Frowning, Zhou Tianming didn't rashly make contact.
The Gundam Frame slowed its speed as wings spread behind it, six Feather Plumes emitting six red beams.
Then it pivoted, the beams instantly slicing the vines into segments again like beam sabers.
Massive vine fragments accompanied by deep crimson fluid from within crashed down onto the buildings below with thunderous impacts.
Simultaneously, the four forward Feather Plumes circled back, plunging into the thick vines and carving through their bodies from within. The dozens-of-meters-tall "tower" shattered and collapsed.
But this pause allowed the pursuing pale yellow liquid to close in rapidly.
The Gundam Frame tilted its wings, abruptly descending under powerful thrust.
The liquid stream passed overhead, though some grazed the wingtips and several Feather Plumes.
Zhou Tianming glanced at the screen before him—the Vermilion Bird's wings remained completely undamaged.
Though puzzled, now wasn't the time for contemplation.
He pushed the throttle and pressed the pedal, wing thrusters blazing brightly.
The Gundam Frame accelerated forward but flew at a tilt.
"Huh?"
Noticing the abnormal posture, Zhou Tianming quickly checked.
He discovered the pale yellow liquid on the wingtips had solidified into opaque yellow material. The affected Feather Plumes, locked in place, caused the imbalance.
As he prepared to cut thrust to those Feather Plumes, enormous black buds suddenly sprouted from the vines below.
They bloomed abruptly, revealing yellow cores, and from their centers writhed and spat globs of pale yellow liquid.
The Gundam Frame spiraled through the air, dodging each glob as they shot past into the sky.
Just then, massive debris launched from the ground in the distance, hurtling toward them.
The Gundam Frame raised its arm, three Feather Plumes firing from behind to join four others in forming a defensive line that shredded the incoming debris. Fragments of stone and rebar pattered lightly against its body.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Sounds from above made Zhou Tianming look up.
Several large rocks had struck the liquid globs, dispersing them into a downpour of mucus.
Alarmed!
The Gundam Frame raised its arms high, Feather Plumes aligning overhead and spinning rapidly into an umbrella-like shield.
Liquid splashed off upon impact, but the "rain" accumulated gradually, beginning to solidify.
The Feather Plumes sank, their rotation slowing as more liquid breached the defense, coating the Gundam Frame.
Zhou Tianming decisively abandoned the overhead Feather Plumes, darting sideways.
The Plumes, saturated with liquid, solidified into a yellow pillar and plummeted.
Vines coordinated from above and below, liquid globs falling like rain.
The Gundam Frame weaved and dodged continuously, but a layer of yellow solid gradually coated its body, severely reducing its speed.
Boom!
Seizing the opportunity, the ground rumbled as over a dozen giant vines shot up and lashed out rapidly.
The Gundam Frame sidestepped and swiftly retreated, dodging one strike. Then, with flames sputtering from its wing thrusters, its movement stalled momentarily as a vine grazed past from behind. It evaded several more in succession, but as the solidified liquid accumulated on its body increased, the thruster ports became clogged, and its movements grew increasingly sluggish.
Finally, the propulsion dropped sharply, unable to sustain flight, and the Gundam Frame began to fall. Simultaneously, a vine whipped toward it head-on.
At the critical moment, the fallen [Feather Plumes], wrapped into a long bundle on the ground in the distance, exploded one by one from the tail end forward, soaring like a rocket with staged propulsion.
It pierced through the oncoming vine in a swift arc, pinning it to the ground.
As soon as the Gundam Frame landed, surrounding vines rose like tidal waves, forming walls to encircle it.
Beep beep beep—
Intense alarms blared inside the cockpit, but Zhou Tianming smiled as he watched the energy levels, which were not decreasing but instead rising.
"It's here!"
Boom!
The Satellite's surface exploded violently, and a rain of Missiles flew in through the breach, crashing onto the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom!—
A continuous series of massive explosions engulfed the vines.
Four thick green beams descended from above, vaporizing the vines surging around the Gundam Frame.
"Tian Ming!"
Natarle's face appeared in the corner of the cockpit screen.
