Rune's voice was low and cryptic, "You'll know when the time comes."
For Ash, Rune's remark was merely a passing comment, no more significant than a ripple in his daily life. Ash had grown to love his current existence—a life filled with action and purpose. It felt as though he was born for combat. Piloting different mechs against various opponents gave him an unparalleled sense of thrill. After exhausting battles, he would stroll through the Guteisda district, keeping company with the old men who frequented its streets. Upon logging off the virtual network, his routine training sessions, which always brought something new, awaited him. Compared to the empty, monotonous days of his past, this life brimmed with vitality and excitement.
He had already completed more than half of the targets Rune had listed for him.
Unbeknownst to Ash, his exploits had sparked widespread attention. YC—the mysterious pilot who had seemingly emerged from nowhere—was now a household name in the Farr Quadrant’s mech training base. Known for his tireless battles, YC had become the hottest topic of discussion.
Ash first caught everyone's attention during his duel with Thornshield.
Thornshield was ranked 82nd on the Farr Quadrant's battle leaderboard. His mech, "Porcupine," was a high-end model with a unique combat style that showcased his formidable skills. He had a loyal following, and every match of his drew large audiences. But in the duel against Ash, the unexpected occurred.
The match concluded with Ash's victory.
A mere win wouldn't have been shocking; even the top-ranked Child of Light lost a dozen matches annually. It wasn't unheard of for someone ranked 82nd to lose. What stunned the audience was the mech Ash used: the Rachel.
The Rachel—commonly known as the "Grunt"—was a low-end humanoid mech designed for durability. Its heavy armour offered exceptional defence but severely limited its speed and agility. With the modern trend leaning toward high-speed, long-range tactics, the Rachel had long been considered obsolete. Seeing one in action was a rarity.
When Ash entered the arena piloting a Rachel, the spectators erupted in disbelief. Thornshield's Porcupine, a premium mech, was far superior. Many dismissed Ash as an amateur doomed to fail.
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But the fight that unfolded defied all expectations.
To everyone's astonishment, the Rachel took the offensive. The initial scoffs from the crowd quickly turned into stunned silence.
Could a Rachel move with such agility?
Ash's Rachel darted around the Porcupine in dizzying circles. Every sword strike forced Thornshield into frantic defence. The Porcupine, despite its advanced systems, couldn’t land a single hit on the Rachel.
Was this low-tier mech somehow enhanced? Perhaps its engine had been upgraded? But even if it were modified, Thornshield’s utter inability to counterattack was beyond belief.
The truth, however, was undeniable. Ash's Rachel overwhelmed Thornshield's Porcupine from start to finish.
To Thornshield's credit, his defensive techniques were extraordinary. His sword-and-shield combination created an almost impenetrable barrier. His blocks, deflections, and counterattacks were executed with expert precision, and the occasional glint of his blade from within the shield’s defence resembled the thorns of his namesake. A single misstep could have spelled disaster for Ash.
But Ash never faltered. Calm and composed, he pressed on with relentless precision.
The match's extraordinary intensity and result left the audience speechless. Many spectators instinctively activated their holographic recorders to capture the moment. Within hours, the duel was uploaded to the public discussion boards, where it quickly rose to the top.
A detailed analysis of the match left mech enthusiasts in awe of YC’s skills.
The Rachel, as confirmed by multiple reviews, was not a modified mech. Ash had simply pushed its capabilities to the extreme. His movements consistently maximised the Rachel’s speed, giving the illusion that it was faster than Thornshield’s Porcupine.
What truly amazed observers was Ash's ability to utilise the Rachel’s inherent flaws as strengths. Its bulk, typically seen as a disadvantage, became a weapon in Ash’s hands. By aligning each attack perfectly with the Rachel’s momentum, Ash turned the mech into a massive hammer, with its sword as the nail. The combined force of the Rachel's weight and speed made every strike devastating.
The most remarkable discovery, however, came after a meticulous frame-by-frame analysis. During one sequence, Ash executed eight consecutive sharp turns at low angles within three seconds across a hundred-metre stretch.
Low-angle turns are a fundamental technique for speed-focused mechs, but executing them repeatedly at high speed places immense strain on the pilot's body. The higher the mech’s speed and the greater the frequency of the manoeuvres, the more the pilot’s endurance is tested.
Eight consecutive turns in three seconds? It seemed humanly impossible.
Some questioned whether the data was faulty, but the simulation environment was designed to mirror reality. If a pilot couldn't physically perform a manoeuvre in the real world, the system would automatically register it as a failure.
Was Ash even human? Could the human body withstand such extreme demands?
The duel had thrust YC into the spotlight, with many now referring to him as the enigma of the Farr Quadrant.
But what followed in Ash's subsequent matches would push his audience's hearts to the brink.