Chapter 33: The Final Gear!

But while the kitchen knife won’t get the work done, blunt weapons with enough power should be enough to rattle it continuously...

So, Instead of using the kitchen knife, Aiden pulled the [Vinewood Staff] from his back.

The crystal at its tip immediately began glowing with a faint green light as mana flowed through it.

Aiden tightened his grip. ’Let’s try this.’

He rushed behind the mech.

THUD!

The staff slammed into its exposed mechanical joint and a shower of sparks erupted.

THUD!

Another strike landed.

THUD!

Then another.

Aiden wasn’t trying to break through the mech’s armor. He was targeting the gaps; the spaces between plates, the exposed gears, the joints, the pipes. Every vulnerable component he remembered from his previous life.

However, the Engineering Mech suddenly swung its massive pincer backward.

Aiden ducked and the enormous metal claw tore through the air above his head.

He immediately rolled beneath its arm.

A spinning drill descended. Aiden’s eyes narrowed and jumped backward watching as the drill slammed into the platform.

BOOM!

Metal fragments scattered in every direction as Aiden landed several meters away.

The mech turned. "Terminate..."

Its other arm swung horizontally.

In response, Aiden planted his foot and activated Adhesive Dominion. His body came to an abrupt halt, his momentum vanishing in an instant as he leaned his upper body backward. The enormous pincer swept past him, missing by mere inches.

He smiled. ’Too slow.’

Taking that opening, he stepped inside its reach and Titan Strength surged through his body and the Vinewood Staff swung upward.

BANG!

The staff struck the exposed elbow joint and the metal buckled slightly.

Aiden’s eyes flashed. ’There.’

He had found another weak point. He struck again and again.

Sparks erupted with every impact.

The Engineering Mech roared. Its entire body suddenly spun.

Aiden’s expression changed. ’Overload Release!’

He immediately retreated. The mech’s indicator lights flashed violently.

Then—

BOOM!

A violent arc of energy erupted from its body and the attack swept across the platform.

Aiden jumped onto a nearby maintenance structure.

The energy wave tore through the area beneath him. Metal screamed and pipes exploded.

The floor was carved apart.

Aiden landed on the other side, shaking his head at the sheer destruction caused by that attack,

’That would have hurt.’

As if angered, the mech charged. Despite its sluggish movement, its sheer mass made every step dangerous.

Aiden retreated several meters. Then stopped, then he raised his hand. His fingers formed a gun-like shape.

’Pressure Shot.’

BANG!

The compressed force shot through a narrow opening between two plates.

BOOM!

It struck one of the exposed weapon mechanisms on the mech’s left arm.

Sparks exploded and the spinning drill stuttered.

Aiden’s eyes gleamed. ’i didn’t expect Pressure shot to easily bypass it’s armour... But it didn’t last time, is it in a weakened state after that attack’

Uncaring for his thoughts, the mech swung its damaged arm.

Aiden immediately moved closing the distance again. The Vinewood Staff became a blur in his hands.

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

Each strike landed against the same weakened joint.

The staff wasn’t designed to deal overwhelming physical damage, but Aiden wasn’t relying on raw damage.

He was rattling the components inside. Every impact transmitted force through the metal. Every strike disrupted the machinery.

Then—

’Kinetic Smash!’

Mana surged into Aiden’s arm. He carefully controlled the amount. Titan Strength reinforced the movement. With immense power and explosiveness, his fist slammed into the damaged joint.

BOOM!

The mechanical component jolted violently. Aiden immediately retreated. He didn’t wait to see the result.

The mech’s drill tore through the space where his head had been a moment earlier.

Aiden glanced at the damaged joint. A faint crack had appeared across its metal housing. ’It works.’

He smiled. ’Kinetic Smash is much better for rattling its internal components than trying to punch through the armor.’

The Engineering Mech suddenly raised both arms.

Aiden’s expression sharpened. ’Again?’

The indicator lights began flashing. He didn’t hesitate.

Aiden sprinted sideways and the mech unleashed another Overload Release.

BOOM!

A sweeping arc of energy tore across the platform. Aiden slid beneath a burst of electricity before rolling behind a concrete support.

The attack ripped through the structure beside him.

Aiden’s heart tightened. ’One mistake and I’m dead.’

This wasn’t the Thorn Flower Demon.

He couldn’t simply rely on speed and exploit a biological weak point. This thing was a walking mass of steel. One direct hit could crush him.

Aiden waited and the energy dissipated.

The mech’s massive body momentarily stalled. Its internal mechanisms struggled to recover from the overload.

Aiden’s eyes flashed. ’There!’

He was looking at a small gap between two sections of its armor.

Smirking, he raised his hand.

BANG!

Pressure Shot tore through the opening. The compressed force struck the exposed mechanism inside.

The mech staggered and Aiden immediately followed.

He rushed forward with the Vinewood Staff raised.

THUD!

The staff struck the exposed section.

THUD!

Again.

THUD!

Again.

The mechanical housing began to deform and seam hissed from a ruptured pipe.

The Engineering Mech roared and swung wildly.

Aiden ducked beneath the pincer, A drill came from the opposite side.

He twisted away, the drill grazed his shoulder.

Aiden gritted his teeth as the spinning metal tore through his flesh and pain exploded through his body.

He retreated immediately as bood stained his clothes.

His Health dropped sharply and Aiden glanced at the wound. ’That was close.’

Regenerative Reconstruction immediately began repairing the damaged tissue. The bleeding slowed and the wound slowly began closing. But the pain remained.

Aiden ignored it. ’Focus.’

He couldn’t afford another mistake. The Engineering Mech advanced.

Aiden retreated then suddenly stopped.

His gaze locked onto the machine, he knew this pattern.

The boss had begun its final sequence. Its movements became increasingly unstable. The indicator lights flashed rapidly. Steam erupted from several vents. And beneath the damaged armor... Aiden saw it.

The exposed drive gear. The heart of the machine’s movement system.

The boss completed its Drill Thrust, its massive frame lunged forward.

Aiden easily sidestepped, dodging the attack, watching as the drill tore past him.

And for a brief instant, the drive gear was completely exposed.

Aiden’s eyes flashed. He dropped the Vinewood Staff, instantly storing it...

There was no need for it anymore. His feet dug into the ground and Adhesive Dominion anchored him firmly.

Titan Strength surged through every muscle. Mana flooded into his arm and Kinetic Smash activated.

Aiden compressed as much kinetic energy as his current body could safely handle.

No more, no less. His fist drew back as the Engineering Mech began turning.

’Too late.’ Aiden stepped forward and his fist exploded toward the exposed drive gear.

BOOM!

The impact was monstrous. The force of Kinetic Smash combined with Titan Strength slammed directly into the heart of the mechanism.

CRACK!

A spiderweb of fractures spread through the steel housing.

Then—

CRACK!

The exposed drive gear shattered. The Engineering Mech’s entire body violently convulsed.

Steam erupted from every joint and sparks poured from its damaged chassis.

"Maintenance protocol..." Its voice stuttered. "Failure..."

The massive machine staggered. Its enormous arms twitched uselessly.

"Maintenance..."

"Protocol..."

"Failure..."

Then the towering construct finally lost its balance.

BOOM!

Its massive body collapsed onto the railway tracks with a thunderous crash. Dust and debris erupted into the air.

Aiden stood several meters away, breathing heavily. The core lights flickered.

Once...

Twice...

Then they went dark.