The team battles required an enormous arena, the combined racing tracks at both ends stretched ten kilometers, and the central PK zone was also massive. As such, it was built in the suburbs, some distance away from the main stadium.
That said, the team battles could be viewed on the 360-degree virtual screens in the main stadium, allowing the audience to watch all the matches without leaving.
The NCLM matches typically alternated between individual and team battles. A win in the individual matches earned 1 point, while a team victory was worth 2 points. After all five matches concluded, the side with the higher score would win.
There was also a rule that, regardless of the situation, all five matches had to be completed because the NCLM represented the will and honor of military cadets.
Sixteen military academies competed over four days, with Gikot and Xinghai Military Academy scheduled for the first match on the first morning.
Naturally, the audience was thrilled for the opening match. As soon as the competitors entered the arena, they were met with enthusiastic cheers and shouts.
However, most of the fans were supporters of Gikot Military Academy, paying little attention to the declining Xinghai Military Academy.
After both teams completed registration, the staff led the members of the first team battle to the racing tracks.
At the same time, the first individual match was about to begin.
The first individual competitor was usually the vanguard of the team not necessarily the strongest, but someone capable of holding their own without being the ace.
Xinghai Military Academy sent out Aixili, an S-rank Shadow Mech pilot, while their opponent fielded Zhao Mo, an S-rank Comet Mech pilot, a male Alpha.
Today, Aixili had tied her golden hair into a sleek ponytail.
Zhao Mo, arrogant by nature, taunted her before the match: “Still fussing over your hair? Well, I guess it makes sense. You’ll be looking pretty disheveled after I beat you.”
The Gikot Military Academy members couldn’t help but laugh.
“Oh, really?” Aixili casually flicked her ponytail, her golden hair swaying elegantly in the air.
A moment later, she curled her lips into a dazzling smile. “I actually envy people like you; you look the same whether you get beaten up or not.”
The Gikot students immediately fell silent.
The hostility between the two teams was even more intense than when they had first met the day before.
The audience, of course, grew even more excited at the sight.
“Xinghai’s people are actually provoking Gikot? How bold of them!”
“They’ll be flattened soon enough, hahaha.”
“Fight! Start fighting already!”
A small number of spectators cheered for Xinghai Military Academy. Mostly students from the academy who had traveled from the Imperial Star to watch the match.
[First round of the group stage, Xinghai Military Academy vs. Gikot First Military Academy. First individual match begins in three minutes!] The mechanical male voice announcing the match was colder than the one used in the campus mech tournament, instantly heightening the tension among Xinghai’s team.
This was their first match and it seemed to foreshadow their fate in the battles to come.
Soon, the match began.
Aixili activated her Shadow Mech and swiftly entered stealth mode, her small mech vanishing from the arena.
While Zhao Mo’s Comet Mech observed the airflow patterns and sought opportunities, it occasionally lashed out with energy whips to test the surroundings.
At that moment, Aixili’s Shadow Mech appeared behind him, delivering a powerful flying kick to the back of his head.
Zhao Mo dodged quickly but still took the hit, grimacing in pain.
He immediately seized the chance to counterattack, swiftly charging at Aixili with his energy blade and nearly slicing her mech’s right arm.
Their duel quickly escalated to white-hot intensity.
The Comet Mech was lightning-fast, but the Shadow Mech refused to be outdone. When both mechs went all out, the entire arena erupted with continuous gasps of astonishment.
There were even moments when Yun Xingze couldn’t help but hold his breath in tension.
By the thirteenth minute, Aixili had littered the entire battlefield with countless small mines and electromagnetic interference fields, creating an inescapable net.
Ultimately, while Zhao Mo was busy dodging, Aixili grabbed his head in a chokehold and swept his legs out from under him.
The small mines detonated one after another on Zhao Mo’s mech’s back. Though not fatal, the damage was excruciating, making him scream and convulse uncontrollably.
In the end, Aixili secured victory in the first round.
“Truly worthy of being called ‘Sharp Sister’,” Orion patted his chest, still shaken. “Her mine-scattering combat style is seriously sharp.”
Aixili looked down at her defeated opponent, curling her lips in a mocking smile. “You might not be much in terms of skill, but the way you writhed and screamed on those mines was absolutely beautiful.”
With that, she walked off amidst Zhao Mo’s resentful glare and the audience’s cheers and applause.
“First match goes to Starsea Military Academy, earning 1 point!”
The judges announced Starsea’s victory, and the score on the virtual screen changed to 1-0.
The faces of the Gikot Military Academy students instantly darkened.
They hadn’t expected this underestimated weak school to win so decisively in the very first round?!
Richard smiled approvingly. “Aixili’s skills have improved tremendously over the years. She might seem arrogant on the surface, but her mentality is rock-solid, an underrated S-class contestant.”
Aixili returned to the waiting area to her teammates’ enthusiastic welcome.
Clutching her chest dramatically, she exclaimed, “That was terrifying! I almost had my arm ripped off! Look at me, my hands are shaking, my hair’s a mess!”
Everyone: “…”
This woman perfectly embodied the phrase “appearing calm as a cucumber while panicking internally.”
After the first individual match came the first team battle.
The virtual screen above the arena expanded further, broadcasting the team competition in real-time.
Perhaps having heard about their earlier victory, Ke Lei and the others couldn’t hide their pleased expressions, growing even more confident about this match.
