"Tsk!" Muria turned his head to see the kind young woman who had just served them cold drinks at the counter. She had already opened a door behind the counter, preparing to flee with practiced ease. Before leaving, she gave Muria's family a hurried warning, urging them to take cover.
"What are you all still sitting around for? Run! Another mutant beast is about to emerge. If you don't leave now, it'll be too late!" After scolding them and seeing that Muria's family still hadn't moved, the young woman sighed in frustration and then ran off.
"That girl is quite adorable," the Golden Dragon commented calmly.
"Her practiced movements make me feel a bit sad," Muria muttered softly, watching the girl vanish from sight. He then glanced outside, where the streets had already emptied. Only the alert soldiers remained, standing guard.
"Another little guy has crawled up from underground," Auston, disguised as a black-haired youth, said while sitting nearby. He ignored the fleeing residents and focused on the source of the tremor that had caused the earthquake. None of the surrounding buildings blocked his vision, allowing him to see the disturbance clearly.
A deep roar echoed, and the tremors grew more intense as the sound of collapsing buildings followed. Muria looked through the glass windows of the ice cream shop and saw a massive cloud of dust rising in the distance. Along with the dust, a tall building crumbled to the ground, making the shaking even more noticeable.
The soldiers patrolling the streets received orders and, without hesitation, gripped their weapons, formed ranks, and quickly ran toward the area where the dust cloud was rising.
In the distance, the sound of tank treads rolling could be heard, while large metallic aircraft soared across the sky, their flight breaking the sound barrier. Shortly after, the sound of artillery shells being fired filled the air. Missiles streaked across the sky, leaving trails of flame behind them, before disappearing into the dust cloud. Explosions followed, intensifying the destruction as more buildings fell and the dust thickened.
Amid the continuous blasts, an enraged roar rang out. A beam of light shot through the dust, instantly destroying one of the jet-black aircraft in midair. The aircraft exploded, its shattered metal fragments raining down and smashing into buildings below. And that was just the first. Soon, a second and third beam of light tore through the air, and more aircraft and tanks were obliterated.
"This world's defense forces react rather quickly," Muria remarked calmly as he took a sip of his cold drink, observing the battle outside. The entire process—from the initial disturbance to the arrival of the defense forces—had taken less than five minutes, which was impressively fast.
However, this rapid response also hinted at the harshness of life on this planet. The fact that Muria's family had randomly chosen this city to descend upon, yet the defense forces reacted so quickly, suggested that there was likely a military base nearby. And this setup was probably not unique; every major city must have similar bases, indicating just how dangerous this world had become.
"Quick, yes, but it's not much use," the Golden Dragon added. "Listen to that creature's roar. It's still as strong as ever, not showing any sign of weakening."
"This level of firepower might hurt it, but it's not going to deal any serious damage," Muria said, his tone indifferent as he watched the explosions outside. He felt no particular urge to intervene.
After all, if he did decide to step in, he wasn't sure which side to support. Both the defense forces and the creature were beings affected by Titan blood. Titans changed entire worlds with their blood, seeking two things: resources and vassals. The strongest would become vassals, while the weak would be left behind.
"The intelligent species of this world must have some special abilities," Muria mused. "The power they're displaying now can only hold off these mutant beasts; it doesn't seem capable of inflicting any real harm. Without some special abilities, they wouldn't have survived this long."
Almost as if in response to Muria's words, a massive meteor-like object streaked through the sky, trailing flames. Despite it being daylight, the fiery object was clearly visible as it descended rapidly.
Boom!
The meteor crashed heavily into the city, unleashing a shockwave that leveled an entire section of buildings. The destruction it caused surpassed even that of the mutant beast's emergence and its battle with the local defense forces.
"A mech?" Muria's eyes widened slightly in surprise as he watched a towering steel giant emerge from the smoke and dust. He couldn't help but question the sanity of the pilot, fighting so recklessly in their own city.
"Is that the mutant beast?" Thanks to the mech's dramatic entrance, Muria finally got a good look at the creature causing all the chaos. It was a beast resembling a dragon turtle, but unlike the majestic and peaceful dragon turtles Muria knew, this one had its back covered in volcano-like vents emitting massive energy waves. The beams of light that had destroyed the city's defense forces came from these vents.
"Not bad," Muria nodded in approval as he examined the armored dragon turtle. It was a versatile creature with the ability to burrow underground, as evidenced by its emergence, and the firepower on its back suggested formidable anti-air capabilities. Its long, serpentine tail, which could shoot lasers, indicated its prowess in close combat as well.
The mech, standing against the dragon turtle, was also impressive in appearance. At about thirty meters tall, it had mechanical wings for flight and was outfitted with various energy weapons. But what stood out the most was the giant sword strapped to its back.
"This isn't bad either," Muria noted, admiring the mech's design. It had a mix of ranged energy weapons and close-combat cold weapons, making it versatile in battle.
Without the influence of extraordinary powers, human-shaped mechs are generally the weakest form of combat machines. However, once infused with supernatural strength, the flexibility of a humanoid shape becomes a significant advantage, allowing for optimal performance. In a world that combines technology and magic, humanoid mechs make sense.
"Come on, let me see who's superior: the mutant beasts nurtured by Titan blood or the intelligent species that have ruled this world for thousands of years."
Despite his natural affinity for beings that resembled Titans, Muria wasn't inclined to favor the local intelligent species in this battle. After all, their human-like appearance was a result of Titan blood, not their own evolution. Many worlds under Titan rule had human-like species, so their resemblance to Titans wasn't enough to earn Muria's favor.
As for the second reason, it was simple: the green-skinned duck-people, in their original form, had evolved into the first intelligent species on this planet, developing civilization and securing a massive head start in the race of evolution. They had already covered eighty meters of a hundred-meter sprint, leaving only a short distance to the finish line.
If they lost their lead in this evolutionary race—overthrown by the mutant beasts that gained intelligence from Titan blood—Muria wouldn't feel any sympathy. Instead, he'd watch their civilization fall and might even hasten its destruction, allowing a new civilization to emerge in a world transformed by Titan blood.
In the vast void, there is no concept of good or evil. The strong survive, and the weak perish. This is the simplest and most primal law. Unless the native species of this world could prove themselves worthy, Muria had no intention of defying that law.
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