24
Metal footsteps struck the rock with dull echoes. Without pausing, the machines brandished an assortment of weapons and dogged the pair through the narrow passage. Rock walls cracked and rubble flew wherever they passed, their killing intent palpable.
The roar of an engine abruptly tore through the air. Barely concealed terror filled Xun Uchiha's shout. "I can't shake them! They're like a disease eating into our bones!"
"I told you ordinary methods wouldn't work on them! We can't even get a virus into their systems!" Little Bird shrieked over the communication channel, the voice sharp and grating with extreme tension.
"Leave it to me!"
Xun Uchiha yanked the control stick. The small aircraft carved a sharp arc through the air, forcibly reversing direction. At the edge of his vision, eight heavy mechs, each three and a half meters tall, were closing in in a fan formation. The crunch of their interlocking metal joints set his teeth on edge.
"Time-Space Slowing!"
At his low shout, the world around him seemed to hit pause. The charging tide of steel instantly froze, and an eerie gray-white glow suffused the air. The eight machines, each wielding a different weapon, now hung suspended like statues. Blades and spearpoints hovered a hair's breadth from his throat, unable to advance any farther.
Xun Uchiha drew a deep breath, the muscles in his arms bulging as his Super-Kong Alloy Gauntlets reflected a cold gleam in the sunlight. Without a moment's hesitation, he shot forward like a cannonball. His right fist, packed with three tons of explosive force, slammed into the sword-drawing robot at the front.
Bam!
The dull impact resounded all around him. Yet the spray of flesh and blood he had expected never came. His fist struck the robot's breastplate with a sharp clang, as though