The ashes of Zephrax hadn't even cooled.
And yet the sky screamed again.
From orbit, twenty Syndicate helldrop ships punched through the atmosphere like divine blades. Each one blacker than shadow, armored with mirrorsteel, humming with quantum static. They weren't just here to kill.
They were here to erase.
Inside the ruins, RAID-13 paced calmly. Sovereign Red, his mech, stood still — cloaked in battle fog, smoking and silent. But RAID's HUD blinked red.
"VANTH-OMEGA to all surviving friendly links," he growled. "We're about to be visited."
A flare of blue light ruptured a tower nearby — one of the Syndicate helldrops piercing through it like it was paper. It landed with seismic force, opening like a lotus.
From inside emerged the Mangler Brutes — hulking biomech warriors wrapped in whirring chains and crimson armor, each one standing ten feet tall with hooked claws and integrated gravity mauls.
One of them stepped forward. It roared in synthetic Oldtongue.
"RAID-13 — YOU'VE BEEN MARKED."
RAID exhaled. "Marked? I must be doing something right."
Missiles launched from Sovereign Red's shoulders before they finished talking. Three Brutes vaporized on impact.
The battle began.
RAID vaulted back into Sovereign Red as a second helldrop shattered the street. Another, then another. A dozen came raining down.
He grinned. "Whole damn Syndicate wants me? Let's make it worth their fuel."
The city block transformed into war.
Sovereign Red spun into action, firing chain pulses that melted metal. Brutes lunged with gravity hammers. A squad of Syndicate Hunters phase-shifted onto rooftops, sniping with void lances.
RAID activated Red's shield dome and shoulder turbines, launching himself upward mid-fight. Melee strikes thundered. Lasers carved ruins. Explosions cascaded through the battlefield.
Inside the cockpit, he called up a spectral map. "Where's the core ship?"
An AI pinged. "Central Command dropship detected: Northern sector. Class Titan."
A beast of a vessel hovered miles away — flanked by elite airmechs called Velcyrions. Its shape resembled a cathedral wrapped in engines.
"Perfect," RAID said.
He issued a command: "Overclock."
Sovereign Red's joints hissed, its armor burning hotter. Its eyes went nova-red. Heat rippled.
And RAID unleashed hell.
He tore through Syndicate lines like a demon let loose. Every shot calculated, every slash tactical. He laughed as he moved, mocking his enemies:
"Is this the Syndicate's best? You look like broken vending machines with anger issues."
One Brute lunged — Sovereign Red caught it by the skull, crushed it, and threw it like a projectile through a gunship.
More troops arrived. He didn't care.
He was RAID-13. And this was his welcome party.
Minutes later, Sovereign Red stood in the rubble of fifty Syndicate warriors.
"Status?" he asked.
AI: "Minimal damage. 76% energy remaining."
"Good. Then let's pay the Titan a house call."
He launched into the sky.
As Sovereign Red ascended, smoke trailing, the air shimmered. Dozens of enemy missiles locked onto him.
Too slow.
He deployed micro-shields and dodged between skyscrapers, climbing higher, faster. The Titan loomed ahead.
Then, comms clicked.
"…RAID?" a voice whispered. Female. Tense.
He paused. "Who's asking?"
"…Talis. You don't remember me. But I owe you a life."
"Lot of people do."
"I'm inside the Titan. It's a trap. They're using me to bait you."
He grinned.
"Well. Trap accepted."
He cut the feed.
The Titan loomed. A fortress of death, charging its primary cannon.
RAID raised his blade.
"VANTH-OMEGA. Let's knock."
He dove straight into the storm.