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After Lithium 15 got smaller, he was like a ball of energy on the move. Energy poured out of him, making waves that hit the strong magnetic shield Adam had set up. Knowing what was coming, Lithium 15 just said hello and then made the Original Flames less bright, leaning against Iron 27.
The super-hot air quickly disappeared. The melted shield on Adam's outside dropped to the ground, along with a tiny, shining bit of mithril.
"Let's move," Iron 27 said, flying out of Ironburg to the southeast.
Iron 27 didn't talk much. With Lithium 15 on his left shoulder and Adam on his right, he flew fast and without a sound. When they ran into Metal Eaters, he fought by himself.
He was really strong. Just a loud yell was enough to break level-three Metal Eaters into pieces. Even when up against groups that had a few level-four ones, he would give Lithium 15 to Adam for safekeeping and jump into the fight, using just his strength.
They went on without talking, and after three days, Iron 27 stopped at the borderline. He handed Adam some energy blocks and said, "Power up. We need your power for what's coming."
This was Adam's first look at the borderline between the two parts of Titania. One side was solid ground made of minerals, the other side looked like an ancient desert. There were many cliffs, and those cliffs ended suddenly, because Metal Eaters had eaten away everything below and ahead.
Adam felt the energy was different on the other side. "The energy here isn't the same, and there are way more Metal Eaters than back on Titans' territories. I'm not sure where we're headed, but keeping you hidden there will be hard for me."
Iron 27 munched on an energy block. After listening to Adam, he gave him a tiny gadget. "This is a simulator. It'll fool Metal Eaters that are below level-three. Don't stress too much. What we called "the borderline" was actually twenty thousand kilometers wide. We won't run into big enemy groups within."
"But getting caught is still a big risk. You know Metal Eaters grow fast. There are only three of us, and just two of us can fight. I'm not strong enough."
Iron 27 kept munching, not bothered. "No, I'm the only one who can fight. Lithium 15 won't wake up until we get to where we're going."
"What on earth is the target of this mission?" Adam asked.
...
After they got in the borderline, Adam took the lead. Iron 27 let him manage the team's energy. Apart from giving directions, he stayed quiet.
Adam used his power to float in the air, making Lithium 15 lighter and easier to carry. Knowing what they needed to do in this mission, Adam knew that they had to save as much of Iron 27's energy as they could.
Iron 27 said they were mostly safe within twenty thousand kilometers, but they needed to go further than that. He only had a basic map and didn't know much about where the Metal Eaters were in that area.
This made things tricky for Adam. After he became a Knight, he got much better at using his electromagnetic powers. He could see things up to two thousand kilometers away with his radar vision, but doing that made it easier for enemies to spot them. So, he only kept an eye on things within a thousand kilometers. This distance was pretty far, but it was still dangerous considering they were among enemies now.
For a level-four creature, a thousand kilometers was nothing. It would only take seconds for them to cross.
Adam made them go really slow and picked the safest path. His radar screen in his head was full of white dots, and the best he could do was try not to run into them. This meant they had to go around a lot, so after five days, they were only halfway there.
"We're about to run into three thousand Metal Eaters, and nearly two hundred of them are level-four," Adam told Iron 27 after they stopped. "They're moving in a half-circle. There are three more groups like this one nearby, and we can't get past them."
Iron 27 made a loud, metallic sound. He moved Lithium 15 closer to Adam and said, "I'll distract them and take them out. You sneak past their line and wait for me somewhere safe."
Adam moved like water. He made a shield of mithril around Iron 27 that would let him get close to the Metal Eaters without them noticing. Then, Iron 27 flew low and took off alone.
In Adam's radar, the green dot for Iron 27 vanished in a flash. Five minutes later, there were loud bangs far away that made a dust storm block the sun. Adam, holding Lithium 15, quietly moved to the spot they had picked.
Adam really believed in Iron 27's fighting skills. He was almost unbeatable, so the Metal Eaters couldn't beat him. Adam was just worried that the big fight might make all the Metal Eaters in the area go wild.
Adam got past the blockage easily. He saw the dots for the Metal Eaters getting further away and disappearing. Even the other groups went towards the noise, leaving a big open spot in their defense.
Adam used the dust storm and the energy mess as cover, found a safe place to put down Lithium 15, and quietly filled up his energy again.
"Master, I don't think this mission looks too good," the devil said in Adam's head. "The Titans' up top didn't think this through. Your chances of making it are almost none. The gap between the Titans and the Metal Eaters is huge, and one mission won't change that. It'd be smarter to beef up your defenses and use your resources better instead of losing top fighters."
"They've got a point," Adam cut in. "The way Metal Eaters grow and take over is a disaster. If the Titans lose land, they'll get weaker, while the Metal Eaters will just get stronger. They've got to fight for every bit of ground."
"But did you think about the chance you might not make it back? Why didn't you say no when he asked you?" The devil sounded really frustrated with Adam not caring about his own safety.
Adam wasn't worried one bit. He twisted around, and his body started to melt and sink into the ground. The broken-down mithril came back together quickly, and soon, there were loads of little Titans on the ground, each with a little flame inside.
"Are these like your avatars? You've turned into one of the Titans, and you're still up to this?"
The many Adams sat in a circle, each saying one word after another, "I'm not sure about the rest of the Titans, but I can pull this off. The tech I'm using here is even easier than making avatars of myself with flesh and blood. I've left a bit of my Flame and my body back at Ironburg. Even if my main self gets destroyed, I can come back to life through any of these avatars right away."
The devil was shocked, mumbling a bit later, "Master, are you trying to be your own group? What should I call you then? The Adams?"