Chapter 157: The Mecha Samurai 

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Mechanical creaks filled the hallways as we stared at the masterpiece artwork with awe-filled eyes.

It was so unexpected that it brought us all to a standstill. A deep, resonant hum filled the air as the ancient mechanism awakened after a long slumber. 

We froze, our attention completely away from the orb, and focused on the source of the disturbance. “A Mecha Samurai…”

A titanic metal humanoid, a samurai, its design intricate and imposing, was slowly getting up. Orange glowing eyes flickered to life within its helmet, casting an eerie light that matched the orb's white pulse. He was looking at us, his two hands clenched tightly on two long swords of pure energy that hummed with power.

The air around the mech samurai crackled with anticipation. “Oh shit.”

The room's atmosphere shifted palpably, the light-hearted mood of celebrations we shared moments ago evaporated in thin air. 

The samurai robot took a deliberate step forward, the ground trembling under its weight. Its gaze, though artificial, seemed to bore into us, assessing, calculating.

Then, it leaped at us.

Its speed sent shivers of fear through the spirits of everyone but a few.

"Looks like we've got company," Tsunade said as she leaped to counter it, her voice steady and a broad grin on her face despite the adrenaline surging through her veins. 

She needed a punching bag for all her frustrations. 

The Samurai’s sword swung, as did her fist. The invisible Haki around her fists connected with the plasma sword that'd have otherwise cut through her body, and by then the crew's posture had shifted.

“Stay behind me,” I said to them, ready for the battle that loomed inevitable.

“No, you stay behind us,” but Robin stood in front of me instead, giving me a look that left zero room for arguments.

Marianne stepped beside her as did the other girls. Vivi and Karoo moved towards the orb, with Vivi yelling, “You guys keep that thing busy, I'll see if I can open a way out!”

I looked at her approach the orb to make sure she wasn't engulfed by some trap, and when I saw her safely reach it and begin to fiddle with it, a holographic message lit up in the air.

[You must defeat the Guardian to access entry to the underground city.]

“For fuck’s sake,” I said and turned to the ‘guardian’. How annoying.

The  keeper of its secrets, the titanic mech samurai clashed against Tsunade. And the intensity of the clash was to a degree that made me pause.

The samurai’s energy sword clashed with her pseudo-Galaxy-Impacts in rhythmic beats that made the entire place tremble. It didn't look like this would be a quick victory for us, if even a victory at all.

— Bang!

— Dddoong!

The clash of their attacks was like bells, the standoff between Tsunade and the metal samurai unfolded like a maelstrom. 

This ancient guardian, as the behemoth of forgotten lore that it was, stood defiant, its armor shimmering in defiance under the sparse illumination. Tsunade, every muscle tight with pressure, struck the enemy with pseudo-Conqueror's Haki-imbued attacks exclusive only to her and me.

The samurai's blade, a concentrated beam of energy, clashed against her Haki fists, and the chamber rang with the echoes of the battle. Each exchange sent a howl of wind slamming against the walls, but despite my sister’s overwhelming force, the guardian matched her blow for blow, its retaliations a whirlwind and deadly intent. 

On the sidelines, we watched, awe and concern etched into our faces. 

"She's really pushing her limits," I said, genuinely impressed, "Yet, that thing... it's like it's built to withstand anything."

I clutched the hilt of my sword resting on my back. I had created a makeshift hilt of wood to hold it, it wasn't the strongest but it allowed me to swing it around at least.

If I were to join the battle and spam a few Tectonic Cleavers, the battle would end.

“Don’t.”

Marianne and Mikita turned to me with a frown, and I let go of the hilt with a sigh. I hated how they were stopping me, but they did have a point. If I wasted my precious chakra here, how could I feed them?

There is no guarantee that we'll find food the moment we get out of the maze.

“Sorry,” it was Marianne who apologized to me. “I understand your resolve, but I'll try to fulfill your role. Please understand.” She said and turned her head to the battle.

