(Disclaimer: I do not own the Zoids franchise. Copyright goes to Tomy for making this fantastic series. All I own are this story, its characters and some concept Zoids that might appear.)

Zoids: Lost Eden

Chapter 16: The End of a Fierce Fight

The battle rages on in the harbor.

A Red Horn was thrown across the floor. Managing to land just right without damaging its weapons, the Red Horn started to fire a barrage with its linear cannons. Its opponent, the massive Gojulas the Ogre however, had raised the chassis of a dead Iron Kong to use as a makeshift shield to defend itself from the blast. Shifting its left claw forward, the Ogre fires a volley from its impact cannons, killing the horned Zoid. However, a living Iron Kong immediately moves to replace the Red Horn's earlier position. Armed with nothing but steel slicers on its forearms, it moves to engage the Ogre in melee.

ROAAARR!

The Ogre takes up the challenge and immediately discards the carcass. As the Kong goes in for a swipe, the Ogre grasps both of the Iron Kong's arms with its powerful claws. The caps on the Ogre's claws spun at terrifying speeds and red sparks burned brightly as the Ogre brings the full force of its claw hydraulics at work. With a powerful motion of its claws, it cleanly tears off the Iron Kong's arms from its body, causing it to topple over.

BOOM! BOOM!

Before the Ogre could even catch a break from downing one Iron Kong, another immediately came at it. Instead of engaging it in melee however, it opted for a shootout with its hybrid vulcan. Moving fast as far as massive Zoids go, the Ogre narrowly avoids the first volley and immediately takes aim with its Supercannons. The guns roared as two, large caliber shells shot out and made their way to the Iron Kong, punching two holes in its torso. In that moment, a missile volley immediately rained on the Ogre. The Tyrannosaur was able to shrug off the shots but one of its Supercannons got damaged. Ejecting the damaged gun, the Ogre turned around to face whoever was brave enough to fire at the Zoid. It caught sight of its old rival: An Iron Kong PK.

GWOOOHHH!

The PK beats its chest with its powerful knuckles before rushing in. The Ogre steels itself, locking itself into place with the landers on its tail. Having closed in, the PK lifts its right arm for a punch but the Ogre anticipated the action, catching the balled fist with its claws. Wasting no time, the Ogre pulls the pink Gorilla in range of its jaws. With a mighty roar, the Ogre sinks its massive teeth into the Iron Kong's cockpit in a kiss of death that immediately claimed its rival's life.

ROOOAAARRR!

Due to its decision to concentrate on the Iron Kongs, Gojulas the Ogre managed to buy some relief for its smaller allies, allowing them to finally start pushing back the remnant's high-speed Zoid force. The Shield Ligers wrestled with the Sabre Tigers while the Command Wolves and Arosaurers pushed back the Heldigunners and Red Horns.

BOOOOM!

One of the Death Stingers had fired its charged particle cannon, causing the Ogre to turn around in time to see massive ships arriving on the horizon. Reinforcements have arrived.

"Now this is what I like. A good o'l duel between proper Zoid pilots!" Gerard beamed, his Elephander letting out a loud bellow as he stares down the black Blade Liger.

"Do not be reckless Gerard. These guys are not like the others we've fought back then." Ash reminded, his Dark Spiner growling angrily at the white Blade Liger Mirage in front of him. Like their own Geno Saurer, the Blade Liger is another monster equipped with an Organoid System, making it one of the Republic's premier close-combat units. The way their pilots pulled off such a daring charge against superior Imperial numbers also tells him that the pilots have tapped into the Zoid's fighting instincts quite well. His jamming blade sadly, will do him no good in this battle.

Growl…

The Blade Liger Mirage was the first to move. Itsuki steers his Zoid to the right forcing Ash's Zoid to follow. They start with slow, heavy steps at first before both Zoids descend into a full sprint as the Blade Liger charges. Its attack boosters flared up, giving it an exponential increase in speed as it goes for the Dark Spiner's head. Knowing that he can't match the Liger's raw speed, Ash plants his Zoid firmly in the ground, raising his fins to shoot the approaching Liger with its cannons. With a quick maneuver to the left, Itsuki manages to avoid a fatal hit and closed in, deploying one of his blades. Ash's Zoid immediately responds by catching it with his Zoid's electron fangs.

