The bedrock fractured under Elara's boots.
She ducked behind a shattered stalagmite, bracing her shoulder against the stone to keep the First Division line from folding. Corrosive venom melted the rock inches from her visor. The enclosed topography shook relentlessly under the combined barrage of the First and Second Divisions.
A Scorpion-class Kaiju thrashed against the primary containment line. Its armored tail whipped through the ash, crushing a mechanized walker against the cavern wall. The metal chassis crashed into the dirt, burying the pilot.
Elara's HUD tracked thirty-five million active viewers, but the numbers were useless to her. Golden sponsor logos hovered as semi-transparent holograms over the battlefield, flickering through the dense smoke. A glowing banner for Apex Munitions drifted directly across her line of sight, blocking her angle on the beast's flank. She gritted her teeth, swiping a hand to clear the projection from her visor.
