The Next Match

Li Yi piloted the Pluto Mech through the long corridor inside the western hangar, about to step out.

He simultaneously activated his panoramic sensory view.

Just then.

"Huh, isn't that guy by the corner the chief interviewer from before? Why is he here?"

"The way the people beside him are looking over here seems a little off."

The thought flashed through his mind, and the Pluto Mech stepped out of the hangar to a tidal wave of cheers from the audience.

More than half an hour had passed since Li Yi's first match against Pang Haoren.

During that time, the three matches—Zhong Xiufa versus Liang Shaocong, Liang Xing versus Xie Zhenye, and Long Guanshan versus Chen Changxiu—had also produced their winners.

Every match went the full three rounds.

The five advancing to the next round were Lin Hua, Li Yi, Liang Shaocong, Liang Xing, and Long Guanshan.

After the AI draw, the match order was Long Guanshan versus Li Yi, followed by Liang Xing versus Lin Hua.

Liang Shaocong received a bye and had to accept a challenge from one of the losers. After the draw, the challenger was Xie Zhenye.

At this moment.

Long Guanshan, standing opposite Li Yi, piloted his Lihuo Mech from across the eastern hangar, facing the Pluto Mech.

The Lihuo Mech stood around thirty-five meters tall, its entire body a vivid orange-red. Flame patterns covered its long limbs, white bone-like shoulder armor extended from either side of its shoulder blades, and three horns rose from its forehead.

Its overall appearance was both sinister and handsome, making it the most eye-catching Divine Mech to appear in this tournament.

"Long Guanshan isn't an opponent I can underestimate either."

Through his panoramic sensory vision, Li Yi carefully examined the Lihuo Mech.

For this match, he intended to hone himself through battle and practice a few more moves.

He wanted to test the mech techniques he had learned from the memory fragments.

By putting those memory fragments into practice and digesting them, he could extend his overall active time.

At that moment, Evergreen Fairy AI's voice continued to ring out:

"...The Lihuo Mech should be familiar to all of you. Five years ago, the rookie king Zhang Xiuyi piloted this very mech."

"Five years later, Zhang Xiuyi is already active on alien battlefields and has earned the title of Battlefield Blast King."

"So next, let us wait and see just how much of the Lihuo Mech's splendor its successor can display!"

"The match... begins!"

The two Divine Mechs began to move.

The Pluto Mech was incredibly fast. After only a few strides, it had rushed to within twenty meters of the Lihuo Mech, practically face-to-face.

Then.

A straight hook!

A completely unadorned strike.

Boom!!!

A shockwave burst outward.

The Lihuo Mech raised its arm and successfully blocked it, then dipped down and threw an uppercut at the Pluto Mech's chin.

The Pluto Mech twisted aside to evade, followed with a redirected elbow strike that landed directly on the Lihuo Mech's shoulder, then drove it away with a front kick, sending it nearly a hundred meters back.

If that kick had carried enough force, it would have been enough to throw the Lihuo Mech off balance and knock it down.

But the Lihuo Mech quickly stabilized itself and rapidly retreated another seven or eight steps, opening up the distance from the Pluto Mech.

After five or six rapid exchanges of offense and defense, the audience was left dazzled.

From a human perspective, giant objects did not seem especially fast when they moved.

But because the two mechs had just been engaging in close-range attacks and defenses with wide motions, they appeared much faster than straightforward collisions.

Immediately afterward, the two exchanged more than a dozen similar small-scale clashes.

Sparks flew everywhere, booms rang out continuously, and shockwaves rolled forth one after another.

The audience found it thrilling beyond words.

Yet many spectators were also puzzled.

"Is this really the combat skill of the rookie king ranked first in historical points? It looks pretty ordinary. What's so impressive about it?"

"Was that crushing send-flying in the first match really just because his opponent was too weak?"

"Long Guanshan only performed around the upper-middle tier in the points matches. How can he now trade blows with Li Yi's D-rank mech using an E-rank mech?"

