Chapter 230: Practical Evaluation (4)

Louis clicked his tongue as Kani’s match unexpectedly dragged on.

Ah, this damn Dragon’s Buff…

Kani and Khan, the Twins, had observed the creation of the Transcendent for centuries. Yet this was their first time riding it themselves. In other words, their total experience amounted to barely four months.

And yet…

How could this be the maneuvering skills of a pilot with only four months’ experience?

Kani’s maneuvers had already transcended human limitations. Especially now…

Parts-side—

The electric current flowing through Kani’s Transcendent. That was dangerous.

Has she already figured out how to do that?

No matter how synchronized they became, a pilot’s perception of the Transcendent remained fundamentally as a tool.

It was an unconscious mental defense mechanism inherent to all pilots. When this psychological barrier collapsed due to some trigger, two outcomes emerged:

Either the pilot would be devoured by the Transcendent and become a Mac, or…

They would ascend to a new realm.

What Kani was demonstrating now was precisely the phenomenon that occurred when the mental lock was released and the Transcendent became fully integrated with the pilot’s body.

Louis borrowed the wuxia term “Body and Sword as One” and adapted it to call this state “God-Machine Fusion.”

Heh-heh, Louis… Heh-heh-heh-heh.

Louis’s face twitched with slight embarrassment at Kani’s excited voice calling out to him.

Ah, damn it…

Even if it’s Kani, I’m still the best when it comes to Transcendent piloting!

…That’s what I thought, but I can’t underestimate Kani’s piloting skills now that her dragon buff has activated.

I was just going to show off casually, but…

It seems even that has become difficult. If I slack off, I’ll end up embarrassingly rolling on the ground.

That can’t happen!

Regardless of what anyone says, I’m the Transcendent Creator and the first Transcendent pilot. How could I lose to a mere four-month experienced pilot?

…I have no choice.

With that thought, Louis also activated God-Machine Unity. Simultaneously, black energy began swirling from his Transcendent.

The students and instructor watching in real-time had their jaws drop open.

“What… is that?”

“W-What’s happening?”

Just then, Harold arrived after hearing Tom’s account.

It’s not over yet!

Harold had rushed over, thinking Tom would be in the final match by now. He was still trying to catch his breath from his frantic sprint when the scene before him made him gasp again.

“Huh! Th-that’s…?!”

As a scholar and engineer specializing in Transcendent technology, how could he not recognize this phenomenon?

“The Din Streaming Phenomenon?!”

About 120 years ago, it was first discovered by the then-greatest Transcendent pilot, ‘Din Streaming’. This phenomenon allowed him to demonstrate such overwhelming Transcendent mobility that he was dubbed the God of War.

But after Din Streaming’s death, no one else had succeeded, and the technology had been lost… until now.

T-two aircraft simultaneously?!

During the lower class’s practical evaluation, not one but two aircraft simultaneously exhibited the Din Streaming phenomenon.

Harold, his jaw agape, moved forward to examine the two aircraft more closely. As he approached Agus, he asked, “Hey, Agus… What exactly is that…?”

In response to the incoherent question, Agus answered with a trance-like quality, “Harold… Isn’t it beautiful?”

”…?”

“If there were the world’s greatest painter, I’d bring them here immediately to capture this duel in paint…”

”…”

“That would become the greatest masterpiece the world has ever seen!”

Noticing Agus’s eyes glazed over, Harold refrained from asking further questions.

Asking anything now would yield no coherent answer.

Instead, he turned his gaze forward once more.

The Transcendent shrouded in darkness, and the Transcendent enveloped in lightning.

As the powerful current flowed, the wooden double swords disintegrated into ash and scattered.

The same fate befell Louis’s greatsword.

Unable to withstand the overwhelming energy, it dissolved into dust and vanished.

Their prolonged standoff seemed destined to continue indefinitely.

Kani was the first to break the silence.

Boom!

Was this what it meant for lightning to strike on a clear sky?

With a thunderous roar, Kani’s Transcendent vanished, its movements defying all mechanical and physical limitations.

