Chapter Seventy-Four: Even If It's a Gundam, I'll Take It Apart for You

"Do you have any ideas on how to deal with this giant?" Wendy turned her gaze to Xie Liu, asking him. Xie Liu wore a troubled expression. "We're seriously lacking information. I have no clue how to handle this thing."

"If only Niwei were here," Wendy sighed, referring to the last member of the Silver Flash Squad—a ninth-level powerhouse known as the 'Snow Goddess.' Besides her formidable abilities, she was a scientist, a nineteen-year-old prodigy. "Maybe she'd be able to analyze something."

Xie Liu shook his head. If she wasn't here, it made no difference. The metallic giant before them would break into the Hokkaido Branch in less than ten minutes. If they let it inside, who knew what destruction it might cause.

"We're out of time. Angela, do you still have your flight device?" Xie Liu suddenly turned to Angela, the young girl who was tending to Moyue Sayo and the others' wounds. Startled by his question, she looked around and pointed at her makeshift aircraft resting not far away. Even now, she hadn't abandoned her last flight device.

"Good, let's give it a try." Xie Liu walked over, picked up the device, and his face showed his dilemma. He knew now was not the time for pride. He turned to Wendy, admitting, "Honestly, I don't know how to use this. Can any of you take me along?"

"This aircraft can only register one person at a time. The registered user is protected by a shield and secured to prevent falling. You can't ride it with someone else simultaneously," Wendy sighed in resignation. "Angela is the registered user—no one else can operate it."

"I see. But what if I'm not standing on the device, but instead attached to the user? Would that work?"

"That should be fine," Wendy considered and confirmed.

Xie Liu thought for a moment, watching as Angela quietly retrieved the makeshift aircraft. He wondered if he was tempting fate by teaming up with this girl who always lagged a step behind everyone else. Would it end disastrously?

But time was running out. He asked Wendy and the others for all their gravity grenades, taped them together with insulating tape, and wrapped them with magnets salvaged from the broken geomagnetic device.

When he finished, Xie Liu turned to see Angela standing behind him, her ruby-like eyes fixed on him, as if silently asking what came next.

To drag such a pure girl into this mess felt cruel, but there was no other choice.

"Angela, I'll be counting on you," Xie Liu nodded to her. Wendy stepped forward. "Xie Liu, maybe I should go instead."

"Are you even able to move?" Xie Liu glanced at the barely-standing Wendy. "I'll do it. Don't worry, I won't let Angela take any risks."

"That's not what I meant," Wendy faltered, her gaze shifting from Xie Liu to Angela's innocent face. "I just wanted to say, Xie Liu, maybe you should pay more attention to the people around you."

"What do you mean?" Xie Liu was confused by her words. He quickly strapped the gravity grenades onto himself and walked to Angela's side. "Sorry, Angela," he said, motioning for her to step onto the device, then wrapped his arms around her slender waist from behind.

Angela's body trembled lightly, but she quickly calmed. "Let's go, Angela!" Xie Liu commanded. Angela pressed her lips together, steadied her racing heart, and piloted the aircraft skyward, carrying Xie Liu with her.

...

"Angela, follow my lead." Xie Liu handed the metal rod he'd constructed to Angela. "I can't be sure how this thing operates, but if someone's controlling these metals without a circuit connection, they're probably using some external psychic force. Hold this—the device generates audio that isolates thought from external instruments. Maybe it'll work against this giant."

Angela took the device. Xie Liu hugged her closer, and together they flew above the metallic figure.

"Angela, get close!" With the wind howling in his ears, Xie Liu opened his eyes, activating his fifth-level power. He could see the serpent's fang embedded inside the metal body. "Aim for its chest!"

Angela followed orders, diving with the aircraft. They quickly approached the metallic giant.

The colossus seemed to notice these intruders and swung its arm at them in a sweeping attack!

Xie Liu felt a fierce gust rush overhead. Looking up, he saw a massive arm come crashing down, sending a chill through his body.

"Ahh! Dodge!" Xie Liu shouted. Angela sharply pulled the aircraft upward; their position soared, narrowly evading the blow.

Xie Liu felt like a ragdoll tossed in a storm, clinging desperately to Angela in the chaos.

"Ah..." Angela gasped softly. In his panic, Xie Liu had grabbed...

But Angela knew now was not the time to fuss over such things. She swiftly guided the aircraft through the giant's swinging arms, racing toward its chest.

Suddenly, the giant's chest exploded, and metal whips, like countless vines, lashed out from the blast's center.

Angela snorted coldly, bent low, and flicked her silver ponytail. She maneuvered the aircraft deftly, weaving through the metal vines with agile flips, slipping between them with astonishing calm.

"Now!" Xie Liu shouted as the vines missed them. Angela nodded, raised the metal rod, and aimed at the giant's chest.

"Maximum power!" Xie Liu called. Angela nodded again and pressed the switch.

A piercing audio burst from the metal rod, directed at the giant's chest.

...

Ace slowly climbed out of the bottomless pit, his expression dark as he looked skyward at Angela and Xie Liu. The gravity grenades couldn't harm him, but the neural enhancer attached to his temple had been destroyed. He was now like a child wielding a broadsword—his neural reaction was far too slow for his body's abilities.

Ace didn't want to fight in this condition. "I need to figure out how to enhance neural reaction speed once I return," he mused calmly, watching Xie Liu battle in the air, and surprisingly, he smiled. "Deadeye, you never cease to amaze me."

...

After Angela activated the metal rod, the giant began thrashing its arms wildly. If it could make a sound, Xie Liu was sure it would be screaming. His guess was proven correct—the thing's operating principle was linked to neural enhancement.

