DD Black White [319-320] (Patreon)

Chapter 319: Mecha Romance

"Restrictions lifted—!"

A emotionless mechanical female voice echoed from inside the mecha, coldly announcing that this war beast named "Lone Planetfarer" was fully activated in this location.

Its overwhelming presence instantly swept across the entire battlefield.

"It's time to get serious. Don't die too easily, my dear."

Vita's face bloomed with a confident and dangerous smile as she raised her right hand and swung it down fiercely.

Behind her, the towering emerald-green mecha—"Lone Planetfarer"—perfectly synchronized its massive right arm with her movement, unleashing a sky-tearing violent airstream crackling with high-voltage electricity. It hurled a world-destroying punch at Durandal, who was charging like a comet.

Before the enormous metal fist even fully descended, the terrifying fist wind had already compressed the ground below into a massive crater dozens of meters in radius.

"Boom—!!!!!"

A deafening roar exploded like a tangible sonic cannon, sweeping in all directions.

The violent shockwave, mixed with crushed rubble and dust, surged skyward, forming a grayish-yellow curtain.

The ruins within dozens of kilometers trembled and wailed violently under this strike.

This earth-shaking disturbance naturally drew the attention of Lu Jingming, who was suppressing the Tai tan.

When his gaze caught the emerald-green, streamlined mecha brimming with futuristic tech and mysterious beauty, his eyes suddenly lit up. Almost instinctively, he was captivated, staring fixedly at the "Lone Planetfarer."

Whether it was the perfect exterior that epitomized industrial artistry or the twelve floating swords forming radiant light wings like a phoenix spreading its wings, it precisely hit every preference in his heart for "mecha romance."

"That's insanely cool!"

Lu Jingming couldn't help but let out a heartfelt exclamation, his breathing even quickening slightly.

Even though he already knew from his memories that Vita possessed this extremely cool mecha, seeing it descend onto the battlefield and unleash that shocking punch in person still left him utterly stunned by its display of absolute power and aesthetic design.

Although the Sun-Moon Empire had poured its national resources into developing so-called "mechas," those metal lumps were like children's mud toys compared to the "Lone Planetfarer" before him.

Whether in material strength, forward-thinking aesthetic design, or the terrifying power contained within, the "Lone Planetfarer" far surpassed the creations of this era.

The gap was like the chasm between the protagonist's legendary mobile suit and the mass-produced grunts in the Gundam series.

No man could resist such a cool and powerful mecha.

Lu Jingming was no exception; at this moment, his heart was filled with intense desire.

The Lone Planetfarer's figure, full of power and beauty, had completely captured his attention, even temporarily pushing aside the thought of quickly killing the Titan Giant Ape beneath his feet.

Of course, he hadn't completely let his guard down against his current opponent.

The Withering Domain still enveloped the weakening Titan Giant Ape like a gray halo of death.

At the same time, he thrust the Black Abyss White Flower into the ground with a backhand, activating the deeper "Creation" side power contained within it.

"Titan Giant Ape, your power is too dangerous. It's better if you quiet down completely."

As his cold words fell, countless thick, glowing emerald-green trees and vines burst from the withered ground of the Withering Domain like living pythons.

They grew, twisted, intertwined, and combined at a jaw-dropping speed.

Under the Titan Giant Ape's horrified gaze, these frenzied plants assembled in the blink of an eye into a colossal wooden giant hundreds of meters tall, standing like a pillar between heaven and earth.

The giant's body was entirely composed of incredibly tough living wood, its surface even wrapped with several lifelike, ferociously roaring wooden dragons.

Every wood grain flowed with surging emerald light, emanating an overwhelming vitality that was suffocating, yet also carrying a heavy oppressive force.

Under Lu Jingming's mental control, this towering wooden giant slowly raised its right arm—that massive palm, wrapped in wooden dragons and blotting out the sky, like something from an ancient deity. It executed a humiliating slam on the Titan Giant Ape trapped in the domain, as small as a child—or you could call it a "head pat."

