Chapter 198: Chapter 193: The Curtain Falls

The Freedom Gundam shot forward like an arrow flying low to the ground. Its frame tore through the air, letting out a sharp whistle as it moved at incredible speed.

But the grievously wounded Scorpion King was not about to just lie down and die.

Its sole remaining pincer snapped open. At its center, a point of emerald light pulsed, rapidly contracting and expanding. Finally, it erupted into a beam of light—a concentration of all its remaining life and venomous hatred—that tore through the air, hurtling toward the Freedom Gundam.

BZZZZ—!

This was a desperate, final counterattack. Its power even surpassed what it could muster at its peak.

Yet, faced with a strike that stained the very heavens and earth emerald green, the Freedom Gundam did not dodge or evade.

The moment before the beam made contact, a translucent, almost invisible force field composed of a hexagonal lattice instantly materialized around the mech.

AT Field!

BOOM!!!

The emerald beam of destruction slammed into the force field, erupting in a blinding flash.

Rampant energy washed over the force field’s surface, creating intensely distorted rings of light, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.

But that was all it did.

[Singularity Engine output power has reached 90%.]

The beam, powerful enough to pierce mountains, was firmly blocked by that invisible force field, unable to advance an inch. The immense resistance only slightly slowed the Freedom Gundam’s charge.

The god-like Steel Giant, withstanding the enemy’s dying attack, slowly landed in front of the Scorpion King.

It took a step.

THUD.

The first step, heavy and steady, sank deep into the earth.

THUD.

The second step, firm and unhurried. The beam could no longer halt its advance.

Step by step, it advanced through the beam of destruction, walking toward the now-spent ancient ruler.

The sound of each step on the earth was like a death knell tolling for an old god.

An emotion called "fear" finally and completely filled the Scorpion King’s compound eyes.

It didn’t understand.

’Why can’t my all-out attack even break through its defenses?’

’Why does this world have such an absurd, monstrous hunk of metal?!’

The powerful beam of Magic Power grew faint, then died out completely.

The Scorpion King had exhausted its last shred of strength.

Meanwhile, the Freedom Gundam had come to a stop right before it.

The eighteen-meter-tall Steel Giant, with its expressionless steel face, looked down upon the Scorpion King that had once left a deep impression on Allen, like a god looking down on an ant.

VMMMM—

The high-frequency hum of the vibrating Ship-Slicing Blade was a dirge for the king of the giant scorpions.

No wasted movements.

The Freedom Gundam raised its blade.

Then, swung it down.

A cold glint of light flashed.

CRACK.

The sound of a sharp blade shattering carapace was exceptionally clear on the deathly silent battlefield.

The Scorpion King’s enormous head tumbled a few times before coming to a stop. The light in its compound eyes faded completely.

[Target: Crystal Shell Scorpion King. Life signs gone. Kill confirmed.]

The battle was over.

However, the moment the Scorpion King fell, the entire ground began to tremble again.

HISSSSS—!!!

A sharp hissing sound came from underground.

The dozens of remaining Crystal Shell Giant Scorpions, like a black tide from a broken dam, poured madly out of the massive cavern that had been blasted open.

The death of the Scorpion King had sent them into a frenzy.

They abandoned all reason, left with only a mad desire for revenge, fearlessly charging towards the Steel Giant standing in the center of the battlefield.

Facing this skin-crawling tide of giant insects, the Freedom Gundam simply retracted its Ship-Slicing Blade.

The AT Field was still active.

Countless giant scorpions leaped forward, using their pincers, stingers, and even their bodies to frantically slam against the invisible barrier.

However, it was all in vain.

Their attacks only caused ripples to spread across the force field.

The Freedom Gundam didn’t even pay them much attention.

The five pairs of wing-like Floating Cannons on its back unfolded slightly. The massive Anti-Gravity Rune Array reactivated, and the colossal mech slowly ascended, like a deity breaking free from the bonds of the earth.

It rose to a height of one hundred meters, turned, and headed back towards the workshop without a backward glance.

On the ground, the swarm of giant scorpions, having lost their target, could only roar helplessly at the sky.

Just then, the sky was once again shrouded in the shadow of death.

Another two hundred and forty streaks of fire descended from the sky.

The second salvo from the "Purgatory" launch platform had arrived.

This time, nothing could stop the purification of the flames.

The Crystal Shell Giant Scorpion colony, which had occupied Allen’s territory for three long years, was completely wiped from the map on this day.

[Life Readings: 0.]

[Crystal Shell Giant Scorpion species. Confirmed extinct.]

"Phew..."

Allen let out a long breath, disengaging from the deep synchronization of the psychic link.

"Jarvis."

[Yes, Commander.]

"Have the Alchemy Servants come over and start cleaning the battlefield. Also, send two Mining Golems to excavate the nest. Don’t waste a single piece of scorpion shell."

"First Legion, stand down from combat status. You’re done here."

"First, calculate... the total expenditure for this operation."

This was the part he was most concerned about right now.

[Combat statistics report generated.]

[Ammunition Expended: 5 "Negotiator" bunker-buster munitions, 480 "Red Lotus-I" Magic Missiles.]

[Magic Power Expenditure: One shot from "Titan’s Roar," plus consumption for the deployment of various Golems.]

[Total Expenditure Equivalent to: 109,000 Low-Level Magic Stones.]

’If I don’t factor in salvaging the spoils, I’ll be completely broke after this fight.’

Allen gritted his teeth, quickly running the numbers in his head. ’Thankfully, the Scorpion King’s corpse is mostly intact. With that and the other undamaged carapaces, I should be able to recoup seventy or eighty thousand without much trouble. Then I’ll just have to see if there’s any treasure left in the nest.’

Allen comforted himself, and his mood finally improved a little.

The cost exceeded 100,000 Magic Stones, with the bulk of it coming from the Red Lotus-I missiles at 200 Magic Stones apiece. ’The roar of a cannon brings ten thousand taels of Gold,’ he mused. ’The ancients sure weren’t lying.’

But the money was well spent. Without long-range strike capabilities, using the First Legion’s Golems to wear them down would likely have resulted in losing over half of them.

This battle further solidified Allen’s determination to develop his long-range strike capabilities. Range is truth. In the future, he had to invest more to create Magic Missiles with even longer ranges and greater power.

Besides that, the Freedom Gundam, which could truly decide the outcome of a battle, also deserved credit. Bigger and stronger Golems would always have a market in this world.

’I need to pursue both paths, and excel in each.’

Allen finished his review and was about to wrap up and focus on directing the post-battle cleanup.

Right at that moment, a signal suddenly cut into the Demon Eye’s communication channel, waiting for Allen to accept the connection. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

’Who?’

He immediately had Jarvis trace the signal’s source.

[Signal Source: Zone 19.]

’Zone 19? When did that pop up?’

Allen hesitated for a moment, but still accepted the connection.

A somewhat playful and familiar voice sounded: "A splendid performance... It seems Zone 18 is more lively than I imagined."

Allen froze.

’That voice...’

An elegant yet arrogant face instantly appeared in Allen’s mind.

’Victor Iron Flame?’