Running at blistering speeds, Noah was surprised to realize that Eve had not uttered a single word until now.

Not stopping me?

— I dislike wasting my time.

He chuckled at her words. It seemed to him that Eve truly knew him best. There was, indeed, no way Noah would stop at this juncture. He was aware that his actions were reckless, but he had sufficient confidence in his survival skills. Not to mention, it was not his style to hide and cower while others suffered.

— A hero to your very bones.

I am not a hero. I just help people based on my abilities. If I wasn’t sure I could survive, I would have fled.

— Keep telling yourself that.

Noah snorted at her dismissive tone. He took back his previous thoughts. Clearly, she still did not know him fully after everything they’d been through, or else she would have never made that remark.

The hangar was close to him now. Once he reached there, he could take out his Mecha.

— One thing… How long do you plan to stay naked?

Oh…

Noah could not help but look down at his current state. His current attire finally registering in his mind. His entire body was caked in blood and bits of his organ, with not a thread covering him.

Damnit! You could have warned me earlier!

The only response he received was a bell-like laughter that only felt eerie when he remembered it came from a parasitic Cosmic Beast. Black Bio-Matter started oozing out from his body, covering him from head to toe, wriggling around and solidifying until all that was left was a familiar Black and Gold-streaked armor.

The armor mirrored the style of the one he wielded during his confrontation with Omid and his crew. Noah already had Eve devour the armor Tin created for him which gave her more in-depth knowledge of the internal structure and circuits that made up conventional power armor. Thanks to that, the current armor he wielded was as optimized.

Noah ignored how the mischievous Eve could have equipped him way earlier. This armor was one of the reasons he was so confident about the incoming battle, and outside of that.

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It should be able to protect him from the Light of Death.

— What if it doesn’t?

Then we either die or we survive and then kick some reptilian ass.

Noah laughed out loud and once again jumped into what could only be called a giant abyss. The radars equipped in his armor were warning him that the tunnel was hundreds of meters deep.

Noah cackled like a madman as a sensation of weightlessness took over him. It had been a long time since he felt his blood pumping so vigorously. This would be his first official fight after leaving the previous planet, after all. A fight that would be witnessed by many and would lead to his name being spread throughout the sea of stars if he were to succeed.

Today was the day he would become a legend.

A ripple in space formed as he fell through the tunnel. A behemoth of steel was soon pulled out from within the gaping hole in space. Entering his Knight Frame was not easy in a free fall, but once he did he immediately activated all the functions.

[Activation]

[Authentication Check: Success]

[Commencing system check]

[No abnormalities in the nerve connection]

[Connection to External equipment]

[Activating environmental sensors]

[Energy Reserves: 100%]

[System Check: Complete]

[Vanguard – Shadowblade activation complete]

Everything happened in the span of a few seconds. The thrusters lit up and controlled his fall until he finally landed on the ground with a soft thud.

When Noah reached the hangar, he witnessed numerous people and robots scramble about with haste, helping combat spaceships and Knighframes to exit through the outer hanger door and enter mortal combat against the Time Devouring Crocodile.

“Intruder. Identify yourself or we will open fire.” A robotic voice reached him from below, and Noah activated his speakers to respond.

“No time to explain. I am one of the VIPs. I wish to help you fend off against the enemy.” Noah was straightforward from the get-go. Every second they wasted now only amounted to more deaths piling up.

Red light flickered in the robot's eyes. It was clearly about to refuse him. Soldiers, especially robotic fighters, were trained to fight in formation. Adding a passenger would only disrupt them. But soon it stopped and tilted its head slightly before muttering, “Permission accorded.”

A door to the side opened and Noah was ushered into a room filled with special equipment that aided in the launch of Knightframes into outer space for combat. Once the door closed behind him, Noah moved his Frame until it was positioned on the launch ramp. Only then, did the second door, leading to the void of space, start opening.

— Your pulse has increased. Are you nervous?

Noah nodded, his hand tightening around the command.

“I am more than a little nervous. This reminds me of the war. Not happy memories, I tell you.” He grimaced at the sudden recollection.

The tense atmosphere, the soldiers running around, wounded soldiers getting dragged back to be healed. The sickening scene of blood and death.

Every single thing was familiar to Noah. Too familiar. However, there still seemed to be one exception,

“Eve. Let’s do what we planned.”

— From the get-go?

“No way am I going to underestimate that thing.” Noah grinned as he felt the biomass extend from his body and start filling every nook and cranny of his newly acquired Knightframe.

Since the Shadowblade did not have a full Neurolink, he simply needed to create his own.

Noah thought and immediately groaned once the connection was made. In one instant, Shadowblade went from being nothing but a cold machine to a warm companion he could trust intuitively.

[Opening in five seconds!]

Noah closed his eyes and focused on the connection he had with his new companion. At the moment, though he was not as deeply connected as the Neurolink, this was the best he could conjure.

The limb movement felt slightly stiff, but the overall control itself was increasing to a whole other level.

[4]

With one thought from him, the fingers of his Frame clenched and unclenched.

[3]

Eve, are you ready? Noah could not help but ask. One of his eyes shone with deep crimson red, while the other shone in bright gold. He was nervous. Definitely nervous. After all, this was the first time in years that he had the lives of innocent people on his shoulders.

[2]

—I am more than ready. Let’s see what those so-called Cosmic Beasts are truly capable of.

Eve was no less proud than Noah. Since this crocodile was a cosmic beast like herself, she needed to show her superiority.

[1]

“Then… I guess it’s time to kick ass!” Nervous he might be, but there was never any doubt about victory in his mind.

[0… Starting propulsion!]

He would win!

“Let’s go! Shadowblade!” Noah shouted as the Frame was propelled at Mach three right into outer space.