[1] The Descent
The sky was split in half.
It wasn't lightning, but some kind of metal construct—plunging in a vertical dive, tearing open the sea of clouds and leaving a wound in the heavens, trailing tens of thousands of meters of crimson exhaust.
The moment Lin Yaoheng looked up, even his breath felt crushed beneath the weight of that pressure.
Hermes' voice dropped abruptly in his ear:
> [Warning—Imperial Execution-Class Weapon, Codename: Sky Halberd.]
[Unauthorized Tactical Module: Critical Activation Status.]
The retinal HUD trembled, outlining the target into an inverted halberd—its blade forged from cold white composite metal, surface rippling with circular energy pulses. The wing-like stabilizing fins on either side of the blade burned into arcs of molten gold under supersonic friction.
In that instant, the entire sky seemed filled by it alone.
---
[2] Ground Impact
—BOOM!!!
From a kilometer above, the Sky Halberd plunged straight down. The impact wave upon landing tore the ruins at the edge of Sector 13 into a rain of shattered stone.
The shockwave slammed into R-01's frame, the armor letting out a deep, bone-like groan. Lin Yaoheng gripped the control stick with both hands, the safety harness biting into his chest and leaving a bloody mark.
Baita's voice crackled through the channel, laced with static:
> "This thing isn't here to drive us away… it's here to execute us!"
Hermes replied with calm precision:
> [Recommendation—Evade immediately. Maintain distance.]
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[3] The Hunt Begins
The Sky Halberd moved.
Its propulsion module pulsed with a low-frequency thrum, like a heartbeat. With each beat, the distance on the HUD dropped by dozens of meters. The halberd's shaft trailed a glowing cone, cutting straight through the defensive ruins like a falling star.
Lin Yaoheng gritted his teeth, pulling R-01 back, but its speed ignored all laws of physics—within three seconds, the halberd's blade was already at striking range.
Hermes suddenly cut in:
> [Left, thirteen degrees—joint armor gap. Three-second window.]
Before it finished, Lin Yaoheng yanked the stick hard. R-01 spun its upper body, right arm heating to high temperature, and drove a blazing punch into the halberd's joint!
—CLANG!
The metallic impact rang like a great bell, forcing the Sky Halberd's movement to falter for a heartbeat.
For the first time, man and machine seized the initiative together.
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[4] Counterpressure and Retreat
But that single heartbeat drew an even deadlier answer.
The ring-like structure at the halberd's midsection flared, releasing a pulse shockwave that shaved the surrounding air away like a razor.
R-01 was hurled into the air, smashing through three walls of rubble before stopping.
Lin Yaoheng's chest tightened; on the HUD, R-01's left-wing propulsion dropped to 23%, alarms flashing madly.
Baita shouted urgently:
> "Hold on for five seconds, I'll pull you into the cover tunnel!"
The Sky Halberd raised its blade, leaning back slightly, as if preparing to nail both man and machine into the ground.
Hermes' voice was low:
> [Timer start—five seconds.]
1 second—Lin Yaoheng locked the joints, lowering the stance to slide aside.
2 seconds—The blade skimmed the shoulder armor, slicing through half an inch of composite plating.
3 seconds—High-temperature effect ignited in the right fist, parrying the halberd's shaft.
4 seconds—HUD signaled the tunnel entrance about to close.
5 seconds—R-01 folded its wings, diving into the rubble tunnel as the Sky Halberd's blade slammed into the ground outside, detonating a shockwave that shattered the surrounding ruins.
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[5] Aftermath and Foreshadowing
Inside the tunnel, Baita sealed the entrance, gasping for breath.
Lin Yaoheng sat in the cockpit, sweat dripping from his jaw, eyes still fixed on the external feed—the Sky Halberd stood motionless in the ruins, blade buried in the earth, its ringed energy pulses slowly converging, as if in a moment of calm before some ritual.
Hermes' voice sank by half a tone:
> [Target has not withdrawn. Likely—awaiting the next descent window.]
Baita looked up and caught the glint in Lin Yaoheng's eyes:
> "Don't tell me you're actually planning—"
Lin Yaoheng said flatly:
> "It's waiting for an opening… so we'll take it first."
The camera pulled back—
In the center of the ruins, the Sky Halberd's blade lit up once more, energy pulses blooming like the eye of a hunter opening wide, locking onto the prey beneath the ground.