Sky-cracking Rider

The duel between the Airship and the Crystal Jet, although the former can flaunt its firepower supremacy temporarily, ultimately cannot escape the duel between combat pilots.

It was as if time had reversed, everything returning to its origins, and war seemed to have returned to its original form.

Chen Fei's Tactical Jet was synchronized with the design plan of the "Crystal Jet Personal Interest Group" led by the young engineer Nangong Ruiyang from the Northern Weapons Industry Group. The design performance was benchmarked against a real Crystal Jet, but to fully utilize this continually improved combat aircraft, relying solely on hardware specifications was far from enough.

No matter how advanced the war machines are, the decisive factor for combat power still lies with the person controlling them.

The flight simulator that Chen Fei was in erupted with unprecedented rumbling. Previously, his flight simulator was almost motionless, as the airship maneuver itself does not have large movements. The sudden abnormal change drew attention from the nearby spectators.

"What's going on?"

A referee stood up from his seat, instructing the technicians to switch Chen Fei and Ke Liang's simulated duel to the main three-dimensional imaging screen.

"This commotion..."

Old David was holding a coffee cup, lost in thought.

The unusual commotion from the flight simulator made many people react. Most of the people present were insiders, even Sky Knights themselves, and were well acquainted with such disturbances.

"No way! This is the parameter setting of the Crystal Jet. The 'rookie' is not a Sky Knight, just messing around!"

The advanced flight simulator is not only capable of simulating conventional combat aircraft but also can simulate Crystal Jets.

The simulation battlefield's related data interface showed that the Tactical Jet's various data exceeded the rated limits of conventional combat aircraft.

"Immediately terminate Machine 02!"

To prevent the flight simulator from being filled with human flesh and blood, turning into a brutal live slaughterhouse, a referee was ready to call a halt to the flight simulator Chen Fei was in.

Old David stopped him.

"No rush, the 'rookie' is a B-level Metal Ability User, he should be able to withstand it. He's not a Sky Knight, not because of body constitution reasons."

"Huh? 'Eagle King', really no problem?"

Chen Xiao'er was not an ordinary combat pilot either. The combat airship he controlled would play a crucial role in the upcoming task.

"No problem, I've done relevant testing on him!"

Old David regretted that Chen Fei was unable to pass the stringent requirements of a Sky Knight back then.

It was not surprising at all; if he could meet the standards, he wouldn't have ended up in the "Eagle Nest" private training class. The First Sovereignty has better and more professional training conditions, and by no means would they let someone with Sky Knight qualifications be left out.

Today's Sky Knights are selected from school age and must qualify, accumulating over 5000 flight hours, nothing comparable to Chen Fei, who took the wild route later in life.

"Since, since there's no issue with his body, let's take a look!"

The referee who was about to stop the simulated duel gave up on his insistence. His initial purpose was not to see the flight simulator become a murderous weapon of dismemberment. Since the physical condition can endure the Crystal Jet, let's watch the duel between an amateur combat pilot and a professional Sky Knight, as such scenes are not commonly seen.

The "Americas Gang" and the "Europa Gang" paid special attention to the asymmetric duel between Chen Fei and Ke Liang. The "rookie" finally left his combat airship and piloted the so-called "Crystal Jet" intending to challenge a real Sky Knight. It is suspected that he will soon be taught the difference between a mortal and a Sky Knight.

In a certain sense, what "Light Asura" Ke Liang is doing now is no different from what the Sky Knight "Night Cry" Mylan of the Alaska 11th Air Squadron Sky Cavalry Combat Team did to Chen Fei during the "rank battle", only the attitude and meaning are different.

Tightening the throttle to break through the conventional gear, pushing it all the way to the end, into an extraordinary gear, the Tactical Jet shook violently, suddenly accelerating.

An instant over 7G overload pierced through Chen Fei's body, but he still held firmly onto the left throttle and the right joystick. The control mode of the Tactical Jet was consistent with that of the American Federation, mainly because Chen Fei had been in contact with the F-22 "Raptor" and the remnants of the Crystal Jet "Holy Grail", and even the counterfeit version of the Crystal Jet, which were all American Federation standards, with controls centrally positioned having its benefits, and side-positioning also convenient.

For pilots, it is best to stick to one machine for life, do not change it easily, otherwise, habitual issues might inadvertently lead to safety accidents.

With a light push of the joystick, the body maneuvered along an invisible boundary, the scenery outside the cockpit began rotating clockwise, and the speed was getting faster and faster. Even so, the thrust of the Tactical Jet had not reached its limit, still retaining redundant thrust for emergencies, and if necessary, even utilizing additional maneuverability or braking effects from the magic array.

The Crystal Jet is almost a construct that fully integrates the technological civilization of Blue Star and the magical civilization of Cangqiong Star to their extremes.

"This is... Aerial Combat Skill!"

"'Bloodthirsty Strangulation'! Crazy? Daring to use a Sky Knight's War Technique!"

The judges once again left their seats in unison, staring at the three-dimensional holographic projection on the screen. One of the four tactical jets that detached from the combat spaceship was executing a frenzied rolling maneuver towards the opponent's crystal energy jet "Shadow Skiff," locking down "Shadow Skiff's" evasion space, even at the risk of collision.

"Old David, was it you who taught the 'rookie'?"

One of the judges turned to look at the calm "Eagle King" elder, who regarded the "Master of the Firmament" as a lifelong rival, likely knowing aerial combat skills most intimately besides sky knights.

