Chapter 31 - "Overload"
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Kaito's mech charged first—arm cannon roaring.
Blue energy blasted the monster's chest.
Smoke cleared.
No damage.
The monster punched—massive fist like a wrecking ball.
Mio jerked the controls.
The mech jumped—high, twisting mid-air.
Landed behind.
Kaito slashed—energy blades biting into rock hide.
Small cut. Purple mana leaked.
Ren's mech rushed from the front—sword flashing.
Slash—another shallow cut.
The monster swung both arms.
Both mechs dodged—Ren left, Kaito right.
Ren attacked the legs—sword hacking.
The monster looked down.
Kaito struck from behind—blades sinking into the spine.
Small cuts. Little blood.
The monster roared—confused, swinging wildly.
Where to block? Where to look?
Miku's voice crackled over comms—tense.
"We're running out of energy soon!"
Ren gritted his teeth.
"What?"
Kaito kept slashing.
"Don't worry. We have enough. But we have to kill this thing somehow."
Rei's voice came through—weak, gasping.
"Kaito… where are you?"
Kaito answered fast.
"Stuck in a fight. Can you search for Riku?"
Rei breathed hard—pain clear.
"Okay… but come soon. The girls are too scared."
Kaito nodded—even though she couldn't see.
"Okay. We'll finish this."
Rei's side—underground metro.
She leaned against a wall—hand pressed to her stomach. Blood soaked her fingers.
The girls huddled behind her—crying, whispering.
She forced her voice steady.
"Help is coming soon. Now I have to find my comrade. After that… we leave this place."
She pushed off the wall.
Stumbled.
Kept moving.
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Back on the surface.
Ren and Kaito attacked again—same time, different sides.
The monster turned toward Kaito.
Ren struck—sword stabbed straight through the back of the head, piercing one glowing eye.
At the exact moment—
Kaito stabbed from the front—blade sinking into the other eye.
The monster froze.
Ren's voice—low, dangerous.
"But how do we kill him?"
Miku and Mio answered at the same time.
"Energy cannon."
Ren blinked.
"You could've told us first."
Miku's voice—grim.
"It's not always the best idea. The cannon uses energy from multiple mechs. Overloads the system. Sometimes… the cockpit tears apart from the inside."
Kaito stared at the monster—still twitching.
"I'm ready. I still want answers from someone. I can't give up here."
Ren laughed—blood trickling from his mouth.
"I'm in too. I promised something. I'll keep it."
Miku and Mio pressed the blue button.
Connection established.
Blue lines surged between mechs—energy flowing.
The monster stood again.
Punched—again and again.
Both mechs took hits—shields flickering.
They couldn't move—connection locking them in place.
Sync rate fluctuated—78%… 75%… 82%…
Red warnings screamed.
Ren coughed blood.
Miku's nose bled.
Kaito tasted copper in his mouth.
Mio wiped her eyes—red streaks on her cheeks.
Connection complete.
Cannon ready.
The monster kept punching—relentless.
Ren and Kaito raised their remaining arms—formed a circle.
Left hand from Kaito's mech.
Right hand from Ren's.
Energy accumulated—blue glow swirling at the center.
Brighter.
Brighter.
The monster roared—fist raised for the final blow.
The cannon fired.
A massive blue beam—pure power—tore through the monster's chest.
A perfect hole.
Kaito's mech launched bombs—multiple—straight into the wound.
They detonated.
BOOM!
The monster exploded—rock skin shattering, purple mana erupting outward.
The shockwave hit both mechs.
They flew backward—crashed to the ground.
Screens flickered.
Sparks rained inside cockpits.
Silence fell.
Smoke rose.
The monster lay in pieces.
Kaito gasped—blood on his lips.
Ren coughed—laughing weakly.
"We… did it."
The battlefield went quiet.
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*End*