Chapter 444: The Clutch Player

Wu Style—Gale No-Return Slash!

Accompanied by the roar of a hurricane, the red light of the Blood Moon tore through the sky and struck toward the Thunder Fire Mobile Suit; Taichen's pupils contracted instantly, shifting from offense to defense as he suddenly raised his Titanium Shield.

With a loud explosion, the two Mobile Suits crossed paths; red light burst forth, and with a screeching sound, the Mecha was torn by the blade light outside the defensive range of the Titanium Shield, though it did not cause substantial damage to the Mecha.

Both Mobile Suits pulled back simultaneously, neither wanting to give the opponent a chance; the Thunder Blade roared, and the Blood Moon wailed.

Boom.

Wu Style—Gale Duoluo Slash!

Heavenly Heart Style—Gale Tornado Slash!

Clang, clang, clang, clang.

Both pilots were already in the zone; the Blood Moon and the Thunder Blade were attacking each other crazily. The scabbard of the Black Night Saber was always pulling at the movements of the Thunder Fire Mobile Suit in ways that were impossible to guard against, but Taichen was not like the previous opponents; the Titanium Shield always blocked at the critical moment, and he was very accustomed to this pseudo-dual-wielding mode of Wuzang, which was also the foundation of the Heavenly Heart Style.

Boom.

The Thunder Blade and the Blood Moon locked together, the two Mechas wrestling madly, engines roaring, light and flames colliding constantly; just as the Thunder Fire Zeus of Taichen flashed its Laser Eye, the Black Night Mecha slammed head-on into it, boom...

The Mechas leaned back simultaneously, the Laser Eye shot wide, boom, boom.

The Blood Moon and the Thunder Blade emerged with the wind and smashed together violently, neither giving the other even the slightest chance; their offensive postures were fully maxed out, and as long as anyone revealed even the slightest flaw, they would be submerged by the opponent's tidal wave of attacks.

Two pilots who excelled at attacking, and the two hottest mid-sized Super Mechas in the Solar System right now, were likely to decide the outcome within the next few minutes.

This crucial Vanguard battle was one that neither Tianjing Martial Arts nor Galaxy Academy could afford to lose; this was a battle of rhythm, and even more so, a battle of momentum and destiny.

"Wuzang looks like his injuries are truly fully healed!"

"Why hasn't Taichen used the Great Annihilation yet? Why bother dragging it out like this? Just end it in one move!"

"End it, my foot! Wuzang has no flaws; if he forces an attack and it doesn't achieve the effect, he'll lose half the battle. Although Wuzang doesn't have a Soul Origin State, he has a kind of Wujia Breathing Technique that can completely achieve the same effect."

Both sides were waiting for an opportunity as they fought to this extent; the key point was still the improvement of Ma Long. Ma Long, having entered the Flowing Heart Martial Arts, had a Healing Ability that was incomparable to before, and added to the support of Zhou Naiyi, it was enough to allow Wuzang to recover. The attack power of the Thunder Movement Breathing Method was comparable to a Soul Origin State, so both had a chance.

The only thing was that Wuzang did not know what Taichen's ultimate move was; the previous opponents were not strong enough, and he only knew that besides the Gale Ability, he also had an invisibility ability.

The whirlwind around the Thunder Fire Mobile Suit became increasingly violent, and with a loud explosion, the two Mechas were knocked back more than ten meters, but the next moment they both lunged forward again, swoosh.

The Thunder Fire Mobile Suit swung its blade, and the gale near the Mecha suddenly swirled to form a tornado, kicking up flying sand and rocks as it rolled toward the Black Night Mecha, while the Thunder Fire Mobile Suit used an Arc Flash Strike to strike from the side.

Wuzang did not fall for it at all; with a wave of the Blood Moon, the gale wall was used again, and the sword scabbard blocked the Thunder Blade with no room to spare.

Boom.

The ground shattered, the Black Night Mecha's center of gravity sank, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang.

