Tempest of the Stellar War
chapter-401

By now Manalasuo had lost some of their casual arrogance. Somehow they were already behind 0-3, and their last hope rested on Vincent's shoulders.

As for Wang Zheng's choice, Vincent felt a slight tinge of puzzlement, but confidently made his own choice.

Radiant Wheel King!

This was Manalasuo's super mech. Any great country, like Manalasuo, would not stumble at the same place. Although the Golden Wheel mech was a failure, it had provided material, which had seen light in the Radiant Wheel King. This was the evolved version of the Golden Wheel mech. A fighter-type mech, with terrifying forward movement ability, as well as a ridiculous attack power that left people stupefied.

It was rumored that on Manalasuo, only mechnists could use it, because such mecha took a high physical and mental toll, requiring one to be an expert at multitasking to pilot. To fully unlock its capabilities, one had to multitask three activities simultaneously.

The Manalasuo team members had been high-profile, whereas the leader, Vincent, had been rather low-profile. This allowed even the representative group to maintain their peace.

But at this juncture, it was clearly a life and death matter. It was time to go all out, without considering the eventual match with Aslan. First, they had to clear this hurdle.

If they crumbled while facing the Solar System team, their long time rivals, Aslan, would fall over laughing.

When Vincent chose the Radiant Wheel King, the other members had heaved a collective sigh of relief. They had already turned their attention to the next battle, discussing the competency of the substitutes. They had absolute faith that it was impossible for each and every member of the Solar System to be that strong.

They were now about to confirm the limits of the Solar System team.

"Captain, goooo!" Zhang Shan cupped his hands and screamed.

Those around him stared at him like he was a clown. At these crucial moments, what was needed was calm, not such noisy screaming.

Zhang Shan did not care. He looked around proudly, as though the match had already been won.

"Has Wang Zheng trained with the Golden Wheel before?" Meng Tian asked, suddenly worried.

"Golden Wheel, what is that?" Zhang Shan had only heard of it before. "Doesn't matter. They're all just mecha, about the same."

"Ignorance is a terrifying thing." Lear sniffed, looking at the arena. He was a little worried. Wang Zheng never played his cards predictably. They could not afford to lose this battle. It seemed as though the Solar System held all the cards, but if they lost, the tide of battle could quickly swing back towards Manalasuo. This opportunity should not slip through their fingers. Lear did not bear much confidence in the remaining members of the team.

But he was not the leader.

"Tch. Wang Zheng is a genius. Golden Wheel, Silver Wheel, he'll thrash them and that will be the end of it."

Achilles barked a short laugh and shook his head. "The Golden Wheel is a failure that Manalasuo built, while the Radiant Wheel King is the success built on the ruins of the Golden Wheel mech failure. In Manalasuo, only mechnists can pilot it. By the looks of it, Vincent has already broken the record of youngest mechnist. Manalasuo is really something."

The most outstanding to present had been the captains of teams like Arbiter, but Manalasuo in this iteration was surprisingly low-profile. Could they have more up their sleeves?

"Your Highness, the Earthlings are throwing the match again. It looks like 3-0, but they're in a dangerous spot. I've used this Golden Wheel mech before. It's a completely idealized mech, and not suited for practical battle at all," Azhas said.

Compared to Azhas, Bordia was a little more sensitive. Although His Highness the prince was young, he was a god amongst men, possessing an unimaginable sense.

Bordia concentrated on Wang Zheng. Ever since they had arrived, his Highness had paid attention to little else.

"Perhaps this person is just suited to use the Golden Wheel mech. Every mech has a soul. If an affinity between souls exists, even a tin can could become a god."

"Keke, Bordia, you think too much."

As for Wang Zheng, almost no one understood his choice, save two. Meng Ao and Bole inadvertently exchanged glances. The pressure on Bole was immense, although his chances of winning were not inexistent. Strength in group battles did not equate to strength in 1v1s. There was a chance!

At the entrance, a lonely figure quietly sat in a corner. It was Kong Zhan. He had not left. With a conflicted heart, he had made a decision then. He still did not feel his decision was wrong, because if Wang Zheng had really shown his true colors then, they would have been robbed of their morale, and finished at the end. But in the end, they had lost, and he had shouldered too much. His captainship had been taken away. He did not regret this – one must always face the consequences of one's decision. But he had to know if Wang Zheng really had that kind of power, and if the video was real.

If it… was a lie, then he might very well kill himself against a wall.

Nobody paid any attention to Kong Zhan. A loser was a worthless person.

The Golden Wheel mech's position was considerably further away, and took some time to arrive; nobody had anticipated that such an unpopular mech would be chosen. In comparison, Vincent's mech was very quickly readied.

The shining silver Radiant Wheel King. Radiantly designed on all eight sides, maximum air friction minimization, and a turbo effect when it entered high speeds. This was the peak of Manalasuo's developmental niche. The mech was medium-sized, and its weapons were two specially manufactured apertures. It has to be said that the Manalasuo scientists were mad. They had even utilized superconductor alloys to create such perverse weapons. The superconductor radiant wheels were incomparably durable in close combat. At mid to long range distances, they could release a superpower wheel once charged, which was super effective against energy shields. A killing move with no weaknesses.

