Chapter 92: Bumpkin Battle Turtle
Viewers from Earth hated this type of situation. Behind closed doors, they dominated the different scenes, yet they were treated no different from dogs.
"We shall see!"
Bubbly Foam was unable to comment further. Based on technical aspects and data analysis, there was no way this match could be won.
The different comments all led up to one determining factor: the physical condition of Lady Stormsword.
If she was in her peak physical condition, impossible.
But what condition?
Masasi and Atos looked at each other and laughed. The eight of them were crowned as the strongest batch on the Moon in the last 20 years!
Two mecha arrived at the arena. It was a standard, square venue used by ancient swordsmen in their duels. In order to achieve ultimate speed and accuracy in their ambush, swordsmen used assassinating swords. The Brightmoon 8.0 was precisely this accurate. It was not made for face-on battles, it made use of its speed to launch attacks. The Brightmoon 8.0 was equipped with the newest high frequency assassination sword. Its material was unknown, but it was a product of the Moon's latest technology. Its toughness and flexibility were beyond imagination. In a high speed attack, it could put up with force a thousand times greater than itself and would not break.
It's most fatal attack was the invisible kill.
Even though Milo did not compete on CT for a very long time, it did not mean that she did not battle. It was just that a greater proportion of them were real life battles. Returning to CT, where the battle was less of a burden, would ensue in one outcome: over performing.
They could use battle techniques that did not exist in real life.
Mecha these days could sustain unlimited pressure. So long as the pilot was strong enough, the possibilities were endless.
On the other hand, the Wargod No. 1 was akin to a piece of wood. No matter who the opponent was, it remained the same. No vigour, no vehemence, no flexibility.
The audience continued to show great interest. Opposite them was a woman. Even though it was a high-end mech, it was not as if Student Little Skeleton had never defeated high-end mecha. It was no big deal.
"Break the brittle! Ruin the rotten!"
"Break the brittle! Ruin the rotten!"
The Skeleton supporters roared. To them, victory was a fixed outcome. What mattered was the process.
Failure was something they never considered.
Some of the calmer audience members could understand how they felt. To quote Comrade Old Deer, that was self-hypnotising.
Do undefeatable people even exist in this world?
Yes. Only dead people were undefeated.
People were bound to fail; it was just a matter of time. But because he believed in this unchanging rule, he stayed firm in his position. Because he believed he was definitely going to have the last laugh, he pressed on even if the process would destroy him mentally.
The battle began.
Whoosh...
Lady Stormsword whipped out her assassination sword gracefully and waved it in the air. The sword reflected the lights, illuminating the arena. Its rays made an elegant symbol.
This was the assassin paying homage to her opponents.
Nine slashes in a second!
That was both a technique and a starting move.
Amidst the audience, there were some who were prideful and quiet. They were from the Moon. Some used to be huge fans of Lady Stormsword, but Moon people were rational. They seldom obsessed over one person, unless they could do something extra extraordinary.
The sword's rays indicated the present condition of Lady Stormsword. In the past, she could only achieve seven slashes in a second.
The battle was streamed live on the Moon as well, but it was definitely not as well-received compared to how it was on Earth. To the Moon people, torturing Earth people was no different from torturing inanimate vegetables. Those who watched the game only did it to watch Lady Stormsword. This was the battle for Lady Stormsword to get a feel for the game in her return to CT.
The starting move had erased the doubts of those who were worried.
Wang Zheng pulled his knife out and drew an X in the air. It was a defensive move used to protect one against a flurry of attacks. Faced with a mech of such extreme speed, initiating an attack was courting death.
"Yes, Little Skeleton has made his battle cry! The cross was very well drawn. Compared to the Brightmoon 8.0, he is definitely still a bumpkin battle turtle among all these other bumpkin turtles," Old Deer teased.
Bubbly Foam could not help but laugh. Old Deer and Skeleton had gone through many things together. They were close, and people were used to him mocking Skeleton. But Old Deer never failed to come up with something new.
Seeing the look of bewilderment Bubbly Foam had, Old Deer added sincerely, "As much as he is a bumpkin, if Player Skeleton is poor, I can buy him a high-end mech, lest he finds excuses for losing."
Old Deer's speech once again invited attacks from the public. But Comrade Old Deer did not care at all. Their barks were louder than their bites.
Milo looked at her opponent with great interest. She had thought that this strong personality would initiate an attack, but instead he struck a defensive pose. But if she attacked, would he still stand a chance?
The Brightmoon 8.0 started to move. When it moved, everyone understood one thing: sharpening the tools was crucial if anything was to be achieved. This feeling, the lightweightedness of control, yet every pilot knew that the difference in level was stark.
No fancy moves, it was a sudden lunge attack. In the blink of an eye, the mech appeared infront of the Wargod No. 1's face.
Bam!
The alloy knife lashed out defensively, but bam! The Wargod No. 1 Was pushed two steps back.
The arena fell silent. God damn it! Who said the Wargod No. 1 lacked strength?
This was the opponent declaring war. The attack was rather fierce, and the mech's operation was determined by its pilot's abilities.
Wang Zheng perspired. What a fierce attack! The intensity of the attack was largely from its speed; strength was just a small part. When made good use of, speed could also create a huge force. And this opponent standing in front of him was a demure pilot who had superb control.
An image of Zhang Runan flashed in Wang Zheng's mind. Perhaps his opponent was also a super man!