So...

A sudden insight struck Xie Liu. He realized why the Special Alliance had chosen to launch their attack precisely when Franny left. If this giant was also a product of neural enhancement, then Franny's suppression of such technology would be absolute and insurmountable.

"These people already knew about Franny's abilities. The timing and reason for Franny's departure from the Hokkaido Branch is now suspect!" A strange thought flashed in Xie Liu's mind.

Someone in the Hokkaido Branch had betrayed them!

He quickly dismissed the notion; this was still a battlefield, and he couldn't afford to be distracted. He was almost impressed by his own composure.

He watched as the once-ferocious metallic giant, after struggling for a long time, slowly knelt. Xie Liu laughed heartily. "Excellent, Angela, keep going!"

Then, something unexpected happened.

The metal rod in Angela's hand suddenly emitted a small explosion.

"Pop." The sound wasn't loud, but Xie Liu heard it clearly. His smile froze. "No way! It's broken?"

Angela fiddled with the rod, pressing the button twice, but got no response. "Overload. The circuit burned out."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Xie Liu groaned. They were finally gaining control, only for everything to unravel. Fate's joke was far too cruel.

With the device destroyed, the giant, which had already knelt, seemed to find new energy and began to slowly rise.

Was there nothing left to stop it? Xie Liu's face darkened.

Angela looked at the burnt rod in disappointment. At that moment, Xie Liu reached up and gently patted her head. "Enough, don't be upset. You've done enough. Leave the rest to me." He lowered his gaze to the metallic figure below, just beginning to stand.

"It's time for the protagonist to step in."

"Xie Liu..." Angela turned, wanting to say something, but Xie Liu released his grip on her.

Angela was startled, watching Xie Liu drop from the sky. In her eyes was both surprise and sadness.

"Angela doesn't want you to risk yourself..." Her words vanished in the wind, unheard.

Xie Liu dove from the heights, wind whistling past his ears. He plummeted like a meteor, aiming for the giant's chest. Angela's earlier interference had its effect—the protective layer on the giant's chest had been blasted open, exposing Serpent Fang's entire body. He was encased in metal, only his upper half visible. Serpent Fang looked up, seeing Xie Liu descending, and roared like a beast.

"Why stop me? Don't you understand me?" Serpent Fang shouted, watching Xie Liu plummet. He hadn't yet regained control of the metal body after Angela's interference.

"Enough!" Xie Liu roared, spreading his limbs. With a flick, his short blade flashed from its sheath, which vanished into the storm. Xie Liu swooped down, both hands gripping the blade above his head.

"It's time to end this!" As he fell, he thrust the blade fiercely downward.

"Deadeye!" Serpent Fang shouted, but Xie Liu gave him no chance. The gleaming blade, carried by his falling body, pierced Serpent Fang's chest.

Xie Liu landed atop the metallic giant, his blade impaling Serpent Fang's heart and sinking into the metal behind him.

Serpent Fang stared in disbelief at Xie Liu. "Why? Why would you do this to me?"

"I understand you, but that doesn't mean I agree with you." Xie Liu's hands trembled slightly, but his resolve was unwavering. "I can't allow you to destroy the Hokkaido Branch and cause innocent casualties."

"Innocent casualties?" Serpent Fang, heart pierced, didn't die immediately, coughing blood. "And what about us, the powerless innocents?"

"No one is truly innocent. We're all born carrying the weight of sin, all owing God a death." Serpent Fang sneered, his gaze at Xie Liu now filled only with murderous intent. "I will destroy more, ruin everything!"

Xie Liu was startled, his eyes shifting from Serpent Fang's twisted face to the site where his blade had pierced the heart. The metal around the heart melted into liquid, converging there.

"What is this?" Xie Liu exclaimed, seeing the killing intent in Serpent Fang's eyes. He felt the giant lift its arm. "You want to kill me? You're not there yet!"

Xie Liu quickly yanked out the short blade and leapt away.

The giant's arm swung fiercely, striking at Xie Liu in midair.

"Serpent Fang, what a pity," Xie Liu sighed. The steel cable at his waist shot out, wrapping around the giant's raised arm, and he was yanked skyward, flung hundreds of meters high by the force.

"You never understood what's truly important, so you walk further down the wrong path. I couldn't change you. All I can do is erase the mistakes you've left behind, even if my methods are shameful."

"But it's all I can do."

With that, Xie Liu flipped in midair. This time, his steel cable retracted, pulling him downward. He dove like a streak of light, spiraling along the giant's arm, wrapping tightly as he descended.

His blade never paused—Xie Liu spun downward, the blade slicing open the metal shell in dazzling arcs.

"Today, even if I die, I'll bury all of you with me!" Serpent Fang screamed, the golden glow from his heart sustaining him as he pressed forward. Xie Liu, swift as a swallow in the wind, evaded the giant's attacks. As the steel cable wound to its limit, Xie Liu flipped, hooking onto the giant's body, and spun down to the ground.

"Your attacks are no threat at all!" Serpent Fang roared.

"Is that so?" Xie Liu shook his head, then snapped his fingers.

At the sound, dozens of beams flashed from the giant's body. Colored rays pierced the metallic form, shooting toward the earth. The gigantic figure was forced down, slamming into the ground.

"Gravity bombs only explode downward—they won't harm the surroundings, but they're powerful." The metallic giant was nearly shattered by the explosions, trembling as it knelt.

"You may be strong now, but don't forget—I was once powerless too. This is how the powerless fight. This is our war!"

"Even if you were a Gundam, I'd still take you apart!"