Volume 4: Chapter 14 – The Celebrations of the Champion
The sudden surge in force pushed Campana back, stunning him momentarily. He didn't expect the opponent to possess such a strength.
Just as he was lost in thought, Wang Zheng's WE already rushed over.
A jumping attack!
Bang…
When a mech jumped, intense pressure was placed on the pilot. In the virtual world one could easily perform beautiful movements, but in reality this required quite a bit of physical strength. Most of the time, simple actions were used unless one was confident enough to end the opponent in one strike.
Rumble…
With a fierce strike, Campana, who had been on the attack all this time, fell back. As he fell he performed an intricate side kick that pushed him back up.
There were no gaps in that action.
Bang…
Campana's mech was slammed toward the left, causing him to clench his teeth. This guy was on fire. As he was about to strike back, a blade lunged at him.
Ping…
Two titanium alloy blades clashed fiercely, causing sparks to fly everywhere. Only during this fierce and short exchange did Campana realize his opponent wasn't one he could take lightly.
However, this thought came too late as a fist was already heading toward him.
Kang, kang, kang, kang…
Campana's WE was hit directly in the chest, causing him to move a couple steps back. The energy shield was down 33% in an instant. His previous assault on Wang Zheng had only removed 20% of Wang Zheng's energy shield.
Wang Zheng didn't follow up on his attack, but instead stabilized his mech and stood quietly.
It was in this moment that Wang Zheng completed his metamorphosis. Perhaps many hadn't felt it, but to Wang Zheng it was as though he had been a caterpillar that suddenly broke through and transformed into a butterfly.
He could do it!
He was strong!
Campana's face was dark. He switched the titanium alloy blade to his left hand; there was no room left for accidents.
The shoulder of the mech sank lightly and its engine roared. The image seemed to portray Campana's fury.
The audience's heart tightened. Everyone knew what Campana was capable of.
With a roar, his mech rushed toward Wang Zheng's with large strides. Its movements were unlike before. Campana was finally serious.
As his mech closed in on Wang Zheng's, Campana launched a couple of illusory attacks. It was difficult to see which of these attacks were real.
Bang…
His left blade pressed down, an abnormal strength behind it. In the next instant he launched a fierce triple strike toward Wang Zheng.
The advantage was gained in an instant, but the true battle had just begun.
After the fierce attack, Campana didn't stop. Instead, he held his breath and launched a quadruple strike.
One blade… Two blades… Three blades… Four blades…
Such a continuous attack put great strain on the body, especially when it was in a situation like Campana's. Campana could handle it though; his opponent was usually the first one to crash.
His confidence stemmed from his non-stop daily training. He had always believed he could do it!
Bang bang bang…
Another triple strike was launched. Under those fierce attacks and the pressure, Wang Zheng's mech seemed a bit wobbly. Even though he managed to block them, his energy shield was reduced to half.
The eighth blade!
Bang…
Wang Zheng's mech stepped back from the attack. At this moment, both of their strength had been reduced by half. Whoever gave up first would lose.
Suddenly, as though he wasn't tired at all, a ninth blade struck out.
A direct attack had the shortest travelling distance. From the way it moved toward the cockpit, it could be seen as a powerful attack even to the naked eye.
This was Campana's Nine Continuous Lightning Strikes. This move hadn't ever been blocked by anyone!
In this crucial moment, Wang Zheng's mech reacted. He took a step back, kept his gaze up, and pulled off a difficult reverse bow.
Such a maneuver created a huge toll on the pilot's body. The force from moving backward which ran counter to the inertia was usually enough to cause a person to vomit blood.
Yet, at this distance…
Would he be able to dodge it?
A direct strike was the fastest and most effective, but it was also the easiest to see and react to.
At this distance, with that speed, it seemed like the strike would miss.
Would Campana's forever victorious move have its record broken today?
No one was clearer about the result than Campana. This distance was just perfect for Wang Zheng to dodge his attack.
But, he was Campana from Apollo College!
His mech trembled fiercely, then moved forward suddenly in an inconceivable manner. This was an attack done by pushing through the limits of the human body—a double strike!
There was no way for Wang Zheng to block this now.
The tenth blade!
This was Campana, the king who would never stop improving!
This attack similarly brightened the eyes of many of the observers. What they wanted to see was a Campana that was constantly improving, not one that stood still.
This was what they wanted.
A person with strong technical attributes and a heart that was never satisfied with the status quo.
Bang…
The whole stadium was stupefied. Campana's unblockable double strike had actually missed.
Wang Zheng's WE had its left hand clasped tightly around his opponent's wrist.
In this hopeless moment, how could he still think of this?
Even if he was able to think of it, how could his body actually keep up?
Zhang Shan and the others were so nervous that their bodies were drenched with sweat. Wang Zheng had actually grabbed hold of Campana!
Wang Zheng unleashed his strength in this instant and pulled Campana. This tug, along with the forward force from his missed strike, made Campana lose his balance.
