Chapter 352: Zero-Style: Akuma
[Main Brain (Left Brain Missing): Leader Template. Modified Body, Brain in a Jar. HP = 1.8W / 1.8W (Left brain missing, 20% HP cap lost), MP = 10800 / 10800 (Left brain missing, 20% MP cap lost). Strength 45, Agility 20, Spirit 45, Charm 50]
[Unit Traits — Brain in a Jar, Puppet Program, Twin-Headed Dragon Mechanical Arm, Integrated Drone, Micro Black Hole Cannon]
The Main Brain's hatred for Cheng Tian far surpassed its hatred for Azrael.
More precisely, while Azrael had some strength and charisma, to the Main Brain, he was merely a puppet that could be replaced at any time. His defection, while irritating, didn't leave as deep a mark in its memory as one might imagine.
On the other hand, Cheng Tian, whom it had only briefly met through Azrael as a medium, had directly blown out one of its brains through a confrontation in the computational space.
It was important to know that brains also had compatibility. To ensure that their thoughts wouldn't reject each other, the Main Brain had spent a considerable amount of time cloning and cultivating two sub-brains from its own brain tissue. These sub-brains were completely compatible with itself and could super-multiply its computational power.
Cheng Tian's unreasonable outburst, blowing out one of its brains, directly resulted in a one-fifth reduction in its overall computational power, along with a decrease in the strength of its modified body and its spiritual power.
This had reached the point where it wished to devour his flesh raw.
Every world had its strengths. For example, for the Main Brain, mechanically modifying living organisms was a very simple matter, even something that could be done on an assembly line. Live individuals could be thrown in, and after a process, the modification would be complete.
However, the skill tree for cloning and cultivation was clearly not as developed. This led to the Main Brain having no replacement sub-brains after its brain was blown out.
Coupled with the swift actions of the resistance, which gave the Main Brain no time to mature a new brain, it ultimately had to face Cheng Tian and his group with a damaged brain.
Speaking of which, the pain was secondary; the loss of control over the overall situation was what the Main Brain found most unacceptable.
The Main Brain was, of course, filled with hatred for Cheng Tian, to the point where even healing output would struggle to pull aggro.
At this moment, all the cameras in the main control room, as well as the metallic human face on the front of the Main Brain, which most likely mimicked its appearance in life, precisely captured and locked onto Cheng in the Aoko.
It would absolutely not mistake that damned brainwave!
However, Cheng Tian, who was currently being hated by the BOSS, was meticulously scrutinizing the Main Brain's appearance from head to toe.
He felt that the opponent's triple Brain in a Jar, oversized wheelchair-like appearance, seemed similar to something that had appeared in Metal Slug… Ah, it was Brother Root!
However, compared to the Martian Root, which looked domineering whether in its fixed form, liberated form, or future mount form, this Main Brain appeared somewhat frail.
"You mere weak humans are quite capable… But you should know that as an inferior race, you cannot defeat me!
I! The Main Brain! Am the most excellent race in this universe!"
A flamboyant and ferocious, yet delicate, expression appeared on the Main Brain's mechanical face.
"...Are you serious, buddy? Clean up your brain matter before you say that."
Cheng Tian tapped his left-side head camera with his Ironclad Steel Fist, producing a crisp sound.
And it was this simple action that infuriated the Main Brain to no end, its metallic human face visibly turning red.
Cheng Tian always managed to precisely hit others where they least wanted to be touched!
The stab was both accurate and ruthless.
"Originally, I wanted to transform you all into my mechanical puppets… Now I've changed my mind! You inferior races, all of you, die!"
While making a racist statement reminiscent of early Vegeta, the Main Brain suddenly extended its two mechanical arms, which resembled both dragon heads and grappling claws at their ends. A dazzling firelight began to condense within their wide-open mechanical mouths.
At the same time, under the control of its Puppet Program, the escort mechs, driven by deeply modified human soldiers, which had already gathered around it, all charged towards the resistance forces!
Azrael, driving the Warlock, also took the lead, being the first to confront the enemy.
For the Leia people, close-combat mech piloting was both a tradition and a romance.
Cheng Tian, as an outsider from Earth and a spellcaster, used the AI control of the Chariot Matrix to put the Radar into full-fire mode.
Ignore ammunition consumption, no close combat, just shoot!
Having completed the chariot deployment and prepared to set up shields, Cheng Tian then casually picked two mechs in the middle of the opposing team and cast the Ten Commandments.
But when the Ten Commandments' virus program began to forcibly invade the enemy mechs, it was completely intercepted by their Puppet Program!
"Hahahahaha! Don't think you can invade my domain with the same trick again!"
Seeing Cheng Tian frustrated, the Main Brain burst into laughter, emitting a metallic echo like someone wearing an iron bucket on their head.
It turned out that the Main Brain had already deciphered the data related to Cheng Tian's forced control of the Radar using the Ten Commandments. As long as the Puppet Program remained within the mech, Cheng Tian's Ten Commandments could not interfere with it.
Even with the blessing of the Book of Ys, Cheng Tian's Ten Commandments was, at its core, only a C-rank Lv4 skill.
His own growth rate was extremely fast, so fast that the skill's level and intensity might not be able to keep up. And since the Main Brain was a powerful programmer, it was normal for it to be counteracted with prior preparation.
Moreover, it wasn't just a countermeasure. At this moment, the Main Brain even imitated the Ten Commandments' propagation method, spreading the Puppet Program's signal all at once. All allied mechs present were forcibly received data packets from the Puppet Program, including the Aoko that Cheng Tian was currently piloting!
However, strangely, the mechs that had the Puppet Program forcibly installed did not become puppets of the Main Brain as the skill name suggested. Instead, they all experienced control malfunctions.
"Keybinds messed up!?"
Cheng Tian, who had pulled the control stick and found that moving forward became backward, and punching became jumping, blurted out.
Yes, to ensure the effectiveness of the Puppet Program, the Main Brain did not use a virus program that could completely control enemy mechs. Instead, it imparted a so-called "keybind confusion" effect.
It was simple, yet deadly, and all the mechs on the resistance side became confused.
But at this moment, a loud elephant trumpeting appeared!
The Mammoth war elephant, equipped with death drill accessories, appeared out of thin air with Cheng Tian's rapid deployment. Before entering the dungeon, it had already been filled with high-voltage electric light by holding the Purple Lightning Thunder Hammer in its mouth, which now spewed out along its brightly lit trunk!
Cheng Tian himself chose the Hundred Demons' Night Parade, which had been successful many times.
When the Hundred Demons' Night Parade backfired as he wished, Cheng Tian's Book of Ys first turned a page, and in Cheng Tian's mind, a page was selected, and the corresponding work title appeared—
Armored Trooper Votoms: Battling Edition (Armored Trooper Votoms: Full Metal Panic).
Under the influence of the skill, Cheng Tian, along with the mech he was piloting, underwent drastic changes.
He transformed into a mechanical demon martial artist mech with a complete human form, brown-red prayer beads, and an upward-pointing metallic red topknot!