Raymond's attack was unstoppable, with his piloting hand speed soaring to 500 CPM; the moment he stepped out, his seemingly effortless movements were already formed. Even if Jialong poured all his effort into a fight to the death, he couldn't gain the advantage in movement.

After all, the footwork he mastered was far less mature than Raymond's, and the gap in their respective abilities was significant. One was a unique ace in the military, while the other could only be considered an elite. A short burst of exertion might not show much difference, but as time passed, they differed in rhythm, stamina, and technical execution.

Fighting for life with life in a deathmatch is the most exhausting strategy. Caught in both mental and physical exertion, Jialong quickly showed signs of flagging stamina; his arms grew heavier, and sweat drenched his body...

No, if this continued, he would die here. He couldn't give up so easily, so with the intent to restrain from a distance, he tried to increase the space between them!

Boom!

The Knight's engines roared, but Raymond was faster. The moment Jialong maneuvered his mecha, Raymond had already taken the initiative to move forward, delivering a savage charge and slamming his shoulder hard against the chest of the Knight.

Every heart in the Hell's Gate spectator stands tensed to the utmost, worrying for their warrior. Could something go wrong? It was hard to say, as they saw the fallen Knight seemingly unable to rise again.

Observing his fallen opponent with cold indifference, Raymond didn't even bother to continue the attack. After all, he was the foremost of the twelve stars, and continuing to strike would feel beneath him.

Incredibly, Jialong managed to stand up once more and launched a second charge towards Raymond.

Hmph, since he ignored what was good for him, he couldn't blame Raymond for his merciless response. Despite their feud, it had nothing to do with a warrior's duel, but Raymond also had to consider public sentiment. If his opponent was so determined to court death, then he would oblige to the end.

Shi!

Raymond raised his Light Sword, and with a swift horizontal sweep, a figure streaked across the Light Screen, leaving only a fleeting afterimage...

This strike was exceedingly fast. Those paying attention would notice it was very similar to the starting motion of the Revenge Shadow Rider's Flame Dual Slash.

The Knight narrowly avoided being cleaved in half at its waist but wasn't far from it. With a series of electromagnetic sparks and sizzling noise, the mecha exploded in seconds, bursting into flames.

Before the battle's end could be declared, the medical staff at Hell's Gate, already prepared, dashed towards the inferno, hoping to be there in time. The fierce Flaming Liquor was so intense that it was uncertain if the person inside had been cooked.

There was silence in the spectator area of Hell's Gate. Zana had gone too far.

But with different stands and the notion of like for like, it was all logical. No one could be blamed. If you have the strength, you're welcome to fight back—that was the irrefutable truth to the outside world.

On the other hand, the crowds from Zana were cheering non-stop... They were applauding their hero, regardless of Kexiao, Revenge Shadow Rider, or others. To a select few, Raymond was the ultimate myth. The audience's reactions from the two major forces were starkly opposite, turning the area in what some called the Roaring Zone.

The Weibang faction's first battle had begun timely as well, but unlike the previous two, the fight was neither fierce nor could it even be described as lukewarm.

As common knowledge, as one of the twelve stars, Reiko could suppress Raymond to the point of frustration. She possessed what many called an ultimate defensive talent, capable of fending off any opponent's attacks. To date, no one had broken her defense in her entire career. Hence, Weibang officially ranked Reiko even higher than the top three stars because of her defensive prowess.

In Weibang's view, most people's understanding of mobile warriors focused on offense, overlooking the importance of defense. Without defense, how effective could a strong attack be? In the official expert evaluations from Weibang, Lily, Reiko's younger sister, had a talent already surpassing hers. But why, then, could Reiko become one of the twelve stars, yet Lily couldn't even be compared to them? Lily lacked even the qualifications to match the twelve stars.

The truth proved that while talent is important, the times also make heroes, and Lily was far from taking over Reiko's role on the battlefield. In this age focused on individual ability, Margaret's emergence was largely owed to her X Ability, and Dovir's reputation as the most promising genius was entirely due to his learning capacity.

No matter how talented Lily was, she could never achieve the level of defeating Reiko in combat—not once. This was the harsh reality. And if someone was considered the most likely to defeat Revenge Shadow Rider, Reiko was definitely a candidate.

If she could defeat Raymond, she could just as well overcome Jiu Ling and Sky Shadow. Although Reiko was modest and courteous in everyday life, the pride ingrained in her never changed. Her reserve was the reason why she never spoke of challenging Revenge Shadow Rider or any such provocation. But the Weibang Alliance was clear; she didn't fear Revenge Shadow Rider, and of course, Reiko was well aware of this.

Why? The reason was simple. Revenge Shadow Rider couldn't break through Reiko's defense. In a mecha duel, the offensive side often consumes more stamina than the defensive side. Moreover, as Revenge Shadow Rider was an explosive fighter, the dual drain on mental and physical stamina would only exponentially increase—essentially, Revenge Shadow Rider couldn't possibly defeat Reiko.

This isn't to say that the defensive side has more advantage; on the contrary, the advantage often lies with the attacker. But it's important to recognize that the conservation of stamina and maintaining it as a form of strength is significant, all the more so because Reiko naturally countered offensive warriors.

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