Chapter 848  The Test I


    A few minutes before the fight began, an alarm blared across the testing grounds, and all personnel in the vicinity received an immediate evacuation order. Given the low number of individuals present, the process was completed in under a minute.


    Once the area was cleared, a massive shield dome began forming, expanding to cover a thirty-kilometer diameter and reaching a height of five kilometers. This barrier ensured that nothing occurring inside would escape—critical for a semi-live fire test.


    Outside the dome, the evacuated soldiers gathered, their eyes fixed on the transparent section of the shield, which projected a live feed of the battle about to unfold.


    "Thank God they sent us to move those boxes," Charlie muttered, his voice brimming with excitement.


    On the screen, two towering mechas stood a kilometer apart, weapons drawn, locked in an intense stare-down. His earlier complaints about manual labor were long forgotten—he knew he was about to witness history.


    This was the first-ever live battle between mechas built by the empire. Until now, all development and testing had been confined to VR, meaning that no one outside the project had even known these machines existed. Today, not only had he learned of their existence, but he was among the few lucky enough to watch them in action.


    His enthusiasm went unanswered. The rest of the soldiers, including his friend, remained silent—completely absorbed in the unfolding spectacle, unwilling to miss even a single moment.


    .....................


    The moment Athena called for the fight to begin, the Blue Mecha pulled the trigger.


    With a thunderous roar, the massive gun sent a round into the chamber, where it was rapidly accelerated through the electromagnetic coiled barrel before launching forward—sonic booms echoing in its wake.


    The bullet crossed the kilometer-wide gap in less than a second, but instead of piercing the Red Mecha, two separate explosions erupted two kilometers behind her—the bullet had been sliced cleanly in half before it could hit its mark.


    There was a brief pause—a deceptive moment of calm before the storm.


    Then, the Blue Mecha pulled the trigger again.


    And again.


    And again.


    By the fourth shot, it switched to automatic fire, unleashing a relentless barrage as if determined to drown the battlefield in lead.


    The Red Mecha reacted instantly.


    The first bullet? Sliced apart.


    The second? Same result.


    The third? No different.


    But by the time the fourth round came, her HUD warned her—it was impossible to keep cutting them. The gaps between bullets were too small, making it impractical to deflect them all individually.


    She needed a different approach.


    Her left-hand sword began to shift as she changed her stance, raising it in front of her like a shield. At the same time, the cutting-edge-shaped shield of the sword began to reshape, and the handle itself transformed—morphing into a large Roman-style shield just in time to intercept the oncoming storm of bullets.


    The first few rounds struck, causing ripples across the shield’s surface. Then more.


    The shield held—but each impact carried enough force to push her backward, her massive frame sliding inch by inch under the relentless barrage.


    Not one to be passive, the Red Mecha quickly shifted her strategy.


    Still holding her shield, she made a throwing motion with her right hand, flinging the sword toward the Blue Mecha.


    At the same time, his right hand launched a punch straight toward the Red Mecha’s stomach.


    But something was off.


    Even though he was almost fast enough to grab her arm, he realized—he was just a fraction too far.


    He was going to be cut.


    Yet... the sword never hit him.


    An invisible force suddenly interacted with the Red Mecha’s sword arm, redirecting the attack outward. Instead of slicing through his left arm, the blade cleaved into the ground, sending debris flying.


    BAM!


    Before the Blue Mecha could even process what had just happened—


    He was sent flying backward.


    It was as if he had been struck by a shockwave moments before his punch could land.


    His massive frame skidded across the battlefield, finally stopping hundreds of meters away.


    Yet, without hesitation, he immediately got back up, assuming the same close-combat stance as before.


    The Red Mecha, on the other hand, simply raised her left arm—and, as if answering her call, the sword that had been sent into the sky plummeted back down, landing perfectly back in her hand.


    All of this had happened in just five seconds.


    But the sheer number of calculations, decisions, and adjustments that had been made between the two of them in that short span... was astronomical.


    Yet, despite everything—


    Neither of them had landed a single decisive hit.


    “{Electrostatic repulsion. That was a new way to use it,}” Yaloria muttered, recalling how the Blue Mecha had redirected her sword despite not being close enough to block it directly.


    “{Why use energy-intensive shockwaves to stop my punch when it would’ve done little harm to you?}” the Blue Mecha pilot countered, not amused that he had missed his chance to land the first hit.


    ..................


    “I’m applying to become a mecha pilot,” Charlie declared without hesitation, his voice carrying a sense of absolute certainty.


    He had been completely ensnared by the battle unfolding in front of him. The sheer speed, precision, and power on display had ignited something inside him—


    A desire.


    A need.


    To be up there, inside one of those massive machines, pushing himself to the absolute limit.


    His eyes stayed glued to the projected footage, watching as the two towering mechas reset their stances, preparing for the next exchange.


    Around him, no one laughed or mocked his statement.


    Because deep down—they were all thinking the same thing.