Somewhere inside the hidden Ember base, the atmosphere felt strangely relaxed compared to the war happening outside.

Explosions echoed continuously from the battlefield feed projected across the giant screens, several Ember members were casually floating around eating snacks while watching the fight like some kind of sports match.

"Hahaha... Tyler is dead."

Rose burst into laughter while pointing at the screen showing Tyler’s destroyed mech lying in the middle of the Capital streets.

Meanwhile, the supposedly "dead" Tyler was quietly trying to steal the final piece of broasted chicken from a large bucket sitting beside him.

Rose noticed immediately.

"Hey! Give me one!"

Tyler froze halfway through taking a bite and slowly turned his head toward her.

"This is the last piece," he said seriously.

Then after a brief pause, he added,

"Wait. I’ll send drones to bring more."

"I WANT NOW."

"I only have bones left."

"..."

Outside, giant mechs were destroying buildings and fighting for control of the Capital.

Tyler casually wiped his hands afterward, leaned back into the floating sphere like field and lowered the combat visor over his eyes again.

The battlefield view immediately reconnected inside his vision.

Back in the Capital...

Tyler’s destroyed mech still lying motionless in the middle of the ruined street.

Its head had already been blown off. One arm was missing entirely, and sparks continuously burst from exposed mechanical parts while smoke drifted upward into the night sky.

The surrounding roads were filled with debris from collapsed buildings and destroyed drones.

The giant golden mech slowly approached the wreckage carefully.

Even after destroying Tyler’s mech, the pilot still didn’t feel comfortable.

The golden mech lowered its cannon slightly while moving closer to confirm the kill personally.

Nearby Capital soldiers also advanced cautiously behind it but they didn’t get closer to the battlefield.

Then suddenly—

Several small drones burst out from the wreckage of Tyler’s destroyed mech.

The golden mech instantly jumped backward.

Even the soldiers panicked and aimed weapons toward the drones.

"What the hell are those?!"

"Careful!"

"Are they explosives?"

One soldier immediately raised his rifle.

But the drones completely ignored everyone around them.

Instead, they flew directly into nearby buildings at extremely high speed.

Several disappeared into damaged restaurants and convenience stores lining the streets.

The battlefield became strangely quiet for a moment.

Even the golden mech pilot looked confused.

A few seconds later, the drones returned carrying plastic bags and food containers hanging beneath them.

"...Are they stealing food?" one Capital soldier asked in disbelief.

Another soldier lowered his weapon slightly.

"What kind of army are we fighting?"

The drones didn’t stop there.

They quickly ascended higher into the skies above the Capital before disappearing into the clouds.

The golden mech pilot frowned.

"What are they doing now?"

Several soldiers raised weapons toward the sky once more.

A few moments later, dark metallic shapes suddenly began falling from above the clouds.

The objects descended rapidly toward the battlefield.

The golden mech immediately stepped backward.

"Incoming attack!"

"Missiles?!"

The giant metal objects slammed into the streets surrounding Tyler’s destroyed mech with deafening impacts.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

Roads cracked apart while dust and broken concrete blasted into the air.

Several nearby vehicles were crushed instantly beneath the falling objects.

Then something strange happened.

The metallic blocks started moving.

Panels unfolded.

Mechanical joints rotated outward.

Armor pieces shifted and connected together with precise mechanical movements.

One large segment reshaped itself into a sleek black mechanical head before attaching directly onto Tyler’s damaged mech body.

CLANK.

The connection locked into place.

A second later, the crimson eyes lit up again.

Several Capital soldiers instinctively stepped backward.

"No way..."

"It’s rebuilding itself?"

The damaged mech slowly tried standing again, though both original arms were still missing.

Then the remaining metallic blocks moved once more.

Large sections unfolded into newly constructed arms that looked completely different from the previous heavy design.

These arms were slimmer.

Sharper.

Far more streamlined.

The new armor rapidly connected itself across the mech’s body, replacing destroyed sections piece by piece.

Even the legs became lighter and more agile-looking.

The rebuilt mech no longer resembled a heavily armored fortress.

Now it looked fast.

Dangerously fast.

Like a machine built specifically for hunting.

Back inside the Ember base, Rose blinked while chewing on chicken bones.

"It even became slimmer?" she muttered.

Even Embers stared at the reconstruction footage with wide eyes.

On the battlefield, the reconstructed black mech slowly stood upright again.

