The Mech Touch

The challenge matches had come to an abrupt end!

A day after Professor Ves Larkinson revealed his latest and most ostentatious commercial products, few people could have imagined that anyone would actually dare to assassinate such a rising star.

The identity of the assassin shocked the public even more!

Nobody could remain calm when they learned about this disturbing incident.

"How can an honored Master Mech Designer go so far astray?"

"When did he become a cosmopolitan? It would be outrageous if he always turned out to be a traitor from the beginning! How many more sleeper agents have proliferated throughout our society?"

"I never realized that Master Quan held cosmopolitan sympathies in the past. I collaborated with him on so many projects that I was convinced that he was a sincere mech designer. He has managed to fool all of us! If he did not expose his treachery today, he would have been able to do more damage while he operated in our society unchecked!"

Not everyone paid attention to the Fey Fianna's high profile product reveal, but that had changed from the moment the news had spread.

Even the snobbish first-raters had been forced to pay attention to this incident!

The importance of Ves and the unthinkable betrayal of a 300 -year old Master Mech Designer were already enough to attract their attention, but it was the identity of the savior that truly made them care about what had happened!

"The Destroyer of Worlds has reappeared."

"Every god pilot has already returned from the core regions of the Red Ocean. I know for a fact that the Fist of Defiance has shown up in Bridgehead One."

"Why did such a powerful Rubarthan god pilot decide to visit an insignificant second-class port system of all places? There are many more vital strategic locations that urgently require her protection. The Spacelock cannot cover the frontlines of the Rubarthan Pact by himself. Why did she make a detour to the Red Ocean Union?"

"Isn't the answer to those questions obvious? She definitely took a special trip to see Professor Larkinson! I heard a rumor that the quirky professor has developed a deep friendship with the Rubarthan god pilot."

"How? The two should have nothing in common with each other! They belong to two completely different worlds."

"I don't know either, but if I had to make a guess, it is probably their shared love for cats that has brought them together. The Larkinsons are crazy for cats, and the Destroyer of Worlds also has a soft spot for felines. Maybe they intend to start an association for cat lovers..."

Rumors continued to circulate throughout red humanity. God pilots were eminent heroes that few people ever had the pleasure to meet in person.

The people who attended the challenge matches on that fateful day felt extremely lucky to be able to experience a fraction of the power of the Destroyer of Worlds!

This was an honor that they would cherish for the rest of their lives.

Yet none of this could come close to receiving the personal care and attention of such a powerful figure!

More and more people wondered why the Destroyer of Worlds sought the tier 3 galactic citizen out and what exactly brought them together.

Only a few people knew where Ves and the god pilot had disappeared to. Inside a secret stronghold that was buried underneath the surface of the Bortele III, Ves sat down on a plain metal chair while inspecting Lucky's damaged condition.

"Meowww..."

The gem cat had suffered a lot of damage after getting struck by Master Quan's inexplicable lightning strike.

While the properties of this attack were not comparable to tribulation lightning, it still managed to exceed the defensive parameters of a gem cat that had upgraded his body many times!

Ves never imagined that such a surprise attack would be able to inflict significant damage to Lucky's archemetal construction.

After all, archetech happened to be particularly strong at controlling electric energy!

"Are you fine? Will you be able to recover your systems, or do you need any manual repairs?"

"Meow meow..."

"Ah, so you just need a lot of extra food. Got it. I'll ask the mechers if they can fix up a bowl of high-grade exotics."

Before he could make his request, two new beings had abruptly appeared in the middle of the empty metal chamber.

"Meow...!"

"Miew."

Both Ves and Lucky shrank as they came into close proximity with the most powerful transcendents in the Red Ocean!

No one who had witnessed the assaults on the so-called Tide Stations could ever think that the god pilots were weak!

The broadcasts at the time had done a good job at conveying a fraction of the immense power that the god pilots had at their disposal.

Yet those remote recordings could never match the sheer power that made up the ruinous willpower that formed the basis of a god pilot!

The Destroyer of Worlds far exceeded the likes of the Mace of Retaliation or General Axelar Streon. No ace pilot could ever pose a serious threat against a genuine god pilot that had managed to survive the ultimate test.

Ves found it difficult to maintain his composure in the face of so much pressure. His Spirituality actually started to suffer damage as the close proximity to the Destroyer of World's harmful willpower became intolerable.

He had a hunch that the god pilot could crumble the minds, bodies and spiritualities of every human on Bortele III if she wished!

It wasn't even necessary for her to open fire with the fearsome main cannon of the Ragnarok. Her god kingdom alone was enough to destroy the lives of anyone who wasn't strong enough to resist her overbearing willpower!

Suddenly, the pressure receded.

Though the Destroyer of Worlds still retained an undeniably strong presence, Ves no longer had the illusion that he was just a few steps away from bathing in the heart of a nuclear explosion.

"Miew."

Emma leisurely flew forward and stopped in front of Lucky.

