Orca had already emerged from the opposing passageway. The camera followed his every move.
Once he reached the stage, the official livestream was able to accommodate both Orca and Ye Muo in one shot.
Kudos had to be given for the camera work as well as the sound engineer’s choice of music. The livestream cut from Ye Muo to Orca before returning to Orca’s perspective. Ye Muo looked down at him from atop the tall platform.
The cheering in the arena only became more enthusiastic.
Yet Lakely’s expression grew increasingly grave. In the end, he pursed his lips and said, “Be careful, Xavier. Orca hasn’t lost a single time in the last tournament.”
[Lakely’s freaking out, lol. He still has that habit of getting overinvested in certain contestants. Although I’m currently only following Xavier as well, Lakely really needs to calm down. Even Xavier isn’t panicking yet.]
[I’m going all in on Xavier! His previous opponents were also at their peak, but he still secured victory within five minutes every time. Moreover, Orca’s already lost once this tournament. Bert also beat Orca within a few minutes.]
[That’s because his first few opponents weren’t the very cream of the crop and didn’t have Xavier’s overwhelming talent, which partially compensated for his disadvantage. Yes, these contestants are top dogs in their own countries, but they’re a dime a dozen in the resource tournament. To put it bluntly, there’s a vast difference between the top and bottom of the leaderboard.
Plus, Orca looks to be in good condition. He’s calmer than I expected after his crushing defeat at Bert’s hands in the second round. After all, he’s never experience such a setback in his career.]
[Actually, I think Xavier has a high probability of beating Orca when he grows up. He can probably secure a high ranking in the individual bracket as well. But to pit him against Orca now… The gulf between a child who hasn’t passed his psychic power development period and the reigning champion is not something talent or hard work alone can overcome.
You see, although there are only a few contestants as young as Ye Muo in the tournament, talents tend to start training early on. They’re all extremely gifted, but they rarely get to participate in competitions, much less individual matches like this. Take that young contestant on Team Boston for example. There’s barely anything known about him even now. We rarely see the approach Grantz is taking, letting younger members participate in the entire tournament. Xavier’s overwhelming strength probably played into the decision. Debuting early can be beneficial. Being surrounded by strong competition tends to speed up progress.]
[Aren’t there enough Grantz around Xavier already? I feel like he should be used to it by now. Bert even set up a bunch of obstacles, no, training exercises for him during the first round.]
Lakely straightened up. “It’s starting.”
Meanwhile.
Orca ascended via the lift under the watchful eye of the entire audience.
The host continued: [We all know of Xavier’s outstanding talent by now, but he has an undeniable disadvantage when facing off against Orca. Compared to others on this stage, he’s just too young and hasn’t even finished his development period yet. While he has yet to grow into his full potential, Orca is already in the prime of his life!]
[The only thing I’m certain of is that they will definitely bring us an exciting performance!]
Orca was in position.
Ye Muo instinctively crouched down tensely. He didn’t know Orca, but he was instinctively wary of the person on the other side of the platform.
His psychic power was already wound up. A few threads hidden deep within his psychic domain were already flitting out of his control.
The last time he had felt this way was back in the first round of the tournament, when he first set foot in the competition grounds. However, Ye Muo was able to quickly calm down and regain control.
His psychic power also reacted against Norton and the other Grantz in the past, but that was a much more visceral reaction. Ye Muo had no control over them at all. It wasn’t until he grew familiar with the Grantz that his psychic power settled down. Norton’s soothing played a vital role in their tolerance of the other Grantz.
He was still working on gaining full control over his psychic power as of late.
Atop the high leader platform, Norton shifted slightly, lowering the hand that had been resting on the armrest on one side.
Secretary-General Lin noticed at once. He adjusted his glasses and waited for Norton’s order to perhaps temporarily call off the match.
Secretary-General Lin kept glancing at Norton. Did His Majesty forget about this rule? Even though he specifically mentioned it again just yesterday?
But Norton remained silent and focused on the match. This was the sixth time he detected odd fluctuations in Ye Muo’s psychic power.
However, Norton knew that the true number was far higher than that. Ye Muo’s psychic power was unstable to begin with. It was easy for these fluctuations to fly under the radar as a result, only to disappear once he was stabilized.
Although it didn’t seem to have an impact on Ye Muo, Norton could not tolerate anything around Ye Muo being beyond his control.
The match was about to begin. The countdown to the laser net disengaging was already underway.
Unlike the other contestants, Orca did not equip his mech before the match started. Instead, he shifted, covering his forearms and calves with form-fitting armour.
His actions quickly sparked a wave of discussions.
Those on site had to restrain themselves somewhat, a limitation those online did not have to abide by.