"Tch!" Itsuki clicks his tongue as the Dark Spiner's neck muscles twist. It was trying to break the laser blade. Quickly, he fires the blade's pulse laser attachments and though the head armor can shrug such small hits, a lucky shot through the canopy could potentially be fatal. Ash had no choice but to let go and dodge. He immediately follows up with a swing of the tail however, forcing the Blade Liger to dodge as well.

"Not bad commander!" Ash commended his opponent.

"Same to you."

On the other hand, Janus was having a hard time looking for any openings in Gerard's attack. The beam sword had an advantage over his laser blades in terms of the dimensions for attack. If he tries to get in close to use his claws, the Elephander just deploys its shield instead. Unable to close in, he resorts to using his attack boosters and pulse lasers, engaging in a shootout with the Elephander.

"Come on kid! That's not nearly good enough!" Gerard guffaws as he closes in, the Blade Liger's shots bouncing harmlessly off the Elephander's thick armor.

"Bastard!" Seeing the massive Zoid charging at him, Janus backs away, putting distance between them. He circles his Blade Liger to the side, using its greater speed to outflank the Elephander. "There!" Seeing the unexposed rear, he lunges forward, intending to use the Liger's fangs to take a chunk out of the Elephander's side.

"Oh no you don't!" Immediately, Gerard repositions his Elephander, catching the attack with his tusks, sending the Blade Liger crashing on the floor with a great shove.

"Ack!" Janus grunts in pain as his body was violently rocked in the ensuing fall. "Damn this guy!"

"You're good kid. But to take on an Elephander with that Zoid? You're in way over your head." Gerard descends on the downed Liger, brandishing his Zoid's beam sword.

"Come on, think!" Janus immediately reorients his Liger just in time for the Elephander to finish closing in, ready to deliver the killing blow. "Got it!"

"Good night kid!" The beam sword descends but the Liger immediately shifts a little to the right, avoiding a fatal blow by inches. Leaping up, the Liger's fangs glowed as they found a different target: the armature carrying the ESCS unit. "What?!"

"Hahahaha! Guess it's not only me who's cocky huh?" Janus boasts as his Liger's claws pin the Elephander's nose down on the ground; its fangs still trying to rip the troublesome weapon apart by the joints. The undue stress caused the elephant Zoid much pain and it tries to pull its trunk away, stomping at the ground as it pulls its body backwards.

"Damn punk! Shake him loose!" Gerard commanded, firing the Elephander's nose cannons as the Liger's canopy comes into view.

"Janus let go! Get out of there!" Itsuki immediately instructed, his Zoid still locked in battle with the Dark Spiner.

"Shit!" Janus immediately backs away, narrowly dodging gunfire that would've gone straight for his canopy. The Elephander waves its trunk around for a moment before deploying its beam sword again. The Liger's attack fortunately, has not damaged any vital components. "Sorry! Failed to hold it down."

"It's alright." Itsuki just nods as he stares down the Dark Spiner. "I'm going in!" Charging head on at full speed, the Blade Liger sprints, its fangs aiming at the Dark Spiner's throat.

"The same attack again?" Ash wonders as he meets the Liger head-on; his Zoid's fangs glowing with electrical sparks. However, Itsuki shifts his Zoid at the last minute to the left, deploying a laser blade in a split second. Ducking low, the Dark Spiner's fangs passed overhead but the sudden deployment of the blade had amputated the Dark Spiner's right claw.

"What the—!" Ash yelps in surprise as the Liger passes.

"Captain! Ugh!" Gerard tries to back the Dark Spiner up but was immediately met with gunfire from the other Liger's pulse lasers and attack boosters. Without his main gun, Gerard could only return fire with his trunk's smaller cannons which did minimal damage to the Liger's armor.

