Chapter 10: Pirate Alliance? Section 5

“Boom!!”
The ancient particle engine emitted a long plume of exhaust, pushing the TG-73 assault mech piloted by Black Hair as if with a fierce shove. Its massive body shot forward like a cannonball, but in the blink of an eye, it reduced to nothing but a dark shadow.
The powerful engines of mechanical mechs, whether original or modified, were always terrifying.
Yet the Blue Lily on the other side was by no means an easy opponent. As soon as Black Hair’s voice was heard, the graceful blue mech immediately took action—without even turning around. Six auxiliary engine nozzles beneath its ribs and legs all turned forward at once, propelling its body backward at lightning speed, while its gun barrel was raised simultaneously.
“Hiss!”
A blue energy beam instantly sliced through the silent starry sky and reached the TG-73.
Precise, decisive.
Inside the cockpit, Black Hair was fully focused, her hands moving so fast that only shadows could be seen. The bulky mechanical mech suddenly became as agile as a butterfly flitting through flowers. By tilting its body slightly, it dodged the deadly blue beam. At the same time, all the engine hatches on its rear opened, increasing its speed even further!!
For a moment, everyone’s attention was fixed on her.
Everyone knew this was an unfair battle. After all, the Blue Lily was a renowned marksman. A distance of one kilometer was practically tailor-made for her sniper mech. And the seemingly simple design of the blue mech undoubtedly granted it maximum flexibility.
In fact, among magic mechs, few could balance attack and mobility so well. The already agile magic mechs, after her modifications, surpassed everyone’s expectations in terms of speed and precision. That over three-meter-tall beautiful mech moved like a dazzling dancer, stepping out graceful movements across the vast starry expanse.
Yes, it was like dancing. The blue mech now gave the impression of performing a beautiful, rhythmic dance. Those deadly blue beams not only did not harm its beauty but added a touch of allure to it.

On the other hand, Black Hair seemed rather awkward. Although mechanical mechs are known for their powerful engines, and the TG-73 is specifically designed for aggressive attacks, excelling both in firepower and protection, it is still a land-based model. Even with the best mechanics’ modifications, its agility in space remains greatly reduced. It’s already very difficult for Black Hair to reach speeds close to those of a hurricane. No one believes he can reach Blue Lily unscathed.

No, it’s not about staying unscathed—it’s already a luxury just to get close.

As the distance between the two mechs continued to widen, even Blood Pupil had to admit that Black Hair’s challenge this time was rather hasty.

If he had Ghost at his disposal, Blood Pupil was sure Blue Lily wouldn’t be a match. But with such a rickety mech…

Sighing deeply, Blood Pupil lay back in the reclining seat of the demon cockpit, closing his eyes in pain.

“Bang!”
“Bang!”
“Bang!”

In just fifteen seconds of charging, Black Hair had covered nearly 800 meters. Yet the distance to Blue Lily hadn’t decreased at all. That beautiful female mech was simply too fast—her backward movements were even more agile than the TG-73’s forward charges. Those deadly beams of blue light seemed endless, constantly appearing before Black Hair’s eyes. In such a short time, the assault mech had been hit by the blue light three times, with crisp thuds and flying debris, leaving behind huge craters.

Sidestepping, rolling, small arc steps, short-range maneuvering—Black Melody, jumping maneuvers…

In just fifteen seconds, Black Hair acted like a mech instructor, giving everyone watching the battle an excellent, practical lesson. His swift and seamless movements could serve as textbook examples. Moreover, numerous advanced maneuvering techniques never seen before kept appearing, leaving everyone in awe.

“God! Was that a reverse maneuver? How is that possible? Can his body take that?”

“Damn! Three more consecutive small arc steps. Heaven, is his body made of iron?”

In the control room of the Pike warship, pirates cried out in shock one after another. Almost none of them could believe their eyes, witnessing those advanced combat techniques that only appeared in dreams. These pirates, who usually lived on the edge of death, were extremely excited. Many even lost control and burst into tears.

