The mechanical beast howls, thrashing against the glowing tethers. The girl restraining it digs her spindled limbs into the ground—four sharp, arachnid-like augments anchoring her body as she struggles to hold it down.
“Maika… can you move?!” she shouts through clenched teeth.
Another idol lies nearby, one leg bent at an impossible angle—her mechanical augment cracked and sparking.
“I–I can’t!” she gasps. “My l-leg’s too heavy to move!”
The Eidolon roars and tears through the webbing with raw, mechanical force. The tethered girl tries to reinforce her hold, but the beast wrenches one leg free, twisting violently to fling her off her feet.
The cables snap.
Her body slams into a wall, sparks scattering as she crumples to the floor.
“Ari!” her partner screams, crawling toward her across broken concrete.
She barely reaches her side before the Eidolon stomps down in front of them—its claws gouging deep into the ground. The lenses along its snout adjust and narrow, focusing on its prey.
The beast raises a massive arm, claws gleaming.
The two girls cling to each other and shut their eyes—
“Look out below!”
The Eidolon’s head jerks up just before Tama crashes down on top of it—her metal gauntlets smashing into its back like falling meteors.
I zip forward, reaching the two girls as Tama drives the monster away.
“Are you two alright?!” I ask, dropping to one knee beside them.
“I’m fine, but Maika’s leg is broken—she can’t move!” the spider-legged girl yells.
Glancing down, I see her augment in pieces. Frayed wiring, shattered plating—the augment’s beyond saving.
I look back up. “If you can still fight, go help Tama. I’ll get Maika out of here!”
She nods and sprints toward the raging Eidolon, tethers already sparking to life.
I turn to Maika. “Can you disconnect your legs?”
“I–I can try…”
Steam hisses from her intact augment as it releases and drops away, but the damaged one stays locked.
“Don’t worry, I’ll use the emergency release,” I reassure her. I reach under the damaged connector, open the panel, and pull the safety lever. The broken leg detaches with a heavy clang.
I hoist her up carefully. “I’ll get you to safety!”
“Wait!” She points to a long rifle lying across the debris. “My sniper!”
I follow her gaze and spot it—a custom Sync Rifle, long-barreled with dual capacitors still humming.
As I grab it, my eyes drift back to the battlefield. The spider girl—Ari—launches more tethers, bracing herself with the mechanical limbs jutting from her back. She’s clearly an anchor-type, made for anti-air engagements. Maika’s weapon confirms it.
Anti-air specialists… against a ground-type Beast Class?
They’re having the same problem Tama and I did with the Flying Raptor.
“Bunny-chan, look out!”
The wolf’s massive foot slams down toward us. My body reacts before I can think—I drop low and launch backward with my spring legs. The stomp hits a split second later, shaking the ground and blasting dust into the air.
Tama growls and charges, hammering her gauntlets into the Eidolon’s back again and again. “How dare you go after my partner when I’m right here!”
“Skreee–Rrr–kkkt–KKHHH!” The metallic hound howls, twisting its body as its claws rake through the air.
Tama vaults over them in a blur, rockets flaring, boots skidding across its shoulders. But the Eidolon adapts fast—it rears back and slams itself into a nearby wall, the impact booming like thunder.
Tama loses her footing. Before she can recover, the wolf spins on its heel and drives a fist straight into the concrete, aiming to crush her.
“Tama!!!” I sprint up the side of the nearest building, boosters hissing, and vault onto the roof. Setting Maika down, I peer over the edge.
Below, the Eidolon’s arm is buried in the wall, its head jerking side to side, sensors flickering in confusion. Tama braces beneath it, both gauntlets raised, blocking the attack head-on. Her grin doesn’t falter.
“Go, Tama!” I shout.
“Get ’em, Ari!” the girl beside me echoes.
Air darts forward, her tethers flashing into existence. They snap through the air and wrap the wolf in a tightening web. “Get a taste of this!”
Her lines flare white-hot, lightning coiling along the strands before she discharges the full voltage into the monster’s body. The air pops and flashes.
The Eidolon convulses, plates rattling, sparks bursting from its joints—then it rears back and opens its muzzle wide.
Inside, an amplifier hums to life.
Vrrr-RAAAAOOUUUUHHH–KZZZZT–WOOOooOOO–hhkkk!