[What’s going on? Orca wants to play the fairness card or something? This is the resource tournament. If you have a mech, use it.]
[No, it’s probably because the mech will hinder him in combat. He did the same thing last time. Someone on the galactic network has analyzed that there is an input delay of a few milliseconds contrary to the claims of mecha manufacturers. Form-fitting armour is a worthwhile compromise between protection and speed. Actually, I agree with him. Despite the arena being built with mecha in mind, it’s still a closed environment at the end of the day. Equipping a mech just makes you a bigger target. Why risk letting a Grantz get their hands on you? After all, getting thrown from the platform is also considered a loss.]
[But I can’t stop thinking about that time Xavier kicked right through a pilot cabin– a direct hit would be lethal! That level of strength is unnatural.]
[That’s a full force hit. Don’t forget about Orca’s potent psychic power and high level physical condition.]
[Is he more durable than a mech? The Grantz really are ridiculous. Their physical attributes obviously outclass any other psychic on their level. Take Bert for example. He can literally pick up a mech with one hand. That’s a feat beyond even some king insects.]
[Just popping in with some baseless speculation– I heard that the insect menace is rampant over in Grantz’s homeland. All the weak people over there probably died out long ago in such a harsh environment.]
[Even so, Orca still has his form-fitting armour, ah. It’s even able to withstand attacks from other mecha. Moreover, his psychic power can also protect him to some extent.]
Lakely didn’t give a formal explanation this time, but professional commentator habits died hard. “Orca probably didn’t summon his mech to minimize delays and make himself harder to hit. Although mecha of that size are already technological marvels able to satisfy the demands of most contestants, those at Orca’s level are, simply put, ahead of this era.”
“The same goes for Xavier and the other Grantz. Most Alliance nations, even Kernan, are far more technologically advanced than Grantz. They don’t even have access to tailor-made mecha. However, they were able to surmount this huge gap through talent alone. We’ll soon find out if Xavier’s talent is enough to make up for the disadvantage of still being in his development period.”
“Let me make one thing clear: both of them are very strong. This battle probably won’t take long, but it will certainly be exhilarating to watch. I hope neither are seriously injured.”
The countdown on stage was nearly at zero.
Ye Muo paused once it was clear Orca had no intention of equipping his mech. His expression didn’t change much, but conflict was already brewing in his heart. He had no reservations about taking down mecha, but the only humans he dared to give his all against were the other Grantz.
But Ye Muo soon ran out of time to worry. The laser net in the middle vanished as the countdown reached zero.
Both of them rushed towards each other.
A loud bang soon rang out as Orca crossed his armoured forearms to intercept a drop kick from Ye Muo. Ye Muo continued increasing the amount of force he was using, but Orca was able to dodge to the side, causing his foot to impact the ground with a deafening crash.
Several blows were exchanged within the next few seconds.
Ye Muo still felt compelled to hold back. His pace wasn’t as assured as it was in the previous matches. And although he didn’t get the same oppressive feeling he did when facing off against Bert and the others, Orca was still very strong.
After the next clash, Ye Muo voluntarily retreated a few paces and tossed his sword aside. It was too cumbersome at this point.
Orca used the breather to secure his vital points with armour and a layer of psychic power.
The two of them charged towards each other in unison once more.
Ye Muo’s attacks were still relentless despite his hangups. He was attempting to pressure Orca to the edge of the platform and force him out of bounds.
Meanwhile, the host finally remembered to continue commentating: [Both sides continue to be deadlocked! Not much needs to be said for Orca, but Xavier’s combat proficiency is astounding for his age! He may not be inferior to the other Grantz after all. To be honest, I’m a bit shocked that Xavier is already at this level, but it seems reasonable if you think about it. Aside from Norton Grantz, whom we know little about outside of official appearances, all the other members of the Grantz family are seasoned combatants.]
The lack of progress was beginning to get to Ye Muo. He wanted to end this battle ASAP. The longer this went on, the more unruly his psychic power became and the more attention he had to devote to keeping them under control.
Orca was fully covered in armour at this point. He’s already sensed the uptick in the amount of force behind Ye Muo’s blows.
They were deadlocked again a split second later. Orca prepared to parry and retreat when Ye Muo’s psychic power broke free of his control for a moment. He quickly restrained them again, but they surged out of his psychic domain with even greater insistence and proudly flooded the platform.
Orca was the first to bear the full brunt of the attack. He mobilized his own psychic power to resist.
However, Ye Muo’s psychic power was simply on another level and completely crushed his psychic power. The armour across Orca’s body disintegrated instantly. The signal for the official livestream went nuts, flickering in and out. Even the laser net started appearing intermittently on stage.