Taichen's force was clearly greater than imagined; he was about to exert his power. Under the consumption of the Soul Origin State, if he didn't secure an advantage and entered a decline period, the opponent's breathing technique would become his disadvantage.

The gale scattered again, and Wuzang responded steadily; as long as he could withstand this wave, it would be his time to counterattack. Both sides were suppressing each other's trump cards; having the experience of using the breathing technique last time, he was much more composed this time.

Just at this moment, the alarm sounded again, even more urgently; Giant Insects were swarming toward the two from all directions like a tide. This time, the two Mechas were entangled together and could not separate at all. At this moment, Wuzang realized a serious problem and wanted to break away from the battlefield, but how could Taichen let him?

In the operations room of the Galaxy Team, Zola revealed a faint smile; fighting against the heavens is endless joy, fighting against the earth is endless joy, and fighting against Li Mo is even more boundless joy.

If he only had a bit of Prediction Ability, that would be underestimating him too much. Plan A against Wuzang was to hit his unhealed injuries and his insufficiently solid Golden Zone; if he showed one flaw, the match would be over. If that didn't work, there was Plan B. Taichen's choice was very decisive; he didn't take any chances by messing around blindly. Plan B was related to the environment; without the environment, there was a 60% chance of winning, but with this environment, there was a 90% chance of winning. Without a doubt, the heavens were on the side of Galaxy.

With the right time, the right place, and the right people, destiny would surely change; his ability was that of a Prophet, so he naturally believed in fate.

Fate is in Galaxy!

Wuzang knew what the opponent wanted to do, and Taichen also knew that he knew, so he entangled him even more tightly. The Golden Zone radiated constantly, the gale swirled wildly, stimulating the Giant Insect tide to swarm over. They were already at close quarters, and neither Mobile Suit dared to respond; they took several hits head-on, as the opponent's attacks were more terrifying than the Giant Insects.

And the moment more Giant Insects swarmed over, the Mimicry system of the Thunder Fire Mobile Suit was finally deployed in coordination with Taichen's invisibility ability. The Mimicry system had no effect in close-quarters combat—the perception of the Giant Insects was not that weak—but when combined with the invisibility ability of the Golden Zone, it was a perfect match. The Thunder Fire Mobile Suit instantly disappeared from the perception of the Giant Insects, and all the Giant Insects rushed toward Wuzang's Black Night Saber: the poison mist of the umbrella, bomb insects, venom...

At this moment, one second decided the victory.

Invisibility was not disappearance; Wuzang's eyes were already closed, the perception of the Golden Zone was fully opened, his heart boomed, boomed, boomed, shaking three times, and red light and flames burst forth.

Wu Style—Gale Dimensional Slash!

The Black Night Mecha ignored the Giant Insects entirely and killed toward the airborne Thunder Fire Mobile Suit with all its might, without the slightest hesitation, looking death in the face; the tangible red light cut through the sky.

Accompanied by a loud explosion, the gale burst, the left arm of the Thunder Fire Mobile Suit along with the Titanium Shield exploded into pieces, and the next second the Thunder Fire Mobile Suit disappeared.

Blood Mantis Soul Origin Gale Meat Grinder!

The gale from top to bottom formed a clearly visible matrix, and in an instant, the speed of the Thunder Fire Mobile Suit increased to a point where the naked eye could not capture it.

Clang, clang, clang, clang.

The Giant Insect tide was just the fuse; it was to force the passive side to strike first. Even with the speed of the Gale Matrix, he didn't dodge it completely, but it was enough.

In an instant, the Thunder Fire blade light enveloped the Black Night Mecha, and red flames burst forth.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

Accompanied by an earth-shattering explosion, the Giant Insects were blown away, and amidst the flames, a Mobile Suit rushed out.

Clang.

The light and flames dissipated, and the Mecha revealed its true form.

Thunder Fire Zeus!

The one that exploded was the Black Night Saber; Taichen of the Galaxy Team wins!

