorted.

"I thought you might turn into a demon when you got hit by that thing, or maybe you're pregnant with a demon or something."

"I'm still human, dumbass."

"What are you waiting for!" shouted the Insect Demon suddenly, and what she did next almost caused the three to vomit.

Sploosh!

Four giant, slimy eggs came out of the Insect Demon's bottom, each were immediately hatching into giant spiders as they were now born. As big as a grown man, the spiders were fast and their jaws were filled with venom.

"Jesus Christ!!" exclaimed one soldier in disgust as he and his partner opened fire with their rifles. The hail of 8.25mm rounds easily killed two spiders and severely wounded another.

Trese, meanwhile, had taken care of the last spider with her war-hammer dipped in ichor that gave off a bitter smell.

The Insect Demon, known as the Hunter Matriarch, knew that the creatures she summoned were weak, Tier 2 or Tier 3 mere decoys designed to keep the soldiers busy while her real attack had been building up under her sleeve, waiting for the perfect moment.

"[Bullet Bugs]"

They were among her favorite insects. Each one was a little different from the common insects, for these did not possess wings, yet they could shoot out in the face of an enemy. As fast as a bullet and armored as hard as steel, they let out a clear burst every time they were used, giving them their characteristic names.

And the Hunter Matriarch had summoned enough of these creatures to mow down an entire platoon of tanks within seconds like she had done earlier.

A chain of explosions erupted as hundreds of bullet bugs were fired at the three. The last wounded spider was torn apart by the insects, leaving a corpse full of ichor.

Seeing this, Trese acted without hesitation. She dragged a wrecked tank and placed it in front of herself and her companion. The Bullet Bugs slammed into the tank with a cacophony of impacts, some bouncing off while others embedded themselves in the metal. Trese released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding as the tank was finally shredded beyond recognition and the barrage ceased.

As soon as the onslaught stopped, Trese gripped the shredded tank and hurled it with all her might towards the Hunter Matriarch, who simply raised her shield and blocked the flying vehicle.

At that moment, the Insect Demon's senses alerted, and she immediately summoned a bug shield with her other hand to block a blow from the Power Armored woman who had attacked from what she believed was her blind spot.

Trese had used this formation so many times that she could execute it with her eyes closed. And many times their enemies had fallen under this strategy, but this demon... this thing, was different.

"What happened there? That timing was perfect," the soldier said, bewildered.

"Perhaps a wide field of vision," the second soldier replied.

"No... it's more than that..." Trese was beginning to think they wouldn't make it out of this alive.

The human in armor was dangerous, the Hunter Matriarch had noticed. She let the razor bug go, ready to summon something more formidable and better. The Insect Demon was growing impatient, she was hungry, she wanted to eat. Drool dripped from her mouth like a thirsty creature as she thought about how much she would feast once she killed these three.

A long centipede appeared out of nowhere, its armored body lined with sharp edges. Several meters long, it was like a giant whip. It coiled around the Insect Demon's arm, transforming into a terrifying weapon.

The insect moved with incredible speed, barely perceptible to Trese. It struck her back, then moved right in front of her, turning its body to attack from unexpected directions. Its jaws and blades that covered its body cut like razors. Trese rolled over herself to evade, trying to strike the giant centipede.

"I fucking hate bugs!" she roared, unleashing a powerful downward blow with her hammer, aiming to smash the centipede's midsection. But it was as hard as the living shield the Hunter Matriarch possessed.

Meanwhile, the two soldiers watched the battle unfold. As they exchanged glances, they knew they needed help, or at least a plan.

That is until they noticed a crate filled with chemical bombs in an artillery encampment in the distance and bug spray products in a nearby abandoned store.

Exchanging glances once more, an idea sparked between them.

"Remember our time in chemistry class?"

"Yup, we got expelled from school for that. Why?"

Meanwhile, the Hunter Matriarch hurled a volley of projectiles at Trese, which appeared to be a flock of bird-shaped lightning bolts, smaller but equally lethal.

Trese leaped to the side, her evasion managed to save her from death, and tried to attack the Insect Demon from behind.

However, Trese felt two of those insect bullets bite into her armor. As she tried to remove them, more high-speed projectiles flew at her, slashing and whipping her with a wind that cracked her armor. If it wasn't for the exosuit, she would've been split in two. Nevertheless, the pain was immense, making it impossible for her to find an escape route.

