Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

"It's not a fault of war! What on earth is their team leader thinking?!"

"Could he be a traitor sent by the enemy?"

"Don't think like that. I still believe in the integrity of our nation's people. Maybe he's just... plain stupid?"

As all the spectators predicted, the Sentinel Model Mecha—which wasn't particularly swift—could only fire twice before the agile Air Combat Vanguard closed in effortlessly with their nimble maneuvers.

Facing the Air Combat Vanguard equipped with two High-Frequency Cutting Daggers, the Sentinel Mecha—lacking any close combat weapon—once again fell into a position where it was utterly toyed with.

"Winner—Thunder Dragon Empire."

Fourth match: Sentinel versus Omnipotent.

"Winner—Thunder Dragon Empire."

Fifth match: Omnipotent versus Omnipotent.

Winner...

Staring at the two mechas on the field, both of which had sustained considerable damage, some members of the Bauhinia Battle Team had a faint glimmer of hope in their eyes.

'Can we win?'

"By the looks of it, unlikely."

"Though both are damaged, it's obvious our pilot is at a greater disadvantage. The situation is firmly in the enemy's hands; it's just a matter of when they choose to strike the decisive blow."

Starting from the second match, Bauhinia's pilots had been subjected to one-sided thrashings in nearly every fight.

Especially in the fourth match, where the Sentinel—despite leveraging the map's tactical advantage—was brutally pierced and killed by the enemy's Omnipotent Mecha.

That round nearly crushed the fighting spirit of every Bauhinia citizen.

Now in the fifth match, with the same mecha types on both sides, the ongoing situation suggested that their odds of victory remained slim.

Watching the Thunder Dragon Empire's mecha slowly raise its right arm, wielding a blade, everyone sensed the final decisive moment drawn close, as if the murderous intent was seeping through the screens.

Could Bauhinia's warrior withstand this ultimate killing blow?

Bauhinia's Omnipotent Mecha, Singer, looked equally battered.

Its left arm and chest plating bore blackened impact marks and warped dents, while its right arm—the one holding its blade—was slightly better off. But the entire system was clearly on the verge of collapse.

Yet, behind the iron shell, those determined eyes remained unwavering.

"Boom!"

The engines roared as the two mechas launched their simultaneous charges.

Stationary defense was never the correct strategy in mecha battles—movement unlocked a mecha's potential advantages.

"Clang clang clang clang clang!"

The clash of blades echoed amidst the fallen giant trees, and a detached metallic arm amidst the endless shredded leaves stood out starkly.

The distinct features of the arm instantly told all spectators whose structure it belonged to.

'Bauhinia's warrior… defeated...'

"Slash!"

With the piercing sound of a blade scraping metal, the battlefield finally fell silent.

"Winner—None."

Draw!

As the strikes ceased, distant cameras edged closer through the gaps of the towering, primal forest.

Amidst the ravaged landscape, the two mechas lay in near-embrace postures, dealing their final blow to each other like desperate swans.

The Bauhinia warrior had practically offered the location of their cockpit to the enemy's blade tip, gaining the opportunity for that one last strike.

The result? Mutual destruction.

But personally, the Bauhinia warrior's cockpit was completely pierced, while the Thunder Dragon Empire's mecha was merely disabled by a hit to its power core.

"Rescue!"

Even those who had long harbored resentment against Bauhinia couldn't help but show traces of admiration in their eyes as they watched the shocking scene.

"What a resilient nation..."

"To achieve their country's rise, their spirit was hardened to such extremes."

"That's precisely why they mustn't be allowed to rise! This is a nation carved out from blood and fire, where the unyielding morale of its citizens continuously inspires every one of them. If given the chance, they might soon become a top-tier power surpassing our alliance of nations."

Every newly joined cosmic treaty nation undergoes a rapid rise stage. When Bauhinia missed their chance back then, they swore they'd never let newcomers surpass them.

