Chapter 260: Turning Up the Intensity

Depuya's dagger grazed past Perkins's throat; Perkins leaned back nimbly, barely dodging it, yet a bloodstain appeared on his neck. The next second, Perkins's leg kicked toward Depuya's vitals. Depuya twisted his body to dodge, but his positioning was too wide, and Perkins landed a two-stage switch-leg staggered kick on Depuya. However, a warning sign appeared for Perkins—had this kick actually landed?

Although Depuya cursed with his mouth, he was very clear about Perkins's strength. This guy had been just a little bit stronger than him since the Apocalypse days. To win against him, he couldn't avoid using extraordinary means. He took a hit head-on, his body in intense pain, but he cut straight in to break Perkins's safety distance, making his footwork advantage impossible to utilize. It was a fight to the death!

The Titanium Blade in his hand struck at Perkins's vitals with every move; it was a completely desperate fighting style—either die, or die together! With Depuya cutting into his center, Perkins fell into a flurry of panic and was completely forced into passive defense. The Titanium Blades collided incessantly, creating a series of explosions.

Outsiders could only see a continuous blur of blade shadows; how was this a sparring match?

Everyone was watching this heart-stopping exchange! One careless move and one could lose their life at any moment. Compared to Mad Dog Perkins, it felt like Depuya was even crazier, but the expressions of Aofei and the others became even more grave.

The Titanium Blades crossed again, and the two fell into a test of strength. Their crimson eyes met, and the killing intent grew even stronger.

*Screech—* The Titanium Blades drew out a string of sparks. Depuya switched to a reverse blade, sticking to his opponent. Perkins wanted to control the distance, but his opponent was most skilled at close-quarters combat. He relied entirely on flexible footwork and the blocking of his Titanium Blade, but he was in a precarious position.

Both were dancing on the edge of a blade, leaving everyone watching in a daze. They also sparred, but they all used wooden blades; even wooden blades could kill someone, and if they landed, it would at least result in a fracture. These two were fighting with such overwhelming killing intent that one would think they had some deep-seated grudge.

However, those who had participated in the Apocalypse saw no change, because that was how they trained back then. Even if there was no grudge, they fought like this. Moreover, back then the Four Great Federations had factional divisions, and combined with different styles, the killing intent between team members was to be expected when confrontation was deliberately created.

Back when they were eliminated in the Apocalypse, many people were severely injured or even died. Thinking about it now, those days were truly problematic.

*Swish... * After a round of wild attacks, Depuya finally succeeded. A strike sliced across Perkins's chest, leaving a bloodstain, but Perkins also opened up the distance. With a contraction of his muscles, the wound actually stopped bleeding on its own, leaving only a red mark.

Wiping the blood from the wound, Perkins hunched his body, his expression somewhat ferocious. "Depuya, you couldn't beat me before, and you can't beat me even more now. Fighting for your life is useless."

Depuya licked the blood off his dagger. "Is that so!"

Depuya suddenly launched himself, rushing straight toward Perkins, but after a few meters, Depuya's figure suddenly flickered and vanished, disappearing in full view of everyone.

*Clang, clang, clang, clang... * Suddenly, a series of explosions rang out, sparks flying everywhere. Perkins seemed to have lost his earlier confidence, his eyes incomparably grave. This was the ability Depuya gained upon entering the Golden Zone—invisibility. It was a power that only gifted Warriors could produce, like Ma Long's luminescence.

Perkins, who had just been a bit smug about having grasped the rhythm of Depuya's attacks, suddenly fell into a state of total passivity. Having lost track of his opponent, he was no different from a blind man. Gone was his earlier composure; he dodged in a disheveled manner, while the titanium dagger could take his life at any moment.

Perkins's team members watched in a daze. After the Golden Zone awakens, the most common manifestations are actually improvements in basic levels like speed, strength, and agility. Special abilities are relatively rare, and an ability like invisibility was appearing for the first time.

Fortunately, this ability could not yet be brought onto a Mecha; otherwise, it would truly be terrifying.

Lu Donglei was actually somewhat pleasantly surprised. This ability of Depuya's was definitely not useless; it had great utility. With the integration of the Golden Zone and K23, the Super Mecha and Super Warrior projects of the Four Great Federations were all underway, just not yet announced to the public. This S Tournament would also see major changes.

*Bang! * Although Perkins blocked the Titanium Blade, he was kicked flying by Depuya. Perkins, having taken a hit head-on, scrambled to open up the distance. Looking around with a dirt-covered face, Perkins's body shrank, like a startled deer.

*Bang~~~*

*~~~Bang, bang, bang! *

The Titanium Blades collided violently again. Depuya's figure appeared in a flicker, but his attack failed to land. He immediately opened up the distance, and soon his figure vanished again. His ability would be revealed during the exchange but would recover once he disengaged from the fight. This ability was simply too cheap; he would pull away immediately after a failed strike, while the opponent had to remain in a state of tension at all times. This torment alone was enough to make an opponent collapse.

The others were also watching intently. In fact, experts like Chao Qinglong remained very calm, seemingly unimpressed by this kind of ability.

Perkins in the arena, though looking a bit unsightly, had regained his calm. He didn't move randomly, his ears twitching every now and then, and a trace of smugness appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Suddenly, a weapon rack not far away fell, and Depuya rushed out rapidly from the side. Perkins immediately blocked it precisely with his dagger, and Depuya was revealed.