In the meantime, the Blade Liger Mirage circled around for another pass at the Dark Spiner.

"Lieutenant! Patch me a line to that Dark Spiner's pilot please!" Naruse pleaded with the Leomaster as the Liger and Dark Spiner clashed with their melee weapons once more.

"I am a little preoccupied at the moment—!" Itsuki protested, trying to force his blade to cut through the Dark Spiner's grip. "What for?"

"That Zoid belongs to Captain Gregory Ash! He commands this remnant army! They have to know the truth about the current situation!" The young girl pleaded.

For a moment, Itsuki hesitated. The enemy commander was at the tip of his blade. He was sure that if he pushed himself just a little harder, he can immediately turn the tide in this battle. Cut off the head of the enemy, and their battle lines are sure to collapse. However—

"Lieutenant please!" Naruse continued to plead, almost begging. "Please…"

"RAAAAHHH!" Itsuki yells out, parts anger and parts frustration. The Blade Liger charged but to Ash and Janus' surprise, Itsuki retracted his blades.

"Underestimating me now huh? You're going to regret that!" Ash bellows as his Zoid charges again, baring its sharp electron fangs. To his surprise however, the Blade Liger ducked low, allowing the Spinosaur's biting attack to swoop by harmlessly. With a quick tap of his controls, the Blade Liger's boosters flared as it rose up to tackle the Dark Spiner by the side, toppling it over.

"AAAAHHH!" Ash yells out as the mighty Spinosaurus fell to its side, the Blade Liger Mirage pinning it down from above. He tried to have the Zoid flail its head but the Liger pins it down with one of his paws. Any moment and the Liger can activate its Strike Laser Claw, killing Ash. But it didn't.

"Boss?" Janus asked, wondering why Itsuki avoided a fatal strike. Due to this distraction, the Elephander managed to break away and aim its heavy beam cannon at Itsuki's Liger.

"Elephander pilot! Lay down your weapon or I bring my claws down!" Itsuki threatens Gerard.

"No Gerard! Shoot this son of a bitch!" Ash barked out. "I will not be taken prisoner here! I'd rather die for my Empire!"

"I don't intend to take you prisoner Captain." Itsuki curtly replied. "Someone wants to talk to you."

"Talk? To me? At a time like this? You're joking!" Ash protested, trying to wedge his Zoid's head free. The Blade Liger responded by lightly stomping on the Zoid's head again, rocking the old Captain inside his cockpit.

"Watch yourself old man!"

"You watch yourself punk!" Gerard cocks his Zoid's cannon but Janus immediately stepped in front of him, attack boosters aimed.

"Captain!" Naruse finally calls out. "Captain, can you hear me?"

Recognizing Naruse's voice, Ash's brows curled into a frown. "You bitch…You betrayed us!"

"I did not betray anyone!" Naruse shouted back. "You—no—we're the ones who were betrayed! By the masked man you call the Viscount!"

"What!" Ash couldn't believe his ears. Granted, he was also having his own doubts about his masked leader but to hear it voiced out directly to him wasn't something he was prepared to accept. "No…Impossible!"

"The Guylos Empire had formally entered into an alliance with the Helic Republic. Further resistance here would be treason against Guylos itself!" Naruse yelled.

"I don't believe you!" Ash yells back. "I will not believe the words of a poisonous cunt coming from a family of opportunists who only seeks to profit from this long war! Ugh!" Ash suddenly grunted as Itsuki had his Liger stomp on Ash's cockpit once more for that insult towards Naruse.

Having the disgrace of her family thrown back at her stung Naruse. Try as she might, it seems it will be a long while until she can escape her family's dark shadow. Suppressing her desire to just yell and berate the aging Captain, Naruse takes a deep breath before she continued.

"I speak the truth Captain. This isn't my will alone. This is the will of the Emperor! The will of Guylos! Stand down Captain!"

