Chapter 583

NO. 165: Just set the bait spot and already have a harvest.

Gundam Barbatos, originating from Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans.

In the setting of that work, Gundam-type MS (Mobile Suit) can achieve very high output because each possesses two Ahab reactors.

The setting of this reactor is even more outrageous than the solar furnace in the 00 series, but that is not the point.

The point is that maintaining this reactor while working is extremely difficult, so only 72 Gundam-type MS were produced, and they were given the names of the Seventy-Two Demons of Solomon.

Among them, Barbatos ranks eighth, born from a design philosophy emphasizing versatility and high mobility.

High mobility comes from the combination of reactor and thrusters, while versatility is demonstrated by its ability to switch between different types of equipment to suit various battlefields.

The Gundam frame's material surpasses the exterior in toughness and strength, which is also evident in the GBN cooperative model making— that frame material is indeed hard, Aomo almost pressed his skin raw at first.

But precisely because this series' Gunpla frame is sufficiently special, it is especially suited for modification, after all modification itself is just swapping exterior and components.

Of course, the most thorough modification would also work on the frame, but the Barbatos that Aomo holds has not gone that far.

Because it is not needed.

The Iron-Blooded series' frame and nano-coating are the core of this series' Gunpla material; by contrast, the Ahab reactor system has many substitutes, after all, no matter how miraculously its setting is hyped, it is merely the power plant of a mecha in a game.

At this point, the maximum controllable output is most important.

If one is obsessed with ultra-high speed, one can simply switch to the 00 series' solar furnace system with TRANS-AM.

Aomo is not fixated on this; at least, there is no need for it in his current form.

Barbatos was known for mobility; the backpack's explosive output allowed him to counter most Triple Red units' speed with high-response micro-control, even the modified speed of that Evolto could be restrained by the Wolf King's Claw, let alone Narita BaiRen's Dark Matter Energy Angel.

Even though the opponent's mid-air flying and darting posture surprised him somewhat, the hammer-spear extending from the movable support arm in his rear compartment could also be timely grasped by Barbatos's iron claw and just so press against that scorching flame sword.

One blade adopting thermal edge possesses extremely high piercing and cutting capability, even able to ignite the target.

And another blade storing low-energy Paravanski particles in the sword body can absorb energy from the outside to freeze it, making even light beams hard to escape.

The Dark Matter Energy Angel Gundam, back then relied on such ice-and-fire dual swords to break into the mecha strength rankings, and was often mistaken by newcomers as a Super-type mecha due to the special effects of those ice-and-fire dual swords.

But the principle is really ordinary, and can even be reproduced in reality in various ways.

But this does not mean it can be easily solved; thus the four-blade hammer-spear made of the same material as the Gundam frame has already been cut a notch by that scorching blade!

Cannot easily clash blades, at least not clash with that flame sword!

The downward-spraying flame in the backpack provides a backward thrust; Barbatos suddenly lifts his left claw and heads straight for the center of the Dark Matter Energy Angel's abdomen—that is exactly where the cockpit is, enough to make Chengtian BaiRen jerk the stick to defend.

As the ice blade lifts, it turns into a shield, blocking that claw while a pale blue chill spreads over it.

"Amazing, your talent." The demon appearing on the screen so commented, yet it did not hinder the demon god in front of the screen from, after withdrawing using the collision moment, the serpent-tooth tail extending behind it shooting out in a winding motion, launching an attack from the blind spot below and to the side of the camera.

Thud!

A muffled sound and slight vibration came from the surroundings; Chengtian BaiRen no longer needed to marvel at the realism of the game cockpit simulation as when she first entered the game, she gripped the control stick, furrowed her brows, and stared at the Wolf King after she had pulled away distance.

She also gazed at the demon on the side screen, her expression somewhat dissatisfied.

What she wanted to see was not something like the Wolf King, but a demon god befitting the name Barbatos.

"This is not a result worth being happy about; show me the strength from the previous round——"

As soon as the words fell, she again felt a vibration inside the cockpit, instinctively looking at the red-marked radar on the screen, only then realizing she was still in a chaotic battlefield.

Ground battle, a base map with a very long name, featuring about a hundred AI grunts and seven mechs belonging to other players.

This is a free-for-all arena with no factions, not suited for one-on-one duels, but in this mode, attacking grunts and other players can accumulate extra mech performance bonuses—this is the opportunity Aomo gave her.

Even though Chengtian BaiRen, as a Triple Crown horse girl, had already adapted to high speed and herself possessed combat skills, piloting a Gundam is ultimately different.

The Reformer's buff and the storehouse consciousness's buff differ in functional focus; they will not help her strive to adapt to the mecha. Although she can handle the speed after Triple Red, it does not mean she fully exploits the mecha's performance, even though the mecha's weapons are almost entirely melee-specialized.

Only the head armor conceals a muzzle capable of emitting powerful blasts.

——She seems to have forgotten to use it as well.

One can only say that duels between newcomers and veterans usually end in a bloodbath—that is, his and BaiRen's first 1V1 match.

