The Vermillion Phoenix screamed through the sky like a living sun.
Heat rolled off its wings in visible waves, as if the atmosphere itself was being boiled into shimmering glass. The clouds did not just part. They burned, frayed, and dissolved into vermillion mist.
Seeker stood at the command core of the Phoenix, his golden armor delivering energy towards the Phoenix!
The armor plates along his chest pulsed, and every pulse sent a surge into the core conduit. The cockpit's runes brightened, responding to him like a heartbeat syncing to a stronger rhythm. The entire Zoid felt more alive, as if it had awakened from sleep and finally remembered what it was.
The power of the Phoenix grew, and it shot out with immense heat.
Its engines screamed, not as mechanical turbines, but as roaring throats of fire. A spiral of flame followed behind it, carving a blazing line through the sky.
"That bastard...!" Harker realized it.
