Loren, looking somewhat disheveled, now stood calmly high in the air.

The advancement had finally ended…

“Mecha Pilot, sir, I have a gift for you. I hope you’ll like it.”

Loren raised the black and gold revolver in his hand and fired a shot at the mecha.

“Bang!”

The bullet screamed through the air, heading straight for the body of the azure-blue mecha.

Boom! The roar of the mecha sounded.

The mecha’s figure instantly vanished, dodging the bullet in a flash, and simultaneously reappeared directly beneath Loren. Its fist shot upwards, aiming a punch at the soles of Loren’s feet.

“Young man, although I don’t know what bizarre ability you gained from your advancement, my combat analysis system advises against making direct contact with that bullet.”

“You didn’t think I’d be foolish enough to just stand there and wait for you to make your move, did you?!”

Now a seventh-rank Superhuman, Loren faced this attack from the mecha without making any attempt to dodge.

He stood calmly in the night sky, looking down at the mecha with a compassionate expression, silently adding in his heart:

“It’s already too late, Mecha Pilot, sir.”

Just as Loren finished this thought in his mind, the mecha’s movements bizarrely froze, coming to a complete halt in the night sky.

After hanging motionless in the air for a second, the azure-blue mecha began to fall toward the ground in an unnatural manner.

“Boom!!”

A tremendous sound erupted as the mecha crashed into the ground.

The moment the mecha made contact with the earth, the energy bullet Loren had fired earlier slammed into its outer shell!

Yet, upon touching the mecha’s armor, the energy bullet didn’t produce any violent explosion. Instead, it strangely shattered into fragments of golden light, scattering into the night sky like a dazzling firework…

Simultaneously, a series of piercing alarms blared from the combat analysis system installed within the mecha:

“Enemy has undergone unknown changes. Probability of combat victory is being recalculated. Current victory rate: 49%…”

“Calculation error! Recalculating! 28%…”

“Calculation module experiencing unknown error!! I have been attacked by an unknown ability!!”

“Attention!! Level Two Alarm! Dark matter quantum coating has failed! Enemy has attacked the mecha’s interior using unknown means!!”

“Level One Alarm! Probability of combat victory has dropped to 0.01%. Pilot is advised to call for reinforcements and initiate retreat!!”

“Level One Alarm! Mecha is under unknown attack. Propulsion system has been paralyzed!”

“Level One Alarm! Mecha engine’s energy core is experiencing unknown error and is going out of control!!”

“Level One Alarm! According to self-safety diagnostics! Energy core will completely lose control in 20 seconds! This will trigger a high-intensity explosion with an extremely wide blast radius!!!”

“Per the ‘Federation Mecha Safety Management Manual,’ pilot is to activate backup energy reserves and pilot the mecha away from Jadeite Main City, which has an excessively high population density!”

“The Federation will remember your contribution!!”

“Pilot is requested to make a rational choice!!”

“Energy core meltdown countdown initiated! 18 seconds, 17 seconds, 16 seconds…”

At this moment, the pilot seated inside the mecha’s cockpit heard this relentless barrage of alarms, and his pupils widened with extreme shock…

How is this possible?!

That’s the “dark matter quantum coating” that costs 20,000 Spirit Stones per square meter!!

It can block and teleport away any malicious spell-based attacks targeting the mecha!!!

This is one of the Federation’s pinnacle technologies!?!

How could it be broken so easily?!?! I don’t believe it!!

Even with its large-scale destructive weapons removed, the “Titan-class Mecha” I’m piloting should completely overpower any Superhuman below the Legendary tier!?!

How could it possibly be…?!

Damn it!! What exactly is that new ability the Interstellar Hunter gained from his advancement?!

How can the difference before and after advancement be this immense?!?!

While the Mecha Pilot was still lost in shock, the shrill alarm of the combat analysis system shattered his thoughts.

“Final Alarm!! An energy core self-destruct incident within the densely populated Jadeite Main City will claim the lives of tens of thousands of Federation citizens!!”

“Pilot is urged to immediately take action in accordance with the ‘Federation Mecha Safety Management Manual’!!”

“Countdown: 11 seconds, 10 seconds, 9 seconds…”

Finally, the Mecha Pilot’s gaze hardened. After taking a deep breath, he issued his final command:

“Activate backup energy reserves!! Then ascend!!”

The azure-blue mecha, which had been frozen on the ground, once again emitted a tremendous roar!!

A piercing sonic boom erupted!!

A massive figure shot out from the billowing dust cloud on the ground, charging toward the boundless night sky!!

The azure-blue mecha raced skyward at incredible speed!!

The Mecha Pilot seated inside the cockpit, while maneuvering the mecha’s ascent and listening to the relentless countdown in his ears, revealed a look of grim determination.

“7 seconds, 6 seconds, 5 seconds…”

He turned his head to look at Loren, who stood quietly in the night sky.

At this moment, Loren was standing peacefully in the night sky, leisurely watching the mecha he piloted, as if appreciating the machine’s final curtain call…

“There’s still time! I can launch one more attack!!!”

“Young man! Don’t underestimate the will of a Federation warrior!!!”

While calculating the time until his mecha’s energy core would lose control, the Mecha Pilot unleashed his final assault!!

A dazzling azure glow ignited on the mecha’s massive mechanical arm, energy converging on its right mechanical limb.

“Die!!”

Accompanied by the Mecha Pilot’s roar, the azure mecha’s right arm detached from its body and shot toward Loren at a speed invisible to the naked eye.

Loren, standing quietly in the night sky, merely tilted his head slightly in silence. Seemingly doing nothing, the massive mechanical arm bizarrely exploded.

And at that moment, the mechanical arm was still a considerable distance away from Loren…

A faint smile reappeared on Loren’s face. He gently flapped the wings on his back, stirring up a gale that swept away the residual shockwaves from the mechanical arm’s explosion.

Seeing that his final attack couldn’t even get close to Loren, an expression of regret flashed across the Mecha Pilot’s face…

But in the end, he said nothing. While continuing to gaze down at Loren below, he desperately piloted his azure-blue mecha, charging recklessly toward the highest altitudes.

The combat analysis system’s prompts echoed in his ears.

“Countdown! 3 seconds remaining!”

Down in the night sky, Loren seemed to sense someone inside the mecha staring at him.

He looked up at the gradually receding mecha above. Facing this azure-blue machine now missing one mechanical arm, he gave a slight, respectful lift of the hat on his head…

A gesture of farewell.

“I hope you like this gift, unknown Mecha Pilot, sir.”

Loren’s voice echoed calmly in the quiet night sky, heard by no one…

High in the sky where the air was extremely thin, the Federation Mecha Pilot inside the cockpit, who had been staring at Loren’s figure, witnessed this absurd scene.

The regret he felt moments ago suddenly melted away. Seated in the cockpit, he also whispered words no one else could hear:

“Young man, you’re quite polite after all…”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep