Chapter 376: No Weaknesses

The mechas roared as the Yaoying and the Underworld Fire Fighter launched their assault simultaneously. Basta's composure and Aofei's agility were both peerless. Both sides were fighting to seize the rhythm; there was no absolute contrast of superior or inferior styles, but rather, whoever could drag their opponent into their own rhythm would gain the upper hand in such a confrontation.

The speed-advantaged Yaoying had an edge in this regard, and Aofei's Yaoying Athena was, after all, the Solar System's number one Athena.

The Titanium Blades crossed repeatedly. Aofei did not clash head-on with Basta but instead used technical maneuvering, constantly playing with space and positioning, searching for any potential flaws in the Underworld Fire Fighter. The strength of God of War Maxis lay in his unstoppable attacks, while Basta's was his impregnable defense; yet, the defender was in an offensive stance, while the attacker, Aofei, constantly shifted her position.

After a round of warm-ups, neither side had found any obvious openings in their opponent. Through several defensive counter-clashes, Basta also discovered that Aofei was not weak in strength, and her combat capability was equally top-tier.

Unlike the passion of Luo Bi, Basta and Aofei both possessed very calm temperaments. Both sides simultaneously entered Burning Will. The Yaoying's Oath Sword pointed toward the Underworld Fire Fighter, and the mechas roared.

*Shing. *

The Yaoying lunged forward, engines blasting. Flash Strike! The Oath Sword in her hand erupted with red light, instantly shrouding the Nether Fire Genesis.

Athena Gale Assault!

Aofei did not possess Gale Ability, but her lunge and strike speed were faster and more ferocious than any Gale Ability user, and it possessed an indescribable fluidity. Basta's Titanium Shield was raised instantly, forming a dual defense with the Underworld Blade in his hand.

A violent series of titanium-clashing sounds rang out as dense, raindrop-like strikes constantly hammered against Basta's defensive system. Red flames exploded. The Underworld Blade and Titanium Shield formed an airtight defensive net. The Underworld Fire Fighter fought steadily, advancing step by step while constantly shifting positions to pull the Yaoying along. Likewise, the Yaoying was not in the slightest disturbed by the opponent's defensive system and technique, continuously searching for opportunities.

*Boom. *

A heaven-shaking, muffled sound erupted as the ground shattered. The Titanium Shield finally seized an opportunity to deflect the Oath Sword directly. The Underworld Blade's light radiated everywhere, cutting straight in. The Yaoying dodged instantly, but a follow-up kick arrived, sending the Yaoying flying. The Underworld Fire Fighter lunged, the Underworld Blade killing toward the Yaoying.

*Shing. *

One blade missed. The Yaoying stepped, stepped, stepped—Triple Kick! The mecha vaulted into the air, performing a swallow-turn in mid-air.

*Clang. *

The Underworld Blade blocked. At this moment, the Titanium Shield obscured the view, but in the next second, the Oath Sword had vanished once more.

Athena Gale Double-Strike!

*Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang—Boom. *

The Underworld Fire Fighter was finally blasted away, carving a deep fissure into the ground. Accompanied by the roar of engines, the Yaoying had already arrived before the Underworld Fire Fighter.

A rapid sword strike shot out; at this moment, the Underworld Fire Fighter could no longer keep up with the Yaoying's speed.

Yet just at this moment, a brilliant light erupted. The Oath Sword radiated an intense white glow. If Ma Long were to see this scene, he would surely jump up in surprise—he wasn't the only one who could glow.

With the sudden light, Basta's blood-red pupils immediately contracted violently. The glare caused an instant loss of vision. *Shing... *

The supposedly sure-hit sword strike pierced only air. Given Basta's physical condition, this blinding effect would only last a second or two. The Oath Sword launched a frenzied attack. All the Earthling spectators at the scene were excited; they saw a chance to defeat the Fire God!

Blinding plus rapid sword—a perfect match!

*Shing, shing, shing, shing. *

Red light pierced through, but at this moment, the Underworld Fire Fighter did not use the Titanium Shield or Underworld Blade to block—it was too slow, simply too late. The mecha suddenly swayed. In a flash of lightning, all attacks missed.

Peak Sway!

And in the next second, red light erupted from Basta's eyes. The Underworld Blade cut straight in. *Boom. *

The Yaoying's Titanium Shield blocked it by a hair's breadth, but the immense force sent the Yaoying Athena flying.

The two Mobile Suits pulled apart. The big screen camera focused on the two. Whether it was Aofei, who had launched the violent attack, or Basta, who had suffered the blinding strike, both were expressionless; one couldn't even discern any emotional fluctuations from them. Their blood-colored eyes seemed to be contemplating something.

"These are simply two monsters."

"Holy crap, that sway blinded my eyes, too awesome!"

"I feel the Wolf King still has the upper hand."

