"If I remember correctly, you're also a member of the ' Jaegers,' and your name is...?"
General Budo looked at the girl who exuded a gloomy aura and fell into deep thought.
"I always thought of you as an insignificant little girl, but looking at you now, I should have paid more attention to you back then."
"What are you going to do to Kurome...?"
Seeing Budo's gaze shift from him to Kurome, Wave's ' Grand Chariot ' emitted a strong cyan light.
This is Wave's instinctive fighting spirit, ignited in his desire to protect Kurome.
However, Wave was eventually paralyzed by the electric current, and even with his willpower, he could not muster the strength to launch a powerful attack.
"Drink-!"
General Budo's weathered face contorted in pain as he suddenly exerted his strength, causing lightning to erupt from his armor and quickly suppress the energy within Wave's armor.
" Wave, in terms of fighting ability, this scary little girl is probably no match for you."
"Too bad, your opponent is me, Budo. I'm practically invincible against enemies in close combat."
Budo spoke in a deep, serious tone, but he was not joking.
Only those who, like Wave, are struck by the electromagnetic device on his arm can understand that under that kind of paralysis, even the strongest physical skills are nothing more than empty gestures.
Kurome watched all this quietly, making her own plans.
"We absolutely mustn't get too close to this man, right...?"
"Well then, it's your turn next, little girl. Show me what you've got, and I'll make you admit defeat."
Budo and Kurome faced off again.
Generally speaking, Kurome will first use the powerful physical abilities granted to her by the 'forbidden drug' to engage in close combat, and then use her Teigu.
But now, she has to change her strategy.
Kurome drew the small black katana she always carried from its sheath at her waist, and raised it high in the air. The black miasma surrounding her instantly condensed.
" The March of the Dead, the Yatsufusa --!!!"
"It seems this blade is the true form of your undead aura."
General Budo gathered the lightning power within him, ready to unleash it.
Soon, though it's unclear how, the jade floorboards were broken open one after another.
There were no building materials visible below, nor even any signs of the floor being breached, yet summoned creatures of all sizes poured out without exception.
"It's a summoning spell... I didn't expect to see one in a place like this..."
General Budo was somewhat surprised by the scene before him.
The Special Danger Beasts ' Destaguru, ' whose entire body is covered in skeletons, was a terrifying creature that was once used as material for Teigu. Legend has it that even the founding Imperial Capital unable to completely kill this monster.
But now, it has been summoned in this small office area.
The skull alone, emerging from the ground, reached the ceiling of the floor. When the body emerged from the void, the skull shattered the ceiling, causing all the appliances and facilities upstairs to crash down.
A loud bang was heard, and sand and dust filled the entire office area in an instant.
Lan and Wave struggled to watch the chaotic scene from the corner of the wall that hadn't yet been smashed through.
Wave had just recovered from the numbness and was exhausted. He clutched his chest, trying his best to steady his breathing.
Lan looked up at the sky and saw that the top floor had been completely pierced through by this huge monster, and all she could see above her head was the increasingly bright sky.
Despite the sunlight streaming in, the surrounding area appeared even darker due to the ashes stirred up by the collapsed stones and rubble.
Not only Destaguru, but also Kaiser Frog, Wall, Doya, Natala, Hunter, Apeman...
Their physiques were originally so robust, but they paled in comparison to that exaggeratedly powerful, top-tier Danger Beasts.
Several undead puppets surrounded General Budo. General Budo's armor seemed to be fully charged, and a fierce glint appeared in his eyes.
Seeing this, Kurome quickly reversed her grip on the blade.
In an instant, the puppets summoned by Kurome all switched to a defensive stance, retreating and leaving the electromagnetic range of the Budo Teigu.
At the same time, Budo released a large amount of lightning power from his body, and the entire room immediately emitted an amazing silver-white light. This light shot straight into the sky, and the bright reflection flashed frequently in front of Lan and Wave.
"What terrifying power..."
"If we were any closer, we'd probably evaporate..."
Lan and Wave remarked with emotion.
"Young lady, you're quite capable. I thought the things you summoned were uncontrollable. Judging from this, you're more skilled than the average puppeteer."
General Budo looked at the puppets before him.
Due to the lack of distance, both the excessively large super- Danger Beasts and the other warrior puppets only suffered minor injuries.
Moreover, these carbonized wounds are constantly healing and regenerating.
"For corpses, because they have lost neural feedback, electromagnetic paralysis is not very effective. A single, concentrated burst of current is needed to achieve a burning effect for it to be effective."
General Budo looked solemnly at the wounded puppets, raised the iron stake on his arm, and a beam of blue-green lightning suddenly surged forth.
The gorilla Apeman in front of him recovered from the electric shock and charged at him on all fours.
"Now, I'll tell you..."
Just as Apeman's hammer-like fist was about to smash into Budo's face, Budo released an energy ball from his hand.
At the same time, the center of the energy sphere burst open, shooting out a beam of lightning carrying enormous energy.
" Thunderbolt Concentrated Shot!"
"Roar----!!..."
The gorilla's expression instantly shifted from furious to blank.
Intense white light rippled repeatedly in the open-air room, turning all the equipment and building materials that had fallen from the upper floor and been reduced to rubble silver, the reflection dancing back and forth on the face of the Kurome.
"How could Apeman feel pain... Could it be..."
Kurome stared intently at Apeman's puppet.
Although this gorilla is mindless and impulsive, it possesses the most astonishing speed and explosive power among all her puppets, which is why it has always been cherished by Kurome.
This was the first time she had ever seen a gorilla with a blank expression that showed it couldn't feel pain.
Apeman collapsed in a cloud of black smoke, its body gradually becoming ethereal, turning into ashes that vanished with the wind, just as it had been slashed by the demon sword Murasame.
"A puppet, once its power core is destroyed, will be finished."