Three simultaneous explosions and three energy mirages rushed towards the Hercules, emitting a violent shockwave.
Without a doubt, the Hercules had used its energy shields to withstand the offensive. However, only a single round of attacks had caused the energy shields to break apart.
Hesselink had arrived, and within a single second, the beam saber had slashed towards the Hercules.
And this was met with the rotating shovel.
Li Dongyang's chest suddenly tightened. Danger!
However, Hesselink's reaction speed was even faster. He had not expected that the opponent would prefer to meet his attack head on in a desperate attack. Of course, he was aware of the prowess of that rotating shovel, but the Mirage Dragon was even faster.
Offense was switched to defense. The runes on the body glowed, and the Mirage Dragon rushed away from the opponent's range.
Although it was an exchange of blows, Hesselink had been forced to switch to a defensive state. After adapting to his opponent, he was confident in putting him to death with his split images.
Whoosh...
The beam saber did not rush directly forward, but merely scratched the side of the rotating drill...
Only a scratch...
At this instant, a fierce vibration shook the Mirage Dragon. It was obvious that there was a temporary stutter before it managed to fly backwards and regain its distance.
What a tremendous rotational force!
Upon the first contact with the Hercules, Hesselink broke out in a cold sweat. However, Atlantean mecha were indeed true to their name and possessed top tier performance. A normal mech would have been immobilized after suffering such a shock, but the Atlantean mech could still move a fair distance. This was a life-saver.
Yet at the next moment, Hesselink opened his mouth.
The Hercules mech's movement was steady and slow, a little like a dwarf, but this mech was unparalleled in terms of mitigating recoil. It was extremely similar to Arbiter's Overlord, except not as exaggerated.
Hesselink blankly stared at the incoming shovel lancing towards his mech!
Ka...boom...
The Mirage Dragon was struck directly, with a blow much harder than the one received by the Triumphant King. If the Triumphant King was a badminton shuttlecock, then the Mirage Dragon was like a tennis ball. However, the superior capabilities of the Atlantean mech had surfaced. After this fierce blow, although the energy runes on the surface had been blown to bits, the mech itself and the pilot were fine!
Hesselink, who had flown more than ten meters away, spat out a mouthful of blood and immediately took back control of his mech. The runes on its body flashed once, and the Mirage Dragon slowly stood back up. He simply had the urge to beat up his opponent!
Did he... want to... counterattack???
Just as Hesselink was about to charge forward, a black speck appeared in front of his eyes...
What the hell?
Boom...
Atlantis' Mirage Dragon was nailed to the wall.
Shovel!
Who said that the shovel could only rotate!?
It could also fly!!!
Outside the arena, Old Ghost was still trying to placate Indigo, who was devastated and was provoking anyone that came into his sight. What the hell was this Wang Zheng kid doing? He had spent so much effort inviting the instructor over, hoping to help him gain some fame. In the end, Wang Zheng's action had even caused him to encounter such misfortune.
At this moment, a series of cheers could be heard from within the arena.
Old Ghost and Indigo looked at each other, understanding that something was not quite right.
The faces of the Hurricane team members were all ashen. Li Dongyang had also suffered a severe shock. Had his ambitions been dashed just like this?
The delegation from the Solar System Federation all stood up and cheered. Who would have thought that they would advance?
Bi Yuyan simply gaped... They could even win in such a manner?
How was this possible? Had the Hurricane team purposely thrown the match!?!
"Heh heh. Beauty, just admit defeat. You've got to treat me to a splendid meal!" Tyrant Su laughed.
"Hmph, I won't renege on the bet!"
"Cousin, what happened? Did that Atlantean mixed blood pilot have diarrhea or something? He seemed a little strange….. "
Huang Shi simply ignored Muye and rolled his eyes. He was repeatedly watching the video recording of the final match, and muttered, "This is impossible. Without using any Ability X, an Atlantean mech was defeated. We've struck it rich!!!"
No matter the method or the result, it had exceeded everyone's expectations.
"Wang Zheng sure is brave. How did he know that his energy shield would last?"
"Maybe it was a coincidence? A last resort?"
"Who knows. Whatever, we've already won."
"The Earthlings sure are interesting, even able to win in this situation. Their luck sure is through the roof."
"A mixed blood is just a mixed blood; fake goods can never be exceptional."
Hesselink's face was pale. He had lost in his debut match, and in such a ridiculous fashion. How was this possible!?
Li Dongyang blew up. "Referee, I have to file a complaint. There is a problem with this match. Wang Zheng's energy shield should not have been able to block the combined attacks of the three illusions. In addition, when the mecha were clashing, the Mirage Dragon had obviously stalled for a moment. This is illogical. How could a broken shovel be so damaging? This match has major issues. If you can't give us a reasonable explanation, we will put forth the most serious allegations to the IG arbitration committee!"
Within the blink of an eye, the situation was out of control. Wang Zheng had indeed won this match in a ridiculous manner. Why was his energy shield able to block everything?
Why did the Mirage Dragon stop when it was merely scratched?
Why was the shovel so accurate?
Did they think that it was a laser rifle?!
