Chapter 195: Chapter 190: Insisting on Persuading People with Truth

"A pleasure to meet you, Commander. Freedom Gundam, reporting for duty."

A massive voice echoed through the workshop.

Allen had designed the Control Core of the Freedom Gundam with a calm, wise virtual personality, its tone a stark contrast to the somewhat irritable PX-0.

"Excellent. Freedom, you have been assigned to the Guard detail. Shortly, you will accompany me on a test mission."

"Standing by, Commander."

"Jarvis, open the hangar." Allen’s voice was calm, but his clenched fists betrayed his inner excitement.

[Command confirmed.]

The towering iron doors slid apart, revealing the scene outside the workshop.

Allen had designated Assembly Area Three as the Freedom Gundam’s exclusive hangar and had even opened a new gate directly in the workshop wall for easy access.

Allen gave Freedom its first command: "Freedom, take one step forward."

VMM—

The singularity engine’s output surged in an instant. An invisible pressure of Magic Power erupted from the Freedom Gundam, spreading outwards! The very air in the hangar seemed to thicken.

THUD!

The Steel Giant lifted its right leg and took a step.

The entire workshop trembled. The sturdy metal plates on the floor let out a groan as if overwhelmed.

It wasn’t just weight; it was a declaration of power.

"Excellent."

The corners of Allen’s mouth turned up. His Spiritual Power extended, activating the [Cluster Link Formula] and seamlessly interfacing with the Freedom Gundam’s Control Core.

This time, there was no dizziness, no lag, not the slightest bit of discomfort.

Empowered by his [Mechanical Mind], Allen’s consciousness was instantly elevated to an eighteen-meter-high perspective.

He could "see" a panoramic view of the entire hangar, "feel" the flow through every single Energy Circuit within the mech’s body. The solidity of the Titan Magic Steel and the surging Magic Power filled him with a sense of security.

It was like an extension of his own limbs, a perfectly natural fit.

At this moment, the Steel Giant had become an extension of his body.

"This feeling..." Allen couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. "It’s unparalleled."

With a mere thought, the Freedom Gundam smoothly turned, strode forward, and walked out of the hangar.

Each step was perfectly stable, its colossal body moving without the slightest hesitation.

Outside the workshop, the transport airship "Odyssey," which had long been on standby, floated silently, flanked by five "Storm Falcons."

Allen boarded the Odyssey, returned control to the Freedom Gundam, and maintained only the spiritual link.

"Target: Black Stone Gobi." After Allen gave the command, the Odyssey set off first, flying west.

The Freedom Gundam automatically linked to a Demon Eye III to acquire a real-time tactical map. Immediately after, the anti-gravity flight Rune Array activated.

The eighteen-meter-tall behemoth silently and slowly lifted off the ground.

There were no fiery jets, no rush of air—it was like a ghost being lifted by invisible strings, floating weightlessly in mid-air.

"Freedom, launch!"

The five pairs of wing-like Floating Cannons on the Freedom Gundam’s back spread slightly. It adjusted its attitude, and its thrusters ejected pale blue streams of Magic Power as it instantly gave chase.

...

Beneath a crimson sky, a streamlined airship, the Odyssey, sailed smoothly above the clouds.

Allen’s physical body sat in the command chair, holding a glass of iced dew-fruit juice, but his consciousness was completely immersed in the steel figure up ahead.

Even the Storm Falcon squadron couldn’t keep up with Freedom’s speed.

A thought crossed Allen’s mind.

’Test: Maximum speed and maneuverability.’

The five pairs of wing-like weapons on the Freedom Gundam’s back extended further. The ten mounted "Dragon Cavalry" Floating Cannons blasted even more violent streams of magic particles backward.

BOOM!

A visible white vapor cone erupted around the mech’s body.

The steel beast, with its astonishing weight, instantly broke the sound barrier, transforming into a blue-and-white meteor that tore through the sky.

At this speed... even mid-tier, wind-element Magical Beasts skilled in flight could only eat its dust!

This was Allen’s first time setting foot in the Black Stone Gobi.