"Damn you!" Ash cursed at the girl. He contemplated on ordering Sakura to sortie, having given her prior instructions to stand by to assist them should things get messy. However, Naruse calls out to him again.

"In that case, where is the Viscount! Where is he that I may speak to him myself!" Naruse challenges. This seems to do the trick. The Dark Spiner stopped struggling underneath the Liger's claws. Ash realized that ever since the battle broke out, the Viscount had not contacted them. The mercenary Reynard told them that the Viscount elected to step back in order to retain tactical flexibility should either of the defenses fail.

The Captain looks back at the front line. Their army is holding strong but the Republic was not letting up. Gojulas the Ogre was still thrashing about while the Dibison and König Wolf had arrived to reinforce the front line, spitting concentrated gunfire at their forces. If there was a time for the Viscount to move, he would have moved to assist them now. No. He should've moved to assist them five minutes ago.

Instead, all they got was radio silence. Putting two and two together, Ash starts to suspect the worst.

"Captain?" Naruse asked. "Are you still there?"

RUMBLE

The Blade Liger backs away a bit as the Dark Spiner rises to its feet, shifting its body in order to shake off the dust that settled in while it was pinned down. It turned to look at the white Liger but the initial aggression in its eyes were now absent.

"Is this…true?" The Captain asked.

HUUUMMM!

The two Imperial Zoids turned back to the battle going on in the harbor to see massive ships start their dock at the harbor. The main Helic forces have already arrived.

"Tch! This battle is lost. All forces retreat to point X-5! Retreat!" Ash barks from his Dark Spiner, ordering the Imperial troops to pull back.

"Wait! Captain!" The Blade Liger tries to pursue but the Hydrarchos suddenly swept down low; the loading bay in its mouth already deployed in order to immediately receive the Elephander and the Dark Spiner as black smoke dispersed from the sides, providing them with much needed cover.

"Stubborn old man." Itsuki draws out his Liger's attack boosters and fired two shots in the smoke, hoping to at least damage the Whale King. One shot whizzed harmlessly past the massive Zoid's guns but the other shell managed to hit a portion of the Magnesser, causing black smoke to spew forth as the electronic flight system started to falter.

"Take us higher! Redirect our weapons energy to the damaged wing!" Zhou commanded, trying her hardest to keep the massive Zoid afloat. Flying past the smoke, the Hydrarchos rose up, using all the power it has to get away from the battlefield. Sakura was surprised to see the Dark Spiner and the Elephander take the amount of damage it did against the Liger pair.

"What happened to you guys? Why didn't you call me out?" She asked as the two Zoids were secured. Ash alights from his Dark Spiner, seething with rage.

"Change of plans. This battle is lost." Ash barked out as he climbs to the command room of the still damaged Whale King. "It was lost ever since we started!"

"Then what of the battle?"

"I've given the order to retreat and rendezvous. We'll meet with them there." The aging Captain noticed the commotion inside the hangar as Zhou and the rest try to maintain their altitude. "Can we limp out of here?"

"We probably can—but we won't make it to point X-5." Zhou replied; her attention still focused on keeping the massive Zoid together.

"Kong-7 pull back now! Hydrarchos is compromised! Take charge of the forces there until we can meet up with you guys!" Ash immediately calls to a field commander who promptly answered in the affirmative.

"Seral! The battle is lost! Retreat now!" Sakura on the other hand, calls to her friend. "Take Vishna and get out of there now!"

"But the objective is so close! I just need to—AAH!" Seral yelped on the other end as the sounds of gunfire peppered her Zoid's armor.

"Seral!"

Down below, Itsuki and Janus turns their attention to the city. Boosters at full speed, the two Ligers ran ahead, ignoring all the retreating enemies passing them by to concentrate on the remaining threats: the three Death Stingers.

"That's the order to retreat! Go! Go!" Vishna yells at the other Sabre Tigers, having just received Ash's orders. Acknowledging the command, the high-speed force immediately turned tail and started running away from the harbor instead. As Vishna turns to run however, she espied a Dibison preparing to fire its Megalomax at the non-retreating Sabre Tigers.

