CHAPTER 610: MATERIAL RESONANCE

In reality, it took barely any time. But for everyone awaiting the reveal, each beat of silence felt like forever.

And then they saw it.

Even Cece, proud dwarf of iron will, couldn’t help but feel her knees weaken.

Cloaked in crimson plating with black joint reinforcements, the mecha stood like a force of nature given form. It was an unstoppable wall—how ironic, considering walls weren’t meant to move. But because Cece knew what equipment had been tucked inside that beast, she could only see it as exactly that. A juggernaut in red.

Master Quinn was the first to break. His eyes turned glassy, his breath hitched, and suddenly the old mechanic looked like he was about to weep openly.

Another biomecha.

By now, he had seen the biomechas crafted for House Kyros, and those had nearly blinded him with brilliance. But this? A custom biomecha? This was something else entirely. Magnificent. Terrifying. Magnificent again.

His lips quivered, and then the muttering started.

"Embedded actuators in the arms... crushing strength output... hydraulic stabilizers in the thighs and shins... this isn’t a mecha, this is an immovable bulwark... Ah, but the plating balance, the counterweight distribution... what is this ingenuity? What mad brilliance—no, no, this isn’t madness, this is divine craftsmanship!"

He rattled on, faster and louder, until it was no longer muttering but a rapid-fire outburst of half-sobs and half-geekery. His voice cracked as he jabbed a finger at every component visible, describing systems that no one else fully understood.

Everyone else in the hangar blinked at him.

Because it was happening. Again. To think they just witnessed someone succumb to this earlier.

But through all the noise and disbelief, one person remained steady. His gaze never left the red biomecha.

Jax.

The person whose reaction mattered most to Luca.

Luca’s heart thumped painfully as he stole glances at him.

This was different from building for his family, different from building biomechas for House Kyros. Back then, even his mother had advised him to stick with some sort of a base model—a standard mecha that Second Lieutenant Anya Merren could learn, repair, and teach to others.

It was practical. Necessary. Logical. Because how else would they have enough time for her to understand the temperament of so many custom biomechas? And if they started learning while piloting the same thing, it would be easier to teach and personalize in the long run. Customizations could wait until everyone understood what they actually needed.

But this was different.

This was a guildmate who had particular preferences.

This was Jax.

And Luca could barely breathe as he waited because Jax hadn’t even moved a muscle.

Then, finally, the redhead tilted his head back, his ears twitching as he broke into the biggest, simplest grin.

"Whoa! It’s huge! And sleek! And... wait—is this why you asked me about my favorite color?!"

His tail—if he’d had one—would have been wagging so hard it could have taken down the nearest wall.

"Yes! Yes, this is my favorite! Crimson’s the best!" Jax’s hands were already reaching toward the mecha as though he wanted to hug the entire armored monster.

Then his eyes caught something else.

The shield.

Correction. Shields.

Jax’s mouth dropped, and he slapped a hand to his forehead in amazement.

"Luca! You weren’t kidding! You said you’d make me a better shield, and this... this is better!" His voice boomed with the clarity of a revelation. "Because what’s better than one shield?"

He pointed dramatically at the biomecha like he had just discovered the universe’s greatest secret.

"Of course—two!"

"..."

Cece’s mouth fell open. Master Quinn actually choked on his own breath. Half the room twitched.

And Luca, red in the face, broke into a wide grin and said, "Yes! I knew you would understand!"

There was a moment of silence.

Because it seemed like everyone could not believe the conversation that had just happened.

But then, just as they were struggling to think of what to say next, a voice rang out, echoing across the hangar.

It was Ollie, yelling at the top of his lungs. "Brother! I’m here! I made it! I want to see it too!"

He really did. At first, he had been about to start ranting about being given away just like that, but then he overheard Kyle muttering, "It’s a shame, it seems that Luca is handing out some of the biomechas now..."

Obviously, which mechanic in their right mind would want to miss such a momentous occasion? So, as usual, Ollie "rode" Kyle like some overexcited passenger and pointed toward the hangar, commanding him to make haste. They finally arrived, and Ollie’s eyes immediately locked on something so red it only missed a dash of green to resemble a giant tomato.

And Ollie’s contribution to this historic scene? Proudly shouting, "Nothing beats having two of something! That’s why there is no one more thoughtful than my good brother!" He even gave a dramatic thumbs up toward Luca, and then another one toward Jax, as if to crown both of them in brotherly brilliance.

The comedic sight of all three innocent guys—Luca, Jax, and Ollie—standing there together, looking happy and earnest, was enough to make Cece pinch the bridge of her nose. Instead, she coughed pointedly, dragging attention back to reality.

Luca blinked, then smacked his fist against his palm as though he had just remembered something vital. "Right! The mecha!"

He quickly called out, "D-29, show the simulation we did when calibrating based on Jax’s pilot data."

The little system chirped as the display lit up, and Luca began to explain. "The two shields provide greater coverage and mobility. They can be joined as one when necessary, but in cases where movement matters, they are not a hindrance. They can even serve as weapons."

The room leaned in closer.

"Especially considering what they can do," Luca added.

It was then that he revealed, with an almost casual tone, "The shields were constructed using the Deathworm’s A-rank beast core and keratin... combined with the exoskeleton of an S-rank ancient arachnid."

"?!"

"?!!"

The crowd practically lost air at the revelation. Every single face turned toward him in disbelief, looking at Luca as if he had sprouted antennae.

Did this kid just seriously combine an S-rank with an A-rank material?

Master Quinn’s voice cracked as he demanded, "How?"

"Material resonance," Luca answered brightly. "And, well... with the help of an energy crystal to get them to fuse."

The silence that followed was deafening. It was starting to sound less like mecha crafting and more like alien sorcery itself. Even Jax’s brain began to churn with suspicion. These were words he recognized, concepts he knew—but not in this exact way.

So he blurted out, "Wait, Luca! How much would this even be worth? Those are insanely costly materials! You have to tell me. If what I have is not enough, I’ll go make more money because this is an expensive gift!" His eyes burned with determination, fired up with reckless sincerity.

Luca tilted his head. "Huh? Why would you pay for it? It’s something we also need for the Astral Cup, right? As the guild leader, it’s my job to make sure we’re all prepared."

And then, as if this was the most normal thing in the world, he added, "Besides, all of those things were necessary to achieve the desired abilities."

The word caught everyone. "Abilities???"

"Yes!" Luca’s eyes lit up so bright that for a moment they seemed like they would blind the room. "That’s the true advantage of all the cores we collected!"