Even with Cao Yi's industrious research, the fact that Lola was the instructor as well as the strongest Kaedeian player had eluded him. When the host announced Lola's background, everyone stuck their tongue out in surprise and admiration of her power.
Although Karl had made his way to the quarter-final stage, not only his experience paled in comparison with his opponent, his over-reliance on the Art of Kyle also exposed him to a certain degree of risk.
Although as a new offense focused fighting style, the Art of Karl had not been countered by any opponent, that did not amount to its invincibility. Lola knew that with careful planning and a solid AMP, any fighting style could be countered effectively.
"Karl, be careful and relax! You are already in the quarter-final, and your mission is already completed." Cao Yi told Karl.
Karl replied with a wicked smile, "Just a Kaedeian instructor… She is not worthy of Boss, I am."
Wang Tong nodded at his confidence and then urged him, "Get rid of her!"
This was the last match in the quarter-final. All the participants of the tournament were sitting in the audience seat, waiting to enjoy the show.
Both fighters entered the control room and started to warm up. Everyone watched as Lola's fingers danced over the keyboard and her AMP jumped to 520.
Everyone's jaw dropped when they saw Lola's AMP reading and registered that she was much stronger than other Kaedeian players.
The expression on Paris's face remained placid; they were confident in their instructor's ability.
Karl was the only person in the arena who was not even slightly worried about himself.
"This Earthling boy is reckless."
"He would know that he is in deep trouble very soon."
"The Art of Karl is worthless in front of Lola. I bet the battle would end in ten minutes."
"Hehe, I say less than ten minutes."
Lola had earned a nickname at the Royal Kaedeian Academy, the Crimson Lightning, after the bloody scene left behind the whirlwind of her attacks.
Lola's clone technique was also far superior to Paris. After all, she was their instructor.
The battle finally started.
One minute later, the two almost mirrored each other's move. However, thanks to the slight edge Lola held regarding AMP, she was half a second ahead of her opponent. Although it seemed insignificant, it would give the Kaedeian a noticeable advantage later in the game.
Karl used his signature tactic, the Art of Karl. However, the audiences worried if the Art of Karl would be useful against Lola. Before Karl was able to produce airdrop units, Lola's first wave of attack was already at Karl's doorstep and blocked the way of the drop ships.
Although Karl had used these same tactics many times, he had never met anyone who would able to get the better of him in terms of timing. He panicked and did nothing as he watched his dropship being destroyed by his opponent. Lola had laid bare Karl's weakness and defeated him using only a single rush.
Lola won the first round with ease in under eight minutes.
The audiences were not aware that Karl's defeat was not because that Karl was weak. Instead, it was because Lola was too powerful.
Lola represented the most potent power among the Kaedeians. She had not only the most reliable micro control, but also a premonitory skill that could accurately predict an opponent's next move. Her strength came from her genes, and therefore, there was nothing Karl could do to catch up with her.
Seeing the Kaedeian's performance, KKK's heart sank. Lola was even more potent than he had expected. He doubted anyone, including himself, would be able to overcome her in a competition.
Karl's defeat was a huge blow to his confidence. He thought the Art of Karl was invincible, since no one so far was able to counter it effectively. However, with her superb genes, Lola was able to do the im
possible, and finally found a weak link in the seemingly flawless strategy.
Lola looked relaxed and chilled. She held her ever stoical expression and narrowed her eyes, as if she were contemplating something. She never thought anyone would be a threat to her. If there were one person, she thought, that might pose even the slightest problem, it would be Flash, as he possessed the same premonitory skill that allowed him to assess the flow of the battle quickly.
She was convinced that it would easy to defeat Wang Tong, since Wang Tong relied too much on his defense and the clone technique—both were ineffective when used against top-level Kaedeians.
"Boss, Karl seemed to be having a hard time." Cao Yo was anxious. He knew that although Karl was a competent commander, he was not invincible. The Kaedeian had sent a crushing blow right at Karl's soft spot, and it ought to hurt.
Wang Tong knew Karl was in trouble, but he too was not sure how to help him. He registered that the Kaedeian's ability was unique, since it drew its power from their genes. In other words, it was not a fair fight, since the Kaedeians were fighting with an inherent advantage.
Karl had turned into a bundle of nerves. He had been relying on the Art of Karl, and had never considered the possibility of the strategy being countered. His mind raced as he tried to improvise a new plan for the next round.
The time was up, and the second round was about to start.
Karl gathered himself and went back to the simulation room.
Unable to find an alternative strategy, Karl had decided to double down on the Art of Karl. He had shrunk his economic development in the beginning to gain the precious resources to produce units. Karl was aware that it was unwise to alter anything in the tried and tested opening, since the slightest change would result in a drastically different outcome. However, Karl conceded that he had no choice but to take on the risk.
Lola noted the change in Karl's strategy, and she knew right away that she needed to prepare for early offense. She wagered that Karl would not have many ground troops, and therefore, she reasoned that it would be wise to beef up the air units and rush the tech tree.
Watching the game had started to be like watching a slow train wreck. As Karl slowly built up his first group of units, Lola had accumulated a greater number and more powerful air units.
Although Flash was only in the audience, he could still sense Lola's power. His instructor had warned him about Lola, and told him that only by defeating Lola would the Kaedeians' monopoly over fleet combat finally be over.
Flash wagered that he would only have 50 percent chance of winning a fight against the Kaedeian, as he was hard pressed to find a method to counter her brilliant micro control and judgment. The difficulty in defeating Lola was amplified by the fact that Kaedeian's genes had made her tactics more efficient and deadly.
When Lola's deference destroyed Karl's dropship, so was Karl's confidence and his plan. He knew that his ploy had been seen through.
No one had cheered for Lola's success, since it wasn't the Kaedeians custom to cheer for their fighters. Karl's defeat saddened the earthlings, and the Ivantians were shocked by Lola's display of power. Both factions lamented the fact that whenever they saw a sliver of hope in catching up with the Kaedeians, they always crushed their new hope ruthlessly.
Karl's eyes lost the usual gleam. He had been very confident in his ability; some might even call it conceit. However, he didn't let his pride blind him right then, as he could see clearly that the Kaedeian was much stronger than him.
"It looks like Karl was about to give up. What a pity! Although he had done a great job in the previous fights, the invincible Kaedeian defeated him with ease."
"I would argue that he had already done a good job in this round. His defeat wasn't due to his lack of skills, but it was because his opponent was too strong. He had lost even before he had entered the simulation room because of his opponent's advantage in her genes."
The host's comment had hit the mark. However, no war was fought with fairness in mind, like the war against the unscrupulous Zergs.
Wang Tong could no longer sit through Karl's suffering, so he requested a timeout. Although he knew that no matter what he told Karl, he would not be able to turn the tide of the battle with words.
"Boss, it seems like I am going to lose again," Karl said helplessly, his voice shaking slightly.
Wang Tong grabbed Karl's collar was pulled the shivering boy closer to him. "No way! We never surrender to anyone. Did you remember when we were stranded in the sea and when death was looming above our head? You didn't even flinch then. So why do you look like a coward right now?"
"Boss... I—"
"On Norton, none of my comrades ever lost their hope even when Zergs surrounded them. This is only a game, where is your mettle?" Wang Tong bowled out at Karl; his voice boomed inside the arena.
"Boss, I get it! I will try my best. I know that I am already a freak anyway, I wouldn't care less about what other people think of me." Karl shouted out as he slapped himself a couple of times, as if trying to wake himself up.