Then Tomi's system suddenly blared with warnings.
[High Alert:] [Lightning Beams Detected: Threat Level Disintegration.]
The console's red lights flashed wildly, the beeping resonating through Tomi's cockpit with a jarring intensity.
Feeling overwhelmed, Tomi's heart raced. He barely had time to react before a beam, marked by a crimson streak, hurtled toward him.
The beam's destructive power was palpable, and it was closing in fast.
In a split second, Blaze yanked Tomi's Lancer out of the beam's path, the intense flash illuminating the cockpit.
"Hey, are you okay?" Blaze's voice cut through the chaos, his concern evident as Tomi's Lancer swayed from the force of the maneuver.
An explosion roared in the background, debris from the blast scattering across the desert landscape.
"Yes, I'm fine," Tomi managed to reply, his voice tinged with fear.
He watched in horror as the beam obliterated several buildings, sending dust and rubble into the air.
The team scanned the horizon where the beam had originated, but the source was elusive—just an expanse of desert with no visible enemy.
The surrounding dark mechas began their assault, closing in on the team.
"Layla, Zane, Blaze—clear a path for us and let's try to trace where that beam came from," Arande commanded, her voice laced with determination and a confident smirk on her lips.
"Definitely!" The trio responded, their voices charged with a mix of excitement and resolve as they prepared to engage the dark mechas and uncover the source of the attack.
"Well then," Arande said, grabbing hold of Tomi's Light Lancer.
"Hey, let go of me!" Tomi protested as Arande's Black Lancer gripped his mecha's arm.
The huddle of dark mechas surged toward them, the tension palpable.
"Activating, A1," Arande commanded, her voice steady.
"Wings!" she added.
[A1 Activated.]
The system responded, and Arande's Black Lancer's back opened up, three sets of sleek wings unfurling with a smooth, metallic hiss.
The mecha lifted into the air with impressive speed, gaining altitude.
Meanwhile, Tomi's gaze shifted to the medium-sized Cheetah mecha from earlier.
It stood still, almost ominously, while the rest of the dark mechas closed in on Layla, Blaze, and Zane, who were now facing away from each other, forming a defensive perimeter.
"That dark Cheetah is very strange," Tomi mused, eyeing the stationary mecha with suspicion.
"I know, right?" Arande replied, her voice tinged with curiosity.
"How did you know what I was thinking?" Tomi asked, his tone sharp.
"Oh, sorry..." Arande chuckled, her lips curling into a mischievous smile.
"If I can hear your thoughts through my comm, then maybe they're not just thoughts."
Tomi clenched his teeth, both annoyed and puzzled.
"Perhaps his Lancer emits his thoughts out?" he wondered aloud, glancing back at the Cheetah mecha and its unsettling stillness.
Suddenly, a distant explosion echoed through the battlefield, its shockwave sending a tremor through Tomi's Light Lancer.
"That's Ace's attack!" Arande exclaimed, her voice a mix of shock and discomfort.
Tomi, equally startled, watched as the explosion obliterated several dark mechas around him, their remains dissipating into the air.
The remaining mechas hung motionless as if stunned by the display of power.
Tomi's eyes widened, a mix of amazement and frustration stirring within him. Ace's Light Lancer stood resolute amidst the wreckage, a commanding presence among the scattered debris.
Above, Jean, Tijona, and one individual tomi didn't know yet, soared in their mechas, their figures cutting sharp, controlled paths through the sky.
"He's amazing," Tomi thought, a sense of both admiration and inferiority bubbling up.
Despite being around the same age, Ace's prowess left Tomi feeling overshadowed, a stark reminder of the gulf between their abilities.
Suddenly, Tomi and Arande's systems blared with a new warning:
[High Alert:] [Same lighting beams as earlier detected: Threat level disintegration.]
Red lights flashed urgently in Tomi's L2, cockpit. the beeping of the alarm piercing his ears.
A familiar beam, its trajectory precise and deadly, hurtled towards them with relentless speed.
Arande's Black Lancer moved with remarkable agility, its wings slicing through the air as it dodged the beams with ease.
With a swift motion, Arande propelled Tomi's Light Lancer upward, narrowly evading another beam that followed in quick succession.
"I've had enough!" Arande exclaimed, frustration lacing her voice.
Her determination to protect Tomi was palpable, but so was her irritation.
"Activating A2," she commanded, her tone resolute.
"Black Lancer beams!" she ordered, her fingers moving deftly across the controls.
[Activated!]
Her system responded, and the Black Lancer's wings erupted with rapid, precise fire.
A barrage of beams shot out, each one targeting the source of the threat with unerring accuracy.
"How about you let me go now so I can help?" Tomi shouted, his voice edged with frustration.
He was fed up with Arande's constant shielding and was eager to prove himself.