"Fortunately, a country's destiny never rests upon ordinary individuals..."

"No matter the outcome of this match, Bauhinia's fate is already sealed."

"Let's enjoy their final struggles... it's not without entertainment value."

Witnessing the elegy of a nation full of vitality yet destined for ruin has undoubtedly become one of the galaxy's rarest forms of top-tier entertainment.

"Let's see how far they can go."

...

"Next round, the two-person team match—I'm in." Upon learning that the fifth-match teammate had been rescued, sustaining only minor repairable injuries, Catherine finally opened her eyes and declared with a deep voice.

The double and triple team matches were worth two points each, but the influence of a Legendary Mechanic was undeniably more pronounced in a two-person match.

As Bauhinia's sole publicly recognized Legendary Mechanic, her participation almost guaranteed victory for the two-person match.

Even if the enemy anticipated her participation and countered her directly, the presence of Bai E in the three-person team match would secure a win regardless of the outcome.

By securing a victory in the single-player rounds, Catherine was nearly certain of an eventual win in the upcoming matches.

The only concern lingering in her mind was concealing Bai E as her trump card for as long as possible.

The later he appeared, the fewer tactical options her rivals would have to counter him.

She wasn't arrogant enough to dream about clinching the Stellar District championship outright.

Bauhinia had been fortunate to recruit one Legendary Mechanic; other nations were undoubtedly capable of striking similar gold with powerful external allies.

The stronger and more enigmatic a trump card, the more pivotal its reveal becomes in the decisive moments.

Fortunately, whether the enemy expected Catherine's move in the two-person match or not, they clearly had no intention of meeting her head-on.

The mysterious Thunder Dragon Empire Legendary Mechanic never showed their hand, allowing Catherine's team in the first two-person match to utterly crush the opponent with an overpowering sweep.

Only during the second triple-team match did the situation briefly hit a stalemate.

Leading Bauhinia's triple-team lineup was Victor with the Omnipotent Mecha, teamed with the Flying General and Mountain Foothills for a well-rounded squad composition. However, the enemy merely swapped the Mountain Foothills with an Omnipotent Mecha, resulting in minimal tactical imbalances.

In such triple-team scenarios, differences in individual pilot skill were less pronounced, forcing both sides to cautiously probe for openings.

Watching this unfold, Catherine's brows furrowed tightly into the shape of a "川."

"Where's their Legendary Mechanic?"

Even though, score-wise, Bauhinia securing this triple-team win wouldn't clinch the final victory.

But still refraining from stepping forward? That seemed unnecessarily reckless.

Considering the potential external allies either side might recruit, could they really be this confident in securing victory against Catherine's led Bauhinia team in the final five-person match?

At a point when their absence might waste the opportunity for anyone to appear in two matches, how could they dismiss the slim possibility of a tied result?

What if this triple-team's outcome indeed became the deciding factor triggering a miracle reversal?

Regardless, the outcome of this heated triple-team no longer held any immediate significance for Catherine.

Securing the next five-person team victory was now the priority.

She turned to Bai E, "Prepare yourself; for the five-person team match, you'll be on."

Bai E chuckled and replied, "Alright."

"But perhaps you'll need to assess the situation before deciding whether to go all-out. You get what I mean? I'll coordinate with you depending on how the battle unfolds."

Concealing strength, huh?

Bai E utterly understood, "No problem."

"By the way, which mecha type will you use?"

"Flying General, I suppose."

Bai E stared at the battle footage on the screen with evident interest.

What could be a better choice for stealthy minimal effort than a long-range shooter?

"You… sure?" Catherine questioned skeptically.

Hiding his abilities wasn't meant to imply actual incompetence.

Using Omnipotent or Vanguard mechas she could accept; but a Sentinel Model Mecha? Not even her skills could unleash a Legendary Mechanic's full potential in a purely defensive unit.

If circumstances truly demanded Bai E to make a decisive comeback, could he achieve it using a Flying General?