The vanished Transcendent reappeared directly in Louis’s path.

Zzzt!

Unit 30’s Transcendent thrust its fist toward Unit 33’s chestplate.

Though a simple strike, the high-voltage current enveloping the Transcendent’s punch made it a formidable threat in itself.

Any opponent struck by Kani’s Transcendent would instantly become a sacrifice to the lightning.

Yet even Kani’s attack couldn’t breach the black energy surrounding Louis.

Thud! Crack!

Shing!

Louis casually deflected Kani’s punch with his palm, simultaneously absorbing the electrical charge into his dark aura.

Witnessing this, Kani roared:

“Louis! That’s cheating!”

“Want to play fair? Then unleash your lightning too!”

“Waaah!”

Despite being obscured by the Transcendent, Louis couldn’t help but chuckle at the vivid image of Kani’s cheeks puffing out.

But he couldn’t afford to laugh for long.

Kani’s attacks kept raining down relentlessly.

Crack! Boom!

Her spiritual form moved with blinding speed, fists and legs flying. Yet Louis parried each strike as effortlessly as water flowing downhill.

Dozens of exchanges unfolded in the blink of an eye.

Boom! Boom!

The deafening impacts made students cover their ears, yet none looked away from the match. They all instinctively knew - they might never witness combat of this caliber again in their lifetimes.

Pop! Crack!

The air shattered, and electricity arced through the arena.

Could this be the battle between the Heavenly God and the Demon God descending upon the mortal realm?

Kani’s machine, wreathed in bright energy, and Louis’s machine, shrouded in darkness, resembled colossal deities locked in combat.

The assault and defense continued unabated. Though the predetermined thirty minutes had long since passed, no one could intervene—no one could even find a way to break into the fray.

Who could possibly disrupt such a clash?

The exchange flowed like water, relentless and unending. The battle that seemed destined to last forever finally halted when Kani’s machine staggered mid-attack.

Huh? Kani’s bewildered voice crackled through the speakers.

L-Louis! This is weird! What’s happening?!

Louis burst out laughing at Kani’s naive innocence—she was asking her opponent in the middle of a fight about issues with her aircraft.

“You idiot, how can a mere 4th-grade Transcendent keep up with those movements? It’s a miracle it’s lasted this long!”

“But Louis, your machine looks perfectly fine!”

“Of course. My piloting skills are superior to yours. Heh!”

”…Why is he so infuriating?”

As Louis’s smug face loomed before her, Kani’s lips curled into a pout. Driven by the urge to teach that face a lesson, she channeled more attribute power into her machine.

Parts, parts, parts…

Kani’s aircraft blazed with electricity brighter than before.

“Hey, hey! Cut it out! You’ll fry your whole Transcendent if you keep that up!”

“I’ll just hit you once and end it!”

“Who’s gonna hit me?”

“Die!”

“I said I’ll hit you!”

“Hit me and die!”

“Hey!”

Kani, her fists clenched into tight balls, charged forward with alarming speed.

Ah, really… That damned competitive spirit of hers.

Louis knew all too well the competitive nature of Khan and Kani, having sparred with them over 50,000 times throughout the years. Kani’s drive to win was even stronger than Khan’s. Her eyes would often… no, always take on this dangerous glint during their spars. Only a decisive defeat could bring her back to her senses.

“You don’t understand the concept of ‘enough’!” Louis grumbled as he charged toward Kani.

Thud-thud.

They clashed at the very center of the arena.

As usual, Kani struck first. While Louis had casually parried her attacks before, this time was different.

Thwack!

Unit 33’s left hand, which appeared to be deflecting the blow, instead seized Unit 30’s wrist. His right hand then shot upward like lightning, landing on her shoulder.

Click.

Unit 30’s right arm detached and fell to the ground.

…Huh?

While Kani froze in confusion, Unit 33 moved again. His next target was her left arm.

Click.

In the blink of an eye, both arms of the machine Kani had been controlling dropped to the ground.

Wha…? What’s happening?

Kani’s voice was panicked, her tone revealing complete bewilderment about what had just happened. She wasn’t alone in this confusion; everyone watching the match shared her bewilderment.

