Tempest of the Stellar War

As the top 16 matchups were released, IG also entered a three day rest period. They said it was rest, but it seemed likely that the IG central headquarters were racking their brains to set these geniuses some tough challenges. The sentiment they announced was that too easy a process would not be fulfilling for some, although it was arduous and tricky to change the format now. But Aslan was willing to facilitate this. After all, 1 on 1 fights were not representative of a fighter’s best.

In order to keep them occupied, the top 16 match-ups had been released, allowing the teams to prepare. Some were celebrating, while others were brooding.

Ghana Star team vs Caragal Republic team

Gemini Star team vs Sirius Star team

Maya Empire team vs Lya Sphinx team

Aslan Empire team vs Immortal Barbarian Star team

Solar System Federation team vs Darkness Empire team

Arbiter Empire team vs Maacah Republic team

Hail Cloud Alliance team vs Astina Federation team

Atlantis team vs Earthworm Federation team

Clearly, the Immortal Barbarian Star, which had fought hard for their top 16 spot, were unlucky to have met Aslan, where a positive outcome was impossible. Earthworm Federation team had also received the short end of the stick, meeting the Atlantis team that nobody wanted to match up against. This spelled their doom. Although the Earthworm Federation had displayed superb battle power and unique abilities, against Atlantis, they knew their game was up. Nobody thought an upset was possible against the likes of Atlantis.

Because the other teams each had their specialties, the odds were about 40-60 or 30-70. The outcome was still in the air.

These three days would not be peaceful. Once the opponents had been announced, the team members had been galvanized into researching their opponents. Regardless, everybody wanted to reach the top 8. Top 8 had a completely different meaning. Entering the glorious top 8 meant that their name would be remembered. They had already made it to the top 16, and nobody was willing to give up here.

Entering the top 16 battle, the super dark horse Solar System team had surged out of nowhere, turning from a dark horse to a dashing golden stallion. They had an aura of reaching for the skies. Although their reserve capabilities were insufficient, their main force had already reached the top in the Milky Way. Especially Wang Zheng, who was widely researched by all the teams who might face him. The rest had been mostly researched before the start of IG, and all that could be known was known; the rest would have to be discovered on the battlefield. But this Wang Zheng was different. Before the competition, nobody had known his strength, but now nobody could slight him. Anyone who could take down the likes of Vincent with the mecha equivalent of a tricycle deserved respect.

Footages were reviewed, again and again.

The Darkness Empire team was using their recess room as their war room. All the members were watching the Solar System Federation team sweeping Manalasuo. Nobody needed to process this as urgently as they did, as their next opponent. After watching the battle, everybody was silent.

An encounter was more telling than hearsay. Before this, they had heard all sorts of rumors about dark horses, but nobody had an inkling of what they were actually up against. But after watching this competition, the pressure in the room really began to mount.

“Achilles, from the Moon. Academy X member, and the consistent top scorer. As everybody saw, this person likes a controlled win. Solid foundations, a preference for guns. Ability X not known, but probably something to do with strength exertion.”

The intelligence analyst from the Darkness Empire retrieved an extremely long form, which recorded numerous behavioral tics of Achilles, as well as his unique attack patterns, such as if he preferred the left or right, or dipped his shoulder. These small movements could very well distinguish victory from defeat.

“Next, Lear. Also a student of Academy X. An Earthling, and a classic Earthling to boot. Sees himself as above everybody, including their leader. The Solar System’s internal conflicts have mostly stemmed from this person. He has been slighted in the past by Achilles, and a long-time second place in the Academy. His Ability X is an energy type, but details are unknown. He comes from an ancient, prestigious family. His conceit might be exploitable to our benefit.”

The Darkness Empire’s analysis was acute. They had viewed the records with a practical eye, and begun an analysis one by one. From each person’s past records to their current competition performance, and even some internal matters had been researched. Know yourself, and know thy enemy. The Darkness Empire really believed in this maxim.

Besides these two, Lie Xin and Luo Fei’s performance was very unique, and belonged to the second tier in the Solar System. Lie Xin’s unique fighting style was also famous in the Milky Way. After all, the Lie family also had an illustrious history. Luo Fei seemed like the dual-personality type. But these two, compared to the first tier, still had a clear difference in ability, and the Solar System as a whole still had a few clear weaknesses. Besides these few, the rest had been mere spectators in the fight for top 8, and at most used as cannon fodder. This needed attention as well. Of course, the battle strategy was decided by the captain. Undoubtedly, Sloughberg Bonthe was a genius in this aspect. The previous fight would have been a bitter fight, but with his fight setting the morale, he had smoothed their path to victory considerably.

“Lastly, Wang Zheng, the Solar System team captain.”

At the mention of Wang Zheng, Bo Ning paused. Everyone’s expressions changed. “This person came out of nowhere in the Solar System Federation, snatching the attention of rival from both Achilles and Lear. Before the competition, his performance was average. But recently he has been spectacular. The battle analysts’ conclusion is that he is their best bet.”

As he spoke, the recess room’s huge screen played the battle footage. This was the first time that Wang Zheng had used Hercules mecha.

“This was Wang Zheng’s battle in the first round. He gives a feeling of someone having strong abilities posing as a miracle soldier. But after multiple detailed analyses, we have discovered that his mastery of mecha is sublime. To achieve this, the pressure that one’s fingers have to bear are unimaginable, reaching more than 50 G-force.

The screen flashed. The Radiant Wheel King vs Golden Wheel mecha.

“Everybody is preoccupied with why the Golden Wheel did not retreat. But in my opinion, this is but a trivial question. After all, it is the nature of the mecha’s capabilities. Therefore, to beat him, what you must consider is not why he can do what he does, but what he can do… Notice his positioning. He gives the impression of flowing seamlessly, with no pauses. Again, this shows his mastery and control over strength. Although he did not use Ability X, our conjecture is that he specializes in a few auxiliary control-type energy Ability X. Of course, this is just speculation. We still have insufficient information on this person.

Bo Ning had spared no effort in analyzing their information, and the Darkness Empire members were also listening attentively.

The conference lasted a full three hours, and no one called for a break, or lost focus. Some aspects had even been revisited for more discussion.

The Darkness Empire’s rise had not simply been a matter of strength, but also of attitude. Looking at them, one did not see the reckless strength of youth, but a mature, enduring strength. This was the most serious lesson of the Darkness Empire, who could have originally created greatness, but had stumbled over some small fry and forced to shoulder centuries of shame. Therefore, the Darkness Empire detested underestimating the enemy and slip-ups. In the Empire, any slip ups were severely punished. This was the lesson of their history.

Sloughberg stood up, and mildly said: “Alright, now everyone has a rough sense of things. If we go up against them head-on, our chances of victory are 50-50, but what I want is 100-0. Wang Zheng is definitely very strong, but we have no need to take him head on. Dropping his match, the others will definitely lose!”

“Captain, but even Wang Zheng would be at his wits’ end against your ability. Why not finish him, and bring glory to the nation!”

“Yes, Captain, this kind of guy can’t hold a candle to your ability. If you take the field, I’ll bet that he’ll be finished!”

The Darkness Empire members were full of confidence. Because no matter how strong you were, you would be reduced in the face of the mighty Sloughberg Bonthe.

Sloughberg mulled over it. “We’ll see how it goes.”

The Darkness Empire members started, then their sober expressions lit up with happiness. They evidently knew Sloughberg’s meaning. Only Bo Ning spoke up. “Captain Sloughberg, isn’t it too early to show our hand now?”

“To enter the top 8, all cards must be put on the table. The Solar System is no easy opponent. Besides, it is time for us to establish our rightful place.”