Though the legendary manifestation of Irene Mox's power had shrunk her size by an enormous extent, she still remained as large as a tiger.

The Herald of Destruction was much scarier than a typical big cat!

Lucky's damaged body shook as he completely felt that he was outclassed this time.

"Meowww..."

"Miew miew miew."

Emma disregarded Lucky's fright and flew forward until she managed to pull the hapless gem cat in her grasp!

The most powerful companion spirit that was currently in existence behaved no different from a tiger mom giving her cub a bath. Her flaming hot tongue began to lick Lucky's metallic body without any care!

"Meow! Meow! Meow!"

It was a pity that Ves completely ignored Lucky's distress. From the moment he locked eyes with one of his past Mastery experience hosts, he felt as if he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

There was no compelling reason why he should feel guilty in her presence. He had done her a massive favor over 2 centuries and indirectly gave her the conditions to advance all the way to her eminent rank.

Still, Ves felt more and more uneasy as he continued to face those bright and burning orbs that were currently casting judgment at him. The huge gap in power made him feel utterly helpless and at the Destroyer of World's mercy.

"Calm yourself, boy. I owe you a debt of gratitude. I have not forgotten about all you have done for me and humanity as a whole."

The voice of a god pilot in close proximity was much stronger and more all-encompassing than that of any peak ace pilot.

Even though Ves had been prepared for this, his mind still blanked out for a time when that overpowering voice filled up his entire mind!

Divine Irene Mox looked familiar to Ves. God pilots were beings who were predominantly made up of pure willpower, so their human forms were mostly constructs that they could completely mold according to their own desires.

The female god pilot purposely retained an appearance that resembled how she looked when she first gained her companion spirit.

It evoked a lot of nostalgia from Ves.

The only major difference was that the Destroyer of Worlds wore a specially designed outfit that consisted of an elaborate Rubarthan military uniform, complete with medals and other symbols.

An extravagantly long and flowing red cape that bore her personal emblem flowed from her back.

He could stare at Divine Irene all day.

Ves shook his head in order to keep himself sharp. He could not afford to collapse to his knees and worship the Destroyer of Worlds as a god like all of those other weak-willed individuals!

"So... you have finally come." He lamely said.

The god pilot smiled back at Ves.

"It has been over two centuries since we last came so close to each other again." The god pilot spoke as she did a better job at controlling her presence this time. "Is that all you can say?"

"Eh, you didn't exactly schedule a meeting in advance! How am I supposed to know that you would come straight to me after you have returned from alien space? Don't you have more important things to do over at the Rubarthan Pact?"

The Destroyer of Worlds scoffed in a very human fashion. "This reunion is more important. The Rubarthan Pact will not collapse in the short term. Camden is enough to deter the most powerful alien forces from launching an offensive."

Unlike the Terran Alliance, the Rubarthan Pact just happened to benefit from the protection of two god pilots.

This put the latter first-rate colonial superstate in a much more secure position!

Even though the presence of two god pilots also caused the political divide in the Rubarthan Pact to worsen, this was a trivial price to pay in order to obtain greater protection!

The god pilot stepped closer. "You are... familiar, but also different. You have experienced many changes since you first visited two centuries ago. How long has it been since you have crossed the chasm of time?"

There was no way that Ves could lie when he was in the heart of Irene's god kingdom!

Ves shrugged. "Around a year. I have grown a lot since that time."

"The Red Ocean has gone through enormous change in the last year." Irene affirmed.

Now that he had essentially confirmed that the Rubarthan god pilot did not come in order to take revenge or anything, Ves started to relax.

It was impossible for him to truly let down his guard in the presence of an absurdly strong powerhouse, but he figured that he was safe for the time being.

Since the Destroyer of Worlds wished to hold a conversation with Ves, he might as well relax and go with the flow.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Speak."

"You clearly did not arrive at Phoca Arena at the final minute. You had to have arrived in advance, right?"

The god pilot wordlessly nodded. This was an easy guess to make.

"You arrived on Bortele III early but deliberately hid your presence." Ves explained his thoughts. "Almost no one knew you were present. That enabled you to be in the exact right position to intervene when Master Quan revealed his true intentions. Was this all a trap?"

"Yes." Irene confirmed without any hesitation or obfuscation. "We knew that there was a high likelihood that people with malicious intentions would act against you. It could be a phase whale. It could be a hidden alien infiltration force. It could even be an opportunistic human traitor. I hid in order to draw out these threats. The results exceeded my expectations."

While that sounded nice, Ves felt anything but good at the moment!

His expression darkened when he realized the greater plot behind this incident.

"You used me as bait. You cast me out in an attempt to entice enemies such as Master Quan into action!"

"It worked. You were never under threat, Larkinson. No one can lay a hair on you while you are under my protection. This is absolute."

Ves was not as confident as Irene about this. God pilots might be the most powerful true gods that he knew of, but no one was infallible!

A lot of stuff could have gone wrong earlier. Ves never wanted to put his life in the hands of others like this again!