"Idiot, did you forget that Li Yi has to keep his mech active the entire time? Everyone else rests up and only activates their mechs when it's time. Li Yi has kept his mech active for over half an hour already."

"That makes sense. Li Yi must be nearing overload, so his combat strength is starting to decline."

"Sigh, is that all he has now? What a shame."

"I thought Li Yi could at least hold on until the next match."

"Hehe, good thing I already bet on Liang Shaocong. Easy win."

On the other side, Evergreen Fairy AI was also providing exaggerated commentary.

"Oh my, it looks like Li Yi's attacks are getting weaker and weaker. What's going on?"

"Meanwhile, Long Guanshan is actually getting fiercer as he fights. Is our championship favorite about to fall here?"

"Ah, what a beautiful dodge!"

"Who would have thought that once the Lihuo Mech took the offensive, the Pluto Mech's evasion techniques would become increasingly refined?"

"It seems this match is still anyone's game!"

The audience noticed that although the Pluto Mech seemed weaker, its evasions truly had become more impressive.

Or rather, it was not relying on extreme speed to evade.

Instead, its control over angles, positioning, and distance was becoming increasingly precise.

Every time, it caused the Lihuo Mech's fierce attacks to fizzle out at the very last moment, completely lose track of its opponent, and be forced to regroup.

"I get it. Li Yi plans to defeat his opponent using a low-energy, low-sensory-load mode, so he can save more active time for the final."

"Interesting. This kind of approach demands incredible fine control."

"Long Guanshan isn't weak. His combat skills are first-rate. Li Yi may be confident in his abilities, but playing like this also raises the chances of an upset."

"Look at that—the Pluto Mech's footwork is getting more and more agile."

"Damn, that was nerve-racking. I thought Li Yi was done for after that hit."

And so, the balance continued until the final round, with ten seconds remaining.

Inside the Lihuo Mech, Long Guanshan's physical and mental exhaustion had reached its limit.

His entire body was drenched in sweat, his blood and vitality swelling.

If he did not use this half-overdraft method, he knew he would never be able to keep circling with Li Yi for so long.

At first, he had only wanted to stall for time.

But by the end, the rhythm of the battle had fallen completely under Li Yi's control.

"Heh, you want to use me as a sparring partner? No matter how strong your combat skills are, you'll still have to take one of my ultimate moves!"

Inherited Skill, Lihuo Ignition Burst!

A massive fireball at least ten meters in diameter condensed out of thin air and blasted toward the Pluto Mech like an artillery shell.

Boom!!!

A violent explosion!

Firelight flared!

The enormous shockwave surged toward the stands like a tsunami.

Some audience members in the front rows were blown directly off their feet.

Some lighter ones were even sent flying seven or eight meters backward, only stopping after crashing into higher seats.

"Such a terrifyingly destructive Inherited Skill. For a non-Evolver to unleash an attack like this is truly remarkable."

Evergreen Fairy AI was unaffected and continued its broadcast.

"However, it is clear that while the Lihuo Mech still has countless reserves of energy to draw upon, its pilot has already overdrawn himself to the limit. If the Pluto Mech cannot rise again after this strike, then the Lihuo Mech wins."

"If the Lihuo Mech enters standby first due to its pilot's exhaustion, or if its Insertion Pod ejects, then the Pluto Mech wins."

At that moment, the smoke and dust slowly dispersed, revealing the Pluto Mech with both arms crossed over its head.

So, could it still move?

With a crack, the Pluto Mech slowly lowered its arms and straightened its body.

Then, with a bang, the Lihuo Mech directly ejected its Insertion Pod.

The entire venue fell silent for a second.

"This match goes to the Pluto Mech! Congratulations to Li Yi for keeping his championship ticket!"

Thunderous applause erupted.

The Pluto Mech left the arena.

After entering the western hangar, Li Yi had just breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed an unfamiliar communication request coming through.