Yun Xingze had originally planned to return to prepare for his next match, but recalling the nearly straight-line route Luo Wenchuan had taken on the map during the qualifiers, along with his terrifying match results, he suddenly grew intensely curious about Luo Wenchuan’s actual combat performance.
So, Yun Xingze pocketed his Rubik’s Cube and headed to the spectator stands, squeezing into the crowd as he waited for the match to begin.
Luo Wenchuan and his opponent went backstage to prepare, and the surrounding chatter caught Yun Xingze’s attention.
“I heard Luo Wenchuan’s opponent today is piloting an A-rank Comet mech.”
“Wow, really? I remember last year’s national championship the only match where Luo Wenchuan was at a disadvantage was against a Comet mech.”
“That was the final match of the nationals, right? Luo Wenchuan went up against an S-rank Comet mech and suddenly spaced out mid-battle for some reason, leaving a scratch on his mech’s left arm.”
“Exactly. Even though he won that match, that opponent was the only one who ever managed to damage Luo Wenchuan’s mech.”
“I heard the pilot was an Omega. Could that be why?”
“I’m not sure, but I think that match might have left some psychological scars on him.”
Listening to these discussions, Yun Xingze frowned slightly was Luo Wenchuan’s fear of Omegas so severe that he’d lose focus just because his opponent was one? That couldn’t be possible, right?
Just as the crowd buzzed with speculation, Luo Wenchuan appeared on the battlefield, dressed in a sleek yet loose black training uniform.
His opponent was a third-year Alpha male, visibly nervous. After all, standing across from him was a prodigy-level powerhouse who hadn’t lost a single match since enrollment.
Comet mechs typically held the advantage against beam saber mechs but not when facing Luo Wenchuan.
Outside the arena, the third-year students collectively cheered for the Alpha.
“Don’t be scared, Ike! Luo Wenchuan can’t beat you!”
“How can a beam saber mech possibly win against a Comet mech? Go dismantle him!”
“Dismantle him! Dismantle him! Dismantle him!”
Half of these students were here for the spectacle, while the other half simply resented this underclassman for stealing their spotlight.
The Comet mech was notorious as the battlefield’s ultimate troublemaker. Its defining feature was being loaded with weapons designed to dismantle other mechs—fast, aggressive, and packing explosive firepower.
At the same time, the Comet mech resembled a scaled-down beam saber mech in appearance, with performance metrics closely matching human physiology. This was all to facilitate the flexible dismantling of an opponent’s components even repurposing them for its own use earning it the nickname “Little Beam Saber.”
When Yun Xingze first heard about this type of mech, he was stunned. Dismantling was one thing, but doing so while attaching the parts to itself? He’d never seen a mech so shameless.
He loved it.
Now, he was also deeply intrigued by the battle between Luo Wenchuan and Ike.
Luo Wenchuan shook hands with Ike, the gesture lasting less than a second before he withdrew his hand and said indifferently, “Looking forward to the match.” Then he turned and walked toward his mech, his tall, aloof figure cutting a striking silhouette.
This seemingly germaphobic move irritated his opponent, stoking his fighting spirit. Gritting his teeth, Ike muttered, “What’s with the attitude? Didn’t you almost lose to a Comet mech last year?”
Luo Wenchuan ignored him.
Students who favored Comet mechs were usually highly competitive. They reveled in watching their opponents panic after having their arms or weapons dismantled.
At this moment, the Alpha male named Ike was already scheming about how to dismantle Luo Wenchuan’s lightsaber and then use it to defeat him.
As both sides prepared, the atmosphere quickly grew tense with the sound of the starting signal.
Ike’s Comet Mech drew a long chainsword and a massive photon blade from its back. Both weapons designed to dismantle enemy mechs, radiating an aura of lethal intent the moment they were unsheathed.
The Comet Mech itself was relatively small in size, standing before the tall and slender lightsaber mech with the desperate, chilling resolve of a last stand.
In the next instant, the Comet Mech activated its powerful thrusters and shot forward like a projectile.
Due to its lighter mass, it had minimal inertia upon acceleration, allowing terrifying speed so fast that the photon blade and chainsword became nothing but blurred afterimages.
When the Comet Mech closed in on the lightsaber mech, it hurled its chainsword forward.
In its retracted state, the chainsword resembled segmented serrated teeth, functioning as a low-tier lightsaber. But when flung outward, the segments rapidly extended into a multi-jointed whip resembling metallic vertebrae, capable of swiftly ensnaring an opponent’s mech arm.
The crowd collectively widened their eyes.
“Holy shit, starting off this intense?!”
“Wait, is he aiming for Luo Wenchuan’s left arm?!”
“That scratch on Luo Wenchuan’s mech arm last year was left the same way. Is Ike trying to humiliate him?”
“Could he actually pull this off?!”
If Ike managed to damage Luo Wenchuan’s mech, he’d become a legend even in defeat.
The black lightsaber mech remained motionless, standing in place as if frozen.
The audience held their breaths, thinking in unison. Had Luo Wenchuan spaced out again?
Yun Xingze slowly widened his eyes.
Then—
Luo Wenchuan’s mech moved.
Its right hand shot out with precision, seizing the chainsword mid-air!
Before anyone could process what was happening, the Comet Mech’s chainsword was already firmly gripped by the lightsaber mech.
In the next moment, the lightsaber mech sidestepped sharply to its right, then lunged in the opposite direction of the Comet Mech.
Ike’s eyes bulged in shock.
Before he could react, the lightsaber mech flashed past him, still clutching the chainsword. The immense opposing force nearly tearing the weapon apart!
“CRACK—!”
Under the crowd’s stunned gazes, the lightsaber mech wielded the Comet Mech’s chainsword like a toy, effortlessly slamming its opponent into the ground.
This throw was far more brutal than Yun Xingze’s earlier suplex. The chainsword was ripped apart, and the Comet Mech’s palm sparked and smoked from the violent friction.
Ike was dazed by the impact, his mind blank for a second.
But he knew Luo Wenchuan had gone easy on him.
If this continued, he’d be beaten to scrap.
The referee had barely started the countdown when Ike activated his mech’s speaker system, weakly surrendering from his prone position.
After a brief pause, the spectators erupted.
“That’s it?!”
“My god, Luo Wenchuan didn’t even draw his lightsaber…”
“Holy! He just barehandedly KO’d the trickiest Comet Mech in under ten seconds!”
“That was brutal; any harder and that mech would’ve shattered.”
Yun Xingze stared blankly at the victorious mech.
He wasn’t surprised by Luo Wenchuan’s strength, but rather shocked by his fighting style. Not a single wasted movement, and the moment he made a decision, he left no chance for his opponent to turn the tables.
Technically formidable, ruthlessly decisive.
