Chapter 4: Partners? Section 10

“Tap-tap-tap-tap…”
The intense machine gun fire sounded like beans being shaken. The purple-red energy projectiles poured down in overwhelming numbers, forcing Han Ba and his team to struggle to resist, resorting to desperate evasion maneuvers. The charging formation of the magic mechs instantly fell into chaos.
It wasn’t that they lacked the courage to attack or the confidence to defend. But in the face of superior skills, bravery alone was not enough.
Mechs, after all, were merely combat tools—extensions of weapons created by humans. No matter how sharp or powerful they might be, it was ultimately their pilots, human abilities, that determined their effectiveness. Of course, some argued that the quality of the mech itself was the most crucial factor in battle, leading to two entirely different schools of thought in mech combat. But that’s another story.
What was clear right now, under the rhythmic machine gun fire from Blood Pupils, was that the three remaining charging mechs of the Sandstorm Mercenaries could not form an effective attack formation. They could only desperately try to find opportunities to shoot while evading. Although the Charging Type 2 was an advanced magic mech, its strength lay in speed, with its weapon system equipped only with the most common crystal rapid-fire machine gun. Its range and power were far inferior to those of Blood Pupils’ mechs. Now, under pressure, not only was attacking impossible, but even defense became a challenge. Moreover, Blood Pupils’ skills were far superior to theirs.
Sweat blurred their vision, and their hearts pounded like hammers. Despite their experience in countless battles, Han Ba could no longer control his trembling body. From the moment he saw that red mech, he knew this trouble might be serious. But the demands of being a mercenary wouldn’t allow him to flee. With no choice, he ordered his teammates to launch a forced assault. If they could withstand Blood Pupils’ first wave of attacks, he doubted that magic heavy machine gun had unlimited ammo.
Unfortunately, he likely wouldn’t have many chances to waste…
Because the terrifying figure of that kid had already reached them.
Bending his knees and leaning forward, he clenched his fists. With a barely audible “click,” alloy claws reappeared on the kid’s wrists. The engine roared again, and the kid, seemingly already at top speed, accelerated once more. Amidst the hail of bullets, he executed several rapid turns using “Black Melody,” instantly appearing in front of one of the Charging Type 2 mechs. Without a pause, he delivered a fierce upward punch.

“Bang!!”
The poor mech had just managed to catch its breath after escaping Blood Pupil’s oppression when, before it could even assess the situation, Black Hair’s attack struck it. Without even a chance to dodge, it took a direct punch. The armor on its abdomen instantly exploded and flew apart. The intense pain surged through the mercenary, forcing it to let out a miserable cry. In a flurry of motion, the little devil’s alloy hook, like a sharp dagger, plunged deep into the mech’s body. Sparkles flew everywhere, as if it were raining.

Han Ba was horrified. No longer caring about attacking Blood Pupil on the hill, he turned his machine gun and aimed it at the little devil’s dark figure, then pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Being so close, he could clearly see that the powerful black mech actually had little armor protection. So he believed he still had a chance of winning.

At that moment, all the mechs were still in high-speed motion.

Unfortunately, since Black Hair had launched an assault, how could he ignore the possibility of being surrounded? In an instant, the engine nozzles behind the little devil suddenly opened, and streams of fiery energy gushed out. With a swift motion, he firmly grabbed the opposing magic mech and spun in a graceful arc, using it as a shield in front of himself!!

“Clang clang clang clang…”
A series of sharp metal collisions made the mech being used as a shield tremble violently. Its already thin armor on the back was almost completely stripped away by Han Ba’s bullets. Streams of energy mixed with metal fragments exploded outward, creating a large hole in no time! The crystal circuits inside were twisted into a mess. If it weren’t for Black Hair’s little devil still holding onto it, it would have collapsed to the ground.

But obviously, Black Hair still didn’t intend to let this unlucky guy go.

Bending his knees, he delivered a straight kick. The little devil suddenly kicked hard at the mech’s abdomen, destroying the cockpit area completely. With the remaining force, he sent the 80-ton mech flying into the air, like a giant rock, rushing toward its comrades who were coming to rescue it.

Immediately after, Blood Pupil’s machine gun was also swung, and streams of purplish-red bullets chased after the flying mech, punching countless holes into it. Its internal elemental core could no longer withstand such attacks and exploded into a ball of fire mid-air!!

It was definitely a deadly combination—definitely the flames of death.

In a one-on-one fight, such an explosion would merely mark the end of a mercenary, having no impact on those around. But coincidentally, his partner happened to arrive for rescue—completely changing the situation. It was as if a massive bomb had exploded nearby. The rescue mech didn’t even have time to dodge before being engulfed by the huge fireball. The debris from the mech collided violently with it, not only canceling out its forward momentum but also knocking it to the ground unprepared. The scorching heat and the force of the explosion were too much even for the new-type Charge Type 2 mech to withstand. Visibly, its silver coating quickly turned blackened, with sparks flying everywhere. A foul smell of burning filled the air. It was a brief moment—almost the instant Hanba realized he had targeted the wrong enemy, the tragic outcome had already occurred. Watching his partner crushed under the fireball, Hanba’s hands and feet turned icy cold. Four mechs and four experienced mercenaries lasted less than thirty seconds, resulting in two deaths and one injury. Even with the opponent’s well-planned strategy and a terrifying technician like Blood Pupil, it seemed excessive. Could it be that he really had to die here? Despair flashed in Hanba’s blurred eyes, dampened by sweat.