Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

This kind of unrestrained move—it's clear the other side's number of legendary mechanics is overwhelming.

The earlier odd occurrences have finally been confirmed at this moment. Catherine's face turned slightly pale, seemingly understanding what had happened.

'All the legendary mechanics have been concentrated in the Thousand Stars Commerce Alliance!'

Nobody knew why such a sudden shift occurred, but the fact was—it happened.

At least four legendary mechanics—given the other side's wanton attitude, it might even be five… six.

"They're planning to directly end us." Catherine's expression darkened as she turned her gaze toward Bai E.

When you possess enough legendary mechanics, your options become exponentially wider.

For example… simply securing five victories in singles matches and one victory in a three-person match would directly eliminate the Bauhinia team.

While the final five-person team match provided the most points, it wouldn't even come into play.

Their strategy was blatantly obvious.

Even knowing Bauhinia's team had two legendary mechanics, the opposing side merely needed to forego the riskier two-person team match and clinch five singles matches along with one three-person victory to secure an unshakable seven points.

The remaining two points in the doubles match combined with four points from the final team match wouldn't matter for the overall outcome.

To break this deadlock, they would need to claim at least one critical point in the singles matches.

But given the current lineup brimming with legendary mechanics, winning just one point would require either Bai E or Catherine to step into the fray.

"We have to act now."

Catherine furrowed her brows tightly.

In the two remaining singles matches, they must secure at least one victory to keep the competition alive.

Realistically speaking, even if they did, their chances in subsequent rounds were slim.

After all, each player could only compete twice.

Even with a singles victory, they would need to secure both the two-point match and the four-point match to win overall.

If Catherine participated in one singles round, it would mean she couldn't compete in the two-point or four-point matches later.

Bai E would then be forced to either face two opponents in the doubles match or five in the team match...

But before anything else, they had to ensure Catherine won her singles match—that was the only way forward.

This was hope...

Of course, the opposing side could deliberately be using such tactics to bait Catherine into using up her appearances prematurely.

But clearly, there was no room for gambling.

Catherine's eyes sharpened as she looked resolutely at Bai E. "The next match, I have to go up."

Bai E understood the gravity of the situation; he simply gave her a warm nod. "Go ahead."

Faced with such dire circumstances, no matter how tough the choices ahead were, they could only try their best.

Catherine entered the battlefield.

As the contestants stepped forward, the audience outside could already see who would represent each side.

The top brass in the Bauhinia Trade Zone, watching the team that once represented the Bauhinia Republic struggle in the arena, couldn't help but avert their gaze in sorrow.

The warriors on the field knew nothing about the downfall of their homeland. They fought only for victory.

Even while suspecting the opposing team likely included four to five legendary mechanics, they never gave up.

Catherine's participation now was to grasp that sole chance at survival.

'It's unwinnable…' The former lead of Bauhinia Republic, now the third-ranking member of the Peak Alliance, lowered his gaze in despair.

In the face of an era's sweeping tide, personal effort is but a flickering flame.

Bauhinia sustained its fight for decades with the combined effort of its people, yet it couldn't withstand the suppression and blockade imposed by the Stellar District.

The Bauhinia team fighting now… would likely meet the same fate.

After joining the Peak Alliance, he finally understood the caliber of this cosmic league—it was the very pinnacle of competition.

For fringe Stellar Districts like theirs, only the first place secured qualification.

Let alone second place having a chance—even with a salvaged stranger of a mech pilot paired with Catherine—their efforts in a universe-level league amounted to so little.

The support for Catherine's team to compete had always been about giving her one last stage to showcase her talents.

She deserved a better future, one not dragged down into the abyss alongside "Bauhinia."

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The sound of mecha clashing blared constantly from the live-stream feed.

Facing an opponent of equal skill, Catherine remained swift and forceful, controlling the tempo entirely.

Yet she also maintained composure, gradually pushing her opponent to the brink.

Everyone understood her dire circumstances—none more than Catherine herself.

Precisely because of this, her approach was steadier than ever.

In great matters, tranquility breeds clarity.

This was the legendary mechanic for whom all of Bauhinia could bask in pride.

"Hiss~"

Confronted by her opponent's final, desperate counterattack, Catherine's gaze remained frosty as she crushed the resistance completely.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Almost an exact reenactment of Victor's defeat—her Singer Mecha stomped onto her opponent's chest, its gun locked against the mech's faceplate.

Under the fury of relentless fire, the charred mech fell silent.

Catherine turned away, her eyes cold and resolute.

The victory of this first match was merely a seed toward final triumph.

Having secured this win, the outcome of the last singles match barely held any significance for either team.

The fifth singles match—a battle between mechanics below legendary ranks—even with Bauhinia's mechanics giving their all, they failed to score another point.

The winner of the fifth singles match: Thousand Stars Commerce Alliance.

Current score, 4:1!

Confronting the upcoming first team match—a doubles match—Catherine gave Bai E a pleading look. "This one's on you."

Their side was limited to deploying one legendary mechanic, while the opponent faced no such restrictions.

A one-versus-two match was slightly more manageable than a one-versus-three.

Even if the opponent easily guessed Bauhinia's intentions, there wasn't any other choice.

With more legendary mechanics on their team, the opponents could dominate from a tactics standpoint.

Bai E smiled faintly. "No problem."

Glancing over at Victor, he asked, "You still good to fight?"

Victor froze for a moment before nodding sharply. "Of course!"

"Then come with me." Bai E smiled and turned to leave.

Watching the pair's retreating backs, the other team members in the drop pod stared blankly. "Can he… really pull it off?"