Carapace Lord.
This monster was the controversial event boss that first appeared during the first anniversary event.
It was so long ago that I couldn’t remember its attributes, but I recalled it had insanely high defense, making it something only teams with heavy firepower—especially those packed with top-tier single-target DPS-could take down.
Or at least, teams that had at least one anti-armor dealer.
‘But…’ The Arclight Squad’s only pure single-target dealer right now was their leader, Arva.
An ECHO with armor-break effects?
Of course not.
Sure, if their levels and specs were overwhelmingly superior, they could have brute-forced it, but unfortunately, they weren’t quite there yet.
Not that I even knew if levels existed for them in the first place.
“Hah!” Noah drew the monster’s attention first.
Golden barriers flared to life as her fist slammed into its side.
But the creature’s tough hide only screeched with friction, utterly unmoved.
[Kehhehe-!
What’s this?
That tickles?!] While the monster laughed, Pomen took aim and unleashed her machine gun.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-!
Dozens of rounds poured toward the beast’s carapace.
Boom!
Bang!
Followed by her launcher.
But most just sparked futilely and ricocheted away.
[Ow!!!
Hot!
Hot!
Hot-!] Still, it seemed enough to annoy it.
Visibly pissed, like it was furious at Pomen’s attacks, the monster swung a massive tentacle down toward her position.
“Light, protect us!” Boom-!
Noah’s shield of light blocked the blow in Pomen’s place.
Dust clouds billowed from the successive clashes, obscuring the view.
Vmmm!
Arva’s vibroblade pierced the monster’s side with a metallic screech.
[Kree?!] Blue blood sprayed out.
Confirming the wound, the Carapace Lord lashed out at Arva with arms and tentacles.
[Damn doll—!
How dare you!
How DARE you wound me?!
I’ll shove my cock in you and turn you into a bitch like your friends-!] A dizzying barrage.
One tentacle broke through Arva’s guard and seized her throat.
Boom!
“Arva-!” Just before her body launched into the air and slammed down, Noah’s barrier caught her like a cushion.
That had been close.
Way too close.
No matter that she was an ECHO-even a fall like that wouldn’t leave her unscathed.
‘…Is it because it’s quasi-named-grade?’ It was strong.
Really strong.
On a whole other level from special specimens like the Corpse Breeder.
Hard to say compared to the Eight-Foot Ghost, though.
That one had looked no pushover to me either…
Anyway, our tactic was simple.
Noah tanked its attacks, Pomen harassed from range to split its focus, and Arva struck during the openings.
But…
Boom!
Bang!
Our firepower couldn’t pierce its defense.
And it couldn’t break our movements or Noah’s barriers either.
The battlefield ground into a tense stalemate.
[Ah, this is…
annoying?] Frustrated by its blocked attacks, it casually scooped up one of the discarded ECHO corpses like a toy.
Forcibly prying open her mouth, it rammed in its massive, grotesque cock.
[Haaang!
Ahng!
Aaaahng—!] Sticky saliva and fluids mixed and dripped over Karen Blaze’s cold skin, her vacant eyes staring blankly.
“…What the hell is it doing?” “Focus.
It could attack anytime.” Pomen blinked in confusion at its bizarre actions, but Arva cut her off coldly.
I grimaced, watching intently too.
[Krit!
Kehhehehit!] Not content with just thrusting, tentacles extended to wrap around Karen’s corpse.
They expertly shredded her clothes and gear, then forced her legs apart to toy with her holes.
‘It’s not trying to psych us out mentally…’ Stopping mid-fight to defile a corpse?
Did it think we’d rage for a dead ECHO?
But a bad feeling told me it wasn’t acting without purpose.
[Heut!
Ung!
Aaaaaahng!] Moments later, after shaking its hips wildly, its body shuddered.
Thick white fluid gushed from every hole in Karen.
And then…
“My god…” “Sh-She was dead, right?” Karen Blaze of Ironworks convulsed, slowly rising to her feet.
Spewing semen from her empty eyes and all over her body.
And her gaze…
“Noah-!
Block it!!!” Locked onto us.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The lobby air, thick with musty dust and blood, split as Karen charged.
‘Shit, what was her deal again?’ While Noah intercepted her, I frantically dredged up memories.
Ironworks ECHOS specialized in blacksmithing and crafting-rear-line support.
Did that mean they sucked in combat?
No.
But since she wasn’t one I’d hand-picked, I had zero read on her weapons or style.
