Chapter 18: The Black Prison, Section 8

“Boom!”
Countless giant metal ankles slammed heavily onto the ground. As Blood Pupil engaged in fierce combat with his opponent, the forces on the black-haired side finally landed as well. A massive amount of dust rose instantly, as if countless cranes were at work. The impact of those heavy mechs on the ground was astonishing—huge amounts of soil and rocks were pushed aside, leaving deep trenches that resembled scars on the scorched land. With each mech landing, large clumps of soft soil were lifted into the air, quickly forming giant mounds.

“Click!”
Inside the cockpit of the giant mech, a circle appeared on the screen in front of the black-haired man and spread rapidly. Wherever the circle passed, the features of the terrain were clearly marked on the screen, quickly forming a detailed and extensive map. Almost simultaneously, a bright green dot appeared on it, accompanied by a rhythmic electronic tone.

That must be where the prison is.

The black-haired man smiled lightly. With a gesture of his hand, the giant mech stood up immediately. Waving his right hand, he pointed directly in that direction. Behind him, a roar erupted, and countless pirate mechs rushed forward. Though there were only a few hundred of them, their momentum seemed like that of an entire army. Each mech leaned forward with its upper body and crouched with its knees bent. The high-speed impact modules installed at their feet emitted shrill noises as they moved at incredible speeds. Sparks flew due to friction, leaving long trails behind them.

“Blood Pupil, hurry up. We’re not waiting for you.” Watching his subordinates charge wildly, the black-haired man still had time to call out to Blood Pupil. Of course, all he got in return was a rolled eye.

“Understood, boss. You hurry up too. I’ll take care of the situation outside. My team won’t follow you in. We’ll keep watch outside for you.” Blood Pupil knocked off the head of a bone guard in front of him with a punch before answering calmly. Then, he swiftly sidestepped, just in time to avoid a giant bone spike shot from behind.

I have to say—these Bone Guards are truly ferocious, at least according to Blood Pupil’s understanding. He’s never seen anyone so fearless before. Their fighting style isn’t really about knocking down opponents; it’s more of an instinct for bloodthirst. Just now, Blood Pupil witnessed a Bone Guard being split in two by a pirate’s attack. Instead of dying immediately, its upper body twisted, and it lunged at the pirate mech, its remaining bone spikes plunging deep into it, merging itself with the mech. Even over the public channel, one could hear the pirate’s blood gushing up into his throat.

Such ferocious enemies aren’t easy to deal with. That’s why Blood Pupil is now drenched in sweat, and his calm voice is merely a disguise. He doesn’t want Black Hair to know that he’s actually terrified.

Yes, he’s scared. The way the Bone Guards fight, their appearance, and even their notorious ferocity all exert immense pressure on Blood Pupil. Even though he’s experienced countless close calls with death and has long gotten used to this sense of life and death, he still feels a deep tremor from within.

It’s as if… he’s standing naked in front of… a pack of snarling beasts.

Yet even so, he doesn’t want to delay Black Hair’s plan. Fortunately, after the bombardment by the ship’s cannons, there aren’t many Bone Guards left, and their numbers are sufficient to handle them. So Blood Pupil decides to carry out his mission and let Black Hair lead the charge first. As Black Hair’s group disappears from sight in an instant, Blood Pupil grits his teeth and suddenly yells, “You brats, hurry up!! If you slack off any more, I’ll spank you when I get back!!”

“Huhu… Boss Blood Pupil is angry! Guys, speed up!! Kill these bone frames!!!” The remaining pirates shout loudly, swinging their heavy weapons even faster.

Just then, something unexpected happens!!

“Boom!” A loud explosion!

It’s as if an earthquake suddenly struck. With Blood Pupil’s group’s battlefield at the center, an area of several kilometers began to shake. Rocks and soil shot into the air, revealing the dark caves beneath. Before the pirates could react, countless giant black bone suits leaped up from below and rushed at them from all directions!!

