Tempest of the Stellar War
chapter-36

Every spectator was shocked! In the Big Dipper Wilderness Map, having a mere alloy blade knife was considered suicide! With Skeleton's gun skills, Wild King was as good as defeated!

The two mecha entered the north-western part of the wilderness. When looking out over the endless plains, one could feel an electricity in the air. The atmosphere was tense.

Wild King spun the alloy blade knife in the palm of his hand, and he smiled to himself. His luck wasn't bad! He got to challenge a laser rifle user with a simple alloy blade knife! He was truly at a disadvantage…and he loved the thrill of it.

Meanwhile, the chatbox was filled with excited viewers spamming their support for Skeleton. Skeleton was the representative of the beginner arena. Furthermore, most of the spectators regarded Wild King as being too arrogant. Picking a random weapon and acting so pretentiously; Skeleton would knock him down a peg or two and teach him to not look down on other players!

However, Skeleton made a move which caused the entire chatbox to fall silent.

The Wargod No. 1 unequipped his laser rifle. F*ck, what kind of battle was this?

For Wild King, this action surprised him too. He was the most popular and skilled scout in the American Region! This action…was too much.

Wild King grew even more ecstatic. Opting for a full-on brawl and abandoning his ranged advantage? It was the first time he had met such an interesting individual! Wild King's Wargod No. 1 also unequipped his alloy blade knife.

The wind howled around the two mecha. In the blink of an eye, the two Wargod No. 1s charged at each other.

"Good morning, everyone. Most people should be quite up to date with the circumstances behind this battle. I am Young Deer, THE Young Deer who likes to drink milk. I am here to shed some light on the backgrounds of these two high-profile players! Wild King's true identity is Apollo College's Mecha Department's first year student. It is important to note that he was specially enrolled into Apollo College. He is a genius who has the potential to become a general!"

It was clear that 'milk carton-eating' Young Deer was clearly biased against Skeleton.

"Contestant Skeleton has decided to give up his advantage! But can he survive Wild King's onslaught?"

Bang…

Just before the two mecha clashed, Wild King's Wargod No. 1 jumped into the air, and as he fell, he viciously assaulted his opponent with a flurry of blows. It was a ferocious method that threw caution to the wind!

However, he had misgauged the strength of his jump. It looked as if he was going to fall short of reaching Skeleton.

Despite his mistake, Wild King adjusted himself in midair and re-targeted Skeleton with a sliding tackle.

Just nice!

Just before the point of impact, Skeleton's Wargod No. 1 executed an Arc Slide Step. Although he only moved a hair's breadth to the side, he dodged the tackle. Yet, even in that brief pass, the two mecha exchanged a single strike.

The two mecha leapt away from each other to gain some distance. They paused. In that moment, Wild King's Wargod No. 1 braced himself with his left hand and maneuvered away. The Wargod No. 1 agilely stood up.

Peng…

His engine erupted, propelling Wild King forward at a breakneck speed. His Wargod No. 1's leg dug into the ground with each stride, pushing the mech forward. He rushed viciously towards Skeleton.

This was Wild King's valiant attack. He was an aggressive scout, and using his speed to catch enemy off-guard would usually guarantee him a sure victory.

Bang Bang Bang…

Wild King's Wargod No. 1 threw a simultaneous punch and kick at the opponent. Pilots who had a fundamental grasp of wrestling moves in reality could bring their skills into these virtual mech fights. Notably, perfectly executing these moves in reality is rather difficult, as body positioning and posture are vital for an effective strike. Performing these moves in CT is supposed to be easier, as virtual reality does not take into account a physical body's limitations. However, normal people are typically unable to do so. Yet this was not an issue for Wild King.

"Excellent! Wild King's explosive assaults have forced Skeleton back, rendering him unable to counter attack! This is Wild King's famous Hurricane Assault, an omni-directional attack that does not cease until the enemy is crushed! I can't believe that Wild King is just as deadly even when he is unarmed! The large Military Corps[1] should observe carefully; this is an example of an excellent scout, and he should be headhunted immediately!"

As Young Deer spoke, he picked up a carton of milk. He had finally regained his honor. From his fall from grace until today, he had finally managed to regain his reputation. Young Deer had considered leaving the CT community and starting anew, but running away was not part of his personality.