"Roar—!!!"

The intense threat of death fully ignited the deepest ferocity in the Titan Giant Ape's bloodline.

He frantically pounded his charred chest with both fists, erupting with an unprecedented, dense gravity black light that almost solidified.

Burning his life essence with all his might, he raised his mountain-lifting arms, desperately trying to hold back the descending giant palm that seemed capable of suppressing everything.

This scene was strikingly similar to the mythological legend of the rebellious Spirit Monkey facing the Western Buddha's Five-Fingered Mountain that covered the universe.

The tiny figure appeared incredibly frail and desperate beneath the boundless giant palm, yet it carried a touching trace of unwillingness to submit to fate in its final struggle.

Lu Jingming only diverted a sliver of his mind to remotely control the wooden giant in suppressing the Titan; his main gaze had already shifted back to the intensely fierce battlefield between Vita and Durandal.

However, compared to Vita's alluring figure and her faintly visible translucent black stockings, it was clearly the emerald-green "Lone Planetfarer" mecha that captured his attention more.

His eyes flickered with undisguised heat and desire, like a dragon discovering a peerless treasure, murmuring to himself: "Such a great mecha is wasted in her hands... Maybe I should find a way to steal it?"

Clearly, Lu Jingming was currently plotting some actions that, for Vita, would be anything but friendly—bordering on outright robbery.

Although the Lone Planetfarer mecha's appearance had instantly reversed the battlefield's momentum, putting Vita in absolute control and launching a fierce offensive against Durandal, Lu Jingming wasn't worried at all that Durandal would lose because of it.

He had absolute confidence in the strength of this strongest female Valkyrie.

In this Holy Grail War, the only ones truly capable and qualified to defeat Durandal were probably those few monster-level existences whose true forms were Apostles.

Vita was undoubtedly incredibly powerful, having nearly completely inherited all of "Sa's" abilities and authorities, but Durandal was no pushover either.

As the undisputed strongest female Valkyrie of Destiny and the entire Honkai world, Durandal had already forged a steel-like resilient will and crushing combat ability through countless world bubbles and life-and-death battles against Honkai and even more terrifying entities.

She was absolutely not someone Vita could easily defeat.

Lu Jingming stood quietly on the broad shoulder of the massive wooden giant, his gaze like an eagle overlooking the battlefield, slowly scanning the chaotic and intense warzone around him.

With his current life tier transcending the mundane, his vision had long broken the limits of human eyes. Even the subtle energy flows and technique changes on another battlefield several kilometers away were clearly and meticulously reflected in his view, as if they were right before him, everything under control.

The battlefield between Wang Qiuer and Tang Wutong had been isolated by Firefly and Castorice's active clearing, forming an absolute domain where no one could interfere.

Occasionally, reckless Anti-Matter Legion Voidrangers tried to approach, only to be swiftly cleared and evaporated by Firefly's steel-melting high-temperature flames and Castorice's life-stripping death power, ensuring this duel concerning 'completeness' remained free from any external interference.

From the current situation, the golden light and blue-gold radiance clashed intensely, with the two seeming evenly matched, locked in a stalemate where neither could gain the upper hand for the moment.

But Lu Jingming's heart was as clear as a mirror—the scales of victory had already been tipped by a decisive foreshadowing much earlier.

Wang Qiuer, who had undergone rigorous combat training at St. Freya Academy under the personal guidance of experts like Durandal and Jing Liu, far surpassed Tang Wutong—who had grown up in the sheltered greenhouse of the Divine Realm and lacked sufficient life-and-death tempering—in her battle-honed techniques, grasp of timing, and mental resilience in critical moments.

Defeating Tang Wutong was merely a matter of time for her.

