Tempest of the Stellar War
chapter-42

The monstrous demon, Wargod No. 1, had started to move irregularly once again, weaving past the numerous attacks by a thin margin. All of this occurred within the span of a single second. However, it was still no use!

The difference in technical capabilities was just too large.

Everyone gasped in admiration, and some even felt a slight pang of regret. The attack had almost been completely avoided.

Despite its vigorous movement, the tail end of the Double Wave still managed to hit the Wargod No. 1. As the Wargod No. 1 was swaying around dodging the onslaught of attacks, Rainbow was already preparing for another barrage of attacks.

All of a sudden, the Wargod No. 1 fired its laser rifle.

How did the Wargod No. 1 not explode???

That was impossible!

The Double Wave was not an attack that could be blocked without an energy shield! Even if Rainbow's opponent did not get destroyed, that round had clearly hit the Wargod No. 1.

On the other hand, the laser fired from the Wargod No. 1's rifle did not hit its opponent. Instead it hit the tree which the Tempest Condor was standing on. Although the Norton Star's vegetation was extremely sturdy, it could not withstand the laser's impact.

Rumble

The Tempest Condor started to fall from its perch. However, the mech's propulsion ability activated and it smoothly stabilized in the middle of the air.

Yet in that moment, Rainbow burst out in cold sweat. He had fallen into a trap!

His first reaction should not have been to halt his fall! He should have activated his energy shield instead!

Bang…

Headshot.

An explosion blanketed the sky.

The room fell into silence…

Young Deer, who was in the middle of a premature victory dance, suddenly froze in place. Not a single sound could be heard. Unable to hold it in, Young Deer broke the silence and angrily screamed out, "Why did the Wargod No. 1 not sustain any damage? Is his mech invincible??!"

A slow-motion replay of the exchange was shown on-screen.

Rainbow's Double Wave Kill Array was beautiful and lethal; it was a testament to Rainbow's efforts and immense training.

Conversely, the Wargod No. 1's dodging ability was truly out of this world. However, it was still unable to fully avoid the Double Wave attack. Everything happened in a flash. Previously, everyone was unable to see anything amidst the rapid flurry of movement, but analyzing the footage in slow-motion revealed Skeleton's trick to surviving the encounter. Whilst the Wargod No. 1 was dodging, it's left hand clutched a titanium alloy knife, while it's right hand held its laser rifle. Both weapons were used simultaneously; the knife slashed horizontally, while the rifle was levelled at the Tempest Condor.

This b*stard actually had such skillful ambidextrous control over his mech?

Rainbow's final laser round was reflected off the titanium alloy knife! At the point in time, Skeleton fired his own laser rifle!

Even for a replay, the arena's spectators were watching with bated breath.

Yet, in such a frantic moment, Skeleton did not choose to target Rainbow and instead targeted the tree beneath the Tempest Condor!

Why?

Why?

Only Rainbow truly understood why. His opponent was a monster. To be able to shoot Rainbow in such a situation was extremely difficult. If he had missed, Rainbow would have definitely activated his energy shield. Comparatively, the tree was a very large target, and it made strategic sense to target the opponent's foothold. One would instinctively attempt to regain their balance. The strategy was even more appropriate since the Tempest Condor was equipped with a propulsion function. It was only expected that the flying mech would use that particular piece of equipment.

As a veteran SWAT member, Rainbow felt a cold sweat break out on his back.

Who was this monster sitting inside the Wargod No. 1?

How could he be so level-headed in such a situation?

Young Deer could only see black. What was wrong with this world? How could someone like Skeleton exist? He felt like escaping from this impossible situation. Maybe he should just migrate to a different country. That would be the only way to get away from all of this madness.

Skeleton didn't even die in such a situation!

In their dormitory, Chen Xiu and Yao Ailun were hugging each other while jumping around in joy.

Even if they did not know how Skeleton had won the match, he was still able to find the path to victory.

Chen Xiu had already gone completely crazy. "This is too scary. Although his dodging skills were beautiful, that shot of his was truly on-par with a grand master!"

"Indeed. If he had just directly attacked the Tempest Condor, regardless of how precise Skeleton is with his firing, it would have been meaningless." Even Zhang Shan had exclaimed.

In truth, they were not the only ones who had given up hope while watching the match. Rainbow's Tempest Condor had technical capabilities that were just too strong. This was the only path to victory.

