"Roar—!"
The entire lightsaber plunged deep into the creature. The energy being let out a shrill, agonized howl, violently thrashing in an attempt to throw her off.
Chen Sui gripped the lightsaber tightly, veins bulging on the back of her hand.
With a forceful pull, she swiftly dragged it backward.
The lightsaber carved a searing path down the creature's back. Sparks flew as the blade scraped against the armored scales. Excess energy from the blade overflowed into the wound, trailing behind like a fiery ribbon.
The gash was deep—over a meter—cutting vertically across the creature's spine. The pain sent it into a frenzied roar.
Its regeneration ability kicked in, the wound visibly healing as the cracked scales began to knit together. Chen Sui leapt off its tail just as the scales reformed.
Infuriated by being toyed with by a mere "ant," the energy creature bellowed continuously in rage.
As it roared, massive tornados began to sweep across the ground.
A sudden wind blade shot out beneath her feet. The mech's thrusters activated immediately, launching her into the air to dodge the spiraling attack.
The swirling winds around her began to merge, towering higher and higher.
Debris and vegetation were swept into the air.
Within the tornado clusters, numerous wind blades formed, merging and shifting, scattering in all directions.
An indiscriminate assault.
Chen Sui attempted to scan the creature using her cybernetic eye.
Her artificial optic was equipped with detection software—perhaps it could locate the energy crystal by tracking the energy fluctuations around the healing wound.
Unnoticed by her, the tips of her short hair subtly extended forward. Her hair deepened in color, emitting a faint green glow. The ends curled, not with new strands but sprouting like verdant plant shoots.
A tiny green sprout emerged from her scalp, its leaflets gently unfolding.
The delicate leaf, no larger than a fingernail, trembled with her every evasive move, its form barely holding in the virtual environment.
Wind blades swarmed toward her position, relentlessly stabbing one after another. Each time she dodged with agile movements, the blades dissipated, only to form anew and strike again.
Her mech moved at high speed, dodging among massive tornados.
The razor-sharp edges of wind blades easily shattered massive rocks, which then spiraled upward within the vortex, filling the air with dust and debris.
Mr. Payson scanned the chaos, attempting to locate Chen Sui.
But his vision was obscured by the thick haze, seeing only the blue glow of her mech darting across the sky, leaving behind streaks of light.
As she moved, a strange force surged from deep within her body.
It was like a trickling stream flowing gently throughout her.
Cool and soothing, it dispelled her inner agitation.
Her mind sharpened, and the once-blurred battlefield slowed down frame by frame.
Through the green hue of her left eye, the creature's thick black scales began to turn translucent—nearly ethereal.
The once-impenetrable hide looked as thin as paper.
She could see straight through to the skeletal structure beneath, veins crawling over the bones, bright red fluid circulating throughout the body. A faint pink stream gathered from the limbs into a single focal point.
This vision lasted only a second or two.
In the blink of an eye, her view returned to darkness—the armored hide and snarling monster once again filling her sight.
Even as tornados raged around her, one surged suddenly inward, trapping her momentarily hovering mech in its center.
Clang!
The surrounding winds collided and fused.
A wind blade sliced her arm, the searing pain jolting her alert.
Her gaze locked on a single point on the energy creature's body.
The winds dragged her into the core of the tornado. As they fused and moved, the vortex spun violently.
Intertwining blades within the storm shredded her mech like glass shards slashing flesh.
Countless blades gouged her armor.
The basic mech she wore tore apart like paper, riddled with deep cuts.
The wind pressure tossed her back and forth like a ragdoll.
Her brain whirled, barely able to think through the dizziness.
Spun by the vortex, she could still hear the creature's low, rumbling growl—as if smugly savoring its victory over the annoying "iron pest."
Resisting the nausea, Chen Sui opened her eyes just as the energy beast lifted its head to command the storm.
Her mechanical eye glinted with a chilling flash.
At that moment, her exoskeleton boosted to full power. She detached her energy cannon and grasped it with both hands.
In the instant the propulsion system activated—
Chen Sui twisted her body into a perfect angle, using the centrifugal force of the storm to break free from the vortex's eye.
The immense wind pressure warped her faceplate. Her eye pressure spiked, blood vessels crawling through the whites, encircling a turquoise iris.
