Seeing the other mech fly straight out, Li Yi was speechless.
He had used less than half his strength and had already held back considerably.
He had not expected the gap between them to remain so vast—so vast that his opponent had not even had time to react.
"Looks like the Pluto Mech's base attributes are extremely high. Before I've even brought out the advantages of my combat techniques, I can already crush my opponents outright."
It was somewhat regrettable. This was equivalent to wasting an opportunity to improve through battle.
Still, it was fine. Ending things quickly saved some time.
Li Yi piloted the Pluto Mech swiftly off the field.
After a brief, stunned silence, the arena erupted in thunderous applause.
"As expected of a Divine Mech first piloted by a non-Evolver in seventeen years. The strength suppression is obvious."
"It looks like Li Yi winning the championship really is a foregone conclusion."
"Even though it wasn't satisfying to watch, it was still an instant kill. Divine Mech battles like this are rare enough."
"That's right. After watching so many rookie martial tournaments, actual mech battles ending in an instant kill are something you might not see for years."
"What a shame. His opponent was too weak, so we couldn't tell what the Pluto Mech's divine characteristics were like."
Amid the discussions,
the Evergreen Fairy AI drifted slowly in front of the Electric Surge Mech. After examining it, she explained to the audience:
"Though it is difficult to believe, Li Yi's control of the Pluto Mech truly produced an extremely terrifying performance."
"Without any buildup, a single ordinary strike sent the Electric Surge Mech flying several hundred meters."
"It is not that the Electric Surge Mech is weak. It is simply that the Pluto Mech is too powerful."
"Now then, there will be a five-minute intermission. The next match will be even more exciting, so please stay tuned!"
After leaving the field, Li Yi remained inside the Pluto Mech, using meditation to process the memory fragments.
In this standby state, although excessive information and strain were still transmitted to him, they were barely tolerable.
Moreover, using meditation to process the memory fragments could further improve his compatibility with the mech and strengthen his mind's resistance to pressure.
He very much wanted to try again the unusual state in which his divinity had been stimulated when he had first activated the Pluto Mech.
But considering there were still battles ahead, it was not suitable to risk any accidents.
So he decided to wait until after the finals were over.
As for the matches outside, there was no need to watch them.
After all, as long as he actively used the Divine Mech to observe the outside world and gather information, his mental burden would begin to surge.
In the massive fighting arena,
the Green Dragonfly Mech piloted by Zhong Xiufa entered the field.
Although she came from the Artisan Clan, her mother was also a collateral descendant of the Power Clan.
Thus, after activating the Green Dragonfly Mech, her extraordinarily high compatibility with it allowed her to awaken the Wind God Series Inherited Skill.
After training over the past two days, she could already release it freely through the Green Dragonfly Mech.
"My combat techniques are far inferior to Liang Shaocong's. If I want to win, I have to seize my only chance to unleash my Inherited Skill."
Zhong Xiufa's eyes shone with an intense desire for battle.
On the other side, the Ciyuan Mech piloted by Liang Shaocong also entered the arena.
The Ciyuan Mech stood thirty-six meters tall and was entirely violet-green. An incomparably intricate pattern covered its chest armor. As it appeared, even the dome lights seemed affected, flickering continuously.
Below the stands, many spectators were not particularly interested.
"Let's see what Liang Shaocong is made of. If he can take down Zhong Xiufa within ten exchanges, he might still have a chance to contend with Li Yi."
"The gap between Liang Shaocong and Li Yi is too great. I really can't figure out how Li Yi could possibly lose."
"Not necessarily. According to the latest intelligence, Li Yi's Divine Mech takes over an hour to activate, and he definitely cannot shut it down to rest. His maximum active duration is only a little over forty minutes. If the finals continue at this pace, and his opponents deliberately drag things out, Li Yi could be worn down by the time limit!"
"What latest intelligence? That's a rumor. Among all recorded cases, the slowest activation time was only a little over half an hour, right? That was already someone whose compatibility was slightly below the admission cutoff!"
"It's not a rumor. One of the top ten contestants leaked it, and plenty of people on the intranet have already provided corroborating information."
"Not just on the intranet. Look, even this online commentator is talking about it. The news has already spread."