Zhou Tianming grinned. "Natarle, all gunports, deploy!"
"Understood!"
The Black Tortoise entered the Satellite directly through the breach above, its cannons and missile ports opening as it relentlessly bombarded the surroundings.
Explosions, flames, twisted vines, and billowing black smoke filled the air.
Amid the flames, the Gundam Frame stood firm on the earth, its eyes gleaming with green light.
"Tian Ming! Catch!"
Li Chuang's face appeared, and he gave Zhou Tianming a thumbs-up.
The rear hatch of the Black Tortoise opened.
A 10-meter-diameter circular [Black Tortoise Shield], colored in black and white like a taiji symbol.
A 14-meter-long, entirely black [Black Snake Sword] with a scabbard.
They fell from the sky.
Amid the flames, vines charred black as charcoal surged like waves, extinguishing the surrounding fires as they rushed toward the Gundam Frame.
The Gundam Frame remained motionless.
In the air, the [Black Tortoise Shield] split open, and the Black and White Pisces rotated mid-air.
Arcs of electricity crackled around the Gundam Frame, leaping onto the surrounding vines.
In the next instant, lightning flashed, and white bolts of thunder struck the Gundam Frame before scattering in all directions.
The vines, subjected to the high-energy electric shock, instantly turned to ash.
Amid the lightning, the solidified liquid on the Gundam Frame evaporated instantly, its surface crackling with arcs of electricity.
Thud!
The [Black Snake Sword] landed in front of the Gundam Frame, embedding itself upright in the ground.
The connection to the Vermilion Bird behind it severed, and the battered Vermilion Bird fell away.
Simultaneously, the [Black Tortoise Shield] flew to either side of its back, the core components at the center linking to its back as the Black and White Pisces hovered and slowly rotated. Surveying the vines struggling and regenerating amid the flames and explosions, the Gundam Frame grabbed the [Black Snake Sword] with its left hand, holding it horizontally in front, while its right hand slowly drew the blade. A pitch-black blade, segmented like a snake's spine, emerged inch by inch.
Hummm—
The blade vibrated, emitting an eerie sound.
Unrelenting vines surged forward.
Its right arm swung, and the [Black Snake Sword] abruptly extended like a whip, sweeping horizontally.
Vines, rocks, ruins, metal—everything in its path was cleanly severed.
From behind, vines attacked.
The [Black Snake Sword] moved as if alive, its tip swinging around to shoot forward, impaling the ambushing vine into the ground. Then, its body undulated like a wave, instantly shredding the vine to pieces.
The frame crafted from Psycommu Alloy moved fluidly in response to Zhou Tianming's will, while the constantly vibrating blade of the Black Snake Sword drastically enhanced its cutting power—no living being could withstand its force.
The dense barrage of explosions gradually subsided as the Black Tortoise's weapon reserves ran low. Upon seeing the Gundam Frame armed itself, Natarle deliberately reduced her attack frequency, shifting to a supportive role.
Inside the satellite, flames dwindled, extinguished by the loss of both vine sap and atmosphere.
From the ashes, charred, coal-like vines rapidly regenerated.
"Natarle! Scan these vines for their energy source. Regeneration like this can't happen without consuming energy."
Zhou Tianming maneuvered the Gundam Frame into a leap, the Black Tortoise Shield assembling beneath its feet and lifting it over 20 meters into the air.
The satellite's natural metallic terrain allowed the shield's magnetic levitation ability to function effortlessly.
Moments later, Natarle's data came through, displaying a route map on the cockpit screen.
The Gundam Frame leaned forward as the Black Tortoise Shield, shimmering with electric arcs, carried it swiftly ahead.
Though not true flight, magnetic levitation was anything but slow.
Zhou Tianming used the Black Snake Sword to clear a path, cutting straight through everything in his way.
As if sensing danger, the vines intensified their assaults.
But to Zhou Tianming, now fully armed, their efforts were futile.
Vines lashing toward him were sliced and shredded by the Black Snake Sword.
Sprayed globs of liquid were vaporized by lightning strikes from the Black Tortoise Shield.
In no time, a massive building swathed in vines came into view in the distance.