As the juggernaut got closer, the two closest buildings became more visible. No, not buildings. Each tower hosted a triple-barreled turret that was larger than the juggernaut itself. They rotated sluggishly, scanning the horizon with hostile intent. If a juggernaut’s turrets could injure me, it wouldn’t be a wise idea to find out what these guns could do.

  A long chain link gate was in between the two turrets. The gate opened as the juggernaut approached. Dozens of multi-story buildings made of gray concrete were to the left and the right. Straight ahead were two warehouses. Seraphina guided the juggernaut into the right warehouse.

  The juggernaut groaned as she came to a stop. Rather than getting up, Archangel slumped over the controls, exhausted, trembling.

  Footsteps clanked on the metal floor of the juggernaut. A male voice echoed from behind. “Seraphina?”

  Her head snapped around. Standing near the entrance of the juggernaut was a man in a red latex suit from head to toe, gleaming like polished blood. His brown hair framed a surprisingly soft face, totally at odds with the rainbow crystalline coil wrapped around each of his arms and ending in a lance. They pulsated with energy, crackling faintly.

  “Azar,” Archangel muttered.

  He approached, jaw tight. “What happened out there? This juggernaut looks like shit.”

  Archangel / Seraphina swallowed. “I told HQ about this, but… we got attacked.” She rubbed her eyes. “It was somehow invisible at first. The Kaiju. But after Bela fired on it, we saw it wasn’t just a normal Kaiju, but a chimera Kaiju.” Was her name Bela? She would always be referred to as Armored Lady #2 to me.

  Azar blinked, shoulders stiffening. “Where’s the rest of your team?”

  A beat. Then another. Seraphina broke. Her breath hitched first, then the tears came. “They’re gone. I—I think the Kaiju ate them. I don’t know why I’m still here. The only thing different about me is that I’m Unbound. And for some reason… it let me live.”

  Her voice cracked. “Why me?”

  Azar awkwardly stuck his lance-arm half out as if unsure whether to pat her or stab something. Comfort clearly wasn’t his skill set. “Uh. Well. That’s… awful.” He cleared his throat. “At least you’re alive?”

  Smooth. Really smooth. Still, he did put a hand on her shoulder and gently steered her outside of the juggernaut. “Come on. The director wants a debrief. Just keep it together for now.”

  The two left the hangar and went into a hallway. This hallway must have connected to the building to the right. They boarded an elevator. Seraphina remained quiet, trying to wipe tears from her face. Azar kept his hand on her shoulder, a frown still on his face. The elevator stopped on the 5th floor.

  Azar guided Seaphina down another steel corridor, lit by pale ceiling strips that buzzed faintly. Each step she took felt heavier, her nerves coiling tightly as the conference room door slid open with a soft pneumatic sigh.

  A woman with pale skin and dark black hair sat alone behind a wide metallic table, posture perfect, hands folded atop a tablet. Her white coat was spotless. Not a strand of her dark hair moved as she looked up with just a cool, assessing glance, like she was mentally sorting data rather than people. She wore a name tag that read “Outpost Director Quinta, Outpost OU-U-1”.The words "BEVOR VAMBRACE" were at the bottom of the name tag.

  She, Director Quinta, offered a reserved nod. “Archangel. Lancelot. Please sit.”

  Seraphina lowered herself carefully into the chair opposite her, shoulders rigid. Azar took a seat next to her, that crystalline coil on his arm humming faintly.

  Quinta adjusted a small holographic display hovering above her tablet. “Let’s review the incident. Begin whenever you’re ready.”

  Seraphina took a slow breath. “Our team deployed to the target zone as instructed. We captured five monster girls on the way. Dimensional readings were stable: no Dungeon Rifts or Aberrations were detected.”

  Seraphina took a breath. Quinta’s expression didn’t so much as flicker. “Continue.”

  “The mission was proceeding as normal,” Seraphina said, her hands tightening in her lap. “We were about a couple of hours from J-U006’s last known location. And then we felt multiple earthquakes. Signs of a Kaiju. Except we didn’t see anything. It had a mutation that made it invisible unless attacked.”

  J-U006? That must be the juggernaut that held Irene and the chimera girl.

