To Hell with Fate! I'll Forge My Own!

Faced with that terrifying blow,

Chen Xing showed no fear. He pulled the control lever.

The Starfarer's energy shield sprang to life.

BOOM!!!

The black dragon claw slammed into the shield.

A massive shock wave surged outward, whipping the once-calm sea into waves several meters high.

Chen Xing gritted his teeth.

Alarms blared through the cockpit.

[Warning, left arm shield energy depleted by 67%.]

[Warning, frame structure subjected to impact beyond tolerance.]

Chen Xing stared at the screen.

It held!

Di Tian's expression changed at the sight.

"Hm?"

He glanced down at his right hand, then up at the red Mecha still standing before him.

"You actually blocked the Dragon God Claw? Not bad."

"But that's as far as you go!"

Di Tian raised his hand again.

A second Dragon God Claw!

This strike was even stronger than the first.

The enormous black claw came crashing down, wreathed in the aura of destruction.

Chen Xing raised the left arm shield again.

BOOM!!!

This time, the entire Starfarer skidded back more than ten meters.

It carved two deep furrows through the sand.

Cracks spread across the Mecha's left arm shield, and electricity hissed from the gaps.

[Warning, left arm shield structure damaged. Immediate retreat advised.]

Chen Xing wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Hold together!"

Di Tian frowned even more deeply.

It's that tough?

His gaze finally turned serious.

"Let's see how many more strikes you can take!"

Di Tian stopped holding back.

The black dragon claw struck again and again, each blow heavier than the last.

Under the relentless assault, the Starfarer's shield finally shattered into pieces.

Cracks spread across the Mecha's surface, and pieces of armor kept falling away.

Inside the cockpit, the alarms had become one continuous shriek.

[Warning, frame integrity reduced by 33%.]

[Warning, energy core overloaded.]

[Warning, abandon frame and evacuate immediately.]

"Pfft!"

Blood trickled from the corner of Chen Xing's mouth.

The force of the Dragon God Claw had passed through the Mecha and struck him.

But Chen Xing still did not move.

He only gripped the control levers with both hands.

Di Tian stopped attacking.

He looked at the Mecha before him, sparks flying from its battered frame, and a complicated look crossed his eyes. "Still alive? Human, your will has surpassed my expectations. I respect you."

"But..."

Di Tian slowly raised his hand, and black light gathered once more.

"The Soul Beast Forest cannot be without its lord."

"So I'm sorry, little one. Don't blame me for showing no mercy."

The attack fell.

Just then, Na'er sprang up from the reef. Silver light flashed in her eyes.

An overwhelming pressure erupted from her tiny body.

"Di Tian! Stop!!!"

Di Tian faltered.

But his attack had already been unleashed.

The black dragon claw tore through the air toward the Starfarer.

It was too late.

"Brother!!!"

Na'er rushed toward the Starfarer without a thought for herself.

But she was too slow.

The black dragon claw crashed down.

BOOM!!!

A colossal explosion shook the entire beach.

The Starfarer's massive body toppled, and the light in the Mecha's eyes went out.

Na'er collapsed onto the sand.

"Chen Xing... Brother..."

Na'er clenched her fists so tightly they trembled. Tears gradually blurred her vision.

She was the exalted Silver Dragon King, yet right now she could do nothing.

Heh. How pathetic. He's nothing but an insignificant insect, and you thought you could protect him? What a joke.

"No! Brother Chen Xing is different!"

How is he different? He's just an ordinary ant. Do you really think that pitiful scrap of Wish Power can get him back on his feet?

Give up your childish dreams. You are the Soul Beast Co-Ruler, the Silver Dragon King who stands above all others. Why care whether an ant lives or dies?

"Brother Chen Xing isn't an ant!"

Brother Chen Xing is the best brother in the world. He has such a lovely smile. He's the one who makes Na'er feel warm...

Heh. If gentle words won't work, I'll have to use force.

"No!"

Na'er clutched her head and shook it frantically.

Stop struggling. You can't beat me.

Memories flashed through Na'er's mind, one after another.

"My name is Chen Xing..."

"Na'er, I could never hate you. I love you too much for that."

"The Sea of Stars is boundless. I want to see it for myself."

Na'er wants to see it with her brother...

Na'er wants to stay with him forever...

"Na'er... will never... submit to you..."

Inside the cockpit,

red warning lights flashed wildly.

Chen Xing slumped in the pilot's seat, blood covering his forehead.

Every bone in his body ached as though it had been shattered.

Had he lost after all?

Was this really his fate?

Suddenly, a voice sounded in his mind.

It was what Himeko had told him at the very end, gentle yet firm.

"My journey ends here. The road ahead is yours."

My road...

"Brother Chen Xing, can we really go to those stars?"

The stars...

My road... The stars...

Chen Xing's eyes flew open.

[You saw a road.]

His hand trembled as he struggled to grasp the control lever.

[A road no one had ever traveled.]

His fingers slowly tightened.

[And then you began to move forward.]

To hell with fate!

My fate is mine to...

FORGE!!!

He pushed the control lever once more.

The alarms rose to a shrill peak.

[Warning! Energy core overloaded!]

[Warning! Risk of structural collapse!]

[Warning! Warning...]

Every alarm cut off at once.

A sphere of golden light burst from the Mecha's chest.

Di Tian narrowed his eyes.

The golden sphere grew brighter and brighter, its radiance more intense by the moment.

It rose suddenly above the darkened beach.

The glare forced Di Tian to raise a hand over his eyes.

When the light faded, he froze.

The Starfarer he had battered nearly beyond repair stood on the beach once more, its whole body shrouded in a faint golden glow.

Every part of the frame had been restored.

No.

It was stronger than before!

Golden patterns flowed across the Starfarer's surface.

A terrifying pressure radiated from it.

"This... is impossible..."

Chen Xing's voice came from within the Starfarer.

"Di Tian!"

Di Tian's face changed completely. He hesitated no longer.

Black mist poured from his body as it rapidly expanded.

In the blink of an eye, a massive black dragon over a hundred meters long appeared above the beach.

The Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King!

Di Tian's true form!

The black dragon opened his enormous jaws and unleashed a roar that shook the heavens and made the entire beach tremble!

"Human!!!"

"Let's see how long you can last!"