Chapter 1029: A Battle of Skills
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After thinking about it carefully, Tang Wulin had started perfecting the designs for his mecha. Ling Wuyue had helped him a lot in this aspect.
As the Ace Mecha Master, Ling Wuyue’s status in the army was even higher than Jiang Wuyue’s.
Today, he and Ling Wuyue would be taking part in the knockout rounds. According to the rules, the contestants from the same branch in the competition would not face each other during the knockout rounds.
Flexing his mecha and brandishing his spear, Tang Wulin looked at his opponent.
Out of sheer coincidence, his number when he was fighting in the soul master battles was thirty-three. In the mecha battles, his number was sixty-six. That was easy to remember.
His opponent was also operating a melee mecha, but oddly, it did not have an offensive weapon. Instead, it held a shield, one that appeared very thick and heavy.
It was not a rare sight for a melee mecha user to wield a shield. However, in such cases, they were in charge of frontline defense in team battles.
However, this was a competition. Would he not be at a disadvantage using a shield as a weapon during a competitive match? This meant that his opponent had given up on most of his offensive abilities. However, Tang Wulin did not underestimate his opponent just because he was using a shield. Given that he was able to enter the final rounds, this opponent was definitely not an ordinary match. If he insisted on using a shield, that meant that this opponent was very confident in his shield’s powers.
Ling Wuyue had taught Tang Wulin before this that there was no need to fear an opponent who wields ordinary weapons in a fight between mechas. However, when his opponent used weapons that were out of the norm, he would best be more careful. There were also more variables if his opponent was using a melee mecha.
That was why when Tang Wulin saw that his opponent was using a shield, he did not let his guard down but became more cautious. He was still unable to fully control his own body, but he had gained a better command of his mecha. After all, all he needed to do was infuse it with soul power and control its movements with his hands.
“The match starts now!”
With the announcement of the electronic voice, Tang Wulin’s first knockout round in the mecha battle finals had officially begun.
His opponent charged toward him without hesitation. He held the shield in his hands and did not raise it in front of himself in defense. His shield hung heavily at his side as he dashed for Tang Wulin in great strides. His steps were firm, but no other changes were detectable.
Tang Wulin moved as well. His mecha could only unleash its strength when in motion. He guided his mecha so that it moved quickly as it charged toward his opponent.
The two contestants closed in on each other.
Just when there was only the final fifty meters between them, his opponent, Mecha Number 161, made the first move.
He swung his right hand and threw the round shield. The shield spun quickly and flew straight toward Tang Wulin head-on. The shield was graceful and wild at the same time. To be able to make the shield spin at such high speed without veering off course clearly needed a great deal of skill. As expected, this shield was not merely used for defense!
Tang Wulin assumed that this person’s style of combat would be similar to Ling Wuyue’s.
He was no longer the mecha master who only knew how to charge at his enemies directly. The spear in his hands sprung up quickly with its tip pointing skyward. It thrust at the very center of the shield’s underside with utmost precision.
Ling Wuyue had told him that the core of all spinning weapons lied in the center of the rotation. If he could break that point, his opponent’s energy would be disrupted, and they would lose control of their weapon.
Tang Wulin’s spiritual powers had improved substantially as well. He was much better at aiming and timing his strikes naturally.
The spear’s tip collided with the round shield, shaking it slightly. After striking the spear’s tip, it floated upward as if skipping over water and flew above the head of Tang Wulin’s mecha. At that point, the two opponents were facing each other at close range.
His opponent no longer had any weapon in his hands, having already flung his shield away. With his spear pointing upward, Tang Wulin’s stabbed directly at his opponent’s chest. In this instant, his spear’s powers increased tremendously. It tore at the air and let out a deafening screech. With Tang Wulin’s charging momentum, the Spear’s Consciousness was naturally formed and filled the air with a horrifying aura.
His opponent suddenly stopped in his tracks. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and tilted his upper body slightly to the side. Having no weapons, he slapped the side of the spear’s tip with one hand and reached for the pole of the spear with the other, while his mecha evaded the blow.
With that maneuver, Tang Wulin’s spirits suddenly came to life. Behind him!
‘Great skills!’
He had immediately understood his opponent’s technique in that instant. His opponent had intended to grab onto the spear with his bare hands and the shield that had shot past his head was flying back at him like a boomerang aimed at his back.
If his weapon was grabbed onto and his back was open for an attack, he could either bear the brunt of the attack or give up on his weapon to dodge it.
Regardless of the countermeasures he chose, his opponent would immediately gain the upper hand.
However, Tang Wulin would never give his opponent such an opportunity.
After learning his opponent’s strategy, he reacted swiftly, pulling his spear back at lightning speed. The overwhelming aura vanished instantly, but the Spear’s Consciousness still lingered in the air like the shadow of a spear.
The spear’s pole retracted. Without even looking back, it struck the shield behind him with a loud clang. Tang Wulin’s mecha rode on the momentum from the shield’s impact while he activated his mecha’s thrusters. His speed increased explosively, and he crashed into his opponent’s mecha’s chest.
His opponent’s hands went through the spear’s shadow in midair. He grabbed nothing.
“Boom!”
The sound of them colliding was like an explosion. Both mechas reeled backward before separating.
Another shield appeared in Number 161’s hands. It was also a round shield, but this shield was dark gold. There were faint patterns that resembled a turtle’s shell on it. The powerful recoil made Tang Wulin retreat at a longer distance clearly greater than his opponents.
As expected, his martial soul was also a shield.
When he saw that there was no way to evade the tackle, Number 161 was forced to unleash his own martial soul.
The dark gold shield in Number 161’s hands shone, and the round shield which was batted away by the spear flew back into his hand. His mecha was now armed with two shields.
Finals were finals!
The two opponents had only taken a few breaths from the beginning of the match, and already they were battling it out with brains and brawn. They had collided in a series of ingenious clashes. Tang Wulin had a slight advantage, but he was unable to suppress his opponent.
Number 161’s aura was noticeably more collected now. Clearly, he had begun to take this opponent before him more seriously. Though Tang Wulin felt a chill in his heart, he was also filled with excitement. This was exactly the kind of opponent he needed to further improve his combat skills.
In solo matches, he was known for his savagery as he always fought by unleashing his strength to his heart’s content. However, this did not mean that he did not respect a user’s skills. He needed an opponent like this, as extreme strength could only unleash its full potential when out against masterful skills. He was about to display his skills with his mecha. The stronger his opponent was, the more his battle spirits rose. This opponent before him was great. He could feel that at most, his opponent might only be slightly inferior to Ling Wuyue in skill, but his cultivation base was definitely no lower than Ling Wuyue’s.
He raised his spear and switched to wielding it with both hands. Tang Wulin mecha charged at his opponent with large strides again. The tip of his spear pulsed with light streams of numerous lengths. It flickered wildly, making it difficult for his opponent to predict its movements.
The pair of shields on his opponent’s hands also pulsed with a faint, dark golden light. This time, his opponent did not move. He defended his body with the standard mecha shield while he raised his martial soul shield horizontally. He clearly meant to use it offensively.
Tang Wulin thrust with his spear. The Spear’s Consciousness and spear’s light merged instantly. For a moment, Tang Wulin’s mecha appeared to have completely merged with the spear. It turned into a great spear and instantly closing the distance as it shot straight toward his opponent’s chest. His spear’s light flickered with an intense incandescent white. The bold and indomitable aura moved the spectators’ hearts.
Was he betting everything on this single attack?