"So, you're saying you still want to fight me?" Orno's expression turned icy upon hearing Victor's words. In his eyes, this guy was the epitome of not knowing when to quit.
"Of course, I haven't lost all my fighting strength yet."
"And you think you have a chance of winning against me?"
"Who knows? You won't find out until the very end," Victor replied with a nonchalant grin, despite the glaring disparity in their Star Armor capabilities.
"I'm giving you a chance to exit gracefully, and yet you refuse. Fine, then I'll take you down, just like I did with that Jeros from your family."
Orno's voice was cold as he spoke, placing the floating faceplate onto his head and re-entering battle mode.
"Damn it, our compatibility is only 10% apart. Why is there such a massive gap between us? I can't compete at all," Victor muttered to himself. In their earlier bout, he had been utterly overwhelmed from start to finish.
It was no surprise. Orno's combat experience matched his, but Orno's Star Armor pilot rank was far superior. On top of that, Orno had a much higher compatibility with his Star Armor, granting him access to more advanced weapons.
All of these factors were decisive in battle, and Victor lagged behind in every single one. His current predicament was, unfortunately, inevitable.
"If I stick to conventional Star Armor combat, there's no chance of winning. Looks like I'll have to take an unconventional approach," Victor thought to himself, formulating a plan.
"Huh? What's this idiot trying to do now? Commit suicide?" Orno watched as Victor charged straight at him with two floating cannons in tow. He raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
Though puzzled, Orno showed no hesitation. He commanded his own floating weapons to open fire, unleashing a barrage that completely engulfed Victor.
The intense attack left the spectators stunned. The ferocity of the bombardment made it seem as if Victor would be blown to smithereens.
"Ugh, that firepower..." Despite being caught in the barrage, Victor gritted his teeth as his remaining floating cannons shielded him.
"Is this supposed to tickle me? This doesn't even compare to my usual training sessions. So, this genius with 93% compatibility is only capable of this?" Victor's face wore a mocking smile, but crimson blood dripped from his mouth.
His two damaged floating cannons could temporarily block the direct attacks, but they couldn't shield him from the shockwaves of the explosions. He had to endure those himself. Luckily, thanks to Muria's training, his endurance had reached its peak.
"Ha, trying to engage me in close combat?" Orno sneered as he saw Victor pushing forward despite the relentless firepower.
By now, both fighters had a good grasp of each other's capabilities. Orno knew Victor's background, including the fact that he'd been trained by a martial artist. But he didn't take it seriously. After all, a martial artist was still no match for a Star Armor pilot without the energy known as "Qi."
"This is close enough!" Victor whispered, enduring the blasts and dodging just enough to keep moving forward. As he reached a distance of fewer than 50 meters from Orno, he activated the propulsion system on his Star Armor.
In a flash, he became a streak of light, shedding his Star Armor weapons and breaking through Orno's line of fire. He closed in on the first genius of the Francis family.
"A loser from the Douglas family? Just because you trained under a martial artist, you think you can beat me in close combat? A loser will always be a loser, no matter what they try!"
Orno smirked disdainfully and dashed forward, preparing to engage Victor in hand-to-hand combat.
"Idiot. Close combat has nothing to do with your compatibility or talent. You're just asking for a beating," Victor taunted, overjoyed that Orno had taken the bait.
"Fool. After taking such a beating, what makes you think you're qualified to fight me up close? Do you really believe you can win with just close combat?"
Orno sneered at Victor's damaged Star Armor, which was covered in cracks. There was no reason to decline the challenge. He wasn't a martial artist; what was there to fear? This was a guaranteed victory.
Bam!
Victor's fist, encased in Star Armor, smashed into Orno's faceplate with a burst of golden sparks. Using the techniques taught by Muria, Victor's punch forced Orno's head to jerk to the side.
"How does that feel?" Victor laughed triumphantly. He followed up with a kick aimed at Orno, intending to capitalize on the moment and beat him into submission.
"You'll pay for that!" Furious, Orno lunged at Victor. Despite his anger, he maintained control, commanding his floating cannons to fire as he attacked.
"Hey, that's cheating! We agreed on a close combat duel, and you're using cannons!" Victor shouted as the floating cannons blasted him backward. He quickly rushed forward again, determined to stay close to Orno.
"This is a Star Armor match, not a martial arts competition," Orno replied coldly. But before he could finish his sentence, Victor closed in and grappled him.
"Oh, folks! What do we have here? This match seemed almost decided, with Victor from the Douglas family on the verge of defeat. But in a surprising turn of events, he's abandoned his weapons to engage his opponent in a wrestling match. I've never seen a Star Armor fight like this in my career!"
The commentator's voice carried a mix of amazement and amusement.
"Damn it, let go of me!" Orno shouted angrily, his body entangled with Victor's.
"Sure, I'll let go—just throw away all your weapons, or admit defeat," Victor replied with a mischievous grin, his body coiling tightly around Orno like a snake.
"In your dreams!"
"Fine. Then let's keep going!" Victor headbutted Orno with a resounding metallic clang.
Enraged, Orno retaliated, commanding all his floating cannons to turn on them both.
"Are you insane?" Victor exclaimed, stunned by Orno's desperation.
"You asked for this! I'll give you one last chance—let go and admit defeat!"
"Never! Go ahead, fire!"
"Fine!"
The cannons fired simultaneously, creating a massive explosion that sent the two combatants crashing to the ground.
The crowd fell silent. Even the commentator was at a loss for words.
As medics prepared to intervene, one of the figures on the ground stirred. Victor, his Star Armor still smoldering, picked up a nearby object and crawled toward Orno.
"You lost, Victor!" Orno laughed, trying to reactivate his armor.
"I woke up before you did. You're the one who lost!" Victor retorted, swinging the object in his hand and smashing it into Orno's face.
"What the hell are you hitting me with?"
"My thigh!" Victor declared triumphantly.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+100 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]