Looking out from a porthole on the Odyssey, the land, which occupied nearly a third of Zone 18, stretched out as far as the eye could see.

This place was over three hundred kilometers from Allen’s main base. Black gravel and jagged, bizarre rocks created a monotonous landscape. Howling winds whipped up dust and sand, forming towering tornadoes that connected the earth and sky.

"Dseek, search for test targets." After leaving the workshop, an AI named Dseek had taken over from Jarvis to analyze the data transmitted by the Demon Eyes. Allen sat in his command chair, synchronously experiencing the thrill of supersonic flight through his link with the Freedom Gundam.

[Scanning... High energy signature detected underground. Distance: 15 kilometers. Magic Power fluctuation: 2230.]

[Target identified: Adult Rock Armor Earth Dragon.]

Allen’s gaze sharpened instantly.

The Rock Armor Earth Dragon, one of the apex predators of the Black Stone Gobi. They were solitary creatures, and each adult possessed strength approaching that of a First-level Wizard.

Empowered by its spell-like abilities, its scales had physical and magic resistance that was not inferior even to a Crystal Shell Giant Scorpion.

’A perfect test subject.’

"Freedom, descend and engage combat mode."

The blue-and-white mech carved a graceful arc through the air, flying silently toward the target area.

Just then, the ground began to shake violently.

A behemoth over twenty meters long burst out from beneath a sand dune.

Its entire body was covered in thick, rock-like armor. Each scale resembled polished granite, and sharp, earthen spikes grew from its spine.

The Rock Armor Earth Dragon.

The dragon was currently in a foul mood; it had just been startled awake by the sonic boom from the sky.

It raised its head, its golden, slitted pupils staring at the strange steel creation in the sky it had never seen before. It opened its massive maw and let out a threatening roar.

ROAR—!

As it roared, the surrounding sand and rock gathered frantically, forming a three-meter-thick rock shield in front of it.

The Freedom Gundam hovered a hundred meters in the air, brazenly releasing its heavy pressure of Magic Power. The five pairs of wings on its back unfurled, making it resemble a terrifying steel deity about to deliver Divine Punishment!

"Dragon Cavalry system, activate."

The ten mounted units on the Freedom Gundam’s back, which resembled an Angel’s wings, instantly detached. They transformed into ten streaks of light, drawing brilliant trails in the air as they circled the Rock Armor Earth Dragon.

PSH! PSH! PSH! PSH!

Ten high-energy beams of Magic Power shot out simultaneously from different angles, precisely piercing the rock shield.

As if toying with it, they left a series of white scorch marks on the scales it was so proud of.

Although they failed to penetrate its defense, the humiliation of being toyed with so easily thoroughly enraged the Magical Beast.

The Rock Armor Earth Dragon roared in fury. It tried to retaliate, sending countless earthen spikes shooting into the sky, attempting to skewer the dancing "flies."

But the Floating Cannons’ agility was simply incredible. They rolled, stopped on a dime, and changed direction in mid-air, effortlessly dodging every attack before continuing their precise potshots from blind spots.

This wasn’t a battle; it was a mockery.

’Remote fire suppression is adequate, but the power is insufficient to pierce its armor. Next, test close-quarters combat destructive capability.’

With a thought from Allen, the Floating Cannons swiftly returned to their docks.

"Meteoric Star, unsheathe!"

The mech’s right hand reached back and grasped the enormous hilt on its back.

VMMMM—

The massive, fifteen-meter-long Ship-Slicing Blade was drawn. On its blade, countless "Shatter" Runes lit up in sequence, emitting a high-frequency hum. The very air distorted from the vibration.

The Freedom Gundam dove abruptly, its eighteen-meter-tall frame plummeting like a meteor, hurtling toward the ground with world-destroying kinetic energy.

The Rock Armor Earth Dragon sensed a fatal threat. It frantically channeled its Magic Power, and its scales began to glow with an earthy-yellow halo, instantly raising its defenses to their absolute peak.

Experience told it that no physical attack could ever pierce its defense in a single blow.

However, it was wrong.

