Chapter 12: The Thirty-first Pirate Gang, Section 7

The dark barrel glowed with a cold, blue light. Its 230mm caliber was significantly larger than the shoulder-mounted cannon of the TG-73 modified mecha that Kurokami had piloted in space. Coupled with an exceptionally long barrel, Kurokami had no doubt that this heavy sniper rifle possessed the power to instantly pierce through a Nightmare mech.

Yet, it was merely a matter of capability.

“Clang.” The sound of metal colliding filled the air as the Nightmare mech slowly rose from the ground. The intense heat from the high-frequency particle pulses it had just endured caused wisps of smoke to rise from every joint in its body. Anyone but an idiot could easily see the extent of its damage.

“There’s no need to point that fire-rod at me. If you can still fire a bullet right now, why not let you win this duel?” Kurokami’s mocking voice came over the Nightmare mech’s public channel.

As a human from Earth’s past era, no one knew this weapon’s capabilities better than Kurokami. In fact, “heavy sniper rifle” was just a common name for it. Its true name was the W98 anti-ship sniper cannon, whose power was naturally astonishing. But Kurokami was well aware of one major weakness: its ammunition feeding system.

Due to the oversized size of its high-powered bullets, even when fired manually, this mech-mounted weapon could only hold three bullets in its magazine. This was why Link had been able to shoot three times in quick succession and eliminate the ordinary mech during their earlier confrontation.

In truth, if that unlucky fighter had survived those three shots, Link wouldn’t have been able to fire another bullet. After all, the weapon looked like a gun, but the mech’s structure made it difficult to load ammunition accurately. Unless using a specially designed magazine, the loading speed could only be described as glacial.

Of course, under normal long-range sniper conditions, such a slow loading speed wouldn’t be a weakness. But with the target just over thirty meters away, attempting to load properly was simply an impossible task. In other words, that intimidatingly large and terrifyingly powerful heavy sniper rifle was, at best, nothing more than a fire-rod.

So, Kurokami spoke provocatively with confidence. His fingers moved swiftly, constantly adjusting the state of the Nightmare Mech. As the red progress bar in the upper right corner of the screen gradually turned green, Kurokami’s gaze grew sharper.
“Oh… truly astonishing. Kurokami, I’m almost impressed by you. You’re the first to survive under this mech’s Diamond Jet.” Under everyone’s gaze, the giant mech suddenly made a very human-like shrugging motion—and just as Kurokami had said, it threw that huge and terrifying sniper gun far away. The massive gun body, like a large beam, crashed heavily onto the ground in the distance with a loud clang, raising a cloud of dust.
“Diamond Jet? Is that your trump card?” Kurokami replied quickly without even looking up, his fingers continuing to move nonstop. Rows of data streams flashed across the screen like waterfalls. invisibly, the Nightmare Mech’s frame became more stable.
He had to seize every bit of time he could to restore the mech’s condition. Although its performance had now dropped to only 60% of its original level, Kurokami knew it was mostly due to overheated engines and insufficient energy reserves. With his adjustments, those issues could be alleviated. In just a few words, he had cleared all blockages in the mech’s power transmission system, and its six-legged limbs regained their original agility. The EMP, which had been shut down due to energy shortages, was also rapidly waking up.
Link on the other side clearly hadn’t anticipated the special capabilities of the Nightmare Mech. Hearing Kurokami’s words, his voice was filled with delight.
“Hard to understand, right? Why is that beautiful light so terrifying? Me too. The moment I saw this weapon, which surpassed any human imagination, I knew I’d found what I wanted. You know? With such a dreamlike power at my disposal, I can get anything I desire. After I win this battle, there will be a powerful and terrifying force in the universe. Vice Chairman will provide me with ample financial and material support to further develop this weapon. Just imagine having a Diamond Jet amplified dozens of times installed on a warship. By then, not to mention a pirate alliance, even an interstellar fleet won’t be anything to me!!”

Ambition! That word flashed through Black Hair’s mind. He finally understood why Link had abandoned his lofty position as a vice admiral of the interstellar fleet to show up at this desolate pirate base. It all stemmed from human instinctive desires…
“Pretty good design,” Black Hair replied affirmatively. “But I guarantee your vice president hasn’t gotten the design plans for this weapon yet.”
“Of course. How could I hand over the design plans? I just need the vice president’s power, while he needs the president’s throne. That’s simple,” Link replied casually. As he spoke, the giant mech moved forward slowly, its massive frame exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure. Even the spectators around felt suffocated.
The duel had been going on, yet the audience remained silent. Perhaps the extremely intense scenes earlier had stunned them? Even the lecherous commentator had stopped talking. But when they saw the two figures secretly discussing something, excitement resurfaced among these bloodthirsty pirates. Some emotionally charged ones began shouting angrily.
Hearing the growing shouts from the audience, the giant mech stopped in its tracks.
“Hear that? These stupid fools. They probably don’t even know the fate that awaits them. But it reminds me, Black Hair. Though I’m curious about how you survived the diamond jets, now…” Link’s voice paused, suddenly turning sinister.
“Your mech should be almost repaired by now, right?”
What!? A flash of shock appeared in Black Hair’s eyes. But the next moment, he reacted. His fingers stopped moving instantly. Pulling the control lever, the massive body of the Nightmare Mech retreated sharply backward.
Just as it retreated, a huge fist appeared where it had been. Spines suddenly emerged from the fist, glowing with a cold light.
A fight!?
That word flashed through Black Hair’s mind, along with a sense of excitement.
Since Link had resorted to a fight, there was only one possibility: his so-called diamond jets couldn’t be used again, and the giant mech surely didn’t have any other weapons.