Tang Wutong's foundation was undoubtedly top-tier; her God King bloodline granted her terrifying potential and reserves far beyond ordinary people. However, she ultimately lacked enough cruel, real combat experience to fully convert that potential into immediate combat power.

More crucially, although she nominally inherited everything from Wang Dong'er, there was always a subtle sense of rejection deep in her soul.

She couldn't truly accept the past and emotions belonging to "Wang Dong'er" psychologically, as if separated by an invisible, intangible yet real thin sheet of paper, unable to fully integrate and accept Wang Dong'er's battle memories and experience.

She had never truly acknowledged in her heart that she was Wang Dong'er. This rift in soul and cognition had already planted a fatal hidden danger in high-intensity, high-pressure life-and-death battles.

As such, what Lu Jingming needed to focus on guarding against wasn't Tang Wutong herself, but the final insurance possibly hidden in her mind—belonging to Sea God Tang San's God King divine consciousness.

Once that sliver of God King's soul consciousness was triggered by Tang Wutong's life-or-death crisis, he just needed to help Wang Qiuer completely eliminate it. Then, Wang Qiuer could kill Tang Wutong without hindrance, reclaim all soul fragments and power, and truly become a complete and independent individual.

"Roar—!"

A slight tremor came from the wooden giant's shoulder beneath his feet, as the Titan Giant Ape, pinned firmly to the ground by the giant palm, let out a final unwilling yet powerless roar.

Lu Jingming lowered his head and glanced indifferently at the struggling figure under the wooden palm, his eyes showing no ripple, as if looking at a trapped insect.

The majority of his attention remained on the fateful battlefield between Wang Qiuer and Tang Wutong.

The dazzling light from the clash between the blue-gold Light Goddess Butterfly wings and the radiant Golden Dragon Spear was particularly eye-catching. It was the duel between Wang Qiuer and Tang Wutong, and also the inevitable final outcome destined since their births.

The tragic end of this drama was single-handedly orchestrated by Sea God Tang San, but the ultimate result might not align with that scheming God King's wishes...

After all, the "victor" each of them favored in their hearts was completely different.

Chapter 320: The Causality-Reversing Demonic Spear

"It's almost time..."

Lu Jingming murmured softly, a barely noticeable glint of anticipation flashing in his crimson eyes.

Once Wang Qiuer became complete, she would fully unleash the potential of the Emperor Auspicious Beast and God King bloodline, possessing the qualities to reach god-level. With proper cultivation, achieving the position of God King in the future wasn't impossible.

He shifted his gaze from the battlefield between Wang Qiuer and Tang Wutong, sweeping over the nearby combat zone between Raiden Mei and Niu Tian.

Seeing Raiden Mei steadily suppressing the Azure Divine Dragon within a thunderstorm domain using her absolute control over lightning, leaving the opponent with only the ability to defend and no chance to counterattack, he paid it no further attention—with Mei's strength and combat wisdom, suppressing Niu Tian and preventing him from interfering in other battlefields posed no issue.

Finally, his gaze turned to another battlefield several kilometers away, where energy fluctuations were exceptionally intense but which he had temporarily ignored.

When his vision pierced through the distance barrier and clearly saw the beautiful woman relentlessly suppressing Cú Chulainn, the Child of Light from Ireland, with an offensive as fierce as a storm, Lu Jingming's expression couldn't help but turn somewhat strange and surprised.

Although he hadn't personally participated in the Divine Realm battles, he had long ago had Herta record all observable god-level confrontations using special means.

Observing the combat styles and energy usage of powerhouses at this level greatly benefited his own strength improvement and understanding of higher-level powers.

Thus, he recognized almost at a glance that the agile woman with a fighting style tinged with soul beast-like wildness, who was pressing Cú Chulainn, was none other than Sea God Tang San's wife, who should have been residing high in the Divine Realm—Soft Bone Douluo Xiao Wu.

However, although Xiao Wu's offensive was fierce at the moment, she hadn't displayed the absolute godly strength capable of instantly killing Cú Chulainn.

