"What did you say?" 24 couldn't understand.
"It's already beyond what you can handle. If this continues..." 13 looked up at the blinding white machine, "...this time, we really will die..."
"Who do you think you are? The savior?" Lying weakly on the ground, 36 scoffed, "When have we ever followed you without risking our lives?"
"We said we'd stay with you even if it meant death. We weren't joking..." 24's affirmation left no room for doubt.
"I really don't know what kind of soldiers you are. Preserve combat strength effectively, achieve the greatest benefit with the smallest sacrifice—isn't that the creed of Special Ops?" 13 turned away helplessly, walking naturally, as if searching for something. The Yamata-no-Orochi took slow steps towards 13, still moving as if playing a game...
"Speaking of the Special Ops creed, protecting you effectively *is* our highest priority, isn't it?" 1's words left 13 without a chance to retort.
"Quick, take 36 and leave. Find a place to rest. I've already found its 'weakness'..." 13's words jolted the three, but 1 and 24 didn't want to leave.
"You brat, everyone knows it. The moment we leave, you might just use SEED to take it down with you..." 36 voiced the concern they all shared.
"Actually..." 13 stood before the 20-meter-long steel cable, a smile touching his lips, "Actually, I'm just as afraid of dying. Snake's illusion showed me that there are still so many things in the world I haven't tried. I really hope I can live a life like the one in that dream..."
Thinking of the dream, the angel's smiling face warmed his heart...
"So I promise, I won't die easily. It's not worthy of me trading my life for it..." 13 said firmly, just wanting them to understand that he was just like them.
After a moment of silence, they seemed to understand. 24 and 1 quickly ran towards 36...
"You promised you wouldn't die easily. You have to keep your word!" 24's voice sounded a bit strange.
"You're right. Right now, we're just a burden to you. When we come back later, you must still be alive!" 1 used a commanding tone.
"I know." 13 understood the bond between them; it was a responsibility like family. Actually, dying for this group wouldn't be such a bad thing.
"Trying to escape?" Xioming noticed the trio's strange movements. "The battle isn't over yet. Deserters are the most disgraceful. Allow me to clean house for you..." As he spoke, he turned his machine slightly, raising one hand towards the place where the three were gathered, cannon ports fully open.
*BOOM!* Suddenly, the mech tilted sideways violently, one leg kneeling on the ground. The view in the cockpit shook intensely, like an earthquake.
"What happened?" Xioming asked the computer frantically.
Standing up again, the machine turned back towards 13. The black figure still stood steadfastly in the night, but now his left hand held something that wasn't his—the thirty-centimeter diameter steel cable.
"Damage Analysis Report: Head impacted by massive force just now. Some components experienced shock. Self-check reveals no specific internal damage..."
Xioming's heart settled. As long as the Yamata-no-Orochi was okay. Because for the performance to come, the Yamata-no-Orochi couldn't afford a single error.
"Never turn your back to me..." 13's soft words sounded like a warning.
"But the guys I face head-on usually end up dead!" Saying this, he raised the weapon that had just been aimed at the three, but before he could fire, 13's body trembled slightly. A martial artist's instinct—Xioming sensed danger, bringing his arm horizontally beside his head. He caught the "weapon" that had just attacked him with one hand, but the machine still couldn't help but shift half a step to the side to buffer the force. Looking closely, it was that black steel cable.
Xioming's hair stood on end. This thing weighed a full 10 tons; forget one person swinging it, even pushing it was impossible.
But now, one end of the black steel cable was coiled tightly around 13's "Wing." His left arm was completely swollen, veins and muscles clearly visible. This was the result of Wing exerting its true full power...
"'A whip'? You think this primitive weapon can harm us?" Xioming smiled contemptuously.
"Primitive things are often the most effective." 13 forcefully shook his left hand, the vibration causing the steel cable to form a wave-like peak. It traveled towards the other end, the peak growing larger! The intense force shook the Yamata-no-Orochi, forcing it to let go. The unsecured end whipped violently towards the sky, like a soaring dragon. Swinging backward, the black steel cable obediently drew a semicircle in the sky before smashing onto the ground behind, sending concrete debris flying.
"This kid even knows how to 'tame beasts'?!" 36, already lying on 1's back, joked with a laugh.
"Looks like 13 found a way to control the situation." 1 and 24 ran reassuringly towards the nearest clinic.
"Warning, three targets have escaped..." the system reported dutifully.
"Ignore them... I'm going to kill him!" Xioming looked furiously at 13 before him.
"Kid..." Snake appeared on 13's screen, "Remember to reinforce the gravity devices on your feet, otherwise the powerful torque will send you 'flying' first."
As he spoke, 13 slightly widened his stance, and the hard ground beneath him cracked abruptly.
Snake was already speechless regarding such a companion... On the battlefield, he was a "machine" even more agile than Snake itself. Every action, every choice, could turn his disadvantageous situation around, always keeping himself in the upper hand. Just as 13 himself said, combat was a part of life, but Snake believed this was also his most brilliant part.
"Charge!" The massive Yamata-no-Orochi advanced! Solely to neutralize 13's "weapon." As a whip-like steel cable, it could only inflict terrifying damage at long range; up close, it had almost no force.
Smiling, 13 disengaged the gravity on his right foot, pivoting on his left. His body spun naturally, his arms swinging along naturally. It might not mean much for his empty right hand, but when the steel cable pulled by his left hand began to lift off the ground, the terror resumed. After one full rotation, 13 planted himself firmly on the ground again, his left hand still in its original position. But the "whip's" dance wasn't over. With a howling wind, its massive, twisting body demolished all the single-story houses to 13's left. It suddenly lashed out from the ruins towards the running beast. There was no way to intercept it; Xioming helplessly stopped and raised his arm to block again. The anti-riot force made him regret it the moment it connected. A "weapon" almost as heavy as the machine itself, impacting after half a rotation. It nearly lifted the Yamata-no-Orochi off the ground. The left pair of legs couldn't support it; kneeling tilted, the Yamata-no-Orochi crashed into a roadside shack. Dust flew everywhere, momentarily obscuring the Yamata-no-Orochi's body.