"Oh no you don't!" Vishna roared as her Tiger scaled the buildings in order to surprise the iron bull with a strike from above. Landing right beside the Dibison, she tilts her controls and used all of her Zoid's upper body strength to force the bull to lose its aim.

"Gah! Where did you come from?!" Kiro cursed as he cancels his barrage in time in order to focus on adjusting his Zoid's balance. The Dibison's hind legs immediately anchored itself and upon noticing the Tiger's cockpit so close to its own, flicked its head to gore the Imperial high speed Zoid, sending it flying backwards.

"AAAAAHHH!" Vishna cried out as her Zoid was tossed across the harbor floor. The Sabre Tiger tries to stand up but the Dibison was not having it.

"No, you don't!" Kiro brings his Zoid to full speed and rams the Tiger with its horns, sending it crashing down again. Not content, it began to trample the helpless Zoid, kicking it with its hooves as it ran across the battlefield. The Tiger's armor cracked and weapons flew off in every direction before both Zoids stopped upon reaching an isolated section in the harbor. Wanting to finish it off now, Kiro had his Dibison step back. Anchoring itself, the gun barrels on the Dibison's back moved, aiming directly at the Tiger's undefended core.

"Shit!" Vishna yelps in panic as she tries her Zoid's controls again. No response. She looks to the side to see the bull's guns starting to glow. In that instant, survival instincts took over.

She opened her cockpit and stepped out.

"Wha—?" Kiro was taken aback by the sudden move. A silver-haired girl emerged from the Sabre Tiger's cockpit with her hands up though she kept a sharp, almost murderous glare at his Zoid. Her bright eyes reminded Kiro of a cat for some reason.

"Oh right! I need to take her in." Kiro suddenly remembered as he snapped back from staring at his apparently, female opponent. Lacking any handcuffs, he elected to use a utility rope he has inside the cockpit. Before exiting however, he leaves a verbal command to his Zoid.

"If she tries anything funny, shoot her."

The Gunblusters put up a difficult losing battle against the Death Stingers. Holding out with their powerful shields kept them safe from the charged particle cannon assaults but engaging the monster in melee was very difficult for the lumbering Zoids. They bit hard at the Death Stinger's claws in a desperate effort to hold it back. Their guns fired and though their attacks managed to knock out the Death Stinger's shock guns, the rest of the shots bounced off harmlessly over the massive Zoid's armor.

CRASH!

One of the ankylosaurs was finally toppled over, exposing its undefended underside to attack. The Death Stinger activates its charged particle cannon and in one massive beam of light, the Gunbluster was completely disintegrated. Its companion managed to hold out with its powerful E-shield.

HMMMMMM!

An approaching ship finally docked near their position. The Gunbluster pilot felt a sigh of relief. Helic's main landing army has finally arrived. Their efforts have paid off. Sensing this however, the Death Stinger immediately charges in, ignoring the Gunbluster's covering fire. It arrived just in time for the loading ramp to descend and reveal a massive Giganotosaurus' head emerging from the compartment.

ROOOOOAAAARRR!

Gojulas Giga, Helic Republic's state-of-the-art Zoid stepped out from the ship. It stared aggressively at the Guylos death Zoid. With a flash from its fins, the Giga stoops down low, charging at its target with Pursuit Mode. The Death Stinger's particle cannon fires and the Giga withstands the attack with its hyper E-Shield. Still, that managed to temporarily blind the Gojulas Giga and stop it from coming closer. When the light dissipated, the Death Stinger was nowhere to be found. The Giga rises to combat mode, its massive head turning side to side to catch a glimpse of the elusive Zoid.

SHRIEEEEEKKK!

