Chapter50: Unmatched

"How about now? Can you still defeat me in this form?"

Ares' voice was cold and sharp, echoing across the battlefield.

With a swing of the giant pincers, "The Nest" loomed like a beast awakened from hell, its massive mechanical body stretching ten kilometers wide, blotting out the sky. In comparison, Alex appeared as insignificant as a speck of dust.

From the distant battlefield, Maggie and the others saw this terrifying scene. Maggie clenched her fists, her lips trembling, but she dared not make a sound, only silently praying in her heart:

"Alex... please hold on!"

Faced with the immense creature before him, Alex took a deep breath and quickly formed mudras with his hands. His fingers moved swiftly, and the air within him surged. As smoke and dust billowed, faint yellow sparks flickered out. In his mind, he silently congratulated himself:

"At least I can barely manage the third level…"

"Die!"

Ares didn’t give Alex any time to breathe, swinging the giant pincers toward the ground with terrifying force. The dust and debris it kicked up surged like a tsunami, sweeping everything in its path.

Alex leaped into the air with all his strength, his body shooting upwards like an arrow. He narrowly dodged the first wave of the attack. However, before he could fully assess the situation, an overwhelming pressure suddenly came from his right— the pincers swung again, directly at him midair!

"Damn…!"

He urgently focused his energy, summoning a protective shield formed of smoke and debris around him. Yet, the force of the pincers was too great, and the shield shattered instantly. Alex was sent flying, his body slamming into a nearby abandoned building. Dust and rubble fell like rain as the structure trembled, and Alex's figure disappeared within the cloud of debris.

"How do you like that? Did you really think humanity could defeat machinery? Such foolish dreams!"

Ares' voice carried a mocking laughter that resonated through the ruins. The power of the pincers had secured an overwhelming advantage for Ares, shifting the balance of the battle in his favor.

However, this trump card came with a price. Each swing of the giant pincers drained the life force of "The Nest." The energy indicator lights at the city’s core began to flicker erratically, and the massive mechanical body emitted a screeching sound as it struggled to maintain operation.

Ares paid it no mind. His gaze remained fixed on the crashed Alex, a cold sneer escaping his lips:

"Hmph, even if this city runs out of power, I'll destroy you, pest!"

At that moment, the sky grew as dark as ink, thunder rumbled, and lightning slashed across the heavens, illuminating the monstrous form of "The Nest." As the first drop of rain fell, the downpour began abruptly, as if the heavens themselves were declaring the arrival of the final showdown.

Amid the wreckage, Alex staggered out from the top floor of the crumbling building, his posture bent yet determined. Blood dripped from the tattered edges of his armor, but he paid it no attention, focusing instead on gathering his energy to heal, all the while keeping his eyes locked on "The Nest."

The lightning danced wildly between him and the mechanical beast, casting a harsh glow over his features. His gaze, resolute as steel, was filled with unyielding determination. He muttered softly to himself, almost as though making a vow:

"This battle... I must win."

The rain intensified, streaming down his face, mixing with the mud and blood. His energy gradually stabilized, and his body began to regain strength. With each breath, it felt as though he was gathering the final reserves of his power for the climactic moment ahead.

In the distance, the pincers slowly rose again, accompanied by the deafening roar of gears turning. "The Nest" seemed like the ruler of the world, poised to strike again. The thunder, as if signaling the fated battle, fueled the fury of the storm.

At this moment, "The Nest's" power reserves were rapidly draining, nearing an irreversible point. Alex knew this was his one chance—if he couldn’t defeat Ares now, "The Nest" would collapse, and the city would fall with it. He had to think of a way to overpower Ares...

They were both thinking the same thing: the next strike had to land perfectly, or all would be lost.

The final moment arrived.

A bolt of lightning split the dark clouds above, illuminating the land as though it were day. The roar of thunder sounded like the drumbeat of war, heralding the beginning of the ultimate clash.

Ares, seeing the situation, wasted no time and launched the first strike.

"Die!"

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He propelled the entire nest forward, with massive mechanical legs climbing like a spider. Every step caused the ground to crack, and countless building remnants collapsed, sending up dust storms. The nest advanced slowly, but the pressure was suffocating, as if the very sky and earth were closing in on Alex.

Alex, seeing the nest charging at him, instinctively channeled his inner energy and surged forward. The smoke and dust around him enhanced his speed, cracking the ground beneath his feet. He leaped high into the air, soaring hundreds of meters like a missile, heading straight for the nest, which was already raising its terrifying pincers to meet him.

"With my current energy, I can’t defeat it head-on... but at least I’ll find its weak point!"

Alex quickly assessed the situation and decided to avoid direct confrontation for now. Mid-air, he rapidly formed the Great Roc Mudra, summoning smoke and dust behind him, which transformed into a pair of semi-transparent energy wings. With a flap, he swiftly dodged the massive pincers' strike.

Under the flickering lightning in the night sky, Alex circled rapidly above the nest, observing the immense and bizarre entity below.

During this maneuver, Alex finally discovered the true nature of this terrifying nest that had instilled fear in surface-dwelling creatures for so long.

