（Two chapters combined）
"Shura... join me in battle."
"As you command."
The dialogue between the man and the machine came to an abrupt end.
Consciousness began to reconnect.
When Mu Fan's tear-filled eyes closed and then reopened, they were once again filled with the same indifference and iciness from before.
Shura slowly placed the long sword in his hand by his side, the missing left arm under the billowing cloak appearing empty.
Mu Fan did not speak, and Shura made no sound either.
Only the flickering crimson light in its eyes indicated its response—
If you want to battle, then let's battle!
Reingano frowned at the stance Shura assumed.
This temperament is exactly the same as before, almost never speaking, its actions often are the most powerful responses.
"You haven't changed much in these seventeen years, but does the you that has lost an arm still possess your former strength?" The Spear of Longinus in his hand disregarded the numerous warships in the surrounding sky and pointed at Shura from afar.
Reingano was ready for battle.
Regardless of time, region, or borders, since they had encountered each other, he only wanted to have another thrilling fight here with his destined enemy.
This time, he wanted to cleanse the stain of his combat career, belonging to Reingano!
Destroy the opponent, and all becomes silent.
Black Prison Impact Cannon!
A surging and turbulent black energy intensely converged in the Spear of Longinus at that moment, the giant black riding spear again emitting dark light.
A horrifying energy column with a diameter of two meters thundered down from the sky.
"Get out of the way quickly!"
When they saw the tip of the riding spear light up, countless officers inside the warships began to run and shout, the terrifying giant mecha once again initiating battle.
But this time, the Black Knight's target was not them, but rather the seemingly minuscule Mecha Shura below!
So, the light column blasted straight downward.
A huge sense of crisis emerged in his heart, which was also a warning that Shura conveyed to Mu Fan.
"Don't... resist it head-on."
Suddenly, a pale red airflow pulled directly behind; Shura's engines at its back fired at full power, and the entire mecha vanished from its spot and reappeared a hundred meters ahead as if it had teleported.
At that moment, people on the Sky Mother Ship saw an extraordinarily exaggerated scene, the black giant energy light column actually curved slightly and transformed into a giant energy light sword, slashing nearly a hundred meters.
The Black Prison Impact Wave light column that quietly shifted angles in mid-air ultimately missed the Shura Mecha's back by less than ten meters before violently striking the ground.
At this moment, the terror of the Black Knight's strike was finally revealed.
What is an impact wave!
The ground was like it had been hit by a small nuclear bomb, a mushroom cloud rose directly from the spot, and then a terrifying dark wave spread violently.
This impact wave was several times more powerful than when Shura struck the ground.
After the smoke cleared, just one strike had completely erased the No. 21 Canyon below, leaving only a gigantic crater at the site with wisps of light smoke rising from the center.
The Space Type Giant Mecha, developed for cosmic battles—the Black Knight!
All its attacks were several times more powerful than those of contemporary mecha.
In the space below Shura, the two figures that had been colliding and creating numerous afterimages abruptly separated.
One was a huge purple figure, the blue-purple scarf fluttering high.
The other was a huge red figure, surrounded by flames burning steadily.
Ruan Xiongfei's pupils narrowed to a point at this moment, and all that could be heard in the entire cockpit was the intense beating of the bald man's heart.
As an ace War God who had fought for many years on the frontier, how could he not recognize that black Mecha in the sky?
That massive figure had even shocked the frontier for twenty years!
Countless people had watched in despair as that black Mecha ruthlessly slaughtered their comrades.
His Thunderhawk could go head-to-head with the Night Demon Bird, but he, Ruan Xiongfei, did not have the assurance to confront the Black Knight directly!
Because both the Thunderhawk and the Black Knight were of the same type of Mecha!
What was more terrifying was that the Black Knight almost completely dominated in defense and attack, except for speed, which was the Thunderhawk's strength; in other aspects, Ruan Xiongfei had no certain chance of victory.
Moreover, the pilot of the opposition— that legendary terrifying man— was not just a mere powerful martial artist of his own.
Ruan Xiongfei's heart began to sink indefinitely.
"Damn it, looks like today is the day I die here."
Ruan Xiongfei muttered to himself as he looked at that terrifying figure.
Yet even so, not a trace of fear showed on Ruan Xiongfei's fierce face; even his casual remarks about possibly dying were devoid of any extra reaction, as simplistic as drinking water.
"Military Department, do you have any plans!" Ruan Xiongfei suddenly roared at the tactical light screen.