Her muscles exploded with strength. The exoskeleton's thrust fought the centrifugal force, launching her like a meteor toward the creature.
Just as the energy beast raised its head, she appeared before it. The energy cannon in her hands blazed as it made contact.
She raised the cannon and triggered the power core.
Boom—!
Blazing heat and violent recoil made her arms tremble uncontrollably.
The mech hovered before the enormous lizard's face—minuscule in comparison.
The cannon fired a searing projectile, slicing through the tough black scales. The stench of blood and smoke filled the air.
Flames and gore erupted.
The scene was both horrifying and breathtaking.
Mr. Payson had clenched his fists when Chen Sui was swallowed by the tornado. He had almost given her up for dead.
High-pressure winds and blades could shred a person in seconds. Even the best mechs would not survive—let alone a basic model.
But the moment she broke free from the storm—
He was stunned beyond words.
She survived.
Escaped from a wind-based energy storm.
Using nothing but a basic mech.
"My God..."
Mr. Payson's eyes reflected the unfolding scene, pupils shrinking. His large hands trembled, disbelief plastered on his face.
The cannon blast punched through the scales, igniting the creature's flesh.
Sparks flared along its outline, blooming like a fan.
The flame surged down the barrel into the wound, blasting open a small crater that spewed fire like a volcanic eruption.
Chen Sui stood at the edge of the "crater," calm as ever.
The energy beast screamed in pain, pulling its neck back, trying to escape her.
It flailed, knocking the cannon from her hands. Flames mixed with fluid poured from the open wound.
As the cannon fell away, she felt a surge of energy from deep inside the wound.
Chen Sui seized the moment.
While the creature screamed and struggled, she switched weapons, drawing her lightsaber.
The saber glowed several meters long. With both hands, she plunged it into the wound—hilt and all.
Schkk—!
Boom!
The energy creature suddenly went berserk, thrashing violently.
Its tail slammed against the ground with deafening crashes.
Mr. Payson could only watch, dodging flying debris from the impact.
His blood boiled with excitement.
In front of him, the lone pilot clung to the creature, her lightsaber still embedded. She swung with the beast's every movement, refusing to let go.
Around her, the air turned deadly—blades, spikes, and pressure suffocating her with every breath.
But her grip never loosened. With each thrash, she drove the blade deeper.
"You filthy creature," Chen Sui gritted her teeth, gasping, fighting the storm for air. Her gaze was calm, voice full of disdain. "I have killed more of your kind than you have names in your genealogy."
Just a worthless energy being.
"You disgusting thing."
You destroyed my repair shop and expect to live?
Not a chance.
With a ruthless glint in her eyes, she drove the blade deeper.
"Roar—roar—!"
The creature's neck injury exposed its energy core—it sensed the threat to its life.
It no longer dared to underestimate this "iron pest." All the surrounding wind surged toward Chen Sui.
Behind her, a massive white wind spike formed—blunt yet powerful, crashing toward her to knock her off the blade.
Wind blades sliced her skin. Chen Sui felt her body covered in wounds, pain piercing her nerves.
The agony made her mind clearer.
Using the wind's force, she thrust the blade even deeper.
The energy beast panicked, ramming its neck toward nearby cliffs in desperation.
But that only helped her.
As it neared the rock wall, she twisted her body, planted her foot firmly against the cliff, and with a surge of strength from her elbows—
Her left eye glowed with a soft green light.
In that instant, the wind around her halted.
Shattered rocks hung frozen mid-air.
Mr. Payson watched wide-eyed, his fists clenched to his chest, heart pounding.
Time within the energy field had stopped.
In a hidden corner, weeds sprouted from black soil, rapidly growing into twisted flowers. A strange fragrance spread through the air.
But Chen Sui noticed none of it.
In those few frozen moments, she pressed her foot against the cliff, driving the lightsaber in to the hilt.
The mimetic blade cut through flesh and bone with a muffled grinding sound.
Then—
Crack...
A crisp sound echoed.
The blade tip transformed into a claw-like mechanism, locking onto a minuscule crystal.
If anyone could see it, they would notice a faint white scratch on the crystal's surface.
A surge of verdant energy followed the blade, piercing the crystal's shell and shattering the murky core within.
Cracks spread across it.