"No, just hang tight," Arande replied firmly, her eyes fixed on the chaos around them. "You're still new to using the Light Lancer."
Her protective grip remained unyielding as she continued to fend off the incoming beams, determined to keep both of them safe amidst the turmoil.
Just then Arande's visor blinked with a new signal as Layla's presence appeared.
"Seriously, I can handle this," Arande said with a wry smile, her fingers still deftly managing her control.
"I know, but keeping him safe is part of our mission," Layla replied, her voice steady despite the chaos.
She flew alongside Arande, her wings flashing as they continued to fire rapid beams in the direction of the threat.
The beams from that direction ceased, the immediate danger now neutralized.
"I can handle the rest," Layla added confidently, her focus sharp and unwavering as she continued to clear their path.
"Hey, if you all are here to protect me, why don't you just stay back at headquarters?" Tomi yelled, his frustration boiling over.
The constant shielding felt more like a prison than protection, impeding his ability to act.
"This is a direct order from command," Layla shot back, her tone firm yet not unkind.
"We stick to our orders, no matter what. Besides, you don't want to see what happens when we don't follow them. Trust me, it's not a pleasant sight."
As Layla spoke, Arande ceased her barrage, the beams from afar finally stopping.
The team's attention snapped to Zane and Blaze, who were below, locked in a heated argument while fending off the dark mechas.
The dark cheetah mecha, meanwhile, remained stationary, its red eyes gleaming with an unsettling calmness as it observed the two.
"Do you all notice that?" Layla's voice crackled through the comms, her tone laced with concern.
"Yeah," Tomi responded, his gaze fixed on the cheetah. "It looks like it's studying them."
The cheetah mecha continued to watch Zane and Blaze, its stance unwavering as they tossed dark mechas aside with practiced precision.
"Alright! I've had enough!" Blaze's voice came through the comms, his frustration palpable.
Blaze's light lancer powered up, its systems humming with readiness for an assault.
"I thought you wanted to keep playing," Zane taunted, his light lancer poised beside Blaze's.
Their mutual grin signaled that they were both gearing up to clear their surroundings.
"Shut it, joker," Blaze shot back, his irritation evident. He was not about to let Zane's provocation slide.
"Activate A1!" Zane and Blaze shouted in unison.
"Beam ray!" Zane commanded his light lancer's palm opening to reveal a barrel.
A brilliant stream of beams shot out, targeting the core of the incoming dark mechas.
Each ray struck its mark with pinpoint precision, shattering the mechas as they were guided by Zane's focused mind.
"Sound dance!" Blaze yelled, and his light lancer emitted a piercing, rhythmic wave of sound.
The deafening noise reverberated through the battlefield, causing the dark mechas to stagger and recoil as their auditory sensors were overwhelmed.
With the path cleared, Blaze and Zane shared a triumphant chuckle.
Layla's voice crackled through their comms, tinged with frustration. "At least give us a heads-up, Blaze!"
Blaze's voice came through cold and dismissive. "Shut it, Layla. You know how we operate."
"Now buzz off and let us catch those Three before they think we're just malingering," Blaze added, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Layla's annoyed response was drowned out as she and Arande prepared to descend with Tomi,
Just then, a beam shot toward Tomi's light lancer with blinding speed.
Arande, caught off guard while still gripping Tomi's lancer, barely managed to dodge the beam, but it struck one of her wings, sending a shudder through her much as she tried to shield Tomi.
The team looked on in shock as the cheetah mecha, despite its core being shattered and its body crumpled on the ground, continued to fire beams from its eyes.
From the wreckage, a chilling female voice emanated, cold and unfeeling.
"To think you were taken down by a mere babies," she sneered, referring to the cheetah mecha.
"But don't worry," the voice continued, with a sinister edge, "as long as we get our hands on that boy, all my efforts will be rewarded." A severed finger from the cheetah's wreckage pointed ominously at Tomi's lightlancer.
"Activating B5," Layla's voice crackled through the comms, her tone laced with fury at the damage to Arande's wing.
"Disintegration!" Layla shouted with a determined edge.
"[B5 Activated.]" Her system confirmed.
Layla's wings extended, and a blinding ray of light surged toward the cheetah's remains, engulfing it in a shockwave that rocked the battlefield. Zane and Blaze braced their lancers, shielding themselves from the powerful shockwave.
"Yeah, in your dreams!" Layla's voice cut through the chaos, dripping with anger.
Tomi, paralyzed by a mix of shock and fear, stared in terror at the revelation
As the shockwave dissipated, the remains of the cheetah mecha disintegrated into fragments, leaving only scattered debris in its wake.
The team, exchanged grim glances. The immediate threat had been neutralized, but the revelation of the attacker's motives hung heavy in the air.