Helena Pilots a Gundam

Surveying the eerily silent surroundings, Luo Wei and Eleya exchanged puzzled glances.

"With me here and our destination being a direct assault on the royal palace, the city garrison won’t just let us go," Eleya said.

"But there’s no movement now? Did the witch take care of them?" Luo Wei suspiciously peeked out, trying to spot the soldiers through the swirling dust.

"As long as the anti-magic field remains, the magic corps holds the advantage. They couldn’t have been wiped out," Eleya added.

"So this silence must mean they’re planning how to deal with us. Maybe..."

The unnatural quiet made Luo Wei increasingly uneasy, and his heart suddenly began pounding wildly.

"Run! We can’t stay here any longer!" Luo Wei abruptly grabbed Eleya’s wrist and dragged her forward in a desperate sprint.

"Luo Wei?" Eleya stared in surprise at the hand tightly gripping hers.

Almost the second after the two fled the clocktower, a blinding blue light erupted behind them.

The shockwave followed instantly. The violent energy unleashed by the Magic Crystal Stone’s malfunction sent Luo Wei flying as if he’d been slammed into by an invisible wall.

The force of the blast sent him tumbling through the air several times before he crashed unceremoniously onto the ground.

The deafening explosion also left his ears ringing, drowning out Eleya’s frantic calls until she had shouted his name repeatedly.

"Luo Wei! Luo Wei!" Eleya frantically dug through the rubble covering him. "Are you alright? How bad is it?"

"I’m fine..."

Despite his words, a fit of violent coughing brought up traces of blood.

"Fine?! You’re coughing up blood!" Eleya anxiously checked his body. Though covered in scrapes and smeared with blood, there were no life-threatening external injuries. "The explosion must have damaged your organs. You need treatment now!"

As she spoke, she quickly channeled divine magic, attempting to draw from the faint remnants of faith energy to heal him.

"Don’t heal here! Keep running!" Luo Wei urgently glanced back. The explosion had reduced the towering clocktower to rubble, and through the settling dust, he spotted heavily armed soldiers advancing toward them.

"But your injuries—" Eleya’s hair was disheveled, her face etched with worry. As a former healing priestess, she knew the dangers of internal bleeding.

"It’s just some internal damage—I won’t die from it yet!" Luo Wei gritted his teeth and looked into the distance. "If you want to save me, hurry up and deal with Carlton! Lift the anti-magic field, and I can heal myself! Move!"

"Got it!" Eleya also noticed the soldiers closing in from all sides and gave a firm nod.

Then, she handed Luo Wei her blunt weapon, [Judgment].

"Huh?" Luo Wei didn’t understand her intention.

"Hold this for me!"

"Oh... okay..."

Once Luo Wei took [Judgment], Eleya hoisted him onto her back and sprinted toward the drawbridge.

...

Moments after Luo Wei and Eleya fled, the Second Prince’s cavalry stormed into the ruins through the settling dust.

"Where are they?!" the Second Prince snarled, scanning the area. Even after such heavy bombardment, there were no bodies. "If saturation fire can’t even kill them, what use are you lot?!"

"Your Highness, I’ve found them!" A soldier atop a vantage point shouted through his telescope. "They’re nearing the drawbridge—moving fast!"

"After them!" the Second Prince coldly ordered. "Cut them off! They must not reach the palace!"

"Yes, sir!"

As the dust cleared, the Second Prince’s vision sharpened.

His lips curled into a smirk as he watched the fleeing figures. There was only one path forward, but with royal guards inside the palace and the city garrison outside, the two were already trapped between a hammer and an anvil.

...

Meanwhile, Eleya kept her pace unrelenting as the moat and the great drawbridge loomed closer.

The lull in cannon fire only heightened their tension.

"The garrison must be using Magic Core Type II field artillery," Luo Wei coughed weakly from Eleya’s back. "The batteries are adjusting their firing parameters now... We’ve got about ten seconds. Eleya, faster!"

"I know, I know!" Eleya suddenly unfurled her pristine wings, releasing every ounce of faith energy she could muster.

Their bodies shot into the air, gliding toward the drawbridge.

