Chapter 14: Victory
K’s mech was exceptionally well-balanced, combining the agility of a speed-type with the power of an assault-type, and boasting formidable defense.
Before Lian Fei could catch her breath, K flashed right in front of her in the blink of an eye.
The dark red mech spun lightly, its blade slicing toward Lian Fei.
She immediately switched her dual pistols to dual swords.
With a sharp clang, blades met and sparks flew.
K activated his thrusters during the strike, amplifying the force. As Lian Fei caught the blow, it felt as if a weight of thousands of tons pressed down on her.
Caught off guard, she staggered, nearly falling.
Seizing the moment, K launched a flying kick, sending Lian Fei soaring into the air. His arsenal then deployed dozens of flying thunder missiles targeting her midair.
Brilliant explosions bloomed in the sky.
“Excellent!”
“Just like that!”
“Finish her! Kill her! Kill her!”
Supporters of K cheered enthusiastically.
K retracted the flying thunder weapons and switched to a laser rifle.
The dark muzzle aimed at the smoky black mass in the air, and as he pulled the trigger, a dazzling beam of laser shot out instantly.
The searing laser seemed to pierce through the airborne mech, releasing a strong burnt odor.
It was over.
“Sigh, I told you, K is K—the best is the best. No random nobody can beat him.”
“Exactly, think beating an A-rank mech is impressive? Everyone knows that Anthony is a weakling.”
“Right, Anthony’s been losing since he stepped into the black market. Winning against such a weakling isn’t anything special.”
“Silly me, seeing that someone won with black market junk, I got carried away thinking they were actually skilled.”
“What’s the big deal? Face a real expert and their true colors show.”
“Refund! Damn it! Give me my money back!”
“I even bet on her! Refund!!!”
...
It seemed the outcome was decided—K had once again triumphed with overwhelming strength.
He retracted the laser rifle.
He sighed; it was nothing special.
The second-ranked was better—at least he could exchange a dozen moves with him.
So boring.
Was he truly unbeatable?
Just as K prepared for the referee to announce the result, a chill ran down his spine.
His sixth sense, honed from years of combat training, blared like an alarm.
He spun around swiftly, blocking with his blade.
Yet he was still a moment too slow.
Twin swords came crashing down straight onto his arms.
[Warning: Mech arms under attack.]
[Shield durability: 0%]
[Damage level: 60%]
The alarm blared alarmingly. K was stunned for a second.
That single second was all the silver-white mech needed to seize the opportunity.
Lian Fei twisted the handles of her twin swords—the resilient blades snapped into segments.
They transformed into whips!
She flicked the handles forcefully, wrapping the whip around K’s arm, then yanked it taut.
With the crackling sound of breaking metal and flying sparks, K’s mech arms were torn off.
The crowd erupted in shock.
---
“Wait, did anyone see how she appeared?”
“Wasn’t she shattered by K?”
“Heaven! A divine descent!”
“Kill him! Kill K!”
...
Supporters of Lian Fei reignited their passion upon seeing her reappear.
Cheers grew louder than before, genuinely eager to see K fall from his pedestal.
Seeing K’s mech arms so easily severed left her slightly surprised too.
The next moment, K’s turret rose, so she swiftly dodged away.
As she landed, K’s barrage was unleashed.
But Lian Fei’s speed was incredible, weaving left and right, remaining unscathed amid the hail of bullets.
Seeing his attack futile, K retracted the turret and sprinted toward Lian Fei.
As he charged, the severed arms that Lian Fei had flung aside suddenly flew back to him.
Lian Fei’s eyes widened in disbelief.
What? They could do that?
K noticed her hesitation and smiled smugly.
Having conquered all rivals, he had since focused on PVE battles.
He found his mech parts were easily torn off by the insectoid enemies.
So he spent a fortune commissioning a unique mech design where detached parts could fly back and reattach.
As long as the parts weren’t too badly shattered, they could be reassembled.
Though after reattachment, the attack and defense capability of that part dropped by 50%.
K split his blade into two and dual-wielded, lunging at Lian Fei.
She parried with her twin swords.
They chased and clashed fiercely, neither yielding.
Their speed was so incredible it generated sonic booms.
Each clash sent energy ripples distorting the space around the arena momentarily.
The audience fell silent, eyes fixed on the two mechs...
Or rather, they could barely see anything!
It was too fast!
Only afterimages remained!
One red, one silver, leaving streaks of light.
“What are they even fighting?”
Someone asked.
It was impossible to make out anything.
Who had the upper hand? Who was falling behind?
To improve the viewing experience, the black market broke precedent and deployed high-speed cameras for the first time.
Yet even with slow-motion footage, only faint silhouettes of the two mechs could be discerned.
K hadn’t fought in the arena for a long time, so when he appeared, many followed the live text broadcast on the star network.
—The black market forbids photos, videos, and audio from leaking, enforced by special devices.
[Everyone! You missed it! It’s incredible! That someone is fighting K neck and neck!]
[K is about to fall from his throne today!]
[Wait, who is this ‘someone’? Which one?]
[You know, that ‘someone’.]
[Who beat K?]
[That ‘someone’.]
---
[I don’t believe K will be defeated! K is the strongest! You haters!]
[Ah, if only I’d gone to the black market today, I’d love to see K’s match!]
[Wonder if they’ll release the footage of today’s arena fight.]
[Surely they will—it’s K’s fall from grace, haha!]
[No way! K will never fall!]
...
Spectators outside saw the two as evenly matched, locked in a fierce battle.
Only Lian Fei and K knew how tough their opponent truly was.
The longer K fought Lian Fei, the more he sensed something special about her.
Lian Fei furrowed her brow deeply.
Just moments ago, the relentless barrage had reduced her mech’s defense by 20%.
Had she not dodged that laser beam at the last moment, she would have been finished.
K was indeed strong—fast and powerful.
More troublesome was his mech’s ability.
No matter how hard Lian Fei tried to sever a part, say by kicking off a leg, it would quickly reattach.
Lian Fei planned to repeat her tactic of destroying the energy core to cause K’s failure.
But K anticipated this and instead of merely defending, he counterattacked Lian Fei’s energy core.
Lian Fei felt overwhelmed.
No, she had to stay calm.
Even the strongest have weaknesses.
She took a deep breath.
Good. Just like before—calm.
Focused.
“Even machines have flaws.”
A voice from long ago echoed in her mind.
She hadn’t never faced much stronger opponents before and had won.
This time, she would win as well!
Unlike Lian Fei’s calmness, K grew restless.
He hadn’t encountered a worthy opponent in a long time. At first, he was excited.
But as Lian Fei’s flawless defense and relentless offense continued, he grew frustrated that he hadn’t defeated her yet.
“You’re really annoying!”
K controlled the mech manually, his fingers moving so fast they left afterimages on the controls.
In his impatience, his finger twitched.
That twitch created a brief vulnerability in his mech.
Lian Fei, fully concentrated, quickly seized the opening.
In an instant, offense and defense shifted decisively.
K lost all opportunity to attack, forced into a defensive stance.
Lian Fei’s twin blades wove a stream of white energy. After a feint that drew all of K’s defenses elsewhere, the energy blast shot straight for K’s mech’s energy core.
The dust settled.
The dark red mech’s energy core was struck by a massive energy impact, causing a short circuit.
The entire mech lost power, knelt, and finally collapsed.
The once invincible giant toppled with a thunderous crash.