Chapter 429: The Legendary Mechanist [2]
Despite the fact that the General was not here, Leon was 100% sure that Ren Nora was secretly spying at his work.
Afterall, for the past 3 weeks, spying on him had become the General’s favorite past-time even more than playing his ancient video games that he hacked and restored to playing condition.
Despite knowing this, Leon didn’t care as observing the new Bulwark MK.II Titan Frame made a big grin of pride to split his face.
’Ah, I feel invincible!’ His grin widened.
’I feel like a Legendary Mechanist’.
’Nah,’ he shook his head. ’I feel like The Legendary Mechanist!’
"Tsk".
Leon heard it; that was Ren Nora clicking his tongue at his self-praising antics but Leon didn’t care. He grinned instead.
After taking his time to scrutinize the new Bulwark MK.II Titan Frame, Leon moved on to his next construct- the new Sentry-IV Autocannon Drone.
HUM!
Unlike the Bulwark MK.II Titan Frame, the Gun Drone hovered silently within the workshop, its sleek frame standing at 2.6 meters tall and stretching 1.8 meters across, just like the first one had been.
Compared to the towering mech suit, the drone appeared smaller, yet there was something undeniably predatory about its design.
Every line of its chassis spoke of speed, precision, and relentless aggression, the exact type that harassed General Sylvari 5 months ago but even more rabid.
Its primary weapon dominated the front section of the machine- the familiar monstrous six-barrel rotary cannon that was mounted beneath an armored targeting module.
The weapon’s barrels were forged from extremely expensive heat-resistant alloy and arranged around a reinforced electromagnetic drive assembly.
Even while idle, the cannon looked terrifying.
Once activated, like he had seen multiple times already, Leon imagined the barrels spinning into a blur capable of unleashing a torrent of armor-piercing rounds at a rate that can shred infantry, light vehicles, and low-grade combat drones within seconds.
Afterall, this was one of the main contributors to Dhruv Laden’s death and it was the greatest nuisance to General Sylvari 5 months ago.
Integrated targeting sensors ensured that every burst remained frighteningly accurate even while the drone maneuvered at high speed.
Directly beneath the central chassis sat a concealed micro-missile burst rack.
Armored panels could slide aside in an instant, exposing dozens of miniature guided missiles that were packed within compact launch cells.
Designed for rapid saturation attacks, the rack can unleash an entire volley in seconds that can send missiles streaking through the air like a swarm of angry hornets, tracking multiple targets simultaneously before detonating with destructive power.
The drone’s frame was protected by lightweight composite armor plating.
Rather than relying on sheer thickness, the armor utilized advanced layered materials that balanced protection with mobility.
Angular plates covered critical systems while keeping overall weight low, allowing the machine to remain agile and responsive.
Mounted along the sides and rear of the chassis are emergency evasion thrusters, one of the core components that allowed the machine to last so long against General Sylvari 5 months ago.
But unlike 5 months ago, the Gun Drone had a new defensive element, the best that it could ever hope for.
...the V-7 Kinetic-Ion Barrier!
Just like the Bulwark MK, the Sentry-IV had enough surface area for Leon to work his magic, creatively integrating the cutting-edge energy shield into its design without compromising the blueprint.
And well, just like the mech suit, this single addition increased the threat of the Gun Drone to a whole new level.
Afterall, to attack, you must defend and survive first.
This time around, Leon spent even more money on the emergency evasion thrusters, and with Ren Nora’s help he was able to get exclusive deals that were not available in the open market or even regular underground markets.
The new thrusters were powerful enough that when threatened, they could ignite with brilliant bursts of blue-white plasma, hurling the drone either sideways, upward, or backward in violent evasive maneuvers.
To an observer, the machine when evading looked capable of teleporting short distances across battlefields!
Its sensor cluster was housed within a compact armored head unit that rotated independently from the chassis where multiple optical lenses, thermal imagers, radar arrays, and targeting scanners constantly swept the surroundings.