My vision fragments into static and my antennae spark. The air itself vibrates, rippling like heat haze from the sheer volume.
The others don’t even flinch.
Maika looks at me, confused. “Buni, what’s wrong?”
I grit my teeth. “My radar augments—they’re old. Not shielded for this frequency.”
Her newer gear probably has built-in dampeners. Mine just squeals with feedback until, finally, the howl cuts off—leaving behind a thick, ringing silence.
Then, a ping.
My radar locks onto something huge tearing through the upper airspace. A low hum rises—jets, turbines, pressure waves closing fast.
A blinding screech splits the sky.
SKREEEEEEE–VRRRRRRMMM–KRAAAAKK!!!
I spin around—and there it is.
Massive metallic wings, spinning turbines, and a fresh silver claw gleaming where I’d cut the last one off.
The Flying Raptor shrieks and dives the instant it spots me.
I spring sideways and draw my sync pistol, firing burst after burst, but the shots scatter uselessly against its wings. A faint blue field ripples across the metal feathers, absorbing the impact.
Down below, Ari freezes for half a second at the bird’s appearance.
The Bipedal Wolf seizes the opening—snatching her tether lines and whipping her clear across the plaza.
Tama lunges in with a shout, but the hound sidesteps, then catches her leg and slams her into the ground hard enough to crack pavement.
The Wolf rears back for a finishing stomp, but before it can crush her—Tzwoom!—a charged round rips through the air. The Wolf’s front foot explodes in a burst of light and shrapnel, then topples forward, crashing face-first into a wall.
Maika. Even half-crippled, she’s still fighting.
The Raptor screeches, wings flaring, and veers away from me—straight toward Maika.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“No you don’t!” I snarl, jumping high and catching its tail feathers as it passes overhead.
It keeps flying, thrusters roaring. I scramble along its spine, climbing toward the nape of its neck.
Below, Maika tries to drag herself aside, but without her legs she can’t move fast enough.
I jam my fingers between the plating along its neck and channel power into my legs. The coils in my springs tighten until they sing.
Maika glances up and sees the Raptor bearing down on her. She braces herself, but I launch the kick and both legs drive down with full force—
WHAM!
The impact snaps the Raptor’s flight path downward. It smashes into the roof in a cloud of dust and glass.
Maika’s thrown tumbling through the air, but I jump after her—catching her mid-fall.
We crash through the collapsing structure, bouncing off falling slabs until I land on the next roof over, skidding to a halt with her in my arms.
Across the ruins, the hound drags itself upright.
It spots us, drops onto three legs, and charges—its ruined limb sparking.
Tama’s already airborne, rockets screaming as she dives to intercept. “Don’t forget about me!”
She fires her gauntlet like a missile. The spinning fist slams into the Wolf’s back, claws digging deep.
“Fist—return!”
At her call, the side thrusters ignite and the gauntlet rips backward through the creature’s frame, tearing its armor apart.
“Skreee–Rrr–kkkt!” the Wolf howls, eyes flaring red as a pulsing mechanical heart glows through its open spine.
“Its core is exposed!” I shout. “Now’s our chance!”
I launch from the ledge, aiming straight for it—but the Raptor rises again from the rubble, turbines shrieking as it kicks its engines into overdrive.
A cyclone of wind slams into me mid-air and hurls me backward.
I hit a wall and the Raptor dives straight for me—but before it can strike, Mika’s tethers whip through the air and snag its wings.
The cords glow bright and tighten, redirecting the bird mid-flight. I glance down to see Ari and Tama bracing together, heels digging into the cracked concrete as they pull with everything they’ve got. The Raptor thrashes, fighting to break free, but they hold.
That gives me my opening.
The Wolf starts scaling the building Ari’s on—its claws gouging deep grooves into the concrete as it climbs. I crouch, charge my spring legs, and launch upward.
Each bounce up the wall kicks loose chunks of stone, propelling me higher and higher until I rocket past the climbing Eidolon. I twist in the air and land beside Maika at the roof’s edge.
She steadies her rifle, but I raise a hand. “I’ll handle this one.”
The Wolf crashes through the upper floors, crawling toward us. Its back still glows—a flickering, exposed heart. No shield, no armor. One clean strike will end it.
