Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 248 The Hundred Ninjas (Tenth Update)
At this moment, more than thirty members of the 100-man ninja squad, like ghosts, surrounded the advancing knight mech.

They used the complex terrain and buildings as cover, attempting to avoid the powerful firepower and shields on the front of the mechs, and instead look for weaknesses on the flanks and rear.

"Sister, high-speed stealth targets detected! There are many of them, and they are approaching from the flank!" Maria's voice rang out in the encrypted channel, filled with the alertness of having spotted prey.

“Don’t be fooled by their speed.” Margaret’s voice was calm and decisive, making an instant judgment. “They are elite infantry units. Squire mechs, advance to intercept them, prioritizing Maria’s line of sight. Maria, cover their path with explosives, don’t let them regroup.”

“Understood!” Maria’s response was crisp and efficient.

“I’ll suppress the front and keep pushing,” Margaret added, as the “Lancer” slightly adjusted the angle of the ion shield on his left arm and gathered energy in his right hand’s shock lance, steadily pointing it at the area with the densest defensive fortifications ahead.

"Maintain formation and crush them!"

The six attendant mechs immediately adjusted their formation, maximizing their sensor sensitivity and using dense lasers and explosives to block the paths the ninjas might take.

With unimaginable speed, a ninja instantly rushed to the side of a servant mech, his heat-powered katana glowing with a dark red light, and slashed fiercely at the mech's leg joint.

"Clang!" A piercing metallic clang rang out.

The armor of the attendant mech was cut open with a shallow gash, sparks flew everywhere, but no serious damage was caused.

The mech reacted quickly, immediately turning its gun around, but the ninja had already used the recoil to retreat and disappeared into the shadows.

Another ninja threw an EMP shuriken from a high place, hitting the shoulder of a squire mech.

A faint arc of electricity flashed, momentarily slowing the movements of the attendant mech, but its internal systems clearly possessed strong anti-interference capabilities and quickly returned to normal.

"Their attacks can only cause minor damage to the servants," Maria reported, while simultaneously firing the "Punisher's" explosive cannon at the area where the ninjas were gathered. The violent explosions completely leveled several antique-style buildings, forcing several ninjas to scramble to avoid the attack.

Margaret took a more direct approach. The ion shield on the left arm of the "Lancer" was always at the optimal defensive angle, and the shock lance in her right hand was no longer used for long-range shooting. Instead, it was used like a real lance to launch swift thrusts and sweeps at the ninjas who tried to approach.

The immense power and energy field caused each attack to unleash a storm of blood and gore. Occasionally, ninjas who couldn't dodge in time were instantly vaporized by ion energy or crushed by the immense physical force.

However, the 100-man ninja group truly lived up to its reputation.

Their individual combat abilities are extremely strong, their teamwork is impeccable, and their ability to utilize the environment is unparalleled. Ninjas continuously charge forward amidst a hail of bullets, attacking the relatively vulnerable parts of the Knight and Servant mechs, such as their joints, sensors, and weapon mounts, using various methods.

While it couldn't cause serious damage, it did slow down the advance and left more and more scratches on the mech's outer armor.

The battle entered a more brutal and intense phase.

The steel giant overcomes skill with brute force, while the shadowy ninja, like a persistent leech, seeks any possible opportunity.

The core area of ​​the Arasaka Manor has been transformed into a killing stage where steel, flames, and shadows intertwine.
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The fearlessness and ingenious tactics of the 100-man ninja group did indeed cause some trouble for the Rinko clan's advance.

But that's about it.

Faced with an absolute disparity in strength, the advantages that skill and speed can bring are extremely limited.

The strength of the Knight's mech's shield and the thickness of its armor are far beyond what these ninjas, who rely on individual weapons and cybernetic enhancements, can easily break through.

Their attacks were more like tickling the giant, occasionally causing some superficial damage, but unable to reach the core.

Margaret scanned the battlefield through her sensors. The ghostly enemies were constantly harassing her using the complex terrain. Although they posed no real threat, they severely slowed down her advance. Her eyes sharpened, and she decisively issued a new command over the channel.

