(Chapter merged, 4400 words.)
The mottled arm appeared abruptly within the atmosphere, displayed on the monitoring room’s screen.
All data indicated that this region was causing the intense space disturbance!
"Is this... a Mecha!?" Li Shen’s eyes emitted a captivating brilliance.
"Reporting to the Colonel, a level five Realm-Breaking Gate, wave pattern imaging results confirm it is indeed... a Mecha." The adjutant’s voice was strained, a testament to the routine nature of their monitoring intelligence work.
What a level five Realm-Breaking Gate represented was something many might not encounter in their entire careers.
The technology and energy required to open a level five Realm-Breaking Gate were astronomical.
Such immense consumption usually meant that the forces emerging from it would be extraordinarily powerful.
It could be an entire fleet, a warship of level eight or higher, or perhaps... an S-standard Mecha!
Any of these possibilities would be extremely detrimental to the current situation on the field.
"Colonel, please give your orders!"
"...Command the Seventh Submarine Fleet to stand by, weapons charged and ready."
Li Shen, who had never dealt with a level five Realm-Breaking Gate before, issued a relatively cautious order.
The difference between combat and non-combat troops was evident now; if Qi Longxiang were here, concentrating fire for an attack would have been the best course of action at this moment.
Inside the wave pattern imaging results was a Mecha, undoubtedly the most troublesome opponent.
Once the opponent emerged from the Realm-Breaking Gate with an S-class or higher tier Mecha, its maneuverability within the atmosphere would make it almost impossible to target.
This was evident from the fierce duel currently unfolding in the center of the arena between two S+ pinnacle Mechas.
Normal attacks couldn’t even touch the hyper-maneuverable Thunderhawk and Strangling Demon Snake!
And now, another new Mecha had appeared...
Not just Li Shen, but even members of the Mecha Association couldn’t help but curse inwardly upon hearing this news.
What the hell is this mess? Just when a situation arises, it all happens at once.
It’s not enough to have two such high-end Mechas in combat; another one had to appear.
However, the situation did not shift according to these people’s will.
The owner of this black arm had not heard their inner thoughts, and none of the activity below affected the black arm’s owner from struggling to break free.
"It looks like it’s an S-class Mecha, and the body size doesn’t seem too big, which is good..."
This was almost everyone’s thought, after all, the black arm did appear very "slender"...
Especially compared to the two massively-built Mechas below, guessing the height of the Mecha by the arm would definitely not exceed ten meters.
Just when the people in the monitoring room were anxiously watching the sky, the curved arm finally propped against what seemed to be a closing spatial rift.
Finally, one foot stepped out, and the next second, a black figure emerged completely with a scarlet, weathered cloak fluttering and dissipating in the wind.
Then, the spatial rift finally closed and disappeared.
"Single-Sided Breakthrough? Not using a stabilizer? They don’t plan on returning!"
The monitoring officers were startled.
A chill exploded through their bodies, causing their hair to stand on end.
This Mecha was definitely... boding ill!
When they clearly saw the black figure, they finally confirmed their predictions weren’t wrong.
The Mecha indeed did not exceed ten meters, it even seemed remarkably small.
The entire body was about six meters tall, with dark red armor covering the arches of the feet, knees, spine, elbows, shoulders, and neck joints, while other parts were pitch black.
Three slender blade corners stood obliquely on each side of the shoulders and the head, and the eyes were blood-red!
On the sides of the feet arches were pairs of chillingly sharp ghostly light blades, the left leg faced upwards from the arch covered with sharp, upward-facing, dark red reverse armor, while the other side was ragged exposing dark leg bones.
The right arm covered in dark red armor extended above the wrist, vaguely revealing a pair of shimmering cold claw blades tucked between the arm armor and the skeletal hand.
However, the left arm... had completely disappeared, leaving behind only the remaining shoulder armor, which seemed to have been bitten off by some huge creature.
Because the shape of the armor’s wound did not resemble a cut from a blade.
At that moment, spotty bloodstains still covered the body of the Mecha, as droplets of blood dripped from this dark figure.
When the people in the monitoring room looked closely, they found only one weapon on this Mecha...
It was still a dark red saber with a sheath, now inconspicuously hanging on the right side of the Mecha’s waist.
The hand that had just stretched out its arm was now placed back on the hilt.
This black Mecha, barely over six meters tall, stood in the void like a Samurai returning from an ancient battlefield.
"Major, Major..." the Federation Colonel who had once troubled Ruan Xiongfei and Mu Fan was staring at the Mecha in the optical image when a stuttering call came from beside him.
"Hmm?!"
