As the number of Black Star enemy aircraft increased around them, and the Golden Power nation's mechs were being steadily devoured, Tao Na remained calm, contemplating a counter-strategy.
After a few seconds, Tao Na declared, "This army must have a flagship mech. Find it, defeat it! Perhaps that can turn the tide!"
Li Fang was currently engaged in combat with a Black Star elite battle mech. The red Guan Dao, its hilt spinning rapidly, transformed its tip into a massive spear, which the Green Duke mech thrust forcefully at the enemy.
The enemy mech swiftly dodged the blade's edge with a sidestep, immediately followed by its dual battle blades slashing from left and right! The Green Duke quickly withdrew its blade, simultaneously raising its right leg to block the leftward blade with its hilt, while its right foot swiftly pinned the enemy's hand.
"Li Fang!!" Tao Na suddenly roared. The Tao Xi mech rapidly flew behind the enemy mech, unleashing hundreds of metallic chains from its body. Guided by the warheads in its head, they swiftly coiled around the enemy mech's fuselage!
Just as the enemy mech was about to break free from the restraints, the Green Duke charged forward, wielding its red Guan Dao, and brought it down heavily on the enemy mech's head! It cleaved the enemy mech in two, along with the hundreds of metallic chains.
After dealing with the Black Star elite battle mech, the two mechs quickly converged on Qiao Weiwei. Mechs were continuously being destroyed around them, explosions ringing in their ears, and shockwaves causing their mechs to sway gently. They quickly dealt with the encroaching Black Star mechs and reached the Feng Wu mech.
At this moment, Jin Quan Ao Tian was still entangled with three Black Star elite battle mechs, locked in a stalemate. He was unable to disengage and provide support.
Tao Na calmly asked, "Weiwei, have you located the Black Star flagship mech?"
Qiao Weiwei quickly replied, "Yes, I've sent you the flagship's coordinates. However, there are too many heavy defense mechs around it, and my firepower can't break through."
Upon receiving the coordinates, Tao Na began to calmly analyze the battlefield dynamics. Finally, she found a weak point in their defense. Directly below the enemy's rear formation, there was only a single light mech providing protection. If they could breach the nearby heavy defense mechs, she and Li Fang could quickly advance.
"Weiwei, at 64° to the lower left, output with full ammunition and full power! Cover us!" Tao Na shouted.
Qiao Weiwei understood, swiftly turning her mech and focusing all targeting systems on the breakthrough point.
"Quick! The Black Stars are changing formation!" Tao Na urged. Qiao Weiwei's fingers moved with agility, pressing the holographic buttons that controlled the firepower units. The massive Feng Wu mech's entire armor instantly opened, spewing vast quantities of white exhaust smoke from every angle of its fuselage. Missiles, with sharp warheads, emerged from the thick white smoke, roaring as they streaked forward. In just over ten seconds, the Feng Wu mech unleashed thousands of missiles! The firepower was terrifying! The impact of thousands of missiles exploding simultaneously shook the entire sky!
Li Fang and Tao Na controlled their mechs, rapidly descending and bypassing the extremely wide blast zone overhead, flying low along the sea surface towards the enemy rear. The consequence of the Feng Wu mech expending all its ammunition was that no mech in that patch of sky was spared, all sustaining damage in the explosions.
With the cover of the massive explosions and the Feng Wu mech's attention-grabbing and terrifying firepower, the enemy quickly reorganized their forces, pressing towards the Feng Wu mech. No one noticed the Green Duke and Tao Xi mechs quietly approaching the enemy's rear.
"Li Fang, now! Charge!" Tao Na said quickly. Li Fang instantly engaged the magnification engine mounting, retracting the main thruster nozzles on his back and disengaging the flame control device. The Green Duke's flames erupted, as if it had grown two large green wings! It ascended vertically from below, the intense air resistance causing the mech to tremble, and the vertical ascent rapidly weakened the mech's power output and plummeted its speed.
The Tao Xi mech quickly flew up, embraced the Green Duke's waist, and broke through the maximum propulsion limit.
"Li Fang! Take down the flagship! I'll marry you!!!" Tao Na shouted. Li Fang's emotions instantly surged, his gaze fierce! The Tao Xi mech, a moment before its thrust-to-weight ratio became less than one, immediately released the Green Duke. The Green Duke gained stronger propulsion, its speed becoming even more superior. Drawing the large red Guan Dao from its back, it shot backward like a green-and-red lightning bolt across the sky.