You should know that from the very beginning of mechs, a contradiction emerged. This contradiction has persisted throughout the history of mechs, and even the best technicians to this day cannot resolve it. That is… the theory of mutual restraint between mechs and their pilots. It’s true that magic-powered mechs are humanity’s most powerful weapons. But they are still just weapons. They require human pilots to unleash their terrifying power. Yet, throughout all stages of learning, manufacturing, and operation, the severe harm magic-powered mechs inflict on the human body has always hindered further progress in mech technology. Mental stress—a nightmare for mech pilots and manufacturers—has never spared anyone. It is the number one killer of pilots. This is a well-known fact. But few people realize that before mental stress, there is an even more terrifying challenge. This challenge is what poses the most direct and deadly threat to pilots. Physical overload. A mech’s cockpit is like a box, protecting the pilot inside. Normal mech movements generally cause no discomfort. But once combat begins, with its intense movements, that “box” turns into a meat grinder. At that point, the inertia of the mech’s movement alone is enough to raise a human’s blood pressure, compress their nerves, and cause fainting. In worse cases, it can crush a person into a pulp. Thus, in the theory of mutual restraint between mechs and pilots, the harm mechs inflict on humans becomes a bottleneck restricting technicians’ capabilities. Conversely, no matter how advanced a mech is, without a skilled technician, it’s useless—like scrap metal. Ridiculous, isn’t it? That’s the contradictory and interdependent relationship between mechs and their pilots. It’s just that because of the mechs’ immense power, which attracts so much attention, their flaws go unnoticed. But as long as this contradiction remains unresolved, the true glory of mechs will never be achieved. Except… now. “Bang!” Another dull explosion—the right shoulder armor of the assault mech was instantly blown off halfway. Shards of armor flew everywhere, like a beautiful fireworks display in space. But they were quickly left far behind by the high-speed TG-73.

The black-haired man in the cockpit’s eyes flashed as he let out a low sigh. Thankfully, only a layer of armor had been stripped off—its weapon system hadn’t been damaged. It was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune. The black-haired man was well aware of how unfavorable the situation was. The TG-73 was already covered in wounds. If even its 150MM smoothbore cannon on the right shoulder were destroyed, there would truly be no hope left.

As a heavy assault mech designed for land combat, the TG-73’s strongest weapons were those two smoothbore cannons on its shoulders. Equipped with advanced gas suppression technology and longer barrels, they possessed immense firepower and explosive power. Coupled with an automatic feeding system, they could achieve an astonishing firing rate of 25 rounds per minute under extreme conditions—almost like mobile artillery platforms. The entire design of the TG-73 revolved around this extreme firepower, with its highly stable eight-legged legs being the most direct proof of that.

Unfortunately, however, this stability only applied on land. In space, there was no support to rely on, rendering the function of those eight legs useless. Yet during this pursuit, the black-haired man hadn’t used them at all. The reason was simple: the recoil from those cannons was simply too strong. If he fired while moving, he wouldn’t need Blue Lily’s attacks at all—his own recoil would pin him in place in space, followed instantly by certain death.

“Nice skills, handsome. It’s the first time I’ve seen someone like you. Your mech is mechanical, right? It’s rare—after all this time, you’ve only taken four shots from me.” Suddenly, Blue Lily’s admiring voice came through the channel. But to the black-haired man’s ears, it sounded rather grating.

“Just ‘nice’?” he sneered. Without hesitation, he maneuvered his mech to dodge another blue beam before speaking again.

“Nonsense. I’m already being generous by saying that. Handsome, how about we stop? You know you can’t catch up to me. Though your mech has strong defenses, how many more shots can you take before it gives out?”
“…” The black-haired man remained silent, his fingers still moving swiftly. He glanced up at the cockpit—most of the row of red buttons had turned green. Only three remained unchanged.