"Beep, there is a new communication request, coming from— the Special Service Fleet."
At this moment, a system notification sound pulled Ruan Xiongfei's attention back.
Huh?
Special Service Fleet, not the Federation Fleet?
Wait a minute... Qi Longxiang!
The bald man's eyes suddenly widened.
Connect!
A young colonel with a mild complexion appeared on the screen, his calm gaze seemingly unaffected, and his tone as steady as ever.
"Captain Ruan, the operation against the Black Knight will be undertaken by the Special Service Fleet. Please, Captain Ruan, do not be distracted and ensure the protection of the Sky Mother Ship."
"Colonel Qi, it was you who forced it back last time. Just tell me directly what you need me to do this time!" Hearing this, Ruan Xiongfei showed none of the previous rogue-like attitude, but rather a face full of trust.
There was no helping it; this young fellow's actual military achievements were indeed higher than his.
Always considering himself the third greatest under heaven, Ruan Xiongfei showed no temper, for in the military, the one with the bigger fist held the firm logic.
"The Mecha of the Revolution Army needs Captain Ruan's containment. The plan against the Black Knight is a fleet operation. Presently, there is no need for Mecha cooperation in the combat plan. Captain Ruan need not worry."
Qi Longxiang nodded, then frowned slightly when a soldier ran up to whisper in his ear.
Then he saluted Ruan Xiongfei sharply, "My plan here has already begun; please take the Thunderhawk out of the combat area, the farther from the center region, the better … this battle will be very dangerous."
"Alright, the Black Knight is yours then. Remember, even if Blue Capital Star is lost, you must not die! I don't want to see the star of the Federation Military Department fall here." Ruan Xiongfei, knowing all too well the urgency of combat, had no time for pointless chatter.
Besides, he and Qi Longxiang had dealt with each other before; both knew each other's temperaments.
"Understood."
A single simple word and the image of Qi Longxiang's composed saluting froze on the screen.
The Thunderhawk spread its wings behind, its fists rapidly striking forward several times.
A series of spherical lightning strikes were fired into the air, targeting the giant red Mecha opposite— the True Red Equipment.
Lightning Fist Strike!
As these lightning balls were fired, the True Red Equipment, seemingly stunned, suddenly brought its two separate crescent blades together, then spun, merging them into one huge flame light wheel.
The flame dragon spun, swallowing the lightning balls, and the True Red Equipment successfully defended against this attack.
However, as Ke Qingshan looked ahead once again, he realized that the Thunderhawk had, within a shake, broken out of the battle and was speeding away towards a farther place.
Is this… leaving the battlefield?
Ke Qingshan's calm eyes stared at the swiftly disappearing silhouette of the Thunderhawk, his thoughts racing like lightning.
His gaze turned again towards the colossal black figure projected on the overhead screen, and an excited voice rose from within the cockpit.
"It's actually the second Demon God Machine, and this time it's the Federation's old rival, the Black Knight! A genuine Ultimate Series Mecha, how thrilling that sounds. Only the Destiny Weapon coming into play could perhaps match it!"
His fists creaked from clenching, but no one knew what Ke Qingshan was thinking at that moment.
Eventually, he turned his gaze towards the distant Thunderhawk.
"Rise of a legend must begin with the fall of another. I'll deal with you first, Thunderhawk." A cold smile hung behind his mask.
True Red Equipment suddenly transformed into a streak of red light, rushing towards the distance.
The Black Knight, being a whetstone, was too lavish and of a much higher level.
The Thunderhawk, this whetstone, could not be easily abandoned.
As for that Demon God Killing Machine from the Outer Domain, he regretted not being able to drink and chat merrily, but all battles are left to fate.
"Killing Machine, I'll help you block the Thunderhawk, but as for the Black Knight, I personally hope you can win. If fate allows… see you again!"
After Ke Qingshan's voice resounded, the red mecha had already reached the edge of the battlefield.
"Hmph, how noisy!"
Reingano had absolutely no tolerance for those who dared to interrupt his battle.
The Black Knight suddenly lifted his terrifying Riding Spear, then instantly thrust it downwards at an angle, creating a slew of phantoms.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Countless shadows burning with black flames fiercely flew downwards at that moment.
Black Prison Flame Chaotic Gun!
Without any warning, Reingano cruelly made an attempt on their lives, his domineering style terrifyingly apparent.
The multitude of spear shadows attacked the front end of the red light trail before anyone could react.
