AP(EX) Technomancer

The chime of the Codebreaker system reverberated in my mind, sharp and clear.

[System Notification:]

[Vanguard Striker x 4 Created.]

[Features:]

The details scrolled past like a dossier, listing features that made my lips twitch into a half-smile: modular weapon systems, sentient AI cores, and holo-decoy systems. These weren't just tools—they were pieces of me, forged from my understanding of how the world worked. Efficient. Lethal. Perfect.

But this wasn't the time to admire my handiwork. The battlefield had already been set.

With the Sentinels ready, I set up our battleground in three strategic levels:

Level One: Outer Perimeter

Twenty recon drones hovered ten miles out, a protective shield of whirring metal and sharp optics, circling our makeshift fortress. 

Their primary tasks: surveillance and minor offensive measures. Each unit scanned the perimeter, their sensors attuned to the slightest disturbances. 

Since the seniors wouldn't have tactical navigation assistance for this phase, my drones would track and engage based on their location. 

Twenty drones—nothing extravagant, but enough for reconnaissance and light skirmishes. They weren't meant to stop anyone, just slow them down and pinpoint their movements for the map I had integrated into the tactical interface.

Some might slip through, but that didn't matter.

Level Two: Defense and Offense

The real defense lay five miles in. Ten specialized drones surrounded the inner perimeter, equipped with electromagnetic barriers to disrupt any stealth tactics. 

Their primary function was to generate an electromagnetic barrier, countering stealth attacks. The barrier itself shimmered faintly in the night like a ghostly veil, a deceptive beauty that masked its destructive potential. 

Should anyone breach it, they'd face a barrage of EMP bursts designed to cripple both tech and flesh.

For further disruption, the drones could release an Electronic Pulse, neutralizing technology and combatants dependent on gear.

And then there were the Sentinels. 

My creations stood as sentries at the cardinal points—north, south, east, and west—primed for battle. 

Their AI cores hummed, waiting for a threat worth their attention. Combined with my ability to manipulate their programming, made them lethal in both one-on-one duels and large-scale skirmishes.

A lone rookie or a group of overconfident seniors might push through the first two layers, but they'd find themselves walking into a trap far deadlier than anything they expected.

Level Three: The Mini-Fort

The stronger seniors who made it past the second level would face my S-Rank fortification: Aegis Bastion.

Aegis Bastion was a marvel of engineering—a deployable mini-fortress blending offense and defense. Compact and portable, it resembled a sleek metal briefcase, its surface etched with intricate geometric patterns glowing faintly with blue energy lines. It looked more like something out of a spy movie than a battlefield tool.

"Fancy briefcase you've got there," Atlas quipped, watching me run my fingers over its cool surface.

"Wait until it's activated," I replied.

With a press of a button, the Bastion unfurled. Panels shifted and locked into place with mesmerizing precision, the entire process taking less than ten seconds. 

The briefcase transformed into a sleek, dome-shaped fortress. Its matte-black finish was accented by glowing energy lines tracing shield projectors and turret mounts. 

A faint azure glow bathed the battlefield as the energy barrier shimmered, while turrets hummed with latent power, tracking threats like predators.

"Now that's efficiency," Atlas said, his amazement plain.

Inside, the Bastion was a high-tech command center. Holographic interfaces hovered mid-air, displaying tactical data, system diagnostics, and real-time combat feeds. The walls, lined with storage compartments, glowed faintly with embedded circuits.

"Whoa… This is epic, Noah!" Atlas exclaimed, stepping in. "Remind me not to piss you off—you'd probably deploy this thing to chase me down."

"Appreciate the flattery," I said, swiping through a hologram. A slight buzz of power coursed through my fingertips.

Then, the Codebreaker alert came.

[New Mission: Survive the First Wave]

Do you accept this mission?

I bit back a curse, the corners of my lips twitching in frustration. Codebreaker had a way of capitalizing on my every predicament, dangling irresistible rewards while reminding me of the razor-thin edge I was walking.

Survive or get caught—that was the ultimatum.

Still, an EX Rank blueprint for drone manipulation? That was next-level tech. My mind raced with possibilities: enhanced flight capabilities, better targeting systems, or even autonomous decision-making upgrades. The prize was far too enticing to ignore.

"Fine. I'm in," I muttered, and with a mental command, I accepted the mission.

What could go wrong? All I had to do was survive, right?

But no sooner had the thought crossed my mind than another alert popped up—this time, a direct feed from the Sentinels.

[Alert: Hostiles detected approaching Perimeter Level Two.]

A live video feed blinked into my neural display. Through the eyes of my sentinels, I saw a group of S-Rank seniors, clad in sleek combat gear, slicing through the EMP field like it was nothing more than an inconvenience.

Their movements were sharp and efficient, clearly coordinated, and their weapons gleamed with high-tech menace.

"Five of them," I murmured, zooming in on their stats. The tactical overlay provided by my drones revealed detailed profiles.

They were no pushovers. Each of them outclassed most rookies tenfold, and yet here they were, marching toward my little fortress like they had something to prove.

"Five seniors just breached the barrier," I said out loud into my comms, my tone sharp. "All S-Rank."

Atlas, already perched on a turret, grinned. The stealth cloak around him rippled as he adjusted his stance. "Perfect timing. I've been itching to test out my new toy."

The stage was set. My creations would be put to the test.