[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/EzQI717.png[/img][/center]
Well now.

How did something [i]that[/i] big make it out unscathed from Constantina’s bombardment and Kim’s detection? Halting his unimpeded little murder-jaunt, Xuan-Yu turned his gaze to the creature, raising his brows slightly at the appearance that the Warped had taken. Japanese ogres and Chinese guardian lions. Indescribable, incomprehensible organisms taking forms resembling mythological creatures…what would the white coats make of that? He tapped the Stinger Blade against his shoulder a couple times, then sheathed it into his forearm. Behind his back, tubes of viscous liquids began to churn and bubble, innocuous fluids synthesizing into a poison that, while not lethal, was still capable of affecting even beings of supernatural physiology. 

And then, Constanza’s voice echoed through, speaking at a speed that could rival rappers in order to keep her messages brief without having to cut down on words. The dog headed for Grendel was obvious. The wraith stalking the backlines less so.  He took a moment to think. Imagined, for a moment, what the goal was, what the problem was.

The goal was to break down the soldiers’ defenses.

The problem was the presence of the Chi-Mechframes.

The key was the lack of wide-range attacks from them.

Faye’s armor kept her alive, but her spear lacked enough killing force to down the truck-sized beast immediately. Drakos, their best skirmisher, charged for the defensive line in order to track down the invisible [i]thing[/i], giving the Warped horde time to gather their forces once more. Constanza, their fire support, aimed to root out that invisible foe as well, hunting for any traces of them. Xuan-Yu himself would be forced to act against the most obvious threat, lest they lose their mobile bulwark.

Like that, all four Frame Pilots would be forced away from the collective threat, one that the soldiers were already incapable of stalemating. And all it took was for an invisible assassin to reveal themselves, just a little bit.

Ah, it took one to know one, huh?

[b]“Hey, Constanza,”[/b] Xuan-Yu drawled, speeding through the artillery-marred battlefield to convene with the team’s lancer, [b]“Tide’s shifting in the Warped’s favour’s now. Keep your eyes peeled for the ghost, but keep your beams blasting the frontlines. Drakos, fucker’s probably aiming for either artillery or gun emplacements, if it has even a lick of brainpower. And Faye?”[/b]

His left leg bent, scarlet flexors flaring up with an incandescent energy.

[b]“Your knight in cockroach armor’s here~”[/b]

Release.

The earth cracked beneath his step, and Xuan-Yu flew through the air, as true as an arrow, his optical camouflage peeling away to reveal the armored assassin beneath. The remaining distance between himself and the liondog was negligible, and Faye’s spear throw had stalled it enough for Xuan-Yu to slam blade first into the monster’s hindleg. Blood spurt out, steaming over his obsidian gauntlets.

There was a time where he couldn’t do this much damage even with a full clip of ammunition.

Deathstalker bared his teeth, drew his left fist back, and unleashed a [i]second[/i] Burst Strike right into the flat pommel of his sword, aiming to punch it through the bone of one hindleg and pierce the meat of the other. If he could maim one leg and poison the other, the beast would be crippled enough that Faye could mount it from behind and slay it herself, leaving him to cover the front again.

But if that wasn’t enough?

He still had his right side raring to turn this mutt into a dogmeat hamburger.