Lu Donglei couldn't help but nod. The Six Dragons were worthy of being the Six Dragons. Perkins's ear twitching was likely a deliberate attempt to confuse his opponent; he was actually relying on Mental Power locking to judge the position. Within a few rounds of exchanges, he had grasped Depuya's movement trajectory. Once in the Golden Zone, the eyes were the least reliable.

However, just at this moment, another dagger had already stabbed toward Perkins's abdomen. Clearly, Depuya had not underestimated Perkins; at some point, Depuya had obtained another dagger, completely unnoticed.

It was a matter of life and death. Perkins's body shifted rapidly. Although he didn't completely dodge this blade, it didn't cause a fatal wound; the dagger only pierced in a little. Depuya pursued with all his might; for a Light Type pilot, once they caught the prey's weakness, it was a fight to the death. This was their only chance.

Clearly, high-speed movement beyond the norm was Perkins's ability. After awakening the Golden Zone, he had gained faster speed, but compared to invisibility, it seemed to fall a bit short.

But Perkins, who was facing a desperate situation as Depuya closed in, remained unhurried. The red light in his pupils flared, followed by the red light covering his entire body. Flames burned fiercely on his body, his aura violent.

Golden Zone Second Stage—Burning Will! *Boom... * A single Mental Blast blocked Depuya's offensive. Depuya gritted his teeth, forcing himself to swallow the blood that had reached his throat. At a time like this, stopping meant death.

But three consecutive Mental Blasts completely disrupted Depuya's offensive. Once one entered Burning Will, there was a gap in the rank of Mental Power. The next second, Perkins began his counterattack. With a *crushing* sound, his figure disappeared, immediately appearing beside Depuya. Depuya gritted his teeth and crashed straight in; he was ignoring the attacks entirely, intending to trade lives with Perkins.

But how could Perkins play a life-for-a-life game with Depuya? The figure Depuya pierced was just an afterimage. *Pop, pop, pop, pop... * Accompanied by four explosions, four Perkins figures burning with red light appeared instantly, killing toward Depuya.

Phantom Dance Four-Sided Kill! Depuya froze for an instant, rushing straight toward the one in front. These afterimages were very realistic, but Depuya's mental perception told him that the one in front of him was the real body! *Swish... * The dagger stabbed into empty air. The next second, Depuya felt his body suffer a heavy blow. Without any reaction, his pupils contracted violently before dilating, and he fell straight to the ground.

The entire arena was silent. This was the might of the Six Dragons. Perkins's personality had offended many people, but his strength was solid and real.

Perkins threw his dagger away and smugly shook his hands. Just as he was about to say a few sarcastic words, his neck suddenly felt cold. Sensing a gaze, he looked back and saw Li Hao looking at him with a half-smile. In an instant, his whole body felt like it had fallen into an ice cellar, and his body felt uncomfortable. He was all too familiar with this look; ever since Li Hao returned, he would sometimes dream of it in his nightmares.

Perkins hurriedly lowered his head and coughed a few times, ending the scene sheepishly. Before Chao Qinglong beat Li Hao, he still had to keep a low profile.

The other members of the Calf Team were cheering and roaring, because Perkins had been accused of cowardice at the Near-Earth Orbit Base. Along the way, the team members had been mocked by strange looks, saying things like Calf was no longer good, that Perkins was a coward, and that he didn't deserve to be one of the Six Dragons...

Perkins was not only one of the Six Dragons but also their Team Leader. Having to hold it in was truly painful. They were one of the great teams; when had they ever suffered such grievances? This time, they had finally held their heads high.

Especially since the one they defeated was Depuya, who spent all day spraying nonsense on the EMP. This time...

... he finally shut up.

In the Mid-Season Tournament, only strength could win respect; all stories and legends were bullshit.

Perkins didn't act smug upon returning, which was rare, but Luo Dongsheng and Cang Gongtian still expressed their congratulations. This battle had saved face, though it had also exposed his strength: Burning Will + Extreme Speed Phantom Step.

Very strong, but there was a chance to win.

Curtis also nodded, which was rare. Regardless, entering Burning Will made him worthy of the Six Dragons title. Depuya's ability was somewhat useless; it was fine for one-on-one, but basically useless in Mecha combat, not to mention he hadn't even reached Burning Will. Who knew what he was acting so arrogant about all day, spraying everywhere? Now he was finally completely quiet.

The pressure on the Tianjing side was now immense. If Aofei's Round Table Knights couldn't beat the Dome Royal, Tianjing would be directly eliminated... No, wait, even if the Round Table Knights won, how were they going to fight North Caro? Huo Ying and Zuo Xiaotang still had to go up, how was this going to work??? Would being directly eliminated be a relief?

This battle still made Lu Donglei slightly satisfied. Depuya wasn't that weak; he was already very close to Burning Will, and his ability was also very useful. It was just that Perkins was stronger and better prepared; it was clear that Perkins still had strength in reserve.

Although one couldn't say they could defeat the NUP, the direction and path were correct. The purpose of the centralized training was to confirm the training direction, let the experts collide constantly, break through bottlenecks, and lay the foundation for the S Tournament.

At the same time, seeing the expressions of all the team members, this process of being able to appreciate the exchanges between experts was also a great experience for them.

"Second match, Round Table Knights Team versus Dome Royal Team."