Li Shen turned around dissatisfied, very much disliking the fawning behavior of his subordinate.
What had become of the military now, without having experienced the blood and fire of border wars? Had the soldiers of this era of peace lost all their vigor, even speaking in a frantic manner?
What nonsense!
"What is it!? Mind your attitude."
"Report to the Colonel, this Mecha is completely undetected by the radar..." the soldier snapped to attention and saluted, then pointed towards a screen nearby.
"What?"
"All the phased array radars and large early warning radars were activated, and the detection result is...0!"
After the sudden appearance and disappearance of the Realm-Breaking Gate, they finally realized that the dot represented on the radar instrument was not the Mecha, but that gate.
What did this mean?
It meant that once this Mecha was in motion, unless the optical scopes kept constant track of the target, they would be completely unable to detect the Mecha!
At that moment, Li Shen’s heart surged; in his military career stationed at the high ranks of the War Department on the administrative planet, he had never encountered a Mecha with such characteristics.
It should be noted that even the "Strangling Demon Snake," known for its mystery in the air, was detectable by radar once the Thunderhawk forced it to reveal its true form.
Thus, the Strangling Demon Snake’s method of combat was to continuously create radar-confusing mirror images.
But no matter what, it was unthinkable... to see it yet not detect it!
"Colonel, could the radar be malfunctioning? I’ll go check it..." the soldier suggested, noticing his Colonel’s silence and suddenly attempting to offer a way out.
However, his attempt to flatter backfired badly.
"You idiot, this is a radar newly purchased by the Military Department last year. Can’t you think before you speak?"
Li Shen’s sharp rebuke made the soldier tremble in fear.
The soldier felt extremely wronged; he wanted to ask why it couldn’t be detected, but upon seeing Li Shen’s stern, Iron-armored General-like demeanor, he held his tongue.
"Increase the scan range, boost the power, and conduct a focused wave scan." Finally, Li Shen rubbed his chin and issued an order.
"Yes!"
Hearing that, Li Shen grabbed the communicator next to him.
He prepared to initiate the standard inquiry procedure to clearly identify the intent of the other party.
What could a Mecha over six meters tall, appearing in this place, possibly intend to do?
...
Unknown to anyone, when the black Mecha appeared in this tranquil stratosphere, within its cockpit on the display screen, numerous red dots of varying sizes and shades densely emerged.
It marked all surrounding Mecha Bodies and warships, and according to Energy responses, was completely annotated in a format of colors and sizes.
This black Mecha was now under the surveillance of numerous armaments...
Yet it showed no other reaction.
The black head bowed down, and from its eyes, two streams of blood-red flames burned!
It seemed that gaze penetrated through layers of mist, directly focusing on a certain spot below.
When the black Mecha entered the atmosphere of Blue Capital Star, that invisible fluctuation seemed to establish a mysterious connection with somewhere.
It was the deepest, most direct communication between two consciousnesses.
"Shu... ra... is it you..."
Intermittent and faint as a hanging thread, yet that sentiment was like the spark igniting an entire sea of flames!
A strong fluctuation surged from within the Mecha Body in an instant, showing the most intense and resolute reaction.
"Shura... greets my lord!"
The Mecha’s head suddenly lifted, the blood-red eyes looking towards the sky, and in that moment, the black palm forcefully grasped the hilt of the saber.
Boom!
A circle of red shockwaves suddenly exploded from the mecha body, and the scarlet cloak behind it unexpectedly flared up high!
Four fierce blood-colored glows surged out from behind!
Four incredibly powerful engines simultaneously burst into violent tail flames, their color so vivid, like fresh blood.
This black mecha, standing just over six meters tall, actually had four engines, and now, all four engines had been activated.
"What does it intend to do? Stop warning, proceed with a six-link salvo!"
Li Shen’s eyes widened as he grabbed the communicator and issued orders to the Seventh Submarine Fleet.
This mecha had never shown any intentions since it entered and refused all messages; now it was displaying abnormal reactions.
Li Shen could not bear this responsibility, so he finally gave the most correct and... the most ineffective command of his command.
Hum, hum, hum!
The sky was suddenly covered with a myriad of glows, and dazzling blue pulse cannon shots tore through the clouds like lightning, surging toward higher ground.
However...
Just as the muzzles of those pulse cannons began to gather energy.
Boom!
A circle of white airwaves violently exploded from the spot, and the interplay of blood and black hues turned into a streak, fiercely charging toward... a higher diagonal direction.
This black mecha actually broke the sound barrier in less than 0.1 seconds!
Instant supersonic speed!
Yet, it was not over.
