Second Battle

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

He simultaneously activated the panoramic sensory perspective.

Just then.

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

"The way the people around him are looking at us seems a bit off."

As the thought flashed through his mind, the Pluto Mech exited the side hangar, met by a thunderous roar of cheers from the audience.

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

During this time, the winners of three other matches were also decided: Zhong Xiufa vs. Liang Shaocong, Liang Xing vs. Xie Zhenye, and Long Guanshan vs. Chen Changxiu.

Each match went the full three rounds.

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

After the AI draw, the matchups were Long Guanshan vs. Li Yi, and Liang Xing vs. Lin Hua.

Liang Shaocong received a bye and had to face a challenger from the loser's bracket. After the draw, the challenger was Xie Zhenye.

At this moment.

Long Guanshan, facing Li Yi, also piloted his Lihuo Mech and stood opposite the east hangar, facing the Pluto Mech.

The Lihuo Mech stood approximately 35 meters tall, its entire body a vibrant orange-red, with flame patterns covering its slender limbs. White, bone-like pauldrons adorned its shoulders, and its forehead bore three sharp points.

Its overall appearance was both demonic and stylish, making it the most eye-catching Divine Mech of this tournament.

"Long Guanshan is not an opponent to be underestimated."

Li Yi, under his full-view sensory vision, carefully examined the Lihuo Mech.

For this match, he planned to fight to improve, practicing a few more techniques.

He intended to try out the mech skills he had acquired from memory fragments.

By practicing, he aimed to digest these memory fragments and thereby extend the overall operational duration of his mech.

At this point, the Evergreen Fairy AI's voice continued to sound:

"...Regarding this Lihuo Mech, I'm sure the audience is not unfamiliar with it. Five years ago, the Rookie King Zhang Xiuyi piloted the Lihuo Mech."

"Now, five years later, Zhang Xiuyi has been active on the alien battlefield, earning the title of Battlefield Blast King."

"So now, let us eagerly await and see 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 moved with extreme speed, taking a few steps to reach within twenty meters of the Lihuo Mech, almost face-to-face.

Then.

A straight punch!

A straightforward attack.

Boom!!!

An shockwave was released.

The Lihuo Mech successfully blocked by raising its arm, then ducked down and delivered an uppercut towards the Pluto Mech's chin.

The Pluto Mech dodged to the side, followed by a directional elbow strike that hit the Lihuo Mech's shoulder, and then a forward kick sent the Lihuo Mech nearly a hundred meters away.

If this kick had been strong enough, it would have caused the Lihuo Mech to lose its balance and fall.

However, the Lihuo Mech quickly stabilized its footing and rapidly retreated seven or eight steps, widening the distance from the Pluto Mech.

With such rapid offense and defense over five or six exchanges, the audience couldn't help but feel dazzled.

Although viewing giant objects moving from a human perspective wouldn't feel very fast, because the mechs' collisions were in small-scale exchanges with large movements, they were considerably faster than head-on collisions.

Following this, the two mechs exchanged over a dozen more small collisions in a similar fashion.

Sparks flew, and impacts echoed with booming sounds, shockwaves following one after another.

The audience found it incredibly exciting.

However, many spectators were also puzzled:

"Is this the combat skill of the newcomer king with the highest historical points? Why does it look so ordinary, with no particularly impressive aspects?"

"Was that overwhelming blow in the first match simply because the opponent was too weak?"

"Long Guanshan's performance in the qualifying rounds was only average. How can he now fight back and forth with Li Yi, who is piloting a D-class mech, using only an E-class mech?"

"You're being silly. Didn't you forget that Li Yi has to keep his mech in an active state constantly? Others rest sufficiently before choosing when to activate, but Li Yi has been keeping his mech active for over half an hour."

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

"Sigh, is that all? What a shame."

"I thought Li Yi could at least last until the next round."

"Heh heh, luckily I bet on Liang Shaocong beforehand. Guaranteed win."

On the other side, the Evergreen Fairy AI was also commentating with exaggerated enthusiasm:

"Oh my, it seems Li Yi's attack power is getting weaker and weaker. What's going on?"

"On the contrary, Long Guanshan is getting stronger as the fight goes on. Is our favorite to win going to be defeated here?"

"Oh, that dodge was beautiful!"

"I didn't expect the Pluto Mech's dodging skills to become more and more proficient after the Lihuo Mech started its main assault."

"It looks like this battle is still undecided!"

The audience noticed that although the Pluto Mech's senses were weaker, its dodging was indeed more impressive.

Or rather, while it wasn't using high speed to dodge.

The angles, positions, and distances it judged were becoming increasingly precise.

Each time, it managed to make the Lihuo Mech's fierce attacks fizzle out at the last moment, completely losing track of the opponent and forcing it to regroup.

"I get it. Li Yi is planning to defeat his opponent using a low-power, low-sensory-load mode. This way, he can save more energy for the finals."

"Interesting. This playstyle really tests micro-control."

"Long Guanshan is no pushover. His combat skills are top-tier. Li Yi playing like this, while bold and skillful, also increases the chance of failure."

"Not to mention, the Pluto Mech's footwork has become increasingly agile."

"Damn, that was nerve-wracking. I almost thought Li Yi was finished with that last attack."

And so, the balance continued until the final round, with 10 seconds left on the clock.

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

He was drenched in sweat, his Blood Essence surging.

He knew that without this semi-overdrawn state, he wouldn't have been able to contend with Li Yi for so long.

Initially, he just wanted to stall for time.

But as the fight wore on, the battle rhythm had been completely taken over by Li Yi.

"Heh 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, materialized out of thin air and shot towards the Pluto Mech like artillery.

BOOM!!!

A violent explosion!

Flames flashed brightly!

A huge shockwave swept towards the stands like a tsunami.

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

Those who were lighter even flew backward seven or eight meters before crashing into higher seats and stopping.

"To think it's such a terrifying Inherited Skill. For a non-evolved individual to unleash such an attack is truly remarkable."

The Evergreen Fairy AI, unaffected, continued its broadcast:

"However, it's clear that although the Lihuo Mech still has countless energy reserves it can draw upon, the pilot has now been pushed to their absolute limit. If the Pluto Mech cannot recover from this attack, the Lihuo Mech wins."

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

At this moment, the smoke and dust slowly cleared, revealing the Pluto Mech with its arms crossed, shielding its head.

So, could it move?

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

On the Lihuo Mech's side, with a bang, its Insertion Pod ejected.

The entire venue fell silent for a second.

"This match, the Pluto Mech wins! Congratulations to Li Yi for securing his ticket to the finals!"

Applause erupted enthusiastically.

The Pluto Mech retreated from the arena.

As he entered the western hangar, Li Yi finally let out a sigh of relief, only to find an unfamiliar communication request coming in.