Chapter 3342: Bloody Challenge The massed ranged attacks of the entire Golden Skull Alliance failed to threaten the Olympus Mons in the slightest. The alpha strike that combined all of the battle formations of the Larkinson Clan failed to do more than pierce a hole in the enemy ace mech's domain field. Ves had even gone as far as to drain his body of much of the Worclaw energy he recovered in the past months to empower the Amaranto's super attack. Yet even the masterwork mech's most powerful strike failed to get past the ace mech's extremely powerful technological energy shield! With the huge amount of power an ace mech had at its disposal, just this defensive solution alone was enough to resist the attacks of thousands of regular mechs for a long time! "And this is supposed to be an offensive mech…" Ves despairingly said as he collapsed back onto his seat. Dwarves generally designed and built their mechs to be tough, but this was ridiculous! Mrow… Blinky tiredly returned to his mind as he was reduced to an exhausted and diminished state. The spiritual cat definitely couldn't put up any further fight in this condition! He wasn't the only one who was no longer in a state to fight. Many Larkinsons, Glory Seekers and Crossers were finally starting to crumble. Morale sank throughout the fleet as no one saw any hope of victory anymore. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮 Even if they expended a huge amount of effort to overcome the ace mech's powerful domain field, what then? It still possessed a powerful energy shield that was far more impressive than anything a regular mech or expert mech typically possessed! Then there was the physical armor of the Olympus Mons itself. As an ace mech, the exotics used to form its armor plating had to consist of an extravagantly expensive mix. Such defenses couldn't be overcome quickly, especially if it was designed to resist attacks from other ace mechs! No one thought they had any chance of overcoming the stupendously powerful defensive layers of this dwarven technological monstrosity. Not even Patriarch Reginald thought his Bolvar Rage could make a significant dent! If his hybrid expert mech kept its distance, then its varied weapon systems simply wouldn't overcome the defences of this supermachine. If the Bolvar Rage tried to get close to launch strikes with its axe, then those spinning hammers would either crack or push out the expert mech without giving it a chance to reach its target! "If my father's ace mech was this good, he would have survived the treacherous ambush that led to his death." Saint Yila Mayorka and her powerful ace mech certainly deserved to be part of the grand regent honor guard once! The powerful and technically superior dwarven machine could practically foil any assassination attempt, whether it was launched by a swarm of mechs, a squad of rogue expert mechs or even a bomb planted at a public site! The reality-defying capabilities of a fully-equipped ace mech were just that potent. Patriarch Reginald ached to grasp this level of strength more than ever. Even as he admitted his inferiority in front of Saint Yila Mayorka, he yearned to reach and exceed her more than ever in this intense moment. Just the proximity to the Mountain Hammer's heavy and oppressive will was enough for him to feel his limits loosening! In fact, many mech pilots grew a little more mad while they stared right at their doom! Though thousands if not tens of thousands of mech pilots had already given in to their despair, the most firm, desperate and courageous mech pilots all tried their best to maintain their fighting posture until the end. Seeds bloomed in their hearts as each of them vowed to grow strong enough to smack this overwhelming threat aside. Others wished to surpass Saint Mayorka so that they would never be on the receiving end of this treatment again! "Come on! I'm not afraid of you! You think those spinning hammers scare me? I'll break each and every one of them! Even if I'm an ant in your eyes, I'm still taller than you, dwarf!" It didn't appear that Saint Mayorka was paying attention to the mewling cries of the weak and pathetic humans. Their resistance was quaint, but ultimately futile. The Olympus Mons didn't make haste to wipe out the human mechs and ships before it. Saint Yila Mayorka continued her steady advance while making sure her domain field covered the frigate flying close behind her ace mech. "Should we split up?" Ves asked. "Since the Olympus Mons is being restrained by the need to protect its mothership, it should not be able to chase hundreds of different ships that are flying in every direction." General Verle shook his head. "We will lose our ability to combine our strengths and coordinate our assets. Besides, with the ranged capabilities demonstrated by the Olympus Mons, it can already shoot all of our mechs and ships down." "What's the right decision, then?" "…" There were no good answers now. The Larkinsons and its allies had already emptied their entire bag of tricks. In the face of absolute power, all of the trump cards that the Larkinson Clan was so proud of turned out to be nothing but gimmicks and parlor tricks in front of an actual ace mech! As Ves tried to rack his mind to figure out if he could squeeze one more means of attack that might actually work, he received an emergency call from one of his advisors. "Patriarch!" Minister Shederin urgently addresses him with an uncharacteristically raised voice. "Our clan needs to cease our attacks! We are not forming the correct response to the enemy's challenge!" "What…?" "With the attack methods demonstrated by this ace mech, Saint Mayorka clearly possesses the power to wipe our entire fleet from existence. However, it has only fired its machine gun and its plasma turret for a short amount of time. Don't you think that is suspicious? According to my behavioral analysis, our opposition isn't seeking to destroy us. I've studied Saint Mayorka, and she is a consummate professional soldier who is also dedicated to serving on behalf of the dwarven people. She isn't the type of mech pilot who revels in our despair or wishes to prolong our agony." Ves frowned as he thought about this issue. "The only reason why the Saint isn't doing her best is if she or her ace mech are impaired or…" "—if she is tasked with testing us." Minister Shederin finished. "I believe that the dwarves are probing us instead of destroying us. We have no choice but to play their game and seek to pass their challenge." "Do you have a guess?" Ves asked. "According to her record, Saint Mayorka is also a believer in Vulcan, though not a fanatical one. Much like many other older dwarves, she is much more dwarf-centric than obsessed with Vulcan. I predict that proving your connection to 'her' god may