In the battle, Skeleton was confident of his skills, especially on such even terrain. However, the downside to battling on an open field was the lack of cover. Furthermore, he had voluntarily abandoned his laser rifle. Skeleton really was taking a gamble here.

Meanwhile, Wild King was delirious with excitement. It had been quite a long time since he could indulge himself in such a highly skilled combat environment. The generic CT player was usually quite idiotic; he would easily lose their cool and lose his head in the heat of battle. However, the young, inexperienced players could not help themselves as they loved CT. This led to many inexperienced players challenging Wild King, and he could derive no enjoyment from those fights.

Wild King did not know what sort of guy Skeleton was, but his assault was unable to breakthrough Skeleton's stable defense. He howled in glee at the tough opponent in front of him. Wild King was completely on edge. Even his hairs were standing on end.

Wild King's eyes exuded a glorious radiance. From head to toe, he was quivering in exhilaration. Tensing up his whole body, Wild King let loose a strong punch. His Wargod No. 1 registered the movement and released a punch with great force.

Missing his target, Wild King's punch slammed into the ground and debris flew out from the point of impact. The strike was so strong that it had completely surpassed the ones previously exchanged during the fight. Yet the flying debris had obstructed Skeleton's point of view. Wild King's Wargod No. 1 immeidately seized the opportunity and executed a cartwheel, with his two legs violently slamming into Skeleton's Wargod No. 1's silhouette.

The entire motion was executed in a heartbeat.

Bang…

Skeleton's Wargod No. 1 stumbled backwards, his two arms crossed to reduce the impact of the double kick.

Wild King had fallen to the floor after completing his cartwheel maneuver. Despite the successful attack, he did not allow himself to relax. Meanwhile, in a CT cockpit far away in America, a scrappy youth with straw-like hair was gritting his teeth in elation. His upper body was riddled with numerous scars, and it was truly a ghastly sight. Outside the cockpit, there were at least a hundred people watching the competition. These people… they all looked like delinquents.

Indeed, Wild King was their pride and joy. An orphan in the street had managed to obtain special admission into the Apollo Military College. He was the pride of the entire neighborhood.

Wild King's father was a retired commando. When he was young, his father had taught him many close combat techniques. This led to him having an unparalleled combat prowess. In truth, Wild King was undefeated in his neighborhood. His battle experience was immense, and he was particularly adept at close combat.

In the midst of battle, Wild King's Wargod No. 1 rushed forward and furiously kneed Skeleton in the frame. A second after the collision, he followed up with a high kick to the head. A creak could be heard from his Wargod No. 1. His moves were truly quite extreme, and they pushed his mech's capabilities to the limits.

Where weapons were concerned, Wild King possessed a natural affinity for armed combat. Regardless of winter weaponry or mecha suits, Wild King fought as if these tools were an extension of his body. The military college had classified him as a genius, but he did not care; he just loved to battle.

Bang…

Skeleton's Wargod No. 1 could only dodge. However, he was too slow, so the incoming high kick obliterated his right arm, causing him to stagger backwards by almost 10 meters.

The surrounding viewers and the chatbox immediately quieted down. This Hurricane Assault was just too much, even for one as skilled as Skeleton. There wasn't any room to take a breather.

The loss of his right arm put Skeleton at a severe disadvantage. This was one of the weaknesses of the Wargod No. 1 mech; losing a limb would greatly decrease the mech's combat abilities and mobility in navigating the field. Meanwhile, the web café hosting Wild King's CT pod immediately erupted into cheers. Being able to devastate an opponent without weapons was much more exciting than simply using guns.

Wild King's smile grew cold. There were very few opponents who could allow him to fight like this. Energy shields were completely unable to protect him from this onslaught.

However, as much as he had enjoyed this battle, all good things must come to an end.

"Haha, it looks like the outcome has been decided. If Skeleton is able to make a comeback, I will eat another milk carton! Haha!"

Young Deer laughed heartily. The last time he had broadcasted a commentary, it was done in vain. F*ck, that cheapskate Solon did not give him a portion of the viewer donations.

Skeleton's mech alarms were ringing. Wang Zheng evaluated the extent of the damage. His mech's balancing mechanism was slightly damaged, but it could still be operated. However, in his current situation, he would not be able to take another Hurricane assault. Perhaps this time he had really bitten off more than he could chew.

