"Severe damage detected to the chassis. Initiate withdrawal or counterattack?" Orochi's system dutifully reported.
"Maintain this posture. At least the back can remain undamaged. Eight minutes remaining! Survive this, and his demise is assured!" Reclining in the cockpit, Hideaki's gaze fixated on the countdown timer in the corner of the screen.
"Idling during combat invites only death..." 13 offered a kind "reminder." The voice seemed too faint; Orochi apparently didn't hear, so 13 opted for an action-based "explanation."
With a simple flick, the steel cable once again soared through the night sky, heavily striking Orochi's frame. Depleted of resistant strength, it could only shield its head with one hand and brace its chest with the other, enduring 13's "lashing."
Once, twice, thrice...
13's movements grew increasingly fluid. Eventually, the left hand never ceased, tracing circles in the air as the steel cable transformed into a Ferris wheel, relentlessly bombarding Orochi's body. Each impact visibly increased in force. The ground surrounding Orochi began to fracture, sturdy floor panels warping upwards.
Witnessing such a spectacle, the SM council member within the assembly felt an inexplicable surge of exhilaration. The sensation was intensely familiar, almost evoking a yearning for such flagellation. Yet, upon reflection, his hair stood on end. Struck by that thirty-centimeter thick, ten-ton "whip," his own fragile form would likely be instantly bisected...
Beyond the thrill, fury surged. The council members' eyes, bloodshot, remained riveted on the black figure of 13 on the screen. If curses could inflict death, 13 might have perished innumerable times already. Fortunately, he lacked female relatives, or they too would inevitably fall prey to these beasts' "demonic maws."
As for Ryuichi, his emotions remained inscrutable. Gripping the lectern's edge with such force it nearly fractured, he stood with his back to the assembly. The tears welling in Ryuichi's eyes must remain unseen...
Watching Orochi being scourged on the screen, each blow felt as if it struck his own heart, the anguish piercingly distinct. The thought "He will die" muddled Ryuichi's mind. His legs grew feeble, threatening to buckle.
"Cease..." Ryuichi's voice was too low; Shinta beside him, engrossed in the screen, failed to hear.
"I said! 'CEASE!!!'" Ryuichi's bellowed roar reverberated through the hall. Everyone stared bewilderedly at Japan's greatest sage, appearing as desolate as a solitary old man.
Ignoring the peculiar gazes, he abruptly seized the emergency phone on the lectern and dialed the Korean front line.
Inside the command vehicle, Miyamoto too shed tears. Seeing his master subjected to such treatment, Miyamoto desperately wished to rush forward and shield him with his own flesh and blood.
"Report." A soldier, holding a cordless phone, approached Miyamoto, his proffered hands still quivering.
"What is it?" Miyamoto sensed something amiss.
"A call from Ryuichi of Japan..." the soldier stammered, flustered.
Contrary to expectation, Miyamoto merely sighed profoundly, as if anticipating this eventuality.
He gently placed the phone to his ear.
"Your Excellency, what are your instructions?" Though resolved to follow only Hideaki henceforth, Ryuichi was, after all, his mentor. To Miyamoto, a teacher held greater importance than a father...
"You still address me as Your Excellency?! I tasked you with safeguarding Lord Hideaki; how have you executed this duty?!" Ryuichi's incandescent gaze sent shivers down the spines of the assembly members.
"Your Excellency, please allow me to explain..." Miyamoto struggled to articulate the situation, overwhelmed by complex emotions.
"No explanation needed. As a crucial frontline military officer, concealing intelligence is already a capital offense. Permitting the commander-in-chief to remain imperiled is also a capital offense. Regardless of the military tribunal's verdict, immediately withdraw the troops and return to garrison the original city. Inform Hideaki to depart at once! He is forbidden from further engagement with 13!" Ryuichi issued a stern command.
Silence lingered on the line. Believing the other party hadn't heard clearly, Ryuichi prepared to repeat himself...
"Apologies, I cannot comply!" Miyamoto replied definitively.
"What did you say?!" Ryuichi couldn't believe his ears.
"Your Excellency Ryuichi, as a frontline combat officer in Korea, I can only obey Lord Hideaki's orders. Until Lord Hideaki eliminates 13, the troops will not withdraw a single step from Mount Wutai..." Miyamoto was unsure whence this courage arose, defying his teacher's command for the first time...
"Are you attempting rebellion??" Ryuichi shouted, his voice hoarse. "Daring to openly defy my orders? Do you recall who facilitated your admission to military academy? Taught you strategy? Instructed you in conduct? Propelled you to your current high position? Has your conscience been devoured by dogs?"
"This subordinate acknowledges failing your nurturing..." Though Ryuichi couldn't see, Miyamoto knelt before the phone, head bowed deeply to the ground, tears dripping onto the metal floor of the vehicle.
