Chapter 21: Rise – Section 1

Forests, monsters, and savage howls. If not for being there in person, Kurokami might have thought this was a movie. Watching the brilliant glow of the gunfire before him, Kurokami suddenly smiled at the monkey.
“Hey, buddy, interested in playing together? Just like before?”
Hearing this, the monkey’s eyes lit up instantly. He leaped three feet high. “Of course, boss! That would be awesome. Go ahead, get them ready.”
“Bang!” Kurokami threw the small halo from his hand. It landed with a crisp explosion.
It was like a bizarre dream—under everyone’s eyes, the air within dozens of meters around the impact point began to vibrate violently. Many pirates were caught off guard and stumbled backward. Soon, their vision distorted as a burst of blue light flashed, forcing everyone to close their eyes. When the blue light faded, a row of giant figures stood before Kurokami.
Mechs… all mechs! And they were all elite models specially crafted by Black Prison inmates. These powerful mechs stood silently there, their majestic frames illuminated by the sunlight. On the side of each mech’s chest was a stunning Blood Wolf design, while the alloy patterns along their edges shone like gems.
Among them was also the massive figure of the Killing Emperor!
“Whoa! Captain!! This is amazing!! We love you!!!” The pirates cheered wildly. Many who hadn’t been equipped with mechs dropped their weapons and rushed toward the mechs in the center of the field.
Although they hadn’t been given mechs when they first arrived on this planet, they were actually the main force of this exploration mission. Their mechs were the elite models that Kurokami had hidden in the subspace. Compared to these, the exploration mechs were nothing but child’s toys—worthless to anyone.
“How about these?” Kurokami asked, his gaze full of laughter as he looked at the monkey. “Pick one. Close combat, fighting, long-range, heavy firepower, sniper—there’s everything. Choose whatever you like.”
The monkey was stunned. Though he had returned to Kurokami’s side, he had only just begun to get acquainted with Kurokami’s arsenal and naturally didn’t know he had such formidable weapons. Seeing so many seven-meter-tall giant mechs, he was completely frozen. His eyes were fixed on those mechs, and he didn’t even hear Kurokami’s question. It wasn’t until Kurokami repeated it that he vaguely turned his head and pointed at his own nose.

“These… I… just pick one at random?”
“Nonsense. Then what do you think I was talking about just now?” The black-haired man was both amused and exasperated. “Go ahead, pick whatever you want. But there’s one thing I need to tell you first. All the mechs here are operated using a mental control system, similar to the simulation chambers you trained in before. Once you get in, don’t panic just because you can’t find the control levers.”
“Haha, really advanced—mental control system! Man, I really like you. Just tell me directly; I won’t pick anymore. Just give me that one!” The monkey was overjoyed and, without hesitation, pointed. Following his finger, the black-haired man’s smile suddenly froze.
Damn, this kid really knows how to pick. Is that… isn’t that the Killing Emperor?
The black-haired man felt extremely embarrassed. Rubbing his nose, his gaze toward the monkey turned dark and sinister. Even his tone became strange. “Are… are you sure?”
“Of…” The monkey was about to say yes when he suddenly sensed something was off and quickly laughed. “Of course… not. I’ll just choose a combat mech instead.”
With that, he walked over to the mechs. In the breeze, faint complaints could be heard. “Ugh, they said I could pick freely. After I picked one, they threatened me. If I had known, why would I have gotten excited? Damn. All these years, his personality hasn’t changed at all.”
“This kid…” The black-haired man sighed bitterly.
Switching into the mechs was actually very simple. In just three minutes, all the elite mechs were fully operational again. For this exploration, the black-haired man brought thirty mechs. Although not many, each one was top-notch. As soon as they were ready, their formidable firepower became evident. Almost simultaneously, countless guns and cannons of various sizes appeared magically in the mechs’ hands, firing wildly at the giant monsters on the other side. The monsters were instantly sent flying.
But those monsters weren’t easy to deal with either. By the time the black-haired man and the others switched into their mechs, they had already managed to close in on the pirates’ defense perimeter. The few exploration mechs at the front had been completely destroyed by the monsters’ sonic weapons, lying limp on the ground with sparks flying from their bodies—clearly unusable anymore.

