Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided
Chapter 128. Finish Line I

Cubie urgently integrated herself into the console, and the blue HUD flared to life in an instant. Zetius snapped his fingers, steadying his mech on the trembling ground.

"Zetius! The Jinlong battlecruiser has been stalking us! They kept their distance, just out of our radar range, cunning bastards!" Sandria’s curse-laden voice crackled through the comms immediately, her composure visibly broken, replaced with anger.

"Sandria! What's the shield's integrity? I've heard a loud whirring noise from the Arcanite engines even from here," Zetius shared his quick observations.

Her face was laced with pain, the type of pain from being unable to fight back, no matter how hard she tried. "Less than 10%. The next fire will blow us to pieces. Damn it! We’re this close to crossing into Solis Aeternum's oceanic domain," she hissed out her frustration.

Hopelessness swirled and spread like a plague. Inside the main control room, people whispered in terror, their faces drained white. Some even began to pray to the gods.

"Faster! Move it!" Ziyue bellowed to the crowd, her tone commanding.

She had gathered the maids and other personnel into the control room under Aurelia’s orders.

Aurelia clasped her hands over Sandria's, a silent consolation. As much as she wanted to fight for the crew, she lacked the means to counter the lancer's beam. Not as Stellius mages. It weighed heavily on her mind how useless she had become in the aerial battle.

This is the least I can do, Aurelia thought.

“Gather around, everyone!” She bellowed, mustering every crew member into tight circles, each group sitting close and hunkered down. Meanwhile, Friederich stood above them, casting his arc barrier. His black hair fluttered elegantly in the mana breeze. Soon, Aurelia hovered her palms against his back, channelling mana into his Phoros.

The barrier would at least lessen the impact.

"The rest is up to you, Zetius," she muttered, praying to Gaia and especially to Zetius.

Zetius’s face turned downcast, the lower half illuminated with a faint blue glow. Not desperation.

Solemn and tranquil.

"Don't worry. I have a plan," he stated firmly, moments before his thrusters burst with hot gases.

***

With Cubie's help, Zetius methodically mustered the remaining seven units. Not for combat, but for something else entirely.

Quickly, he recalculated the beam’s direction from the data of the previous attack. Each Armatus formed a straight line, each one’s shield whirring at maximum output.

His Armatus was the last line of defence against annihilation.

"Even if it's slightly off, it's fine. I can fine-tune it in the last split second," he muttered.

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"What in Gaia's name do you think you're doing?!" Aurelia suddenly appeared before him, her voice raw and angry.

"Doing what must be done, to take you home," Zetius replied, his smile unwavering.

She was flabbergasted, her eyes glassy, but before she could utter another word, Zetius flicked off the comms entirely.

"Please don't cry, Aurelia," he thought, yet there was no time to say it aloud.

Silence filled the cockpit. "Time to stress test how strong my thread of fate really is," he muttered, waiting for the movement in the dark purple sky.

The clock ticked; each second stretched into eternity. Above, the enemy recharged their enormous beam cannon. It took longer this time, likely due to the distance and intensity. From what Zetius surmised, they intended to utterly obliterate Zeigerlich in a single blow, as they couldn’t try for another pursuit.

"Zetius... I'm scared..." Cubie's voice trembled, almost human. No, she sounded like a really frightened child.

Zetius blinked, then brushed his fingers across the console as though caressing her head. "I know. I'll protect you, alright?" he said, forcing a smile onto his lips.

This was no suicide. This was perseverance.

The air molecules vibrated in erratic patterns.

The colossal light of annihilation shot out, cleaving the layered clouds into rings, each more than ten metres in diameter.

Zetius reacted without thought, his pure instinct fine-tuning the Armatus units into a line against the surging attack.

The Arcanite engines whirred, discharging every last bit of energy into their shields.

The first two Armatus exploded upon impact.

"Bring it on!" Zetius roared, adrenaline surging. The third Armatus bought a vital half-second.

It worked. He thought.

The devastating beam tore through the fourth and fifth units in seconds.

The sixth unit held the line the longest, however, its spherical shield soon disintegrated into a flash of blue light.

Almost immediately, the metal evaporated into the air.

The beam pierced forward, zeroing in on Zetius’s Armatus like a spear of death.

"Maximum shield!" Cubie roared, her voice carrying the will of the living.

"Phoros!" Zetius mustered all the mana in his reserve and cast the arc barrier.

The shield of the Armatus combined with the arcane barrier, forming a brilliant, holo-multicoloured sphere. Divine and ethereal display of light.

The light slammed into his hull like a thousand sledgehammers. Deafening bangs rang out as the clash of power wrestled for dominance.

Zetius and Cubie held the line.

Sweat sheened his skin, his silver bangs whipping in the turbulent mana tempest.

The energy gauge snapped into the empty mark.

The holo sphere shattered into a million sparks.

The tempestuous force hurled Zetius backwards.

He grunted, forcing his eyes open. The world spiralled chaotically.

Then, subsequent loud clangs boomed as the green Armatus breached the Zeigerlich hangar.

The force sent him crashing into the opposite wall, slamming hard into the Armatus cage.

The Armatus collapsed to the floor, legs splayed. Hot smoke rose from its glazed surface.

Zetius snapped his eyes open, his ears ringing louder than the warning sirens. The HUD screen flickered, struggling to remain stable.

"Ahh... did it work?" he muttered, feeling nauseous. The iron scent of blood filled his nostrils. His skin seared with pain; his clothes hung tight and soaked with sweat.

"Zeigerlich sideport breached. However, most of the ship remains operational," Cubie replied promptly.

He chuckled, though a sharp pain rose in his chest. "We did it. Atta girl," he praised, one eye barely able to open. His trembling fingers brushed gently across the console, like a parent caressing their beloved child.

Perhaps, in that moment, Cubie was and more.

She purred softly, then — Danger!