Years of combat experience sharpened Chen Sui's instincts. In a flash, she rushed forward a few steps and shoved Mr. Paisen aside, pushing him in the opposite direction."Careful."
She then rolled toward a mound of dirt on the other side of the road, concealing her form behind it.
At that moment, a crimson tongue suddenly extended from behind them.
With a slick splat, the tongue slapped the ground. Transparent saliva coated the rocky surface, leaving behind clear signs of corrosion.
The red tongue retracted with a hiss, and from the rugged, dark hillside, a massive creature emerged.
Towering in size, its back was lined with black, scale-like armor that glimmered with a dull sheen. Its head resembled that of a lizard, mouth wide open to reveal sharp fangs and a crimson tongue. The beast licked its lips with the tip of its tongue, and drool the size of stones dripped to the ground, creating small craters on impact.
"Hiss..."
Its two pitch-black eyes, with vertical pupils, locked intently onto the two humans before it.
It had caught a scent—something far more enticing than any food it had encountered before.
Saliva dripped uncontrollably from its jaws, and its eyes burned with desire.
The beast's massive body overshadowed the hillside. Its tail slammed down near the collapsed rocks. Thrilled by the impending feast, it wagged its tail with forceful thuds, shattering boulders and sending shards flying in all directions.
Hiss... hiss...
It lumbered toward them, the sound of its hard shell scraping across the ground shrill and grating.
A foul, putrid stench accompanied the oppressive energy radiating from it.
"Is it… preparing to eat us?" Chen Sui observed the creature closely, reading the cues from its behavior.
Mr. Paisen drew the energy lightsaber from his mech, activating its weapon systems. His expression darkened as he nodded toward her."Yes—and it sees us as food."
Chen Sui's gaze turned cold."Is that so?"
How very irritating.
The standard mech was equipped with a basic energy cannon. Mr. Paisen gave her a firm order:"I'll hold it off. You support me. If things go wrong, retreat immediately. Understood?"
Without waiting for an answer, he stomped the ground and charged forward.
The scent of energy caught the beast's attention. Its greedy gaze fell upon Chen Sui's mech.
Mr. Paisen fired the first shot.
The energy beast turned toward him. It raised a massive foot, attempting to crush the insolent piece of metal.
He plunged the lightsaber into its foot, then leaned back, sliding along the ground in a kneeling skid. The lightsaber carved a deep gash beneath the creature's foot.
Boom!
Its foot struck the earth. Blood gushed out briefly, but within seconds, the wound began to close—visibly healing before their eyes.
This was one of its abilities: regeneration.
Chen Sui monitored the beast's condition and counted the seconds. As she saw the wound close, she called out:"Regeneration value: three."
Normally, an energy beast's base regeneration rate is five. The lower the value, the faster the healing.
A regeneration value of three meant this beast could recover from non-energy wounds in just three seconds.
Mr. Paisen was in dire straits. Even with Chen Sui drawing the beast's attention with cannon fire, the sheer pressure of its energy kept him constantly on the defensive.
With a sweep of its massive hand, the beast conjured multiple wind blades in the air.
Sharp and deadly, the blades slashed at the mech's joints and seams.
Pain surged through the neural connectors of the mech, but he gritted his teeth and continued to swing his lightsaber, intercepting each approaching wind blade.
He simultaneously unleashed his flamethrower, directing a fiery barrage at the energy beast.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions echoed. Flames clung to the creature's armored shell.
The fire, however, could not pierce its hardened scales and posed no real threat.
But the barrage continued—cannon fire raining down like a fiery storm, the heatwave and shrieking wind pounding the terrain.
ROAR—
The creature let out a furious bellow, annoyed by the assault.
It turned toward the airborne mech. Mr. Paisen quickly maneuvered to gain distance, looking for an opening.
But the energy beast had grown tired of these nuisances.
Its jaws opened wide in another roar, and from its body, circles of wind gathered—swirling like tornados, converging toward the center of the battlefield.
Meanwhile, aboard a starship mid-voyage...
A teacher in a black robe was giving a lecture through a holographic projection within the cabin.