Clearly, the old injuries from being severely wounded by Ma Hongjun in the Divine Realm were far from healed, severely restricting her power output.

But what was astonishing was that she had managed to descend so precisely onto the Douluo Continent after falling into the perilous spatial turbulence.

This land held extraordinary significance for her; it was not only the starting point of her ascension to the Divine Realm but also home to her blood-related daughter Tang Wutong, as well as Niu Tian and Tai Tan, whom she regarded as brothers.

Perhaps it was the mysterious pull from those unbreakable blood bonds in the dark that allowed her to cross endless spatial barriers and ultimately return to this familiar yet unfamiliar land.

Xiao Wu was still alive—this should have been tremendous good news for Tang San, now on the brink of madness, perhaps the only hope to pull him back from obsession and hatred, restoring a sliver of reason.

But fate was cruel—Xiao Wu had lost her memory.

For Tang San, who was hell-bent on avenging his wife and had fallen into extremism, this was undoubtedly adding insult to injury, extremely unkind.

And worse still, in her amnesiac, confused state, she had fallen right into Huo Yuhao's hands and been brought back to the Holy Spirit Cult.

Huo Yuhao, who had fused with that Simulated Herrscher of Sentience core, had actually never truly escaped Lu Jingming's control from beginning to end.

He was never some generous benefactor, gifting Huo Yuhao a core containing immense power for nothing—even if it was a simulated core. There must be hidden countermeasures buried within, capable of restraint or even control.

...

"Now's the time—Gáe Bolg!"

Perhaps it was a subtle sensing from her blood-related daughter Tang Wutong struggling in the distance, or perhaps a mother's instinct causing her unrest in the dark—Xiao Wu, in her high-speed entanglement with Cú Chulainn, suddenly showed an extremely brief, almost imperceptible lapse in focus.

And her opponent, Cú Chulainn, the battle-hardened Child of Light from Celtic mythology, had terrifyingly sharp combat instincts.

He almost instinctively seized this fleeting—perhaps the only—opportunity.

He abruptly pulled back half a step, his body assuming the classic thrusting stance like a fully drawn bow.

The scarlet demonic spear "Gáe Bolg" in his hand suddenly lit up with an eerie and ominous deep red glow, his aura exploding to an unprecedented peak.

That legendary pressure, locking onto fate, snapped Xiao Wu back to her senses from her momentary daze. Her beautiful eyes instantly filled with unprecedented gravity.

"Spurt—!"

With the release of the Noble Phantasm's true name, the scarlet spear transformed into a red meteor surpassing visual limits, as if piercing through causality itself.

In Xiao Wu's shocked and incredulous gaze, the spear's attack process seemed completely "erased." It ignored all evasion movements and spatial distances, resulting in—it had already precisely and deeply pierced her heart.

Blood immediately overflowed from Xiao Wu's lips. She looked down in disbelief at the ominous red-glowing spear in her chest, her eyes filled with immense confusion and horror.

She had clearly dodged all attack trajectories and predictions with her god-level reactions and speed, so why... had this spear still pierced her heart as if destined, without any obstruction?

It was as if the entire "attack process" had been ignored by some higher rule, leaving only the unchangeable "result" of "heart pierced."

With her godly life essence, even with old injuries and her strength reduced to a fraction, her pure physical durability and energy level far exceeded Cú Chulainn, who was summoned as a Servant with restricted power.

But she had unfortunately encountered Cú Chulainn, this utterly unreasonable "mechanic monster."

Cú Chulainn's Noble Phantasm "Gáe Bolg" was a bug-level anti-personnel treasure, his unquestionable trump card killer move.

This wasn't a simple physical attack but a terrifying technique involving the reversal of "causality"—the moment the spear is released, the "effect" of the opponent's heart being pierced is forcibly destined, and only then is the "cause" filled in: because the heart was pierced, the spear hit.