The falling spot of those spear shadows was exactly in line with the advancement route of the True Red Equipment.
No one saw when the True Red Equipment, hurtling forth at high speed, had lifted the Fierce Sun Wheel above his head and started spinning it swiftly.
A massive vortex of flames appeared almost instantaneously in the air, like a jade disk completely catching the myriad of falling black spear shadows.
Boom boom boom boom!
Clouds of smoke dispersed in the sky after numerous explosive flashes, and the red figure remained, transforming into a distant point of light.
Leaving behind only a cold voice echoing in the sky:
"Reingano, I accept this gift. I will return it someday!"
"Hmm, caught it?"
Reingano raised an eyebrow, interested only in the unexpectedly defensive maneuver, disregarding the words left by Ke Qingshan.
The Black Knight had made too many enemies to count, and Reingano had no interest in bothering with those unrelated matters.
His gaze still focused on that tiny black mecha, his eyes showing a trace of confusion and doubt, these questions finally emerging with that casually profound voice:
"What have you experienced all these years, why has your speed slowed down?"
Naturally, Mu Fan in the Shura Mecha had heard these words.
He looked up at the black mecha in the sky, his eyes cold.
Speed... slowed down...
What exactly happened in that battle long ago?
Who exactly was piloting the Shura back then?
Why did he appear at Loga Star of the Galaxy Federation, and why did Shura arrive just as he was about to die?
And the strength of the Shura back then, just how formidable was it?
All these questions ultimately transformed into a towering battle intent that ignited within the youth's heart.
"Shura… since you have chosen me, I shall not dishonor your… reputation!"
Words as cold as the arctic wind were uttered from his lips. Mu Fan closed his eyes and calmly spoke to the barren space in front of him, "The worst outcome is merely death, Shura… Let me see how strong you were back then."
Once his words fell, all the screens in front of Mu Fan dimmed and then brightened again.
But at this instant, all the lights in the cockpit changed into a bloody hue!
When they looked at Mu Fan again, he was no longer calm. The whites of his eyes were completely soaked in blood, and blood seeped from his ears, mouth, and nose.
Thump thump, thump thump.
The surging sound of his heartbeat was like war drums beating.
"Shura Domain, activate!"
Under tremendous external pressure, Mu Fan felt as though he had entered an extremely slow space.
Ah!
A roar akin to that of a wild beast echoed inside the cockpit.
However, to those outside, the small black mecha had suddenly vanished!
The people couldn't even keep up with their eyes, and all they saw were circles of white sound waves suddenly appearing in the air.
Each of these sound waves even spanned over a kilometer.
A gleam flashed in the eyes of Reingano, from the Black Knights, and even his breathing quickened.
"This is you!"
This is the invincible you from the past, and this is the opponent I, Reingano, deserve!
A huge engine trail at the back of the Black Knight twisted the space at this moment.
Bang!
It felt as though the entire sky had torn apart; the giant black figure had also vanished.
Then, to everyone's horror, the clouds where the Black Knight had remained a moment ago disappeared in a large swath.
The surge from that engine had created such an extraordinary phenomenon in the sky.
However, this was just the beginning.
Boom!
In the sky, a giant black riding spear wreathed in black flames appeared, and at its other end, a blood-colored blade light nearly a hundred meters in length fiercely slashed.
The black and red intertwined, and a terrifying shockwave exploded in midair, even cutting a warship several kilometers away in half with its outward-spreading force.
Boom, boom, boom!
Several kilometers away from the battleground, countless blood-red figures suddenly emerged; although these figures were minuscule, they charged as fiercely as a hundred mechas at the same time.
A thirty-meter-long blood-red light blade filled the sky at this moment.
Inside the cockpit, Mu Fan's entire body began to tremble uncontrollably. The blood seeping from his features had already stained his upper body, but his bulging muscles and astonishing willpower still caused him to grit his teeth, like a wounded lone wolf.
This was the first time Shura actively used this technique, named after a profound meaning—Asura Three Thousand Worlds!
The terrifying thrust made Mu Fan feel as if his body were being torn apart.
"Face—your—death!"
"Your speed, strength, and prime are all far too inferior. Moreover, you don't even know how much I've advanced over the years. If this is all you have, then I can only say… sorry."
A sigh seemed to come from a distant space, yet it felt as though it was right next to him.
The sky seemed to darken at this moment, above those numerous blood-colored blades…
A colossal spear tip, magnificent like a planet, pierced the heavens and thunderously descended.