However, those with keen eyes noticed that Louis hadn’t simply torn off Unit 30’s arms. Understanding this truth only deepened their astonishment.

“M-Merciful heavens!”

“He disassembled the unit’s limbs during combat?!”

In mecha battles, it was easy to destroy an opponent’s limbs - just break them or rip them off. But what Louis had done went beyond simple destruction. He had disassembled the arms without damaging the unit’s structure.

This feat was accomplished in the heat of battle, where every split second counted.

After this moment, if spectators tried to describe what they’d witnessed to others, no one would believe them easily.

It required near-perfect understanding of the machine’s structure.

It demanded piloting skills that bordered on divine.

Only Louis, possessing both these qualities, could have executed such Technology.

While the crowd stood stunned, Louis had already disassembled Unit 30’s leg.

Thud.

Kani’s stripped-down machine rolled across the ground like a discarded toy.

Simultaneously, the electrical current flowing through Unit 30 vanished.

The arena fell silent, overwhelmed by the unbelievable spectacle.

”…I lost again. Didn’t land a single hit…”

A disgruntled voice emerged from Kani’s machine.

“You’re such a bad Louis!”

“Yeah, I am.”

Louis casually ignored Kani’s petulant outburst. He sprawled beside Unit 30’s torso, neatly arranging its limbs in an orderly fashion. Then, as if admiring a masterpiece he’d created, he inspected the beautifully disassembled parts with arms crossed.

“Someone did this with incredible precision. Heh heh.”

“Ugh…”

Louis snickered at the mental image of Kani trembling. When the sudden silence in the arena snapped him back to reality, he scanned his surroundings.

“Huh…”

The battlefield resembled the aftermath of dozens of explosions - a chaotic mess created by Louis and Kani’s combined efforts. In response, Unit 33’s operator scratched his face with a sword finger.

It was as if Louis had scratched his own face.

“Hmm… Did I go overboard?”

While keeping pace with Kani’s rhythm, he couldn’t help but feel he’d revealed more of his true capabilities than necessary.

Well, what’s done is done.

He quickly dismissed the thought. Instead, he addressed the instructor standing dazed at one end of the arena, clutching their Third Grade Transcendent.

“Is it over?”

“Ah…!”

The instructor finally snapped out of their trance at Louis’s call, urgently shouting:

“T-The winner! Unit 33!”

The announcement echoed through the desolate arena.

“Wow…”

“Unbelievable…”

A groan-like murmur of admiration began with one person and gradually swelled into a rising tide.

And then…

Wooooo!

The small gasp transformed into a thunderous roar that reverberated through the arena. It was a deafening cheer, as if welcoming a triumphant general.

Master Agus wept profusely while clapping enthusiastically. “Wonderful! Wonderful! Today is the best day of my life!”

Meanwhile, Louis grinned at the adulation and raised his arm triumphantly.

“Of course! I’m just that good. Ha!”

His arrogant laughter might have been offensive under normal circumstances, but no one could object. Who would dare criticize him after witnessing that earth-shaking battle?

In the Transcendent Stage waiting room for Unit 33, Sierra remained frozen as she watched the unit waving from the center of the arena. The words Louis had spoken earlier echoed in her mind, lingering long after the semifinal match had concluded.

Sierra muttered in a defeated tone, Louis’s voice still echoing in her mind.

“Observe… and learn?”

What was that supposed to mean?

How was that possible?

“How can I possibly replicate something like that?”

One could only mimic techniques when their level was reasonably close to the original. But Louis’s display today had transcended Sierra’s current realm entirely.

Yet…

“Now that I’ve seen this… what am I supposed to do?”

Sierra stood frozen, the divine battle between the Heavenly and Demonic Gods replaying endlessly in her mind. That single match by Louis would now become the eternal pursuit for Sierra, the Transcendent pilot.

How much time passed?

When the cheers finally subsided and Louis was returning to the Transcendent waiting room…

“This… this is invalid!”

A near-screaming protest erupted from somewhere nearby.