Over a dozen mechs faced the unstoppable Azure Blade Swordsman, not flinching.
They swiftly shifted into a pocket formation,
like a gaping maw preparing to swallow the Azure Blade Swordsman.
At this moment, the enemy machines behind them also moved, flanking to either side.
The Azure Blade Swordsman, like a rapier piercing the pocket, broke through its base. Two enemy machines were felled by Gu Ya’s lightning speed.
Who would have thought their target wasn't Gu Ya?
The enemy machines continued their charge forward.
Several giant mechanical hands reached out simultaneously, seizing Nightingale once again and rapidly retreating towards the battlefield's periphery.
Gu Ya looked back, his panic intensifying. As he turned to rescue her,
the second wave of approaching enemy machines, from all directions, firmly ensnared him.
[Shadow Flash Kill - Blinding Strike]!
The Azure Blade Swordsman transformed into a bolt of lightning, vanishing instantly.
Just as Gu Ya thought he could break free from the encirclement,
an unfamiliar yet familiar black mech suddenly flashed before him. Its sharp, cold black beam sword swept out, striking directly at the Azure Blade Swordsman's head.
The Azure Blade Swordsman's chassis slammed heavily into the black mech.
Following this, numerous mechs converged, countless beam swords simultaneously aimed at the Azure Blade Swordsman's entire body.
[Void Wrap] retracted!
Just as the countless beam swords were about to pierce the Azure Blade Swordsman, Gu Ya timely recalled his mech.
"Hmph hmph hmph hmph..." A woman's sinister, triumphant laugh echoed.
"Enemy Slayer!?" Gu Ya, exposed in the open, gasped in alarm.
"We meet again, little one. Your tech for instantly recalling your mech is quite useful!"
"Won't you come back with big sister? Please, kiddo~"
"You're much more reliable than that little bug named Xu Jie~" Hong Lian Zhi Wu purred suggestively.
Gu Ya glanced at Ye Ying, who had been captured, his heart growing more anxious.
"Are you worried about that little girl? Alright, come back with big sister and treat her well."
"Perhaps, if I'm happy, I'll let you two reunite. Hee hee hee..."
"Go to hell!" Gu Ya roared in fury.
He immediately summoned his exoskeleton armor and flew towards a gap in the encirclement.
But how could single-soldier armor match the speed of a mech?
An enemy machine swiftly flew up, extending a massive mechanical hand to grab Gu Ya.
Facing the incoming giant hand, Gu Ya suddenly thought that his mech pilot skills should be usable on the exoskeleton, as it was also a piece of machinery.
Might as well give it a try!
Just as the giant hand was about to seize Gu Ya, the exoskeleton on Gu Ya's legs suddenly unleashed a more powerful surge, propelling Gu Ya directly upwards and towards the encirclement.
"Trying to escape? Hee hee..." Hong Lian Zhi Wu smiled flirtatiously, controlling the "Enemy Slayer" to charge over.
It had to be said, her skill was immense. The Enemy Slayer almost instantaneously blocked Gu Ya's path.
Gu Ya lunged onto the Enemy Slayer's upper body, activating [Code Manipulation].
Lines of black code scrolled rapidly before his eyes. Gu Ya casually added a blocking command, and the Enemy Slayer's chassis unexpectedly shot upwards, colliding with an enemy machine at lightning speed.
Gu Ya seized the opportunity, shot out of the encirclement, and summoned the Azure Blade Swordsman.
"Ye Ying, I'm coming to save you."
[Overclocked Drive] [Blinding Strike]!
As soon as the Azure Blade Swordsman materialized, it instantly flew several hundred meters, leaving the enemy machines far behind.
The dozen or so enemy machines in front had already flown ten kilometers away, but to Gu Ya, that distance was nothing.
The [Overclocked Drive], with its twenty-second cooldown, combined with the mech action [Blinding Strike] that had no cooldown,
allowed him to ignore wear and tear on the mech's components and charge frequently.
The Azure Blade Swordsman was like a teleportation device activating every twenty seconds, suddenly disappearing from the sky and reappearing hundreds of meters away.
In less than ten minutes, Gu Ya had reached the rear of the enemy machines that had captured Nightingale.
[Shadow Flash Kill - Azure Gale] charged directly,
felling three enemy machines in the blink of an eye.
The remaining enemy machines turned to face Gu Ya.
The enemy machines holding Nightingale were not idle either. Seemingly to provoke Gu Ya further, they drew their beam swords and aimed them at Nightingale's vital points.
"Stop!" Gu Ya roared, and the Azure Blade Swordsman immediately charged forward.
But it was too late.
The blades of several beam swords pierced Nightingale's chassis.