Behind the Giga, the Death Stinger sprang up, latching on to the Giga's back. Its claws proceeded to hack at the Giga's Supercannon attachments as the massive Zoid thrashed around in pain at the Scorpion Zoid's attack. Having taken away the massive guns, the Death Stinger prepares to fire its charged particle cannon at point blank range: an act that will kill not only the Giga but the Death Stinger as well. However, it had been a very desperate battle and whether through the influence of the Organoid System or the pilot's own conviction, the pilot was prepared to destroy himself if it meant taking out the entire transport ship. The cannon prepares to fire.

BAAAAAM! BAAAAAAM!

Suddenly, gunfire rained at the Zoid's particle gun turret, cutting it off from its energy source before it can fire. The Gunbluster managed to reorient itself and opened fire, fulfilling its duty to defend the Helic landing army. With a mighty shift of its shoulders, the Giga was finally able to shake the Death Stinger off, sending it crashing to the ground. Not wanting to take any more chances, the Giga's laser blades flared up and swung, impaling the Death Stinger's Zoid core through its undercarriage. The Zoid was dead.

The other Death Stinger on the other hand, found itself face-to-face with an unidentified Tyrannosaurus type Zoid. Smaller than Gojulas Giga, it was able to dodge its melee attacks well though from a casual glance, there was nothing on the Zoid's blue body that indicated any form of weapon. Taking note of this, the Death Stinger closed in. With a leap, the Death Stinger's claws swung down, aiming at the Tyrannosaur's head. Suddenly, armor components from the Zoid took off, seemingly taking on the form of a swallow and crab. Smaller guns on these Zoids fired and they immediately surrounded the Death Stinger, disorienting the pilot. Annoyed, the pilot ignores the two smaller Zoids to focus on the now unarmored Tyrannosaurus. Having moved out of the way of its melee weapons, the Death Stinger lines it up in its sights. The massive walls around the harbor city prevents it from dodging any further. The Death Stinger's tail starts to glow.

To its surprise, the Tyrannosaurus Zoid merely called back its BLOX components, cladding itself in firm armor. It proceeded to brace itself to meet the Death Stinger's charged particle cannon head-on like it wasn't even afraid of it. The Death Stinger's pilot chuckled at the poor fool and fired, engulfing the Tyrannosaurus in a brilliant beam of light.

BAAAAM!

Certain of the new Zoid's defeat the Death Stinger turns away. However, as the light dissipated, the Tyrannosaurus steps forward; the orange panels on its body glowing with a vicious light. The Death Stinger was taken aback. It had survived a charged particle gun assault head-on. The Tyrannosaurus stops its advance and deploys its anchors. The Zoid's tail flares out and its jaws dropped down to reveal the gun barrel of a charged particle cannon.

"No way…" The Death Stinger's pilot muttered, unable to believe what he's seeing. The Zoid had used his attack to immediately power its own cannon. The Tyrannosaur fires back, engulfing the Death Stinger with its own signature weapon. Unable to absorb the blast, the Death Stinger was disintegrated, leaving only the husk of a tail and four pairs of mechanical legs.

Seral's Stealth Stinger was the only Zoid left among the Death Stinger troops.

"Seral! Retreat now! What are you waiting for?!" Sakura calls over from the intercom as the cockpit of Seral's Zoid continued to shake under the combined gunfire of Zero Phoenix and Zero Panzer.

"The objective is right there!" Seral protested. The Organoid System's fighting spirit was slowly causing her to abandon reason for the sake of its objective. "We can still win this! I just need to get to the ship and—" Before she could finish, the Zero Panzer and Command Wolves launched another volley, further interrupting communications.

"Ugghhh!" Seral groaned as the shaking rocked her cockpit violently. "Just a few more minutes—!"

"Don't be a fool!" Her younger comrade practically screams into the channel. "Look around you—"

Stunned by this sudden outburst, Seral took a moment to see the damage inflicted on their side. The Red Horns were almost all routed. The Death Stingers lay dead as Gojulas Giga poured in, taking down all the remaining Imperial Zoids. In the ruins of the front line stood Gojulas the Ogre, roaring proudly even as smoke rose up from various wounds it had borne from the skirmish.

