Chapter 69

"Mr Takashi do you copy?" Those at the desks were scrambling to get their communications stable. "AV-130's left arm has deteriorated, we suggest not to put too much pressure on it."

"Nebulas isn't moving around that much anymore but his attacks have been forceful. I might have to start launching the long-ranged attacks in my arsenal." Ryota responded with a firm grip on the controller's gear.

The mech closed in on Nebulas and made a distance between the alien mothership to fire its next attack. Once Nebulas was locked in, Ryota launched several missiles from the compartment that was activated at the back of the mech's shoulders.

Every single one of the missiles landed on Nebulas but the results were uncertain. Ryota squinted his eyes at the smoke only to be met with an agile shadowy figure that dove towards him and slammed its fist into the side of the mech's head.

Ryota panicked as the mech jerked backwards from the impact. Static began appearing on the areas that got hit making everyone who was watching the battle from the headquarters anxious.

"I won't go down!" Ryota fiercely activated the controllers and sped towards Nebulas with the right blade of the mech unsheathed.

"Mr Takashi is everything alright?" That voice belonged to Mr Oshiro and regardless of what he had to say, Ryota was going to finish this battle.

"I'm activating the Detrinator Blade." A loud siren emitted from the system which meant the blade was ready to be used.

AV-130 spiraled in the air making Nebulas a little confused by the bizarre movements. In just a second a large penetrating blade impaled his knee causing him to lose balance midair. Ryota watched as the alien mothership struggled to regain its strength from the unexpected attack from the mech.

This should do it now I'll just- Ryota was caught off guard when a large towering figure rose above him and collided with the mech's left arm causing the system to alert him about an emergency in the mech's compartments. Ryota's surroundings turned red and the constant alarms were frightening him.

 Nebulas gripped the mech's left arm with his foot in an attempt to crush it. The giant bug was very aware of the shortfalls the mech had, this spot being the most vulnerable now.

Ryota grit his teeth in anger, internally kicking himself for making the mech's weakness too obvious because he forgot Nebulas' keen observations. Without hesitation, Ryota grabbed Nebulas by the neck and shook him off but nothing was working, the monster bit down on the mech's wrist and released his grip on AV-130's left arm to charge up another attack.

 The condition of the mech's arm was worsening, there was barely any damage on its right wrist but Ryota still had to take precaution nevertheless. He was getting nervous there was no guarantee he was going to win this fight. Nebulas still had the strength to keep up with him.

"At this rate the mech is going to turn into scrap!" The men standing beside Mr Oshiro who was observing the battle started sharing their concerns and opinions on what they should do to help Ryota and the troops on the battlefield.

"Mr Oshiro the rescue team will be arriving in ten minutes." Hearing that made Mr Oshiro feel a little better knowing that the fate of the troops who were injured wasn't going to revolve around more suffering.

"Alright start informing the troops about the evacuation process." Mr Oshiro told the lady who nodded and relayed the message to those on the line.

Meanwhile, Ryota prepared for the next attack Nebulas was about to unleash. He took a quick glance at the giant bug and ruffled his dark hair in distress. Seems the next attack was going to deal a lot of damage so he had to get out of the way.

Nebulas fired acid at the mech and watched as AV-130 dodged the attack. If the mech chose to block the attack with a sort of defense it probably wouldn't have been able to get it ready on time. That was close.

Suddenly two aircraft came into view and dove towards Nebulas, firing at the giant monster hovering above the mech.

About time reinforcements got here. Ryota wiped the sweat off his forehead and got the mech's blade ready. The two jets were piloted by red blob-like creatures with antennas and large eyes. They were formed by the cells of microorganisms in Atlas' labs.

 Ryota and the two jets fired their missiles at Nebulas who quickly regenerated whenever a missile landed on him. Despite that, the three of them continued firing at the alien mothership who was outnumbered now.

