Some time after Seth departed with his troops, Kryos and the others continued to monitor the condition of the mining planet.
"They have received the emergency signal, Kryos!" Heliostra announced, receiving a message and signaling with her hand.
"Good. What is the status of Seth and his squad?!" Kryos's eyes remained fixed on the hologram in the center of the table.
"Estimated landing in about 20 seconds. Everyone, get ready!" Vorta focused on the monitor, his breathing heavy but steady.
"Understood!" the others responded promptly.
Meanwhile, Seth, aboard the main ship, was barking instructions to the other two vessels.
"Everyone, prepare yourselves! Ship A, focus on handling those damn monsters. Ship B, focus on rescue and technical support. The main ship will monitor the situation and provide assistance if necessary. Do you understand!"
"Sir, yes sir!" the soldiers from both ships shouted in unison.
"Good!" Seth's eyes narrowed, his expression grimly serious.
Finally, the three military ships led by Seth landed on the mining planet. With swift efficiency, Seth ordered his soldiers to carry out their assigned tasks while he monitored from the main ship.
"Seth and his troops have landed. Several Abyssium monsters are spotted a few kilometers from their position!" Foxana quickly estimated the monsters' arrival, her fingers moving with lightning speed.
"I think we should activate some drones on Seth's main ship, Kryos," Raiden suggested while sitting with his legs crossed, his eyes on the hologram.
"Very well. Fang, activate the drone systems on Seth's main ship!" Kryos looked toward Fang, who was also seated, staring at the monitor with arms crossed.
"On it." Fang quickly accessed the drone system on Seth's ship with a flick of his fingers.
On Seth's main ship, several drones began to deploy automatically due to Fang's remote activation. This caught Seth by surprise.
"Hey! I told you I could handle this alone!!" Seth's voice rose, his face flushed with irritation.
"Drop it, Seth. Just follow the lead and shut up!" Siegfried snapped back firmly, silencing him.
"Chh, fine!" Seth cut the communication screen with a frustrated swipe of his right hand.
The situation on the mining planet grew intense. Seth's troops clashed with the Abyssium monsters. Several large beasts were successfully neutralized by their combat robots. The drones Fang had activated soared through the air, monitoring the scene from above. A few moments later...
"More cracks are appearing! This time at the 2 o'clock position from Seth's troops!" Haedeus quickly signaled Kryos and the others.
"And large-scale monsters are emerging in massive numbers!" Foxana scanned the area surrounding the battlefield, revealing several giant monsters crawling out.
The atmosphere on the battlefield grew increasingly frantic. Seth's troops began to feel overwhelmed as several massive monsters emerged from the 2 o'clock direction.
"Damn it!!" One large monster with a purple-flamed head lunged at a soldier.
"Fall back!!" another soldier screamed from behind.
"Attack that monster!" Seth's voice boomed through the soldiers' comms, sternly ordering them to eliminate the threat.
A hail of plasma bullets and sword strikes from Seth's squad successfully brought the giant monster down. However, something even larger was arriving.
"Grave news! A giant worm monster is moving toward Seth's troops from the 1 o'clock direction!" Heliostra reported, immediately signaling the command center.
"Tell Seth and his troops to retreat for now and find a secure position to fight that thing. We can't keep damaging the mining facilities like the trains and tracks!" Kryos observed through the hologram, his eyes fixed on the moving mound of earth.
"Whoa, what's happening?!" one of the soldiers cried out, feeling the ground beneath them vibrate.
Vorta immediately informed Seth about the giant worm monster heading toward his squad. Meanwhile, the drone controlled by Fang captured something else.
"There's another worm monster coming from 11 o'clock!" Fang immediately directed one of the drones to fly toward the 11 o'clock position to investigate.
The worm monster from the 1 o'clock direction erupted from the ground right in front of the troops. Seth immediately ordered his men to retreat toward the mining facility, knowing another one was coming.
"Oi, Seth! Get down there and help them. Don't just stand there watching!" Siegfried commanded, his fist clenching in annoyance.
"Alright, alright, I'm going!" With that, Seth leaped out of the main ship and charged straight at the first worm monster.
"Haha, easy! Who's next...?" Seth's grin widened, his laughter echoing in the ears of Kryos and the others.