"You mean…they're gone…?" Seral mumbled as she struggled to hold back tears. The Stealth Stinger's weapons droop down as the lights dimmed inside the fearsome Zoid's cockpit.

"Huh?" Ray wondered as he watched from his Zero Phoenix in the air.

"Is it…giving up?" The Zero Panzer likewise, lowers its hybrid cannons.

Turning back to the intercom, Sakura only managed a weak nod. "They're gone Seral…The rest have already started to retreat. So…come back. Please…"

"Sakura…" The Stealth Stinger soon steps into a clearing near the closed-off area. As Seral turns to look however, she was met with the ruins of Vishna's Sabre Tiger with the cockpit open.

The pilot was nowhere to be found.

"N-No! They got Vishna too?!" Seral gasped, a tear falling from her eye.

"What?! N-No! You mean she wasn't able to retreat? No way! I—" Likewise, Sakura was also taken aback by the news. The Stealth Stinger transmitted the image, leading the younger pilot to now assume the worst. "No…NO!"

"You'll pay…you'll pay, you'll pay, YOU'LL PAY! MURDERERS!" In that instant, the Stealth Stinger's control panels lit up once again as it takes up a fighting stance. The Organoid System reactivated, spurred on by the burning hatred that welled up within its pilot.

"Seral! Wait!"

"I have to do this Sakura…If I don't…Vishna, our comrades…their deaths will all be in vain! I HAVE TO DO THIS! LET'S GO! STEALTH STINGER!"

SHRIEEEEKKK!

The Stealth Stinger charged in, brandishing its laser scissor as it rushed at Alyx's Liger Zero Panzer. The green Liger immediately backed away as her Command Wolf escorts provided covering fire which bounced off the Zoid's thick armor.

"Here it comes!" Ray now opens a channel to all surrounding Zoids. "Republic Army! This is Ray Gregg of the Disciplinary Force! Stealth Stinger is still alive and kicking! Requesting backup ASAP!"

The Stealth Stinger's blade swung upwards, trying to get at the Zero Phoenix. The Panzer and Command Wolves opened fire, unleashing another barrage at the Zoid to catch its attention. Again, the scissors sprung, this time on Alyx's Zero Panzer. Alyx narrowly managed to dodge the assault but the right shoulder armor was grazed by the laser scissor.

"Objective in sight…I'm closing in…" Seral quietly muttered as she brings her Zoid forward in the direction of the Republican transport ships.

"Seral! Retreat now!" Sakura tries calling out again to no avail.

"AAAAHHH!" Two Command Wolves were caught by the scorpion's massive claws. Hydraulics powering up, the claws closed in a deadly grip, killing both Zoids.

"Dammit! What's the status on that backup?!" Ray barked angrily on the intercom.

After a few moments of silence, a reply finally came. "Copy that Disciplinary Force. Gojulas Giga task force now closing in."

"Alright! Big guns are coming! Kid!" The Zero Phoenix descended just as the Stealth Stinger managed to catch up to the Zero Panzer once again, grabbing hold of its front legs with its powerful claws.

"Let go!" Ray grits his teeth as he opened fire on the claws but although portions of the claw's armor split and cracked, the Scorpion Zoid did not let go. It raises its laser scissor to once again try for the Zero Panzer's head.

"DIE!" Seral roars in anger as she goes for her attack.

"Oh no you don't!" Having prepared this time, Alyx now turns her hybrid cannons at the massive Imperial Zoid, locking on immediately. "Not this time!" With a flick of her fingers, the Zero Panzer's cannons fired, sending its powerful energy bolts at point blank range. The Stealth Stinger was practically sent flying as bits and pieces split from the Zoid. Its laser scissors disintegrated in the blast as the claws were ripped apart from its body when it was sent flying. The head armor finally cracked and Seral felt pieces of shrapnel impale her through the canopy.

Left with no weapons, the Stealth Stinger skidded across the ground, nothing more than a massive husk of metal with an Organoid System. The system itself was dying down; the lights in the cockpit reduced to mere flickers of color.

