Chapter 251: Complete Destruction
The internal structure of Arasaka Tower was complex, and the corridors were relatively narrow, but this failed to stop the advance of the Knight suits.
For these steel giants standing nearly ten meters tall, so-called "narrowness" was merely a relative concept.
They forcibly squeezed through corridors, crashed through non-load-bearing walls, and followed the shortest path scanned internally, advancing toward the core data storage center located in the building's mid-levels.
Resistance along the way became sporadic and desperate.
The corporation's elite security forces used cover to snipe, but before the Knight suits, their cover was like paper, and the weapons in their hands struggled to even scratch the armor.
Margaret and Maria didn't even pause much. Relying on the precise marksmanship of the Armigers and the deflection of their own shields, they crushed their way through, leaving behind a mess of wreckage and charred corpses.
Soon, they arrived before an unusually heavy alloy gate flashing with multiple encryption cursors.
The gate was clearly marked with the Arasaka crest and the words: "Core Data Storage - Unauthorized Entry Strictly Prohibited."
Behind the door lay the target Joric had specifically designated for complete destruction—the data backup center suspected to be related to the "Soulkiller" technology.
"This is it," Maria confirmed. The "Punisher's" sensors detected massive energy reactions and dense data streams coming from behind the door.
"Destroy it," Margaret said concisely.
"Let me!" Maria's "Punisher" stepped back slightly, leaving enough firing angle for the bolter cannon.
However, before she could open fire, the sound of mechanical operation suddenly came from inside the heavy alloy gate, and a ring of eerie red light lit up in the center of the door.
"High-energy reaction detected! Something's behind the door!" Margaret warned immediately.
Before her voice fell, the alloy gate blasted open inward! Amidst flying debris, a massive, oppressive figure rushed out from behind the door, landing heavily on the ground and shaking the entire corridor.
It was not a purely mechanical creation, but a giant encased in extreme cybernetic modifications.
He was burlier than any "Onimusha" power armor. His entire body was covered in heavy black plating, with thick hydraulic joints and exposed reinforced muscle fibers proclaiming his terrifying strength.
A crimson optical lens flashed with inhuman light under his helmet, and the enormous impact gauntlet on his right hand began to charge, emitting a low, dangerous hum.
"High-threat heavy unit detected!" Maria issued a warning immediately, simultaneously raising her bolter cannon.
But the opponent's reaction speed was completely mismatched with his massive size.
With a berserk sprint, he closed the distance, precisely dodging the bombardment trajectory of the bolter cannon.
That massive body charged forward with the momentum to crush everything. His right fist, charged with energy, tore through the air, carrying visible shockwaves as it punched straight toward the core of Maria's "Punisher"!
"Dodge!" Margaret's warning synchronized with her action.
The "Lancer" thrust forward boldly. The Ion Shield on its left arm deployed instantly, precisely meeting that devastating heavy punch.
BOOM—!
A muffled boom like thunder exploded in the corridor, accompanied by scattering energy turbulence.
The terrifying impact force, sufficient to smash a tank into a disk, was completely absorbed by the ion shield. However, the immense kinetic energy still caused the heavy body of the "Lancer" to slide back half a meter, and violent ripples appeared on the shield's surface.
The modified giant was knocked back by the recoil. His red eye flickered uncertainly as he emitted a distorted electronic voice: "Is that all you got?"
"Finish this quick," Margaret issued the command calmly.
She piloted the Lancer to sidestep another heavy punch, the ion shield precisely deflecting the shockwave.
Maria's Tempest Warblade swept horizontally at the opportunity, carving a string of sparks on the opponent's leg armor. The modified giant roared and turned, only to face Margaret's poised Shock Lance.
"Laughable!" The modified giant roared, swinging his fist to intercept.
But this time, the Lancer's Shock Lance thrust out straight without any fancy moves.
Ion energy collided violently with the impact gauntlet, erupting in blinding flashes. In the face of an absolute energy disparity, the modified giant's gauntlet began to shatter inch by inch.
"Im... possible..." He emitted disbelief-filled electronic static.
Margaret gave him no chance to breathe. The Lancer's Shock Lance drove straight in, precisely piercing the core unit in his chest.
The modified giant's body convulsed violently. Internal explosions occurred in succession, finally turning him into a pile of burning wreckage.
"Target eliminated." Margaret withdrew the lance and walked forward without looking back. "Continue mission."
The space behind the door was extremely vast, as if multiple floors inside the building had been merged. Countless neatly arranged server racks extended to the end of the field of view. Indicator lights twinkled like stars, representing the massive amount of data flowing and stored within.
The energy supply here seemed completely independent; even with war raging outside, the interior still operated stably.
In the very center of the data center, a peculiarly shaped columnar device made of optical cables was slowly rotating, emitting energy fluctuations different from the surrounding servers.
"Abnormal data fluctuations scanned, concentrated in the central device," Maria reported.
Just as Margaret prepared to issue the destruction order, Joric's directive came through the encrypted channel: "Prioritize intercepting the core data of the central database. My Cogitator system is ready to receive."
"Understood." Margaret adjusted her orders immediately. "Maria, establish defensive formation. I will execute data interception."
The cockpit of the "Lancer" opened. Margaret connected a data cable from the mech to the interface of the database.
Countless data points flowed along the energy channel into the mech's internal storage unit. The entire database interception process was completed within minutes.
"Data reception complete," Margaret confirmed.
"Now, destroy it thoroughly." Joric's command was concise and clear.
Two Knight suits immediately boosted their firepower to the maximum. The "Lancer's" Shock Lance struck the ground again. The energy beam condensed into an extremely thick, stable pillar of light, shooting precisely at the core area of the data center.
Where the pillar of light passed, server racks melted and vaporized instantly, leaving not even wreckage.
Maria's "Punisher" poured its bolter cannon fire without reservation toward the surroundings of the data center, conducting indiscriminate carpet bombardment.
Fireballs of explosions rose in succession, swallowing those priceless server arrays.
She even piloted the mech to physically slash those particularly thick main data cables and energy pipes with the Tempest Warblade.
The four Armigers guarded the entrance, using firepower to prevent any possible data transfer or external interference.
The efficiency of destruction was extremely high. The forest of steel turned into a burning, molten ruin at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Under Margaret's continuous energy bombardment, that peculiar central device first emitted a blinding white light of overload, then its internal structure disintegrated, turning into a puddle of boiling, deactivated silicon-based melt.
Only after ensuring no data storage equipment survived did Margaret stop the attack.
The entire data center ceased to exist, leaving only twisted metal frames, flowing molten material, and soaring thick smoke.
"Mission complete. Target individual Saburo Arasaka confirmed eliminated. Designated data center destroyed. Core data retrieved." Margaret sent the final report via the encrypted channel.
"Confirmed. Mission completion meets expectations." Joric's response remained flat. "Prepare for extraction."
The two Knight suits and the surviving Armigers turned around. Treading over ruins and flames, they left this Arasaka Tower which had now lost its "soul."
Tokyo's night sky was still reddened by firelight, but the era belonging to Arasaka was drawn to a complete close on this night by steel and fire from another world.
(End of Chapter)