Two sleek Blue Deathster mechs sliced through the sky above the domed city, leaving streaks of light behind. Inside, civilians looked up in awe as the metallic giants soared past.
Trailing close behind—though shakily—was a third mech. It wasn't a Blue Deathster, but a Blitz Gigamobile, barely holding together as it chased at breakneck speed.
Inside the cockpit of the Gigamobile, alarms blared:
[WARNING. WARNING. GIGAMOBILE IN CRITICAL CONDITION. WILL SHUT DOWN IN 60 SECONDS TO SWITCH TO BACKUP POWER MODE.]
"Shit," Jagt growled, gripping the controls tightly. He shoved the lever forward, forcing more speed out of the dying machine.
[WARNING. WARNING.]
With frustration, Jagt opened an open comm channel.
"Blue Deathster! I know you can hear me. You're flying unauthorized Mobile Technology! I'm ordering you to reduce speed and land immediately!"
Inside their cockpits, Sora Period and Hanada Halfway exchanged confused looks.
"The heck is this guy saying?" Hanada muttered.
Sora's eyes narrowed. "I recognize that mech."
He flicked a switch.
"This is Sora Period of Blue Deathster. We don't follow your jurisdiction. We operate outside the military."
Jagt's frustration boiled over.
"Why you...!"
[WARNING. GIGAMOBILE SHUTTING DOWN. SWITCHING TO BACKUP POWER MODE IN 30 SECONDS.]
"FUCK! WAIT!"
The lights inside the cockpit died. The Gigamobile stopped mid-air—then began to fall.
"Fuck, fuck, shit!"
Pitch black surrounded him. He couldn't see a thing. But then—
[BACKUP POWER: ON.]
The systems flickered to life. The cameras returned.
And there it was—Sora's Avantgarda, closing in.
"What the—!" Jagt reflexively slammed his fist into the approaching mech. The cockpit inside Avantgarda shook.
"Aghh!" Sora hissed.
Hanada's eyes widened.
"Hey!" he barked, raising the Req Gewehr's massive machine gun and aiming it directly at Jagt's mech. "Stand down!"
"You dare give me orders?!" Jagt roared.
Before he could retaliate, the Avantgarda vanished in a flash of light—then reappeared.
A clean slash.
The Gigamobile's limbs detached, neutralized in seconds.
"W-What...? Impossible...!" Jagt gasped.
The Avantgarda turned its head. Its glowing optics locked onto the camera—onto him.
Sora's voice echoed through the comms.
"Stop chasing us now. You are clearly outmatched."
Jagt said nothing. Silent, his fists trembled around the controls.
Hanada and Sora turned back to their mission.
"Ugh. Blitz Industries—always interfering. You'd think they'd be grateful we're doing all this without a paycheck," Hanada muttered. "Anyway, we're here."
They landed.
An ancient ruin stood before them, half-sunken into the earth. They leapt from their mechs, drawing sidearms as they approached.
"Lieutenant Halfway reporting. We've arrived at the target location," Hanada said.
They entered the temple. Moss-covered stone and glowing glyphs lined the walls.
Then—
"What the hell is that...?" Sora's voice was low.
A massive mural covered the far wall—an eerie being, glowing faintly.
Hanada's eyes widened.
"The Neon Messiah..."
"Messiah?"
"A myth. I've only heard stories when I was a kid... never seen its image in real life. But what does this have to do with the recent attack?"
A light flickered deeper into the temple.
"Look," Sora pointed.
They raised their weapons and approached.
Hanada tapped his comm.
"You guys seeing this?"
Back at Blue Deathster HQ, Commander Lorkin and his officers watched through Hanada's body cam.
"Go check it out," Lorkin ordered.
"Roger."
The hallway led to a massive chamber—larger than the last. At its center floated a glowing orb—red with streaks of yellow fire at its edges.
Lorkin's eyes went wide.
"Lieutenant Halfway! Period! Leave that place immediately. NOW!"
"What?!" Sora exclaimed.
"Sir? We just got here," Hanada argued.
"Forget the mission! Leave before it sees you!"
He whispered under his breath: "I knew it..."
"Commander, are you alright?" one officer asked.
Lorkin's voice was grave. "The Void..."
Inside the temple, the orb moved.
Hanada shouted, "RUN!"
A red beam burst from the orb, annihilating part of the chamber.
They fired back—bullets bounced off uselessly. They fled, diving back into their mechs.
Then—
BOOM!
From the temple ruins, a massive Cyber Dragon emerged. Mechanical scales shimmered, its red core pulsing.
"What the hell is that?!" Hanada shouted.
It opened its maw—then fired. A red beam sliced through the air. Both mechs dodged narrowly.
"It's just like the Cyber Golem," Sora noted grimly.
Avantgarda drew its twin swords, blades gleaming.
Req Gewehr raised its heavy machine gun.
"Obviously, we're not leaving until that thing is dead, right?" Hanada smirked.
Sora's voice was calm. "I'll kill it first."
Hanada grinned. "Let's see about that."