It’s only natural—equipped with both high-frequency particle pulses and a heavy sniper rifle. If a giant mech could also be fitted with other weapons, Blackhair would truly admire the technicians who designed it. Just the fact that it overcomes the limitations of mech engines alone is enough to astonish anyone.

However, Link probably never expected that what he needs most right now is actually close combat.

His eyes widened sharply, and a cruel smile appeared on Blackhair’s lips. His hands instantly turned into countless flying shadows, with the sound of keystrokes filling the air. As he moved, Nightmare’s massive body came to life.

It was as if it had been practiced countless times. Nightmare’s retreat allowed it to dodge the giant mech’s attacks, and then its last two legs pushed off the ground, turning its retreat into a charge. The tremendous recoil shattered the ground, producing a deafening roar.

Amid the noise, Nightmare resembled a swirl of pitch-black mist, instantly wrapping around the giant mech. The screeching sound of its six impact modules rubbing against the ground sent chills down every observer’s spine.

Fist strikes, hooks, left swings, right jabs, knee strikes, shoulder thrusts, spinning swings…

In an instant, Nightmare’s massive body moved with the agility of a true combat expert, its two steel hands striking the giant mech from all directions. The density and speed of the attacks far exceeded what pirates would consider possible, even leaving Link flustered by these sudden punches. The giant mech swayed rapidly, desperately trying to avoid each of Nightmare’s strikes.

Yes, it was strikes—Blackhair’s fighting style was somewhat strange. What appeared to be punches suddenly turned into claws the moment they neared the target. Yet Link dared not let those massive hands touch him.

After all, he knew what was inside Nightmare’s hands. If those things got close, even his strong defenses wouldn’t save him. The countless pellets fired at close range could tear through any solid armor and shred the internal components.

Of course, Nightmare, not yet fully restored, also couldn’t withstand the giant mech’s attacks. Blackhair couldn’t guarantee that the spikes on those fists wouldn’t pierce through Nightmare’s outer armor. So, though their confrontation seemed fierce, it was mostly a test, with both pulling back before things escalated.

Yet on the surface, such a battle indeed seemed extremely thrilling. The fierce close-quarters combat between the two mechs was something even pirates, who often fought on the edge of life and death, rarely witnessed. Thus, wild applause and cheers rose once again above the arena. The noisy sounds were like a tidal wave, overwhelming everything.

In contrast to the audience’s frenzied reactions, Link grew increasingly terrified and disheartened as the fight continued. He never imagined that his once-prideful combat skills would be so powerless against this black-haired opponent. The dark body of the Nightmare Mech resembled a foreboding demon. Before he could attack, the opponent would already react swiftly. From such close range, he could even see the shotgun modules hidden in the Nightmare’s hands, as well as the blood-red glow growing in the mech’s eyes.

God, who is this person? How could they be so skilled in combat, even surpassing him, who had once earned the title of King of Close Quarters Combat in the Starfleet? He had even planned to use combat to destroy them—wasn’t that sending himself straight into danger? If it weren’t for him using cutting-edge full-mental-field technology to merge himself with the mech, greatly enhancing its agility, he would likely have been shattered into pieces by now…

Suddenly, deep regret filled Link’s heart.

Affected by his thoughts, the giant mech’s evasion moves became erratic. After dodging the Nightmare’s hook punch, its upper body tilted back sharply, revealing a huge vulnerability.

An opportunity!!

A cold glint flashed in the black-haired opponent’s eyes. Their movements accelerated even more. The engines behind the Nightmare Mech roared to life, all exhaust ports opening at once. A tremendous thrust instantly boosted the Nightmare’s speed to its limit. Like a blurred shadow, it rushed into the giant mech’s embrace. At the same time, its two massive hands closed and opened, gripping the opponent’s arms!!

“Bang!!!”

The deafening noise of the shotgun modules shook the entire arena!! It was like an unbelievable magic trick. Under everyone’s eyes, the giant mech was instantly torn apart by the Nightmare’s gripping hands, turning into shiny metal fragments amidst the violent shotgun shells. Massive arcs of electricity burst in the air, and Link’s agonized screams, transmitted through the speakers, sent chills down every spectator’s spine!!

God! In the Full Mental Domain… Inside the cockpit of the giant mech, waves of intense pain wracked Link’s nerves, twisting his face. The attack by the black-haired figure had seemingly only destroyed the mech’s arm, but for him who was using the Full Mental Domain, it was no different from having his arms torn apart. The sudden agony was like deadly poison, nearly knocking him unconscious.
It was truly a case of “the same sword that cuts you can also save you.” Although he had long known the weaknesses of using the Full Mental Domain, it wasn’t until disaster struck that he truly realized just how terrifying it was…
For a moment, the dark figure of the Nightmare appeared monstrous like a demon in Link’s eyes!!
“Bastard!! You can’t defeat me!! I’m invincible!!” The intense pain burned through Link’s mind, driving him completely mad. His eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and blood gushed from his mouth. Ignoring the severe injuries he suffered, he clenched his teeth fiercely. The shoulders of the giant mech suddenly opened!! A tiny glow of high-frequency particle pulses reappeared before the black-haired figure!!
At the same time, as if sensing something, the eMP behind the Nightmare also began to vibrate at high frequency, spinning wildly…