[…First round of team competition begins in five minutes!]
Hebrew asked Cheng Jun worriedly, “Captain, we’re not going to lose the team match too, are we?”
“Of course not,” Cheng Jun replied with a confident smile. “Our scoring opportunities lie in these two team matches. Starsea is still basking in their individual match victory. Just wait and see.”
Hearing their captain’s assurance, the team visibly relaxed.
The team competition began.
The strengths of Ke Lei, Sato En, and Ou Rui were rated S, A+, and A+ respectively, while the three opponents they faced were rated S, S, and A+. On paper, there wasn’t much difference in their capabilities.
In terms of teamwork, although Gikot had fielded a veteran trio, Ke Lei and his teammates also demonstrated remarkable synergy.
Shortly after the match began, both teams maintained nearly identical speeds as they advanced through the racing circuit.
The audience watched the live broadcast screen intently, speculating which side would reach the convergence zone first.
Fifteen minutes later, both teams had navigated the five-kilometer obstacle-filled track and arrived at the convergence arena almost simultaneously.
The emblem of Starsea Military Academy was deep blue, while Gikot’s was pale yellow.
Around the circular convergence arena stood six massive silver lamp posts. As the competitors entered, the posts sequentially projected powerful beams of light upward.
Amidst the deep blue and pale-yellow beams, the insignias of both academies were clearly displayed.
When the beams shot into the sky, the deep blue and pale-yellow lights stood in equal brilliance, igniting cheers across the venue. The loudest roars came from students of Starsea and Gikot First Military Academy.
“Go Starsea Military Academy!”
“Come on! May the blue light never fade!”
“The yellow light is superior—Gikot, crush them!”
“The blue light will shine till the end!”
“Gikot must win!”
Yun Xingze was momentarily stunned as he glanced at the stands. Even though everyone was watching the broadcast, their enthusiasm was no less intense than if they were witnessing it live.
The towering battle beams symbolized glory and represented the military academies’ strength. Holding his breath, Yun Xingze focused intently on the team match.
As the strongest fighter in his team, Ke Lei was naturally both the protected core and the primary target of enemy fire.
Initially, Gikot gained the upper hand by exploiting a flaw in Ou Rui’s lightsword mech, attempting to eliminate her. However, Sato En’s shadow mech swiftly intercepted the attack.
Seizing the opportunity, Ke Lei activated the artillery ports of his meteor mech, relentlessly assaulting the opponents. Soon, the tide of battle turned, and Starsea took control of the tempo.
Just as Yun Xingze and the others began to relax, Gikot’s trio suddenly regrouped and launched a desperate all-out attack on Ke Lei.
Ou Rui tried to shield Ke Lei but was struck down in the process, losing her combat capability. According to team match rules, any mech that fell would be immediately removed from the arena.
Mechanical vines emerged from the convergence arena’s floor, entangling Ou Rui’s mech and swiftly dragging her out of the battlefield. One of Starsea’ blue beams extinguished as she exited.
Gikot’s students erupted in deafening cheers.
“Total wipeout! Total wipeout! Blue lights out!”
Gradually, this chant became Gikot’s unified battle cry.
After Ou Rui’s elimination, despite Ke Lei and Sato En’s seamless coordination, they struggled to turn the tide. Eventually, after Ke Lei took down one of the opposing twin-star mechs, both he and Sato En were successively defeated.
Gikot’s trio’s total beam duration overwhelmingly surpassed Starsea’, as an earlier match conclusion meant a more lopsided difference in illumination time.
Now, the Gikot team members, previously disheartened by Zhao Mo’s loss, broke into smiles.
“That’s more like it. We were always meant to dominate Starsea.”
“They haven’t qualified for so long. We won’t just beat them, we’ll humiliate them in their faces.”
“Yeah! Nothing beats watching them get crushed by our Gikot team!”
The Gikot team’s morale was soaring. Though the atmosphere was tense on the Stellar Naval Academy side, everyone remained composed.
Richard looked at He Haoming, who was about to enter the arena, and said slowly, “Don’t be nervous. Focus on the match.” His words carried immense expectations for him.
He Haoming’s combat rating was S+, but Yun Xingze didn’t know whether he had modified his mech’s shield after their last conversation about its flaws.
As He Haoming left the waiting area, the referee team instructed Yun Xingze, Chi Yu, and Caleb to prepare for the team competition.
“Before you go, I need to warn you,” Richard stood up, frowning at the trio. “Gikot prefers ganging up on a single team member. If you lose your rhythm because of this, you’ll fall into their trap just like what happened to Ou Rui earlier. If she hadn’t panicked trying to save Ke Lei, she could’ve dodged that hit.”
Yun Xingze and Caleb nodded in understanding, while Chi Yu beside them seemed lost in thought.
As Yun Xingze stood up, Luo Wenchuan rose as well.
Looking at Yun Xingze, he said softly yet firmly:
“You’ll win this.”
Yun Xingze nodded, the corners of his lips curving upward:
“Yeah, you too.”
Chi Yu watched from the side, his fingers involuntarily clenching.
Resentment burned in his chest no matter what, he would protect Yun Xingze in today’s match. He’d make sure Yun Xingze knew he was the Alpha who truly cared about him.
At this moment, Chi Yu had completely forgotten every word of Richard’s warning.