  Quinta tapped a finger lightly against the table. It was thoughtful, not impatient. “A Kaiju that can turn invisible is… concerning.”

  “It wasn’t just a Kaiju,” Seraphina clarified. “It was a chimera, too. One of its subcomponents appeared to be either a squid or an octopus girl with tentacle hair. The other attached subcomponent was a snake girl.” Subcomponents? Why were we labeled as subcomponents?

  “That is also… concerning,” Quinta explained. The only other case of a Kaiju chimera girl was the attack on J-U006 yesterday. Even though chimeras make up less than a thousandth of a percent of monster girls, it should be expected that eventually multiple chimeras would evolve into a Kaiju due to the Law of Truly Large Numbers. It is a shame that it is happening now.”

  “The Law of what?” Seraphina asked.

  Quinta shook her head. “Never mind that. Where is the rest of your team? You got away from the Kaiju, right? I assume your abilities were able to subdue it.”

  Seraphina swallowed hard. “I was the only survivor. And I wasn’t even able to stun it. It must have been a tier 2 Kaiju. For some reason, it left me alive. The only possible reason I can think of is that my nature as an Unbound made me… unappealing to eat.”

  Quinta’s gaze drifted slightly past Seraphina, as if mentally mapping data points. “It spared you?”

  Seraphina nodded again.

  “That is unusual behavior,” Quinta murmured. “Typically, Kaiju do not differentiate targets once engaged. A selective pattern suggests intelligence or recognition.”

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  Azar shifted, folding his arms. “Whatever it was, it wasn’t normal.”

  “What is the status of the juggernaut?” Quinta asked, looking down at her tablet. “It appears to have sustained significant damage.”

  “All four turrets and the roof have been destroyed.”

  Quinta continued with that same distant tone. Professional, clinical, not blaming, but clearly unsettled. “We’ve been experiencing severe equipment strain recently. J-U006 reported an attack by a chimera Kaiju. Two mechs were destroyed yesterday by the feline Kaiju in the Utlond forest. Now this chimera incident involving J-U007 has a potential relation to the attack on J-U006.”

  She exhaled slowly, not frustrated at Seraphina, but at the situation. “Resources are thin. Fewer operational mechs and juggernauts means slower response times, less zone coverage, and more vulnerability to new threats.”

  Seraphina stared down at the reflection of her own exhausted face warped in the table’s surface. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect the rest of the unit. Or bring any monster girls back.”

  Quinta shook her head slightly. “No one expects you to control an encounter of that magnitude. Your survival alone is statistically exceptional.”

  Seraphina blinked at that. Not praise exactly, but acknowledgment she hadn’t been given earlier.

  Quinta continued, voice softer but still precise. “However, the lack of recovered specimens does set our weapons development timetable back. The executive directors have requested an increased supply of monster girls. I will need to notify the research division and adjust their projections.”

  This confirmed it! They were keeping the monster girls here and using them as target practice for weapons!

  “Then let’s stop them!” Samsara said with determination.

  “Yes!” I began running towards their base, following the mental map that told me where Seraphina was.

  Quinta swiped across her tablet. “I will contact the regional director and request additional support. More Purifiers and Unbound. Additional juggernauts and mechs. It appears our current defensive measures are inadequate.”

  A sting of disappointment hit Seraphina’s chest. Even though she wasn’t directly called out, I could feel guilt sprouting inside of her.

  Quinta finally leaned back slightly. “You are dismissed.”

  Seraphina’s eyes stung. She got up from her seat.

  Quinta tucked the tablet under one arm. “And Archangel… I’m glad you survived.”

  Seraphina nodded and left quickly. She turned the corner and sagged against the wall like her bones had melted.

  Azar came up and scratched the back of his neck. “At least she didn’t yell at you.”

  Seraphina wiped her eyes. “Still feel like crap.”

  He nodded. “Lunch? It’ll make you feel better.”

  “Lunch,” she croaked.

  They headed through sterile hallways until they reached a bustling cafeteria. Dozens of automated cooking drones zipped around, serving plates piled with beautifully arranged food: salads, soups, desserts, and everything plated like gourmet restaurant fare.

