The next Ultimatums showcased their firepower on numerous occasions as their Onyx Cannons struck different targets and wore down their defenses.
These were all defenses that could typically be found on alien warships, but lone Ultimatums managed to break them down at an astonishing pace, especially when each of them had been allocated to separate targets.
"This... this is impossible!"
"How can these Onyx Cannons strike with so much force? I have studied the schematic just earlier! A super-heavy gauss cannon developed by Master Horst shouldn't be able to breach the transphasic energy shields and hull plating of alien vessels so quickly."
"This mech truly leaves no room for other heavy artillery mechs on the mech market. It is not enough for it to actually make use of prescience to attain greater accuracy. It also has to power up its attacks so that it can break alien warships without needing to rely on the space suppressors of melee mechs."
The more people observed the performance of these Ultimatums, the more they became frightened by its firepower.
The Onyx Cannon was too powerful!
Every estimate and calculation showed that it was punching significantly above its weight class!
It was not until eight of the targets got pummeled into pieces that Micky Tarukan broke the silence.
"As you can see, the Onyx Cannon does not rely on phasewater technology in order to reach a higher level of damage output. Everyone can rest assured that the Ultimatum UDS-550 will remain highly effective in the hands of any mech force that does not have any phasewater at their disposal."
The performance of the Ultimatum so far exceeded everyone's expectations, yet they still felt that the current demonstration had not yet shown the complete picture.
It was not until the final Ultimatum prepared its main cannon for firing that the atmosphere in the exhibition center gradually started to grow heavier.
The final heavy artillery mech deliberately dragged out the charging process just so that the guests could experience the magnified glow of the Ultimatum a bit longer.
As the final Ultimatum actually started to glow, the CEO of Isthmus Manufacturing suddenly made an incomprehensible action. He turned around, lowered himself to his knees and actually started to prostate before the heavy artillery mech!
"Your Divinity, I beseech you to display a measure of your great might upon our ignorant eyes! Please allow us to witness your grace and reveal the blessing that you have bestowed on this mech model!"
Such behavior was exaggerated even for ardent Rubarthans. Most of them admired their god pilots a lot, but not all of them treated them as literal gods.
At the very least, this was not fitting behavior for the CEO of a big mech manufacturer!
However, no one cared about his antics anymore because a more dramatic action occurred.
The Onyx Cannon of the final Ultimatum glowed so brightly in orange that it had actually spawned an energy manifestation of a very familiar looking cat!
Even though the cat only looked and felt a fraction as great as the real deal, that unforgettable aura was unmistakable.
"MIIIIIIEEEEEW!"
When the cat let loose her iconic cry, no one dared to think she was an impostor anymore!
There was only one reason why the famous cat showed up at this time and place.
"The Destroyer of Worlds... has actually blessed this mech!"
"It is more than that... if the CEO's opening statement is to be believed... then all other Ultimatums have established a connection with the Destroyer of Worlds."
"I knew that the mysterious relationship between Professor Larkinson and our god pilot had become close! It must be because the Destroyer of Worlds became impressed by the potential of the younger mech designer and enlisted his aid to bestow the Ultimatum to the Rubarthan Pact. The story all makes sense now that we have obtained the crucial clue!"
Before the crowd could speak any further, the energy manifestation of Emma dove back into the Onyx Cannon and bonded with the transphasic hyper round.
Even though the projectile wasn't visible, many people instinctively felt that it had come close to bursting apart and annihilating everything in the vicinity!
BOOOOOOOOM!
They immediately felt relief when the Ultimatum successfully launched its powerful round.
Practically an instant later, the transphasic hyper round that was directly blessed by Emma punched through a transphasic energy shield as if it had passed through a brush and proceeded to penetrate multiple layers of thick armor plating!
CRACK-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH!"
The force and power of the attack was so strong that the entire multi-layered construction actually slid backwards from the sheer magnitude of force that it had just endured!
Many pieces of broken metal fragments sprayed from the half-broken target. As the view became clearer, people could see that the much thicker and tougher warship-grade hull plating ultimately failed to prevent the transphasic round from penetrating all the way through and deal catastrophic damage to the simulated compartment in the rear.
A single Ultimatum was responsible for inflicting real damage on a potential warship.
It did not do so alone, but also received the indispensable assistance of an actual god pilot!
For a moment, utter silence reigned in the exhibition hall and many people's homes as they struggled to process what had happened.
"..."
***
THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN MISTAKINGLY PUBLISHED A DAY IN ADVANCE. TOMORROW ON 9 FEBRUARY 2024 I WILL ONLY PUBLISH 2 CHAPTERS IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN CONSISTENCY IN MY SCHEDULE.