The Mech Touch

Unlike the Unending One's power-up, Cynthia did not show any difficulties. This was not a surprise to Ves as the life-attributed energy derived from the serum possessed a property that made it universally compatible with everything.

Even accounting for this condition, his mother took all of that energy in with remarkable ease. Her strength swelled multiple times, yet Ves did not sense any indication that she was losing control.

This was incredibly remarkable! If it was so easy to become stronger by absorbing life-attributed energy, then Ves would have already absorbed the serum's energy for himself!

From what he observed with his spiritual vision, he saw that his mother did not absorb the energy in the most direct fashion possible. Instead, she transformed it, causing it to take on different attributes that were compatible with her. She smoothly managed to absorb the abundant amount of energy.

In fact, her smooth growth made him feel a little suspicious. Was she growing to a new level of strength or was she merely regaining some of her old power?

Whatever the case, it was good that his mother regained the capital to fight against the treacherous Unending One.

The tears flowing from eyes were tears of happiness. Yep. The wry smile on his face reflected his sincere belief that his mother did not disappoint his expectations. She truly loved him if she was willing to go through extreme lengths to bail him out of his predicament.

The only price he had to pay in return was to give her a single present.

The vial held in his armored grip no longer held any life.

Losing all of its potency was but a small price to pay to safeguard his life and the lives of his remaining clansmen. From a logical point of view, this was a trade worth making!

Since his mother had already taken action, he put the vial away and resolved to forget about it. Instead, he turned his attention back to the two active combatants.

Both his mother and the Unending One had boosted themselves by drawing upon different sources of power.

The Unending One backstabbed his fellow compatriots and devoured them whole. It seemed that eating the wounded dark gods was not an easy endeavor. His swelled whale-like body was still in the process of shifting back and forth as if it was schizophrenic.

In contrast, his mother smoothly grew much stronger. Though her energy projection mutated even further, she had finally reached a level of strength that was comparable to the dark god she faced!

Ves studied her closely and paid special to her attributes this time. Though she seemed unfathomable every time he met her ghostly form, this time she wasn't hiding her domain.

She manifested it to resist the Unending One's domain!

Though it happened out of almost everyone's sight, the two powerful entities had already begun to fight against each other. Their domains grinded against each other as they tested their strength and understanding of their domains.

The Unending One's domain was like an abyss. Anything that entered its range never appeared again. Somehow, Ves sensed an unending hunger from the depths of the domain!

As for his mother, her domain was filled with vitality. Just as he guessed, her domain revolved around life. It seemed that he had his mother to thank for his exceptional aptitude for life!

Still, as Ves studied his mother's domain and attributes even further, he felt that she had developed into a very different direction than himself.

As a mech designer, Ves was attempting to fuse life with mechs. He developed the life portion of his domain in a path that enabled greater symbiosis between mech pilots and their mechs.

His focus on life was purely facilitative. Ves enjoyed creating products that helped his customers grow stronger. Fulfilling their desires and providing them with solutions that they couldn't obtain anywhere else gave him a profound sense of satisfaction.

Apparently, his mother was different.

Her life domain shared a lot of similarities with his own domain, but its interpretation was entirely different! Ves sensed something predatory from it. Her domain was much more primal and reflective of the savage side of nature.

Growth required sustenance. The weak died and the strong thrived. The former solely existed to provide substance to the latter.

Ves shivered and retracted his spiritual senses. Just looking at her domain already made him feel as if he was about to become her next prey!

Fortunately, Cynthia did not direct any hostility towards him. Instead, she focused on the Unending One.

The removal of the Blinding One and the Inexorable One had made this battle much simpler. Even though the final dark god had rapidly grown stronger, he didn't appear to be fully in control of his current self!

To his opponent, this was a crucial difference!

She slashed her sword at the Unending One, launching an energy wave that was at least ten times sharper and more powerful than before. The wave quickly crashed against the dark god's side and sliced off half-a-dozen tentacles!

The Unending One roared and began to fly towards his opponent. Rather than trade blows at a distance, the tentacled whale thought he stood a better chance if he fought the woman up close!

Due to absorbing the Inexorable One, the surviving dark god's speed and acceleration had received a major upgrade. His huge bulk soared forward at a pace more fitting for birds than whales.

"Careful, mother!"

She didn't need the warning. In fact, she did not exhibit any panic at the rapidly-approaching whale. Instead, she raised her palm and pressed the space in front of her. A large and elaborate diagram formed in space.

As soon as the Unending One crashed against the diagram, a net made out of giant vines appeared and instantly blocked his way forward!

The net soon enveloped the whale, causing the Unending One to be trapped yet again!

Though the dark god attempted to cut and remove the net from his body, the vines that squeezed his body were not so easy to remove this time! The large vines were not only tougher, but regenerated any damage that managed to get through their defenses.

With the net temporarily trapping the Unending One in place, Cynthia performed some other abilities. More diagrams showed up which she imprinted onto the body of the tentacled whale for some reason.

The Unending One's roars increased as his huge bulk violently thrashed against his bonds. Yet no matter how much power he unleashed, Cynthia remained fully in control!

"This.."

He never expected his mother to gain such absolute advance after absorbing the energy of his serum. He already thought highly of its value and potency, but it turned out that it was even more precious than he thought. His pain of losing such a valuable asset intensified!