The eventual defeat was not due to a difference in technical capabilities, and neither was it due to Rainbow's piloting skills. It was due to Skeleton's god-like judgment.

Skeleton made a move that forced Rainbow's hand.

It had to do with human instinct!

Rainbow had lost in terms of instinct!

It was Skeleton's observational ability that surpassed all else!

Even real-time mechanical analyses were not as accurate as this.

This match had completely shocked everyone.

Student Wang was also exceptionally smug. That last battle had given him a run for his money. The truth was that Wang Zheng did not have the confidence that he would win every battle. He just countered every trick he met with one of his own. In fact, this time, he was proud to say that his judgment was spot on.

"Hehe, it would have been great if Bonehead was here. With such a perfect battle, he would definitely have awarded me an A+ grade!"

His chest suddenly felt cold. A skeletal robot materialized right in front of Wang Zheng. Student Wang immediately squatted on the ground.

"F*ck me! You almost scared me to death. Of all people to appear, it had to be you! Why are you here?!"

"The Super Wargod Trainee has the privilege to summon the trainer for constructive criticism," Bonehead replied nonchalantly.

"F*ck me, why didn't you say so earlier?!"

"You never asked."

Facing the calm and collected Bonehead, Wang Zheng gave up any thoughts of struggling. "So, how was it? My last battle was nice wasn't it!"

Bonehead's eyes emitted a red light. "Pathetic!"

Wang Zheng was infuriated. "How could it be pathetic?! Why would you say that!"

"As a Super Wargod, there was no need to go through so much trouble. The moment the enemy appears is the moment you take him out. You should have immediately shot him through the head!"

Bonehead said quite nonchalantly. Student Wang felt a cold breeze blow past. Talking to Bonehead was truly impossible.

Hiss…

It felt as though his chest had suddenly become a bit colder. Wang Zheng had a bad feeling about it. "I don't suppose summoning you has a price?"

"As a matter of fact, it does. Calling me out will decrease your battle energy," Bonehead replied, with a haughty expression.

Pitiful Wang Zheng almost choked to death upon hearing his mentor's response. "Get! Back! In! What are you waiting for?!"

Student Wang truly wanted to weep, but no tears came out. He could already imagine Bonehead's answer.

You didn't ask.

F*ck. Although he did not know the circumstances behind the Rand Empire's R&D team, the one who created the Rubik's cube was truly unreasonable. Was it so hard to explain things in greater detail? They should have included an instruction manual!

Cheating someone like that would really get him killed!

Bonehead disappeared and Wang Zheng's chest finally felt normal again. He unbuttoned his shirt and took a glance. F*ck. His battle energy indeed had decreased.

What a b*tch. Bonehead was truly his nemesis.

Wang Zheng's exuberant mood was completely ruined. He felt that his hard-earned battle energy gained throughout the last week of training had completely disappeared.

Wang Zheng walked away, crestfallen. The owner of Brothers Net Café could not help but feel bad for his customer. He gave Wang Zheng a smile and said, "Little Brother, don't be sad. Failure is just one part of success. If you can persevere through all of this hardship, you will eventually improve."

The owner truly understood him. Wang Zheng looked at the owner; he wanted to cry, but no tears would come.

In the end, the owner gifted him a bowl of noodles as a small consolation prize.

Despite Bonehead's low opinion on Wang Zheng's fight, elsewhere, the match had stirred up a huge surge of activity.

The battle did not merely demonstrate one's skill. It showed off one's unmatched judgment even in the heat of battle.

Needless to say, everyone who saw the match was amazed at the level of skill displayed.

Many of these spectators were newcomers to CT. After watching the newest video advertised by the game developers, they were hooked. Lin Huiyin? Skeleton?

Listening to the song NOT AFRAID while watching that intense Pentakill video. It had aroused within them a burning passion for battle.

If one were to sing the song with its lyrics:

Don't try and stop me, persevere on your path, without any doubt!

Followers, I'm back!

"I'M BACK!"

This was the headline on the public net.

It struck a chord within everyone who had read it!

Who was back?

Was it trying to say that the Wargod No. 1 was back?

"Is this the Heavenly Wicked Explosion's rhythmn?"

"Is he even human?"

"This is definitely the tempo of a god!"

In Aslan, Lin Huiyin was sitting on a swing in her house. A pair of snow white legs stretched out as the swing dipped forward and curled up as the swing pulled back.

"This guy is quite impressive. What do you think of his fighting capabilities?"

Huiyin asked curiously.

