The leader of the Lion Tooth Gang gripped his heavy cannon, ready to charge forward with his men and wipe out the ragtag Bangboo gang.
A gang member came running over in a panic.
"Boss! We caught one alive!"
The boss scowled. "Alive? Since when did I say to take prisoners? Smash it and toss it in the trash!"
Whether in the city or the Outer Ring, Bangboo were considered subordinates to humans. Especially in the Outer Ring, though there were many wandering Bangboo, most were discarded units from the city. Some corporations, trying to save on decommissioning costs, would just dump their scrapped Bangboo into the Outer Ring.
Only a few survived—and they became wanderers.
To the Lion Tooth Gang boss, these Bangboo were beneath notice. He was just itching for a good fight and wanted to crush them all.
It had been far too long since he let loose.
Once this trash was taken care of, he'd move on to Calydon Town next. If he wiped out both the Bangboo and the Sons of Calydon, then everything within a hundred-mile radius would belong to the Lion Tooth Gang.
And when that happened—
Even across the entire Outer Ring, the Lion Tooth Gang would rank among the top.
As one gang member raised his spiked club, ready to finish the captive—
The boss suddenly changed his mind.
"Wait. Since we caught one, bring it here. I want to ask—what gives a bunch of scrap metal the guts to go up against my Lion Tooth Gang?"
"Right away, boss!" the underling replied, rushing off.
Minutes later, the gang member returned with a Bangboo tied up with rope—a strange cardboard-box unit, wrapped in layers of rock like armor.
It was Boxer, the cardboard Bangboo who once followed Azhdaha, the Dragon King.
At a glance, he now looked more like a stone-armored Bangboo than a simple cardboard one.
The moment he was dragged before the Lion Tooth boss, Boxer started yelling loudly.
"Mm-nuh! Mm-nuh-nuh! Mm-nuh!"
The boss burst out laughing.
"Anyone speak Bangboo? Translate for me!"
A gang member quickly stepped up. "Boss, I got this! The cardboard Bangboo says we dared to invade the Bangboo Gang's turf, and their leader, Lord Azhdaha, is on his way back. He won't let us go... It also said—"
The underling hesitated.
The boss raised an eyebrow. "Spit it out!"
The gang member winced. "It said... Lord Azhdaha could flatten you with a single stomp. And if he charged, he'd knock you straight into New Eridu…"
Before he could finish, the boss had already lost his temper.
With a snort, he kicked the underling to the ground.
"Boss, I'm just translating what it said!" the poor guy yelped.
But the boss suddenly laughed again.
"Azhdaha? What a ridiculous name. Just you wait—soon enough, I'll show it how I cut this so-called 'Lord Azhdaha' in half!"
He hoisted his weapon.
"Should I smash it now?" the underling asked.
"If we smash it now, how's it gonna witness my glory? Bring it along. I'll deal with this 'Azhdaha' right in front of it."
On his turf, someone dared to flaunt such a pompous name?
He had only taken a few steps when—
Another gang member ran up, gasping for breath.
"Boss! These Bangboo… they're like maniacs! We're struggling!"
Unlike Bangboo they'd seen before, the ones in this town seemed altered somehow. They didn't fear bullets or blades.
Even when knocked down, they got right back up—relentless and hard to kill.
The boss grinned wildly.
"Even better. Time for me to step in! Alright, boys—let's get to work!"
At his command, several elite gang members followed him forward. These were the real core of the Lion Tooth Gang—each wielding elemental powers. They were why their boss acted so fearlessly.
He led his forces into the street held by the Bangboo Gang.
With a massive blade in hand, he struck one Bangboo with a single blow—sending it flying over ten meters.
The blow didn't break the Bangboo apart. Not even a crack formed in the rock armor wrapping its body.
Just like his men had said—their stone coverings were tough, clearly enhanced.
Instead of fear, the boss laughed with excitement.
"Now this is fun! Been a while since I had such a durable opponent. Let's see what you're made of!"
He raised his blade again.
This time, he didn't aim for the torso—but for the Bangboo's arm.
The limb shattered completely.
The boss roared with laughter, blade in hand, charging into the fray like a ravenous wolf among sheep.
Swinging his giant weapon—
In moments, the already-weak Bangboo defensive line collapsed under the assault. One after another, the Bangboo fell.
"Mm-nuh! Mm-nuh-nuh! (Lord Azhdaha, please come back!)"
"Mm-nuh, mm-nuh-nuh! (Big brother Azhdaha, we're sorry… we couldn't protect our home!)"
"Mm-nuh-nuh! Mm-nuh! (Lord Azhdaha won't let you get away with this!)"
Cries of "mm-nuh" echoed across the town's streets.
The Lion Tooth Gang boss didn't understand a word of Bangboo-speak. He kept cutting down Bangboo wherever he saw them, blade swinging with glee.
Some of his gang, however, understood a bit of what the Bangboo were saying—and couldn't help but feel curious.
What kind of Bangboo could rally so many strays in such a short time, becoming the top figure among Outer Ring Bangboo?
Still, most of them dismissed the thought.
No matter how strong, it was still just a Bangboo. How could it possibly stand against the Lion Tooth Gang?
A furious roar suddenly erupted from beneath the town, shaking every corner of the settlement.
Those battered, broken Bangboo looked up in hope and responded as one:
"Mm-nuh! Mm-nuh-nuh! (Lord Bangboo, you're finally back!)"
"Mm-nuh-nuh! Mm-nuh-nuh! (Hang on—Lord Azhdaha has returned!)"
"Dah-dah! Mm-nuh-nuh! (You're screwed now—Lord Azhdaha's gonna knock you flying!)"