The next second, a deafening roar tore through the air.A massive black shape lunged forward.
Its body looked as if metal and flesh had been violently fused. Its limbs were grotesque and thick, energy conduits cracked across its back, pulsating with irregular light.
The most terrifying part was its mental presence.Insane, chaotic, uncontrolled. Hundreds of sharp voices ripped at Aurora's mind simultaneously.
[Warning! Mental shock intensity: A+]
The system alert made her ears ring.
Aurora gritted her teeth, thrusting the mech's light blade across.
"Ha!"
The blade cut through the air and collided with the creature's forelimb. Sparks flew, shockwaves cracking the research facility walls.
The monster staggered back, unfazed, letting out a low, rumbling roar.
Instantly, its mental waves crashed over her like a tsunami, slamming into her mind.
Aurora groaned. Her vision blurred. A trickle of blood ran from her nose."Crap… this is mental resonance contamination."
The creature lunged again. Its strength was incredible. Aurora's mech was thrown back several meters, smashing its back into a wall. The energy barrier flashed red, only 48% remained.
Aurora inhaled deeply, staring at the creature."Either I hold… or I get eliminated."
She activated the mech's secondary core, engaging the [Mental Interference Countermeasures].
A hum pulsed as a reverse mental wave released, distorting the surrounding space.
The monster froze for half a second, its mental waves flickering.
That was all the opening Aurora needed.
She surged forward, wings flashing, cutting like lightning into the creature's neck fissure. Her blade pierced the energy conduits.
Boom!
The explosion lit up the entire hall. The creature screamed in agony as half its body burst apart, metal and blood scattering.
It didn't fall immediately. The residual mental energy shattered into sharp fragments, snapping back into Aurora's consciousness.
"Ah!"Her eyes went white for a moment, her mind being pulled toward an endless void.
In the chaos, she glimpsed it—A light brighter than darkness, surging from within, breaking restraints, attempting to tear the chains apart.
Barrier alerts: 45%… 40%…
Aurora clenched the controls, forcing the strange power into the mech's system.
Her blade blazed brighter than ever, piercing the creature's skull.
Boom!The monster collapsed completely, reduced to rubble.
[Alert: Unknown energy entity defeated. Reward: +50 points]
[Alert: Energy disturbance caused full-star monitoring disruption for 15 seconds]
Aurora panted, palms slick with sweat."That… that power just now…"
No time to dwell. Outside the broken dome, several pursuers' energy signals were rapidly approaching. The air reeked of heat and scorched metal.
Aurora slowly retracted her blade. White smoke hissed from her mech's surface. Warnings still flashed.
[Warning: Multiple energy responses detected]
[Direction: Southeast → 5; Northwest → 3; South → 2]
Her pupils narrowed.
Before she could react, the shattered dome above flared with blinding light.
Several mechs ignited their thrusters at once, diving like falcons.
"That's… Aurora!"
"She has the advanced flag!"
"The system broadcast is right, she's right here!"
Greed and excitement surged through the comms.
Aurora realized: Defeating the residual energy of the failed creature had given away her position.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three mechs landed first, surrounding the hall's entrance.
The leader shouted, "Hand over the advanced flag, and you'll get off lightly!"
Others sneered, "Don't think killing a monster makes you untouchable, Aurora. You're alone."
"We're nine. How far can one person run?"
Aurora inhaled deeply, adjusting her mecha.
Her mental energy still churned violently. The mech's shield was down to twenty percent.
Yet her gaze was as cold and sharp as a blade."You want it? Come and get it."
In the next moment, she fired the remaining acceleration modules. Her wings flared, turning her into a silver streak cutting through debris.
The system locked onto a blocking mech. Her blade struck down.
Boom!
Sparks flew. The hall shook again.
The hunters froze, then roared: "Don't let her escape!"
"Surround her! The advanced flag is on her!"
A dozen pursuit signals lit up. The hunt was fully underway.
Flames flickered across the ruins. Aurora's mech hugged the ground, dust exploding around her.
Behind her, a dozen energy beams chased, like deadly arrows. Radar blips crowded around, nearly encircling her.
[Warning: Energy shield 35%]
[Warning: Thrusters overheating]
Cold alerts stabbed at her ears. Her hands didn't waver. The controls were locked tight.
"Calm… get through the first wave."
She switched mech mode. Rolling sideways, her blade slashed in reverse.
A blazing arc cut the night sky, forcing back two pursuing mechs.
"Don't worry! She's almost out of energy!"
"Split into three paths! Don't give her a chance!"
Voices in the comms grew frantic. The hunters smelled blood and tightened their net.
Aurora's heart sank. A direct clash meant certain defeat—She had to find a way through.
Her eyes scanned the battlefield.
To the east, a fractured canyon, wind and storm swirling, magnetic fields unstable.
Ordinary pilots would avoid it, but a thought struck her—That chaos could be turned against them.
"One gamble."
She inhaled, yanking the controls. The mech soared, a silver streak diving straight into the canyon.
"She's heading for the turbulence zone!"
"Crazy! That place will tear her mech apart!"
"Don't let her go! Keep up!"
Shouts echoed as a dozen mechs swarmed in pursuit.
Wind whipped sand and lightning streaked across the canyon. Aurora's mech sparks flew, yet she gritted her teeth, holding her course.
Deep in the storm, her eyes calmed. Her mental energy spread outward, sensing every pulse of the chaotic air.
Boom!She harnessed an air current, pushing back, her mech accelerating, tearing a path through the enemy lines.
"What?!"
"She can actually control her mech in this environment?!"
The pursuers shouted in shock, but the distance remained unbridgeable.