[1-200] THE MECH TOUCH

Chapter 102: Cutting Edge

Like a melted knife through butter, the sword impaled the Brandmark with ease and severed many essential components. The rest of the Executioner frame collided against the Brandmark, causing both mechs to sustain heavy impact damage. Nevertheless, a lot of the force had been channeled into the sword, causing its tip to emerge from the back of the Brandmark.

"..CUT!" Lovejoy yelled as his damaged mech tried to leverage as much force as possible while still in midair.

The Executioner's flight system had performed miracles so far by keeping the mech aloft. When Lovejoy cut off all of its power, the remnants of the mech started to fall while maintaining a tight grip on its sword.

The edge of the sword ruthlessly sliced down the helpless Brandmark like a butcher's knife. The massive sword spliced open its lower torso, cutting straight through the cockpit and engines.

The crowd cheered at the brief but intense clash. The commentators briefly showered Lovejoy with praise for his expert piloting before turning back to the other duels.

Ves let out a deep breath. He won his first duel. Though the terrain heavily favored his opponent's mech, Lovejoy somehow managed to overturn the odds. If not for his flight system and if not for the Brandmark's complete reliance on lasers, this match might have ended differently.

"This.. this isn't possible! There's so much water! How could my Brandmark fail to shoot down that primitive mech?!"

And so fell another darling from Leemar. Lachlan Kurbanov's journey to the top had ended abruptly. The two other copies of the Brandmark were destined to be recycled.

His loss of composure disgraced his school. Many spectators who stood close to the waiting room pointed out his delirious descent into disbelief. Those who also studied at Leemar simply shook their heads. Though they favored the alumni from their school, it was his fault for being too weak.

"Sometimes, I wonder whether the single duel format is flawed." Ves remarked to Patricia as he turned away from Lachlan's display. "It's a complete roll of the dice whether the terrain favors your mech, or whether it is facing its natural counter."

Patricia smiled as she kept her eyes glued to her heavy mech. Many of the duels were still starting out.

The instance where Lovejoy and Kwong tried to force a quick resolution did not happen elsewhere. The pilots played conservatively whenever they could get away with it. They only started to take risks when their opponents backed them into a corner.

"The duels are never meant to be fair. They are meant to be decisive." Patricia finally pointed out. "The pilot only has to worry about how to use the tools at hand. Tools which you have generously provided them. After all, what are we here for if not designing mechs?"

A mech designer did not fight the enemy on the battlefield. Instead, they worked behind the scenes. They were not omniscient and could not predict the future. All they could do is gather as much information as possible and prepare their designs according to the parameters set by their clients.

The first set of duels ended after a few moments of time. Most of the mechs faced their equals in terms of design and piloting skill. Every pilot wanted to attain glory, so even the losers fought as if their lives were on the line.

Only twelve designs remained. Surprisingly, Patricia's heavy mech also eked out a victory. Together with Ves, they were all that was left of the so-called walkers. Like Barakovski, the rest of the survivors came from privileged backgrounds.

"This is interesting! Both of our exotic guests are from the Bright Republic!" The female commentator noted with bright eyes. "They even shared the same classes in the same school! Might there be something special brewing between the two? Is that the secret to their success?"