  I couldn’t help but scoff. “Oh, cool. So they get all the luxury robot waiters and chefs, while we lived in poverty.”

  “Yeah, not fair at all,” Samsara agreed.

  Azar and Seraphina sat at a table where a woman in a lab coat with dark skin was already seated. Her brown hair was in a ponytail with glasses slipping down her nose. She gave them a warm smile.

  “Tawna,” Azar said, waving. “Hope you don’t mind us sitting here.”

  “Oh, you two are always welcome,” she chirped. “Food’s great today. New algorithm update in the cooking bots. I’d recommend trying the ‘Surprise Me!’ option.”

  “Sure,” Azar said. He tapped the table with three fingers, and a holographic display appeared. A plethora of choices came up, but he scrolled all the way to the bottom, pressing a button that said ‘Surprise Me!’ twice.

  A minute later, a large drone arrived above the table. Two arms from its underbelly held two massive plates.

  The arms descended, servo arms extending delicately as it set the plates down. One plate contained a beautifully arranged assortment of roasted vegetables, citrus-glazed root slices, and a wild riot of pickled items arranged like some avant-garde art project. The second plate was an enormous lattice of caramelized noodles woven together with herbs and a shimmering glaze. I could spot pieces of mushrooms and glazed carrots. The first plate was placed in front of Azar, while the other was gifted to Seraphina.

  Seraphina blinked at the spread. “This looks… complicated.”

  “It looks delicious,” Tawna corrected, picking up her fork. “The new update is supposed to optimize plating aesthetics. You know, make things look pretty enough that you forget they taste average.”

  Azar stabbed a roasted carrot. “Hey, I’ll take average if it comes with a free presentation.”

  Tawna smirked. “You eat instant noodles half the week. Your standards do not exist.”

  “That’s slander,” Azar said, pointing his fork at her. “I have extremely low standards, which is not the same thing. Besides, they don’t have luxury foods on the juggernauts.” It seemed that Azar was more comfortable with small talk.

  Seraphina looked down at her plate, shoulders tense, fork hovering uncertainly.

  Tawna caught it immediately. “You don’t have to eat if you’re not hungry,” she said softly. “Just… join us. Let your brain pretend everything is normal for thirty seconds.”

  Seraphina stabbed a vegetable. “I can try.”

  “…It’s good,” Seraphina whispered.

  Azar pumped a fist. “Yes! We’re winning at lunch today.”

  “Don’t phrase it like that,” Tawna said, deadpan. “She’s eating a carrot, not defeating a Kaiju.”

  “I’ll take victories where I can get them.”

  Seraphina set her fork down and exhaled shakily.

  Tawna reached across the table, voice gentle. “You don’t have to pretend everything is okay. It seems like your deployment went south. But you’re here. You’re safe. And we’re glad you’re with us.”

  Seraphina’s eyes shimmered for half a second before she blinked the feeling away. “Thanks. Really. I’m trying.”

  Azar nodded. “And that’s enough.”

  Indeed. I had had enough of their small talk. I focused on activating [Color Camouflage II] as we got closer to the base. I could spot the two turrets in the distance, each facing forward. I made sure to come from the side so they wouldn’t expect anything.

  My mana [Focused] into making [Blood Spikes] on each of my 20 finger tip tentacles. Corrosive red ink coated the blue crystals as they formed. [Blood Spike Launch] set them flying, 10 each towards each turret.

  The spikes pierced the turret barrels and the tower housings. My red ink ate away at the structures, as if they were like lava devouring an unprotected home.

  I stepped on the chainlink fence surrounding the base, enjoying the sound of the wires crunching under my feet. No more turrets were inside the base.

  Back in the cafeteria, A soft buzz drew Seraphina’s attention to a hologram projected above the table.

  WOULD YOU LIKE DESSERT?

  Azar lifted a hand. “No dessert for me.”

  “Same,” Tawna said.

  They both looked at Seraphina.

  She hesitated. Then, she quietly said, “Surprise me.”

  Tawna clapped quietly. “Proud of you.”

  Seraphina managed the smallest, tiniest smile.

  It vanished as the lights snapped red and the room shook with earthquakes.

  Outside, I could spot three mechs emerging from the left hangar.

  Time for a rampage.