Range remained seated on Tomi's light lancer's shoulder, his demeanor cold and detached. With a mere thought, he orchestrated a deadly barrage of swords, which streaked through the air with deadly precision.
Each sword whizzed past, forcing Zane, Blaze, Layla, Arande, Griggs, and Jean into frantic evasive maneuvers. Their mechas twisted and turned desperately, their movements a blur as they fought to avoid being impaled by the relentless onslaught.
Layla's voice cut through the chaos, her rage evident in every syllable.
"I've had enough! Griggs, Jean are you going to keep playing around?" Her frustration echoed in the midst of the battle, adding to the cacophony of the ongoing fight.
Tomi heard Layla's furious shout and saw his team struggling under the relentless attack. His anger surged as he realized the effort his team was making to avoid harming him while defending against Range.
Clenching his teeth, Tomi's rage boiled over.
"You damn good-for-nothing!" he spat out, his voice seething with anger.
The frustration of being protected rather than participating in the fight only fueled his fury.
Suddenly, an electric sensation surged through Tomi's brain, jolting his nerves. A high-pitched voice echoed in his head.
"Dead Punch Strike!" The voice, sharp and urgent, belonged to a miniature girl.
Range's eyes widened in shock as he saw a mecha hand, imbued with overwhelming force, hurtling toward him.
He barely had time to react, crossing his arms defensively as the hand struck him with tremendous impact.
The force of the blow sent him crashing through the air, leaving a trail of gushing wind in its wake as he plowed into several desert houses, the impact reverberating through the surroundings.
Tomi gasped for breath, his eyes wide with disbelief as he processed the voice that had just echoed in his mind.
The unexpected revelation had left him stunned. At that moment, he heard Arande's voice cut through the confusion.
"Good job saving us," Arande said, her black lancer, battered from Range's sword attack, wrapping around Tomi's mecha in a grateful embrace.
The relentless barrage of swords ceased as Arande managed to create a brief respite.
"Not quite," Tomi replied, his voice edged with anxiety. Just then, the female voice reappeared in his mind, alerting him of new danger.
[Heads up, Master… another high-level presence detected.]
The voice's urgency heightened Tomi's apprehension as he, along with the rest of the team, turned to see a new figure advancing toward them.
The atmosphere grew tense as a cold, confident figure emerged from the shadows.
"Range taking a hit?" the newcomer asked with a smirk, clearly unfazed by the unfolding chaos.
His demeanor suggested that Range's predicament was more of a diversion than a serious threat.
"He's probably just playing around," Hit added with a grin, observing as Arande's battered black lancer was tossed aside by Range's relentless onslaught.
Suddenly, Tijona and Nia made a dramatic entrance.
Tijona, descending with Nia, crashed into the ground with a thunderous impact, creating a dense crater that sent debris scattering in all directions.
"I'm guessing you two are Eclipse's main members, huh?" Tijona's voice was laced with frustration as she glared at Range and Hit.
Her rage was palpable, fueled by the sight of her defeated team. Layla struggled to keep Arande's lancer steady as it veered off course, Zane and Blaze rushed to assist the unconscious Ace, whose lancer had been severely damaged by Range's kick, and Griggs and Jean braced themselves for confrontation with both Hit and Range.
"Oh, it's Nia, Yuri's sidekick," Hit remarked with a detached tone, glancing dismissively at the unconscious Nia and the shattered remains of her Rita mecha strewn across the ground.
"Anyway, this nonsense has Range at a longer range," Hit continued coolly, turning his gaze towards Tijona.
"Or do you need assistance with this baby team?" Hit added with a mocking edge, fully aware that Range was perfectly capable of handling the situation without his help. "Range?"
"How will you help when you're not even equipped?" Range responded with a nonchalant smirk, eyeing Tomi with a keen interest. He was aware that Tomi was the S-1 survivor, as his mini Chase had informed him.
As Range prepared to breach Tomi's mecha and extract him, Tijona's shadow blade sword shot towards him with deadly precision.
With a sly grin, Range used Tomi's mecha as a makeshift shield. Tijona's eyes widened in realization as she quickly recalculated her strategy and discarded her sword. Seizing the opportunity, Range kicked Tijona away, sending her mecha skidding across the battlefield.
Jean attempted to intercept her trajectory, trying to prevent her from being launched further.
Inside his mecha, Tomi endured a severe headache, his brain pounding with the intensity of the earlier voice. As the girl's voice vanished, he struggled to stay conscious.
He saw Griggs grappling with Range's wrist, both men's faces a mix of shock and intensity. Before Tomi could grasp the situation fully, he blacked out, hearing Layla's concerned voice.
"Hey, hang in there," Layla said softly as she extricated Tomi from his damaged lancer, her wings enveloping him gently. She placed him beside the unconscious Arande.
Meanwhile, Griggs leaned in close to Range, whispering something that made Range's eyes widen in surprise.
The air crackled with tension as Griggs's visor flashed with an urgent warning about the arrival of a second captain, Archer.
"I advise you to run now!" Griggs warned coldly, his snowy hair whipping about in the gale created by Archer's incredible speed.
Range and Hit looked on in shock as Archer descended from the sky, his presence imposing. The sight before them was both awe-inspiring and terrifying—Range's mecha was being effortlessly dismantled.
Intricate wires unraveled and the core shattered with explosive force, sending debris scattering across the battlefield.
"So, you're telling me this mission was too hard for you all?" Archer's voice was calm and measured, but his eyes were sharp, conveying a menacing edge as he looked at the stunned Griggs, who stood in front of Range, and Hit, who wore a smirk of intrigued.
Archer's descent was accompanied by the dramatic sight of Range's mecha being reduced to fragments, which fell around him like debris from a crumbling edifice.
With snapping of his fingers, Archer ignited the scattered pieces of Range's mecha. Flames erupted against the backdrop of the darkened sky, casting an ominous glow that made Archer's silhouette appear even more formidable.
His black sword, having left a trail of incendiary substance, set the remnants ablaze as he made his way forward.
Archer approached Range and Hit with a commanding presence.
"Layla, take those Two back unconscious weaklings, back to the headquarters," he instructed, his tone leaving no room for argument. Layla, a determined smile on her face, nodded at Archer, her respect evident.
"Roger!" she replied loudly.
Archer's attention shifted to Zane and Blaze.
"And you two clowns," he said sharply, causing them to flinch at the sound of his voice over the comms.
"Take Ace back to headquarters, this instant before that loser dies."
The tension was palpable as Archer stood face to face with Range and Hit, his imposing figure towering over them.
The air crackled with the unresolved conflict between them, as Griggs, Tijona, and Jean worked to assist the wounded and regroup.
The scene left behind was a mix of chaos and clarity, with Griggs and Tijona amidst the wreckage, and Jean helping Tijona back on her feet, Jean's expressions a mix of relief and exhaustion.