Chapter 148 Because I like you way too much, dammit!!!

Gazing up at the giant wheel-like meteor hammer Gundam in the sky, the wizards blinked fiercely—this thing wasn’t just paper-thin?!

It was real?!

What’s going on? Didn’t the Ministry of Magic’s fools say that decrepit robot had already been relocated?!

Damn it! There must be a traitor!

“The blasted Muggles, what kind of magic did they steal? How could it possibly fly so fast?!” the Red Queen cursed furiously. “What are you standing there for? Bring down that stupid automaton and tear it to shreds!”

“Idiots! What are you waiting for!” the King shouted at the court wizards.

The two angry roars snapped the numerous wizards on both sides back to their senses. The noble wizards, enraged, raised their wands toward the sky. The court wizards hurriedly extended their arms as well.

For a moment, the brilliance of magic nearly illuminated the sky as two forces pulled on the Son of Rant. Meanwhile, a crimson light and the power of a magical mirror flew from the stands on either side toward the Son of Rant.

The Son of Rant’s material was inherently highly resistant to magic. Even when Louis had originally cast spells on it, it had been a struggle.

Moreover, Louis had previously drained much of the power from the base’s array crystals to cast numerous spells on the Son of Rant, boosting its magical resistance beyond even that of a dragon.

Now, with Francesco’s magic mirror power and various protective spells from the court wizards layered upon it, most of the noble wizards found themselves powerless against the Son of Rant! Only a few, like the Red Queen, had magic capable of piercing through, but under the joint interference from Louis, Francesco, and others, their spells proved ineffective.

When one strike failed, the wizards switched tactics, channeling their mana to use powerful telekinesis to drag the Son of Rant. With so many of them, even a ten-thousand-ton battleship would have been pulled skyward. Yet, as they tried, a bizarre scene unfolded.

Those noble wizards attempting to control the Son of Rant suddenly felt a buzzing in their minds, as if they had grabbed hold of a speeding bullet train. Instantly, the mental force they had used to lock onto the Son of Rant was torn in two by that terrifying, rapidly flying steel giant.

Wizards with weaker wills immediately spat blood and collapsed to the ground, dazed. Those with stronger wills turned pale.

Dozens fell on the stands in an instant. Seeing this, the Red Queen’s eyelids twitched wildly. “What kind of monster is this?!”

Before she could finish, a fierce crackle of electricity erupted in the sky, and the Son of Rant’s speed surged dramatically, surpassing Mach 8!

Hundreds of wizards simultaneously spat blood and collapsed.

At this moment, the Son of Rant ceased its circular motion and began flying in a straight line. Strangely, it didn’t leave the arena but darted from one end to the other, suddenly appearing at one side and instantly flying to the opposite.

Its speed increased continuously, the friction with the air igniting a massive blaze—like a fiery meteor streaking across the sky!

The wizards were dumbfounded. Everyone suddenly realized that this runaway beast was beyond control.

[Have you ever heard of the “Heavenly Palm” technique that descends from the sky?]

A voice suddenly echoed from the arena’s speakers. Cheers erupted from the audience.

The noble wizards, who had just been mocking, no longer laughed. Staring at the fiery meteor above and the turbulent airflow it whipped up in the arena, their faces turned pale and cold sweat poured down.

This wasn’t the Son of Rant—it was a meteor!

This madman!

He was determined to go down with the Dragon Slayer Gundam!

Luckily, I didn’t enter the battle, or the ground would be littered with debris.

This fight was over—what was the point? At such speeds, the Dragon Slayer Gundam would be pulverized.

The royal stand’s spectators twitched nervously. Prince Naifa, who had been clamoring to join the fight, clutched his hair, bloodshot eyes filled with dread. Even the Witch Queen’s lips twitched.

Only the magicians continued to chatter, explaining to the worried Osiris and others about the Heavenly Palm technique and why Louis wouldn’t perish alongside the meteor hammer.