"W-What happened…?" Seral wondered as her vision turned red. A warm sensation has started to pool on her right side where her Zoid's head armor was cracked, exposing her to the elements outside her cockpit. She raised her left arm to take a closer look. Her uniform was torn and her hands were stained with blood. Her blood.

"This feels weird…is this my blood?" She wondered, her vision slowly turning dark.

"S—bzzztt! Bzzt…ka…Bzzzzttt…ser…zzt…mezztt!" Sakura's voice rang out from the damaged intercom though the words coming out of the busted speakers were now incomprehensible. It didn't matter however. Seral's couldn't hear it. All she could hear was a shrill buzzing sound in her ears. She tries to regain controls of her Zoid but as her hands gripped the control sticks, she felt massive tremors approaching her from multiple directions; the shrill growls of Giganotosaurus resounding all over the place. The weak radar revealed massive energy signatures fencing her in and from the crack of the cockpit, she could already make out the distinct white theropods.

Gojulas Giga had started to advance and surround her. Their Supercannons dropped down and aimed at her Zoid's carcass.

"What the hell…? I'm surrounded haha…" Seral chuckled to herself. Letting go of the control sticks, she unlocks a secret last-resort panel from her dash. "Right…I was supposed to take them all down with me…I nearly forgot…"

Though her fingers wouldn't cooperate due to the pain that suddenly shot, Seral managed to type in the passcode to a small safe, taking out an odd-looking stick with a button.

"Ladies and gentlemen—!" Seral managed a weak chuckle. "Welcome to my last show—!" Her face contorts into a weak grin as she raises the detonator, catching the attention of the surrounding Zoids.

"Bzzzt—at…Bzzzt—al sho…Bzzzt…S…zzt…al!"

"Oh no!" Rey pulled back, the Zero Phoenix's thrusters taking him as high as it can.

"Destroying target. Open fire!" Before Seral could press the button, the Gojulas Giga opened fire, bombarding the dying Stealth Stinger with massive bolts of fire coming from their powerful guns. Fire and smoke burst forth from the massive scorpion's body as its armor cracked and components blew off.

BAM!

And then it happened. A shot made it directly to the cockpit, blowing up its canopy. Both Zoid and pilot were finally engulfed by the flames.

"Goodbye Sakura…"

"Communications with the Death Stinger troops…are lost." Zhou reported with a heavy sigh. Ash could only look down as the Hydrarchos flew by, passing over the carcasses of their fallen allies in their damaged cruise away from battle. He took off his hat, placing it on his chest as he gave a strong salute to the fallen soldiers.

Inside the cockpit of the Geno Saurer, Sakura remained rooted to her seat, eyes wide open at the scene she had just watched. She didn't even realize she was clutching the Zoid's throttles too hard. The textured grip was starting to leave a mark on her already calloused hands. She sadly shakes her head, salty tears forming on the corner of her eyes as the gravity of her friend's untimely death sank in.

She recalled memories of the past years she's spent with her friends; from the day they met at the academy in Guygalos up until that fateful excursion to Kalanes City. Seral and Vishna had been with her throughout her journey, watching her back as they marched through the battlefield. They've been by her side, even when its facing the Knights or the elite Retaliation Force up in the mountains.

And in just one snap, both friends have been taken away from her.

"Urgh…!" The girl seethed; her body trembling as she tried desperately to hold back tears threatening to come out like vomit. She was no stranger to death; she's witnessed many more allies fall and die around her. Going through it again doesn't make it any less painful.

"Seral…Vishna…AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Writer's Note: Chapter 16 is concluded! Things are about to get muddier. Again, thanks to the Iron Bible for Fanbook translations.

The whole harbor battle is a nod to the Republic's supposed landing from the east side of the Central Continent as mentioned in the Liger Zero Phoenix Fanbook. Heavy moment for Sakura, losing one of her friends. Doubts are now cast upon the Viscount's leadership. But that will be all for now. Until then, see you on the battlefield~