"Hard to say. Aofei excels at offense, the Wolf King at defense. Currently, neither can do anything to the other."

"Both possess top-tier techniques. Now it just depends on whose Zone is more powerful and better integrated."

In the livestream room, Kuangwu Daren and Huonan were commentating on this match, and the fans of both sides had begun to fiercely debate.

"Aofei hasn't changed at all. She's been using that same Gale Thrust for ten thousand years; she can't beat Basta at all!"

"The Wolf King only knows how to be a coward. Besides defensive counter-attacks, what else can he do? He's the only one who would use an offensive mecha like the Underworld Fire Fighter this way."

The two on the battlefield were extremely cautious in both attack and defense.

"Aofei's offense is extremely powerful. All of the Wolf King's defense is for the sake of offense. Being forced into a completely passive state only shows that Aofei's attacks are very, very dangerous," Huonan said, eyes glued to the screen. "This thrust actually has an artistic beauty to it."

"Holy crap, Huonan, you must have been paid off to speak for the Earthlings. Are you even a man?"

"You can question my gender, but absolutely do not question my eye for talent," Huonan said. "Aofei's thrust is an Array Group, not some random stabbing style."

After a flurry of attacks, the two Mobile Suits separated. Aofei, the attacker, hadn't gained any advantage and had been completely blocked by Basta, while Basta hadn't seized the opportunity for an offensive-defensive transition either.

Among the top tier of the Apocalypse, everyone's style was different. Xilian was unfathomable; Maxis was the War God's will, integrating offense and defense; Chao Qinglong and Fan Liweite were gifted and inclined toward offense; while Basta was as steady as Mount Olympus.

Aofei felt regret as well. She knew that without going all out, Basta would not give her an opening. Among everyone in the Apocalypse, Basta was the steadiest.

The director provided a slow-motion replay of Aofei's Gale Thrust and highlighted the Array Group. Every one of Aofei's attacks was a set of three swords—the signature triangular attack of the formal thrust. Just now, she had unleashed ninety-nine swords in one round, thirty-three perfect triangles layered together, interlocking. If even one link in Basta's defense had been out of place, all those triangular attacks would have continued endlessly until Basta collapsed.

It was just a pity that Aofei had run into the strongest defender, Basta.

The movement trajectories of both mechas were displayed: one a perfect large arc, the other a perfect small arc. Countless semi-arcs combined together like a blooming lotus.

Neither of the two Mobile Suits had made a single mistake.

"The most meticulous attacker has met the most meticulous defender. The substance is all in the details. However, looking at this round, Basta still holds a considerable advantage. It's very difficult for Aofei," Kuangwu Daren said. "When anyone faces Basta, once their offense fails to break through, their confidence and stamina will continuously decline. You must know that although the Wolf King is known for his defense, his counter-attack is like the fangs of a wolf—once he strikes, it is fatal."

"You can't say it like that. The Wolf King excels at defending against brute-force pilots. Blood Rose's offense is unique, her technique is the best, and her strength is not a bit inferior. Everyone has been misled by her agile operation. In the offensive-defensive confrontation, look closely: during the clash, the center of gravity of the Yaoying Athena didn't sway at all; it was rock steady. I've seen videos of Aofei piloting Light Types and Heavy Armors in strength confrontations. Don't be fooled by Blood Rose's appearance!" Huonan said. "Steady defense will take this match!"

Huonan never underestimated an opponent. Who doesn't know how to jinx each other? Unless they run into that Puppet guy, which just makes him angry.

In the contestant seating, Dita watched, dumbfounded, alongside Alexander.

"Boss, why so serious? Aofei doesn't seem to have improved much," Alzi laughed. "In the future, you'll be the number one Athena... Ouch."

Alzi was tapped so hard his head nearly retracted into his neck.

"You don't even know how to butter her up. Boss is already the number one Athena—ouch!" The serious-looking Feynman was also tapped.

"Aofei has always been the strongest Athena. She has become even stronger; that wasn't just a simple Array Group, it was Weakness Strike!" Dita said. As the most proficient Athena user herself, Dita had actually been learning and trying to understand Aofei. She could basically achieve this level of proficiency, though whether she could pull it off against Basta was another matter; the same form of attack also depends on the opponent. "Do you think that just because Basta excels at defense, anyone can land a complete attack in front of him?"

With that one sentence, everyone from Tianxing was stunned. This was the World Championship; logically speaking, Basta was a defensive-counter type, not a punching bag.

"Weakness Strike?"

"This should be some kind of Insight Ability. I suspected it during the previous exchange matches because when she wants to attack, it's almost impossible to block," Dita said with a hint of envy.

"Weaknesses, where would anyone expose an obvious weakness... oh my." Alzi's head was knocked again before he could finish, as the boss seemed to be in a good mood due to the excellent grouping.