The Witch Queen and court wizards craned their necks, utterly baffled.

Meanwhile, on the arena floor, the raging two-headed Green Gorlon still roared foolishly, clearly not grasping the situation.

Watching that clumsy giant, oblivious to escape, the Red Queen’s pupils suddenly narrowed. Deep within, she clasped the Dragon Slayer Gundam with both hands. Instantly, the massive machine began to melt slowly, turning into a mass of pus and blood that seeped into the ground.

The Red Queen knew that after this spell, the Dragon Slayer Gundam was doomed. But since the Son of Rant would perish upon hitting the ground first, victory was assured.

In this Gorlon state, blades and bullets could not harm it in the slightest. Yet, she couldn’t help but feel her heart race as she watched the monstrous figure accelerating ever faster in the sky.

“What are you waiting for! Quickly form the barrier!”

The wizards snapped awake, standing and gritting their teeth as they raised their wands. They frantically poured out their mana, weaving a protective barrier around the Dragon Slayer Gundam.

At that moment, the fiery meteor in the sky suddenly ascended without slowing, then plunged downward with terrifying speed.

The audience erupted in gasps and screams, many covering their faces, unable to watch. Some wept—our ace pilot was prepared to die with the demon to end it.

In an instant, the diving Son of Rant executed a sharp angled turn, soaring back into the sky. Its meteor hammer, however, was flung fiercely outward.

The crowd, unaware of the mechanics, assumed the ace pilot had performed a dive and pull-up maneuver, and they blushed with excitement as they cheered wildly.

The arena roared with cheers, but the next moment, an earth-shaking explosion drowned out all sound.

...

The previous instant—

Amid the crowd’s cheers, the Son of Rant suddenly shot upward. The massive meteor hammer it had hurled struck the protective barrier with a supersonic crash.

Instantly, the minds of the thousands of wizards maintaining the barrier buzzed painfully; they all collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

A shattering blast echoed. The barrier shattered, and the flaming meteor hammer slammed into the ground.

Thunderous rumbling drowned out the cheers as the earth shook violently.

Dust billowed up, forming a miniature gray mushroom cloud and a powerful shockwave. The shockwave whipped up a fierce windstorm, whipping a sandstorm through the arena’s center toward the stands.

The labyrinthine magic array trembled, blocking the dust and gale.

The Red Queen felt a sharp sting in her chest, nearly coughing up blood. She stared in disbelief at the arena—the Dragon Slayer Gundam was gone.

Truly gone.

Or rather, it was everywhere now.

As the dust settled, the scene in the arena emerged—a terrifying meteor crater covering most of the field, filled with scorched stones.

The Dragon Slayer Gundam, that pus-blood abomination, had left no trace, scattered among the dust swept everywhere.

The stands fell silent. Some spectators suddenly cheered excitedly, pointing skyward. Gradually, all eyes turned upward.

They saw a colossal figure engulfed in flames, hovering in midair.

In that moment, bathed in sunlight, the raging inferno on the mech was blown back by the fierce wind, resembling the burning wings of a seraphim!

The masses erupted in thunderous cheers.

Only the wizard stands remained deathly silent.

“My precious... my precious has turned to ashes...”

Sensing the faint scent of blood lingering in the air, the Red Queen’s delicate face flushed with a sickly red. She suddenly locked eyes on the blazing colossus, biting her finger until it bled profusely.

A twisted, eerie smile crept across her beautiful face, contorted and grotesque. Her whole body trembled; even the toes in her high heels tensed.

She no longer desired the Witch Queen’s beloved Parliament building. She wanted this thing. She wanted that pilot. She vowed to sever his hands and feet bit by bit, then imprison the bloodied figure in her pool of blood, torturing him nightly before bed, forcing him to tell her stories—stories of his pain.

Or else she wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Because she liked him too much.

He was far too fascinating.

...

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