"Ugh, this guy!!" Foxana growled loud enough for Seth to hear.
"Heh, hey there Fox-lady, are you annoyed with me? Hahaha!" Seth's laughter grew louder.
"That's enough, both of you. Focus on the mission!" Vorta interjected, demanding their full attention.
Just as they calmed down, the second worm monster appeared. However, before Seth or his troops could strike, the monster suddenly collapsed.
"What?! What happened?!" Raiden, witnessing the event, stood up in shock.
"Oi Seth, what's going on down there?!" Siegfried immediately contacted the now-motionless Seth.
"I don't know... the damn thing just keeled over!" Seth went on high alert, scanning his surroundings.
"General, look!!" a soldier suddenly shouted, pointing toward the cloud of dust kicked up by the fallen worm.
From the swirling dust emerged the silhouette of a figure wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a black cloak. Several other people appeared behind the figure.
"Alalala, look who we have here!" The figure remained partially obscured while his subordinates slowly stepped forward.
"Danger! Everyone, fall back and stay alert!!" Seth ordered his troops to retreat and form a defensive line.
"Hooo, why the long face? Are you afraid of me? Hahaha!!" The figure slowly approached Seth and his men.
Finally, the figure came into full view. He wore a wide-brimmed hat, a black fur-trimmed cloak, and an eclipse-shaped logo on his chest.
"Chh, you... why are you here? Rivera De Santa, The Flows!" Seth recognized him instantly. The Flows, the 9th-ranked Decam Proditor of Declipse.
Back in the command center, Kryos and the others were stunned by the appearance of their enemy.
"What!! Impossible. They're resurfacing!" Vorta slammed his hand on the table.
"Damn it, what are they really after?!" Fang immediately directed the drones he controlled to monitor the situation from above.
Fang's drones closed in on The Flows and his squad.
"Hehehe... going so far as to spy on me?" The Flows' soft chuckle was heard by Seth and the others.
"What do you want, and why have you appeared on this mining planet?!" Seth asked angrily, demanding to know The Flows' intentions.
"Haha, hahaha!! You think I'd answer your stupid question, you 'Desert Dog', huh?!" The Flows refused to answer, fueling Seth's rage.
"Hiiii! You want a beating or what, hah!!" Seth was furious, while The Flows only gave him a cynical glance.
Unable to contain his anger, Seth lunged forward to attack The Flows. However, The Flows evaded his strikes with ease, even landing a heavy counter-blow to Seth's stomach.
"General!" a soldier cried out, seeing Seth sent flying by the strike.
"Curse you! Even if we're both rank nine, you just got lucky today!" Seth hit the ground, glaring up at The Flows.
"I only came to tell you... that something big is about to happen. Muahaha!" The laughter chilled Kryos's ears.
"Damn it, what is he talking about?!" Vorta watched the monitor with concern, his breathing heavy.
Suddenly, The Flows' communication device beeped.
"Flows, that's enough. Withdraw." A heavy, threatening voice commanded him to retreat.
"Chh, fine. I'm pulling out, Joker!" Before leaving, he seemingly wanted one last word with Seth.
"Listen well, Desert Dog. We will return, and we will make sure you all have to deal with us again. Muahaha!" Flows' laughter echoed, heard by both Seth and the team at the command center.
"Huft, losers like you can only hide in the darkness!" Seth, struggling to his feet, mocked The Flows as they departed.
"Say whatever you want, Desert Dog. Until then, I bid you farewell...." One of The Flows' squad members threw a smoke bomb to the ground. Seth's troops tried to track them, but the smoke seemed to have a specialized masking effect.
After a few moments, the smoke cleared, and both The Flows and his squad were gone. Seth stood in silence, as did Vorta, Foxana, and the others.
"Seth, return to base immediately. The mission is over!" Kryos ordered, his gaze piercing.
"Chh, alright Kryos. Everyone, back to the ships now!" Seth shouted, ordering his troops to prepare for the flight back to The Haast.
Fortunately, the workers and the mining facilities did not suffer heavy damage, though the remnants of the Abyssium monsters would remain for a long time before completely dissipating.
Once the area was secure, the miners began clearing the remains while Seth met with the head of the mining facility, who offered his gratitude. After a brief talk, Seth returned to his main ship, and the three starships departed, leaving the mining planet behind.