"She is looking at Spirit weaknesses, ones even the opponents themselves don't know about."

This was why he was always suppressed when sparring with Aofei and couldn't find the problem.

Red flames rose and fell, spreading across the entire Mecha, then the red gradually faded, replaced by a silver glow that began to shroud it, containing golden electric sparks within.

"Aofei, your Weakness Strike is useless against me; I have no weaknesses," Basta said calmly. If there was one competitor among these whose technical style perfectly countered Aofei, it was Basta.

Aofei pursed her lips. Within her line of sight, the entire Basta was shrouded in a purple glow, his burning flames forming a seamless whole; indeed, there were no weaknesses.

Everyone has weaknesses. Li Hao doesn't have any because she cannot see them, as his whole is too powerful. Even Chao Qinglong and Maxis would reveal weaknesses under her ability—not that she could necessarily seize them, but they would exist. Yet Basta's Golden Zone did not exceed her power range, and she truly could not discern any.

Otherwise, under an equal exchange of attacks, Basta would have been finished in that last round.

Basta also saw this and began psychological warfare.

"Just warming up, what is the Wolf King feeling guilty about?"

The flames on the surface of the Underworld Fire Fighter also boiled and turned purple. Basta did not act arrogant; the two sides' Golden Zones were clashing like needles against wheat, fighting for control of the Space Ability field, neither giving an inch, both pushing their Flowing Heart Martial Arts to the limit.

Their Flowing Heart Martial Arts were so relaxed and effortless, forming a sharp contrast to the all-out efforts of others. This was a mastery of control, probing each other's trump cards while trying to preserve their own as much as possible. This was only the round of eight; there were even more terrifying opponents ahead.

A hint of a smile appeared on the corner of Basta's mouth; it was absolute confidence. He had no weaknesses, his aura was seamless, and one could even say this was a capability brought about by his Golden Zone.

Within the silver light of the Oath Sword, lightning crackled and exploded, gradually spreading to the entire Yaoying Athena, *shing*...

A bolt of lightning struck the ground, directly blasting open a crack and leaving a patch of charred black.

Lightning Ability.

The entire Yao Ying began to tremble, the roar of the engine gradually intensifying; everyone knew a new round of attacks was coming.

*Boom-crack. *

Athena Electric Waltz!

The entire Mecha charged toward the Underworld Fire Fighter in an instant. In a flash, purple energy soared from the Underworld Fire Fighter, *boom boom boom boom boom boom*.

Violent strikes once again enveloped the Underworld Fire Fighter, each blow accompanied by earth-shattering roars. Purple energy and silver light became entangled. In an instant, the Yao Ying materialized, the Oath Sword slamming into the Titanium Shield, light exploding. The Underworld Fire Fighter was sent flying. The next second, the Yao Ying was already behind the Underworld Fire Fighter, the Underworld Blade blocking from behind, only to be sent flying again. The Yao Ying followed closely, an airtight assault, crazily suppressing the Underworld Fire Fighter.

The Earthlings at the scene watched with boiling blood, and the entire Round Table Knights Academy was in a frenzy of shouting. Once Aofei launched an attack, the Solar System could only defend. Under the enhancement of her Lightning Ability, her charging sword formation became even more ferocious.

Of all martial arts in the world, only speed cannot be broken!

Aofei's light was burning; she could not stop, she had to attack, attacking until the opponent showed a flaw. But under the continuous strikes, although the Underworld Fire Fighter looked precarious, every attack was defended against. Most importantly, within Aofei's Insight Eye, the Underworld Fire Fighter's weakness never appeared.

With one go, then a second, then a third, Aofei could not stop. Her Golden Zone burned continuously, strengthening the operation of the Yaoying Athena. The entire Mecha was shrouded in silver light, launching indiscriminate circular strikes against the Underworld Fire Fighter. The sound of explosions rang through the sky. The Underworld Fire Fighter swayed and staggered during the assault, the Titanium Shield and Underworld Blade desperately defending, looking a bit flustered, but it just wouldn't fall.

*Boom. *

Accompanied by a loud explosion, the Yaoying Athena and Nether Fire Genesis materialized simultaneously, the Titanium Shield once again precisely blocking the three-set chain strike of the Oath Sword.

But the next second, the Titanium Shield shattered. Aofei's powerful attack finally took effect. The engine roared, Flash Strike!

*Boom. *

It was the Yao Ying that was sent flying. Basta began his counterattack. One strike was enough to send the Yao Ying flying, *tap tap tap*.

Basta's Underworld Fire Fighter was not fast, its steps steady and rhythmic, yet every step landed on the Yao Ying's evasion point. The Underworld Blade in his hand slashed at the Yao Ying one strike after another, simple and unadorned, yet heavy with power.

*Clang. *