Firefly waved her staff, casting a spell.
As she did, a rock materialized out of thin air and shot straight toward Sam's head.
That's right: Stone-Throwing Magic, as the name implied, was magic that threw stones.
Don't underestimate this staff's only offensive spell: it was a tracking + guaranteed hit magic attack, not something that could be easily dodged or blocked.
But Sam didn't even try to defend. After the first strike failed to deal effective damage, its body swiftly retreated, gathering power as it faced the incoming rock.
[Supernova Burst]
Sam aimed at Firefly and launched a flying kick from the sky. It was a large-scale AoE attack: even if Firefly managed to dodge, the explosion and flames would still damage her.
And because Sam had flown into the air, the rock that was originally flying toward it simply followed it upward.
Seeing this familiar move, Firefly felt a bit troubled. The transformation device Pei Guang had given her was strong, but by her calculations, if she took this attack head-on, the best outcome would be mutual destruction.
Even if this was a dream, even if her opponent was Sam, she didn't want to end in a draw like that.
She started thinking of countermeasures, but before she could finish, she noticed a stone next to Sam. It was the very rock she had just summoned, and it was now flying upward to meet Sam head-on as it charged its attack.
The magic stone struck Sam directly!
To Sam, even a meteor could be kicked apart: it was a weapon of war, after all.
Beyond mowing down enemies in large-scale combat, it also had exceptional power against elite targets.
It was no exaggeration to say that on a small-scale battlefield, as long as there wasn't an Emanator or an exceptionally experienced Pathstrider, Sam's armor under Firefly's command was practically invincible.
In the dream world, where Firefly could fight freely with her full power, she could even exchange a few blows with an unarmed Acheron.
Even if her pilot wanted to "have some fun," Sam was never afraid.
And yet, this supposedly invincible Sam was smashed out of the sky by Firefly's flying magic stone.
Watching Sam, who had been mid–Supernova Burst, suddenly crash down, Firefly felt a jumble of emotions.
That moment made her realize something: if she were piloting Sam and fought Pei Guang as her opponent, she'd probably end up losing just as embarrassingly.
Still, that thought sparked her fighting spirit. The things Pei Guang brought might look unreliable and even a little ridiculous: but they worked surprisingly well.
She even started to imagine: maybe using this novice staff in real combat could actually improve her efficiency.
Sam hit the ground in confusion, running a rapid self-diagnostic.
The armor was perfectly fine, with no malfunctions, but somehow, it had just been knocked out of the sky. This kind of attack pattern didn't exist anywhere in its entire database.
The database had no record of it—but Silver Wolf, who had been observing through Sam, noticed something.
"Oh? Is this some kind of special attack or forced control? The range looks small… Sam! Pull back and initiate long-range full-area bombardment!"
Receiving Silver Wolf's instruction, Sam instantly retreated. This time, it abandoned melee attacks, gathering energy to unleash an all-out bombardment at Firefly's position.
Firefly immediately recognized the move and grew tense.
"Not good—it's that move. If it's this one… Pei Guang! Stelle, I need your help!"
Hearing that, Sam felt downright wronged.
It had been working hard, doing its job as an honest armor unit—and now, Firefly not only wanted to fight it but was even calling for outside help?
Fine then: it wanted to see what kind of "outside help" this was supposed to be. Just a couple of Trailblazers, right?
At that moment, Sam went full power: no matter what, it would make its pilot see its strength, its PAWA!
As Firefly called for help, Pei Guang and Stelle stopped their buffing actions. With their movements halted, Acheron's gaze toward Pei Guang grew more serious and focused.
Sam froze mid-action. Armor fusion? Was its pilot about to combine with someone again?
But what happened next was beyond even Sam's comprehension. Even Acheron, witnessing it firsthand, felt her head buzz in disbelief.
When Pei Guang and Stelle heard Firefly's call, they exchanged a glance. They had never trained for this, but in that instant, facing a powerful enemy, they both understood instinctively what they needed to form.
Pei Guang: "I'll form the shield!"
Stelle: "I'll form the weapon!"
Firefly, Pei Guang, and Stelle: "Trailblazer Armor—combine!"
Pei Guang was the first to jump onto Firefly's transformed Sam armor, landing on its left arm: and it looked like his backside was glued there, sitting perfectly still.
That's right! This was the hidden effect Pei Guang had discovered in his Non-Movable Sports Shoes: when not using his limbs to move across a surface, he could triple his movement speed.
But also, as long as he wasn't using his limbs to move, no matter how the surface changed, he'd stay completely stable, unless he actively jumped or performed an action himself.
Sitting on the left arm of Firefly's Sam armor, Pei Guang held a small shield in his left hand and the Savory Truefire Shield in his right.
Today, he would become Firefly's sturdiest defense, blocking every attack for her.
Pei Guang: "In the name of Preservation! To live or to perish—there is no other choice."
Stelle sat on the right arm, left hand gripping her bat and right hand holding her War-Flaming Lance. The amber-colored light of Preservation radiated from the spear, enveloping everyone nearby.
"Unbreakable!"
"Strength supporting the weak!"
"The spear tip is already aflame…"
The flame burning on the spear rivaled Sam's own fire: a fire of Preservation that brought reassurance to all who saw it. It reassured people, yes, but for Sam the armor, it was terrifying.
What was it even seeing? While it was charging up a massive AoE attack, the other side was preparing too—and not only that, but its three opponents were combining into one, two of them literally on fire?!
And what the hell kind of "armor fusion" was this supposed to be?
Flesh-and-blood armor?!
I need to call the GM! They're cheating!