The Legend of the Dragon King (Web Novel)
chapter-974

'Hmm, it's not too weak, so I'll make do."

He initiated the propeller as he was making the estimation mentally.

The propeller was attached to the back of the mecha to aid in flight and acceleration.

On the other hand, close-combat mechas were generally slightly faster than long-range mechas. Despite their great size, close-combat mechas tended to be lighter. This was because, unlike their long-range counterparts, there was no need for close-combat mechas to carry around enormous soul batteries in order to sustain their attacks.

Tang Wulin had only initiated his propeller when his opponent had already launched theirs. Tang Wulin would be have been rammed into instantly if he had been just one step slower.

The two figures almost collided before they dashed apart again and flew into the air.

The close-combat mecha reacted swiftly. During that split second when it failed to collide into Tang Wulin, it swung the epee in its hand and released it.

The epee cast a stream of dark radiance in the air and instantly caught up to Tang Wulin, whose speed was decreasing as his propeller just stopped functioning. The close-combat mecha's attack could only be described as perfection in every way, whether it was its precise timing or accuracy.

So powerful!

Tang Wulin was feeling astonished, but that did not slow his reactions even by a little. According to the mecha battle rules, the destruction of one's mecha was considered a loss even if the soul master inside was still capable of fighting.

Tang Wulin's long-range mecha made a ghastly movement as he bent over. The mecha's entire body turned completely sideways in the air while the soul cannon in its hand pushed upward once gently. He managed to shake away the epee.

On the other hand, the close-combat mecha was already accelerating again and was shooting straight for Tang Wulin.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!" Six balls of lights shot out almost simultaneously.

Tang Wulin fired the soul cannon in his hand while he was turning sideways, but he lost his balance in the air.

The six cannonballs immediately blocked the only path the close-combat mecha could pass while appearing pleasing to the eyes like the petals of blossoms

He did not shoot the cannonballs at once when he was doing the side turn to dodge the epee, but fired them when the opponent initiated their propeller for the second time and was coming forward at full speed. This was because Tang Wulin understood that it was difficult for close-combat mecha to change its direction when it was moving at such high velocity. Not only would the mecha have to endure the massive impact if it were to change its direction by force, but the soul master on the inside would similarly suffer from the overwhelming forces involved. The soul master could only change direction during an assault if his piloting skill was exceedingly high and the mecha's strength was great enough.

Tang Wulin's opponent's close-combat mecha did not change its direction but chose to brace for impact.

It was impossible that a long-range soul cannon could destroy the close-combat mecha's protective shield with just a few cannonballs. On the other hand, the close-combat mecha managed to turn its body ever so slightly and dodged four out of six cannonballs while it was bracing for the attack, only allowing two cannonballs to blast against its protective shield.

As the impact created two explosions, the mecha paused for a moment in the air. Meanwhile, Tang Wulin's mecha seized this opportunity to put some distance between them once again.

The close-combat mecha was not in a rush to dash forward again after the pause. Instead, it dove sharply to pick the epee off the ground.

The close-combat mecha was not equipped with a soul weapon, so it was at a disadvantageous position when confronting a long-range mecha of the same league. Tang Wulin's instant attack of six cannonballs earlier and his timing had already made the mecha master inside this close-combat mecha understand that the opponent was not a weakling that could be defeated as easily as imagined.

"Bang!" A cannonball shot out with incomparable precision. It was not aimed at the mecha but the epee on the ground.

The cannonball struck the epee's hilt, and the explosion immediately blew it into the air. Then, three cannonballs in a triangle formation appeared before the close-combat mecha, preventing it from going after the epee.

The close-combat mecha gave out a cold grunt. Its figure staggered as it abruptly dove in an attempt to dodge the three cannonballs, but the epee had already flown dozens of meters into the air.

Tang Wulin's mecha accelerated in the air and arrived before the epee, grabbing it with his left hand.

The close-combat mecha was very experienced. When it saw that Tang Wulin was reaching for the epee, it had leaped up and launched the propeller on its back without the slightest hesitation. This time, he was focusing his efforts into retrieving the epee. It was determined to get the weapon even if it had to endure a few cannonballs. Meanwhile, Tang Wulin was dashing in that direction. Closing the distance was clearly advantageous for the close-combat mecha.

Both of them activated their propellers. Tang Wulin managed to beat the opponent by one step, and he arrived at the epee first.

