Yes, if Apophis had wanted to reach the White Robe Level, he could have done it long ago, but why did he choose to solidify his domain at the pinnacle of Red Cloak? It wasn't that he didn't want to ascend, but rather, it was based on the correct advice given by Feng Yi, which fitted his combat style. Declaring himself an all-around warrior, he had also been guided by the Legion Commander on how to attack. When it came to offense, he feared nothing.

All of a sudden, Apophis's gaze cleared, and the broken chains of his genes seemed to reassemble at this very moment. With a battle cry, he advanced instead of retreating, unleashing an impact that won him the upper hand. The slash of his blade turned into a phantom strike, and even Dovir, who had been in a suppressing state with the Phantom Double Sword Strike, was swept aside by a single horizontal blow from Apophis and sent tumbling into the distance.

Dovir's face was nearly pressed against the console, revealing the tremendous force of that single strike – how many times stronger it must be than the Phantom Double Sword Strike was anyone's guess. Normally, someone who is suppressed would not be able to instantly break free because the suppressor would be stacking their offensive moves one after another, pushing their opponent to that state. Unless the adversary was not giving it their all, it would be impossible to break the pattern so suddenly.

But Apophis achieved it in that instant. His body had to withstand a gravitational force close to 30 times normal. Of course, this load was only momentary, and if it had lasted a few more seconds, Apophis would have been in danger. However, this explosive performance instantly dissolved Dovir's suppression, clearly showing that Apophis's potential was far from being simple on the surface.

"What kind of drugs has this guy taken?" Dovir was startled and frightened, but fear didn't solve anything. Instead, he became calmer. Considering that his opponent had been fighting for nearly an hour, plus the few minutes against himself, he probably didn't have much energy left. As long as he could just hold on for a few more minutes, the troops behind should be able to catch up, and he had no worries at all.

The Military Department was also closely monitoring the two combatants at this very moment. It had to be said that the troops currently pursuing were almost exclusively from Icebird's local forces. Waiting for inland reinforcements would take some time, but there was a saying that went "catch the thief by catching the king." Dovir believed that the main enemy forces would not flee as long as they could pin down this enemy commander.

At the same time, Dovir was also using linguistic formulas to interfere with Apophis through the communicator; his voice was filled with scorn, "Is this all you've got? Show me your full strength."

Apophis laughed upon hearing this. Heh, the little kid who was still in the military academy now knows how to wage psychological warfare. How could he be defeated by such petty tricks? "You're still no match for me as you are now. Watch this," he declared.

No sooner had he spoken than the Assembly 9th Generation charged again, rushing forward with incredible speed.

But as a warrior, what is most indispensable is the ability to see the whole battlefield, and Dovir was a rare genius among his peers, hailed as the new generation's Twelve Star General following Sky Shadow. He had already noticed that his opponent, despite his airy words, had noticeably slowed – a sign of being at the end of his rope due to insufficient strength.

Dovir simply raised his sword to parry and blocked Apophis's charge, recoiling slightly, but it was clear that Apophis's recoil was greater than Dovir's.

Despite this, the Assembly 9th Generation didn't stop. Instead, each stroke followed rapidly, each more urgent than the last, as if once this line of attack ceased, he wouldn't have the strength to launch such a charge again.

The Six-winged Angel mecha's interior trembled continuously, and Dovir only felt his hands go numb. But he knew, the opponent's situation must be worse than his own. After a bout of surging blood and energy, the Assembly 9th Generation finally halted its motion.

"Is defense all you can do?" asked Apophis.

"Don't try to bluff. You've already run out of strength to continue the attack, haven't you?"

The sound of Dovir's voice immediately made Apophis frown. He fell silent... indeed befitting a new generation of young Star General, Dovir had guessed his intentions in an instant.

Dovir was right; rather than call the previous remark a provocation, it was better to say he was using the interval to recover his strength. Although Apophis's voice remained calm, as if nothing was wrong, his facial expression was far uglier than his tone suggested. If he hadn't been deliberately suppressing his breathing, his condition would be no different from an athlete who had just finished a long-distance run.

"Whether the armor will hold up is something we'll only know after we try. Come at me if you're ready."

Dovir snorted coldly, "You're just showing off your verbal skills, but I have to admit, the Flame Legion really is a den of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. I can't believe that besides General Feng Yi, there exists another expert like you."

"What are you getting at?"

"Surrender now. You're no match for me at this moment," Dovir shifted his tone, speaking earnestly, "After all, you're a soldier of the Federation, just following orders. I think the Military Department won't make things difficult for you."

Upon hearing this, Apophis couldn't help but let out a self-deprecating chuckle. To be looked down upon by a junior who was younger than him – he was also a warrior of the Flame Legion, after all. How could he just surrender? "We'll see if you have the ability to back up those words."

Boom! The Assembly 9th Generation engine burst into flames, Apophis leading a second assault, embodying the Flame Legion's spirit of never admitting defeat as he charged once again.

Dovir shook his head; since it had come to this, he wouldn't be blamed for being ruthless. The Six-winged Angel also launched its strongest attack, the Phantom Double Sword Strike... The moment they clashed, Dovir suddenly withdrew his swords; it had just been a feint.

This move was dire for Apophis. He had mustered all his strength, determined to throw it all into one clash. Even if he couldn't overpower the enemy, he at least wouldn't be suppressed instantly. Little did he know that Dovir, certain of his waning strength, would throw a feint. It was like throwing a punch after a full sprint, only to miss and fall forward, you not only reveal your expended strength but your vulnerabilities as well. This was fatally detrimental to Apophis in his current condition.

Although the Flame soldiers appeared unflustered on the surface, they were in fact covertly ready to intervene at any moment since Apophis's mecha was at no advantage. But as it turned out to be a feint, the unprepared soldiers couldn't even raise their guns in time...

Luckily, Apophis was not a warrior in name only. Realizing he'd lunged at thin air, he didn't even look back as he swung another blade towards Dovir...

Clang! The blade didn't connect but was instead swept aside and lifted by the opponent, sending his titanium alloy sword flying. The importance of a weapon to a warrior can't be overstated. Even if Apophis had a bit more energy left, he wouldn't have been disarmed so easily, which also showed that he indeed had no strength left.

Only then did the Six-winged Angel begin to demonstrate the true Phantom Double Sword Strike. After one strike, it took a misstep, closed the distance swiftly, and thrust forward. His combo now could deliver more than 200 consecutive hits.

Forget about 200; it was a question if Apophis could even block this one attack.

Just as the Flame warrior was utterly unable to lock on and shoot in that critical moment, the Zeus Shield suddenly emitted a ray of white light, instantly repelling Dovir, who was pressing in closely.

But it was only for an instant. Dovir, knowing the strength of his opponent, could not let such an opportunity pass by. Before he could advance again, another laser was fired, then a third. The precise targeting completely blocked off the positions he attempted to move towards.

This… this was too precise. An ordinary soldier could never achieve such accuracy. If the first shot might have been aimed in advance, the second shot seemed to have an element of luck. But it couldn't be luck all over again with the third. Besides, this person's rate of fire was terrifying—apparently, an explosive combatant, the interval between three continuous locked shots was barely a second. Who could this be?

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