As Sam was still hurtling toward them, rhythmic music began to fill the air.
Accompanied by the beat, Pei Guang crouched down, then jumped up again. Each time he squatted and jumped, he twisted his body slightly, and within a few breaths, his speed was increasing rapidly.
It was Pei Guang's Accelerated Jump: a move that required more skill than speed shoes, but it made him incredibly fast once he got going.
Seeing Pei Guang start to jump, Stelle joined in.
One spun clockwise, the other counterclockwise; both sped up while jumping, marking Sam's landing point as they moved.
Watching this, Acheron could only feel her eyes burning—it was that kind of sight—but along with the visual pain, she sensed something strange.
"I… got stronger? Huh? Now I'm back to normal? Stronger again?"
Acheron's expression changed as she quickly assessed her condition.
Strangely, she could clearly feel her body alternating between normal and stronger states: the increase was precisely one-tenth, and it was a full-spectrum boost. Even more curious, this power surge was completely under her control and unaffected by Nihility.
The only thing confusing her was why the strength boost was fluctuating.
As she pondered, she noticed Pei Guang and Stelle spinning and jumping in circles like maniacs. Each time they came within about ten meters of her, she felt herself get stronger. When they moved away, she returned to normal.
"...That jumping technique actually makes you stronger?"
Acheron wasn't particularly interested in becoming stronger to fight, but what intrigued her was that one-tenth all-stat boost: it massively improved her resistance to Nihility.
Wait a second… just who is Pei Guang? How could dancing increase resistance to Nihility by ten percent?
Too bad Pei Guang couldn't hear her question.
Otherwise, he'd probably reply calmly: "That's just how the code's written."
While Acheron was still puzzled, watching their ridiculous dance, Sam was descending from the sky.
Unlike last time, this fully-powered Sam made the area feel as if it were on fire, so intense it was uncomfortable. The atmosphere made Black Swan uneasy as well, and she vaguely sensed that the Memoria Domain here might not withstand the upcoming battle.
Black Swan took action.
As a Memokeeper, stabilizing a Memoria Domain was second nature. She reinforced it, while also feeling curious about what kind of fight was about to unfold.
Once Pei Guang's team finished preparations, Sam landed right on cue. The moment it hit the ground, searing flames erupted around it—so hot that any ordinary lifeform nearby would've been reduced to ash instantly.
If not for Black Swan maintaining the dream, Pei Guang and Stelle would have been set ablaze the instant Sam landed.
Of course, the two couldn't really burn to death anyway.
Despite looking unserious, Pei Guang's Savory Truefire was a golden-tier ability: its "Truefire" attribute made it immune to ordinary fire.
Upon landing, Sam scanned the entire battlefield again. Seeing Firefly once more transformed into "Sam," this time it didn't speak, he just prepared to fight.
No dramatic dialogue, no theatrics—only a blazing fist swung forward under the thrust of its jet engines.
"How nostalgic…"
Watching Sam's familiar attack pattern, Firefly, now serious, muttered softly as she mirrored its stance, ready to counter. But just as she was about to strike, she suddenly remembered something.
This was a dream—and she had more than just this armor. She also had…
Firefly pulled out the novice staff Pei Guang had given her.
It was a bit large to wield without transforming, she normally needed both hands, but after transforming, it was like Stelle's bat: easy to swing one-handed.
Facing Sam as it charged at her, Firefly took a deep breath. She knew this wasn't exactly a fair move, but since this was a dream… she decided to indulge herself.
Raising the staff, she swung it straight down toward Sam's head just as it closed in.
Instantly, Sam's processor filled with question marks.
It scanned the staff: it was completely ordinary, no Imaginary energy, no special properties.
But just as it was about to take the hit head-on, it received a warning from Silver Wolf:
"Sam! Dodge—now!"
The unpiloted Sam swiftly dodged. Even though it was just a simple swing, its system instantly flagged it as a potential threat capable of damaging the unit.
Firefly said, "This is the weapon Ah Guang gave me. It's really useful—here, let me show you. You can try it too later."
"???"
Question marks filled the air above Sam's head.
At this point, it was certain: Firefly wasn't just "unclear-headed." She really meant to dismantle it as some kind of offering!
Firefly losing it was one thing, but why was Silver Wolf urging it to fight harder too? Was today the day it was meant to be scrapped?
It was the pilot's best mech, the former ultimate weapon, and now, it would show the dignity of a true war machine!
"Commencing purge."
"Protocol confirmed. Executing scorched-earth operation."
"Immediate termination authorized!"
With Firefly's limiters fully lifted, and since this was only a dream, Sam entered its complete combat mode.
Clenching its fist, Sam used its thrusters to glide parallel to the ground, then struck at Firefly with a blazing punch.
[Blazing Ignition Drive]
Pure mechanical strength, amplified by scorching fire: a single hit could shatter any enemy on impact.
Facing Sam's assault, Firefly grew solemn. She hadn't expected its attack to be this terrifying. But it didn't matter; after all, the equipment Pei Guang had given her was far from weak.
Firefly swung the staff in her hand. The tip flared with a blue light, and under that glow, she gained a shimmering shield, health recovery, and various enhanced attributes.
Standing beside her, Pei Guang saw that Firefly was about to be struck, and immediately activated his "Holy Light."
Holy Light could be used for jokes, sure—but when he used it seriously, it was a proper golden-tier skill.
With the double blessings of Holy Light and magic, Firefly's overall attributes surged to terrifying levels.
[Stone-Throwing Magic!]