Trese didn't want to die, not here, but she was already being surrounded by bug bullets and the giant centipede. The giant Insect Demon was closing in on her, she could feel it looking at her like prey, or rather food.

Trese didn't want to die, not here, but she was already surrounded by more giant bugs and the giant centipede. The massive Insect Demon was closing in on her, and she could feel it was looking at her like prey, or rather food.

Is this how she would die?

"No, not today!"

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

All of a sudden, three shells impacted against the giant centipede, the other giant bugs, and the Hunter Matriarch, releasing unknown substances upon impact.

"SCREEEEECH!!!"

All the bugs, including the Insect Demon, screeched in agony. Trese, on the other hand, was shielded from the substances with the exosuit. She turned to find the source of the firing gas bombs and saw the two soldiers she had accompanied. One of them was manning a large cannon, while the other was busy doing something with the crates filled with chemical bombs and boxes of bug spray products.

"Really?" Trese was baffled. Nevertheless, these sons of bitches were geniuses.

"SCREEEEEEEECH!!!"

Breaking her thoughts, Trese noticed the insects were dying, but for the giant Insect Demon, she seemed to resist the substances that killed most of her children.

And that enraged her.

"SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!!"

The Hunter Matriarch roared in anger, roaring as if a dragon was roaring furiously, and the sound was growing louder and more intense, as if a cruise missile was about to fall on them.

Boom!

Trese felt the ground rumble, sending her even separate from the ground in an involuntary jump that ended with her hitting the dirt. The raised dust prevented her for a moment from seeing what had fallen right in front of her, but she knew that something had captured the giant Insect Demon's attention and the huge, dying centipede shifted its focus to a new threat that had appeared.

Then, a rumble the likes of which she had never heard before manifested itself, making her ears ringing as an explosion blew away some of the dust. At last Trese could see what had fallen, as a pair of red glowing eyes was the first thing her eyes encountered.



"...What?"

But what surprised her most was to see that the Insect Demon had been pushed and thrown to the ground. Though it hadn't killed her, to Trese's discomfort, the Insect Demon got up, but she noticed something on her, her orange armor, that thing harder than any metal or materials she knew, had cracked.

Bang!

Before the Insect Demon could fully rise, a second shot rang out. This time, the Insect Demon managed to raise her living shield in time, the one that had withstood the blow from the Hercules Exosuit. However, that shield was blown to pieces, and the insect let out a shriek of agony as it died. The Hunter Matriarch was pushed back, her defense broken by the stranger's weapon.

The Hunter Matriarch raised an arm, and hundreds of Bullet Bugs were shot toward the cybernetic soldier. The insects that until a moment ago had cornered Trese tried in vain to penetrate the soldier's armor, but it was as if they were raindrops against steel.

In the middle of the storm of projectiles, the cybernetic soldier began to walk, undeterred by a blast that would have reduced a house to ruins. That was not all, he began to run, no matter how many bullets were shot at him, he would not stop.



Seeing this, the Hunter Matriarch began to throw a thunderbird that flew straight at the warrior, but the electric current that could vaporize a human had no effect on him. Cutting winds capable of slicing steel in two were as useless as a breeze against a mountain, and the magic that had severely wounded Trese was simply ignored.

Bang!

A third shot rang out, and this time the centipede was the one who had to defend its master. Though it survived the round, the ichor flowing from its wounds and its shrieks indicated it was wounded, slower, and more predictable.

The warrior in the cape kept running, faster than a Hell Mount, each step was like a leap covering up to six meters. The centipede attacked again, its jaws and claws open, razor sharp, it was fast, so fast that Trese would not have had time to react.

That's when she saw a cerulean glow, a flash of lightning and then... a dead centipede.

Its body had been split, slashed from the head, its own momentum turned into its demise. The creature that had been about to kill them had been defeated by that warrior's sword.

The Hunter Matriarch, meanwhile, felt a sense of discomfort. All her senses were focused on that armored warrior, which moved through the field faster than any human could match.

This warrior had killed her insects with his weapons, weapons that she had heard were powerful. Weapons that could hurt her.

Her insects were not weapons, they possessed no qualities beyond their natural abilities, unable to be reinforced with Skills or imbued with spells. If her shield had been one of legendary levels, it would not have been destroyed.

For the first time since she had come into this world, the Hunter Matriarch wasn't seeing a small animal she could easily kick aside, she was seeing a beast with the full capacity to kill her.

