"I like your helmet! Think I'm gonna TAKE IT after I tear it off the wreckage!"
The human had guts; the Beastman had to give Seiichi at least that much. There weren't many fighters willing to charge headlong into battle, already damaged and missing an arm. It took a special kind of idiot to fight when the odds were so stacked against them, the type of idiot that somehow always seemed to emerge victorious. There was no doubt about it; this kid had the potential to go far.
"Go ahead and try it, you damn human!" All the more reason the pest would have to dealt with here and now. There was no telling what the punk would do if he actually won today.
Ladon gave no quarter as it tore into Shiro, its fists and feet delivering a constant stream of blazing blows. Reckless courage did not often translate into tactical skill, and it was apparent that Seiichi's only strategy was to charge straight ahead. It was a simple matter for a trained, experienced pilot to outmaneuver Shiro's flailing limbs, especially with the advantage of a larger, stronger Gunman. Punches and kicks rained onto Seiichi's mech, covering its armor with dozens of scorch and burn marks.
Finally, with a punch capable of shattering solid stone, Ladon delivered the finishing blow. "GWAAA!" Shiro fell backwards, tumbling head over heels as its metallic teeth cracked and broke. Slipping back into a prepared stance, Ladon watched as its foe slid along the top of the command center, screeching to a halt just before it slipped off the edge. Giving a satisfied grunt, the still burning mech turned away, walking away from the singed wreck. There was no way the Gunman would be getting back up after an attack lick that.
One down, one to go... Ladon's chest parted in a cruel smile that mirrored its pilot's, as its slitted eyes focused on the still immobile Firestorm. It was going to be a pleasure reducing this Gunman to naught but scrap. The nerve of that human, going so far as to try and steal his techniques!
As Ladon's measured strides brought it closer and closer to Firestorm, claws slowly spreading in anticipation, a small detail suddenly made itself apparent. "What the..." It was with curiosity, more than anything else, that Ladon stared at the small stream of flames pouring from Ayla's mech. "Huh, that I'd already taken care of you. Well, no matter, you're still-"
The Beastman was suddenly interrupted by a hail of hot lead; It seemed that Dark Wolf still had a bit of a grudge to settle. The sheer amount of firepower packed into the speedy Gunman was nothing short of astounding: a single arm was producing an almost endless stream of shots and bullets, thousands of shells raining to the ground below like metal hail. Ladon was only able to utter a brief grunt of surprise before suddenly being thrown on the defensive, dodging, ducking, and diving for all it was worth. Belying its large size, Ladon became a blur as it zipped here and there, a combination of battle-honed reflexes and top-of-the-line machinery keeping the Gunman from becoming particularly religious. (Get it? Holy?)
Finally, Layla's weapons clicked empty. Refusing to give its new opponent any time to retreat, Ladon charged forward, claws raised as an enraged roar poured from its mouth. "Fine, I'll take you down too! What, do you still think that you can wear me down with just numbers?!?!"
As the Beastman Commander neared his new target, the screech of grinding metal suddenly tore through the air [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v25MaXwopNI&feature=player_detailpage#t=34s]; craning its gaze around wildly, Ladon finally noticed Shiro rising back to its feet, beaten, burnt, but still not out.
"You think you can just TURN AWAY FROM ME?! Keep your eyes set on me, fur-face, and don't take them off until I'm dead. Otherwise... -RRGH!- O-otherwise... you might just get SURPRISED!"
While the simple fact that Seiichi was still capable of standing was miraculous unto itself, Ladon was slightly more preoccupied by the energy cannon Shiro clutched in its remaining arm. The cannon that was currently glowing a blinding white, indicating a massive level of charge. The cannon that was about to launch a massive beam of pure energy, capable of blowing a hole in Dai-Gunkaji itself. There was no time to curse or rant; it was all Ladon's pilot could do to throw the Gunman upwards and out of the beam's path, barely managing to dodge the deadly attack.
"Ha... Haha! That's right you damn dirty cretins! You think that you're capable of taking down me, the invincible Zodd, with that paltry assault?! I'll make you regret your insolence when I... when I..."
The Beastman's rant trailed off, as he noticed two things: first, that his escape route had carried him right over the area that Firestorm had been steadily applying its flame too. Ladon's new vantage point allowed him to see that the metal roof was glowing a dull red and sagging slightly. And second, Shiro's silhouette as the Gunman leaped high into the air, preparing to deliver a crushing kick to Ladon's chest. "...Well, shit."
CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH
Shiro's leg was nearly moving at supersonic speeds as it slammed into Ladon's face. The flames that enveloped the Beastman mech were suddenly extinguished by the incredible force of the blow, their disappearance coinciding with a series of cracks spider-webbing across the Gunman's armor. Ladon was slammed into the molten metal with a ear-splitting crack, some of the incredibly heated material wrapping around the robot's body and limbs, the rest simply giving way and allowing the machine to fall through the roof.
Ladon's limp form, though far too large to be within the small corridors and chambers inside Dai-Gunkaji's command tower, was not impeded by little things like walls, floors, or ceilings. The Gunman's mass, increased by the molten metal that had bonded to it, was already substantial enough to break through a few of the partitions with nothing but gravity driving it. With Shiro's kick driving it, Ladon tore through the relatively flimsy barriers, eventually exploding out of the tower's side, only stopping once it had slammed into the ground in a massive cloud of dust and debris.
A few moments passed before the Gunman sat up, a metallic groan accompanying the motion. One of Ladon's arms, its shoulder having taken the burnt of the impact, simply fell off, leaving a stump of sparking wires and leaking fluids. "You... You bastards... just who the hell do you think you're dealing with, huh?! I... I oughta..."
Zodd's threat came to a disappointing end, as he took in his surroundings: the rest of the Beastman forces either destroyed or fled, the human infantry in the process of securing Dai-Gunkaji, and a large group of Gunman all giving him the evil eye. "Rrrrrrrgh... Damn you all to hell!"
With that last shout, Ladon began to leap backwards, its still mostly functioning legs carrying it a ways away from the captured battleship. As several Gunman began to jump to the ground, preparing to pursue the Commander, thick clouds of smoke became to belch from Ladon's mouth and remaining limbs. Black as pitch and impossibly thick, the smokescreen soon stretched across the landscape, both high and wide; even with Grim's high-powered scope it was impossible to penetrate the cloud. It took some time for the cloaking measure to dissipate, and by the time it did there was no sign of its producer, nor any of the other fleeing Beastmen.
But hey! You just won a Dai-Gunkaji! Wooooo!