“We can’t let them stall any longer! Change tactics, activate the area cleanup protocol.” Her voice was clear and resolute. “Maria, cooperate with me, clear out all terrain and buildings that might provide cover, and force them out!”

“Understood!” Maria responded immediately. Margaret took the lead.

The "Lancer" no longer attempted to precisely target and kill the elusive ninjas. Instead, she slammed her massive impact lance into the ground, the tip of which condensed a blinding blue light far exceeding that before.

"Purification begins!"

As she announced it, an enormous beam of ion energy swept across the fan-shaped area ahead like a plowshare wielded by a god!

Wherever the energy beam passed, whether it was an exquisite antique-style building, a lush garden landscape, or a ninja hiding in it, everything was instantly ionized, melted, and vaporized by the extreme high temperature!
A complex area that could have served as cover was instantly transformed into scorched earth, billowing thick blue smoke and with a glassy surface.

“My turn!” Maria’s “Punisher” followed closely behind.

The Punisher's Bomb Cannon roared even more furiously, turning the right flank into a sea of ​​fire with continuous explosions.

Her rocket launcher also unleashed its power for the first time, with multiple rockets streaking out and slamming into several buildings suspected of harboring a large number of ninjas, delivering a saturation attack.

The violent explosion completely tore the building structure apart, and the shockwave and debris swept through every corner, forcing out any ninjas who had managed to escape the first wave of attacks, or burying them along with their bunkers.

Six attendant mechs formed a fire net on the perimeter, using precise fire to clear out any stragglers escaping from the destruction zone.

In the face of absolute power, any skill seems pale in comparison.

The steel giants of the Nearl family are using the most direct method to turn the core area of ​​the Arasaka Manor into ruins inch by inch.

The six attendant mechs also changed tactics, no longer attempting precise shots, but instead forming a crossfire network, using continuous lasers and explosives to cover all the space around the knight mechs, creating a barrier of death.

This indiscriminate, all-encompassing firepower immediately rendered the ninja hundred's tactics ineffective. Stealth and agility became meaningless in the face of the destructive storm that offered nowhere to hide.

As a ninja leader watched his comrades perish one after another under the onslaught of fire, a resolute glint flashed in his eyes.

He activated his internal overload program, instantly increasing his speed to its limit, transforming into a black shadow almost invisible to the naked eye, braving a dense hail of bullets, and rushing straight towards Maria's "Punisher" mech cockpit!

The monomolecular wire in his hand gleamed dangerously, its aim being to pierce the observation window of the cockpit.

However, just as he was about to succeed, the Stormblade on the Punisher's left arm, with a shrill sound that tore through the air, slashed down from above with a speed that was disproportionate to its massive size!

"laugh--!"

The ninja leader, along with the monomolecular wire in his hand, was cleaved in two by the Storm Blade, which contained immense kinetic energy and an energy field. His remains slammed against the mecha's chest armor due to inertia before sliding helplessly to the ground.

This was the last organized counterattack attempt by the 100 Ninja.

As cover disappeared and their comrades were quickly reduced to fewer numbers, the remaining ninjas lost their tactical support and began fighting individually. They were soon eliminated one by one by the coordinated firepower of the Knight Mechs and the Servant Mechs.

The Arasaka Empire's most prized 100-man ninja squad, which had once struck fear into the hearts of countless forces, was mercilessly crushed before the steel giant from another world, like a mantis trying to stop a wheel.

The last physical barrier leading to the core building where Saburo Arasaka was located was completely shattered.

Margaret and Maria piloted their mechs, stepping over the remains of ninjas and guards, over the burning ruins, as if walking in their own backyard, towards the iconic main house, a blend of traditional Japanese and futuristic styles.

The Tokyo night sky was illuminated by the firelight as if it were daytime, and the air was filled with a mixture of gunpowder smoke, ozone, and the smell of burning flesh.

(End of this chapter)