Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

After losing the balance of its left arm, the Mecha's movement speed visibly slowed down.

When faced with an opponent already possessing superior skills, such a weakness was undoubtedly a death sentence for the Mecha.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

The terrifying weapon, capable of inflicting effective damage even on the defensive armor of large warships used in interstellar warfare, easily pierced through the Mecha's body.

The evasive maneuvers during the sudden directional shifts completely failed to help its pilot dodge any of the incoming blasts.

"Bang!"

The left leg.

"Bang!"

The right leg.

The fragmented Mecha structure, though not entirely severed, was heavily deformed. While still able to move, doing so had become an arduous struggle.

The opponent clearly intended to humiliate.

Even when the Singer Mecha was almost entirely immobilized, they refrained from targeting critical points to deliver a decisive, match-ending blow.

After several sniper shots, the Thunder Dragon Empire's Mecha stood up from its concealed position from afar, looking down loftily at the limping and grotesque Mecha, which was inching closer with its twisted steps.

Its remaining right hand persistently gripped a battle blade that gleamed coldly.

The Vanguard Mecha extended its right hand forward, gave a thumbs-up, then flipped it downward.

The voice of the Mecha's external speaker echoed mockingly over the primeval jungle, "Just because you got lucky once, did you actually think you could beat us?"

The Singer said nothing, only advancing silently.

At this moment, even without further gunfire from the opponent, the jungle itself, brimming with vines and thorns, became the Singer's greatest obstacle.

However, just as it stumbled upon a vine, a spinning battle blade suddenly whizzed through the air with a piercing swoosh, launching toward the Vanguard Mecha during its moment of mockery.

"Shhhk!"

The completely unprepared Vanguard Mecha failed to dodge, taking the full brunt of the blade head-on.

However, the battle blade, even infused with all the power the Singer Mecha had left, couldn't easily penetrate the intact frontal defenses of any Mecha.

The blade merely lodged itself at an angle between the gaps in the Mecha's structure, unable to go any deeper.

An attack that was clearly premeditated could only amount to this level of resistance.

The Vanguard pilot, evidently shaken and feeling disgraced, raised his rifle, aiming it at the Singer Mecha, which was struggling to rise again from the ground.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

He fired shot after shot, unwilling to stop until the Mecha was completely obliterated.

From within the drop pod, Catherine immediately called for a halt to this senseless, one-sided slaughter.

"We forfeit!"

The team leader outside the arena had the authority to forfeit on behalf of their team members.

After several confirmations, the opposing Vanguard Mecha pilot clearly received warnings from the Competition Committee.

Reluctantly, the raised rifle was lowered. The Mecha's gaze lingered on the Singer Mecha, filled with an undeniable sense of unwillingness.

"Victor—Thunder Dragon Empire."

The soldier inside the cockpit was escorted back by the medical team.

Fortunately, the final few shots, due to the Mecha's fallen position, could not directly strike the cockpit. The cockpit itself remained undamaged, and the pilot inside sustained no serious injuries, apart from some mental strain caused by the high synchronization with the Mecha.

"I'm sorry... I brought shame to our nation." The returning pilot, facing the gaze of his teammates, lowered his head in deep shame.

"You did very well." Catherine gave him a faint smile.

"Yeah... When did you practice that flying blade technique? That throw of yours was really impressive!"

"It's just that our weapon wasn't up to the mark. Next time, we'll have the research department craft you a proper blade. Next time you see that guy again, you'll take his head off in one strike!"

After offering a few words of comfort to their teammate, the team fell into renewed worry over the upcoming matches.

"Now what on earth should we do..."

"I can't believe they had the guts to pick a high-risk fighter like the Vanguard for a one-on-one duel!"

"What's our next step?"

Their voices were filled with uncertainty, and many turned their eyes toward Catherine, who had been quietly sitting in the corner.

As the team leader, her strength and expertise were undoubtedly the most reliable among them.

It was in moments of crisis that she served as the team's guiding anchor.

Yet their anchor showed no interest in concerning herself with such trivialities at the moment.

"This is your test." Catherine shook her head, refusing to offer any insight.

The team's spirits sank involuntarily. Their downcast gazes swept inadvertently toward the silent figure beside Catherine.

One glance, and their dismay deepened.

As if the challenge wasn't tough enough, they still had to carry along this "connected insider" as deadweight.

Exchanging glances, the team's faint sorrow gradually transformed into a burning resolve.

Difficult or not, so what? They entered this competition for their country, prepared to fight with all they had!

Glory?

What does glory even mean?

Only a strong nation can bask in glory.

They were here to fight for their lives!

"I'll take the next match!"

A man with delicate features stood up. "I'm the best at air battles here. If they send their Vanguard, I'll go head-to-head with them. If they send an aerial combat Specialist... it's not like we can't take them on!"

After a brief rest, the third battle unfolded before everyone's eyes.

Yet when the citizens of Bauhinia saw the sleek and birdlike Mecha from the Thunder Dragon Empire on their screens, they collectively broke down.

"What's this nonsense?! They've completely seen through our tactics!"

"The advantage we gained in the first match has been entirely squandered. The Mechas we used in these last two rounds were so weak; the loss wasn't about the pilots at all."