As the circle of white airwaves at the previous standing site had not completely dissipated in the high sky.
Boom!
Another circle of white airwaves exploded!
And this time, the area of the airwave was twice as large as the first sound barrier...
The entire mecha body counter-charged toward the high sky, even generating a thin layer of flames due to friction with the atmosphere.
At this moment, those pulse cannon shots finally struck the position just vacated.
The black silhouette was pierced, and the azure pulse waves relentlessly struck the distance.
Had it hit?
The control room was engulfed in silence.
For the images of the targeting residual image and the second break through the sound barrier appeared simultaneously on the optical lenses...
Then, after a larger sonic explosion occurred the next second, the optical image completely lost the raging shadow woven with blood and black.
"Major... lost track."
This report came from another soldier, and everyone in the control room felt their throats go dry.
Because in that brief moment of less than a second, the analyzer displayed speeds of Mach 10, Mach 20, Mach 30...
They had thought the fastest, most fierce mecha they would ever see was the Thunderhawk, which was enveloped in thunder and lightning.
However, when they saw this tiny black mecha, all their world views were instantly overturned.
Li Shen did not speak upon hearing his subordinate’s report.
Even as composed as he was, he felt a profound sense of helplessness rising within him...
Is this really an S-class mecha?
This question echoed in his mind.
The consciousness of the black mecha was now completely filled with thoughts of connection, that faint link like a candle about to go out, striving to illuminate the darkness between them.
This sole connection also finally caused this black mecha to enter a complete berserk state.
Now its consciousness and attention were all focused on the canyon below.
There lay the meaning and continuation of its existence.
The mark planted at the birth of chaos, an eternal glory of its life!
The glory of our clan...
The belief of our clan...
From generation to generation...
If the spirit of war is not extinguished...
I will accompany you—
to the ends of the starry sky!
Boom!
This afterimage, breaking thirty times the speed of sound, transformed directly into a dazzling, blood-colored meteor that soared to its highest point.
Then, a perfect, awe-inspiring arc of blood traced across the sky.
The black head and blood-red eyes stared intently below, the only remaining right hand firmly grasping the hilt of a saber, as the blood-red fierce cloak dragged behind, casting a comet-like brilliant glow.
The relentless blood-colored light shadow finally transformed completely into a meteorite falling from outer space!
In the originally overcast sky, a faint red light began to flicker.
No sound was heard, but countless people had already widened their eyes.
Because atop the thick clouds where Thunderhawk and Strangling Demon Snake were, it seemed as if they were being ignited, becoming brighter and brighter.
It seemed as if something was about to break through.
Suddenly...
A blood-colored brilliance tore through the clouds, and higher up, a radiant light burst forth.
In the cloud-filled battlefield, a pure pillar of light evenly cascaded down.
At the forefront of this pillar of light was a blazing fireball, also like a blood-red long arrow piercing the sky instantly!
"A meteorite?"
"Hmm?"
Two battling Mechas suddenly separated.
The two Mechanical Masters were simultaneously startled at this moment.
What’s happening?
It’s not a meteorite!
Andumari and Ruan Xiongfei simultaneously turned to look at the radar.
No warnings whatsoever!?
That connection, akin to blood, grew increasingly strong, the pulsation becoming more frequent.
At the bottom of the dark pit, the metal badge on Mu Fan’s chest even began to tremble slightly.
The frequency of this tremor was so similar to that of a heartbeat.
This tremor, spreading around the metal badge, extended into the body of its wearer.
Thump, thump.
The blood still dripping from his fingertips began to emit a steaming heat.
Within Mu Fan’s shocked consciousness, his originally slowing pulse began to slowly rise.
That rise seemed like the prelude to regaining consciousness, as if a new power was awakening.
In the chaos that was his mind, there seemed to emerge the sound of war drums.
"Burn the beacons of the Three Realms... to reward the Red Lotus Flame."
"War Ghost Rebirth... a natural course... apocalyptic calamity strike!"
The eyes of the young man, tightly closed, suddenly twitched at this moment, yet the eyelids did not open.
But the aura of the entire person inexplicably calmed down.
It was the final moment of quiet before a volcano was about to erupt, it was the glass-like stillness before a tsunami.
However, the next moment, the consciousness of the young man ignited into a sky filled with Red Lotus flames!
Within those roaring flames, a tall black figure was slowly approaching.
That silhouette, carrying that familiar and intimate aura, carrying that unique, endless war intent, carrying that indomitable will, appeared vaguely yet clearly in the deepest part of his consciousness.
Shura... is that you?
Mu Fan’s lips moved slightly, finally uttering a soft call.