That was why her reaction was no longer pragmatic.

In a second, the air filled with millions upon millions of man-eating flies. Filthy insects designed to bring a terrible death, they burrowed into the flesh of their victims to feed and lay eggs, which would hatch and produce more flies. It was a horrible death, a fate that was too cruel for any enemy.

That was the Hunter Matriarch's trump card.

But she had stopped thinking pragmatically.

The flies worked perfectly on targets with exposed skin, and could even find openings in full body armor.

But that was not possible on this occasion.

The armor of the Archangels unit was a technological marvel, far ahead of its time. Its protection resembled that of a tank, with life support systems that could deny death on more than one occasion, auto-senses capable of detecting even the slightest change on the battlefield, and many other advanced features. One of its key qualities was its total sealing between the wearer and the environment. The Archangel's armor could even allow its user to survive in the vacuum of space, the deepest waters, the most extreme climates, and the most aggressive toxins.

The flies swarmed around the warrior, but they found no entrance, no weakness in the suit's impenetrable seal, and struggled in vain to devour the seals of the armor. A fight they could not win. The Hunter Matriarch had been waiting for the flies to do their job, expecting to watch him fall down and writhe in pain as he was devoured from the inside. It was a mistake that almost cost her life, and her head.

The warrior's sword had nearly decapitated her. Moving inhumanly, she leaped backward to avoid the blade forged from metal of an ancient asteroid deep within the Pacific.

However, the sword did cut something. Two pieces fell to the ground, two pieces of something that had been on the Insect Demon's face. The mask insect was dead, split in two and unable to remain attached to its master.

"...Abomination..." spoke the Archangel.

It was that word that completely snapped the Hunter Matriarch. All her senses turned towards the warrior in cape, all her hatred and all her thirst for blood ignited. For this warrior had brought out her true form, her face revealed to the world, her true face. An inhuman and monstrous face, a being so terrifying it even made fearless soldiers like Trese to tremble at the sight of the monster.

But for the warrior in the cape, his hatred was only growing.

——————————————————

Aghamenon Levox, an ex-special forces operative who is supposed to die in his mission, had become an Archangel among the few who succeeded in the rigorous transformation process.

Now, facing a five-meter-tall insect, he reaffirmed his hatred for the creature, a monster or an abomination attempting to devour him when he least expected it. The flies posed no real danger, but their presence was offensive to them, their futile attempts to breach his armor seals annoying him. He raised his hand flamecannon and with a wave of his hand, he swept fire from the weapon across his armor, incinerating the biting pests as they died as victims of the burning pinathium.

The creature shrieked in rage, four spider-like limbs protruding from its back, sharp and lethal. Despite hanging without apparent movement, it seemed propelled by these limbs, making its movements faster but more erratic.

Was this creature responsible for orchestrating the attack on the city? If so, the parameters of the threat had escalated. Having observed the battlefield, Aghamenon noted the striking similarity among the enemies, some appearing as exact duplicates of others. This creature, separate from the others and totally different from the enemies in strength and sorcery, this thing seemed more like a commander than a mere foot soldier.

"Pilot," Aghamenon called out to the pilot of a nearby AH-72. "Ready your weapons. But hold your fire until I give the command, and target my position."

[Subject #116, bombing your vicinity would be highly inadvisable.]

"If it becomes necessary, you will follow my orders."

The pilot's silence betrayed his disagreement, but he eventually replied, [Understood.]

The abomination used witchcraft, an array of curses and hexes were cast upon him. Lightning in the shape of birds, razor-sharp gales, arachnid aberrations, and all that was thrown at him in an attempt to restrain him.

Claws descended upon him, lethal talons of fury seeking to rend him apart. This creature was just as bloodthirsty, instinct accompanied by an evil intelligence and totally alien to man, with the sole purpose of consuming.

The creature was fast, its reflexes impressive for its own size, and its strength greater.

If it had been in a confined space it is very likely that this monster would have overpowered him by now.

For every thrust he managed to deflect, a new cut was made on his armor, his flesh began to hit, and nanomachines worked hastily to close the wounds.

A net of threads was shot from the beast's jaws, a sharp gleam made him recognize the edge of the monofilament, it was the first time he had to dodge an attack.

Again more sorcery reached him, a pattern of attack that he was beginning to notice. This creature, this abomination, was weakening him, eating away at him, or at least trying to. He knew that if he used the flamethrower the creature would dodge it and end up reducing the space he now needed. That was why he had no choice, sacrifice was inevitable after all.