Meanwhile, the close-combat mecha suddenly glowed brightly as countless icicles formed around it while it charged at Tang Wulin.

'Finally had enough, huh?'

Tang Wulin's lips cracked into a faint smile.

A top grade mecha master was most probably a soul master. A soul master would possess soul skills for sure, so the soul master that chose the close-combat mecha naturally had abilities compatible with the machine. The close-combat mecha master finally could not stop himself from unleashing his soul skill. On the other hand, the person that unleashed their soul skill first in the battle of mecha masters would usually be at a disadvantage. This was because their opponent would now have a chance to learn what the soul master's martial soul was.

The icicles condensed and gathered in an attempt to surround Tang Wulin's attack.

Tang Wulin did not stop moving nor unleash his martial soul, but his right hand stretched out and grabbed the epee, waving it about in the air and creating a row of shadow epees.

The epee projected only three feet of energy, so it was not considered powerful, but it did manage to touch every icicle precisely. Icy mist exploded in the air instantly.

There was a series of explosions, and ten cannonballs suddenly blasted out from the mist, completely bombarding the close-combat mecha as it dashed forward in a split second.

Because of the mist, the close-combat mecha was left entirely clueless as to Tang Wulin's attack method. In fact, he had unleashed his icicles with the purpose of slowing down Tang Wulin so he could close the distance.

However, he did not expect that Tang Wulin had not intended to back away again after grabbing the epee. Instead, Tang Wulin had used the epee to break the icicles while the soul cannon in his right hand shot ten cannonballs at his fastest speed and at an extremely short range.

The close-combat mecha collided head first into the attack. The power of ten cannonballs exploding in succession smashed it down from the sky. The mecha's protective shield energy immediately dropped by eighty percent.

It was only then when Tang Wulin turned around and retreated. He put some distance between them, which also gave his soul cannon some time to cool down.

As the close-combat mecha landed, he was overcome by frustration. This was what every close-combat mecha felt when it could not approach a long-range mecha.

Moreover, he could tell from Tang Wulin's manner of using the epee, indeed from the moment the sword had landed in his hand, that the opponent was not only skilled in long-range mecha, but he was definitely halfway to qualifying as a close-combat mecha master. Additionally, the fact that his mecha's protective shield energy had dropped by such a large amount meant that he had already put himself in a highly disadvantageous position.

'Not much. I'm still not rusty.' Tang Wulin was feeling exuberant.

He learned about operating mechas from the Tang Sect where he majored in long-range combat. This was because he was already skilled in close-combat, so when it came to mechas, long-range was his only choice.

Actually, due to his lack of experience in using high-end mecha, the standard mecha was considered handy for him. The overall feeling was pretty impressive.

The distance between both parties grew by a hundred meters again. Tang Wulin's soul cannon had rested for three seconds, so he could shoot ten times continuously once again.

The Tang Sect's long-range mecha course was absolutely the best in the world. Twenty thousand years ago, the Tang Sect was untouchable when its founder, Tang San, relied on his perfect hidden weapon technique and all sorts of hidden weapons that were invented later.

Thus, the Tang Sect was definitely the first on the list for studying long-range attacks. Tang Wulin did not have too much practice with mechas, but he was naturally gifted.

Firstly, he had physical capabilities that exceeded the ordinary standards of a mecha master, making him capable of withstanding impacts that other ordinary soul masters could not. Secondly, he possessed Spirit Abyss-ranked spiritual power, and great spiritual power was also crucial when operating a mecha.

He was already getting more and more used to doing this after he familiarized himself with the process.

"I yield." The opposition mecha transformed into a stream of light before disappearing. The words above Tang Wulin's head turned into 2-0. To his surprise, the mecha battle and soul master battle's score could be accumulated.

'What? Surrendering just like that? I'm not done sparring yet!'

Tang Wulin could not help feeling speechless. How could the opponent give up so easily? It cost two thousand coins! Why didn't the opponent give even a little consideration?! He had just begun to familiarize himself with operating the mecha, so this truly felt like a disappointment.

Whatever the case, he was transferred back to the arena once again despite how hard he was pondering.

'What a loss! It cost two thousand coins. I'm going to ask Blood One later to see if the money can be reimbursed.'

Tang Wulin chose to log out from the battle network after experiencing two trials.