The victorious Taichen couldn't help but roar while raising his arms; he had finally taken the initiative, and they had taken a big step forward. More importantly, this established strong confidence for the subsequent battles!

The scene was already filled with earth-shattering cheers; this was a solid victory, without injury. The Galaxy Team displayed a stronger foundation, more stable strength, complete suppression, and a total victory.

Various Galaxy fan streamers were roaring, and Galaxy Academy was also in an uproar. Now all the audience knew the strategy to fight Tianjing Martial Arts, but there were teams before that had played themselves out of the game; Galaxy would not make such low-level mistakes.

The director even gave the camera to the player bench, but unfortunately, only the people from Langwu were there; the Fire God was not present at all.

"Dear audience, the win rate of the Galaxy Team in battles where they take the initiative is as high as ninety percent. Now the problem is placed in front of Tianjing Martial Arts: who will be next? Cheng Konghai or Zhou Naiyi, or perhaps the Sniper God Zuo Xiaotang?"

The current Tianjing Martial Arts was not without the strength to fight; the remaining three points all had the possibility of turning the tide. In a confrontation between such top-tier teams, the second match was even more critical.

Returning to the operations room, Taichen received a hero's welcome. His arrogant words were to provoke the opponent, but his heart was extremely cautious and excited. This was the S Tournament semi-finals; what was there to be arrogant about? His will was as firm as a rock.

Taichen's win was too critical; his on-the-spot judgment, tactical execution, and grasp of timing were all quite mature. If one link hadn't been done well, the result might not have been like this.

"Taichen's timing for dragging Wuzang into the battle was well-chosen; it must have been after the first wave of the insect tide. These were all practiced in training, and this is also a fatal flaw that Tianjing Martial Arts cannot compare with, nor can it be pulled back in just one year. It seems that luck played a part, but this is also the experience brought by long-term high-level training. This is true strength."

In the live broadcast room, Huonan talked eloquently, constantly pointing out the key points of the battle, "Let us look at the final decisive blow!"

The final kill analysis is out; Wuzang did indeed recover well. Facing such a sudden situation, he still fully unleashed the Wujia Breathing Technique and his strongest Dimensional Slash. However, Taichen was even better prepared here; instead of trying to dodge everything, he clearly chose to trade a limited cost for victory. Still, the Dimensional Slash is truly formidable; even K23 Titanium Defense at the Heart Flow level couldn't block it. The attack power completely overflowed, and the energy tore apart the left arm of the Thunder Fire, but all of this was within Taichen's calculations. Next is Taichen's ability matrix—the Wild Wind Matrix.

"The Thunder Fire mecha within the matrix instantly circled for an attack, landing twenty-eight strikes in a single moment. The Black Night mecha's defense was excellent, but it still couldn't avoid the final three strikes. It truly lives up to being a meat grinder, a rolling meat grinder. In one word—super cool!"

Huonan roared. At this moment, he was standing with Galaxy; as long as it was an enemy of Mu Jiang, they were his friend. In this battle, he wanted to make that kid Kuangwu return to the pre-liberation era overnight!

"Tianjing Mecha needs to prepare their second fighter. It's very difficult. If they send out the Berserk Ant Cheng Konghai, if I were Galaxy, I would definitely have Maxis go and catch him. That way, there's a high probability the match could end four to one!"

"That's not necessarily true. Send out the Sniper God; only the Sniper God can avoid being countered!"

"They can only send the Sniper God. Zhou Naiyi is okay in team battles, but one-on-one is too hard."

In the live broadcast room, various streamers also gave their own opinions. In fact, the audience on-site, including the contestants, all thought the same.

With Maxis's personality, he will definitely go to catch Cheng Konghai. Cheng Konghai is very strong, but to say he can defeat the God of War Maxis is really a bit of an exaggeration. Moreover, in terms of mecha style, Iron Armor Steel Fist is also perfectly countered; one is a floor-style, the other is an aerial-style. It's too difficult.