Nightingale's rear engine sputtered and died as it was torn apart by the sharp blades, its body cut into several pieces.
Only its upper half was held aloft, while its lower half plummeted towards the sea.
"Ye Ying!!!"
"All mech pilot skills activated!"
As Gu Ya roared with fury,
[Active Mind] [Adrenaline Rush] [Weakness Diagnosis] [Pain Numbness]... all mech pilot skills were instantly activated.
Gu Ya's vision seemed to transform into a starry expanse.
All enemy machines became stars shimmering with a brown light,
while the surroundings were an endless gray-blue.
Nightingale, with only half its body, shone as brightly as the sun.
The Azure Blade Swordsman's speed surpassed that of any mech created by humans at that moment.
In less than a thousandth of a second, in a lightning-fast, sharp, and serpentine trajectory, it slashed through all enemy machines and flew before Nightingale.
Behind it, the enemy machines that had been cut through by its sharp momentum were left with large cracks on their bodies!
The Azure Blade Swordsman, with true divine presence, blocked the path of the enemy machines.
Thick black steam emanated from its chassis, like colorful ribbons swirling around its body.
"Warning..." the mech system voice announced.
"All unit performance is degrading, severe wear and tear."
"Mech operational efficiency decreased by 42%... 43%..."
"Mech severely damaged, please return for repairs immediately..."
Despite using [Overclocked Drive], why was the mech still damaged?
However, Gu Ya had no time to ponder this.
He needed to deal with the enemies who had harmed Nightingale immediately!
Facing the overwhelmingly powerful and seemingly unbeatable Azure Blade Swordsman, the enemy machines abandoned the crippled Nightingale and charged forward with grim determination.
Gu Ya felled several enemy machines with almost no effort.
[Ding... System mission successful, corresponding rewards obtained.]
Hong Lian Zhi Wu, whom he had just evaded, was now chasing with a large reinforcement force, their mech outlines clearly visible.
Gu Ya dared not delay any further, softly saying, "Ye Ying, open your cockpit."
"Okay!" Ye Ying responded firmly. Immediately, her cockpit opened.
Ye Ying held onto the handles, standing steadily at the cockpit door.
The strong wind tousled her fine hair and blew her loose pilot suit, revealing her slender figure.
The Azure Blade Swordsman swooped down, also opening its cockpit.
Just as it was about to pass Nightingale, Gu Ya promptly extended his hands, firmly grasping Ye Ying's hands and pulling her into his cockpit.
"Sit tight, don't be shy, don't be scared." Gu Ya embraced Ye Ying in a princess carry. Ye Ying's slender arms tightly clasped Gu Ya's neck. Both sat in the pilot seats, their safety belts fastened.
The Azure Blade Swordsman immediately erupted with a fierce aura, flying towards the southern sea.
"I'm sorry, Ye Ying, I broke my promise."
"I couldn't protect you," Gu Ya said with regret.
Ye Ying rested her head on Gu Ya's shoulder, smiling gently, and said, "No, I was careless myself. I should be the one to apologize."
"I knew you would come to save me."
Ye Ying's unique scent reached Gu Ya's nose, and he wished he could inhale it all, never releasing it for the rest of his life.
The Azure Blade Swordsman's mech performance continued to decline, already down to 37%.
Gu Ya's mood at this moment was a mixture of excitement and sorrow.
He had indeed broken his promise.
The grand pronouncements made with Lan Jing had not been fulfilled.
It was all due to his own weakness!
Gu Ya blamed himself fiercely.
The main battlefield was receding behind them, and powerful enemy machines were still in pursuit. Returning seemed difficult.
At this moment, he needed to find a safe haven to repair the Azure Blade Swordsman and then buy Ye Ying a new mech.
Gu Ya opened the communication map again.
They were currently south of the Yong Gu Zhi Lan war zone. One hundred kilometers further ahead was the national border.
And beyond the border lay Ada Ya, ravaged by the Black Star Walkers, scarred and filled with villains, which was also Ye Ying's homeland.
Gu Ya looked at the screen and gently asked, "Ye Ying, shall we go to your hometown to hide? Do you want to go back?"
Ye Ying looked up, her gaze shifting to the screen.
Between the blue and sky blue, a faint black horizon was slowly emerging.
Ye Ying smiled faintly, her smile carrying a hint of coldness and a touch of nostalgia.
She pursed her lips, seemingly having made up her mind, and whispered into Gu Ya's ear, "I'll listen to you."
Ye Ying's words, accompanied by a fresh breath, caressed Gu Ya's ear, sending an electric thrill through him.
Gu Ya smiled slightly and said, "Alright, then let's go see your hometown."