As the information spread, the spectators' interest was instead piqued.
"If that's true, then first place is still uncertain?"
"That's right. The intranet is already adjusting its predicted win rates."
"My God, it's actually true. Li Yi's predicted championship rate has dropped from ninety-five percent to twenty percent."
"Liang Shaocong and Liang Xing have risen to eighty-two percent and forty-three percent respectively."
"Then I'd better put in some work hours."
"Quick, quick, I'm putting mine on Liang Shaocong too."
"I'm backing Liang Xing."
"Ah, what a pity about little Lin Qin. She actually failed to activate her mech. Otherwise, I'd definitely bet on her."
The Deep Space Fleet naturally prohibited gambling with money.
But it did not prohibit gambling with work hours.
Every professional here received a portion of work hours each week that could be traded or used in official work-hour betting.
This was one of the entertainment activities created by the early Deep Space Fleet to prevent deep-space loneliness syndrome.
With various bits of insider gossip spreading and the intranet's betting odds shifting, many people began looking forward to the outcome even more.
Because barring an upset, Li Yi was highly likely to win the championship.
—No one had ever doubted that.
But when the outcome was too certain, the work hours earned from betting would decrease, naturally making it less enjoyable.
At this moment,
under the expectant gaze of countless spectators, the Green Dragonfly Mech and the Ciyuan Mech began to clash.
Bang!!!
In the first collision, the Green Dragonfly Mech was forced back three or four more steps.
The Ciyuan Mech immediately lowered its body and pressed forward. With a clinching technique, it fiercely grabbed the Green Dragonfly Mech, then followed with a back suplex.
Boom!!!
The Green Dragonfly Mech had no room to react before the back of its head slammed into the ground.
Inside the cockpit, Zhong Xiufa was not directly affected by the enormous impact.
But the strain on her body surged, leaving her somewhat uncomfortable.
It even felt as though blood was rushing to her head.
At the same time, the incomparably sturdy fighting platform shook, transmitting the tremor to the stands and nearly knocking the audience off their feet.
Yet the spectators were clearly even more excited.
This kind of close-quarters brawl between giant mechs was what they wanted to see!
Though in actual interstellar warfare involving Divine Mechs, mid-range battles using Divinity Techniques were the mainstream,
from a human aesthetic perspective, nothing was more blood-pumping than fists landing solidly on flesh.
Amid increasingly feverish cheers,
the Green Dragonfly Mech rapidly rolled across the ground, spreading its four arms to brace against the Ciyuan Mech's stomping foot.
At the same time, its upper pair of arms suddenly extended, striking toward the Ciyuan Mech.
But at that moment,
Crackle!!!
A flash of lightning appeared out of nowhere and struck the Green Dragonfly Mech's head directly, exploding with a sharp blast.
The Green Dragonfly Mech was completely unharmed, yet its entire body abruptly stopped moving.
Clearly, rookie Divine Mech pilots could not yet achieve true unity with their machines and could easily be hit with Piloting Stun.
That was, the mech itself suffered no damage, but the pilot inside had their piloting state interrupted, leaving the Divine Mech unable to make effective movements.
Only veteran Power Clan families could possibly master this stunning technique proficiently.
At that moment, the Ciyuan Mech seized the opportunity. Its arms reached down, scooping up the Green Dragonfly Mech and hurling it toward the barrier beyond the arena!
As long as it left the field, even if it still retained combat capability, it would be judged defeated!
"Is Liang Shaocong going to win?"
Just as this thought rose in the audience's minds,
the Green Dragonfly Mech was about to crash into the barrier beyond the arena.
An incomparably violent cyclone suddenly erupted from its body, bouncing it back to the edge of the field, where it regained its footing!
"Wow, that was a close call! I never expected pilot Zhong Xiufa to have secretly mastered the Wind God Series Inherited Skill as well, and she can even smoothly amplify it through her Divine Mech."
The Evergreen Fairy AI cried out in exaggerated surprise:
"It seems this battle remains full of suspense. Both contestants can smoothly release Inherited Skills. Given time, I believe they will both soon become Evolvers. How exciting!"
Before you continue