Just as the two mecha exchanged this sequence of actions, Wang Zheng swept past with a backhanded blade.
A cold light shot past. Bang, bang, bang…
The defensive shield broke apart at this moment and the mech activated its emergency stop.
The two mecha stopped at the same time and everyone held their breaths. What had just happened in that blink of an eye?
Then a cockpit suddenly opened and Campana jumped out. His mech's head tilted forward and fell off.
Sparks flew everywhere.
The whole crowd was silent. The WE was designed to be a practice mech. In the instant when the energy shield disappeared, it should have shut down both mecha. However, it was clear that even the emergency system wasn't as fast as Wang Zheng's final attack.
As the two mecha exchanged blows, Wang Zheng's backhand strike was a high frequency triple strike.
This was a move which resulted from training the strength of the wrist and fingers.
On the battlefield, this would be designated a killing strike that would cause unimaginable damage.
"Ares College's Student Wang Zheng, wins!"
As the referee announced the result, all of the students in the stadium jumped and waved their arms in joy.
This was a heaven-defying rhythm!
✫ ✫ ✫
Jamal stood up and congratulated Gu Te. "Congratulations! Perhaps Ares College will be able to nurture a God of War."
"Thank you."
Only then did Gu Te regain his senses from the victory. Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined it would end like this today.
"Old friend, you are too modest. It wasn't nice of you to use your trump card only at this critical moment," said Adonis.
"Keke. Old friend, Lear has the potential to be a general. It seems there will be more competitions like this in the future!"
Both of them knew that with Campana's graduation, the new generation would belong to Ares College and Zeus College.
Adonis felt regretful. This college exchange was supposed to be Lear's stage and no one was supposed to be able to stop him. Who knew that fate would allow Wang Zheng to hog the limelight instead.
But for Lear, this was a great thing. He was simply too strong and had no equal. A suitable obstacle would help him develop further.
In the future, there would be many chances for them to fight each other.
Who knows? This Wang Zheng might be able to revive Ares College's glory.
✫ ✫ ✫
Right now, Wang Zheng was being tossed into the air by countless people.
Today, Wang Zheng was Ares College's hero!
He had allowed this old college to emit a new sense of vigor.
In the crowd, Masasi smiled slightly. Nearby, Lear glanced over and their eyes met. It seems the future would be very interesting.
Masasi's mission had been completed successfully. Lear was indeed very strong and he had a perfect disposition seeing how he wasn't angered by any of his teammates' mistakes. At the same time, he discovered another target, Wang Zheng.
The two stars of Earth.
They would lead to the rise of the Sol Federation, but who would become the true King of the Galaxy?
There was only one king in Masasi's head, and that was Aklutis Victor!
It had been a long time since everyone had tasted victory. Today there would definitely be a big celebration, one greater than the school's anniversary.
Wang Zheng would naturally be the star, but Ma Xiao, Masasi, Meng Tian, and Zhang Shan would also bask in the glory. This was a team. Had they lacked any one of them, they wouldn't have been able to achieve any of this.
As the battle ended, Meng Tian was hailed as the Beauty of the Battleground, a well-deserved title for the prettiest person in the school.
Wang Zheng actually wanted to have some alone time with Aina. However, it was impossible to achieve this while inside this exciting atmosphere.
He was the main star today and had already been surrounded and carried off by everyone.
Outside the crowd, Aina displayed an understanding smile. She was happy for Wang Zheng and believed he would become better and better as he fulfilled his dreams.
As for her, she had to leave eventually.
Every girl always dreamt of having a love they desired. However, not all love stories had a happy ending. For Aina, this was especially so.
She had gathered her courage and came here as she believed she would be able to control her emotions. As the future queen, she was trained this way from young. To put her country first, she had to control her own emotions.
However, when she looked at the invincible Wang Zheng who was currently trying to find her, she felt her heart softening. She knew Wang Zheng was looking for her. Yet she knew that at this moment, she should let him experience the joy of victory.
✫ ✫ ✫
Outside the school, an ordinary looking black magnetic levitation car appeared without a sound.
"Your highness, are we leaving?"
Aina nodded her head silently. Sometimes, she wondered how good it would be if she was just an ordinary person. To do what she liked, to rebel and enjoy to her heart's content.
What a shame. As a princess, such love could only be a luxury.
✫ ✫ ✫
"Hoho. Meng Tian and Wang Zheng are too compatible a match, just like the Prince and Princess in a fairy tale!" An Mei said as she ate.
Headmaster Gu Te was holding a banquet. Even though he was very old, he wasn't old-fashioned. After all, the students of Ares College needed an avenue to release their emotions.
Yan Xiaosu curled his lips. What a shame, boss already has a real princess.
"What is that look on your face? Even though Aina is pretty and has a great disposition, can it be eaten as rice? Don't say I'm biased, I have always felt she could never stay here for long. Furthermore, she was always very secretive about everything. Right, where is she? Why is she not here at this moment?"