The Orca Was Charging Ahead
Even in a national-level stadium that would be considered magnificent even in the capital, exaggerated artistic lettering flashed on the big screen amidst enthusiastic cheers and light effects that could be described as light pollution.
Golden bars representing the odds rose and fell continuously. As two beams of light intertwined, the two machine photos, along with their odds, were fixed in the center of the large screen. The host's almost hysterical shout, aided by the loudspeaker, drowned out all the noise.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Iron Armor Steel Fist Advanced Tournament! Today we welcome a new entrant. Despite only competing for a month, he has achieved a perfect record of zero losses. And today, he will face his first match in the Advanced Tournament. Let us welcome the Slaughter Beast from Yuelai Tavern: Tiger--Whale--!"
The deliberately drawn-out notes echoed throughout the stadium, and the wonderful odds of 1 to 4 made every bettor shout with abandon.
A slender, black-and-white mecha entered the arena. Its distinctive shape—long arms and a wasp waist—stood out starkly against the backdrop of a group whose members mostly maintained a barrel or even equilateral triangle build. And just then, the host's drawn-out voice finally paused from its breathlessness, only to burst forth again after a brief respite.
"On the other side, his goalkeeper is the ace from the Creya Club, a predator who has secured a place among the favorites to win the upper-level tournament with his unpredictable attacks and extraordinary reflexes: Giant--Serpent--!"
Although the odds were slightly lower, the shouts and cheers that erupted at this moment far exceeded those before.
A mech that appeared to be a head taller than an orca, painted in a gray-green color, walked in from the other end of the arena and slowly came to a stop in the contestants' area. The two mechs were fifty meters apart, a distance that would take an ordinary person several seconds to run to reach, but for two mechs that were over ten meters tall, it was merely a social distance.
"This match will be commentated by Mister Tai Fo and me. There are seven minutes left before the match officially starts. Mister Tai Fo, what are your thoughts on both teams?"
The host's voice came through the loudspeaker, seemingly as a pre-match warm-up, but in essence, it was to give the audience enough time to place their bets, since many viewers have the habit of observing the condition of the aircraft and the pilot before placing their bets.
Hearing the question from the female host, who was known for her good looks, the retired pilot, Taifo, who was known for his technical skills, glanced at the betting trends displayed on the tablet in front of him and said in a professional tone:
"The giant serpent is an old friend of ours. The pilot is Komoto, who once served in the Raging Mech Brigade. His opponent should be a complete rookie with no service experience and is only seventeen years old. I find it hard to imagine that such a contestant has any combat experience."
"But this player achieved a 30-game winning streak in the lower-level competition, averaging more than one game a day, and each game lasting less than thirty seconds on average..." The female host contradicted the technical host's usual approach, which didn't surprise the technical host, who simply shrugged and said:
"I won't even discuss the prestige of the lower-level competitions. Let's analyze the machines themselves. The Giant Serpent is 15.2 meters tall and weighs 70 tons, while the Orca is 13.3 meters tall and weighs 32 tons. Do you see the difference?"
"The weight difference is more than double?" The female host, following the script, feigned a speculative tone. Thai Buddha nodded and said:
"The two machines differ in height by less than two meters, but their weight difference is so significant. This means that if a contest of strength occurs, the orca will immediately be at a disadvantage. As for your claim of ending the battle in thirty seconds, it's less about the orca being powerful and more about it having no other choice."
"How so?" The beautiful female host looked bewildered. Thai Buddha glanced at the remaining time, adjusted his speaking speed slightly, and then said:
"We can see that the Orca's design is very beautiful, but for a machine, whether it looks good or not is not the key point. With the Orca's slender waist structure, either it does not have an intervertebral disc weight reduction system or it has given up heat dissipation components. Judging from the previous combat video of this machine, without a shock absorption system, its pilot could not have performed so many large movements, so it must have reduced the heat dissipation components."
"So, this machine has a problem with its battery life?" The female host nodded thoughtfully, then said with a sly glint in her eyes:
"So, Mister Tai Fo favors the giant snake more?"
"You can't say that," Thai Buddha said, First Turn.
"While the Orca's range is a weakness, its light weight means that its engine can deliver greater explosive power and higher speed. Many of its opponents have been defeated by its unexpected acceleration. Therefore, in my I Think, the key to this match lies in the struggle for the rhythm between the two sides."
"In other words, if the giant snake can withstand the killer whale's outburst, it has a high probability of winning; otherwise, the killer whale will have the advantage?" The female host summarized. Taifo felt it was a bit imprecise, but after glancing at the clock, he gave up on continuing the rambling and nodded, saying:
"You could say that."
"Thank you for your insightful comments, Mister Tai Fo. Oh, that concludes the betting section. Iron Armor Steel Fist, Ready..."
"Go!"
Amidst the almost unanimous shouts from the entire audience, the gray-green machine immediately sprang to life, while the orca standing opposite it remained motionless.
"Such tricks won't work in higher-level races." The Serpent's pilot's voice came through the loudspeaker, but the Orca remained completely unmoved, as if it had forgotten to recharge and was just standing there as punishment.
But...
"It has appeared! The Serpent's most powerful weapon, the Giant Snake's Touch, which was improved from the Hydra System from Budali! This weapon originally required advanced Artificial Intelligence assistance to wield freely, but Komoto can perfectly control it with just the dexterity of his hands!"
The commentary, comparable to high-speed chanting, echoed throughout the arena, while two arms, as flexible as two giant snakes, launched an attack on the orca from a distance of more than twenty meters.
"Is that even allowed? Aren't we not supposed to use weapons?"
Coach Mang Ke on the bench asked loudly, but Old Li replied with a faint smile:
"As long as we don't use firearms and related Fire Control System, this kind of 'arm' that's purely controlled by skill is fine."
"Why didn't you say so sooner? If I had known this would happen, I would have..."
Before Mang Ke finish complaining, the orca, which had slipped away like an eel from the twin snakes coiling around it, suddenly spewed out a large amount of white vapor, as if its body was overheating.
However, the pilot of the giant serpent had no intention of falling for the trick. While keeping his Main Body at a distance, he continued to launch attacks by manipulating his whip-like hands.
However, with this retreat, the orca's arms, which had been as serpentine as a snake, suddenly tightened and gripped the two snake-like wrists with incredible speed. At this moment, it seemed that it had seized the opportunity to win!
"Naive!" The two snake arms came off like gloves. Before the orca could even use its signature slam, the giant snake had already anticipated this and assumed a fighting stance.
Only...
Bang!
Even with a precise prediction, the giant snake plunged into the arena headfirst in an even more dramatic fashion. The violent impact instantly shattered all of its cushioning mechanisms, and in the ensuing silence, only the faint, youthful voice of the orca could be heard—
"You're truly naive."