“Bad! It’s an ambush!!” Blood-Pupil’s expression changed drastically. Without bothering to say more to his men, he rushed forward at full speed toward the first Bone Guard that appeared. Raising his right hand, he pressed the muzzle of the heavy machine gun against the enemy’s head!
“Bang bang bang bang…” Intense gunfire erupted for the first time, instantly turning that Bone Guard into a mess of shredded flesh. Its massive head was riddled with bullets, and it flew apart from its neck. Its bulky body collapsed to the ground before it could fully emerge from the cave.
But it was already too late. As waves of dirt and rocks shot into the sky, more and more caves appeared across the battlefield. Everywhere was filled with dark shadows. In just an instant, the situation took a sharp turn—Blood-Pupil’s group found themselves completely surrounded. The dense swarm of dark shadows far exceeded their expectations; attacks came from all directions like tsunamis, hitting the Blood Wolf Mechs repeatedly.
“Damn it!! Where the hell did these guys come from!!” one pirate cursed.
“Oh no, it’s biting my legs! My power is gone! I can’t move! Someone save me!! Save me!!” another pirate wailed.
“God!! They’re insane! Boss Blood-Pupil! I beg you… Pfft!!” The voice cut off.
The brutality of the battle far exceeded Blood-Pupil’s imagination. Almost the moment the enemies appeared, they found themselves in a desperate disadvantage. Everywhere, dark shadows were clashing with the Blood Wolf Mechs. The density was so high that the mechs were packed tightly together. Under such conditions, guns became useless. Even the powerful giant swords and hammers lost their effectiveness, becoming a burden to the pirates. In contrast, in this dense environment, the Bone Guards’ bone spikes proved most effective. They didn’t even need to swing them—just by closing their hands around the Blood Wolf Mechs, the bone spikes would shoot out instantly, piercing through them completely!
Shards of armor and broken mech parts were flung into the sky. From afar, it seemed as though a cluster of dark shadows had appeared on the surface of Black Prison Planet, with blood-red debris flying out from within. The scene was utterly terrifying!!

“I can’t go on anymore; the mission has failed!! Head, retreat quickly!!” Blood-Pupil dodged a bone guard’s attack in disarray and suddenly shouted loudly, hoping to warn the Black-Haired group on the other side. Immediately afterward, he activated all the engines of his mech. A brilliant light burst behind the giant red mech, and the thrust from its particle engines sent the bone guards behind it staggering back, creating a large gap, before the mech charged forward and crashed into the pile of dark bone guards in front.

“Crack!!” Fragments of bones flew everywhere. One of the bone guards was sent flying as it rolled away. But then more dark figures surged forward, and Blood-Pupil’s giant red mech was gradually overwhelmed by them.

Yet Blood-Pupil never expected that the Black-Haired group hadn’t received his warning. In fact, they had already reached the perimeter of the prison—a towering wall made entirely of hard, black rock, with no visible gaps. The icy reflection on its surface showed just how solid it was. From the Black-Haired group’s perspective, they couldn’t even see the ends of the wall. In front of this wall, their mechs seemed as tiny as ants.

The Black-Haired group rushed all the way to the edge of the wall. As Blood-Wolf’s mech split to the sides, the Black-Haired group’s giant mech emerged from between them and reached the foot of the wall. Extending its left hand, it touched the cold wall. At the same time, a torrent of data streamed across the screen in front of the Black-Haired man.

“Composition: aluminum ore slag? No mechanical components inside?” Frowning at the data, he frowned.

No matter how much he had planned, he never expected that in such a highly civilized world, the prison’s construction style would still be so primitive. Although aluminum ore slag was indeed a semi-metallic substance, the absence of mechanical components was hard to explain. Could it be that this massive wall was built entirely by hand? Without any mechanical structure, where was the prison’s entrance?

This was where the Black-Haired man misjudged the prison.

In fact, this prison really did not have a main entrance. The only way to enter it was from above. So its wall had no traps at all—it was simply a solid barrier. To enter here, one would need to possess the ability to melt aluminum ore slag.

However, bauxite slag is itself a residue from refining processes, with an astonishingly high melting point. Melting it is by no means easy—let alone for ordinary mechs; even large-scale equipment on warships would likely take a long time to produce. It can be said that Kurokami has truly hit a wall this time. No matter how many plans he came up with, he would never have imagined the prison to be in such a state. His reliance on mechanical control skills is completely useless against these primitive walls, completely disrupting Kurokami’s plans. During this time of analysis, Kurokami didn’t notice that, at some point, a huge black shadow had appeared above the prison walls. Its sturdy black armor reflected a cold glint under the sunlight, with pair of blood-red eyes closely watching the movements of Kurokami’s group below. A large black cloak fluttered behind it in the strong wind, revealing a strange pattern on it… It was a massive… bone prison made up of countless bones.