Gaining altitude, the Titan broke through the wind barrier. The holographic cockpit provided a panoramic view of the landscape below.
G-force pressed Delta into his seat. Even with the protective suit, his body, which hadn't been trained for a long time and was ruined by poor sleep habits, couldn't withstand the G-force generated at supersonic speeds. He was already experiencing blackouts.
"Cough, cough..." He no longer knew which orifice the blood was flowing from on his head. Now his nasal cavity was full of blood foam, and he couldn't stop coughing up blood from his mouth. Hallucinations from oxygen deprivation were mixed with black and red visuals.
It was not enough.
In the face of the chaotic storm, the gigantic Titan, seemingly an exquisite model that could collapse at any moment to human eyes, was being battered. Yet, it was like an unyielding leaf in the raging tide, never to be submerged.
Without any trembling, the Titan advanced toward the deepest point amidst Delta's vomited blood.
"Hah!!!"
Delta pulled the control sticks with both hands, ascending toward the highest point in his view.
The Titan roared into the distance, with all its floating units deployed behind it, and an azure particle-like veil gently drifted out from within.
The wind and rain parted before his eyes, traversing this darkness where no light could be seen.
Whether a soldier or a technician, there shouldn't be much difference. He seemed to always overcomplicate these simple issues. Was it really necessary to obsess over where one fought?
Breaking through clouds, splitting the wind, the steel behemoth tore through the disaster, breaking through layers of surrounding black mist.
A warm ray of light shone upon Delta's face.
Fighting for humanity? Did he truly believe that?
This was a formula he had failed to solve his entire life.
The heroes he watched on TV as a child always appeared in times of crisis, defeated the bad guys, and saved people.
How cool.
Later, Delta couldn't become a hero, nor could that person. They were both just members of the insignificant "people," waiting for others to save them.
That person never waited for a hero, and had no comrades when he died.
Breaking through the clouds to see the sun, the dazzling, cheerful sunlight fell on Delta's smiling lips above the stacked cloud layers.
Unable to tell if it was warm or cold, Delta couldn't feel the presence of his own body.
People are always choosing on the way to the destination, forcing themselves to choose, choosing what others tell them is "correct."
You have more talent in R&D. You are more valuable than an ordinary soldier. You are the hope for humanity's future.
So he walked on the "correct" path, moving further and further away from his former self.
The sky he once greatly yearned for was right before his eyes, vast and serene as it had been then, holding the future of two young men.
Delta's pupils slightly moved, fixing on a figure in the distance.
She had a pair of emerald wings on her back, and her eyes, filled with destruction, were now wide with surprise at the appearance of the Titan.
Delta reached out his powerless fingers, clenching his fist with all his might towards the tiny figure, curling his lips in disdain.
"Heh heh... See that... The wings... of humanity... are... not... inferior... to yours..."
His fingers dropped.
Delta's pupils gradually dimmed. The Titan's azure eyes lost their luster, covered with a layer of gray dust. The distribution of blue particles behind it completely vanished. It lost all power and began to fall downward.
Life is always about choices. At least this time, he chose for himself.
"Lin... take care of it..."
He looked at the approaching coordinates in the solitary light, closed his eyes peacefully.
...
"Lin, the Titan is approaching at high speed."
Prometheus's reminder paused Lin's sword-swinging hand for half a second. He kicked away the Honkai Beast, looked up, and saw a star enveloped in blue particles falling downward.
The Titan? Why was it appearing now?
Lin suddenly realized something. His eyes under the helmet slowly widened, gazing at the shining meteor.
"Boom!"
The meteor crashed into the top of a building, knocking over the floors like building blocks. Beneath the shattered bricks and tiles, the Titan lay in the ruins. Its blue, eye-like monitors flashed intermittently, and its outer shell was covered in injury-like scratches.
The tornado was gradually approaching the Titan, threatening to suck it in at any moment.
Lin received a message after the light flashed. He immediately cut through the Honkai Beast in front of him and ran toward the Titan.
"Lin!" Kevin watched helplessly as Lin ran towards the devastating cyclone.
But Lin ran as if he hadn't heard. He reached the Titan, took three steps in two, and opened the cockpit from the outside.
The scene before his eyes made Lin freeze.
Blood.
It was all blood.
This was a world stained red with blood.
A person whose face was completely covered in blood lay inside with distorted limbs. His helmet had slipped off his head and rolled to Lin's feet.
"Cough, cough... Hey..." The blood-soaked figure reached out a hand that was unrecognizable, trembling, "Won't... won't you... give me a hand?"
Lin instinctively stretched out his hands and gripped the lacerated, bone-bent hand.
"Haha... I didn't expect... to see you... look like this..." Delta muttered, his consciousness fading. No more blood could flow from his body. "I thought you... no matter... who died... you would only... cough, cough..."
Lin didn't speak. He was thinking, trying to figure out how to save the dying person in front of him right now.
What to do...
He needed to...
What to do.
"The Titan... I brought it... I... piloted... it..." He smiled, seemingly unaware of the pain in his body, unaware that life was slipping away, that his soul was dissipating.
The storm was closing in.
The ruins, cleansed by the tornado, slowly vanished, disappearing from the world as if erased.
Lin stared at the dying man: "Why?"
Why did he always help him without reservation? Was it truly just because he saw the shadow of that other person in him?
He also looked at Lin, at the young man with the helmet, at his coldness, his indifference, and his current helplessness, and closed his eyes, smiling gently: "Lin... you are... my hope..."
You are different from me. You made the choice I couldn't make from the very beginning.
You are the me of the past, and the him of the past. You are the extension of our will, and you are the future we longed for.
You are the soaring bird we chased.
"Lin, Delta's vital signs have stopped." Prometheus reminded the motionless Lin.
Lin gently lifted the deceased man, laid him on the ground, and gazed at the smile on his lips.
Then, he turned and stepped into the cockpit.
[Cabin pressure standard]
[Checking components]
[Initiating neural link]
[Neural link complete]
[Pilot organ stable]
[Full structural liberation operation]
The Titan's eyes slowly lit up with an azure glow. Like crying, it emanated ice-crystal-like blue particles.
It stood up, towering in the storm.
Four floating cannons drifted out from behind it, bursts of light shooting from their muzzles, slicing through the storm.
"Swoosh—"
The terrifying cyclone was cut and dissipated.
The Titan looked down at the sleeping man, then lifted its head and flew toward the sky.
Delta stood on the deck. The person next to him tugged on his shirt, pointing happily at the sky.
"Hey! Look!"
He raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sun, looking through the gaps between his fingers.
A soaring bird flew out from behind him, climbing toward the heavens.