NOVEL NEXT Chapter 97: 73rd
"In a few minutes." General Maru grinned and jabbed a thumb at the bracket. "We've been pulling favors, moving mana stones, and paying your way through the qualifiers. We got you BYE after BYE so you'd skip the early riffraff. Straight to the real games."
"You… paid off the tournament committee?" Damien stared at them.
"Not bribed. Supported. With very generous military funding," said General Liang philosophically with an air of ancient wisdom made more pronounced with the stroking of his very long white beard. "A young man of your caliber should be seen. Properly."
Damien sighed internally.
"You guys had a lot of confidence that I would join. What if I had refused?" he asked. "I've already settled my money problem."
The three generals looked at each other.
Then Riki cracked his knuckles. "We'll enter you in the doubles tournament instead. With Fatty."
Damien's eye twitched.
General Liang leaned in. "And he's already designed your matching outfits."
"Get me started in the damn solo matches now. Right now."
"Hahahaha! Excellent!" General Maru howled with laughter and slapped the table. "Those god damn War God College old coots will probably cry when their little aces lose and drop out of the tournament one by one! Hoo hoo hoo!"
"Huu Huu Huu!"
"Waaa kakakakaka!"
The other old men cackled evilly.
Damien's lips twitched violently.
Just what had he gotten himself into?
The screen shifted, highlighting Damien's name in the bracket.
He was up against a Gold Ranked candidate from Beijing's prestigious Southern Glory Mecha Academy.
"Your first match is in two minutes," General Liang said cheerfully. "Oh, and the event is being streamed nationwide. Try not to swear."
"Two minutes. Fine. I'll get coffee first." Damien turned and walked to the counter to order a tall mug of white chocolate mocha.
"Put it on the old geezers' tab." he told the barista.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Inside the plush VIP viewing lounge hovering above the Battle Gods Arena, the generals had taken over the front row like ancient warlords sitting on the edge of a coliseum.
Snacks, drinks, and several unauthorized magical projection runes hovered midair, displaying alternate angles of the arena. They were ready. Giddy, even.
General Riki was practically vibrating in his seat, pointing a half-eaten meat skewer at the screen. "There he is. Damien's first opponent. Yu Fan of Southern Glory Mecha Academy. This kid is no rookie."
"He's ranked seventy-third in the Gold Ranking," General Maru added, swirling a cup of red spiritual wine. "Out of a hundred of the best solo BGA pilots in the country. Official rank, official credentials."
"Mm," General Hong Fei grunted, leaning forward. He wore his full uniform as always, even though he was retired.
His salt-and-pepper mustache twitched slightly as he studied the screen. "Yu Fan's the top long-range specialist in all of Beijing's eastern training corridor. He doesn't miss unless he wants to."
"Correct," said General Liang, eyes gleaming beneath his ancient brows. "And his glide system isn't just for show. Southern Glory upgraded his chassis with dual-angle mana thrusters tuned for asymmetric recoil. His burst strafing is nearly impossible to track, even with motion prediction spells."
"He scored five knockouts in the Beijing Regionals," Maru said. "Two of those without taking a single hit. He's not explosive but he's efficient. Precision kills. Core-targeted. Like a scalpel with boosters."
"Yeah," General Riki added, licking his fingers clean. "And that twin ion repeater kit? Custom job. Fires like a heartbeat. If you give him one second too many, your legs are gone, your core's fried, and you're stuck in the mud wondering what happened."
"I like this boy," said General Hong Fei. "He doesn't rely on theatrics. He kills clean."
"Pity we're sending him to hell," General Liang added solemnly.
All heads turned as General Liang, ancient and bearded, leaned in with unusual enthusiasm.
He wasn't drinking tea today. No, today he had a branded BGA energy drink in his hand and a merch scarf around his neck with the words MECHA POWER! stitched in bold gold.
General Riki blinked. "Wait. You… hated tech."
"I saw the light!" General Liang waved his scarf dramatically. "Mechas are modern martial arts! Gears are just qi conductors with a cool paint job!"
"By the heavens," General Hong Fei muttered. "The old man's converted."
Within the simulation, the BGA Arena came to life.
The scrying screens lit up across the stadium, high above and hovering around the battlefield, capturing every angle with dazzling magical clarity.
The crowd's roar surged like a tidal wave.
Then came the announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the First Round of the Beijing BGA Tournament! My name is Grumpy Bear, and my partner's name here is Sleepy Smile! Sleepy, say hi!"
"Hello everyone! I'm Sleepy! That's my name, by the way. I am not actually sleepy. I am actually excited! Like the emotion excited. My name is Sleepy, not excited."
"Alright, Sleepy! Entering from the East Gate, representing Southern Glory Mecha Academy, ranked seventy-third in the national Gold Rankings. Yu Fan, the Phantom Executioner!"
The arena erupted into cheers.
Yu Fan's mecha launched onto the field in a gleam of blue and silver, light bending slightly around the twin ion repeaters mounted on each forearm. His chassis was sleek, angular, and custom-painted with Southern Glory's golden insignia. Microthrusters hissed softly as he glided into a smooth landing at the center of his starting platform.
The main commentator's voice boomed.
"There it is! The Generation 5 Phantom Viper YF 1, Yu Fan's personal mod. Outfitted with twin ion repeaters, reinforced photon plating, and his signature Phantom Drive mobility suite—currently ranked number two in lateral evasive trials across the national testing board!"
"Built for elite long-range control and reactor core precision kills," added the co-commentator breathlessly. "Make no mistake, this is Phantom Viper, the best Sniper Mecha, modified and upgraded!"
Then the announcer's voice dropped half an octave, laced with curiosity and doubt.
"And now… entering from the West Gate... Hungry Monster. Gold ranked. Unseeded."
The crowd murmured. A few polite claps. A lot of confusion.
The Western platform hummed to life.
Then, with a low hiss, Damien's mecha stepped forward.