Chapter 136: Change
The giant dragon refused to be outdone. It launched a barrage of dragon-scale attacks at them, and using mana, it transformed seawater into ice spikes that rained down on them.
These ice spikes, like the dragon's scales, automatically locked onto their targets, and their numbers were overwhelming.
Salia, Hilda, Rosalie, Chris, and Vivian had never encountered such an attack before, and were caught off guard by the sudden onslaught.
All five Phantom Mechas suffered varying degrees of damage—some lost arms, others legs.
Ange, who only wished for death, charged straight toward the dragon's maw, hoping it would grant her a swift end.
Unfortunately, whether the dragon had no appetite or was deliberately toying with her, it swatted Ange and her Twilight Mecha, Villkiss, away with a single swing of its tail.
The result left Ange dissatisfied. Once again, she piloted Villkiss and lunged at the dragon, still intent on ending her life.
Yet when faced with the dragon's scale barrage, her survival instincts kicked in, and she instinctively dodged. Still, Villkiss began spiraling out of control and plummeting downward.
The dragon seized the opportunity, diving down and catching both Ange and Villkiss in its claws.
Inside the cockpit, Ange looked up at the dragon's monstrous face. Memories of Coco and Miranda being butchered and dismembered suddenly resurfaced. Terror overwhelmed her, and she lost control of her body.
For the first time, she feared death. She thrashed violently within the cockpit, and her blood, by chance, dripped onto the royal heirloom ring she wore.
The ring burst into dazzling light, and Villkiss, too, began to shine, transforming into a brand-new Twilight Mecha that hovered in the air.
Ange came to terms with reality. Screaming, "I don't want to die!" she relied on Villkiss's superior performance to effortlessly evade the dragon's attacks.
She pushed Villkiss into daring spirals and rolls, gradually closing in on the dragon before driving the combat sword straight into its head.
The dragon roared in agony, thrashing violently. With its dying breath, it unleashed another storm of scales.
Dodging as she advanced, Ange swiftly maneuvered to its flank and fired an ice missile.
Villkiss's ice missiles were far more potent than those of other Phantom Mechas. With a single shot, the dragon froze solid and crashed into the sea, turning part of the water into a massive block of ice.
Inside the cockpit, Ange's cheeks flushed red, and her breath came in gasps. She recalled her intimate moments with Zola, and exhilaration surged through her.
But she stubbornly refused to admit it aloud, insisting such feelings had nothing to do with her.
At last, Ange acknowledged within herself that to survive, she would kill without hesitation. This filthy, shallow, selfish Non-Magic was her true self.
Tolle shook his head helplessly. "Did I overtrain this Ange? What a classic case of saying one thing but being the complete opposite."
Back at the Arzenal base, Ange returned to her old self. At sunset, in the graveyard, she cut her long hair short, bidding farewell to her past and vowing to begin anew.
"I have… nothing left, and nothing left to ask for.
Even my past name, everything, everything…
Like you, I won't throw my life away meaninglessly.
To live, even if I must crawl on the ground, drinking mud, coughing up blood—
I will live on! Live on through slaughter!"
Hearing this, Tolle could not hold back his tears. This was the Ange he liked, the one he had been waiting for. His investment had finally paid off.
Soon, he released a swarm of nano-bionic animals to search for the male lead, Tusk, to prevent any mishap.
Fortune favored persistence. Before long, they located Tusk's island. Tolle immediately set out.
Upon finding him, without a word, Tolle fired a beam cannon straight through Tusk's heart and destroyed the body.
He scoured the island, erasing every trace of Tusk's identity.
Then Tolle dove beneath the waves near the island and used the neo DG cells to construct a small undersea base. There, he planned to live comfortably, watching the fish while secretly spying on the girls' daily lives.
He intended to wait until Ange drifted to this deserted island, setting the stage for a fateful encounter in the midst of a storm.
Even if she didn't wash up here, it didn't matter—his nano-bionic fish filled the seas. The moment Ange fell into the ocean, they would bring her to him.
Tolle then summoned Zola, Coco, and Miranda. Turning to Zola, he said:
"Zola, I'll leave their training to you from now on.
And for the time being, we'll live together here under the sea. You three will keep me company."
"Yes, Master. I will train them well and ensure your satisfaction. For now, let me begin teaching them how to serve you."
Blushing, Coco and Miranda lowered their heads and answered timidly:
"Master, we will listen to Captain Zola. We'll do our best to please you."
Tolle nodded with satisfaction. This decayed lifestyle suited him perfectly. Yet soon, his reason and desire clashed fiercely within.
Reason: "This is no good. One day it will all blow up in your face. You must stay cautious—never lose yourself in indulgence."
Desire: "But this world is already like this. The next one will be different. Just let me enjoy this a little longer."
In the end, desire triumphed. Tolle cast reason aside, choosing to indulge first and think later.
Meanwhile, Ange truly had changed, her entire being undergoing a complete transformation. Yet she had become an outright battle maniac and a total slob.
She cared for nothing beyond fighting. She didn't even bother changing her clothes when they were torn and tattered, only replacing them when they had become little more than rags.
Fortunately, she still bathed daily; otherwise, Tolle feared she would reek.
Because Ange threw herself so fiercely into combat, she often stole all the monsters from others during missions. This caused the team's earnings to plummet, leaving her comrades grumbling and unwilling to sortie with her.
Rosalie and Chris, the pair of cuties, still sought to avenge Zola. They tried all sorts of pranks on Ange, but to little effect.
After all, what prank could faze a woman who didn't care about her appearance or clothes? Even disgust couldn't touch her.
Still, before one mission, Rosalie and Chris pulled their usual trick of stuffing Villkiss's engine cover full of underwear.
Ange didn't notice before departure. It was only after entering battle that she realized Villkiss was malfunctioning and uncontrollable.
Yet she did not retreat. Transforming into Destroyer Form, she charged straight at the dragon swarm.
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