The Mech Touch novel Chapter 7170

Chapter 7170: The Meeting of Giants

Ves felt slightly uncomfortable in his new nanosuit as he finally stepped outside and began to move to the center.

He traveled to the center of the silent and frozen plains while standing on a large lifter platform.

The industrial device was powerful enough to haul mechs from one destination to another.

That was more than enough lifting capacity to accommodate a large metal crate that stored his equipment.

Though Ves could have opted to enter the dueling ground while wearing his new combat regalia right away, he opted to keep them under lock and key for a while longer in order to maintain the element of surprise.

He also did not want his newly transformed gear to cause any incidents and potentially spark a full-blown civil war within the Red Collective!

Ves also arrived at the agreed upon meeting site by himself. He brought no one else, not even Lucky.

He already knew that the Ascended Giants did not respect anyone lesser than themselves. It would be an insult to bring over any puny weaklings. It would also put their lives at risk in case an outbreak of violence occurred.

Ves was confident in his ability to take a hit, especially after integrating the new lesser Marigal organ.

The same could not be said for others.

Another notable absence was mechs.

They were still visible in orbit and at certain other locations, but they made sure to remain as low-key as possible. They had been recoated so that they adopted bland and subdued colorations. They also kept their energy activity suppressed in order to appear less threatening and suspicious.

All of this was designed to prove that the Red Collective was ’sincere’ about honoring the leadership challenge.

Whether the RC would actually allow the Phase Lord Department to continue to operate while remaining in the hands of its current leaders remained to be seen.

So long as Ves still had a legitimate shot at taking it over, the RC was content to show its good side to a group of former subordinates who had betrayed their mother organization.

As his large lifter platform approached the center, Ves could already see that the other side had come fully prepared.

Unlike Ves, these Ascended Giants had already grown as tall as two mechs stacked on top of each other while putting on their full combat gear.

Each of them looked resplendent in their raiments. The transphasic alloys had been polished to a shine. The distant stars might not be able to provide much illumination, but the powerful fixtures that illuminated a central plaza gave plenty of opportunities for the gigantic armor to gleam.

The Ascended Giants all showed stern expressions inside their open helmets.

No one else attended to them. They came with just four of them as they believed they did not need any further assistance to do their jobs.

Their gazes all showed varying degrees of disapproval as they observed the approach of Ves in his human guise.

This was a calculated display to remind them that Ves was not readily willing to embrace all of their rules and traditions.

He was still human.

Only after the lifter platform stopped at the opposite side of the metallic plaza was Ves prepared to let his other side come out to play.

He took a few deep breaths. "Remember what we agreed upon. Stick to the deal, and you will be allowed to lead the Phase Lord Department in most matters. Not all, but enough to turn you into the leader of the Ascended Giants in truth. If you do anything that will harm the cause of red humanity, then we will put you back in the box."

With that message delivered, Ves finally surrendered his true body to his alter ego.

His body began to inflate in size. He rapidly grew larger and taller. His nanosuit already began to stretch in order to protect his modesty and isolate him from the barren planetary environment.

One notable shortcoming to his true body was that his lower left leg remained missing.

He was not able to regrow it at all despite his immense physical growth and development because he had conceptually sacrificed this limb in order to birth Veronica.

Most of the time, this sacrifice did not bother him. It even gave him enough room to fit a backup brain inside his CyLeg.

However, this physical shortcoming was a lot more consequential to a human phase lord.

The good news was that the raiments designed for every duel already incorporated advanced cybernetic replacement legs. A considerable amount of mass had to be dedicated towards filling them up so that they turned into strengths instead of weaknesses.

However, if Ves found himself separated from his raiments, then the lack of a sturdy leg might prove fatal in a duel!

He had to make sure that the fight took place in space where solid footing did not exist. Fighting on the surface of a planet that possessed enough gravity to press down the body of a phase lord was not ideal with a missing foot.

The Dark Apostle quickly took over the shared true body. The shift happened instantly and seamlessly.

However, Ves did not disappear into the depth of the true body.

The segmented collar that was wrapped around the neck of Ves’ original body continued to do their work. Runes and symbols had been carved into the metal components and had become empowered by jewels and other hyper materials.

Each of them worked as advertised. Ves found himself in possession of Blinky’s spiritual form once more.

"Mrow, this is great."

"Not in my opinion." The Dark Apostle glumly whispered. "I had hoped to undertake this leadership challenge without your irritating nagging and intervention."

"Pfff, keep dreaming." Blinky rolled his eyes. "You need me to keep you in line and to help you defeat these Ascended Giants. Don’t forget who is responsible for infusing us both with new fighting methods. I am responsible for giving you a winning ticket. I just want to make sure that my investment is not in vain."

"We welcome you to these sacred plains, Dark Apostle." The Oscillating First greeted the arrival with an imperious voice. "Today, we shall decide who will get to earn the qualifications to lead the Ascended Giants as its strongest and most authoritative voice. Our people only listens to the strong, not the weak. By agreeing to undergo a leadership challenge that comprises four separate duels, you submit yourself to our ways and accept that true leaders can only be tested under arduous conditions. Do you agree with the terms of this challenge?"

The Dark Apostle made a simple nod. "I do. I acknowledge how much I am putting myself behind by fighting several duels with only 3 hours of rest time in between, but... this challenge wouldn’t be as exciting if you gave me more time to recover from my exertion in between."

"As part of the rules, you have been given the power to choose the order of your duels. Who do you intend to challenge first?"

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