Beneath the frame, powerful magnetic docking clamps were integrated into the undercarriage. Leon modified them slightly from the blueprint’s original design.
These new clamps allowed the drone to attach itself securely to armored vehicles, cargo transports, walls, ceilings, or even larger combat machines.
In combat, it can cling to the side of a building and transform into a stationery turret platform. It can even magnetically lock onto the Bulwark MK.II Titan Frame, conserving power until deployment.
And unlike 5 months ago, Leon addressed this opening this time. Despite the option of clinging to the Bulwark MK, Leon created a clear alternative.
There was a massive armored Truck sitting in the Northern end of the workshop. Leon didn’t construct this state-of-the-art military Truck himself, but rather procured it directly from the Freegrid Army treasury.
With it, the Sentry-IV now had an even more rugged means of mobility before deployment and even during combat situations.
When active, the Gun Drone moved with unsettling fluidity.
Anti-gravity stabilizers and vectored thrusters allowed it to hover effortlessly above the ground like it was doing currently, drifting through the air like a metallic predator stalking its prey.
These were not all though.
From the beginning, the Sentry-IV had always been a modular platform whose primary cannon assembly can be replaced with other weapons.
Leon never used this option because the Rotary Cannons were his best and most destructive bet, but now, after 3 months locked within this basement, they were not his only options and they were no longer his best options either.
Leon now had more options in the Guass-X Kinetic Accelerator and the X-99 "Solaris" Photonic Disintegrator.
Both were offensive-focused Class Exclusive Constructs of the Cannon Master Class Specialization!
If the original six-barrel Rotary Cannon of the Sentry-IV was Leon’s answer to fast-moving and multiple swift targets, then the Guass-X Kinetic is Leon’s answer to heavily armored targets.
These were Leon’s greatest upgrades to the Sentry-IV Autocannon Drone.
Over the weeks of working in the basement, he realized that individually, the Class Exclusive Blueprints were formidable in their own rights but when combined, their power rose to truly stratospheric levels.
When combined, Leon was convinced that the Class Exclusive constructs of D Rank Mechanists made their overall power rise to C Rank thresholds, effectively making them the deadliest D Rank Class in the history of this planet!
Unlike conventional firearms that relied on chemical propellants, the Railgun- the Guass-X Kinetic Accelerator used a network of superconducting electromagnetic rails to accelerate projectiles to hypersonic velocities.
The weapon itself was nearly as long as the Gun Drone’s chassis, far longer than the original six-barrel Rotary Cannon- a sleek assembly of reinforced magnetic coils, armored capacitors, and heat-dissipation fins running along its length.
Having tested it once, Leon knew how it worked.
When charging, deep blue arcs of electricity crawl along its surface while the air around it seem to vibrate as enormous amounts of energy accumulates within the magnetic acceleration chambers.
What followed next could not be described with words; it’s just raw, unadulterated, profane destruction.
No muzzle flash, only a violent crack that resembled reality itself being torn apart as the tungsten penetrator vanishes from the barrel, instantly appearing hundreds of meters away at such extreme velocity that it only leaves a blur.
If Leon had this weapon when he fought against General Sylvari, the Federation General would have not dared tank it head-on with his energy shield.
This would have forced the General to use even more sophisticated means to evade every single attack from the long barrel of the weapon.
Even if the tungsten penetrator didn’t hit clearly, Leon already tested it and knew that even near misses of the weapon generated enough shockwaves to shatter concrete and rip apart vehicles!
This was a weapon of profane destruction!
This was not a weapon designed to suppress enemies, it was a weapon designed to erase them.
Every pull of the trigger delivers the force of a precision orbital strike that is condensed into a single piece of metal.
Even worse is the fact that the Sentry-IV Autocannon Drone is not the only construct that can wield the Guass-X Kinetic Accelerator.
...the Bulwark MK.II Titan Frame can also use it!
This single weapon once again multiplied Leon’s harrowing combat power in any battlefield and made him even more versatile.
And it was not the only one, there was also the X-99 "Solaris" Photonic Disintegrator!