And in this match, at first glance she seemed to have taken the equipment advantage just now, which is also the result of Aomo not being serious.

The red-eye overload mode of the Iron Blooded skeleton model wasn't activated, the Coordinator race's seed didn't burst; although Chengtian BaiRen wanted him to give his all, he still wanted to give the newcomer a bit of game experience.

"If you want me to fully display my strength, at least pull the performance correction up to a level?" he said into the mic.

He obviously would not actively harvest those grunts, leisurely drifting left and right to dodge live ammo and beams; only a certain iron ball marked with a GM camera was pierced through by his wrist-extended mortar.

Then it was further smashed apart by a hammer-spear bearing a notch.

Attacking the GM camera also does not violate the rules; he did this with utter frankness, though it inevitably drew the attention of several other players.

Although not against the rules, a player so straightforwardly displaying aggression toward the GM is also rare.

Moreover, he's still a newcomer, his rank is just a potato chip, yet his armor has something, and his movements don't look easy to provoke.

Is he playing an alt account, perhaps?

What's in the river, too, is indeed the speculation forming in his mind.

Sigh, it's because of you lot, you fish-blasting old-timers, that the GBN environment keeps getting worse!

Obviously, a righteous player would think that, and indeed a slender mecha modeled after an old screen image directly wields a katana, charging forward with Triple Red acceleration!

Then it was struck by the ice-and-fire dual swords swinging horizontally in parallel, directly cutting the waist!

"Get lost! He's mine!"

That was the Dark Matter Energy Angel shouting angrily; even though the bull-headed mech timely swung its blade to block, it was still smashed backward together with blade and mech by her uncut Triple Red output.

And in the next moment she pursued it, seeming determined to utterly crush it before relenting.

"Even better, even better!"

"Want to hunt down all prey!"

Without the mic, the result is that the words muttered in his mouth can also be heard by Aomo, leaving him somewhat speechless as he watches the rushing Dark Matter Energy Angel, not forgetting to remind: "Taking damage in Triple Red state incurs extra harm; if the situation is bad, remember to turn it off."

She has already been hit twice.

Of course, the opponent also had Triple Red activated and got smashed hard; even if he timely defended with his weapon, it still looked pretty fierce.

Don't just focus on restoring the appearance and overlook strength, you've already driven onto the battlefield...

Aomo never expected that after 18 years, Aomo could still see such a comical character.

Seeing the opponent being chased by Bai Ren, Aomo just piloted Barbatos, casually dodging the bullet hell, looking for a place to camp and watch the fight.

Chengtian Bai Ren is actually quite suited to Barbatos.

Watching the double sword's consecutive strikes, becoming ever more continuous and rounded, the dark matter energy angel, Aomo couldn't help but think so.

Style, demeanor, and even title match perfectly; her martial arts ability can also be well expressed through simulating the storehouse consciousness, unlike the dark matter energy angel-type restoration of the 00 series cockpit's control system, which is very dependent on feel and proficiency.

And the dark matter energy angel, when in Aomo's hands, can also be made a bit more arcane...

However, Aomo's Barbatos has already been tweaked into something quite sinister; Bai Renzen arranged for his character to link up with a storehouse consciousness, which might instead bring on a low fever.

That is, after he gave up the Super System, on the brink of the Real System being sealed, the Great Peng spreading its wings' remodeled work—so much so that some GMs even remember the corresponding number of its mecha's armor.

And some snake-skin aliens lack this self-awareness.

「Aomo Lindun!

」

He didn't even have the basic courtesy of surfing the net; he left Aomo's game ID "He's damaged, let him go first!" unshouted, directly causing Aomo to lose his real name while wielding a blade and charging forward with engines at full throttle.

He was excited as if Aomo were carrying a Pandora's box.

And Aomo didn't care how he found him or how he happened to be crouching in the room; he just knocked open the comms of another player in the room and shouted directly: "He's here! The Omega backpack has been sent over!"

」

「All right! Didn't expect to actually manage an ambush! Armor already sent! 」

Far away, several kilometers off, the red-haired youth who logged into the game with his real appearance directly slammed the button on the control panel.

Although he was piloting a Zaku that could barely walk, that Zaku also carried a backpack completely made of nano-layer armor, showing a blue-and-white color scheme like a fighter jet.

At this moment it rose into the air, speeding straight toward where the Barbatos was.

「The notice has been received, thanks for the effort. 」

「What are you talking about? I happen to not have seen this armor for two years either; I can take a couple of pictures and send them back for Omega to see. 」

At the same time, on the battlefield, a certain Zaku that had been destroyed but not yet respawned, while its appearance was being repaired, the GM camera's marker also lit up again.

Just then, seeing the menacing-looking unit and its backpack dock, the whole thing undergoing a series of armor changes and assembly—

——and at that moment, the Gundam Barbatos truly took on the form fitting a remodeled machine, and its identification number changed in the system.

【Barbatos—Dragon-Hunt Type】