"However, this subordinate did not intentionally defy your wishes. It's just that Lord Hideaki truly wishes for you to understand. He has matured!" Miyamoto addressed the mouthpiece, choked with sobs.
On the other end, Ryuichi slumped powerlessly to the floor, tears visibly tracing paths across the wrinkles on his face. A deathly silence fell over the hall. This was the first time Ryuichi had shed tears since the end of World War II.
"I understand..." His voice softened considerably. "Connect me to Orochi's signal. I wish to speak with Hideaki personally."
"Yes, sir!" Miyamoto responded loudly. This was the only assistance he could currently offer his teacher.
Within Orochi's cockpit, Hideaki continued to endure the chassis's repeated vibrations, his gaze vacant upon the countdown.
"System Alert: Incoming external communication signal. Source: Japan. Connect?"
The word "Japan" made Hideaki's heart leap. Like Miyamoto, he too sighed profoundly...
"Patch it through..." Hideaki regulated his breathing, calming his emotions.
"Do you comprehend your duty?" Ryuichi spoke first, without waiting for pleasantries, addressing his most beloved son. His tone remained perpetually gentle...
"I do." Hideaki answered affirmatively.
"Knowing entails remaining within the command post! You are the commander, the marshal of the Korean theater. A strategist merely issues orders; combat is executed by subordinates." Ryuichi stated with slight severity.
"Correct, you are right." Hideaki conceded unusually candidly. "Strategists should indeed remain in the rear. But that applies to independent strategists. I am not one, as long as you are present. I can never truly be considered a strategist, because none of my decisions can be implemented without your approval. Do you understand my feelings?" Hideaki employed honorifics. In his heart, Ryuichi was the world's most venerable father...
"I merely fear your coming to harm. You are still young, prone to errors. Like now, your reckless engagement with 13..." Ryuichi suddenly felt his tone resembled excuse-making.
"You mentioned you too made errors. Did anyone assist in correcting them then?" Ryuichi had no reply, for his own mistakes were rectified solely through his own strength. Hence, world leaders dubbed him the "indomitable old man," and Japan wouldn't have risen from ruins to become an economic superpower.
"Now I too have erred. Allowing 13 to escape from Seoul was my mistake. I merely wish to rectify this error through my own efforts. Is there anything wrong with that?" Hideaki inquired, perplexed.
"But you are gambling with your own life!!!" Ryuichi stated strenuously.
"I understand..." Hideaki nodded deeply. "I recognize the recklessness of my actions. But today, I will absolutely demonstrate to you that I have matured. My shoulders can bear the responsibilities I ought to carry. Even the consequence of my own demise, I can accept. Because I am an independent adult." Hideaki gripped the control stick tightly.
"Consider it a plea from your father, won't you?" For the first time, Ryuichi lowered his proud head—a head unbowed before China, America, the world. "Your father understands you better than you imagine..."
"Impossible, my decision remains unchanged..." Hideaki closed his eyes, tears swiftly tracing paths past his temples.
Ryuichi leaned powerlessly against the lectern, finding a more comfortable position, retrieving the wind chime from his pocket, smiling through tears. At this moment, he had to admit genuine happiness. Because, for the first time, he had an opportunity for dialogue with his son...
"Do you know? You strongly resemble your mother. Just as spirited." Ryuichi recalled the woman he loved most. "Though merely a geisha, she possessed ideals second to none. After giving birth to you, I once offered to care for her, but she resolutely refused, detesting becoming a man's appendage. She insisted on surviving through her own strength. She was the most independent woman I've ever known. Every time I see you, I recall her smiling visage. Child, forgive your father, please?" Ryuichi bowed his head, imploringly. "I understand your life at home better than anyone. I remember vividly every person who mistreated you. But I could not intervene. Just as you yourself stated, you aspire to be an independent adult. Without enduring trials, a diamond remains merely a dull, ordinary stone. Your growth truly gratifies me. Witnessing your terrifying learning capacity and comprehension fills your father with immense reassurance. Though perhaps your efforts have always stemmed from hatred towards me, it matters not. As long as you become formidable enough for the world to dread, I am content. Forgive me, please? Your father never intentionally neglected caring for you..."
"I understand..." Hideaki murmured, a smile gracing his lips, identical to his mother's.
"Very well..." Ryuichi slowly rose from the floor, wiped away his tears, and smiled. "Apologies. Perhaps excessive concern for you led me to doubt your capabilities. Since childhood, there hasn't been a single thing you set your mind to that you couldn't achieve. Therefore..."
Ryuichi inhaled deeply, stating firmly, "This time too, you will undoubtedly succeed. Both Orochi and you are Japan's pride. You will demonstrate to the world that Japan is the true sovereign nation. Father believes in you. After you eliminate 13, Japan will immediately commence the invasion of China, with you again leading as the frontline commander-in-chief. You must help Japan conquer this land that your father never subdued in his lifetime. I believe you are the strongest commander, stronger even than your father!"
