The desert sun burned overhead, and the wind whipped sand so fiercely it stung my eyes.I kept low, moving fast along the shadow of a dune. The flag was getting closer in my sights. But just as I was within a hundred meters, the sand exploded upward and a crimson mech burst out from the opposite side.
He had locked onto the flag before me. His mech roared to full speed, scattering gravel in its wake.
[Competitor detected.]
The system's voice cut in, cold and emotionless.
The pilot of the crimson mech didn't hesitate. He pulled out an energy lance, charging straight at me with reckless force. His plan was obvious: a head-on clash.
If it were anyone else, they'd have no choice but to meet him head-on.But I had no intention of wasting strength on a pointless fight.
Switching mech modes in an instant, I cut the frontal shields and rerouted energy into the joints. With a sharp kick, my mech leapt high, using the swirl of sand as cover. I vaulted clean over the lance's tip.
The other pilot froze, stunned. Before he could react, I had already landed behind him.
"What?!"
His voice cracked in the comm channel as he scrambled to turn. But I wasn't planning to fight. Instead, I drove my mech's heel into the ground, kicking up a wall of sand that swallowed his vision whole.
Boom!
The crimson pilot was forced to halt, shields flashing to life against the storm of grit. By the time his optics came back online, the flag was gone from the ground.
[Flag secured: Standard flag, +10 points.]
"Damn it!" he shouted from afar.
I had already retreated to the next dune, the glowing flag stored safely in my mech's slot. A quiet smile tugged at my lips.
This battlefield isn't about brute strength.The true winner is the one who reads the flow and seizes the moment.
The first points were mine.
But before I could breathe, a shrill alarm blared.
[Warning! Energy storm detected ahead!]
My head shot up. The sky was splitting apart in a vortex of purple lightning, tearing through the clouds with a deafening roar.
"An energy storm…" I cursed under my breath.
Panic spread across the wasteland. Dozens of students rushed to flee, some dropping their flags in desperation. Wherever the storm swept, dunes shredded apart and rock faces peeled away like paper. Arcs of raw energy split the air, tearing through shields like butter.
I opened the holo-map, my pulse hammering.The storm was too fast. Running wasn't an option.
"Then I'll gamble."
I switched my mech into a hybrid mode, balancing speed and defense, and gunned the engines toward a cluster of rock formations. Ducking low beneath the cliffs, I braced myself.
The storm hit.
BOOM.
Arcs of energy slammed into my shields, numbers flashing red across the console.
[Shields at 78%.]
[Damage risk: High.]
I ground my teeth, flattening my mech against the rocks, minimizing the surface area. The roar of energy and the screech of metal filled my ears. For one breathless moment, I thought I'd be torn apart along with the cliff.
But just as the shields plunged to 58%, the storm edge passed.
The sky slowly cleared, leaving only devastation in its wake. Craters carved into the desert. Shattered mechs sparking across the wasteland. Dozens of students had already been eliminated, forcibly teleported out.
I exhaled shakily, palms slick with sweat.
[System update: Natural disaster survived. Bonus +10 points.]
For a moment, I laughed under my breath.This wasn't just a battle against other people.The planet itself was trying to kill us.
Only those who could endure deserved to be called strong.
But there was no time to rest.
A new blip flashed on my radar.
[Advanced Flag detected: 20 points.]
My pulse spiked. An advanced flag. Enough to rocket me into the top rankings instantly.
I pushed the engines hard, weaving through broken rock until I reached the edge of a canyon. There, standing tall in the center, was a flag glowing gold. Energy shields wrapped around it, daring anyone to try.
And of course, I wasn't the only one who saw it.
Three mechs thundered in from different directions. Cannons, jets, lightning—all lighting up the canyon sky.
"The flag is mine!" a heavy mech roared, both arms morphing into cannons that blasted straight into the shield.
A nimble mech dove at the same moment, flames jetting from its legs as its pilot reached for the flag.
I smiled coldly.
[Switching to mobility mode.]
My mech shot down the slope, launching into the air. A spectral bow snapped into place in my hands, arrows of raw spirit-force forming on the string. I let loose.
Light spears shot through the canyon, slamming into the nimble mech's wrist.
"What?!" the pilot yelped, nearly tumbling from the air.
I landed hard, only to be met by a shield-wielding mech that swung its weapon down like a hammer.
BOOM!
The impact rattled my frame, but I twisted with the recoil, my left arm snapping out. A blade of light flared, slashing across the edge of his shield in a shower of sparks.
The strike forced me back several steps, but before either of us could move again, a fourth mech dropped from the canyon top.
Twin black blades in hand, he dove straight for the flag.
My gut clenched.I couldn't let him.
Spirit surged through me like a flood. My mech's core roared to life as I activated.
[Spirit Synchronization Mode!]
The world slowed to a crawl. I locked onto the intruder's fall point, unleashed my mind like a whip, and snapped it across his joints.
CRASH!
His mech spiraled out of control, slamming into the ground. Dust and debris exploded upward.
The other three pilots froze, their gazes shifting warily toward me.
I wiped the sweat from my brow and walked forward, calm and steady.
"You can still try to take it," I said softly, though the steel in my tone left no doubt. "But don't blame me if I stop holding back."
A tense silence filled the canyon. Then, one by one, the mechs withdrew.
I reached out, wrapped my hand around the golden shaft, and pulled.
[Advanced flag secured: +20 points.]
My chest heaved as the glow settled into my storage slot. A smile curved my lips.
This wasn't luck.
This was strength.