I step to the edge, letting myself hang forward, heels braced against the crumbling wall. Sync energy floods through my legs, painting bright veins of light along the metal coils.
The cameras are all locked on me now. Every lens, every drone, every viewer waiting for the shot.
I draw in a slow breath. My legs thrum with Sync energy, light crawling up through the coils. My heart beats in rhythm with the hum—louder, faster.
All I need is the right moment.
When the hound’s claws dig into the wall… when it kicks up with its hind leg… that’s when its core will be wide open.
I exhale, tuning out the noise.
Waiting… waiting…
“Now!”
My legs detonate behind me. Shards of concrete explode outward as I rocket down.
The Wolf lashes upward, claws cutting the air—I twist past them, grab its snout, and spin around its momentum.
The world blurs and my feet line up with the glowing core.
“Star Bladed—Piercing Kick!”
My legs ignite. Twin blades of light burst from my heels, slicing straight through the glowing core.
WrrraaaAAARRRGHH… pffft-zzzzzt!
The Wolf convulses, circuits flaring, sparks streaming from its joints. Then the light in its eyes flickers out. Its body goes limp and topples backward, crashing through the ruins below.
I spring clear, landing as the explosion blooms behind me.
The wolf is down, but the fight’s not over yet…
There’s still the bird.
SkaaaAAAW-zzzz-kkk-kkk-kkk!!!
The bird kicks up wind and fights with everything it has, spinning its turbines and taking off—snatching Tama and Mika into the air.
They climb high over the ruins, edging toward the electric barrier.
“Tama~!” Air screams, hanging on to the end of the line with Tama just above her. “What do we do?!”
Tama glances over the wall. The sun is just peeking over the horizon. Her eyes flick to me and Maika, then to the extraction zone miles away… and she grins.
“Hehehe—hahaha!” Tama laughs, shark teeth flashing.
Tama lets go and Ari’s face turns pale.
“Catch me, Spider-chan!” she whoops.
“Sp-spider-chan?!” Ari stammers—but she doesn’t have time to protest. She fires another tether out after Tama and throws herself into the strain.
Tama snags the line and fires every rocket on her legs and gauntlets to force the bird down. Ari groans under the load but holds fast.
They drop low enough to reach the roof Maika is on. Tama swoops in, yanks Maika by the collar, and hauls her up with the bird’s momentum. Then Tama turns and looks straight at me, still on the ground.
“CATCH UP, BUNNY-CHAN!!!”
I grin and drop into a sprinter’s crouch. My augments light up—hissing, humming as I charge them. With a beaming cheer I launch myself into the air.
“Yahooooooooo~!”
My eyes lock on Tama. She’s securing Maika to Ari’s tethers—making sure she won’t fall. Even now, even here, she’s thinking of others first, and smiling all the while.
Time almost slows to a stop.
All day I’ve been watching Tama—how she moves, how she laughs, how she never hesitates even when everything’s falling apart. Every glance, every reckless grin pulls me in deeper.
My chest pounds. My heart starts racing so hard it hurts.
She’s fearless, shining, alive in a way I’ve only ever dreamed of being.
And now, looking at her—rockets blazing, hair wild in the wind, still smiling like the world could never break her.
After only one day, this girl I barely know has become…
My Idol.
Maika holds tight in Ari’s arms. Tama hangs upside down at the bottom of the tether, one hand reaching out. She’s so high, so far away—her lips move but I can’t hear her.
Still, I know what she’s saying.
“Come on… let’s go home.”
My mind goes blank, and my focus funnels into my legs. Everything else drops away. My sync rate rises, steady and bright, building toward a peak. All I can think about is grabbing her hand—reaching that edge I never even knew I wanted.
Then… I’m airborne.
Wind rips my hair back. Time stretches as our hands inch together, closer, closer—
Clap!
Her fingers close around mine and we sail across the sky.
“Nice catch,” I mutter.
“Hehehehahaha!” Tama laughs. “We’re not done yet—we still have a mission to complete and a clanker to kill!”
I glance down at the extraction zone ahead, then back up at her and grin. “You thinking what I am?”
“Ha! I thought up this plan long before you did!” she boasts.
?
Back at the extraction zone, Professor Hisame watches the countdown ticking on her holo-screen.
“Three minutes left,” she mutters. “Tama, Rika, Ari, and Mika still haven’t returned.”