The streets beneath its feet cracked from the weight.

Smoke drifted around the newly rebuilt frame while crimson eyes stared directly toward the golden mech.

Nearby Capital soldiers unconsciously retreated several steps.

Even the golden mech pilot hesitated slightly this time.

The black mech then calmly bent down and pulled the giant spear from the rubble.

Blue energy immediately spread across the weapon once more.

Inside the hidden base, Tyler leaned back slightly inside the control chair.

"Alright," he said casually.

"Time for Round 2."

Almost at the same time, the drones returned from their food mission and entered the control room carrying multiple bags from different restaurants around the Capital.

Rose’s eyes instantly sparkled.

She threw away the bones she was holding and grabbed an entire bucket of fiery grilled chicken.

Meanwhile, around them, Ember members casually started taking food while watching the battlefield feeds.

Outside, the Capital was still burning.

But inside the hidden Ember base, it almost felt like movie night.

"How? Where did they come from?" the golden mech pilot shouted while looking toward the skies above the Capital.

"Search the city!" the golden mech pilot ordered angrily. "There are more Rebels hiding inside the Capital!"

Immediately, many military officers who hadn’t joined the battlefield began deploying police units and drones across different districts to search for hidden Ember groups.

Meanwhile, Tyler’s mech casually planted the giant spear into the ground.

Then, in front of everyone watching, the mech rolled its shoulders, flexed its remaining arm, jumped lightly in place, and even moved its head left and right like someone warming up before exercise.

Several Ember soldiers burst out laughing through the communication channels.

"What is he doing?"

"He’s stretching..."

Tyler’s mech finally reached toward the spear again.

The golden mech pilot immediately became furious.

"You think you can stop me?"

His mech vanished once more.

The golden armor blended into the surroundings and disappeared completely.

A second later, he suddenly appeared beside Tyler holding a glowing sword heated bright orange from energy output.

The blade thrust directly toward Tyler’s cockpit.

But just before it connected—

Tyler moved.

His mech twisted sideways unnaturally fast and disappeared from its original position.

BOOM.

The next moment, Tyler’s mech appeared beside the golden mech and kicked it directly in the chest.

The impact launched the golden mech through the air before it crashed into a nearby building, bringing down several floors with it.

The Ember soldiers immediately cheered.

"YES!"

"Get him, Tyler!"

Meanwhile, Tyler calmly turned back toward the spear again like nothing happened.

But before he could grab it, instinct made him move again.

His mech vanished from the spot instantly.

BAM BAM BAM.

Laser rounds, explosive bullets, and missiles tore apart the road where he had been standing a moment earlier.

The invisible golden mech was attacking again while hidden in stealth mode.

Tyler stopped moving for a moment and scanned the surrounding streets carefully.

Smoke drifted between damaged buildings while fires continued spreading nearby.

Then suddenly, Tyler noticed something.

"Oh..."

Inside the control sphere, he grinned.

His mech immediately dashed forward and smashed directly through the wall of a nearby building.

A massive hole exploded through the structure.

People watching nearby looked toward the destroyed building in confusion.

Part of the broken signboard fell onto the street below.

The remaining letters were still readable.

"Libria Paints."

For the first time, the golden mech pilot panicked.

"Oh no."

Even while invisible, he immediately understood Tyler’s plan and tried retreating.

But it was already too late.

Something suddenly started falling from above.

At first, nearby soldiers thought it was rain.

Then thick liquid splashed across the streets, buildings, vehicles, and military units nearby.

Paint.

Tyler’s mech had transformed its arm into a giant spray cannon and was firing massive amounts of paint from above like artificial rain.

Within seconds, the invisible golden mech became fully visible after its entire body got covered in bright paint.

"There you are."

Before the pilot could react properly, Tyler’s mech had already appeared above him.

BOOM.

A powerful kick slammed the golden mech straight into the road below.

The impact shattered the entire street and created a massive crater across the intersection.

Smoke and dust spread everywhere.

When the dust finally settled, Tyler’s mech was standing inside the crater with one foot pressed against the golden mech’s chest.

The golden mech struggled weakly beneath him.

Then Tyler grabbed the upper armor plating with his remaining hand and ripped it open forcefully.

Metal tore apart with sparks flying everywhere.

Inside the exposed cockpit lay the Commander of the Libria Army unconscious in his seat.