15 minutes later, Raymond gradually regained consciousness and sat up abruptly in the recovery hibernation cabin. After some time, he managed to clear his mind. He had lost; lost to Reiko, Reiko from Weibang who never showed off her skills.

But what mattered to him now wasn't winning or losing, but rather the exhilarating state he achieved earlier. He'd bet that in that state, he wouldn't lose to anyone.

Unfortunately, he had forgotten how to enter that state. Was it stimulation? Excitement? Or the physical limits that came at the end of excessive exertion? Regardless of what it was, he could figure it out through trial and error. Raymond quickly dressed and got up, deciding to try it out against a virtual opponent.

As for the victory, Weibang gave much praise to Reiko. It seemed that rumors aren't necessarily true. So-called rankings were just talk among common people. Those alliance forces, pffft, had probably exaggerated their piloting skills.

Back on the battleship, the one to greet Reiko was her younger sister's congratulations: "Sister, congratulations on defeating your opponent."

"Hehe, it was a close call."

"Pft, I didn't see anything close about it. If not for Raymond's last-minute outburst, he wouldn't have stood a chance. Seems like Jiu Ling's Sky Shadow, which is considered on par with him, is nothing special either."

Reiko just smiled and shook her head, not saying anything more. Even though she stopped talking, she was still overjoyed on the inside. Does this mean that her recent training was starting to show results?

"Lily, let's go watch the next battle."

"Why bother watching the ordinary Yate Federation Red Cloak? I could watch an entire episode of an anime series with that time."

"That's not the way to look at it, Lily. Arrogance is the beginning of failure, humility is the cornerstone of success. The Revenge Shadow Rider's undefeated record is because no matter who they face, they always observe their opponent carefully, give their all, and learn from them—of course, we will surpass it."

"Alright, alright, I get it, sis." It seems like every time something like this happens, her sister uses Revenge Shadow Rider to challenge her. Sure, she once lost to Revenge Shadow Rider, but she's not the same person anymore. Only what she sees with her own eyes is real. She doesn't believe any of the online rumors about Shadow Rider defeating so-and-so.

If possible, she really hoped for another chance to regain her dignity. Remembering that guy who humiliated her by defeating her single-handedly, caused Lily to sigh…

The long-anticipated second battle has now entered the mecha adjustment phase. The order of mecha introduction matters in a mecha fight. There's a saying that whoever rushes into the fight without a plan is doomed to fail. Understanding your opponents and adjusting accordingly are the paths to victory.

And this understanding lies in paying attention to details. Even if your opponent can nullify your moves, but you have control over the details and have analysed their weak points, you still have a chance to win. Because combat style isn't everything, it's only relative and never absolute.

So, studying Mirami's combat style is the main issue the Federation now faces. This battle is a showdown between the Red Cloak from the Yate Federation and Hell's Gate.

This issue has been bothering everyone from low-ranking soldiers to high-ranking officers. Some recommended Zhang Xiaobo, the chubby guy, for his explosive combat style that's able to match anyone. Although he lacks endurance, he is a big guy and can outlast regular explosive style fighters due to his body fat.

Furthermore, this shameless guy has an inherent advantage in battles against women. Partnered with his trash talk, he may indeed have an effect on Mirami.

However, Amelia laughed when she heard this. True, the fat guy's trash talk can be useful, but it depends on the person and the situation. Against Mirami, any inappropriate remarks would get him killed instantly.

Given this, there are also quite a few soldiers hoping for Elvis to fight. Elvis has a flexible and varied fighting style. He's known as a middle-of-the-road fighter who wouldn't exploit other's weaknesses and also that no one could exploit his, either. The downside is he doesn't have any special qualities. But the upside is that if there isn't a substantial difference in power, he can hold his own and won't lose too horribly.

Despite their camaraderie, both men wanted to fight and neither was willing to back down. Each of their supporters made their respective arguments. As the saying goes, "A man thinks his wife is right and a woman thinks her husband is right." This put Amelia in a difficult situation.

There are pros and cons for both fighters without knowing the other's style. The chances of victory are slightly higher for the chubby guy. Explosive style fighters can often land a critical blow that exceeds their usual limit, similar to a do-or-die situation. Either he is killed, or the opponent is. The Revenge Shadow Rider typifies this strike-first style. They tend to observe their opponents rather than attack. But once they strike, it typically ends the game. This was seen often during the Galactic Warfare.

As for Elvis, he does stand a chance but it's lower than the chubby guy. However, his advantage is that he has more endurance. Even if he loses, it wouldn't look too bad. Moreover, as long as he can hold on, his chance of winning increases with time while the chubby guy's chance of winning decreases over time. They were in quite opposite situations.

As both fighters wanted to showcase their skills, and they had their respective advantages, a unanimous decision was made by the crew of the Normandy fleet to end the selection with a clichéd lottery draw, given the circumstances.

Just then, the helmsman who was sitting at the navigation seat of the carrier abruptly proposed a solution. The two sisters seemed to be on the same page and suggested that both men should fight together. After all, the Normandy fleet doesn't have an elite Red Cloak, and neither of them were part of the twelve-star ranks. There is a power gap, so a two against one approach might be justified.

Amelia shook her head. While their suggestion made sense and there had been a similar precedent with the Haier Brothers battling the Revenge Shadow Rider during the Galactic Warfare, it happened domestically and their opponent was the Revenge Shadow Rider. No one would say a word if the Revenge Shadow Rider managed to duel two 12-star fighters at once as it could never be measured by conventional standards.

However, this fight was different. Even the powerful twelve-stars would struggle to fend off two red cloaks while piloting a similar model. Although there's only one additional fighter on this side, the concept of two fighters is definitely more than one plus one. Not to mention, this involves the face of the Federation.

Amelia gave out a sigh of lament. If only Feng Yi were here. Without him, they were left with no choice but to use voting to make the selection. So really, she never held high hopes for this battle.

Meanwhile, all officers in the battleship's captain's office began their selection...

3 minutes later, the final tally came to 73 votes for Elvis, and 56 for the chubby guy. Of course, people also took into consideration the consequences of using trash talk.

Upon hearing the news, a big smile appeared on Elvis' face. He walked up to the chubby guy, patted his shoulder, and said, "Bro, you're stronger than me, it's just that your luck wasn't as good. Cheer me on, okay?"

Damn it, I...!@#￥%...&*

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