"The ancient hills of Solina in the Ten-Ring Zone hold the highest concentration of earth-elemental energy beasts in the entire Alliance. Along the way, how many types have you encountered?"
Several students sat across from him. One student slouched sleepily in the center, nearly dozing off until nudged awake by a classmate.
The teacher frowned disapprovingly but paused as a new message arrived.
"One moment," he said, checking his neural terminal. A flashing emergency alert appeared:
"Multiple unrecorded energy beasts have appeared on Taro Star in the Ninth Ring. Several new energy fields have formed. The Joint Academy's training route is nearby. Please assist the Border Military immediately."
The insignia of Qingsong Tower, embroidered in gold on his robe, identified him as a senior instructor of the Fourth Military Academy.
After sharing the message with the students, he began adjusting their course.
The previously drowsy male student stretched lazily."Taro Star? That remote rock without even a ring defense unit?"
"Why should we waste time on some random energy field? Qingsong Tower is busy preparing for the Interstellar League. Send someone else."
The teacher frowned but explained,"The energy fields have engulfed three major cities. All beasts detected are Class S and above. The border forces are en route, but over ten thousand civilians are trapped."
Still unimpressed, the student shrugged."Unregistered Class S crystals, so what? Qingsong Tower has plenty. We have no time. Let someone else deal with it."
The young teacher was momentarily speechless.
The student scoffed and glanced across at another team."You folks from the Three Rings and Six Academies are not doing much in this drill. Why not go yourselves? You might even grab a few energy crystals."
The students from the other academy looked toward their instructor, visibly tempted by the opportunity.
Their instructor turned to the Qingsong Tower lead and received a subtle nod.
"We will go," he said. "I will file for a course change immediately."
He led his students to the cockpit.
The Qingsong Tower instructor glanced at his arrogant student and the embarrassed young teacher, then spoke in a calm voice:"Xin Yan, mind your words."
Xin Yan's indifferent expression stiffened slightly, but he soon turned his head and muttered,"I was not wrong."
The lead teacher offered a nod to the younger one, dismissing the incident without further discussion.
Meanwhile, a small ship from the academy broke formation and warped toward the Ninth Ring.
Back in the energy field...
Gale winds chased after the fleeing mechs.
Chen Sui focused intently on Mr. Paisen's movement. Cannon fire had not revealed the energy core's location—it required detection through specialized senses.
The most precise method involved awakened individuals with expanded mental thresholds.
She fired at strategic intervals, giving Mr. Paisen breathing room. But soon, two tornado columns squeezed him together and flung him violently against the ground.
Bang—
His mech, badly damaged, collapsed. He was ejected from the cockpit, parts scattered by the storm.
He struck the ground hard, skidding along until a boulder halted him.
His body was riddled with cuts from wind blades. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he coughed, his face rugged with stubble and smeared red.
The energy beast smelled human blood. Its lizard head lowered, tongue flicking toward Mr. Paisen.
Struggling to rise, Mr. Paisen's once-towering frame looked tiny beneath the beast's shadow.
Chen Sui acted immediately.
She retracted her energy cannon and dashed to him. With a swift grab, the mech lifted his body and tossed him aside, out of the creature's view.
"Mr. Paisen, may I borrow your weapon?"
His eyes widened."What are you trying to do?"
Chen Sui did not reply. She dodged the approaching wind blades and gathered the scattered weapons.
Mr. Paisen's face twisted—not because she had taken his gear—
But because—
"Engineer Chen, that thing is Class S! A mech alone cannot take it down!"
She remained silent.
He clutched his chest and coughed blood again. His organs were badly damaged.
He crawled behind a hill and peeked out, watching her every move.
He had known her only as a well-recommended repair tech—skilled, but not a fighter.
A freshly-adult mechanic from the fringe, unawakened, and raised among interstellar nomads—she could not possibly stand a chance against an energy beast!
His heart pounded wildly—nervous, terrified, even hopeful—as he stared at her moving mech.
Chen Sui launched herself into the air. With a roar of engines, she raised the cannon and fired directly at the beast's head.