Luo Wei silently counted down—and just as he predicted, the ground beneath them erupted in deadly blue flashes as the artillery barrage resumed. The spectacle dwarfed even the grandest of mage battles.

The turbulent shockwaves disrupted Eleya’s flight, but once the bombardment ceased, the two wobbled onto solid ground—right before the majestic bridge that had stood since the capital’s founding.

And beyond it...

A line of gun barrels aimed at them from the entrance of Hageritz Palace.

Royal guards blocked their path ahead, while behind them, Luo Wei turned to see the city garrison’s cavalry charging through the ruins.

Back to back, they faced the encircling enemies. Eleya tightened her grip on the heavy [Judgment].

"Where’s Helena?" she whispered. "Wasn’t she supposed to meet us here?"

Luo Wei glanced at the moat, scanning the wide river’s surface.

"She’s... in the water?" Eleya followed his gaze.

"A machine that massive can’t just waltz over openly," Luo Wei explained. "To stay unnoticed, she must’ve swum all the way from the lower districts."

"What kind of machine is it?" Eleya’s curiosity grew.

Under their watch, the river’s surface bubbled violently, as if boiling.

Then, with a thunderous splash, an unimaginably colossal machine rose from the depths like a titan emerging from myth.

"This... this is—!" Eleya’s eyes widened. "The one Tilis was researching...?"

Luo Wei silently observed the gleaming mechanical behemoth.

Its armored frame, forged from dark metal, bristled with exposed gears and rivets. Blue energy pulsed across its surface, steam hissed from its vents, and multiple rapid-fire turrets swiveled into position—alongside the two massive, ship-sized cannons mounted on its back.

"More rivets, more steam, more firepower! Turrets reign supreme! Damn, that's so cool! Now this is what you call steampunk!"

Luo Wei grinned as he looked at the adorable girl waving frantically at him from the cockpit. "Its official name is the Fortress-class Magic Core-powered Weapon System, Test Model No. 3."

"You can just call it the Steam Gundam for short."

Eleya silently glanced at the [Judgment] in her hand.

Times have truly changed.

"Brother! I'm here to save you!!"

Helena's voice boomed across the open field before the drawbridge, amplified by the speakers. The Magic Core's immense power surged forth as the Steam Gundam landed with a thunderous impact, nearly knocking Luo Wei off his feet from the sheer force of the tremor.

Eleya quickly steadied Luo Wei, noticing his complexion growing paler by the second.

"Let me heal you!"

"Brother's hurt?" The Steam Gundam's cockpit rotated halfway, and through the glass, Helena anxiously scanned Luo Wei. "Where is he hurt? Is it serious?"

"I'm fine." A soft white glow enveloped Luo Wei, easing the tightness in his chest.

He looked up at the Steam Gundam and commanded, "Helena, clear the enemies blocking our path!"

"Got it! On it!"

Inside the cockpit, packed with countless buttons and levers, Helena carefully followed the instruction manual written just for her by the Witch Lady while maneuvering the Steam Gundam. Multiple turrets slowly adjusted their aim, all trained on the opposite side of the drawbridge. The first volley of fire was reserved for the royal guards stationed at the palace gates.

A single coordinated barrage later, the royal guards were left wailing in agony. The palace, already battered by the Witch Lady's earlier assault, now looked even more ruined.

Meanwhile, the city defense cavalry had—unluckily for them—charged right into the fray. The Steam Gundam's remaining two naval cannons were just for them.

"How dare you bully my brother!!" Helena's voice seethed with fury.

Luo Wei, seeing the cannons slowly adjusting their angle, quickly warned Eleya to cover her ears and did the same.

In an instant, a shockwave blasted toward them. Even with his ears covered, Luo Wei's head rang from the deafening blast. He immediately turned his gaze toward the distance.

Those two shots left the cavalry in complete disarray—horses thrown, riders flung, and those unfortunate enough to be near the massive craters were blown to pieces.

"Protect... Protect the Second Prince!"

The city defense ranks had collapsed into chaos. Horses panicked, and the Second Prince tumbled unceremoniously from his steed, his guards scrambling to catch him.

The Second Prince stared in disbelief at the colossal machine blocking the drawbridge, muttering under his breath.

"What... What in the world is that thing...?"