A super mech suited for both far and close fights. But this mech's requirements were unbelievably high. The pilot's energy level must be a rank C Ability X user, and when it came to physical condition, one must be a mid-class rank D Ability X user at least. Only then could they control such a mech.

The Superconductor radiant wheels were definitely superior to the golden wheels, and did not need to be retracted to be fired again. Science was the highest power.

It was widely held that the Radiant Wheel King was the mature version of the Golden Wheel mech, and that the Golden Wheel mech could not even be considered a finished product.

The mech had arrived.

The Golden Wheel was about the same size as Radiant Wheel King, but some clear differences in detail were apparent. The Golden Wheel was coarsely done. The two huge golden wheels were especially… dull.

Most importantly, Vincent's understanding of the Golden Wheel mech was equally perfect!

As Manalasuo's genius mechnist, he had tried to conquer this mech which had brought shame to the empire. His final work was not bad, bringing out a certain level of killing power, although it was unstable. In all honestly, it was still not suited for practical battle. Against a normal opponent, it was serviceable, but it would be playing with fire to bring it out in such a crucial match. Using the Radiant Wheel King to crush the Golden Wheel was a sure win.

Perhaps his opponent intended to use this to provoke him, but he would not fall for it. He would proceed as though Wang Zheng could use the Golden Wheel.

Both sides bowed. Neither Wang Zheng nor Vincent was the kind to conduct verbal assaults.

The pilots entered their mecha, loaded in, and harmonized. The two mech fighters' eyes lit up.

Solar System Federation team and Manalasuo Empire team's deciding battle.

The atmosphere quietened. Both mecha walked forward a few steps. As they stood, a strange mood started to coalesce.

Only a madman could fully understand such a mech.

Vincent was exactly such a person. His life was filled with mech. He was born with it, and had vowed to become the strongest fighter in Manalasuo, no, in the Milky Way. The first step was very close. He had already become the youngest mechnist in history, and the IG was undoubtedly a stage for him to break new ground.

It only took one look for those who knew to understand the man and the mechnist.

The way he moved looked unremarkable, but there was no opening.

The Solar System was really on the rise now, to suddenly have so many pros.

Unfortunately, they were about to be trampled beneath Manalasuo's foot. The Radiant Wheel King, this was one of the top 10 mecha in the galaxy.

In the immortal name of the empire, fight!

The pledge firmly in Vincent's heart, the mech roared to life. The Radiant Wheel King attacked. But at the same time, the Golden Wheel made its move as well.

The superconductor radiant wheel and the golden wheel clashed together. Ping…

Just one blow, and the whole arena was silent.

A super battle!

It looked like a mere attack, but in the moment of clashing, Vincent's two superconductor wheels had each attacked five times, while Wang Zheng's golden wheels had equally blocked five times.

Both mecha merely clashed as they passed, and hurriedly turned around. The first pass was evenly matched, but it was clear that the capabilities of the Radiant Wheel King were just that little bit better. It turned just that little bit faster, but the most fearful was yet to come.

Vincent continued turning his mech furiously and, without warning, unleashed one of Radiant Wheel King's killer moves – Straight Back to Hell!

The Radiant Wheel King's power peaked, and in a flash, only a blur could be seen. The Golden Wheel's turn rate was a bit slower, its power unable to keep up.

The superconductor radiant wheels were already rapidly approaching. Boom…

As light spilled everywhere, the Golden Wheel mech exploded with light from its top, middle, and bottom. In three passes of the wheel, each pass had delivered over 10 attacks. 30 attacks only took a little more than a second. The Golden Wheel parried in a blur, barely managing to defend against the first wave of attacks, but in a deafening blast like thunder, the Radiant Wheel King disappeared again.

His flanks!

Another attack to the top, middle, and bottom. An attack that left both attacker and defender with no space to breathe.

BOOM…

The gold light and white light meshed. Against such a blistering attack, the Golden Wheel actually managed to defend.

But…

BOOM…

Everybody was watching open-mouthed. The cyclical attack rate of the Radiant Wheel King was only one round, but Vincent had already executed three rounds.

Now it appeared behind the Golden Wheel mech, which had not finished turning around.

This was the terrifying aspect of the Radiant Wheel King. Its super capabilities, when complemented with superhuman operation, made a super soldier.

BOOM! KABOOM!

With an explosion, the two mecha flew back at the same time.

…

Blocked??

He had even blocked the attack to his back?

Vincent could hardly believe it. He had brought so much power in three tiers of three attacks. Even he himself could not have withstood it, but this person apparently did. Even against his unprotected back, he had been blocked!

Wang Zheng's palms were sweating slightly as well. It had been too long since he had such a satisfying fight. This was completely different from fighting scrubs, where no skill was needed. This was different. It was a pity that his opponent's moves were still too routine. If he had varied a little, Wang Zheng would have suffered a lot more.