Chapter 74 - TSUN Armor
Myrrh’s Frame Unit underwent a dazzling transformation, its once-colossal white and gold form now enhanced by the sleek, cutting-edge Titanium Shielding Utility Nexus, or in other words: TSUN armor.
A deep blue chest piece and reinforced spaulders gleamed under the distant starlight, adding an air of regal sophistication to her already formidable mech. Attached to her back, an omnidirectional thruster hummed to life, releasing a shimmering cascade of blue pixie-like particles that trailed behind her like ethereal stardust. With a controlled burst, she propelled herself effortlessly through the weightless void of space.
Agent Feena’s Frame Unit had also been upgraded. Her pink and white machine, once distinct, now bore the same advanced blue armor plating and omnidirectional thrusters. She surged forward, cutting through the abyss at breakneck speed, her movements as precise as a missile locking onto its target. Myrrh followed close behind, her trajectory weaving through Feena’s ionized trail.
“Five kilometers before engagement!” The alert crackled over the radio, Agent Steve’s steady voice carrying a hint of excitement. He glanced at me with a knowing smirk before handing me one of the radio transmitters. “The show is yours, kiddo. Let’s see if the legendary first-year really lived up to the hype of topping the Licensure Exams.”
I forced a smile, unsure of how to respond. My fingers tightened around the transmitter as I raised it to my lips. “Testing, testing. Ahem.” I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. “What weapon should I spawn, Agent Feena?”
Her reply came through the radio with an unmistakable synthetic sarcasm. “Your call.”
“Give us something for long-range offense and defense,” Myrrh suggested, her voice calm but laced with anticipation.
“Roger that.” I turned to Agent Steve, who met my gaze with an approving nod. Taking a deep breath, I activated the WEEB System.
[Weaponry Enhancement Engineering Bios]
Since Myrrh requested long-range offense and defense, I swiftly navigated my Bios interface, selecting the Beam Rifle and Light Shield options. As soon as my fingers confirmed the choices, a surge of blue circuitry flared across my left arm, intricate neon veins pulsing with energy. Raising it toward my WAIFU allies, I commanded with steady resolve:
“Beam Rifle, Light Shield—Equip!”
In response, glowing cybernetic rings materialized in mid-space, encircling both Frame Units like celestial glyphs. Within seconds, their left arms extended forward, deploying shimmering Light Shields, while their right arms withdrew sleek Beam Rifles, the barrels humming with condensed energy.
“One thousand meters!” Agent Steve’s voice cut through the radio. “Get ready to engage!”
A jolt of nerves shot through me. My heartbeat thundered in my chest—rapid, relentless, like the rattle of a machine gun. Even though this wasn’t my first battle against a Cosmic Beast, the scars of past encounters still clung to me like a phantom presence.
A memory surged forward, unbidden. The sight of jagged ruins and smoldering rubble surrounding me when I was just four. The overwhelming helplessness of that moment.
Then, an even fresher wound—the haunting image of Myrrh’s death at the hands of a Cosmic Beast only half a year ago. The way her body had been pierced like a doughnut... And the silence that followed.
My fingers trembled slightly on the controls. I exhaled sharply.
“Yes?” Myrrh’s synthetic voice echoed through the comms, calm and steady.
“Please… don’t die this time,” I whispered.
A brief pause lingered on the comms, and though I couldn’t see her face, I swore Myrrh was smiling on the other end.
“Idiot. I know you’ll save me again.”
I scoffed, shaking off the lump in my throat. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn novᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet
“I’m feeling all giddy for you kids,” Agent Feena teased, her voice laced with amusement, “but now’s not the time. Weapons free!”
“Got it!” Myrrh responded, her voice sharpening with focus.
At last, Myrrh and Agent Feena made contact with the squid-type Cosmic Beast. Now that their Frame Units’ cameras provided a closer view, the creature’s grotesque form became clear.
It was an eerie, otherworldly monstrosity. A massive, undulating mass of midnight-black flesh, glistening with a slick, bio-organic sheen. Its gaping maw housed a singular, unblinking eye, scanning the battlefield with alien intelligence. More unsettling, however, were the additional eyes—dozens of them—peering out from the tips of its writhing tentacles, shifting independently as if each possessed a will of its own.
And then there were its spawn. Smaller versions of the Queen Squid, but no less unnerving. These creatures, roughly fifteen meters long with two tentacle-eyes each, swarmed in coordinated movements, lurking like shadows beneath their towering matriarch. In contrast, the Queen herself loomed ominously—fifty meters of pulsating, flesh-wrapped terror, her twenty-meter-wide body coiling and contorting through the void.
Without hesitation, Myrrh and Agent Feena opened fire. Their beam rifles unleashed searing green energy, streaking through the abyss. Myrrh’s shots struck true, piercing one of the smaller squid monsters clean through, its body rupturing in a silent explosion. Feena, ever the sharpshooter, eliminated three in quick succession, her aim precise, her movements fluid.
But the Cosmic Beasts were not so easily culled.
