Chapter 12: The Thirty-first Pirate Gang, Section 8

Using EMP to counter the diamond jet?
No, of course not. Not to mention whether the EMP system, which had just awakened and was only 73% functional, could handle such a situation—even the current state of the high-frequency particle pulses made it unsuitable to use EMP attacks.
Although the two light dots representing the high-frequency particle pulses were small, Kurokami knew they contained the entire energy of the giant mech. Once the attack command was issued, it could definitely not be stopped by the energy-deficient EMP. So he had no hope of using EMP to halt the opponent’s attack.
Unable to stop it, unable to defend against it, and unable to dodge due to the wide range of the pulses—Kurokami’s use of EMP actually served only one purpose: to buy time.
By using the electromagnetic pulses of EMP to interfere with the opponent’s energy transmission path, even if it only bought a second, it would be enough for Kurokami to do many things.
Like this…
“Click!”
A sound so faint that no one in the noisy arena would have heard it. Yet everyone was shocked by the action that followed. Under everyone’s gaze, the Nightmare Mech’s hands flipped around and directly grasped the source of those terrifying light dots on the giant mech… its shoulders!!
No, not the shoulders, but the two oval-shaped shells on them—the armor that once covered the diamond jet.
“Perfect timing!” Kurokami’s lips curled into a cruel smile, revealing his snow-white teeth. No one saw the merciless expression on his face. With a swift motion, the Nightmare Mech’s hands grabbed those shells and pressed them down hard.
“Bang!!” The shells were instantly crushed under the Nightmare Mech’s immense force, sealing tightly together. The terrifying high-frequency particle pulses didn’t even have time to shine before being trapped inside. In an instant, all the spectators in the arena heard Link’s agonized screams from inside the giant mech!!
“No!!”
His bloodshot eyes were filled with panic. As the owner of a new-type mech, no one knew better than Link the consequences of the outer armor of the diamond jet being forcibly sealed. Under such circumstances, the diamond jet, which contained the entire energy of the mech, would experience uncontrollable instantaneous backflow, rushing back into its own engine core. And the fragile engine core, faced with such violent energy, would undergo a mysterious fission reaction. The massive energy would explode instantly, with a power no less than that of a magic crystal bomb capable of destroying a medium-sized city!!

Link didn’t care about destroying this colosseum. But this giant mech embodied all his hopes. How could he not go mad seeing it about to be destroyed like this?
But it was already too late. He had no way of knowing that from the moment he started the fight, the outcome of this battle was already determined. And the horror of the black-haired fighter’s close-quarters combat was the end of all his ambitions.
Hearing Link’s agonized screams, the spectators, unaware that they were about to face absolute disaster, became even more excited. Their bloodshot eyes, like those of wild beasts, roared wildly in the sky.
At that moment, the black-haired fighter made another astonishing move.
“Bang!!” With a loud thud, Nightmare forcibly locked the giant mech’s shoulders and didn’t pause. Its massive body suddenly spun violently, and a huge steel hand, like a demon’s claw, used the unparalleled force generated by the spin to slam into the giant mech’s head from the side. Metal shards exploded instantly, and before the eyes of all the spectators, the giant mech’s head was ripped off its neck like a basketball by Nightmare’s giant hand. Countless blue-lit pathways, like tendons, were torn out and ripped in two by Nightmare.
Removed!!
That word immediately flashed through everyone’s minds. Nightmare Mech’s actions truly resembled tearing off a living person’s head. Its extremely cruel actions sent chills down everyone’s spine.
Link’s screams stopped abruptly. After connecting with his entire mental realm, he and the giant mech were one. Nightmare forcibly removing the giant mech’s head was no different from tearing off his own head. If anyone could see Link inside the cockpit now, they would see that his eyes were rolled back, completely lifeless.
“Ah!! What a terrifying scene. The black-haired fighter is such a brutal guy—he actually twisted off his opponent’s head. I can’t believe my eyes!!” The commentator’s voice was filled with shock and even fear. But before his words could finish, Nightmare Mech’s left hand reached out again and slammed onto the giant mech’s chest.
“God, what is he doing!? Link is already done. He’s already won—why isn’t he stopping!? Guards!! Guards!! Come and stop this madman!! He’s gone insane!!”
“Boom!”

Amid the commentator’s panicked screams, a violent explosion suddenly occurred on the giant mech’s chest. A hole with a diameter of one meter was blasted open beneath the shotgun module hidden in Nightmare Mech’s left hand. Countless fragments flew everywhere, revealing the structure behind the armor plates to all the viewers.

Like a doctor performing surgery, Black Hair had a serious expression as his fingers moved swiftly, extending Nightmare Mech’s left hand into the opponent’s chest wall. The images on the screen kept updating before suddenly changing, with geometric diagrams of the mech’s structure appearing along with streams of rapidly flowing data.

There was no choice. As a thug from Earth, Black Hair knew as well as Link the consequences of forcibly interrupting high-frequency particle pulses. If he couldn’t immediately locate the giant mech’s engine core and cut off all light pathways, not only would he himself be destroyed, but everyone and everything here would turn into particles, losing their original form.

Because what Link called the mysterious fission reaction was actually the most terrifying disaster on Earth… a nuclear explosion!!!

“Hurry, faster…” he muttered continuously, ignoring the chaos around him. His eyes were fixed intently on the complex mech structure diagram on the screen, his fingers moving so fast they became mere shadows. The sound of keystrokes filled the air as segments of data were instantly analyzed and broken down. The EMP system behind Nightmare Mech spun frantically, with immense energy being consumed like flowing water to slow down the opponent’s energy reverse flow as much as possible.

