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The ground heaved, soil churning. The eight-meter-tall steel monster, like a moving castle, burst from the earth again, bearing the same malice and murderous intent.
Xun Uchiha's expression was grave as he spoke urgently to his companion. "Time Reset worked. It's about to repeat what happened-first it'll emerge from underground, then rain destruction on these ruins."
Fayan Luo's face instantly paled. "You mean that devastating weapon from before..."
"Exactly." Xun Uchiha's gaze was icy. "You have to strike the instant it appears. Hit it with nuclear weapons, and make sure you wipe it out before it finishes charging."
Before he had finished speaking, the earth split open with a thunderous crash. The steel behemoth fully emerged, a rank wind rushing toward them. The three swiftly guided their aircraft high into the sky, putting a safe distance between themselves and the beast.
Fayan Luo drew a deep breath and tightened his finger on the trigger. "Fire!"
A nuclear missile screamed toward the target, trailing a long plume of flame.
The next second, blinding white light swallowed everything.
An immense shock wave expanded in a sphere, ionizing the air and scouring the ground wherever it passed. A small mushroom cloud rose from the surface. Heat swept in every direction, whipping the lingering smoke and dust into towering waves.
At the center of that deadly radiance, Snakebelly Great General stood motionless. No trace of emotion showed beneath his mask, as cold as an iron plate. Facing a blast of light powerful enough to vaporize everything, he merely murmured calmly, "We will not die."
Then the intense light engulfed him. Before that earth-shattering power, his tough armor and intricate mechanical structures shattered layer by layer like fragile glass, crumbling to dust and vanishing into the void.
When the light faded, thick smoke filled