"Humph, don't worry, Anby."
Billy made a stylish spin, holding two guns, casually twirling them as he walked forward.
"I've already mastered the ultimate rule of victory from the Star Knight series!"
The pistols spun out of his hands and landed neatly back in his grip. Billy widened his eyes proudly and continued,
"Don't fight villains by the rules! Go all out with a finishing move right from the start!"
"Defeat them within the first ten seconds—don't even give them a chance to play their theme music!"
Billy struck a cool pose just as Anby, who had been alert the whole time, suddenly frowned and swiftly drew her long blade.
"Behind you!"
Anby moved like lightning, instantly appearing behind Billy.
In a flash, a loud crash echoed out, and arcs of electricity burst in all directions.
When the dust cleared, Billy, who had been knocked down and was sitting dazedly on the ground, finally snapped out of it.
"Damn it! He predicted my prediction!"
"You idiot, you almost triggered the ending credits within ten seconds!"
Nicole scolded him, frustrated, while Panta at her feet crossed his arms and nodded repeatedly, fully agreeing with her.
"Is that guy a Star Knight fan too?!"
Billy scrambled to his feet, spotting a massive figure looming in the rain—
It was the Dead End Butcher.
A flash of lightning illuminated the battlefield.
The Butcher's figure vanished from the high ground, only to crash heavily into the ground moments later.
The Dead End Butcher seized the weapon Anby had blocked and lunged forward with a deafening roar.
"Prepare for battle!"
The clash broke out instantly.
Gunfire, sparks, and Ether black holes erupted across the battlefield. Nicole moved along the outskirts, providing cover for the team.
Anby, taking the brunt of the Butcher's attacks, stayed tightly focused, carrying most of the pressure without wavering.
As for Billy, aside from constantly shouting out Star Knight move names, he was doing pretty well.
"Billy, conserve your ammo!"
"Our job is to stall the Dead End Butcher, not fight to the death! Don't blow all the compensation from Vision Industries before we even get paid—Hare's House will go bankrupt!"
Seeing Billy recklessly burning through ammunition, Nicole called out while keeping an eye on Anby.
"What?! You said don't hold back?!"
"Got it, Nicole! Leave it to me! As long as I'm here, the Dead End Butcher's going down under pure firepower!"
Because of the battlefield noise, Billy completely misheard Nicole and thought she had given him the green light to go wild.
Fueled by excitement, Billy's twin guns kept spitting fire. His ammo supplies quickly dwindled.
The Dead End Butcher was struggling—while dealing with Anby's relentless close-quarters assault, he also had to dodge Billy's barrage.
Step by step, it was forced backward.
"Yeah! Dead End Butcher, feel the might of the Star Emblem! All evil shall be laid bare!"
Billy shouted, his eyes bright, completely missing how Nicole behind him was now stomping her feet in frustration.
At that moment, Billy truly embodied the idea of a "firepower-type high-intelligence tactical support unit!"
Boom!
An Ether energy ball flew from Nicole's briefcase, striking the Dead End Butcher dead-on.
The expanding energy field distorted its movements, creating a perfect opportunity.
"Never underestimate the bond between Hare's House!"
Billy clapped his guns together, blinked forward, and—
a long-range combat robot appeared right in front of the Butcher.
Flash, spin, break through the limit!
Explosions burst one after another.
Behind them, Nicole watched blankly, barely able to keep supporting them, completely unconcerned about their "glorious" victories.
With each blast she heard, the balance sheet of Hare's House in her mind dipped further into the negatives...
Just then, a small black-and-white figure darted past Nicole, heading straight for the battlefield.
Nicole snapped out of it, her eyes widening as she shouted,
"Panta! Where do you think you're going?!"
"Hurry, hurry—Billy, watch out—!"
Nicole wanted Billy to protect Panta—after all, he was Zane's Bangboo.
But before she could say more, she saw Panta halt.
Suddenly, the back of the black-and-white Bangboo split open, revealing complex internal machinery.
A thick cylindrical barrel rose onto its head.
The cannon barrel pointed straight at the Dead End Butcher—and two smaller barrels unfolded beside its arms, aimed as well.
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm! (Super evolution! Battle mode!)"
"Mm-mm, mm-mm! (The spirit of battle burns fiercely!)"
"Mm-hmm, mm-mm, mm-mm! (My cosmos is about to explode!)"
Panta's eyes had turned a dangerous red, and colorful Ether energy began swirling around him.
The three cannons started to glow ominously.
"Wait—what are you doing?!"
Nicole, completely caught off guard, tried to rush forward—
but it was too late.
Three beams of light shot from the cannons simultaneously.
As they traveled, the beams converged into a single, massive energy cannon, far more powerful than anything they had seen.
Buzzzzz—
Billy heard the noise and barely turned his head before a blinding beam roared past him.
Boom!
In the very next instant—
the energy beam slammed into the Dead End Butcher's chest, forcing him back step by step, gouging deep tracks into the ground.
"Mm-hmm! (Maximum power—obliteration!)"
Boom!
The beam flared even brighter, piercing straight through the Butcher's chest, smashing through several walls before finally fading.
With a loud crash, the Dead End Butcher's massive body collapsed to the ground, its fate uncertain.
Dead End Butcher... was down?!
Billy stared at the fallen monster, then at Panta.
It was like something straight out of a Star Knight movie.
"Is that... is that even still a Bangboo?!"
Nicole's mouth hung open slightly, stunned as she looked at Panta.
Was this the legendary "small body, massive energy"?
She rushed over and found Panta completely still, only white steam rising from the strange cannon barrel.
Curious, Nicole reached out and gently poked him.
"Panta?"