Three minutes had passed. Even if Ouyang Tao surrendered now, he’d technically already won.
But after holding out this long, Ouyang Tao was getting carried away. He’d survived three minutes—less than two remained. He gritted his teeth, determined to force a full draw.
Ouyang Tao estimated his remaining mana at roughly five to six thousand units. Pushing himself to the limit, he could probably endure the rest.
Deya, however, had no choice but to win. She’d proposed this match. If a commoner freshman forced a tie under everyone’s eyes, she’d lose all face.
Relying on artillery alone wouldn’t cut it now. Deya unleashed her trump card, channeling more mana: "Disassemble! Modify! Reshape!"
Six Mechs broke apart, then swiftly recombined with new parts into four larger quadruped Mechs—Grade 2 standard "Gunner" units.
Designed as mobile artillery platforms, each Gunner now mounted twin dual-barreled heavy cannons, bombarding Ouyang Tao relentlessly.
Under cover of fire, Deya’s secret weapon crept toward him.
In the stands, Lu Yun—Deya’s former mentor—spotted the move. He silently conjured two invisible aerial Mechs flanking her.
Ouyang Tao couldn’t see them. "Hmph… She’s using that already? Tch…"
Ouyang Tao’s mana was nearly depleted. If Deya kept up the barrage, he’d collapse from exhaustion in under a minute—though Deya couldn’t tell.
Fighting the academy’s strongest to this point was impressive. Yet Lu Yun sensed this commoner still had potential… The best might be yet to come.
The match had reached its final showdown.
"Damn it… This never ends! Hah…" Ouyang Tao panted, barely holding up. The barrage had paused for seconds—he’d thought she was spent. Instead, it was just the calm before a fiercer storm.
"Huh? Weird…" Hidden behind his barrier and drained, Ouyang Tao still monitored the outside with mana senses.
His mana was too limited to defend all sides. If she attacked on multiple fronts, he’d be helpless.
Now, he sensed fewer Mechs but heavier firepower. She was going all out.
But where were the other two Mechs?
Ouyang Tao understood Deya’s pride. A public tie would humiliate her. She wouldn’t hold back now.
A faint ripple disturbed the light orb in his hands. After a second’s hesitation, he deployed defense units behind him. An explosion erupted there instantly.
"Bastard! What the hell was that?!" Ouyang Tao saw nothing, but something was attacking from above—rocket fire, by the feel of it.
Heavy cannons ahead, rockets ambushing from behind. This was his worst fear: fighting on two fronts. It split his focus and drained his last mana. He couldn’t last much longer.
This couldn’t continue. He had to eliminate the sneak attacker first. He guessed she used camouflage—but he had a simple counter: "Magnetic parts, attach!"
Ouyang Tao crafted new defense units with magnetic components. Calculating the rocket launch points, he flung them out with mana.
"Gotcha! Detonate!" He triggered the units manually. A series of blasts echoed. Two fireballs plummeted from ten meters up, crashing behind him—Deya’s hidden aerial Mechs.
"Guh…" Ouyang Tao had no time to celebrate. Blood surged to his mouth; he swallowed it hard. A sign of mana exhaustion.
He was truly at his limit now. The light orb in his hands flickered wildly. Every second was agony.
Was this it? Maybe this was his ceiling. He’d fought well enough… For a moment, surrender felt acceptable.
But stubbornness kicked in. After coming this far, he’d never yield willingly.
Suddenly, the frontal barrage stopped. Ouyang Tao caught his breath. His eyes drifted to the downed aerial Mechs—and a bold idea sparked.
*Boom boom boom…* Deya froze, stunned into silence as her trump card fell.
"The ‘Wraiths’… shot down?!" She’d been shocked he’d pierced her optical camouflage. But destroying two Grade 4 standard "Wraith" Mechs?
He still had strength to counterattack!—Deya misjudged.
Only one minute left. No more options. She had to end this with overwhelming force.
"Assemble!" Her material stockpile vanished. Existing Mechs disintegrated. Six towering humanoid Mechs—six meters tall—began forming: Grade 5 standard "Gladiator" units.
Gladiators lacked ranged weapons. Instead, they boasted thick armor and arms weighing over ten tons each, built to crush fixed defenses. Deya aimed to shatter Ouyang Tao’s barrier through brute force.
But Gladiators were slow. Assembly took seconds. So she built them right before his barrier.
*Just a little longer…* Deya thought. *That damn barrier will crumble—*
*Boom boom boom…* Explosions ripped through the half-built Gladiators. Ouyang Tao used the same trick that downed the Wraiths.
That was his last mana.
Deya clenched her teeth. Thirty seconds left. No more delays!
"Instant Alchemy!" She burned mana recklessly, conjuring a Gladiator instantly before her. Then…
The final moment arrived. Every spectator leaned forward, breathless.
"Whoa, what’s she doing?!" "No way—is she serious?!" "The young lady’s furious! She’s going for the kill!"
Students gasped because Deya had strapped rocket thrusters and piles of Magic Stone bombs onto the Gladiator. She’d turned it into a suicide machine.
"Finished!" Deya roared. The multi-ton bomb-laden monster slammed into Ouyang Tao’s barrier, shattering it. A deafening explosion shook the arena.
*Ding—* The timer hit zero. The match ended.
Yet the result was…