"How about we let our Milk Dragon King perform another miracle?"

"Drag the one above out and chop them up!"

The situation at Tianjing Mecha is the same; everyone is looking at Li Hao. Although he is usually laid-back and it is said that Zhou Naiyi is in command, everyone actually knows that Li Hao must provide the judgment; only his strength and vision can see further.

The situation for both sides is clear, especially for Tianjing Mecha. They have indeed gained sufficient tempering and progress from Eternal, Wolf Martial, and Fire God, and they have also played out their own moves clearly. Wuzang being countered is also due to this. Regarding the Wild Wind Matrix and the Wild Wind Dimensional Slash, in terms of realm, the attack level of the Dimensional Slash is higher, but the moves are known, so he was still caught by Taichen.

Zhou Naiyi is the same. Compared to Wuzang, Zhou Naiyi still lacks a bit of resilience and is more easily caught by teams like Galaxy. The only one who is not easy to counter is Zuo Xiaotang. His Heart Flow sniping realm is truly fierce, and he is not easily suppressed by the Golden Zone. Unless Maxis wants to personally take action to catch Zuo Xiaotang, that would really be worth it.

Aofei and the others are also a bit worried; the current situation is too unfavorable. They also know about Zola's ability.

"Should we have the second brother go up and fight directly? No matter what, let's take one first. As long as Maxis doesn't come up later, Cheng Konghai can catch one?" Depuya said.

"That's a giving-up strategy. Not to mention whether the Ant can steadily win one match, the pressure on the other team members will be even greater, forming a psychological suggestion that they aren't good enough." Aofei shook her head. If everyone in Tianjing Mecha had this mindset, they certainly wouldn't go far. And since Tianjing Mecha entered the S Tournament—to be precise, since the Mid-Season Tournament—they have never wanted to rely solely on two people.

Depuya curled his lips, "I know the logic, but now we've reached the semi-finals, and Wuzang and the others have reached the limit of their strength. The second brother takes one match, and then the Ant has a high probability of catching one."

"It's rumored that Zola possesses the ability of Precognition. Will he be able to calculate it?"

"Bullshit, I don't believe it. Precognition is at most sensing possibilities; it's impossible to truly change things. Besides, the rules are there. If the second brother takes one match, it must be their turn to go first. If Maxis comes out to fight, does the Ant have to go up? That's not an ability; that's God!"

The Hunter side is also anxious. At their level, they are all team leaders, so of course, they know that relying on only two people won't get them far. Only Li Hao has the ability to mobilize the entire team. But regardless, the current situation has reached the end. They also don't believe Maxis really dares to come on stage to catch Li Hao; that would be a gift. If Li Hao takes the second match, in the following three matches, the Ant will have a great chance to take one.

"Depuya, you can't think like that. Not to mention that Galaxy, like Fire God, has prepared methods specifically to deal with the Ant, haven't you noticed that up to now, every fighter in Tianjing already has a lot of confidence in themselves? Not to mention victory or defeat, but they are all very daring to fight." Yan Peng said. When they first met, they were still timid. Changing others is the hardest thing. In fact, it is very clear that the overall strength and reserves of the NUP indeed exceed other federations, so tactical difficulties and being passive are normal.

"That's right, what we are looking at is the initiative; the second brother is concerned with everyone's growth together."

In the Tianjing Mecha war room, Li Hao looked at Zuo Xiaotang with great enthusiasm, "Second match, still our key man, the Sniper God goes up."

Everyone looked at Zuo Xiaotang. Huo Ying grabbed Zuo Xiaotang, his eyes full of expectation. Within Tianjing, Zuoge has already become another magical existence.

"Zuoge, come on, crush them!" Ma Long roared loudly. At the critical moment, they need Zuo Xiaotang to stand up.

Zuo Xiaotang took a deep breath and patted his belly. He didn't know how he would perform, but fighting until now, he was no longer hesitant or stage-frightened. If it's time to go, he goes. This is also the confidence honed match by match.