Setting aside the injured Lucas Reeve and Sora at the back.
Franka's side only had five combat-effective members.
Not only was this enemy territory, but the number of enemies had far exceeded the one hundred stated in the intelligence report. A rough estimate put them at two to three hundred, and every single one of them was armed. Some even had Columbian imitation Laterano firearms. Although their power was lacking, they were still a threat. Even the least equipped had repeating crossbows, and there might even be powerful weapons like Originium bombs.
By any measure.
Lucas Reeve's side was at a complete disadvantage.
But as elite mercenaries, none of them were particularly nervous. Exusiai and Croissant were even still laughing and joking, not taking it seriously at all. This enraged the surrounding gang members.
"Fucking *Lungmen Profanity*! The boss gave the order to kill them... Looks like the L.G.D. has resorted to relying on foreign mercenaries. So much for that."
A voice came from somewhere, but whether out of fear or something else, the speaker had no intention of showing themselves.
Upon receiving the order.
The gang members' expressions turned savage. They seemed to think they had already won. After all, it was a three-digit number against seven... it was a guaranteed win no matter how you looked at it. They raised their weapons and aimed at Franka's group. If they lost this, even if they survived, they would have to commit suicide.
"The usual?"
Texas glanced at Exusiai.
"OK!!"
Exusiai gave a cheerful OK sign.
Then, the next second.
"Sword Rain!!"
Texas flicked her wrist, and her Originium Blade stabbed violently into the ground. Then, in the air, countless Originium energy blades rained down like a dense storm into the crowd of gang members. This attack was so sudden—after all, who would expect it to suddenly rain 'swords' from the sky—that the first wave of the attack killed many gang members outright, their bodies pierced through. Many more were left rolling on the ground in pain.
Only then.
Did these rabble finally react, pulling the triggers on their weapons.
"Kill them!! Kill these bitches!!"
They couldn't afford Originium Rounds, of course.
So they used ordinary steel pellets. Although steel pellets were much less powerful than Originium Rounds, a large enough number could still be overwhelming.
A rain of bullets poured out from all directions.
At this moment.
The two Defender Operators truly showed what they did best.
Croissant and Liskarm had never worked together before.
But it was a Defender's instinct.
The two of them defended two opposing directions.
The heavy shields in their hands constantly shifted position, easily blocking the downpour of bullets. The attack couldn't even put the slightest pressure on Croissant.
"Not enough! Not enough! You're all too weak!!"
"Quick! Quick! Use bombs to blow them up!!"
A gang member grew anxious, not expecting these people to be so strong.
Bullets were useless...
Some gang members had already taken out small Originium bombs from their pockets. Although they were small, with an explosive yield similar to a hand grenade, a direct hit could still kill or severely injure someone.
"Bomb them! Shoot them to death!!"
The person hiding in the shadows, not daring to show their face, was getting anxious and started shouting. They had thought that with over two hundred people, they could turn these few into sieves in a single exchange. But they seemed to have underestimated the limits of individual strength. They couldn't fathom how one person could see the trajectory of bullets and even use such a small shield to accurately block bullets for their teammates over such a large area.
It was too ridiculous!!
Although they had learned from the boss that the current L.G.D. was nothing to fear.
They were still afraid that these mercenaries were just the L.G.D.'s vanguard. If they dragged this on for too long, the L.G.D. would arrive and wipe them all out.
"Their accuracy is poor, but with so many people, their firepower is still fierce. We have to find a way to break this rhythm..."
Liskarm was starting to feel the strain.
The gangsters had gotten smarter, spreading out and firing from all directions. This increased the pressure on her considerably.
"Fat Fox... do you need me to use that move?"
Franka thought for a moment: "No need. It's too early, and there might be more enemies later. If you use it, you'll lose all combat capability. We'll not only be down a Defender, but we'll also have another person to protect."
"Hey, you... you protect Miss Sora. Even though your legs are injured, protecting one person should be fine, right?"
Although she didn't say a name.
Lucas Reeve knew.
Franka was talking to him.
Liskarm, beside them, looked at Franka and Jessica with some surprise, not understanding why Franka had just called Jessica that...
"Miss Texas, shall we fight our way out together?"
Franka, holding a rapier in her right hand and a dagger in her left, smiled at Texas.
"Fine..."
Texas swung her Originium Blade, her figure moving as fast as a galloping wolf as she charged out.
Franka also smiled faintly.
Her body transformed into an agile orange flash, using her rapier to swiftly parry bullets as she broke through to the gang members.