‘Looks close-range from the outside…’ Drenched in viscous fluids, Karen pressed Noah hard-far faster and deadlier than any mass- produced ECHO, drawing on her old combat data.
Noah’s hesitant defense didn’t help.
“Karen-!
Snap out of it, please!” Tears welled in her eyes each time her golden barriers blocked an attack.
The shields held firm, but her resolve visibly wavered.
Her gentle nature made striking down a former Ark-mate unimaginable.
Arva finally couldn’t stand it and stepped forward.
“Get a grip, Noah-!
That’s not the Karen Blaze you knew!
It’s just that monster’s disgusting toy!” “But-!” “No buts!
You gonna let useless emotions put the Commander in danger?!” Shoving the hesitant Noah aside, Arva gripped her vibroblade.
She dodged Karen’s ferocious lunges with dance-like precision, striking only at arm and leg joints.
Crunch!
Crack!
Horrid sounds of shattering joints echoed as Karen crumpled limply.
[What?
…Broke already?] “Attack-!” With Karen neutralized, we resumed against the beast.
But the stalemate dragged on.
The thing was crafty too.
It seemed like it’d used Karen to distract us for a backstab, but while she moved, it’d hunkered down with its shell forward.
‘Ah, catching its breath, huh.’ If Arva had been slower?
A recovered Carapace Lord ambushing while Karen tied us up— shivers down my spine.
[Ah, annoying again?] Irked at its puppet’s destruction, it scooped up another broken corpse.
Blue uniform.
An ECHO in unfamiliar garb.
“That’s…?” “Palanica Squad ECHO.” “Palanica?” No such squad in my memory.
I didn’t know every detail of Echoes of Humanity – ECHO, but I’d memorized all released ECHOS and their squads.
Palanica wasn’t among them.
“The Fleet Commander’s bodyguard squad.
Or was…” [Keh-!
This one guards humans?] “What’d you do to the Commander?” [What?
Fucked him good, obviously.
Screamed in ecstasy the whole time!
Shook his hips nonstop-he loved my body that much!] What was the Fleet Commander’s name again?
Zhang Chen?
Liu Chen?
Three syllables…
Whatever.
He’d met a horrific end beyond words.
I silently mourned Ark 69’s troll whose face I’d never seen.
The Carapace Lord repeated the same vile defilement on the corpse as with Karen.
“…Fuck.” “Lord have mercy.” The squad’s faces twisted in disgust at the repeating horror.
Non-human or not, they weren’t emotionless.
This nightmare would hit them hard somehow.
Me too.
Revolting.
What I did with ECHOS was mutual consent.
Hell, aside from Pomen throwing herself at me, I hadn’t touched others—even mass-produced ones who’d do anything I said.
But this?
One-sided violence.
Desecration of the dead.
Watching that otherworldly hentai defilement stirred pure rage and loathing from deep inside.
‘Fuck, have a taste.’ I was done watching.
That fury zeroed in on its most loathsome part-the massive cock mid-violation.
Suddenly, all noise faded.
Extreme focus: just me and that monster.
…
Slow breath in.
Gunpowder from the fierce fight cleared my mind as lungs filled.
Shoulder moved on instinct.
‘White Tiger’s stock nestled naturally, eye locked through sights on the distant writhing target.
No thoughts.
No calculations.
Fluid as a thousand reps.
One thought: Make it stop dick-fucking around.
End of the short exhale.
Finger squeezed the trigger.
Bang!
[Kieeeek-!] Unimaginable agony.
It flung the ECHO corpse aside, shrieking.
Clutching its severed member, convulsing.
[You dare…
my cock!
MY COCK!!!
I’ll rip yours out and plant it in me!!!] Vicious malice poured my way.
Its hate-filled glare burned—then it fled into the shadows.
Arva’s urgent gaze hit me.
“Commander, orders—!” “…No.
Stand down.” I wanted to pursue.
But chasing was pointless.
Squad couldn’t pierce that defense fully.
“…Understood.” Arva accepted it too.
Instead, we refocused on the objective.
“No corruption, thankfully.” Pomen used specialized gear to extract precious ‘original gene’ data from the fallen Karen Blaze and other ECHOS.
Three hauls.
Ironworks’ Karen Blaze, one from Palanica Squad, and…
“Huh, this gene’s new.
How’d it end up here?” “…
The Carapace Lord had it?” “Dunno.
From another Ark?
Definitely not ours.” “Yeah, Ark 69 had zero community facilities.
Certain.” We scored ECHO gene info from the Breadgarden Squad.