Still "casually," he swung his hand back, and the steel cable obediently returned to the ground behind 13. But Snake knew 13 wasn't as relaxed as he looked; his heartbeat was becoming increasingly erratic. If the armor and combat suit were removed from his left arm, the entire arm would be black and blue. The constricting force of the steel cable, stronger than a giant python's, was not something a human could endure. If not for Wing's internal skeleton being made of Titan alloy raw material, it likely would have been twisted out of shape already. Even so, the muscles and tendons outside the bone were genuine.
Letting his left arm hang down, he took deep breaths to calm his heart rate. The coiling loosened slightly...
"Actually, the Yamata-no-Orochi isn't without flaws..." 13's voice was weak, speaking to Snake, "It's just that we lack the ability to attack its weak points. To maintain good mobility, it intentionally discarded large humanoid feet for support, opting for crab-like legs. Normally, they're just for support, and running is fine. But if the machine receives an attack exceeding its balance threshold, it can't maintain its stance because the contact area with the ground is insufficient. In Chinese terms, its 'lower foundation is unstable'."
"Kid, I don't even know how to analyze your concepts anymore," Snake sighed helplessly. "The Yamata-no-Orochi weighs twelve tons. To stabilize the foundation you mentioned, each leg weighs 1.5 tons and is pure Titan metal structure. Common sense dictates that without the impact force of a 5-ton object moving at 100 km/h, you wouldn't even make it budge. Only you could call that a 'weakness'..."
"Machine sustained heavy attack. Yamata-no-Orochi has encountered resistance capable of damaging the unit. Requesting immediate use of the Secret Weapon system..." The Yamata-no-Orochi's voice was still monotonous, but it sounded tinged with panic.
"Activate it..." Xioming's voice was filled with frustration amidst his anger.
"System confirms use of Secret Weapon—Yamata-no-Orochi Divine Serpent. Energy system beginning charge. Time required to reach minimum operational energy limit of sixty percent: 10 minutes. Continue?" The system confirmed again.
"Yes!" Xioming gripped the control stick again, so hard he nearly broke it.
The Yamata-no-Orochi stood up from the ruins, the dust and debris dimming its silvery-white armor considerably.
"Kid!" Snake shouted urgently, "Attack the Yamata-no-Orochi more now! It's strangely gathering energy in its back. Probably the Secret Weapon system!"
Without responding to Snake's words, 13's body was already moving. His slack left hand tensed again. Raising it high, he slashed down diagonally. The quiet dragon on the ground awoke once more. Kicking up dust, it leaped over 13's head. Its massive body seemed to stand tall in the pitch-black night sky for a moment, before crashing down heavily towards the Yamata-no-Orochi. Xioming could only raise both hands to block, his helplessness unknown to anyone...
*BOOM!* The sound of the impact echoed through the silent town like a violent explosion. The seemingly stopped attack wasn't over. The Yamata-no-Orochi had only blocked the body of the cable; the spinning head of the cable continued its trajectory, smashing heavily onto the Yamata-no-Orochi's back. Lurching forward, the Yamata-no-Orochi almost ended up "sleeping" on the ground, barely saved by its bent front legs straightening in time.
"Back impacted! Warning, energy accumulation may be disrupted!" Red lights began flashing in the cockpit.
"He must be doing it on purpose!" Xioming knew 13 was using Snake's power, clearly tracking his movements. "I don't care if you have Snake or God helping you! Today, you *will* die here!!!! Activate Full Defense!"
Xioming was truly enraged.
The cumbersome Yamata-no-Orochi seemed to suddenly lose power, its four legs splaying wide to the sides, stopping just as the chassis neared the ground, lowering its profile as much as possible. Its arms were tucked tightly to its sides as if gathering power, resembling the "horse stance" in Chinese martial arts.
"Discarding mobility to reduce the attack surface?" 13 looked quizzically at the strange Yamata-no-Orochi. Just as Snake said, judging by the Yamata-no-Orochi abandoning its attack, it must be preparing a special move. Soldiers weren't martial artists; they didn't possess any noble sentiments like waiting for an opponent to use their full power before engaging. They were like a pack of beasts; upon seeing an enemy's weakness, they would pounce like tigers, tearing and biting until the enemy was dead. They believed in only one principle: "You die, I live!"
Enduring the immense pain in his left arm, he once again danced with the "dragon."
A simple set of movements: a diagonal slash from top to bottom, a standing full body rotation, ending with raising the arm upwards from bottom to top.
But the accompanying cable was not as simple as 13's movements. The downward slash created enough wind pressure to blow an adult away. The Yamata-no-Orochi raised its hands crossed above its head, waiting to catch the dragon the moment it was blocked. But at the instant of the cable's impact, it didn't stop. It continued with 13's next move, slithering like a snake past the arms, spinning its body in the air in a full circle to attack again from the right side.
Helplessly raising a single arm to defend, yet again after the moment of impact, it suddenly changed. This time, it lost power and fell downwards, but just as it neared the ground, it sprang back up as if resurrected! This time, the Yamata-no-Orochi had no defense. Its chin was struck heavily. Its body flew backward off the ground. The 12-ton Yamata-no-Orochi was completely knocked down onto the ground for the first time.
The cable returned behind 13, sleeping quietly...