In a sudden, synchronized counterattack, the remaining spawn retaliated, their grotesque, lidless eyes glowing with malevolent crimson light. An instant later, beams of pure energy erupted from them, slicing through the darkness like burning lances.
Myrrh and Agent Feena reacted in tandem. Their omnidirectional thrusters roared to life, sending them weaving through the assault in a dazzling display of evasive maneuvering. Twisting, gliding, and rolling through the crossfire, they danced through the chaos, narrowly avoiding the deadly barrage.
The unavoidable lasers streaked toward them, but their Light Shields flared to life, absorbing the impact in radiant bursts. Some of the crimson beams struck Myrrh directly, yet the TSUN armor held strong—the energy dissipating on impact, harmlessly ricocheting off her reinforced plating like sparks off a forge.
Myrrh raised her Beam Rifle and fired three consecutive shots, each one carving through the void with blistering precision. Her target, a smaller squid-like spawn, convulsed as the final blast ruptured its body into a silent explosion of ink-like mist. Meanwhile, Agent Feena, ever the superior marksman, loosed three sharp green lasers in quick succession. Each shot found its mark, effortlessly piercing through the enemy ranks, sending the last of the smaller squids into oblivion.
Within moments, the battlefield was cleared of all lesser threats. Only the Queen Squid remained—its grotesque mass shifting, its innumerable eyes twitching with an unreadable malice.
“Let’s finish it off with a bang!” Myrrh’s voice crackled over the comms, charged with excitement.
It was obvious—she wanted to put on a show. Myrrh had always been cocky, and with the KAWAII agents watching, she was eager to impress. But deep down, I felt the same. If we were going to end this, we might as well make it spectacular.
I met her enthusiasm with a firm nod.
Tapping into the WEEB System, I navigated to the Buster Sword option. My left arm pulsed with electric-blue circuitry, the energy coursing through me as I stretched my hand toward Myrrh’s Frame Unit.
“Buster Sword, Equip!”
A brilliant cybernetic ring materialized beside her, swirling with raw data, forming the gateway to her new weapon. Without hesitation, Myrrh discarded her Beam Rifle and Light Shield, letting them drift into the void like discarded shells. Her mechanical arms reached into the circle, withdrawing a colossal blade—the Buster Sword’s reflective edge gleaming like a monolith of destruction.
Without missing a beat, Myrrh’s Frame Unit came alive with power. Thrusters on her elbows and legs ignited in a synchronized blaze, and then—with a final push—her omnidirectional back thruster erupted, sending her hurtling toward the Queen Squid at full throttle, a streak of green and blue light cutting through the darkness.
"Yaaaaaah!" Myrrh shot forward like a comet, her buster sword raised high, its sharpened edge reflecting the eerie glow of distant stars. She was going to slice the Cosmic Beast into colossal slabs of calamari, reducing it to nothing more than drifting cosmic debris.
Just as she closed the gap, Agent Feena’s urgent voice cut through the comms. "Wait, pull back!"
But it was too late. Myrrh’s momentum was unrelenting. Even if she killed her thrusters and forced the omnidirectional stabilizers into full reverse, the frictionless vacuum of deep space was merciless—she was still hurtling straight toward the beast.
Then, the Cosmic Beast’s enormous eye blinked.
A shudder rippled through the void. And in the next instant— blinding light.
A diamond-shaped explosion erupted, expanding outward with a dazzling brilliance that burned like a newborn star. The sheer force of it distorted space, sending ripples through the void like shattered glass. Though it was not as vast as a true supernova, the power behind it was no less terrifying. My breath caught in my throat. Myrrh had been right at the center.
"Myrrh!" I shouted, my voice cracking with raw panic.
At that moment, my WEEB System blared to life.
[Weapon of Mass Destruction Series Unlocked]
A searing sensation ran through my left arm as crimson circuits pulsed beneath my skin, lighting up in an intricate, almost alien pattern. Cold sweat traced a path down my spine. My breath hitched, my fingers curled into a trembling fist.
And then—through the static, cutting through my spiraling fear— a familiar voice answered my desperate call.
“I’m okay!” Myrrh’s voice crackled through the comms, steady but breathless.
Her gigantic Frame Unit still hovered in the void, untouched by the devastation. However, the once-vibrant blue armor that had defined her presence was now stripped of its color, reduced to a dull, ashen gray.
“My TSUN armor is no longer operational, though,” she added, a hint of frustration creeping into her tone.
Agent Feena let out a relieved sigh before clapping her hands. “Good job surviving, Myrrh!” Her voice was lighthearted, but I had the sneaking suspicion that she had been mentally crossing her fingers the whole time—hoping Myrrh would make it through the blast just so my WMD Series would activate.
I couldn’t blame her. If anything, I was just as eager to see what my superweapons could do.
“Zaft, are the WMDs ready?”
Her question sent a thrill through me. I had only tested up to Level 5 of the Weapon of Mass Destruction Series before, but now—three more levels remained untouched, waiting for their debut.
My fingers twitched in anticipation. I couldn’t wait to unleash them on the Cosmic Beast.