Serenity's voice broke through lingering quiet inside Convention space, carrying a distinct note of satisfaction over their comms. "Captain. We routed a signal through that open portal. Drone footage bypassed our central shaft entirely."
Roy absorbed this tactical convenience, instantly shifting focus from his floating displays. "Excellent."
"It goes far beyond convenient," Serenity replied. "Footage from our retreating general remains striking. Their capital boasts beautiful architecture, closely resembling your world's classical eras."
"Serenity," Roy cut in smoothly. "Get on with it."
"I was simply admiring quality stonework," Serenity offered, defending her aesthetic appreciation. "It shows exceptional craftsmanship."
Letting her architectural detour fade, Roy waited for actionable intelligence.
Serenity pivoted back to tactical reality. "Moving forward. Enemy forces are actively consolidating. They abandoned those minor skirmish waves and are currently organizing a massive, proper siege."
Recognizing this escalation, Roy instantly began spinning up countermeasures. "Great. Let's try something new. Call Garfield. Bring him to that flight deck portal."
Moments later, Garfield stepped up to the swirling dimensional energy and delivered a crisp, rigid salute.
"I watched footage of your earlier battle," Roy said. "Highly impressive. Could you teach that technique to another Elite?"
"Perhaps," Garfield replied, treating praise as a mere factual report. "I spent extensive time formulating and perfecting that technique. Reproducing such exact effects requires massive calculations, likely demanding Super Elite processing power."
Roy narrowed his eyes in absolute approval. "Cocky. I like it." He shifted his gaze toward his trio of top-tier Presidroids. "So just FDR, Truman, or JFK."
"Indeed," Garfield confirmed. "But we can bypass them entirely. Serenity confirmed massive data signals pass cleanly across dimensions. If another Elite stands near the exit, I can extend my technique via a data link. We can apply runic amplification and magical enchantment at the exact millisecond any weapon crosses over. I simply require additional processing support on my end."
"How much?" Roy asked.
"Two base models assisting my network, keeping your frontline forces fully intact."
Roy turned to his nearest Elite. "Let's test this idea. Jefferson. You will link with Garfield on this side."
Stepping calmly into position, Jefferson anchored himself directly before that swirling exit. Back aboard Nightshatter, two base-model Presidroids flanked Garfield, initiating a hard data link. They pooled raw processing power, feeding massive computations straight across dimensional constraints. It constituted ugly, real-time battlefield engineering, trading elegance for brutal, absolute function.
"Requesting data link," Garfield announced.
"Confirmed," Jefferson replied in perfect unison with both base models.
Lowering his head, Jefferson surrendered total control. Channeling magic entirely through Jefferson's physical form, Garfield articulated his technique. "Forgotten Scripts. Star Route."
Jefferson's forearms shifted upward. Pure mana bled from metallic hands, weaving together into a glowing, intricate smart barrel hovering directly over the portal space. This temporary runic assembly existed to print complex patterns in mere fractions of a second, mathematically designed to multiply projectile speed and amplify explosive yield by a factor of one hundred.
They started small. A standard tactical pod fired one conventional missile through the ring. Crossing that threshold, this projectile passed instantly through the glowing smart barrel. Runes seared themselves onto metal casing in a blinding flash. Screaming across subterranean floors, this amplified missile impacted a distant cluster of scout monsters. It erased them so completely it left only a smoking crater.
A massive grin broke across Roy's face as impact registered on tactical screens. "Oh, we are so back! Garfield, you dog!"
They ramped up testing immediately. Sending smaller payloads first, they quickly escalated to heavier munitions, focusing entirely on pushing that smart barrel's physical limits rather than chasing raw body counts. With each pass, Garfield calibrated his network, forcing the smart barrel to print faster and cleaner.
Roy eventually pushed those systems too far, exposing hard magical limits. He ordered a railgun strike, discovering tungsten slugs moved far too fast for runic imprinting. Laser pulses passed through untouched, requiring physical mass to hold runes. But standard armaments worked flawlessly. Bullets, scouting drones, and conventional missiles all caught runic amplification, tearing out into deep darkness as devastating magical artillery.
Laughing openly, Roy felt dungeon tension finally break. "The Thunder Rider is back!"
Deliberately spending five charges from his ring, he ordered a massive volley over the next half hour just to prove he could. Amplified rockets shrieked through the smart barrel, lighting up cavern ceilings while drones recorded every glorious second. It became pure swagger, aggressive propaganda, and a terrifying tactical advantage all rolled into one.
Watching distant explosions bloom, Lynder looked completely overwhelmed by such a display. He turned toward Roy, his voice tight with apprehension. "How many of these metal bombs can you use?"
"My capacity is basically infinite," Roy answered effortlessly. "I regenerate required manufacturing and firing mana faster than I can actually shoot." Pausing briefly, he considered his current mechanics. "Well, considering I currently only access a fraction of my complete moveset, claiming one hundred percent is technically inaccurate."
Lynder found absolutely zero comfort in this technical correction.