Kanna crosses her arms, voice sharp with mockery. “Hmph. What a shame. I feel bad Tama has to be held back by such a loser.”
“Kanna, don’t be rude!” another student fires back. “What if they’re hurt? Mika and Ari are still missing too—we should be worried about them!”
Hisame taps her foot, metal augments clanking against the landing pad. Her eyes flick to Reina. “Reina, you have their signals, right? You’ll track them if they don’t make it back?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Reina’s voice is steady, but a faint smile curls at the corner of her lips as she looks up into the sky. “But I doubt I’ll need to.”
RRREEEhhh-KKKHHhh-SHKHH!
The metallic shriek cuts across the zone. Everyone looks up just as the Flying Raptor bursts over the skyline—its turbines screaming, smoke trailing from its wings.
Ari and I are fighting it the whole way down—her tethers stretched to their limit as we drag it toward the pad.
Hisame raises her arm. “All turrets, take aim and—”
“Wait!” Reina interrupts, her tone calm but firm. “It’s them.”
The wind tears through the zone as the Raptor thrashes, trying to shake us off. Air sends a surge of voltage through her web lines and sparks crackle across its frame.
Tama perches near the left wing, Maika steadies her sniper on the right, and I press my foot into the Raptor’s head, forcing it into a dive.
“Tama! You ready?!” I yell over the roar.
Ari calls out to Maika, “How about you?!”
Both voices answer at once—“Yes!”
“Alright then—here we go!”
We drop.
“Three…!” The class stares up at us, drones swarming overhead to film every second. “Two…!” The Raptor’s sensors flicker, its thrusters screaming in panic. “One!!!”
Ari’s shot tears through the right wing, slicing it clean from the body.
Tama launches forward, drives her gauntlet through the turbine, and rips the entire mechanism out in a single, explosive motion.
We leap clear—Ari held tight in Mika’s spider limbs, Tama and I diving beside them.
We hit the ground rolling as the Flying Raptor slams into the pad behind us.
BOOOOM!!!
The explosion lights up the horizon. Camera drones scatter upward, their displays flashing lights and emojis.
When the smoke begins to clear, the class is frozen in stunned silence.
Professor Hisame’s jaw drops, Reina smirks knowingly, and Kanna—her face twists in disbelief, fists trembling.
I glance up at the drifting drones filming from above, their lenses gleaming in the fire light. Every viewer, every broadcast feed, every screen across Arcadia… all watching us right now.
The wreckage burns behind us. My pulse is still racing.
And in that moment, all I can think is—
We did it.
We completed the orientation mission!
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@ArcadiaLiveOfficial
?? First-Year Sector 8 Orientation Mission COMPLETE!
Eidolons neutralized — 24 ?
Casualties — 0 ??
Tune in tonight for the official PRCast replay!
#StarsOfArcadia #Sector8Mission
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They actually broadcasted a rookie’s finisher LIVE. The drones didn’t even cut away. I think we just witnessed the birth of another Star. ? #RikaRise
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Calm down, it was one flashy kick. She’s still a newbie.
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That “flashy kick” split an Eidolon in half, babe.
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@??_???
That’s my girl!! The way Tama laughed while everything exploded—pure chaos energy. ?? Also Rika’s kick?? Someone looped it 60fps and it still looks unreal.
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@?????
Hey, who remembers the part where Kanna SAVED Rika and Tama earlier in the mission? If it wasn’t for her there would be none of this #RikaRika #StarBladedSpringKick nonsense. Never forget who the REAL #RaisingStar is.
@??_???
Yeah, Kanna saved them. Then they saved Ari and Maika. That big zero next to the casualty stat was thanks to Rika stepping in!
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She only stepped in because of all the camera’s on her, she would have run if she wasn’t paired up with Tama who is a real star!
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Why is a Tama fan attacking Rika?! Did you forget #BunnyGremlinSupremacy?
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Tama laughing mid-fall?? “Catch me, Spider-chan!” had me SCREAMING ??????
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I don’t get the sudden Rika-hype. That fight was sloppy, noisy, and unrefined. Kanna and Isuka would never. #KannaIsuka4Ever
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That’s the point. She’s not perfection—she’s real.
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You guys like marble statues. We like sweat and sparks. Different religions. ??