This domineering ability to reverse causality was essentially a guaranteed game-changer if successfully executed.

Even killing Cú Chulainn before the spear is thrust couldn't change the result of the heart being pierced, because the "effect" had already been destined before the "cause."

Unless one possessed heaven-defying luck capable of twisting or countering this causal fate, few could truly dodge this spear that inevitably strikes the heart.

Unfortunately, Xiao Wu wasn't the type exceptionally favored by Lady Luck; in fact, she could be considered somewhat "unlucky."

If she truly had luck capable of reversing fate, she wouldn't have been severely wounded by Ma Hongjun in the Divine Realm back then, nor fallen into her current amnesiac, wandering state.

Thus, with a heart full of confusion and unwillingness, she inexplicably fell victim, her heart thoroughly pierced by the demonic spear.

Seeing the Noble Phantasm successfully activate without any surprises—like being twisted by some absurd luck—Cú Chulainn secretly breathed a sigh of relief, his tense nerves relaxing slightly.

His battle with Xiao Wu had been exceptionally frustrating and difficult—not because he lost in combat experience or martial skills, but due to pure stat crushing.

As a top-tier Servant, he was already among the pinnacle powerhouses on the current Douluo Continent, with few native soul masters truly able to threaten him—but that didn't include a god in poor condition.

Even with amnesia and greatly reduced strength, Xiao Wu's godly life essence and tier far surpassed mortals. Her every move carried godly pressure, leaving him restrained and cautious.

Cú Chulainn had maintained his undefeated stance solely through his battle-tempered rich experience in desperate maneuvering, plus Xiao Wu's amnesia meant her fighting relied on instinct and residual muscle memory, failing to fully unleash a god's true power and authority.

Even so, he had been comprehensively suppressed and in constant peril. If not for seizing that instant of her distraction, he would likely have been the one to exhaust and lose in the end.

"Although it's regrettable that the battle process wasn't fully satisfying... this is the end."

Cú Chulainn looked at Xiao Wu, her chest pierced by the demonic spear and her aura rapidly wilting, and said solemnly.

He held respect for this powerful opponent, but battle was battle.

Cú Chulainn let out a soft sigh, his scarlet eyes fixed on Xiao Wu, pierced through the heart by the demonic spear, a mix of indescribable complex emotions rising in his heart.

This opponent was indeed very strong; the vast godly pressure in battle was like an invisible mountain, forcing him to give his all without the slightest slack.

Although Xiao Wu wasn't the type of opponent who could fully ignite his fighting spirit, making him feel evenly matched and exhilarated.

After all, her combat relied more on instinct and tier rather than refined techniques, but clashing with her could still be considered an enjoyable battle.

Moreover, Xiao Wu was an extremely beautiful woman, and Cú Chulainn had always appreciated strong and beautiful women.

The only thing he found somewhat regrettable was that she wasn't his preferred type—distinctive personality, full of aggression and dominance. In her amnesiac state, she seemed somewhat ethereal, making the clash lack the sharp thrill of direct confrontation.

He slightly exerted force on his wrist, preparing to withdraw the demonic spear from her chest and end this battle.

However, after a slight pull, the spear that should have moved at his will remained utterly still, as if clamped by unshakeable iron pincers.

Cú Chulainn's heart tightened abruptly, a strong sense of foreboding surging up.

With a mix of shock and disbelief, he looked at Xiao Wu.

Only to see that at some point, Xiao Wu had raised her left hand, her five fingers like a lock, firmly and tightly gripping the scarlet demonic spear's shaft.

What made his pupils contract even more was that Xiao Wu's beautiful eyes, which had been somewhat unfocused due to her heart being pierced and life force rapidly draining, had now refocused. They lit up with a deep, cold, azure divine light, as if containing the endless power of the ocean.

That icy gaze pierced straight into his soul, sending a shiver through it.