Once more, the creature lunged at him, appendages open in a deadly embrace. It was clear that the abomination wanted to trap him, to devour him like a praying mantis.

It was what he wanted.

Because as soon as that thing embraced him and raised its fangs to bite, Aghamenon pressed the trigger of his hand flamecannon.

...And the Hunter Matriarch screamed.

"SCREEEEEEEECH?!?!!"

Pinathium, a newly discovered element found deep within Mount Pinatubo, one of the active volcanoes in the Imperial Maharlika. This element can become a versatile fuel capable of existing in various forms, from crude oil to high-powered hyper-refined fuel. For it to be in a flamethrower, this would serve as a highly volatile incendiary gel capable of reaching extreme temperatures and in some cases exceeding 3000°C.

It had been a calculated risk. Aghamenon knew he would survive the flaming fire on him as his adamantium armor could withstand the intense heat long enough to eliminate his attacker. However, on this occasion, it was a gamble with slim odds. To kill the creature that had outmaneuvered him, he had allowed an opening. The abomination's slender arm was even capable of containing the strength of Aghamenon's arm and immobilized his sword, the main weapon he would have planned to kill it with once it entered his trap. The thing had considered his move and countered accordingly.

However, whether through ignorance or simple overconfidence, his other arm had been left free. Aghamenon fired his Hand flamecannon, and bathed the creature in thrice-blessed burning fire. But in doing so, he too would be engulfed by the super-hot gel. While his adamantium armor might offer substantial protection, the same could not be said for sure about the joints of its armor.

Even so, his hatred for such a monster made him want to kill it as quickly as possible. He felt the intense heat licking his skin, causing the heat-resisted systems to activate, coating his skin with a protective liquid that shielded him from the extreme temperatures. The insectoid even let go to try to jump away from his reach, but the Archangel wouldn't let it as he seized it by what looked like a neck and didn't allow it to escape.

With his flaming arm, he held it fast and squeezed the trigger once more, causing the abomination to scream in agony, its voice distorted into a chilling echo, a perfect voice for a demon.

Trese watched everything that had happened. She even watched as the insectoid fell and thrashed within the flames until it was reduced to ashes.

She felt no sympathy for the creature, instead she was satisfied to see it die. The Archangel threw the Insect Demon's flaming body, still writhing, as it futilely tried to extinguish the flames, but it ultimately died.

"Enemy terminated."

The next moment, Trese watched as the Archangel turned its attention to the ongoing battle and swiftly moved forward.

"Damn…"

Curious, she stood up and followed the Archangel's path and gazed upon the main battlefield, where she only found destruction. While a hundred helicopters were dealing with the demons beyond the dam, the ten members of the Archangel unit alone held the line against those that breached the walls.

"This level of destruction... only brought by just ten soldiers," Trese muttered, swallowing her saliva bitterly.

As she continued to observe the destruction unfold before her, she witnessed one of the Archangel unit members split a demonic knight in two with his bladed sword, the weapon slicing through metal as if it were mere wet paper.

Gunshots shredded pieces of bone and flesh to rank after rank of demons. Plasma shots as hot as the core of the sun atomized demonic warriors and beasts alike.

Not even Viscount-rank demons stood a chance.

The entrance of the Archangel unit had cut off the invader's advance. Now with their numbers no longer flowing to the walls, the defenders regained momentum in their counterattack.

The Archangels carved a path through the ranks of hellish forces. Weapons with certainty capable of quickly ending these abominations they faced. They advanced on a path of destruction with such speed and precision that made them the perfect weapons of war for the Austronesian Empire.

But nevertheless.

This time something different happened.

BOOM!

A black sphere of unknown metal hit one of the Archangels. To any observer, it might have seemed a crude attempt to attack these superhuman cybernetic warriors with iron balls.

But the effect was not caused by a simple launch.

The sphere made contact, and adamantium crumbled. It shattered like crystal, fractured like stone under a hammer. And the Archangel died.

The sphere withdrew at hypersonic speed, leaving a trail of blood in the air.

It moved again.

And it took the head of another battle brother.

Splinters of bones flew as if a grenade had exploded. Chunks of adamantium rained everywhere as each of the cybernetic warriors were killed one after another by something moving impossibly fast.

Within seconds, a squad of Archangels had fallen.