That is true, how could Wang Zheng simply muddle his way through to a win? It seemed that everything was based on luck, but where would there be such luck involved?
The murmuring amongst the spectators had raged on, leaving the Solar System team looking at each other speechlessly.
Although Li Dongyang was rather unreasonable, he was still not giving up. In particular, his comments seemed to have aroused the sympathy of many people. Although the entire performance by Wang Zheng was indeed a bit exaggerated, the official IG referee did not pay any attention to the accusations.
There was an indifferent look on his face as he glanced at Li Dongyang and replied, "Your complaint has been received by us, but before the final results are out, we will maintain our original judgement. The Solar System team won and has successfully passed the first stage. Congratulations to Captain Wang Zheng and the rest of you."
Wang Zheng did a sharp bow. "Thank you!"
Who cares about what others think? This was the making of history for the Solar System Federation as the second stage of the promotion series was something unimaginable to them.
Although Meng Ao did not appear at the site, he was also watching the match. When Wang Zheng finally clinched the victory, Meng Ao also could not help but wave around in excitement.
"Wang Zheng, this chap, really likes to make people nervous!"
"This kid really wants me to get a heart attack."
"No matter what, a win is a win!"
Although there were still some doubts regarding Wang Zheng's leadership abilities, everything could be seen from another point of view. Wang Zheng was successful in training everyone, and he was able to gather the confidence of the team.
Looking at the calm and steady Wang Zheng, Meng Ao was filled with pride. This kid really had the demeanor of a great general. Although there had been losses, in some situations, a loss was more important a victory. It had allowed his team members to understand their shortcomings, and that the IG completion would not be a breeze.
Especially since the truly strong teams had not fought them.
Let's just forget about the second stage of the competition and just cheer for this brave kid at this moment!
The exceptions were Lear and Achilles, who were not enjoying the attention and cheering from their victory. Everything just felt natural to them. If they were unable to pass the first stage even with the current strength of their team, the Solar System truly had no hope left.
When the news of the third victory was sent to the embassy, the staff could not help but cheer loudly, as though a holiday had just arrived.
Three rounds, three wins. The Solar System team finally had a chance to breathe. If it was like the past, the delegation from the embassy would have been too embarrassed to leave, because they might meet with other delegates and compare their results.
This was the arduous victory of the Solar System. It took many years and was long overdue, and it made the staff in the embassy shed tears of joy. The Solar System Federation, which had been holding on to the image of a strong country, was overwhelmed by the skepticism and ridicule of others. To be perfectly honest, even their own citizens had almost given up hope, to the extent of having thoughts of withdrawing their citizenship from the Federation.
With outdated equipment, soldiers, and trump cards, it seemed that whenever the Solar System was mentioned, everything was said to be outdated. Within the Milky Way, there were still many medium-sized countries that were weaker than the Solar System, and even some tiny countries that had only a single habitable planet. Although the win in the IG did not count for much, its influence was truly large, and this victory had allowed them to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Ah, if I weren't on duty, I would have gone to the scene to watch. Old Zhang, say it again, how did the Hercules use a shovel to defeat the Mirage Dragon?"
"Haha, that was awesome. Don't you know, we all thought that Wang Zheng had already lost. The opponent was an Atlantean mech, and what did Wang Zheng choose? The Hercules! My God, we all thought he was a goner. I almost couldn't watch and was about to stand up and leave. Luckily, my seat was in the middle, with people on both sides. It was too troublesome to move, but luckily I hadn't...
In the embassy, the staff members who had time to see the match live were spreading the details excitedly, talking about how the Hercules had swept Mirage Dragon away and how the shovel landed for an instkill.
"The style of that shovel, oh, was like 'Do you think you are still alive and have an opportunity? In fact, you're already dead.' Was it like that?"
It was an exaggeration, but everyone preferred this refreshing feeling. This was what everyone had hoped and even prayed for. No matter how they narrated the match, it was still within reason.
The origin of the young man named Wang Zheng was also mysterious. After all, he was able to become the captain over Achilles, Lear, Lie Xin, and the others. Additionally, Wang Zheng's performance in the first three rounds were rather calm and steady. And at such a crucial moment, he still went with the Hercules in the last round, so it was evident that he was full of confidence.
No matter what, the winner was king.
The IG's first round only consisted of these three matches, and they would enter the second round after two days of rest.
As for the eliminated teams, they could only glumly leave the competition. There really was nothing more to be said. The existence of the IG was based on a cruel elimination bracket. Those who were not truly strong would never be able to win the competition. It was useless to have only one or two strong members, as this test was to determine each countries' elities and overall strength using realistic battles, and to reflect the standard of the younger generation and their potential.
Of course, the victors would acquire greater prestige and were able to celebrate.
Everywhere was a venue for celebration. Not only were the victorious teams celebration, the international students, those that were living in Aslan, had also left their houses to join others on the streets and in the pubs. Every location had their own style of celebration, both large and small. For some countries, it was only expected for them to enter the second round, so there was nothing much to be glad about, as it was just a matter of fact. For others, it was indeed something that was worth rejoicing for...
After the first round, there were still 128 teams left. What would be waiting for them?