BOOM—!

There was an earth-shattering CRASH, followed by the muffled sound of a sharp blade slicing through flesh and blood.

The high-frequency, vibrating Ship-Slicing Blade ignored the hard scales, ignored the thick muscle, ignored the sturdy bones, and swept cleanly through the Rock Armor Earth Dragon’s neck.

Time itself seemed to freeze in that moment.

The next second, blood erupted like a fountain.

The head, as large as a small house, slowly slid off and crashed heavily onto the sand.

Severed in a single slash.

Cracks radiated out from the point of impact. At the center, the Freedom Gundam knelt on one knee, its Ship-Slicing Blade buried deep in the ground.

’Physical cutting effectiveness: Excellent.’

Allen wasn’t surprised by the result.

’If it couldn’t even cut down a peak First-level Magical Beast, wouldn’t all those Magic Stones have been spent for nothing?’

’Since we’re already here, might as well test the last item on the list.’

Freedom ascended once more, retrieving a prepared shoulder-mounted cannon from the Odyssey’s cargo hold.

This time, it didn’t look for a living target. Instead, it aimed the muzzle at a bare, fifty-meter-high rock hill five kilometers away.

The hill was composed of hard black-iron rock, with a hardness comparable to steel.

"Connection to ’Titan’s Roar’ is stable. Draw Magic Power from the singularity engine?"

"Warning: This weapon has extremely high energy consumption and will cause permanent Magic Power radiation contamination to the surrounding environment. Confirm?"

"Confirm. Release all limiters."

KLANG KLANG KLANG—

The Freedom Gundam recalibrated the aim of the heavy cannon on its shoulder. On the weapon’s barrel, a complex Energy Gathering Rune Array began to light up in stages.

The once-violent sandstorm suddenly fell still.

The ambient Magic Power for several kilometers around, as if drawn by a massive black hole, began to gather frantically toward the cannon’s muzzle.

The singularity engine let out a strained roar, its power output instantly spiking to 100%.

"Charge level: 80%... 90%... 100%."

"Target locked."

"Fire!"

BOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!

Heaven and earth lost their color.

There was no sound, for the sound itself had been swallowed by the immense torrent of energy.

A blinding, thick pillar of light wreathed in crimson lightning erupted forth, expanding in front of the muzzle into a torrent of destruction over ten meters in diameter.

Everywhere it passed, space warped and the air was ionized into an eerie plasma state.

The pillar of light crossed the five-kilometer distance in an instant and pierced through the rock hill.

There was no explosion.

No shrapnel flew.

Only silent dissolution.

The moment the top of the small mountain came into contact with the pillar of light, it was like snow under a blazing sun—it vaporized and vanished.

The beam’s momentum did not wane as it continued on, leaving a crimson scar upon the land.

Where the peak of the hill had once been, only a massive, semicircular gap remained. The incision was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting an eerie light under the eternal scarlet sky of the Molten Iron Mountain Range.

It was as if a god had taken an eraser and simply wiped a corner of the mountain off the map.

[High energy residue detected. Strike effectiveness assessment: The most destructive attack to date.]

[Peak Magic Power reading: 3600. Destructive capability has reached the standard of a Second-level Wizard.]

Jarvis, which had witnessed everything through the high-altitude Demon Eye III, delivered its summary in Allen’s mind with its usual steady tone.

[Commander, your military force is now sufficient to annihilate the Scorpion King in your territory.]

Sitting in the command chair of the Odyssey, Allen gazed at the terrifyingly smooth gap in the distance and slowly let out a long breath.

He picked up his glass of juice and drained it in one gulp.

"Don’t make it sound so crude..."

Ambition glittered in Allen’s eyes. It was the look of a Hunter who had finally sharpened his blade and was ready to enter the mountains to hunt a tiger.

"This is called ’persuading people with reason.’ Oh, no, persuading Magical Beasts."

"All units, return to base."

The giant of steel retracted its cannon, carved a graceful arc through the air, and escorted its master back to the workshop.

Now that the sword was forged, what came next...

...was collecting the rent.