Unlike building with blocks, to forcibly sever the engine connections, one first needed to understand the mech’s structure. Acting blindly would only make things worse. In this regard, Black Hair was very successful. Even while controlling the mech’s movements, his unique abilities still came into play. The structure diagram of the giant mech was information he had stolen.

With this information, Nightmare Mech’s massive left hand acted like a precise scalpel, weaving through the dense network of light pathways. It soon reached the center of the giant mech’s chest wall, where a completely transparent cube was fixed in place. Inside the cube, a red light sphere pulsed gently, like a human heart.

It was it… The black-haired man’s expression lit up with joy. After a slight mechanical whirring sound, the Nightmare Mech’s left hand immediately retracted into its wrist. Immediately afterward, many tiny robotic arms extended out. Each robotic arm seemed to have its own consciousness, quickly moving around the square box and acting with precision and speed.

In just a moment, the square box was in the Nightmare Mech’s hands.

“Boom!!” The moment the black-haired man took out the box, the giant mech seemed to lose all its strength; all its joints sagged limply. Its massive body crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

Finally… it was over!

The black-haired man’s expression finally relaxed. After wiping the sweat from his forehead, he realized that, at some point, he had been surrounded by dozens of blue mechs. Meanwhile, deafening cheers rose from the audience in the arena.

What did this mean? The black-haired man couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

“Click!!” The mechs around him instantly stood at attention, arms stretched in front of their chests, giving a salute. Then, through their figures, the black-haired man saw a fat man surrounded by people standing quietly at the front of the arena, his gaze filled with malice as it fixed on him.

Yes, the black-haired man recognized that gaze—it was the angry and frustrated look that only appeared when his schemes were thwarted. It was just more concealed on that fat man’s face, going unnoticed. Thus, the black-haired man immediately identified him.

Vice Chairman of the Pirate Alliance.

Realizing that the black-haired man had noticed him, this second-in-command of the Pirate Alliance immediately put on a kind smile. He first waved his hand toward the black-haired man. The dozens of blue mechs surrounding the Nightmare Mech immediately relaxed their siege and retreated to one side of the arena. Then, he cleared his throat.

“Um, you must be Mr. Blackhair… First of all, congratulations on becoming the winner of this Death Arena battle. According to ancient tradition, on behalf of the Alliance Council, I can grant you one wish. Do you have anything you hope we can help you with?”

Through the speakers, the vice chairman’s voice reached every corner of the arena, and silence fell instantly. All the pirate spectators quieted down. Pairs of eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and desire were fixed on the pitch-black mech in the center of the arena.

This is the advantage of the Death Arena. The victorious fighter not only earns the honor of being the King of Fighters but can also make a request to the alliance within their capabilities. As long as the alliance can fulfill it, they will definitely do so. Afterwards, most winners become treasures in the eyes of various factions, warmly welcomed by all leaders. It’s a win-win situation, indeed.

Hmm, does that mean I have to make a request now? The dark-haired man in the cockpit frowned slightly, clearly unprepared for this question to arise so quickly.

He already knew from his conversation with the chairman how many resources were needed to establish a faction. Clearly, his current conditions weren’t sufficient. If he had to make a request so soon, not only was it uncertain whether he’d get a satisfactory answer, but he’d also arouse the suspicion of the leaders present, which would be disastrous.

This vice-chairman is really cunning… the dark-haired man thought to himself.

But he was wrong to blame the vice-chairman. In fact, the tradition of winners making requests had existed since the inception of the Death Arena. Over time, it had become an established rule known to everyone and unchangeable. Not even the entire alliance council could alter this rule.

“Click!” The hatch on Nightmare’s abdomen opened, revealing the dark-haired man’s figure before all the spectators. He stood up quietly, facing the gaze on the podium with a calm expression.

“My request is simple: my own team.”

What!? The entire venue was in an uproar. All the pirates were stunned, staring at this bold man.

Come on, is it that easy to form a team? Not to mention the resources required, just the need for a base, additional seats in the council, and the division of interests are already troublesome enough. Moreover, forming a team first requires a strong military force—something even the alliance council can’t provide unconditionally. If anyone could make such a request at will, the Pirate Alliance wouldn’t be limited to just thirty organizations.

This guy really has no idea what’s possible. That was the thought in everyone’s mind.

Yet their vice-chairman seemed to have anticipated this outcome, showing no surprise on his fat face. He simply glanced at the dark-haired man and shook his head.

“Mr. Blackhair, I’m sorry, but I can’t fulfill your request. Although the Speaker has already proposed this motion this morning, I believe you lack both the qualifications and influence, let alone the armed forces necessary to form a team. Moreover, the power structure within the alliance is already clear, so the idea of forming a new team is still too premature. Tell me, with leaders already in charge of these thirty star systems, which area should be assigned to you?”
“I can answer that question!” Before Blackhair could speak, a voice suddenly interrupted the Vice Speaker. Along with this voice, the supreme leader of the Pirate Alliance, the Speaker, appeared on the other side of the podium with a relaxed smile. Beside him were a group of pirate leaders, forming two factions that avoided interfering with each other.
At that moment, almost all the pirates understood the hidden struggle between them.
“The division of new territories is simple. We’ve just received information about the thirty-first star system. It’s still an unexploited area. I think it would be appropriate to make it Mr. Blackhair’s territory. I doubt anyone here will object, right?”
The Speaker’s words were like a bomb, instantly causing shock among all the leaders.
The thirty-first star system, that rich and mysterious mining region!!!?
Had the Speaker gone mad?