The Mithril force that had rushed over from afar hovered in the air, staring at the mushroom cloud still rising from the ground below. Looking at the cracked earth around it, they simply could not imagine that this was the result of a battle involving only a few machines. It was as if a low-yield nuclear bomb had truly been launched here. The immense power inspired fear.
Amid such a world-destroying scene, no one made a sound. They could only stare blankly at what lay before them. But Mithril's members being stunned did not mean Xiao Ran would be as well. He pressed the squad communication button and gave his orders in a somewhat cold voice. "Sousuke Sagara, stay behind. El-Elf, take the others and confirm Chidori and Yani's safety. If you encounter enemies... show no mercy."
"Understood." El-Elf immediately replied to Xiao Ran. He pulled his Variable Fighter up and headed toward the city where Chidori and Yani were located, while not forgetting to remind the Mithril members still reeling in shock, "Follow immediately."
"Yes!"
"Roger!"
Panicked voices rang out one after another over the squad comms. The hovering Variable Fighters transformed back into fighter form and hurried after El-Elf's machine. Only Sousuke Sagara's machine remained in Fortress Mode, suspended in the air.
Xiao Ran watched Sousuke Sagara's somewhat dazed expression through the screen, let out a breath, and said, "One of the enemy machines has a λ-DRIVER. If we want to inflict real damage on them, we can only rely on you, since you also have a λ-DRIVER. Be careful. Neither of these machines is anything you have encountered before."
"Right." Sousuke Sagara nodded. Even the copilot behind him, another outstanding Mithril fighter pilot, wore almost exactly the same expression. Sousuke Sagara looked down at the ground and