— Noooo! Come back! Let’s chase it, Noah! We need to kill it! We need to eat it! Can you imagine how much energy that thing would give us!?

Eve was hysterical. She could not accept the beast slipping through their clutches. After all their efforts it had simply fled. Just like that? Noah could feel that she was about to go batshit crazy.

He sighed and leaned back against the chair of the half-destroyed Shadowblade.

“Calm down. We are in no state to fight right now. Our Frame is destroyed, and our energy is at rock bottom. Not to mention, can you even produce enough of your substance to build another one of those spears in this state? Had the beast stayed here, we would have definitely lost. The moment we failed to kill it in one blow, we were at its mercy.” His voice was even.

The hysterical screams of the queen soon quieted down. She knew very well that Noah’s pride was no lower than her own. For him to accept such a thing readily…

— So you mean, we lost?

A grin formed on his face, “We failed to eat it and it failed to eat us. We are in bad shape and so is that bitch. But at the end of the day, we are standing strong and that beast has fled for its life. So, there is no shame in saying that we won the first round.”

— First?...!!! Don’t tell me!?

“Seems like you finally noticed.”

Noah's grin changed into a full-blown laugh. Back when he was on that deserted planet, he could sense the location of Ouroboros in the Sea of Qanta. A combination of his connection to the Ouroboros and the dark substance making up Eve helped him locate his mecha.

And now…

“I can feel it.”

Noah looked at the dark space. He could not see anything beyond that void but in his mind, the presence of the crocodile was like a blazing star.

It did not matter where it went or how far it would go. As long as it stayed inside the Sea of Qanta, Noah would always feel its presence and would be able to open a portal to its exact location.

— When do we chase it?

Realizing that her prey had not escaped, excitement filled Eve’s voice.

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“There is no need to rush. We can simply wait to heal. Furthermore…” He sighed as he looked at Shadowblade. “We might need a new mecha.”

A bitter smile floated on his face as he patted the control panel. Shadowblade might not have been to his liking. But he could not deny that he experienced such a great fight all thanks to this frame.

He considered for a moment and added, “If you eat this mecha, would you be able to entirely reproduce it like my power armor?

— …. Theoretically yes. After entirely devouring it, I would be able to study, understand, and reproduce its structure to a certain degree.

“Then let’s do it.”

— But, didn’t you disagree in the past? Your worries were valid, creating an entire Mecha and the weapons for it will be an extreme drain on our energy. I do not think we would be able to keep it functioning for long.

Noah shook his head. In the past, he indeed wouldn’t have been able to support such an energy drain. Things were different now, however.

“No mecha will ever be able to truly satisfy me and we would always have to make you take over its circuit anyways. I think that is an even greater waste of energy. So, let’s just skip that step entirely.”

He understood the limitations of his fighting style. Only the highest level Frames would be able to support the way he used his energy and even then, there would be clear limits as he would be forced to make Eve create a Neurolink for him to fight in full strength.

Since this was the case, why not simply have Eve transform as a mecha with him in the interior?

Or even better, “What if we create a mecha with your fluid and keep it in the Sea of Qanta? Wouldn’t we be able to control it remotely?”

Noah imagined himself, opening a gate in front of his enemies and watching them get crushed by a giant fist of his mecha.

The more he thought about it, the more his eyes flashed with excitement. This would supplement many of his weak points and he would not even have to enter the Mecha to control it nor spend energy to create a new one every time.

An avatar of death and destruction that could appear from anywhere with just a mental command of his. No enemy would ever feel safe against him and he would always be ready no matter where he was.

— This is feasible.

Eve was as excited as Noah. After all, fighting this way would ensure that they could kill and devour their enemies before they could escape. How could she not appreciate such a tactic?

“Well, all of this is for the future for me to care about. For now, though…” He stopped and looked at the distance.

Though the crocodile had fled, the fight did not stop. The abyss beasts had been trying to devour him all along. But nothing happened. The hired mercenaries had been busy eliminating them and now were circling him to protect him.

— At least they are not completely useless.

Noah snorted at her obvious dissatisfaction and closed his eyes. This fight had been truly enriching for him and though he failed to deal the fatal blow, he felt no regrets. He was more interested in exploring the sensations he experienced through this fight. Such as the Time Dilation.

If he could master this technique and use it at will…

Soon, a smile of pure joy spread on his face. As he thought, fighting a strong enemy was truly fun.

“The next time we fight, you will die, crocobitch.”

This was a promise he made to himself. No matter what, in the future, he would find that crocodile and he would eat it.