128. Soaring Through Time and Sky, For This Planet
Screech—
The warehouse door opened, and the cold sunlight poured in, casting a faint halo over the pitch-black exoskeleton armor. Originally tall and muscular, Gretorvo now appeared somewhat lanky and slender due to the thin armor.
Gretorvo's full helmet closed, and the red visor, like the compound eyes of a locust, locked onto the lonely motorcycle.
Clack, clack.
He slowly walked to the bike, straddled it, and twisted the throttle.
Vroom—!
The engine roared, spitting exhaust, and the dark red taillights lit up. Gretorvo's visor immediately glowed red, and as he squeezed the clutch, the bike surged with powerful force, taking off instantly.
Crash!
The garage window shattered as Gretorvo floored the throttle, boosting the speed to the maximum. The bike's front end lifted high as he leapt from the desolate factory grounds, landing on the abandoned highway of Tianhuan.
'Blaaaaack Whaaaaaaleee—!'
White Shark's voice immediately echoed in his ears, filled with excitement:
'I knew it, hahaha, you wouldn't run away! I knew it, the crimson love is burning like fire. You're coming right to me!'
Vroom vroom vrooooom—
Gretorvo sharply swung the handlebars, jumping from the highway onto a shortcut. Despite being a heavy motorcycle, under his immense strength, it moved as agilely as a grasshopper.
"I have no interest in those plotting in the darkness."
Gretorvo sped through the ruins of the old factory. Among the mechanical wreckage, rusty intelligent machines began to crawl, their cameras focusing on the vehicle, and the machine guns on their backs slowly extended.
'You'll eventually worship society and serve the Hidden!'
White Shark boasted shamelessly.
"The only thing I believe in is justice."
Boom boom boom boom!
Heavy artillery bombarded Gretorvo, but only managed to bite at his shadow, leaving behind bursts of sparks. Instead of slowing his progress, they spurred him to go even faster.
'Only the true king, as mentioned by the Bell Ringer, has the right to judge the Hidden.'
Enormous mechanical birds screeched as they flew overhead, firing lasers. The dazzling laser net crisscrossed, and Gretorvo swung the bike's front end, charging up a bridge and out of the factory ruins.
"You're nothing but a figment of my dreams. Whether it's the Hidden Society or whatever tempts me to betray humanity, I don't care."
The ancient machines continued their pursuit, and Gretorvo spotted a minefield sign. Without hesitation, he charged straight into it.
'That's no illusion. Living in reality, is it really that great?'
Boom!
An anti-personnel mine exploded beneath the tires, but he quickly left it behind. Meanwhile, the old machines were shredded by shrapnel, their rusty armor pierced, collapsing onto the ground.
"Isn't it, though?!"
Gretorvo's bike sped along the coastline of the old days, tracing the routes where tourists used to travel and enjoy beautiful vacations with their families.
On the semi-permanent holiday buildings, there were bilingual inscriptions in Yamiriyo and Tianhuan languages, along with a promotional poster—"Long Live the Friendship of the World's People."
It was the people who deserved to live long, not that damned Ring King.
"I love the feeling of being alive. Living is great, much better than your society."
The motorcycle broke through barriers and charged into the Outer World, where icy winds and snow lashed at him, and violent sandstorms pelted like bullets. Yet Gretorvo remained unfazed, riding at full throttle, pushing through all obstacles.
'Even on this sunless planet?'
"Even on this planet floating in space!"
Gretorvo crossed the tracks of time, leaping from the old tracks of the past, soaring high into the sky like a bird. Rising air currents surged from the dried seabed, lifting him and his motorcycle to the other side.
'Boring thoughts, foolish actions, pointless struggle!'
"Who the hell are you talking about, jerk!"
Gretorvo fired back without hesitation:
"Even now, many people are fighting for this planet! Just because you're incompetent doesn't mean everyone else is too. Hey—you're just a loser yourself, aren't you?"
'Shut up! You don't know what I've been through!'
White Shark's voice grew closer. Gretorvo could almost feel it in his ears, and he shouted back even more fiercely:
"Heroes burn fiercely and shed silent tears; only the weak think they've sacrificed too much and everyone owes them. White Shark, if you love arguing with me so much, your life must be really messed up!"
Whoosh!
Dust exploded from the cliffside. Gretorvo glanced over, and his display immediately locked onto the target—seeing a shark fin like a blade swimming dramatically along the cliff.
"Black—Whale—!"
White Shark drew out the name, his voice clashing like sharp blades, shouting piercingly:
"Surrender, or fight me!"
"Fine! I fight for tomorrow, you selfish coward!"
Gretorvo drifted, dodging a boulder, not missing the chance to taunt.
"I'll rip off that fake mask of yours, you Black Knight!"
White Shark seemed to be mentally shattered by Gretorvo's words, seething with rage. In the next moment, the enormous shark leapt from the cliff rock, tracing a sharp line in the air, crashing straight toward Gretorvo's bike.
Screech—
Gretorvo calmly lifted the bike's front end, jumping along the slope. The blade-like shark narrowly missed him, diving into the dunes. Youhelai stood up from the shark's back, pulled a sword from his spine, and commanded the shark to charge forward at full speed.
A pale blade shark against a jet-black heavy motorcycle.
"Die, Black Whale!"
Youhelai swung his sword at Gretorvo's neck. Gretorvo immediately braked and eased the throttle, falling back behind Youhelai. He grabbed a kite-shaped shield from the bike's front, equipped it on his arm, and used his right hand to control the bike, swiftly changing positions before accelerating and smashing the shield into Youhelai's side.
"Ugh—"
Youhelai's face stiffened, but his anger quickly drowned out his pain. He countered with a backslash, but Gretorvo accelerated, using the bike's speed to block. Youhelai followed with a slice, the sword gliding over the shield and cutting into the ground.
The blade ripped through the vacuum, and the sword qi kicked up dust. Gretorvo's view was obscured, and he instinctively slowed down. At that moment, Youhelai suddenly chopped down, striking his shoulder.
Bang!
The blade pierced the exoskeleton armor, tearing through the Kevlar fibers underneath. A streak of blood appeared on Gretorvo's skin, but he didn't mind, using his shield to sweep Youhelai away with overwhelming force.
"Bastard—!"
Youhelai didn't expect Gretorvo to be so relentless. After rolling on the ground twice, he leapt up, and the blade shark appeared beneath his feet, catching him steadily and diving underground.
[Shark Hunt Submerge]
Just as he planned to continue his pursuit, Gretorvo dove straight into the subway tracks. Following closely, Youhelai soon found himself at a series of branching paths.
The swirling cold air had already scrambled the smell of exhaust, mixed with the rusty stench of the subway, making it impossible to discern anything.
Damn it, he was played.
"If not for the [Knight] Awakening Battle requiring a fair duel, you'd be dead ten thousand times!"
Youhelai cursed furiously:
"I won't let you off, Black Whale. Our fight has only just begun!"