"I pledge!" Hideaki's tears flowed ceaselessly, weeping like a child. "I pledge not to disappoint you. Upon my return to Japan, I will assuredly present you with the flags of Korea and China..."
"Go forth! Child, fight! Child, let the world witness Japan's might!" Ryuichi hung up the phone, awaiting the good news Hideaki would bring.
"Rest assured, Father, Hideaki is already an 'adult'!" Hideaki's gaze returned to the countdown. As all digits turned to zero, the enraged Orochi erupted!
"Kid!" Serpent again interrupted 13's continuous assault, its expression on the screen exceptionally grim. "Leave this place quickly. Orochi is truly an enemy you cannot handle. Simply put, no single entity in the world can defeat it anymore..."
"What did you uncover?" 13 knew Serpent had discovered something.
"Data just retrieved from Japan's most clandestine military archives. Orochi's true power lies in its ultimate esoteric weapon. The Japanese designation is Yamata no Orochi!" Serpent introduced calmly.
"The legendary demonic beast?!" 13 uttered, puzzled.
"Correct, the mythical monster with eight heads." Serpent's demeanor suggested fear. "And Orochi Heavy Arms' esoteric weapon comprises the eight mechanical tentacles on its back. Extendable up to 30 meters, each controlled by a distributed computer program segment. As if each were an independent entity. Orochi's attack patterns will undergo a qualitative transformation."
"Merely eight tentacles, surely not as formidable as you imagine?" 13 remained unconvinced.
"The most terrifying aspect isn't this, but the offensive weaponry on each head of Yamata no Orochi—Sub-Ion Lasers!" Serpent's words sent a jolt through 13, as this term was known to everyone utilizing Titanium metal.
"You should be well aware of its potency. It's the beam specifically designed for cutting Titanium composite metals. Essentially, any nation involved in Noah research has mastered this technology. Like STOPWAR, it's common tech. But all nations merely treat it as a cutting tool; none considered weaponizing it due to two critical shortcomings: immense energy supply and instability. For instance, generating a Sub-Ion beam 0.05 millimeters in diameter requires enough energy to illuminate America's NIUYUE for one minute. Constructing such a Sub-Ion laser cannon necessitates connection to a nuclear power plant."
"Isn't Orochi itself a 'nuclear power plant'?" 13 finally grasped why Orochi insisted on using nuclear energy, such a high-risk fuel source. Although the mech's sustained operational duration was indeed terrifyingly long, as a突击型奇兵 (assault vanguard), Orochi had no need for prolonged stays in enemy territory. Extended presence only increased danger. Typically, equipping the mech with high-performance polymer batteries sufficient for three hours would suffice.
"Regarding the instability issue, one aspect is nuclear energy control, the other is the fragility of the focusing medium. Currently, most nations use diamond as the focusing medium. As Earth's hardest crystalline substance, it can only withstand focused Sub-Ion laser exposure for about ten minutes. Yet Japan has discovered a focusing medium to replace diamond..." Serpent marveled at Japan's advanced technology. It seemed Japan also possessed prodigious scientists rivaling Nie Yun and Annie.
"I understand what it is..." 13 connected some dots. "It must be the same material as its eyes, Titanium Crystal!"
"Exactly as you thought. This technology, currently mastered only by Japan, perfectly integrates Titanium material into the glass manufacturing process, creating the world's hardest crystal. This crystal exhibits an inherent resistance to Sub-Ion lasers, capable of continuous use for thirty minutes, with even longer intermittent operational times." Serpent looked gravely at 13. "You should clearly understand its potency; Orochi equipped with such weaponry..."
"Becomes the slayer of all Titanium defenses?" 13 understood Serpent's implication perfectly. "Unfortunately, while Titanium metal indeed cannot withstand its irradiation, Night is its 'weakness'. Titanium raw material differs from standard Titanium armor. Without continuous irradiation on a single point for ten minutes, it cannot penetrate my armor..."
"That is indeed the case..." Serpent sighed sorrowfully. "But your body cannot withstand the instantaneous irradiation of this light..."
"Don't be too pessimistic. At least with Night, I still have a chance to turn the tables!" With that, 13 abruptly anchored the steel cable behind him, watching the massive monster staggeringly rise.
Inside the cockpit, the four flashing zeros in the screen corner elicited extreme elation from Hideaki. His hands gripping the control sticks trembled.
"Finally..." Hideaki chuckled aloud. "13! Your time has come!!"
13 smiled, observing the rising monster. "Is that so? No one knows the outcome until the very end..."
His left hand exerted force once more...
The truly final battle commenced...