After his mother one-sidedly placed numerous strange diagrams on the unwilling dark god, she began to fly to the giant creature's side before raising her sword in a reverse grip.

Her alien lips moved as she recited some sort of incantation, but like everything about her, Ves could not hear or record anything of what she did. Her entire existence seemed to defy every recording method!

Her sword glowed brighter as she spoke her inaudible words. When her sword had become almost blinding, she stabbed into the flank of the Unending One!

The trapped creature released a roar that rattled everyone's spirits! While the dark god had grown powerful enough to crush the remnants of Task Force Predator in a single blow, he was rendered helpless by an even more terrible opponent.

The sword that Cynthia stabbed into the whale was actively draining his energy! The side bearing the wound visibly deflated as the Unending One finally experienced what it was like to be devoured.

Cynthia's monstrous face grew uglier as she exhibited pure rapture. Raw energy of incredibly high potency poured through the sword and into her energy projection. She absorbed only a portion of it while sequestering the rest for later processing.

After all, unlike the energies donated by Ves, the Unending One's dark spiritual attribute was not very compatible with her domain!

Even so, Ves was astounded to see that she was able to convert a substantial portion of the Unending One's strength on the spot. The amount of skill and technique this required was beyond his imagination. He began to grow jealous of his mother's capabilities!

Minutes passed as the Unending One unceasingly grew weaker. The fact that it had descended onto the battlefield with his main body may have allowed him to exert greater strength, but it also opened him up to dangerous consequences.

Right now, an even scarier predator in the form of Ves' mother was eagerly draining the giant whale until his tentacles dried up and his immense bulk deflated like an old balloon.

The sight was incredibly horrifying to see for the few remaining people who remained alive and conscious. Was this powerful dark god that had lived for eons really going to die in this fashion?

The whale hadn't even fully exerted his new strength! If not for facing an opponent as perverse and monstrous as Cynthia, the Unending One would have been able to prove why he was one of the oldest and most dominant entities of the Nyxian Gap!

"It's over." Ves whispered.

Eventually, the Unending One had met his end. The vines no longer bothered to bind his bulky body tight. The dark god had lost too much strength to resist the drain. When the sword stabbed into his flank was no longer able to draw out any energy, its wielder smoothly pulled it out and let it dematerialize away from view.

Cynthia looked incredibly satisfied with her gains. She thought she would suffer a lot of losses when she went through the portal. Instead, her son had not only prepared a lot of compensation, but she managed to earn a sumptuous bonus from her latest meal!

She turned her gaze towards the Scarlet Rose. Ves could feel the glowing purple lights in her eye sockets landing straight onto his body. Despite his protective armor, he felt utterly naked and exposed in front of her transcended sight!

"You have grown so much, my son." She spoke to him on a spiritual level. "While I am distressed at many of your decisions, I still love you with all of my heart."

The Devil Tiger sedately flew towards his mother until it had reached her side. The tiger mech faced the Scarlet Rose as well.

"You have been up to a lot of mischief, Ves." His father's voice sounded as he piggy-backed on his wife's connection to their son. "What possessed you to enter the Nyxian Gap? It's danger is very real. What you have faced right now is not the extent of this region's dangers!"

"I.. I'm sorry, father!"

"...Forget it. As long as you get out as soon as possible, we'll both be happy. You aren't supposed to be here, Ves. There is an enemy in the heart of the Nyxian Gap that will hound you to the ends of the galaxy and beyond if it becomes aware of who you truly are. Your mother and I have been running interference for you, but all of our work will become for naught if you take the initiative to knock on its doors!"

"Are you talking about.. the Compact?"

His mother flared with power. "Don't say that name! In fact, don't even think about it! Just leave and never come back. This is not your fight. We can't protect you if you stay in the Nyxian Gap. Heed our warning. It's for your own good, my son."

His mother's giant projection and the Devil Tiger simultaneously moved to the Scarlet Rose. When the pair reached the ship, his mother threw something insubstantial in the direction of the ship's vault.

"Since you have gained the habit of collecting trash, here's something for you to play with. I hope it will help you protect yourself better."

Her mother and the Devil Tiger then proceeded to fly towards the unstable portal that had initially brought them to this battlefield.

"Wait! I have too many questions, mother! Can't you.. can't you stay and answer them for me?" Ves desperately asked.

"It's better if you remain ignorant." His father sorrowfully answered. "Some knowledge is too dangerous for you to hold. It's better if you stay away from our affairs."

His mother nodded. "You aren't young anymore, Ves. You're an adult now. While we both regret not being there for you when you needed us, you are more than capable of taking care of yourself. Well, as long as you don't provoke enemies like the Allidus Alliance, that is. You still need to adjust your behavior. Be a mech designer, Ves. That is all you need to do to make us proud."

His parents left for the portal. Ves wanted to plead and beg them to give him answers, but he knew that his parents were too determined to keep their mouths shut.

However, just as his mother began to cross through the portal, it suddenly discolored! Some kind of blue glow shimmered around it as Ves felt a huge amount of spiritual energy trying to change its properties!

"What? Who?!"

For some reason, Ves felt an intense threat. His entire being shook with fear as he felt the onset of a powerful presence that posed a very great threat to him and evidently his parents as well from the way they reacted to this development!

"He's here!" His mother spoke with a horrified tone!