Seeing that the Wargod No. 1 was still in a defensive position, Milo did not care for civility. The Brightmoon 8.0 mech began its warm up attacks, blow after blow. A simple way of attacking, but it was fiercely delivered by the Brightmoon. It was merely delivering stabs using one hand, but it made loud crashing sounds as the blows landed on the mech.
The Wargod No. 1 had no strength to fight back.
"The Brightmoon 8.0 is indeed a lightweight mech, but lightweight mecha are capable of heavy blows too."
"You'll just have to counter the recoil with an energy shield."
"That's right, but not many are capable of doing that."
Masasi and Atos smiled at each other knowingly. "Looks like Milo has made some more improvements in the time we were apart!"
"Of course. She's one of boss' accompanying trainers. It'd be hard not to improve even if she didn't want to."
"I look forward to seeing how this plays out," Atos gleamed, his eyes becoming the shape of a crescent moon.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Brightmoon 8.0 mech was like a shadow, moving agilely across the battlefield, launching strike after strike. Each and every strike was no different from a heavy blow dealt by a larger, heavier mech. The Wargod No. 1 could not catch up at all.
If the Brightmoon 8.0 was a race car, then the Wargod No. 1 was a tow truck with only the strength left to make turns. However, even making turns felt exhausting.
Milo was curious too. Even though the opponent was doing a good job defending, there was nothing else special. She made a dozen attacks for him to familiarize with her pace. Could it be that he hadn't gotten used to it?
Bam!
Faced with another attack by Milo, Wang Zheng hacked his alloy knife straight out. This was a head-on attack.
The Brightmoon 8.0 was pushed back by several meters.
The Wargod No. 1 remained at its position, silently looking at its opponent.
At this point, Milo understood. So the opponent was giving her time to warm up. But as they kept giving way to each other, they eventually clashed by accident.
To think someone who used the Wargod No. 1 had such great inner strength!
Milo was truly intrigued. She was a girl, and female pilots did not usually have to be humble or modest. But since the opponent was so "generous," she was going to see if he could really take it.
Whoosh! WHOOOOSH!
Two swipes of the swords cut through the air. The Brightmoon 8.0 mech leaned in, sword at the ready.
Masasi and Atos looked at each other. They had never seen such a poser, able to keep his cool dealing with a Brightmoon 8.0 mech.
If Milo went wild in her attacks, no one would be able to save him.
BAM!
The Brightmoon 8.0 was engaged with a deafening crash. This was an extreme high speed ambush. Turning into a ray of silver light, the Brightmoon 8.0 made a lunging slash at the Wargod No. 1.
The speed was definitely astounding, but it was different from the one before. The Brightmoon 8.0 did not make a head on attack, it made a beautiful, arched line.
Arched Side Step?
That was everybody's reaction, but evidently, this side step was considered nothing.
This was the capability of a Brightmoon 8.0 mech!
The arches appeared one after another, and in the blink of an eye, there were three consecutive arches. The opponent would never be able to see the signs of a real attack by the Brightmoon 8.
Just as Milo thought she had completely confounded the opponent, she realised that the Wargod No. 1 was still standing in front of her.
After pausing for a short moment, the Brightmoon 8.0 started moving once more. It was not that Milo could not launch an attack, but a battle between masters was all about the true capabilities. She had used a Brightmoon 8.0 against a Wargod No. 1. It would not be acceptable if she could not "shake off" the opponent's stare down.
In another split second, the Brightmoon 8.0 had done another three consecutive Arched Side Steps. The audience was presented with another series of perfectly arched silver lines, forming a blossoming flower.
A couple of Arched Side Steps were enough for one to become famous on Earth, but she did six in no time.
Yet Milo was wrong once more. Her high frequency operations would normally shake her ordinary opponents off, but the Wargod No. 1 was still in front of her. She could almost see the pilot inside smiling to himself.
It was just a feeling she had.
But her feeling was right.
After having made a high level move, the the Brightmoon 8.0 did not attack but instead pulled the distance apart instantly. It was akin to hearing the loud roar of thunder, but only a mere drizzle of rain was seen - just what was going on?
A commotion ensued as the audience members began whispering to one another. A number of players were still stunned by the Brightmoon 8's agility. The speed was unnaturally fast.
Why were they holding back their blows? Were they playing a game of chicken?
The Prince and the King looked at each other, nodding lightly.
Even if they were the ones facing the Brightmoon 8, they could not make any reckless moves. The Wargod No. 1 was poorer in function. It was not easy to keep up and continuously face off against the Brightmoon 8. But nobody would know that if no moves were made - it'd be in big trouble if it attacked. Right now, Skeleton could only play the mind game and provoke the opponent's sense of pride, triggering her to initiate an attack. The only way to win was to figure out the opponent's weakness, no matter how small it was.
The masters present were not disappointed. In reality, every player at this level had an ego. There was no way to make the Wargod No. 1 court its own death knowing the situation was impossible to deal with.
The Wargod No. 1 could remain motionless, but the Brightmoon 8.0 could not. This was a pilot's pride.
Milo could not be bothered by this problem. It was just that she knew, from the previous round, that the opponent was not easy to fool. Since that was the case, she had to do the real thing.
The Brightmoon 8.0 struck her pose, ready to attack. It was Milo's habit, or even the habit which many of the Moon's players had. They saw an exceptional importance in the starting stance. Only that could express their unique style and pride.
Of course, a stance like that made it easier to unleash their powers too.
The Brightmoon 8.0 dashed right out, employing successive Arched Side Steps. But this was different from the last time. The Brightmoon 8.0 attacked, swords slashing.
Bam! Bam bam bam bam ....