be the answer to Saint Mayorka's challenge." "That… actually makes a lot of sense." Ves grew a bit looser. "I'm glad I have you around to think on my behalf. Who knows how long it would have taken for me to make this realization myself." Shederin's projection responded with a brief bow. "I am at your disposal, sir. I suggest you act quickly. Saint Mayorka's patience should already be running thin." Ves acted straight away. Even though he had just exhausted his mind and body due to his earlier stunt, he had yet to reach his limit. "C'mon Blinky! Help me out for a moment here. I need as much juice as you can pump." Mrowww… The purple cat did his best to push away his need for rest and began to channel additional spiritual energy. Meanwhile, Ves reached out and grasped the Hammer of Brilliance. Unlike Ves, his incarnation was still in prime condition! "C'mon, me-in-another-form. It's showtime." Ves did not need to say anything further as Vulcan already shared many of his thoughts. He began to do something weird. He tried to embody a design spirit that was technically an extension of himself. He began to channel Vulcan in his mind and embody his incarnation! A vast amount of power flowed in his mind! Some of it began to restore his exhausted reserves while the rest began to overflow his mind and body! "This is different! We're much more compatible with each other!" When Ves tried this trick with other design spirits like Ylvaine or the Golden Cat, he always had the feeling that he was trying to fit a cube in a spherical container. This time, his incredibly high alignment with Vulcan caused this move to feel as if he was neatly slotting in a cube in a cube-shaped container. The pressure was much lower and he felt as if he could channel many of Vulcan's abilities! Ves was highly aware that his state imposed a substantial burden on Vulcan, so he did not revel in it for too long. Soon enough, an enormous energy manifestation of Vulcan appeared in front of the expeditionary fleet. It was larger, more substantial and more convincing than when Ves projected his own image during the Battle of Fordilla Zentra. Back then, Ves hadn't created his incarnation yet. Its existence this time made a powerful and substantial difference that increased the authenticity of his display! With the glowing Hammer of Brilliance in hand, the energy manifestation that appeared in space stared directly at the Olympus Mons. "It's… it's slowing down!" "The Hammer Storm has disappeared!" For the first time since they showed up, the ace mech and the dwarven frigate slowed their advance. Soon, they came to a relative stop a few kilometers away from Vulcan's projection. "Look! The rear hatch of the dwarven frigate is opening up! Something is emerging!" All of the members of the Golden Skull Alliance held their breath as they hoped this would be a turning point in this one-sided 'battle'. The Olympus Mons turned around to remotely drag over a small object that the ship had ejected into space. The object, which glowed with resonance, drifted over to the ace mech. Soon it stopped above the outstretched palm of the Olympus Mons. "Is that… a flag?" "It's a banner." "It looks quite shabby. If it isn't protected by the domain field, it is liable to snap at any time." "Wait a second. Isn't that the famed Banner of Vulcan that went missing a couple of decades ago?! Why is it here!?" The Banner of Vulcan was credited with inspiring the early dwarven rebels to fight for their freedom. It was ostensibly crafted by Vulcan himself and represented the sacred and most holiest artifact of the Vulcan Faith! It's supposed theft more than 20 years ago was one of the most painful tragedies of the Vulcan Empire until recently. It's absence led to a substantial loss of confidence in the Vulcan Faith and gave the Dwarven God Cult a golden opportunity to benefit from the traditional faith's misfortune! Though many Larkinsons didn't think the Banner of Vulcan was anything more than a dusty historical relic, Ves knew differently. "Isn't that… my own work?" The massive energy projection of Vulcan stared straight at the banner that had absorbed the prayers of a huge amount of Vulcanites over a span of several decades. Even when it went missing, trillions of Vulcanites still prayed to this renowned and impressive artifact! Exposure to all of that dwarven spiritual energy changed the formerly weak totem in a profound way. It glowed in its own right as it concentrated an immense amount of spiritual energy, more than what the Hammer of Brilliance inherently possessed! Ves could practically taste the age and weight of history of what he created during his last and most significant Mastery experience. He never thought he would be reunited with an object of his 'past' in this dire and desperate moment! Shederin was right. This was a test. The dwarves hadn't set out to destroy the culprits who caused the Vulcan Empire to collapse. They just wanted to test whether Ves truly had any relations to Vulcan! Of course, if the Larkinsons were unable to satisfy the dwarves, Saint Mayorka would have no qualms in squashing the humans who triggered a dwarven calamity! Ves acted quickly once he realized all of this. He did not delay any further and prompted the giant energy manifestation to reach towards the Banner of Vulcan. From the moment they touched, a sense of harmony overcame Ves. There was no incompatibility or rejection. Though the Banner of Vulcan was a living totem that had grown far past its original state, it was still an artifact made by Ves in his guise as the dwarven god. It recognized its creator! Pure delight overcame Ves as he momentarily forgot about all of his existing concerns. His professional interests somehow rose up as he eagerly explored the exceptional condition of a living totem of his own creation. The Banner of Vulcan had experienced more growth and evolution than all of his other totems put together! "You're beautiful…" Ves said as his eyes shone with brilliance. "W-Wait! What are you doing with my banner!" As Ves had become mesmerized by reuniting with his old work, to outside observers it was clear as day that the dwarven artifact and the projected image of a human Vulcan were related to each other! The glows of the two seamlessly blended with each other. It was as if they were originally part of a greater whole. That was all of the confirmation the powerful dwarves needed. The Olympus Mons drew back the Banner of Vulcan and guided it back through the rear hatch of the dwarven vessel. Then, the ace mech fearlessly pointed to the giant Vulcan before motioning for it to enter the same ship. "Is it… asking Vulcan to step aboard?" "No you idiot… The dwarves don't want to send an illusion to their ship. They're inviting our patriarch to step inside!"