章 49: Ancestor Kevin Charges!
"Impossible!" That was Michael's first reaction.
Besides its space-freezing ability, he couldn't imagine how the Yaksha could have withstood the 680mm railgun's magnetic storm grenade.
Just relying on its physical defenses?
It wasn't impossible, but even a minor flesh wound on a human leg could significantly reduce running speed. The black streak heading for Ruruye was moving too fast, showing no signs of serious injury.
Michael had clearly tested the Yaksha's limits. It couldn't use its enhanced space freeze twice in rapid succession. The shortest interval he'd observed was five seconds…
Just like how Michael could teleport to the Yaksha but needed time to recharge before returning to Fire Moth One.
Wait!
That line of thinking was too rigid. Firstly, the Yaksha could have been holding back during his tests.
Or, assuming the Yaksha could expend 10 units of Honkai energy at once, the interval Michael had observed was the recharge time after complete depletion. The Yaksha could have used only 1 unit to freeze space, presenting a deliberate weakness, then, after Michael broke through and retreated, used the remaining 9 units to escape the magnetic storm grenade…
Regardless, since the mistake had been made, all he could do was fix it.
He struggled to his feet, but Elysia grabbed his wrist.
He turned to see Elysia biting her lip, shaking her head hesitantly.
Michael glanced at his reflection in the polished stainless steel handrail. His face was almost blue – like he'd just run a marathon at high altitude, suffering from severe altitude sickness and hypoxia, on the verge of collapsing.
Even stranger, his forehead was an unnatural red. A light touch with his cool fingers produced a sizzling sound and a puff of white smoke.
"Already at my limit…?" Constantly using his powers consumed not just Honkai energy. If it were that simple, wouldn't Herrschers be invincible?
Physical and mental strain were the price of power, especially for Michael. Using the power of Reason to simulate the core of the Void, exploiting its powers like a glitch, came at a double cost.
But his fight wasn't over.
The Yaksha was incredibly fast, but only compared to other flying creatures. Compared to Fire Moth One, it didn't have much of an advantage.
Himeko pushed the throttle to its limit, the ship cutting through the waves, pursuing the small black dot.
Michael stretched out a hand, wanting to construct another 680mm railgun, but the throbbing pain in his head returned the moment he tried to use his powers.
"Ugh… ah!" He clutched his head, groaning. If Elysia hadn't caught him, he would have collapsed.
"Are there any other weapons on Fire Moth One? Like mecha? I can pilot them!" Sakura couldn't stand it anymore. This feeling of helplessness and inaction was driving her crazy.
She believed she wasn't truly outmatched by the Yaksha… well, perhaps she was outmatched by its current form, but if Michael created an opening, she was confident she could find the Yaksha's weak point and deliver a fatal blow.
But she couldn't even get close!
That was the most frustrating part!
"You can pilot a mecha?" Himeko asked, her eyes glued to the radar screen.
"Uh… no." Sakura deflated. Her training in Chrysalis had focused on swordsmanship, tracking, disguise, assassination, and so on. Mecha piloting wasn't part of the curriculum. She'd just spoken out of frustration.
Himeko watched the radar intently. When the distance to the Yaksha closed to within ten kilometers, she pressed a button on the console.
The radar flashed red, a targeting marker appearing on the red dot representing the Yaksha. Two small missile bays opened on the sides of the ship, and four missiles, trailing white smoke, shot towards the Yaksha.
"This is!" Sakura's spirits lifted, seeing a glimmer of hope.
But Himeko quickly extinguished it.
"These are experimental missiles, the only four we have. They're designed for aerial Honkai beasts, similar in principle to air-to-air missiles – meaning, they don't have a large payload. Even if they hit, the damage won't be much more than fireworks. And there are other issues, like unstable guidance and a low G-force tolerance. But, it's better than nothing."
As she spoke, the four white trails rapidly closed in on the Yaksha. Just as the missiles were about to hit, it abruptly pulled a 90-degree climb, like a fighter jet performing a Cobra maneuver.
Two missiles overshot their target. One tried to turn, guided by the radar, but it was too slow. By the time it corrected its trajectory, the Yaksha was too far away.
