The town of Wolumonde shuddered under an unseen weight as buildings groaned and streets cracked. The townsfolk, guided by Severin and the Rhodes Island operators, stumbled towards the evacuation points, their belongings clutched tightly. Severin, looking back at his fading town, felt a pang of despair but pushed forward, knowing the survival of his people was paramount.

Roland moved with precision, his every step calculated, his mind running through the myriad technologies and tactics he had encountered over the years. Concept incinerators, perception-blocking masks, the stealth technology of R Corp's Raven team—they all swirled in his thoughts as he sprinted through the chaos. The memory of Naimon and Ogier's accounts of their battles with the Ravens gnawed at him. How do you fight something that cannot be perceived? You attack, preferably hitting a wide spread of space in the vicinity. Once something is struck, you strike, despite your senses telling you that there's nothing consequential there.

The ground beneath him trembled, a low, ominous rumble that signaled the presence of something far more sinister. The townsfolk hurried past, their faces etched with fear and desperation as they fled towards the evacuation points. Mon3tr and Frostnova held the line, ice and the red glow of Arts slamming into seemingly empty pockets in the air, their attacks illuminating the darkened streets with bursts of ethereal light.

Suddenly, the ground shook violently, nearly knocking Roland off his feet. He caught himself just in time, his eyes darting around to locate the source of the disturbance. Talulah stepped forward, her eyes blazing with determination, and unleashed a wave of fire that set the surrounding buildings and rubble alight. The flames roared to life, casting eerie shadows on the walls, and revealing the grotesque outline of the abnormality.

The creature was a horror to behold, its pallid flesh writhing and shifting as it moved. Heads, thick with bone yet disturbingly human, sprouted from below the ground, each one snapping and hissing with a life of its own. The landship itself groaned under the weight of the abomination, tilting dangerously as more mass was drawn up into the monstrous form.

Roland felt Durandal's teeth move in anticipation along the blade as he advanced. Now that he was conscious of his EGO, unlike the chaos of the Lungmen battle, he could feel it guiding his strikes, and his vision sharpened, allowing him to sense the gaps in the creature's attacks. Each blow struck with precision, biting into the Hydra's flesh and sending waves of strength coursing through him. He could feel strength flowing into him through the flesh-coated sword with every strike into blood and meat, empowering him to continue the fight.

"Roland, watch your left!" Ayerscape's voice cut through the chaos, and Roland pivoted, slicing through a head that lunged at him from the side.

"Got it," Roland replied, his voice steady despite the mounting tension. "Keep your focus, everyone. We push through this."

Ch'en fought beside him, her blade Chi Xiao flashing red as it cut through the Hydra's heads. She moved with a deadly grace, her strikes precise and relentless. "Talulah, focus!" she shouted, noticing the pyrokinetic falter.

Talulah's eyes widened with horror as she watched the faces of the consumed townsfolk stare out from the wounds in the Hydra's flesh, a grotesque mockery, like papillae on a tongue. Memories of burning a village, of watching people perish in the flames and the smell of cooked flesh threatened to overwhelm her. But Ch'en's voice cut through the haze, grounding her. She took a deep breath, her resolve hardening, and unleashed another wave of fire that incinerated the grotesque faces.

"I can't let them haunt me," Talulah muttered to herself, her voice shaking. "Not now."

The ground beneath them tilted further, the landship groaning as it shifted. Mon3tr and Frostnova fought valiantly, keeping the False Hydra at bay, but more and more heads appeared, lunging at them with a ferocity that seemed unstoppable. A wall of semi-visible pallid flesh loomed before them, threatening to engulf the entire area.

"Frostnova, how are you holding up?" Roland called out, slashing through another head.

"I'm managing," Frostnova replied, her breath visible in the cold air. "But we need to move faster. This thing is relentless."

Suddenly, the earth itself responded. A colossus of rock, summoned by Mudrock, ripped itself from the ground and pinned down several of the Hydra's heads. The sheer force of the earthen rampage detached an entire section of the landship, creating a makeshift barrier that allowed the suppression team to push forward.

"Mudrock!" Roland shouted, relief evident in his voice. "We could use your help over here."

Mudrock nodded, her large frame moving with surprising agility as she directed her squad to fortify the barrier. "We'll hold them off."

Roland led the charge, his strikes growing more powerful with each step. Talulah, her eyes blazing with determination, focused her arts into a thin beam of blue and white fire. The beam punched through the Hydra's flesh, striking the originium core of the power plant. The resulting explosion rocked the landship, sending shockwaves through the structure as the power grid detonated.

As the flames engulfed Wolumonde, the suppression team and the townsfolk made their escape. Mudrock and her squad guided them to safety, their presence a steadying influence amidst the chaos. Roland glanced back, watching the landship collapse in on itself, a blazing inferno against the dawning sky.

Folinic's despair overwhelmed her, and she sank to her knees, her sobs echoing in the stillness. Roland, sensing the danger of her emotions spiraling into distortion, stepped forward and gently knocked her out.

The survivors gathered, their faces lit by the rising sun, of new beginnings and the daunting challenges that lay ahead. Roland looked around at the weary faces of his comrades and the townsfolk, his mind already turning to the next steps. Zwillingstürme, the capital of Leithania, lied ahead followed by a stop at Kazimierz. Then Sami. Hopefully, the worst has passed.