Blood, internal organs, Honkai Beasts.
A layer of frost crystallized on the helmet visor, pristine white, watching the foul matter pour out of the filthy body.
"Ooh..."
The manta ray let out a pained wail, blood cascading from the gash like a waterfall.
"It worked?" Kosma gasped, surprised that the monster was defeated so easily.
No, it was just the beginning.
The wound only looked deep; it was insignificant to an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
Lin, in free fall, swung the Plasma Kagehide in his right hand backhand. The falling blood froze into an ice sculpture in mid-air, spreading to the wound. He followed this ice path, rushing upward toward the cut he had made.
It was then that the Emperor-class Honkai Beast's ability began to manifest.
The Honkai Beasts emerging from the manta ray's body suddenly accelerated, and the airflow around the manta ray also began to circulate at an increased speed. The sudden high velocity made Lin pause, and he saw the changes in the airflow behind the Honkai Beasts through his visor.
Though it couldn't match the destructive power of the Fourth Herrscher, it could precisely manipulate air currents and pressure changes?
Lin's jet device was unusable in such turbulent air, and he was blown away, with the Honkai Beasts in pursuit.
And at this very moment, the nearest tornado was quietly closing in.
...
"Parameter configuration is 3% short. Estimated time: twenty-one minutes."
Delta's fingers frantically hammered the keyboard. Everything he had memorized was now being used. After working non-stop for dozens of hours, he now felt his mind was exceptionally clear.
He stared at the progress bar jumping on the screen, his agitated heart calming down.
What are we fighting for? He had asked himself this classic question repeatedly for years.
The reasons for joining the Moth of the Flame varied among the people, yet they were all doing the same thing. It couldn't be called noble, but they were genuinely fighting for humanity.
Most of them hadn't pondered this question, simply going to the battlefield and simply dying there, just like in wars between humans. Those who died under the guns of their own kind, and those who pulled the trigger, didn't necessarily contemplate the reasons for life and death.
But that wasn't entirely a bad thing. Dwelling on reasons would burden the weapon-wielding hand with guilt and a sense of sin.
To this day, Delta still hadn't found a reason for continuing the fight after that person's death. Was it to continue the original ideal for humanity, or was he being propped up by the souls of the dead to move forward?
He probably would never find the answer.
Fine beads of sweat broke out on Delta's forehead. Besides him, the maintenance crew was also conducting the final equipment checks, ensuring that the Titan would operate without any fault.
"Chief, everything is ready." The assistant stood beside him, watching him complete the final parameter adjustments, clenching his fists as he waited for the progress bar to finish. "If we can't find a pilot, let me go. I can at least deliver the Titan to Lin."
"..." Delta lowered his hand, wiped his sweat with his sleeve, and gave the assistant a cold look, speaking in a harsh tone, "Your theoretical knowledge is sufficient, but you are too rigid and old-fashioned. You don't act like a young man in his early twenties at all. You are more set in your ways than me, a middle-aged man over thirty. Low creativity is your biggest flaw."
"Chief..."
"Humanity moves forward through innovation and creation. Once we stick to existing technology, the end of humanity is not far off."
"..."
"Do you understand, young man?"
Delta patted his shoulder. The assistant lowered his head and didn't reply.
Delta walked up to the Titan, looking up at the mechanical giant. The steel lines reminded him of the first time Lin walked into the R&D department with the initial draft of the Titan.
"Who are you?" He sat behind his workstation, looking perplexedly at the young man whose face was hidden by a hood.
"A soldier."
The messy sketches were placed in front of him.
"An ordinary soldier, just like you."
An inexplicable way of expression, coupled with a quiet, taciturn manner—that was Delta's first impression of Lin.
After seeing the Titan's initial design and concept, Delta felt an intense longing surge within him for some reason. He wanted to create this mechanical giant called "Titan," to launch an artificial savior to people in distress, like a deus ex machina from those stories.
Later, he realized that it was his own desire to truly go to the battlefield.
Not anyone else. The person who wanted to sit in the cockpit was himself.
That's right. He longed for the clouds beneath his feet, and he yearned to be a soaring bird.
Even if he turned to ash in the sunlight.
"Beep—"
The progress bar was complete.
Suddenly, the surroundings fell silent.
Everyone stopped what they were doing without prior discussion, standing still, looking at Delta, who was standing in front of the Titan.
"What are you looking at? Logisticians do logistics work." Delta glanced around and lightly laughed. "I'm going to do my work."
The cockpit opened for him.
...
"Phew... I've experienced it countless times, but this is the real launch."
Delta put on his protective suit and helmet and sat in the cockpit. His fingers skillfully tapped the control panel, conducting the machine's startup check.
Energy supply perfect, particle cannon equipped, cluster missiles loaded, float pack and floating cannons all prepared.
Delta was the designer and creator of the Titan, so apart from Lin, only he knew how to perfectly pilot the Titan. With Lin currently unavailable, he was the optimal choice for the pilot.
Just as he was about to start, a communication from the Moth of the Flame headquarters suddenly rang in his communicator.
Sigma's voice entered his ear: "Delta! This is an order from high command! You cannot pilot the Titan! Your value is far greater than..."
"To hell with you." Delta opened the cockpit and threw the communicator out.
He stood at the cockpit door and waved to the others who were watching: "The wind is too strong, and the signal is bad. Don't take any other calls to prevent communication loss with the soldiers in the city."
Exhaling a cloud of turbid air, he sat back down in the cockpit seat, his hands tightly gripping the control sticks, his gaze resolute.
[Cabin pressure standard]
[Checking components]
[Initiating neural link]
"Ooooh—"
A massive volume of information, like a red-hot iron rod, brutally stabbed into Delta's brain. Blood immediately flowed from his nose and mouth, and he nearly collapsed against the cockpit wall.
Spatial perception, wind pressure one kilometer ahead, the operation of mechanical connection shafts... this information, large and small, broke through the human brain's threshold through the neural link and violently flooded his consciousness.
Blood flowed from his eye sockets like tears. Delta convulsed like a corpse that still retained warmth.
[Pilot organ anomaly]
[Warning]
"Cut the neural link! It's beyond his tolerance limit!" The assistant snatched the control panel from the stunned technician, trying to forcibly disconnect Delta from the Titan.
"Stop..."
Delta's weak voice came from inside the Titan.
The assistant froze.
The Titan's monitor slowly lit up. The massive humanoid, kneeling on one knee, broke free of its restraints and began to walk forward step by step.
The ground trembled, sending off this crystallization of human wisdom, which truly stood on this world for the very first time.
"Heh heh... so this is the world that kid Lin sees..." Delta gasped for air. The neural information exchange was constantly destroying his nerves and consciousness. Every second, he could be brain-dead, but...
"It's not bad." He couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Hahaha! Piloting a giant robot I personally built has been my dream since I was a kid!"
The man licked the blood from the corner of his mouth and excitedly pushed the control sticks, maximizing the thrust power.
"Then... TT-079 Kai, Delta, start!"
The Titan's flight device emitted a gentle sound, like the cry of a bird.
A mechanical meteor took off from the ground.