“Why aren’t you talking? Did that brat Blood Pup speak ill of me? Handsome guy, don’t worry. I’m very gentle. Come here obediently, and your sister will take good care of you.” The temptation from Blue Lily continued, but her actions were just as swift. In just a few words, three more blue beams flashed past the dark-haired man. If he hadn’t been fully focused, he would likely have been hit in the vital spots already.
Damn, she’s really a vicious woman. A faint smile of interest appeared on the dark-haired man’s lips.
Perhaps because she had to talk and attack at the same time, Blue Lily was somewhat distracted. The distance between them had shrunk significantly—now only around 300 meters. The entire blue mech was clearly visible to the dark-haired man, and from his perspective, he could even see the blue light flashing on its armor.
“Not bad idea, but…” The dark-haired man finally spoke up.
“But what?” Blue Lily’s voice was filled with excitement. She raised the gun barrel, and another blue beam was fired.
“But this time, the winner of this bet is me!!” In an instant, his voice rose sharply. Immediately afterward, his finger swept across the row of buttons above that had already turned green.
“Boom!!”
Like a violent explosion, the six engine nozzles on the back of the TG-73 emitted deafening noises. Particle streams, dozens of times larger than before, appeared before everyone’s eyes. Each one was as thick as a bucket—astonishingly huge! Correspondingly, the speed of the assault mech increased terrifyingly fast, closing the distance by over 100 meters in an instant!
“What!! How is that possible!!?” Outraged cries filled the Pike warship as all the pirates stood up in shock.
What they were seeing defied common sense. Mechs indeed had the ability to perform beyond normal limits, often serving as lifeline skills for technicians in critical situations. But such an extreme increase in power, like what the dark-haired man had achieved, had never been seen before. Even the speed-focused scout birds couldn’t match such a sudden boost.
Yet what the dark-haired man showed them was far from over. Amid the roar of the engines, the massive assault mech suddenly rotated, flying with its back forward. The 150MM smoothbore cannons on its shoulders simultaneously fired long streams of flame, blasting toward the endless starry sky behind it.
“Boom!!”

Unlike the previous attack, this time the flintlock cannon’s flame was thick and long—but no shells were fired. The torrential gunpowder gas acted like a makeshift propulsion system, pushing the TG-73’s speed to an even higher peak.
Empty shells ejected, the engine operating at full capacity. Multiple sequential sprints. These almost dreamlike combat techniques were displayed by Black Hair before everyone at that moment.
“God, what am I seeing!!!” Everyone cried out in shock. No one could believe what they were witnessing.
In an instant, that bulky mechanical mech seemed to turn into a streak of light, rushing right in front of Blue Lily in just one move. The huge, long cannon barrels on its shoulders acted like two massive spears, plunging deeply into her graceful figure. The sparks from the collision between the hard alloy barrels and her mech’s armor could be seen clearly even from a kilometer away on the Pike warship.
“Not good!” Blood-Eyed suddenly sat up straight, his expression changing drastically. At that moment, he finally understood Black Hair’s intentions.
But it was already too late. Right under everyone’s eyes, Black Hair’s assault mech suddenly turned. Its strange eight-legged structure abandoned its role of stabilizing the mech, acting like an octopus as it clung tightly to Blue Lily. Amidst sparks, the eight sharp toes sank deep into her mech’s body.
It was like an octopus catching its prey. Those who saw this scene couldn’t help but tremble, feeling as if they were in an ice cellar. Everyone wondered if there was any chance of escape under such circumstances.
“What are you trying to do? Stop!!!” Blue Lily’s terrified screams finally rang out over the channel. At this moment, she was no longer the lofty queen but rather resembled a victim of violence, her despair evident in her voice.
“Stop?” Black Hair sneered. His finger hovered above a red button.
“Talk to my barrel!”
“Boom!!”
His finger pressed down.