Her body began to expand, going orange, as she transformed into a fox. Watching her transform into the nine-tailed fox was like witnessing legends and myths take life; her danger level increased manyfold.

A few seconds later, she stood taller than the titan in the distance. 

She immediately rushed toward the battle, but I yanked her by her tail to stop her.

“Don't,” I said. “It'll cut you into pieces. Look at the walls and floors, those light katanas would cut through your flesh like a hot knife through cheese.” I could see cuts and gashes on the floor where the sword had merely touched. It wasn't safe to go near it unless one had advanced Armament Haki, and preferably Advanced Conqueror's Haki. 

Marianne had the first, but since her size was too large, it'd still be dangerous. So I suggested to her something safer, “Use long-range attacks. Tailed Beast Bombs.”

She stopped, looked at me, and nodded. She turned back to the battle and opened her mouth widely.

Then, she fired a black ball of chakra with dots of purple on it. As she unleashed it, the air around us seemed to catch fire, and the guardian was momentarily engulfed in a storm of flames and force.

Explosions sounded out in the hall over and over again. The combined might of Tsunade's relentless assault and Marianne's fiery onslaught gradually began to tip the scales in our favor. Every time the smoke cleared, the mech guardian revealed itself with more and more injuries.

Still, the samurai didn't seem to give up. It showed agility that seemed impossible for its towering frame, it sidestepped a crucial blow from Tsunade, countering with a strike that sent her reeling. 

She was sent flying from one end of the room to another, slammed against the wall. Dust rose, and then she kicked the wall to leap back at it.

— Bang!

She punched it on the head, and it went ringing like a bell. The fight continued.

At one point, Tsunade punched its face and held its arm as it began to fly off, in the process she yanked its arm off. Before it could regain its composure, larger-tailed beast bombs hit its other arm, damaging it severely, until Tsunade reached it and tore that arm apart too.

“Krowargg—! Without its blade-welding arms, Tsunade had no difficulty slamming her town-flattening punches against it.

“She's doing it,” It seemed the guardian was just a step from defeat. 

“Is it finally over?!”

We were discussing, just when the mech let out another loud growl. A light began to beep on and off from its chest, and an ominous sound leaked along with it. All of us heard it—a high-pitched whine growing louder, and my knowledge of sci-fi movies left me no room for doubt that it was a prelude to a self-destruct mechanism.

Panic gripped my heart. "Everyone back!" My shout echoed in the chamber, slicing through the tension. They were confused by the sudden order, but did as asked, even Marianne, but my sis was too preoccupied in the fight to listen, or care.

I sprouted wings from my back and kicked the ground, appearing to her side and sending her flying away with a kick. My palm was facing the sky, an orange hot ball of chakra swirling above it.

I'll get scolded, but I need to destroy the core as I'm unsure how big the explosion would be. I needed to contain it. Gathering almost all of my chakra, I formed a large Chakra Sun Rasengan, a sphere of energy that pulsated with a heat energy of its own.

With a roar that echoed my determination, I plunged the Rasengan into the guardian's chest. An explosion reacted immediately.

A blinding inferno blinded everything as if threatening to consume everything. Yet, somehow, I managed to focus the blast to remain only near me, preventing it from reaching far and hurting the girls.

“Cough—!”

The explosion ended, and I came down to my knees, barely managing to turn around as I fell on my back. As the dust settled, I lay there, panting heavily, my body on the brink of collapse. 

Burn wounds marred my flesh, and they began to close, eating away my last bits of chakra with it. Shit.

That's not good. Chakra hitting zero was as good as burning up all my life energy, so this healing would only leave a clean corpse if anything.

“Oops... everyone…” I coughed. “Sorry, I couldn't just watch," I managed to gasp out before my eyes went blurry and dark.

The last thing I saw was Tsunade rushing to my side, her face a mixture of rage and regret. Her face was painted with tears. 

“Just you wake up,” she cried, “I’ll beat you up! Stop trying to act alone!”

Uh oh.

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