The remaining two missiles continued their pursuit, twisting and turning with the Yaksha, then exploded, engulfing it in flames.
But Sakura saw clearly that the missiles hadn't hit the Yaksha directly. They had collided with each other at an angle.
As expected, the familiar black figure emerged from the smoke.
It hesitated, glancing at Fire Moth One, then, seemingly making up its mind, continued towards Ruruye.
Himeko reluctantly pulled back on the throttle and adjusted the steering, slowing the ship.
"Why aren't we chasing it?" Sakura asked.
"Ruruye's buildings are too tall. Fire Moth One needs to gain altitude…" Elysia explained quietly.
But understanding the reason didn't make it any easier to watch the Yaksha approach the castle-like breakwater and enter the city.
Michael's Honkai energy had recovered. Seeing this, he knew there was no other way. He gritted his teeth, constructing the Second Herrscher's core, preparing to…
"Boom!" Dozens of rockets streaked towards the Yaksha, a wall of water erupting before it, halting its advance.
"?"
"Where did the helicopter come from?"
"Isn't that the one carrying Dr. Mobius?!"
"Switch out of lazy mode! We're providing support!"
The helicopter descended rapidly, tilting to expose the open bay doors on its underside. A figure Michael recognized, yet hadn't expected, stood in the doorway, wielding a 12.7mm heavy machine gun, firing relentlessly at the Yaksha.
Bullets rained down on the Yaksha, sparking off its white exoskeleton, forcing it back.
While it didn't seem injured, it was clearly taken aback, hovering in place in disbelief.
"Ahhhhhhh! I'm going to brag about this to Su!" Kevin yelled excitedly, holding down the trigger until the five-hundred-round belt was empty.
The barrel glowed red, emitting wisps of white smoke, but Kevin didn't care.
"Mei! More ammo!"
Mobius, seeing Fire Moth One take off, knew something was wrong. Using her authority, she ordered the helicopter pilot to return to Ruruye, grabbing a random assortment of weapons and ammunition from the Ruruye defense forces, who were on high alert.
But how could Mei, even with her unusual hobbies, find 12.7mm armor-piercing incendiary rounds in the chaos of the helicopter's cargo hold?
Mobius, without hesitation, handed Kevin a thick, green cylinder.
Kevin took it without looking, then realized something was off – was this 12.7mm ammo? The size seemed wrong.
He looked down and saw that Mobius had given him a portable railgun!
He wanted to curse, but then he saw the Yaksha emerge from the smoke. Its long, slender limbs ending in gleaming claws, its fly-like multifaceted eyes, its three mismatched wings, its lizard-like tail, and those long, girly pink ears that no one could quite place.
All of these screamed "enemy." – "Mei, I told you there were monsters in this world!"
Mei really wanted to tell Kevin to shut up!
But then, a look of horror appeared on her face – the Yaksha seemed to have recovered from its shock. Its already crimson eyes bulged as it charged towards the helicopter.
Kevin shouldered the railgun, firing without even aiming. A puff of smoke erupted from the barrel, the projectile leaving a black trail, and, against all odds, hitting its mark!
The force of the explosion sent the helicopter tilting precariously. The skilled pilot quickly regained control and began ascending without waiting for Mobius's orders.
Kevin reached behind him without looking back. Mei, learning her lesson, quickly handed him something round.
He took it, feeling that it was still wrong – why was it so thin and light this time? He looked down and saw a baseball bat.
"…"
"Why is there a baseball bat?"
In that brief moment of distraction, a dark figure emerged from the smoke.
Time seemed to freeze. Kevin stood there dumbfoundedly, holding the baseball bat, the Yaksha's claws gripping the sides of the helicopter's open bay, its massive head blocking the entire opening. Its claws tightened, the helicopter's frame buckling.
The added weight sent the helicopter plummeting towards the sea, bringing Kevin almost face-to-face with the Yaksha's jaws. The pilot yanked the control stick, tilting the helicopter, and Kevin stumbled back.
But this didn't stop the Yaksha. Its multifaceted eyes glowed crimson as its jaws opened wider, stretching the helicopter's frame.
A drop of viscous saliva dripped onto Kevin's forehead, a pungent mix of blood and something like plastic.
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