On the imaging device, Xia Mu watched as Thunderbolt approached the Snowfield Zone, a sly smile crossing his lips. He suddenly commanded the Mecha to accelerate, determined to intercept him immediately. The fire control locked onto Thunderbolt's main body, releasing a barrage of firepower. He tried to cause as much disruption to Thunderbolt as possible.

A string of alarms sounded from the Device C as the Counterattacker suddenly sped up. Apophis, sitting inside the Mecha, also smiled—Xia Mu was indeed experienced in combat, but who was Apophis?

At that moment, Thunderbolt's body instantly rotated and retaliated with three rapid shots. The Counterattacker, in its swift motion, raised its hand to strike back. Among the three shots was a direct positional lock from Thunder God's laser weapon, forcing Xia Mu to dodge in one direction helplessly.

As the beast rotated and fired, a roaring sound of engines at full power turned into a streak of silver light. It raced towards the opposite direction of the town at a speed much faster than before…

"No good, his target is the city, I've been careless!" Xia Mu realized instantly. All of Apophis's actions were a feint. Knowing he couldn't shake the super-soldier with maneuverability, Apophis executed a misdirection tactic—so cunning! This increased the distance between them, but it wasn't beyond pursuit.

The engines of the Counterattacker resounded like thunder, shooting toward Thunderbolt's location in an instant. He simultaneously raised the protective shield, determined to hold back his opponent even if it meant facing Thunderbolt's attacks head-on at the city's outskirts.

However, with the distance already extended, catching up was not going to be easy. The Mecha's acceleration, though extremely short, couldn't achieve instant maximum speed.

At this moment, Thunderbolt, like a white lightning, performed consecutive ground leaps and frequency changes in its micro-maneuvers, along with multiple stealth tactics. Each leap would often end at some cover, only to immediately change direction and accelerate—the complexity of the maneuvers exceeded a difficulty of 9.0. Under such inertia, the Counterattacker, despite its rapid chase, nearly lost track of Thunderbolt twice.

Boom!

Just as Thunderbolt reached the city's edge, the Counterattacker arrived belatedly, finally catching up with the former.

Unfortunately, numerous buildings still stood at the city edge. If long-range weapons were used for coverage, the dense barrage would likely become natural cover for the target—just short of a hit! With this realisation, Xia Mu decisively drew his Light Sword and slashed down from the sky.

At this moment, Thunderbolt, like lightning, ignored the Counterattacker's two residual shadows and hid behind a skyscraper.

This place was not suited for his own combat. Seeing that his initial strike missed, Xia Mu reflexively controlled the Counterattacker to take flight, maximizing his field of view.

Whoosh…

Before the Counterattacker could ascend, a sudden white light appeared, swift as a bullet. Thunderbolt had quietly leapt to the 8th-floor roof of a building. Then, with a second leap, he swung out his steel claws, instantly knocking down the Counterattacker, which was still rising.

To be precise, he swept at the waist of the Counterattacker. Under the effect of inertia, the Counterattacker's body immediately lost balance.

However, with Xia Mu's rich experience, he anticipated possible mishaps as the Mecha ascended. He quickly reacted, counterattacking with a lightning kick that struck Thunderbolt's hastily defensive steel claws.

Xia Mu could not allow his target to vanish again. Though the super-soldier Mecha boasted superior performance, being in the city brought many restrictions. If the opponent escaped his line of sight again, his situation would become highly unfavorable.

Xia Mu's expression grew unprecedentedly solemn, hastily adjusting the Mecha's balance.

At that very moment, Thunderbolt landed. In an instant, a thick red beam, as wide as a barrel, slashed downward.

Apophis involuntarily gasped when he saw the beam, knowing a direct hit like that could mean death. Without a moment's hesitation after his successful sneak attack, he turned and sped toward the city center, showing no intentions of a direct confrontation.

"Damn it, the more I hate something, the more the enemy uses it," Xia Mu gritted his teeth in frustration. Yet, he couldn't stop pursuing; the superiority of his super-soldier model was clear, and if both were to disengage and drag out the fight, he would be deemed the loser after a certain period due to the scoring system.

Hmph, even so, he still held an absolute advantage and immediately chased after Apophis with the Counterattacker.

Ssshhh...

Two bolts of lightning shuttled continuously between the buildings. At this point, Xia Mu could not afford to be selective, firing wherever possible since the Thunderbolt model had weak armor. Frankly, even the splash from his main cannon could penetrate the external armor if the angle was right.

Amidst the booming of the cannons, Apophis, refusing to dodge, was also approaching a potential counterattack position. Their movements fast enough to catch a bullet, they wove rapidly through the fairly sized city, constraining each other.

In less than 10 minutes, both had raced around half the city numerous times, the Counterattacker barely escaping death after several sneak attacks.

The Thunderbolt model also faced several irreversible crises, especially at the moment Apophis leaped into the moat, so intensely focused he could hardly spare attention to his surroundings.

Whenever the Thunderbolt vanished into the buildings, it was the most dangerous for the Counterattacker, for he had to actively seek out his opponent. When the Counterattacker caught up to the Thunderbolt, their roles rapidly switched, creating a highly engaging dynamic of mutual exhaustion, testing not just their piloting skills but their comprehensive insight and focus.

This battle had indeed become more thrilling than the fight itself, and by now, as they entered the top 32, each contestant's battle was spectacular, not to be missed.

The people in the Federation's viewing area clenched their fists. "Come on, warriors from the Blazing Legion!" they cheered. Meanwhile, countless viewers in the Saudi area watched with utmost anxiety, their expressions tense. At this moment, there was no more mockery between the spectators, only an overt tension.

The battle, which commenced at 8 AM, lasted until noon, resembling a monumental epic war film. After three hours of high-intensity exertion, even the commentators were parched and visually fatigued, let alone the two contestants still fighting.

Yet no one wanted to leave; they all wished to support their warriors to the very end, demonstrating an unyielding spirit, even in potential defeat.

Xia Mu's arms felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead. He hadn't anticipated such a stubborn opponent. Interesting, so interesting! But he would not concede. This battle was his alone, and even in death, he had to fight to the end. He was, after all, a super-soldier from Saudi, and piloting such a machine, it would be weak to give up so easily!

With full dynamic speed, the Counterattacker released its energy. At that moment, Xia Mu forgot all caution, his eyes burning solely with the will to fight, almost visibly insane with the need to close in on his opponent. He powered through, demolishing numerous buildings in a headstrong charge, brandishing his Light Sword as he rapidly closed in on Apophis.

Indeed, as the one pursuing, Xia Mu's energy expenditure was greater than Apophis's; it was clear the opponent had reached his physical and mental limits, otherwise, he would not charge so recklessly. Witnessing this, Apophis forcefully marshaled his spirit and directed his Mecha to meet the charge head-on.

Yes, his condition was no better than Xia Mu's, his vision blurry, his breathing heavy, sweat soaking through his body. Yet Apophis refused to give up, for the honor of his legion and the future of the Sherman family.

If death was a type of awakening, what he carried was a burden heavier than death itself.

In that instant, the beast that had been constantly retreating suddenly turned the defense into an offense, transforming in a blink into a white comet that shot toward Xia Mu...

Boom, a black cloud that could not be extinguished exploded in the middle of the battlefield.

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