The Centurion's joints, engine, and outer armor groaned under the strain once more. The instant Yu Lian hurled his spear of light, he even heard a loud rrrip—and then found himself moving with a few more gratifying inches of freedom. The most expensive, yet most fragile, joints in the mech had been torn apart.
After all, this was a mech built for ordinary people. It simply couldn't withstand the reckless antics of a certain psychic, and had decided to die on him.
But this wasn't the time to worry about the condition of an ordinary Centurion mech. A pillar of light, as though formed from shards of the sun, whipped up a spiraling storm of air and tore through the towering wall of sand and rock, revealing the enormous insect hidden within.
No wonder Miss Nailhana had mistaken it for a sandworm. The creature really did look a lot like one, at least in its size and shape. The only difference was that its body was covered in a rugged, craggy layer of rocklike chitin. It was, of course, protective camouflage that let it burrow through the ground with ease—but it certainly made the creature look several times uglier.
Before the giant insect could open its bizarre, petal-like maw like a sandworm, its thick body—at least ten meters in radius, by the look of it—was pierced clean through by a "shard of sunlight."
The alien creature's remains and bodily fluids rained down, but before they could land on Yu Lian, an invisible force field knocked them away. He walked straight toward the storm of sand and the enormous insect as it toppled over.
Nailhana and the others exchanged glances, then followed him, still keeping their formation of four intact and ready to shift into combat at any moment.
Then two