CHAPTER 92: CHAPTER 91: ENCOUNTER! THE FATEFUL DUEL

Chen Pingchuan activated his hyper-sensory state just as the Mechanical Legion charged forward.

The front row consisted of heavily-defended Iron Plate Robots. Each one held a giant shield made of large metal plates, creating an opening for the humanoid Mechanical Men behind them. Meanwhile, the beast-shaped liquid metal Mechanical Men prowled around Chen Pingchuan, searching for the perfect moment to strike.

Faced with such a meticulous onslaught, Chen Pingchuan showed no fear. He ignored the mechanical beasts roaming around him, bracing himself against powerful laser beams and Armor-Piercing Bullets. His feet slammed down with explosive force, and the stone slabs beneath them shattered under the immense pressure. Instead of retreating, Chen Pingchuan advanced, sweeping the massive black-flame sword in his hand.

"Fury-Shadow Flame Slash!"

The seemingly indestructible metal shields, along with the Mechanical Men behind them, were instantly cleaved in two.

Seeing this, the humanoid Mechanical Men behind the front line showed a surprising degree of intelligence. They ignored their fallen comrades and fired even more powerful Plasma Laser Cannons. Unfortunately for them, to Chen Pingchuan—clad in his Celestial-grade armor—the Plasma Laser Cannons moved with agonizing slowness. He could have shattered the plasma beams with a simple swing of his sword before they could cause any harm, but he chose not to.

With just a few sidesteps, he turned the attack meant for him into a nightmare for the mechanical beasts. One after another, they were pierced by their own comrades’ plasma beams, their bodies blown to pieces. Although the liquid metal beasts possessed incredible regenerative abilities, the dense barrage of plasma beams quickly exhausted their energy, reducing them to pools of cold liquid metal.

As he dodged the attacks, Chen Pingchuan’s left hand was not idle. With every shift in position, he crushed the energy core of a nearby Mechanical Man.

"Die!"

With every swing, the greatsword in his right hand took down dozens of mechanical creatures.

The battle appeared intense, but in truth, it was a one-sided slaughter. For these emotionless mechanical creatures, the number of casualties had no effect on their attack directives.

"Incredible. It’s been a long time since I’ve had this much fun killing."

Chen Pingchuan had no idea how many he had killed. All he knew was that the base’s main hall was nearly full of metallic remains. As time passed, he began to consider changing the battlefield. If this kept up, he’d be completely buried in metal wreckage.

Just then, a shocking newcomer burst onto the smoke-filled battlefield. Clad in blood-red, flame-wreathed metal armor, she descended like a blazing meteor. Her stunning appearance and powerful aura immediately caught Chen Pingchuan’s attention.

Upon closer inspection, the armor’s surface was intricately engraved with impossibly complex circuit patterns. They resembled mysterious magical sigils, yet exuded an indescribable technological feel. Crimson flames danced and flowed around the armor as if they were alive. Aside from its color, the armor was strikingly similar to Chen Pingchuan’s own.

His eyes filled with admiration and envy. Whose commander is this? he wondered. She’s as handsome as I am.

Chen Pingchuan’s gaze locked onto the stranger once more as he keenly observed a few new details. A few strands of hair had fallen softly onto the red armor’s surface.

Huh? It’s a woman.

Through the slits of her visor, he felt her eyes were somehow familiar. It was a strange sense of déjà vu, as if he had seen them before but couldn’t recall where.

When Xia Qingxue saw the scene in the Mechanical Resistance Army’s base hall, her brow, hidden behind her visor, furrowed slightly. She couldn’t understand why eliminating a small rebel faction had resulted in such heavy casualties. If she hadn’t sensed the anomaly here and intervened, this man in the black-flame Mecha would have likely killed half of her subordinates. Even now, a quarter or more of the Mechanical Legion had been destroyed. The thought of facing the Elder Council’s scorn upon her return filled Xia Qingxue with irritation.

At that moment, her gaze swept over to Blue Demon, who had been sliced into five pieces. Seeing his obviously extinguished energy core caused Xia Qingxue’s expression to change drastically.

She couldn’t help but exclaim, "Blue Demon, you can’t be dead! Say something if you’re not!"

But the air remained silent.

Xia Qingxue’s expression was extremely complex. Blue Demon was one of her eldest sister’s most loyal henchmen. Her sister had specifically assigned him to this operation to monitor her and prevent her from using the opportunity to find her lover. This made their relationship delicate. On the surface, they were superior and subordinate, and he followed her orders. In reality, however, they belonged to different factions.

That Blue Demon had been killed by an outsider wasn’t, in itself, a catastrophe. After all, as long as his "spirit" stored in the Celestial Palace wasn’t obliterated, he could be reborn indefinitely. Although each death negatively impacted the "spirit," this profound level of technology was the foundation that allowed the Celestial Palace to lord over the other two major powers. Even so, one of her subordinates had been killed. She had to respond.

How should I handle this Mecha Warrior? Xia Qingxue quickly calculated. Should I kill him or capture him and bring him back to the Celestial Palace for the Elder Council to pass judgment?

She was absolutely confident in her victory. That much was unquestionable. Even if her opponent also wore Celestial-grade armor, there were differences in the power they could unleash. Furthermore, her Mecha, the Valkyrie, was renowned as the Celestial Palace’s ultimate fighting force—unmatched in the world, unless a Level 9 battle armor were to appear.

Naturally, Chen Pingchuan had no idea that the flame-clad Mecha Warrior opposite him was his ex-girlfriend, Xia Qingxue. Even with his intelligence now far beyond that of a normal person, he couldn’t possibly guess her identity out of thin air.

Sensing the formidable pressure emanating from her, Chen Pingchuan took an unorthodox approach. He taunted her in a flat, mechanical voice devoid of emotion:

"Hey, you over there. You’re not a chick, are you?"

"If so, I suggest you run home and find yourself a man. Don’t die here without leaving behind an heir."

"Of course, if you’re a pretty boy, then just pretend I didn’t say anything. That would be quite a picture, after all."

The reason for this personal attack was simple: to provoke his opponent’s fury. Having already absorbed the emotional trait of anger, he could draw strength from her emotions. Otherwise, Chen Pingchuan wouldn’t have bothered with the trash talk.

However, his plan failed.

Xia Qingxue did not get angry. Instead, she replied in an equally cold, mechanical voice:

"I think I’ll just kill you. My husband once told me that the best way to deal with a smart mouth is to send them on their way to the afterlife so they can reincarnate sooner. And you clearly aren’t the type to surrender."

"So, I’ll do you the kindness of sending you on your way."

With that,