"Aris-2C and Aris-3B keep a lookout for Nebulas' next move, the target is very observant and has been able to predict our actions. Now that we've got him cornered he might pull another trick up his sleeve." Mr Oshiro informed them. "Don't get too carried away if we appear to be emerging from this battle as the victors."

"Got it." Aris-2C replied.

"We hear you loud and clear." Aris-3B added.

The mech came to a stop and activated its rocket launcher. Ryota was certain this would bring them closer to the end of the battle with Nebulas decimated.

Ryota instantly pressed the button which powered up the mech's system to fire the rocket launcher. Once done, AV-130's middle compartment opened up revealing the large rocket launcher that flew towards Nebulas and exploded on impact. The two jets still firing at the alien mothership and flying past it.

To everyone's dismay, Nebulas managed to endure the rocket launcher's impact and regenerated without breaking a sweat. This made Ryota tensed, no matter what he did this creature was always ahead of him in terms of technique, preparation, and foresight. None of the things Ryota had in mind could counter Nebulas' tactics.

"You shameless fools thinking you can defeat me with these petty attacks and skills of yours. At this rate you should be grateful that you're still alive." The monster spoke with cruelty in his tone.

Mr Oshiro was starting to feel discouraged by his own decisions. He knew the choices he opt for made the most sense but none of them worked. Instead, those at the battlefield were struggling to fend off this monster. It wasn't a battle anymore, this was a game of survival.

"They're not going to make it if this keeps up!"

"If we don't act fast they're done for!"

Both Aris-2C and Aris-3B activated the blades and the sharp elongated ends of the wings that the jets were equipped with and accelerated towards Nebulas, swiping him with lethal weaponry that stunned him for a while.

Furious, Nebulas flung one of the jets coming towards him. He then flew to where AV-130 was and slammed his tail into the mech.

Ryota's eyes widened in shock at the impact from the hit if this keeps going the mech's left arm might fall off. He couldn't afford to get distracted by his own fear anymore, another hit and he will be short of weaponry to take down the alien mothership.

Momentarily, Ryota was having a hard time deciding on the next tactics since a majority of them were almost ineffective on the opponent. So, he decided to use one of AV-130's skills that might slow Nebulas down temporarily. This would give them ample time to defeat him.

"Alright time to activate the Voltrifiyer." A small pipe above AV-130's wrist appeared between the compartments it was encapsuled in and began flashing. A static of electricity rose to the opening of the pipe and surged out to where Nebulas was.

The alien mothership fired his purple flame at the incoming static and continued flying towards the mech, nearly impaling it with his large tail.

Ryota clenched his fist and pierced the mech's blade into Nebulas' skin that instantly regenerated.

Just when Aris-2C and Aris-3B were about to fire at Nebulas, a large bug resembling a silverfish landed on Aris-2C's jet bringing Aris-3B to the brink of panic.

Frightened, Aris-3B fired at the silverfish, not considering the lethality of the jet's weapons as Aris-2C perished in the explosion of the jet. Aris-3B stared at the scene in horror unable to move. His comrade was long gone.

Suddenly two large feet grabbed Aris-3B's jet from the roof and crushed it leaving bits and pieces of scrap falling to the ground. The only one left in the sky was the mech that was getting ready to fire its lazers at the opponent again. This time Ryota was going to make the most out of it.

Nebulas screeched and flew away from the mech's direction. Ryota screamed and fired the blue lazers at Nebulas but as usual there was no damage done to the monstrous fish. It was still moving despite the consecutive number of times it had been hit.

Back at headquarters, Mr Oshiro and everyone else watching the battle were having mixed opinions about the next course of action. With a few of them suggesting that Ryota and the troops get called back until they figure out a way to stop Nebulas. Others objected and felt that Ryota will take Nebulas down with the right amount of time. Most if not everyone waited for Mr Oshiro's next instructions for he knew what was the best thing to do.

"Do we have any other option? Nothing is working!"

"We're shorthanded now!"

"Ryota has to get out of there fast!"