Her female bodyguard, Li Jian, watched the screen with a calm expression. "Your Highness, a person of such caliber can be found anywhere in Aslan. This hype is simply because the people of Earth have pathetic standards."

"Oh," Replied Huiyin. Aslan's arrogance was truly ingrained in its people. Although she did not know how strong Skeleton was, Huiyin honestly believed that this player possessed an awe-inspiring attitude towards winning. This alone would make him stand out against Aslan's player base.

Regardless of her bodyguard's opinion, Skeleton had not let her down. The story would have been completely different if he had lost his most recent battle; that would have been humiliating and it would have negatively impacted her song's popularity.

"Add a performance for the Solar System. Have the show organized on Earth."

Lin Huiyin instructed, out of the blue.

"Your Majesty, the market there is exceptionally small. I advise against this suggestion…"

"I want it done. This will be beneficial for Aslan's image. Furthermore, my cousin has been there before. Paying a visit would only show our sincerity."

Huiyin let out a slight smile. To the general public, she was a famous celebrity. But she was more than that. Only the people beside her knew of her true identity.

Truthfully, she was the daughter of the Aslan Empire's side supporter, Iron Fist Prime Minister Qia Shawen. Qia Shawen was also Aina's aunt, making Huiyin cousin to the famous Aslan Princess. Although Huiyin was of royal blood, she was not as involved in political matters, unlike Aina. Huiyin's responsibilities were solely to improve Aslan's galactic image. To the royal family, such a role was sufficient.

"One more thing. If you take another half month's break from school, the principal will definitely flip out." An Jili had a headache. This little princess' train of thought was like a heavenly steed soaring through the skies[1], the sight of which would take people by surprise.

"Oh. That old geezer can be coaxed but not coerced. Tell him this: my actions are for the sake of the Empire. It will also simultaneously display our sincerity. Don't you think that I have an affinity for this?"

Huiyin made a cute pose. However, this killer look had absolutely no effect on An Jili. She was completely immune.

After An Jili left, Lin Huiyin replayed the video of the battle. Her advisors had all said that it was because the opposition was too weak, and this allowed for an easy victory against 5 opponents. There was nothing exceptional about the fight. However, Huiyin did not feel that that was the case.

Huiyin's thoughts shifted to her pitiful cousin, Aina. Although Aina was a direct descendant of the royal family, she had no freedom at all. A life in a cage held no meaning. Then again, if Aina wasn't there, the one suffering would have been Huiyin herself. Lin Huiyin reminded herself to do something nice for her cousin as a form of thanks. No matter what, Huiyin had achieved record-breaking results with her latest song. It even had the added bonus of quieting down her critics.

Back in his CT pod, Rainbow still made no motion of getting up. He was re-watching the video intensely. The more he watched, the more surprised he was. As a SWAT team leader, he had ample combat experience and had prepared accordingly. He had almost completely predicted the enemy's movements. However, he did not expect the opponent to surpass him by such an extent. The enemy must have meticulously prepared for their encounter. It was truly terrifying.

Unless… if Skeleton were simply reacting to the situation… that would have been even more terrifying.

What kind of training did Skeleton have to undergo to allow him to make decisions under such pressure?

Wargod No. 1.

Suddenly, Rainbow's interest had also been aroused.

In the dormitory, Chen Xiu and Yao Ailun had not rested. They had decided to divide the responsibility of managing the Skeleton Corps in two. Each individual had to settle a stack of applications. Whilst reading over the details of new recruits, a familiar ID attracted their attention.

… Little Red Noob?

Rainbow could only let out a bitter smile. You were a little noob. Your entire family was filled with noobs. However, if he wanted to join, he would need their approval.

"I am Rainbow. I was wondering if I could join the Skeleton Corps."

"Of course you can. We welcome all experts!"

Chen Xiu said excitedly. The Skeleton Corp was full of noobs. Everyone often fought together and lost together. They needed experts to guide them.

Needless to say, Rainbow was a true expert. The Corps was taking a major step forward by attracting CT experts.

Upon entering, Rainbow discovered that the Skeleton Corps had over ten thousand members, with a large percentage of them consistently active and online. The moment he entered, a group of people immediately asked him to guide them.

He had originally thought that he would be mocked and shunned for losing. But instead, everyone had greeted him with enthusiasm, hoping to learn and improve from Rainbow's own battle with Skeleton.

This was first-hand information from a participant.

[1] Idiomatic expression meaning bold and imaginative.