Taking advantage of the moment before Jennifer closed in again, Lina paused to think. In this pattern of engagement, Jennifer clearly held the advantage—she took fewer risks yet had more opportunities. Should she continue like this, waiting for a slim chance, or take a gamble to break the deadlock?
In the end, Lina chose to risk it. Dragging this out would not guarantee she had more energy left than Jennifer, and more importantly, Lina preferred to seize victory through aggressive offense.
She recalculated her plan in her mind, checking for any oversight. This strategy would only give her one chance—once her intention was exposed, there would be no second attempt.
Lina adjusted the high-frequency blade, switching it to her left hand. EVA began advancing toward Max, launching a new assault.
EVA’s speed increased steadily—faster than at any previous moment in the match. As she closed in, Jennifer finally hurled the flying hammer. It spun forward with a violent gust, smashing toward EVA.
EVA twisted aside to evade and continued forward. Max yanked the chain, and the hammer whipped back, streaking toward EVA’s back. By now, the distance between the two mechs had shrunk to just over twenty meters.
The hammer shot in like a meteor toward EVA’s back. Up to this point, EVA had always evaded by changing direction or using engine bursts—but this time, Lina made a “mistake.” She only managed a partial sidestep. Her right arm failed to avoid the returning hammer, which slammed into it. With a sharp *bang*, the claw inside the hammer deployed and locked firmly onto EVA.
Jennifer was stunned. For a split second, she nearly forgot what to do next.
She had never expected such a simple strike to actually capture EVA. In her plan, this attack was merely to drain EVA’s energy and wear Lina down—the decisive moment had yet to come. Given EVA’s earlier agility, this hit should have been avoidable.
But now that the hammer had connected, there was no need to retreat. Jennifer immediately moved Max to tighten the chain, preparing to immobilize EVA and deliver a crushing blow.
Yet the moment the claw secured EVA’s arm, everything changed.
Whether it was delayed reaction or deliberate intent, Lina suddenly triggered an engine burst—but not to escape. Instead, EVA shot toward Max’s rear flank.
At lightning speed, EVA circled behind Max. Without pause, another burst activated, sending EVA darting to the opposite side. She began moving in a near-uncontrolled blur, weaving rapidly around Max.
Jennifer couldn’t understand what Lina was doing. Since EVA wasn’t attacking directly, she didn’t initiate evasive bursts. In just a few seconds, EVA had already circled Max two or three times.
Only then did Jennifer realize what was happening—and why Lina hadn’t attacked.
From the aerial viewing box, the situation was crystal clear. Lina had risked enormous energy consumption by chaining multiple engine bursts together.
While bursts granted incredible speed, they rarely resulted in accurate strikes. The duration was too short—usually under a second—and the velocity made precise targeting difficult. They were typically used for evasion or retreat.
But Lina had exploited that very speed to wind Max’s own chain around it several times. Now, EVA’s right hand gripped one end of the chain, while the other remained in Max’s grasp.
After the final burst, EVA pulled sharply. The chain snapped tight in an instant. Jennifer, now fully aware, tried to spin free—but she was just a fraction too slow. With a heavy *bang*, Max’s limbs were yanked inward and locked together, and the massive mech crashed to the ground.
Lina didn’t hesitate. EVA surged forward toward the fallen Max.
Jennifer attempted an engine burst, but bound by the chain, Max couldn’t escape—not far, not fast.
After only a short lurch forward, Lina caught up. EVA’s knee slammed down onto Max’s bulky frame with a thunderous impact. Then, the high-frequency blade in her left hand drove precisely into Max’s head—now completely defenseless.
Within seconds, the blade sliced clean through, destroying the neural control core. Max’s limbs went limp, collapsing helplessly onto the arena floor.
EVA leapt lightly away, retracting the blade, and walked calmly toward the platform. The match was over.
Lina had delivered only a single decisive strike to Max’s head. She didn’t follow up with additional attacks. She knew Jennifer no longer had any means to resist—and more importantly, Jennifer herself was unharmed. A clean, efficient victory—exactly Lina’s style.
“Hahaha, I lost again.” Laughter from Emperor Hogan echoed through the viewing chamber. No one had expected the match to end so abruptly.
What had seemed evenly matched moments ago concluded in total defeat in an instant. Among masters—whether gladiators or mech fighters—victory and defeat are decided in a heartbeat. One mistake, one hesitation, is enough to lose everything.
“I’ll give you another thousand slaves,” the Emperor declared.
“Your Majesty, forget the slaves. Just return my starship to me,” Belina seized the chance to raise the issue.
“No, that’s a separate matter.” The Emperor shook his head. “That’s under Frederick’s authority. You should speak to him.”
Belina knew he was evading the issue. He had no intention of returning the ship. After all, a starship was worth far more than slaves—and her Kingdom of Klarkmi had upgraded vessels for the Empire free of charge. Keeping the old ship was hardly justifiable.
Still, she couldn’t openly challenge him now, but neither could she let it drag on. “Your Majesty, when will General Frederick return? I’ve been waiting quite some time.”
“Soon. Within a week at most,” the Emperor replied. “You know he wouldn’t miss the mech finals—he loves them.”
“Oh, that would be the last day of the Carnival?” Belina calculated.
“Exactly. You’ll meet him then.”