Mr Oshiro cleared his throat. "Alright everyone we have to think of something. Our decision from now will determine their fate." Everyone turned around and looked at Mr Oshiro with uncertainty written on their faces. What happened to Aris-2C and Aris-3B was really unfortunate and they couldn't afford to lose more.

Nebulas sped towards AV-130 and pierced its shoulder. He bit down hard on the mech's arm refusing to let go until it breaks off. Ryota watched in horror as acid began seeping from Nebulas' jaw turning the metal of the mech's arm into rust. He could feel the adrenaline rushing through him knowing that if he doesn't get Nebulas off the mech he'd be in deep trouble having to deal with two unstable arms.

A thought occurred to Nebulas, one that made him start questioning his reason for doing this in the first place. Can I really trust Mr Moikawa? Nebulas recalled the battle he had with Aris-2C and Aris-3B. Just like him, they were created in a lab and assigned roles to work under humans in any given circumstance.

It seems we're being used by humans for their own benefit like pawns. Once we have fulfilled our purpose, we get tossed away like trash. Nebulas could somewhat understand where Aris-2C and Aris-3B's values stood, though he wasn't sure what kind of treatment they got back at Atlas, he wasn't positive about it based on what he's seen, even at Mr Moikawa's lair. Is this what Mr Moikawa thinks of me? This reminded him of something from a distant memory. One that he didn't even want to dive into.

"You're one of a kind Specimen 83." Those scientists would observe the area where he and the other comrades of his were and compliment him for being a unique and gifted lifeform out of all of them. "Who would've thought that you'd turn out this special Specimen 83."

It was all a lie. That scientist never meant it at all. If he did, Nebulas wouldn't have ended up this way, lost and unsure about his decisions. 

Nebulas' wires snapped as he sunk his teeth further into the mech's arm leaving a large dent on its surface. Ryota quickly activated the compartment on AV-130's arm and fired the blue lazer directly at Nebulas' neck causing him to shriek in pain and release his hold on the mech's arm.

The mech regained its composure and got ready for the next move. Ryota felt the burden lifted off his shoulder now that Nebulas' awareness wasn't as sharp as before for whatever reason. Which made it easier for him to finish this battle.

"AV-130 still has one more attack left." Mr Oshiro and everyone else in the vicinity watched the battle closely.

"Wait hold on there's something happening to Nebulas." One of them pointed at the figure of the alien mothership on the screen. Everyone crowded around to take a closer look.

The alien mothership skin was tearing apart making way for a green fluid-like shape underneath each joint including Nebulas' skull. It was still hidden beneath Nebulas' skin but something was emerging out of it. Almost like he was evolving to another form that reeked of acid from the liquid movements of this green mass.

"Alright this is the last straw." Ryota took note of Nebulas' ongoing transformation and activated the final attack that would deal a fatal blow to the giant therapod.

"Be careful Ryota. Even though Nebulas hasn't fully accustomed to this next form's he's taking we don't know what he's capable of if we interfere." Mr Oshiro warned him.

Ryota nodded and gave Mr Oshiro a thumbs up. "Got it sir. I'll keep a lookout for that." He replied.

While Nebulas was still adapting to his new state, Ryota took the chance to activate the last weapon in his arsenal. Once he pressed the necessary buttons and maneuvered the controls, the compartment that was supporting the mech's wrist elevated slightly, revealing a generator that was running.

The sound of the generator could be heard in every corner of the battlefield. Ryota smiled and stared down at the alien mothership closing in.

"This accumulated power from the mech's generator is equivalent to a fifty-magnitude Earthquake." Ryota raised the mech's fist, getting ready to land the intended hit.

"Get ready Ryota the opponent is closing in." Mr Oshiro and everyone at headquarters had the confidence this will work.

Once Nebulas got close, Ryota immediately sucker-punched the alien mothership at the side of the head with a lot of force, knocking Nebulas out as he lost balance and slowly began falling from where he was hovering.

Witnessing the scene on the big screen, Mr Oshiro and everyone else waited in anticipation for the results of Ryota's effort.