The earliest aerial combat skills mostly originated from the "Master of the Firmament," Lin Mo. They have developed over decades and, like a flourishing of a hundred schools, many new combat skills have emerged.

Mastering traditional aerial combat techniques like "Bloodthirsty Strangulation," David Sid, the "Eagle King," was the prime suspect.

"Heh!"

Old David chuckled noncommittally.

He was into private training, exchanging money for aerial combat skills, which was the capitalistic world's natural order, and nobody could find fault with him.

Inside and outside the field, it was all a struggle.

"Come, good!"

Staring hard at the tactical jet that approached in a blink, Ke Liang no longer regarded Chen Fei as an amateur opponent who relied solely on combat spaceships for trickery but saw him as a genuine sky knight.

Light System Battle Qi Flames overflowed from the tactical armor exclusive to the sky knight, filling the cockpit of the flight simulator with white light, immediately absorbed by the magic array. The flight simulator and a real crystal jet have certain differences. The abilities of the sky knight would be guided away, not producing linkage war techniques like a real crystal jet. Despite the realistic simulation, there was a noticeable difference in the subtlety of experience and feedback.

The crystal energy jet "Shadow Skiff" in the simulated battlefield vanished from its original position instantaneously, appearing 500 meters away horizontally the next moment.

Exclusive War Technique "Shadow Flash"!

The exclusive aerial combat skill belonging solely to the crystal energy jet "Shadow Skiff" and sky knight Ke Liang. Without swapping sky knights or crystal energy jets, this move was impossible to execute.

"Shadow Flash" is somewhat different from the attack technique "Flash Strike" of Chen Fei's previous opponent, the top continental sky knight "Arsonist" Manasseh Chekhov. Although only Ke Liang himself knew "Shadow Flash's" maximum move distance, it was certainly not as far as "Flash Strike." While it allowed for wanton position adjustments in the sky, "Shadow Flash" had a limited range but didn't lose speed. Whatever speed it originally had, it maintained after moving.

With brilliant flowing light, the crystal energy jet "Shadow Skiff" made an extreme radius cut at 3 o'clock to the tactical jet's direction. The simulators of both sides creaked ominously, producing terrifying sounds, even if it wasn't actual flying. Simulated overload was still frightening, and if pilots weren't ability users, in a cockpit, ordinary people would have been shredded.

Regular combat aircraft couldn't withstand such frenzied maneuvers, disassembling early in the sky, tearing man and machine apart.

The tremendous overload could put combat pilots into a LOCK state, similar to temporary suspension after using a powerful skill in a video game. Limbs could only regain responsiveness when the overload fell below a threshold (think roller coasters, especially during dives and large loops where one could be immobilized), but Chen Fei and Ke Liang appeared unfazed, treating overload as nonexistent. They disregarded their mounts for rudder pedals, throttles, and control sticks, simultaneously voicing AI instructions to adjust aerodynamics. Missiles flew chaotically, exploding into blossoms of fireworks.

The tactical jet in high-speed rolling had no capability to easily address enemies from the sides like combat spaceships could. To avoid being "halved," excessive thrust finally came in handy as the tactical jet abruptly corrected its path, ascending with erratic altitude shifts, employing yet another traditional aerial combat technique "Hunting Sparrow Trajectory," yet treating offensive tactics defensively, making it difficult for the perpendicular-cutting, counter-assaulting crystal energy jet "Shadow Skiff" to target lock.

In high-level duels, locking was one thing, hitting was another. Due to incompatible maneuverability, offensive weapons often couldn't match the pace of crystal energy jets. Evasive maneuvers like ditching missiles were child's play, and being hit a few times by directed-energy weapons wasn't lethal.

Particle beams and laser beams exchanged blows, occasionally struck by an opponent's directed-energy beam. The protective barrier on both sides' surfaces stirred constantly, yet the bodies remained unscathed, incurring only crystal energy and spiritual power loss.

"Ha! Is this 'rookie' really amateurish? He's lasted thirty seconds!"

Sun Ruzheng, "Mad Devil" and a sky knight who lost to Chen Xiao'er, glanced at the clock in disbelief, displaying the countdown across all viewing interfaces.

Indeed, some naturally gifted people could endure deadly maneuvering overloads and dazzling visuals that sky knights were accustomed to, but lasting long was impossible.

True sky knights could close all five senses and, despite positional changes, accurately recognize direction and spatial placement, much like pigeons or similar creatures, always perceiving planetary magnetic fields for orientation.

Such innate skill was merely a basic ability for sky knights, rendering them monstrous among human species, seemingly transcending humanity altogether.

"Facing off against 'Light Asura' head-on for thirty seconds, wow, that's impressive!"

Another sky knight of The First Sovereign exclaimed in astonishment. Thirty seconds of undefeated combat far exceeded expectations.

Were it anyone else, they'd likely have long been defeated.

A tactical jet and a crystal energy jet, darting like two dueling swordsmen, suddenly distancing and suddenly closing in, maintaining an S-shaped combat maneuvering trajectory.

As Chen Fei's opponent, the sky knight "Light Asura" Ke Liang wasn't without pressure. His foes in the sky weren't limited to the "rookie" Chen Fei's tactical jet, as three other tactical jets loomed nearby, poised to intervene in their "hand-to-hand" combat under AI control, interfering in the fight. Other aerial units also posed a threat to some degree.

These "heritage" from the combat spaceship had already repeatedly thwarted his attempts to shoot down opponents; otherwise, how could Chen Fei possibly have persisted beyond thirty seconds and continued still?