Xiao hadn’t expected to be pressured so hard by her opponent. Not only was the hornet mech just better in every possible way but the other pilot was also very proficient. Never once did her opponent make a mistake, thus there were no openings for her to take advantage of. Even when her engine booster came off cooldown, she wouldn’t have an advantage as her opponent had one too. Everything pointed towards her losing this engagement if she allowed things to continue developing as it is.

Time to take a gamble then! No risk, no gain!

Xiao activated her jump jets so they could take her mech to the air. The hornet mech stood still for several seconds before it started moving. Instead of running towards where the ant would land, the hornet used its jump jet to close the distance by taking to the air itself. Instead of finding a spot to land, Xiao reactivated her jump jets so they propelled her mech towards the enemy. She then angled her mech so the ant’s right leg was aimed directly at the hornet. Since the two mechs were charging at one another in the air, Xiao barely had time to brace herself before the impact. The young woman barely suppressed her scream following the hit.

The hare pilot managed to adjust to this every match? Is he a machine or something?

Upon recovering from the impact, Xiao quickly checked her mech’s status. The right leg had taken serious damage with very little armor left. A few light machine gun hits could easily expose the structure. When she observed her foe, a smile formed on her face.

Now I see why it’s so satisfying! That hornet took it worse than me!

Her attack took out the hornet’s right torso along with its right arm. Not only did it lose the small lasers armed there but the heat sinks once stored there were no longer available for cooling her opponent efficiently.

This is my opening!

Xiao used her jump jets sparingly to get her mech as close to the hornet as possible. Once the ant mech got close enough, she opened fire with all of her weapons. Her mech was getting close to overheating due to the earlier jump jet uses but she wasn’t about to let her opponent recover from the attack. She purposely positioned her mech to the right side of the hornet so her attacks could hit the hornet’s center torso which was now exposed from the flank. After Xiao landed a few hits, she regrettably watched as the hornet backed away. She tried to give chase but the damaged leg hindered her movement, forcing her to stay where she was.

Damn it! If only I had more time to fire at that exposed torso…

The development taught Xiao the importance of using the kick as a finishing move. Her ant was now a lot more vulnerable with the damaged leg and she could do nothing to repair it mid-match. The break did allow her mech to cool down which was vital to her using her jump jets later for maneuverability. With this breather, she decided to check up on her squadmate's progress.

“Vesna, how is Puhi doing in her matchup?”

“It’s a tie. Both of them lost a side torso. It’s hard to tell which will win but the victor won’t be in much of a fighting shape afterwards.” The sound of keyboards could be heard from the headset. “How is your leg holding out? And when did you learn to kick with your mech? I heard Wattan die a little after you did that stunt.”

Xiao admitted over the headset that she learned it after experiencing it firsthand on the receiving end. She tried it in the simulations but the actual kick felt a lot more violent. She wasn’t sure if all kicks felt this impactful or if she just happened to have her foe flying towards her. Regardless, she was glad she tried it as it gave her a better chance than earlier. Meanwhile, she could hear the head mechanic saying something undiscernible in the background.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“Wattan wants you to know that the leg cannot handle a second kick like that....and shared some of his opinion on the matter.”

“Tell him that I love him too, Vesna! I don’t intend on losing this match.”

Once her mech’s heat bar dropped to zero, Xiao decided that she had enough of a break. She propelled her mech forward with the jump jets, readying her weapons to fire once the hornet was within range. Her opponent began running away from her, frustrating Xiao to no end.

“Vesna, please ask Wattan how a damaged leg can handle running. I cannot use my jump jets indefinitely.”

After Xiao stopped her mech to cool it down, Wattan came on the line.

“Listen carefully, missus. A damaged leg isn’t simply a matter of losing most of its armor. The connections between the leg and the center torso are also impacted. If you need to use the leg, you either minimize movement or use jump jets to lessen its load. The latter requires a skill that even trained pilots have a hard time mastering in a short period of time. That’s all I can share.”

“That’s plenty, Wattan. Thanks!”

The other duel was becoming a stalemate where both mechs were likely to be eliminated shortly. That left only she and her opponent. Unwilling to just give up on the mech, Xiao wanted to at least attempt the second option of lessening the load. Her opponent had been hesitant to engage which gave her time to experiment without the pressure. She didn’t know the reason why her opponent was so hesitant to attack but she wasn’t about to give up on the rare opportunity.

I usually maneuver my jump jets this much to zigzag. If I increase it a bit more while moving, then it should…

The first step felt wobbly but, by her tenth step with the right leg, the mech felt more stable.

Good thing I was studying the hare pilot. He wasn’t proficient but he did it well enough for me to learn from.

The ant mech steadily picked up speed with Xiao making adjustments with every step. Willing to take all the risks, she then activated her engine booster. The ant mech charged at the hornet at incredible speeds.

Where will you run off to now?

Xiao watched as her opponent could only back away a few steps. Once the two mechs were within firing range of one another, they both opened fire. She once again positioned her mech to finish what she started earlier. After a few explosions came from the hornet mech center torso, her opponent fell head first into the ground. The young woman turned her mech in time to see Puhi’s duel ending with a draw as the other two mechs collapsed where they stood.

Wow, it’s quite a bit of a workout to make the ant win against a hornet. I need Wattan to get me more upgrades soon.

“Do you need assistance returning to the mechbay?” asked Vesna.

“I’ll use this chance to practice more.”

Without the match pressure or a foe, Xiao could take her time getting used to the different jump jet intensities. She might have taken longer than usual to get to the mechbay but she was more confident she could navigate her mech somewhat well with a damaged leg in the future.

“Vesna, do you know if the simulation has settings for damaged legs?”

“Wattan knew you would ask. The answer is no. Damaged legs are too difficult to simulate and aren’t consistent. Your next kick might require different jump jet adjustments to make work.”

“Alright! That’s a shame.”

In other words, I just need to be a lot more proficient at jump jets to make all of this work.

As she waited to exit her mech, Xiao took out her phone to make some notes on what to work on next time. As she put in the entries, a message arrived from the fighting ring. She opened it.

<

Hello Rising Ant,

We have received a special match request regarding you. Your opponent will be piloting an armadillo mech. If you accept the request, you will be given two crates of special equipment. A victory will yield an additional eight crates.

Please respond if you’re willing to accept the request or not.

Regards,

North Star Mech Fighting Ring

>

Xiao immediately replied with an acceptance. There was literally no downside to this. Special match requests didn’t change the duel rules at all and she got rewards for accepting. Even a loss would yield a profit on her end. The young woman was also curious about the special equipment as the term was very vague. Special meant different things to different organizations so, until she saw the contents within the crates, she had no way of knowing what was given to her.