The intensified artillery fire was merely a prelude, yet it was worlds apart from before. The weapon systems of the elite mechs were nothing compared to those of the exploration mechs. These massive steel humanoid machines, created purely for war, had almost every weapon being a deadly killing tool. Even the most basic firearms weren’t powered by ordinary energy or gunpowder but by a hybrid system similar to that of warships! Highly compressed energy turned metal projectiles into jets, with the resulting explosive force being utterly terrifying. Amidst the roar, countless bright sprays of blood immediately appeared on the defeated monster across from them—its thick skin had been pierced for the first time! Excited screams filled the public channel instantly.

Just as those excited cries rang out, the familiar screams of agony came from the other side again.

“Argh!”

Under everyone’s gaze, that giant monster managed to stand up once more. Though covered in wounds from the elite mechs with flesh flying everywhere, it showed no sign of retreating. Half of its face had been completely blown away by the artillery fire, revealing a bloody mess. Its remaining right eye stared fiercely at the pirates ahead, suddenly glowing with menace. Lowering its head, it charged straight ahead without flinching from the artillery fire!

“Boom! Boom!” The terrifying monster left deep footprints in the ground with each step, causing severe vibrations as if an earthquake had struck. Its charge was like that of a bulldozer—anything that dared stand in its way would be instantly crushed! Even more astonishingly, somehow, as it charged, two giant bone spikes emerged from its body, resembling the lances of ancient knights, pointing straight at the group!

“Oh no!” The pirates in front were horrified, their faces turning as pale as paper.

At this point, even a fool could understand what the monster intended. It clearly couldn’t withstand the power of the elite mechs and planned to perish together with them. With a height of twenty meters, its momentum and destructive force when moving at high speed were unimaginable. Even if it died along the way, the final impact would still happen inevitably!

Unless… they retreated immediately! But the pirates were trapped—behind them were the numerous machines brought for this exploration. If they retreated, those machines would be lost. On this primitive and mysterious planet, without solid technological support, they saw no reason to continue.

It sounded complicated, but in fact it was just an instant—already, the giant monster had traversed hundreds of meters, now mere moments away from everyone! Its massive body, as huge as a small mountain, seemed to press down on everyone’s hearts, making it hard to breathe.

Just then, a familiar shout came from behind them.

“Move aside!!”

Two giant figures rushed past everyone like a gust of wind, so fast that their shapes couldn’t even be seen clearly. In an instant, all that could be seen were those two blood-red wolf heads!

One of the figures, slightly shorter in stature, had its engine hatch fully open. The power of its energy engine, combined with its impact module, completely swept away the ground cover around it, revealing the dark soil beneath. Amidst the dust and smoke, it rushed up to the giant monster. Tilting its body slightly, it plunged straight through the gaps between its spines. Raising its right hand, it drew a giant sword about ten feet long from its backpack—lightning flashed as the blade sliced through the monster’s knees, sending blood gushing forth!

“Argh!!!” A painful scream.

The charging monster never expected there to be someone so fearless who could confront it head-on. Caught off guard, excruciating pain swept through its body, causing its front knees to weaken and it to fall to its knees. The terrifying kinetic force pushed its body forward, leaving behind a deep, long trench.

The sword flashed—once, twice, three times!

Three streams of bright red blood shot into the sky. Right before everyone’s eyes, that terrifying sword-mechanical warrior moved nimbly like a monkey, delivering three more slashes in the blink of an eye. Following its strange movement pattern, it miraculously landed in the same spot each time. Amidst the bloodshed, a huge wound deep enough to see the bones appeared on the monster’s neck! The bright red blood and bulging muscles were utterly horrifying!

At the same time, another mech that had rushed out with it descended from the sky. Its two giant barrels, like spears, plunged deep into the wound it had just created. Blood sprayed everywhere, along with deadly flames!

“Boom!!”

It was like a exploding watermelon. The monster’s head was instantly shattered by the terrifying gunfire that penetrated its body. Countless bone fragments mixed with flesh flew everywhere, like suddenly blooming flowers, scattering everywhere with a crackling sound.

Blood mist filled the air, yet everyone felt as if they were in a dream…