Wild King raised a finger towards the sky, indicating his guaranteed victory. This was his cue to unleash his killing move. It was extremely tyrannical.

The Wargod No. 1 rumbled as it sprinted towards his opponent. Skeleton looked as though he had given up all hope of retaliating. However, Wild King could feel a sense of danger. When he was living on the streets as a street urchin, there were numerous times where he almost lost his life! This had given him a sixth sense for detecting such situations.

He knew that the opponent was an expert in close combat, but Wild King reasoned that Skeleton was already drastically injured. With his current condition, even if they directly slugged it out, Skeleton would definitely be destroyed first!

There would be no mercy shown!

The distance between the two mecha shrank to just five meters. As they approached each other, Skeleton's Wargod No. 1 suddenly leapt into the air.

Jumping? Why the hell would he do that?

Wild King had already successfully accelerated to his max speed. He was ready to execute his final killing blow. Wild King looked up, tracking his opponent. Yet, at this point, Skeleton's Wargod No. 1 dived down towards Wild King with the bright rays of the sun directly behind the falling mech. The blinding light dazzled Wild King, and he was momentarily stunned!

Skeleton's left leg lashed out a lightning-quick strike! With the falling momentum, his kick possessed unfathomable explosive strength!

Bang…

CRASH…

Wild King's Wargod No. 1 stumbled forward… but the mech's head was missing.

The Western Wilderness's dazzling sun rays were particularly harsh.

One-hit KO!

Young Deer spat out a mouthful of milk! He clenched his hands in shock. The commentator was eagerly looking forward to the climax of the fight where Skeleton would be humiliated with a crushing defeat! But now…he was absolutely demoralized.

F*ck my life!

Encountering this f*cker was like meeting a ghost! It was impossible to predict the outcome of the match!

Every member in the audience had been on the edge of their seats, watching the final clash with bated breaths. Upon Skeleton's victory, they screamed out in joy from the bottom of their hearts. The ones watching the livestream were already dancing in joy.

This was an unexpected result!

Young Deer stared blankly. At this point, his heart felt as cold as the autumn wind.

He suddenly realized that his broadcasting studio helpers were all staring at him. Young Deer felt like he wanted to die from the embarrassment.

And then he realized that he had to eat that carton of milk. Ugh! The last time he did it, he had diarrhea for 3 days.

!

He gritted his teeth and stamped his feet in frustration! As he did so, he began to tear the carton into small pieces. His broadcast was not over, and he had a job to do. He started putting pieces of cardboard in his mouth. But Young Deer vowed that he would witness Skeleton's defeat. In this world, there was no one who was invincible.

As he chewed, Young Deer could not help but let out a sob. He crammed piece after piece into his throat. F*ck, next time he should drink from a smaller milk carton!

The killcam footage slowly replayed the last killing blow frame by frame. It was difficult to explain what people were feeling; it was a mixture of elation and satisfaction. This feeling rushed forth and bubbled up in everyone's thoughts.

The blow by blow killcam footage was analyzed by the Skeleton Corps original creator, ID Extremely Handsome.

Under Wild King's vicious onslaught, Skeleton's Wargod No. 1 had never actually lost his balance. That explosive kick would not have hit. On the video, a small rock was circled in red. When he was retreating through the foliage, Skeleton had stumbled over a small rock, and this had hindered his dodging movement. Yet, in such a situation, Skeleton had coolly sacrificed his arm, as that was the best possible option to take. Extremely Handsome had said that this was a textbook example of a perfect reaction to a disadvantageous position. Similarly, during the final strike, when facing the unexpected dazzling sun rays, Wild King seemed to have lost his focus. His forward rush had actually lost him the match. The momentum from the rush coupled with Skeleton using his foot like a knife blade had caused the dramatic decapitation of Wild King's mech.

The highlight of the battle was when Skeleton's Wargod No. 1 rose up into the air before his descent towards Wild King. Everyone could see that he was extremely calm. It was not a frantic or a desperate maneuver; rather, it was calculated and intended. This was what shocked the audience the most. Skeleton had been in complete control the whole time.

Skeleton's level of calmness was clearly derived from experiencing numerous close encounters with death! As they watched the replay over and over, an indescribable feeling grew in each and every audience member.

This indescribable feeling was called respect!

[1] The Military Corps are the equivalent of Ranked Teams in MOBAs.