"Clang! Boom!" With two loud bangs, the Green Duke flew straight through the flagship mech, leaving two gaping cracks on the enemy's armor. The Green Duke swiftly turned its body and attacked again, its large blade slashing rapidly in the air, each swing bringing immense cutting power. The flagship's armor was quickly torn to pieces, revealing its internal mechanical structure. The Green Duke delivered a final blow, piercing the cockpit, and then swiftly dove away.
"Nana! I destroyed the flagship, hahaha! I can marry you!!" Li Fang burst into laughter!
However, his joy lasted less than three seconds before two Black Star elite battle mechs attacked from behind the Green Duke!
Tao Na suddenly shouted, "Li Fang! Enemy behind you!!" Before the Green Duke could turn, the two Black Star elite battle mechs swiftly ascended, their dual battle blades attacking from the left and right, drawing two bright white lines!
"Li Fang—!!!" Tao Na cried urgently. The Green Duke mech's shoulder armor was shredded, damaging its internal kinetic and transmission mechanisms, rendering its arms instantly powerless. The large Guan Dao slipped from its grasp! The two enemy mechs drew perfect arcs in the air, one left and one right, ascending to attack again.
"Boom boom—!" The Green Duke mech's chest and back were instantly ripped open by two massive gashes! The two enemy mechs flew to a position level with the Green Duke, turned 180°, and charged forward again.
"Damn it all!!!!" Li Fang roared in fury.
"Don't underestimate a man running for love—!!!"
The Green Duke's fuselage exploded, its entire upper body armor blown away! The flying armor fragments were clutched by the mech's struggling raised hands, like tightly gripped twin knives! The opposing speed of the dual enemy mechs was astonishingly fast, and in an instant, they reached the Green Duke!
Tao Na fearfully closed her eyes, hearing only two external "boom, boom!" sounds! When she opened her eyes again, the Green Duke's arms were crossed in front of its chest, its hands grasping two pieces of armor fragments, which were fiercely driven into the enemy mechs' cockpits!! The enemies' dual battle blades also pierced the Green Duke's cockpit!! The enemies' hands simultaneously released their battle blades, their four arms hanging limp, their fuselages sliding out of the fragments and falling into the sea!
And the Green Duke, still hovered steadily in the air!!
"Li... Li Fang?" Tao Na whispered tremulously.
"Li Fang!? Li Fang, Li Fang, answer me!"
After a long pause, Li Fang suddenly laughed, "Haha! Your husband is mighty and invincible! I can't die, haha, cough cough cough...!"
"Hoo!" Tao Na breathed a sigh of relief, patting her chest, and smiling, "That's great! Let's hurry back to the fight, the Black Star army hasn't retreated yet!"
"Okay..." The Green Duke slowly changed its propulsion direction, flying towards the Tao Xi mech. Tao Na, as if she had narrowly escaped a disaster, gasped for breath, smiling as she turned her mech. Suddenly, Li Fang's communication came through, "Nana......what you said earlier, cough cough...was it serious?"
"Ahhh?" Tao Na responded awkwardly, "Which, which sentence? I don't remember." Li Fang's voice was clearly tinged with fatigue, as he feigned strength and said, "The one where you said you'd marry me..."
Tao Na's face reddened further, her heart pounding wildly, and she slowly said, "I... I am... serious! My words are always serious, but you're not allowed to be arrogant! You need to reach husband standards, you're still a bit short!"
"Is that so... I understand..." Inside the cockpit, pierced by battle blades, "Zzzt..." currents leaked out, and the equipment was destroyed in disarray. On the pilot's seat, Li Fang's eyes were stained red with blood, making it impossible to see anything. A sharp spike had pierced his chest, blood soaking through his flight suit and dripping from his hanging hands. Li Fang drew his last breath, using his last ounce of strength, a smile on his lips, he said, "Nana, you go first, I'll catch up soon..."
With that, Li Fang's head slowly tilted down and never rose again.
The Tao Xi mech was facing away from the Green Duke mech. Tao Na dared not look back, afraid that if she did, she might impulsively marry him on the spot! Li Fang, although sometimes foul-mouthed, was thick-skinned, and had many small flaws, but he was truly a very good young man.
Tao Na nodded, and said gently, "Okay, you better catch up quickly!" This time, Li Fang did not respond. After waiting a few seconds, Tao Na turned around in confusion.
Then she heard a "plop!" The Green Duke mech plunged headfirst into the sea. Tao Na's pupils contracted, "Li Fang?" The voice most familiar to her in her mind no longer responded.