He observed carefully that the nest was a massive mechanical complex, resembling a city filled with irregularly shaped towers, like giant skyscrapers. Thousands of gears and mechanical parts worked in unison in the dark, resembling an unblinking insect hive. Under the flash of lightning, the twisted metal structures became visible, revealing their dense, eerie details that almost took away one's breath.

The most chilling feature was the blue-lit conduits buried deep within the dark passages, resembling veins. They pulsed quietly, transporting an unknown energy, almost like the life blood of a living organism rather than a mechanical system.

Alex, agile in the air, continued dodging the pincers, but in the chaos, he noticed a crucial detail: the energy flowing through the blue conduits was starting to flicker intermittently.

"Just as I thought... The pincers are draining the nest's power at an insane rate. If I hold on long enough, the energy will eventually run out!"

A surge of understanding dawned upon him, and he found his breakthrough.

With a plan in mind, Alex engaged in a war of attrition. Using the speed of his smoky wings, he continually approached the core area of the nest, using his energy to whip up dust and destroy the meticulously operating machines, throwing the nest's mechanisms into chaos. After each attack, he quickly flew away like a hawk darting in and out.

This back-and-forth tactic was starting to pay off. The blue conduits began to dim, and the energy they carried wavered like a flickering candle flame. The nest’s power was visibly depleting.

However, Ares, the brain of the nest, knew its energy was running low, and it went into a complete rage.

"You think depleting my power will defeat me? Dream on!"

The nest swung its massive pincers with unprecedented speed, roaring like a berserk beast. It began indiscriminately launching devastating attacks, determined to tear Alex apart.

Sure enough, the nest’s movements began to slow. The pincers' strikes became sluggish, and its steps grew heavier and more rigid, as if its energy had dropped to dangerous levels.

"Looks like it's time for a counterattack!"

Alex's eyes hardened. He clenched his fists and spun in the air, flying directly above the nest. He raised his right hand, forming the Mudra of Demon Subjugation. In an instant, thick smoke and dust poured from his palm, spiraling and expanding into a violent dust storm. The storm roared like a beast devouring everything in its path, flashing with explosive yellow sparks, spreading outward.

With all his energy focused, the dust storm began to condense, gathering into Alex's right hand, glowing with blinding golden light like the sun.

"Go!"

Alex shouted fiercely, slamming his palm down. The energy surged like wildfire, crashing into the nest's body with destructive force. The impact detonated, creating an earth-shattering roar, and a violent shockwave erupted, forming a massive mushroom cloud. The entire earth trembled, dust flying like a raging sea.

"Finally…!"

Alex gasped for breath, his fist clenched in victorious joy.

However, just as his smile spread, two piercing red lights suddenly emerged from the center of the mushroom cloud. It was the nest’s eyes, burning like torches in the flames.

"Dammit!"

Alex’s heart sank. A giant pincer shot out from the smoke, racing toward him. Before he could react, it slammed into him, sending him flying hundreds of meters like a ragdoll. He crashed into a derelict building with a deafening crash, debris falling everywhere.

As the mushroom cloud dissipated, the nest's towering form still stood, though its surface was cracked from the explosion. Yet, it remained as indestructible as ever.

"Did you think depleting my power would defeat me... how naïve!"

The nest's voice thundered across the ruins, like a roar of thunder. Its red eyes swept across the destruction,

"Even with my mobility diminished, you still cannot defeat my massive steel frame!"

This mockery struck Alex like a dagger to the heart. He struggled to rise from the wreckage, his body covered in blood, feeling as if his internal organs had been crushed. His hands shook as he pushed against the ground, his breath shallow.

"Damn… I weakened its power, but still can’t defeat it... What else can I do?"

Alex collapsed to the ground, his teeth clenched as he pounded the earth. Blood dripped from his mouth.

Heavy rain began to fall, mixing with his blood, splattering across the ground. The sky rumbled endlessly, as if the heavens themselves were weeping, signaling humanity’s eternal defeat at the hands of the machines.

"My God, what do I do?"

Alex stared helplessly at the dark sky, his voice barely a whisper, filled with deep despair.

Just then, the sky seemed to respond. A blinding bolt of lightning streaked across the heavens, heading straight for Alex. Instinctively, he raised his arm to block, but the lightning struck the ground next to him, not harming him at all.

"This is... telling me not to resist?"

Alex gave a bitter smile as he looked at the ground where the lightning had struck, his heart sinking in confusion. His breathing was erratic, filled with exhaustion.

As he sank deeper into despair, a strange buzzing sound reached his ears. He slowly lifted his head, noticing sparks jumping around him. He looked closer and saw that the very lightning from earlier had... remained.

The electric sparks clung to his swirling dust storm, as though trapped within his energy. Instead of dissipating, the lightning continued to dance within the swirling dust, glowing brighter with each movement, like a silver dragon weaving through the air.

Alex’s eyes widened, his mind racing in disbelief. At that moment, a wild thought flashed across his mind. He slowly pushed himself up, staring at the incredible sight before him.

"What if... I could channel the electricity into myself?"