Surging Undercurrents

The destruction caused by Xingtian's axe had been catastrophic.

Thunderclap had put all its strength into that tail swing, yet it was still weaker than a normal tail strike!

"Roar!"

As Thunderclap let out a miserable bellow, Yu Xiao could feel it trying to yank its tail out of his grasp!

"Hmph. Think you can get away?"

A silver metal chain sword shot out from beneath Xingtian's arm and coiled around Thunderclap's massive tail like a venomous snake!

Then Xingtian plunged its giant axe into the shallows, grabbed the tail with both hands, and began hauling Thunderclap toward itself!

Thunderclap writhed in the water, wailing as its one remaining claw thrashed across the surface, unable to find anything to grab!

No matter how hard Thunderclap struggled, it was dragged toward Xingtian at an unchanging pace.

After just ten pulls, Xingtian had hauled Thunderclap's enormous body right in front of itself!

Only then did Xingtian finally let go and retract the chain sword.

Thud!

But next came Xingtian's massive foot, stomping down on Thunderclap's tail!

Even as Xingtian shifted its stance, Thunderclap couldn't break free—it had exhausted all its strength in the struggle.

Xingtian picked up the giant axe from the shallows and raised it high above its head!

[Overload mode activated]

As the system notification sounded, the reactor in Xingtian's chest went from a low hum to a ferocious roar!

Its scarlet glow gradually turned bloodred!

Yu Xiao could feel every muscle unit in his body yearning to unleash that surging power!

The scorching sea breeze, the endless mounds of corpses, the shattered mechs, and Thunderclap's pitiful cries beneath Xingtian's foot.

He was no longer that old first-generation mech.

Bang!

That blow split stone and clouds, shaking the earth!

The black axe sank deep into Thunderclap's skull, its keen blade thrusting straight through Thunderclap's jaw!

"Die! Now!"

Yu Xiao shouted, gripping the black haft with both hands as he dragged the axe along Thunderclap's hard spine, all the way to its tail!

Flesh, scales, and bone were shredded by the giant axe, dissolving into countless sticky fragments that seeped into the sea!

Xingtian split Thunderclap's mountain-sized body in two!

Buzz!

When Xingtian pulled the giant axe from Thunderclap's corpse, it seemed as though heaven and earth themselves were singing in harmony with him!

Everyone aboard the Truth was stunned and thrilled by the sight before them!

Xingtian had defeated a Level 4 kaiju in a one-on-one fight!

It was a feat humanity had never accomplished before!

[Unique target Thunderclap eliminated. Equipment module "Black Armor" has been sent to your mailbox.]

[Your renown has increased. Mech spirit level raised to: Level 2]

"Mailbox?"

The system notification had barely appeared when Yu Xiao felt something new inside his reactor.

Sure enough, when he closed his eyes, he saw the information for "Black Armor."

[Module name: Black Armor]

[Module source: Elimination of unique target—Thunderclap]

[Module description: The scales of the kaiju Thunderclap are extremely lightweight and can cover a mech's surface in living form. Their toughness rivals that of pure artificial giant-force alloy. When Black Armor is hit by a physical attack, it reflects 30% of the attack's kinetic energy back at the attacker.]

[Note: Equipping Black Armor automatically replaces the mech's current external armor. The replaced armor will not be returned.]

After reading the description, Yu Xiao released "Black Armor" from his reactor without hesitation—his heavy armor was already badly damaged.

Black fluid seeped out of the reactor once more, completely enveloping Xingtian's body. Yu Xiao could feel his original armor being entirely destroyed by the fluid, replaced by some sort of "organ" that he could control, covering the mech's surface!

In just a few seconds, the black fluid flowed back into Xingtian's reactor. The damaged armor was now completely replaced by a dense layer of thick black scales!

When Yu Xiao opened his eyes again, he could even feel his scales "breathing"!

He was certain now: he was strong enough to stand against these Level 4 kaiju.

But when Yu Xiao looked toward the distant sea, he saw that the other two Level 4 kaiju hadn't moved at all!

The Siren and the Avenger stood motionless, like two statues, frozen in an unnervingly upright pose.

Yu Xiao had kept an eye on the other two Level 4 kaiju ever since Xingtian began fighting Thunderclap. Yet even after he had killed Thunderclap, neither the Siren nor the Avenger had shown any sign of moving.

Now, the entire coastline had fallen into a suffocating silence.

Many technicians aboard the Truth had noticed this too, but everyone had been focused on the battle between Xingtian and Thunderclap, so they had set the matter aside for the time being.

But now, the Siren and the Avenger had vanished from the energy radar entirely!

There was only one possible explanation.

The Siren and the Avenger were dead.

"Dr. Yuan, what should we do now?" The adjutant voiced the question on everyone's mind. "All the kaiju are dead, but the energy waves are still spreading."

Yuan Zhen turned his gaze away from the battlefield below and looked at the digital model, which would be finished in thirty seconds.

"Wait a little longer."

On the shore, Xingtian stood beside Thunderclap's corpse, giant axe in hand, on guard.

Yu Xiao had also realized that the other two Level 4 kaiju were dead.

But how had they died?

Every kaiju that had appeared had been killed, so why had the biggest Level 5 energy source still not shown itself?

Why hadn't the Alliance issued any warnings or taken action in response to such a large-scale kaiju migration?

Countless questions flooded Yu Xiao's mind. He sensed that something was wrong, but he couldn't piece all the clues together.

Drip!

Xingtian abruptly looked down at Thunderclap's body!

Dark green blood was flowing steadily into the sea.

Only then did Yu Xiao suddenly remember the conversation he'd overheard when he'd first crossed over: a newly hired apprentice mechanic had asked Lao Yu a question.

"Why do we spend so much money building mechs to fight kaiju? Wouldn't nuclear bombs be much easier?"

"You brat, how do you not know this? What did you learn in your onboarding training?" Lao Yu's expression had been grave. "A kaiju's blood is an extremely unstable energy source. If you attack it with a high-energy weapon, the unstable blood becomes a powerful catalyst, amplifying the reaction a hundredfold, even a thousandfold!"

"Then wouldn't a nuclear bomb..." The apprentice's eyes had widened.

"Why do you think the clusters of cities on the map of Hein, the first country attacked by kaiju, disappeared overnight?"

Cold sweat had broken out on the apprentice's forehead, and he'd decided not to ask any more questions.

A powerful sense of unease rose in Yu Xiao's heart. He immediately made Xingtian turn around and look toward the mounds of corpses and sea of blood along the coast!

All the kaiju blood was flowing in only one direction.

Toward the distant sea!