Bang!
The starting gun fired.
Derek Su dropped the handbrake.
The energy the engine had been building up for so long was released in an instant.
Imperial Scale shot forward at an astonishing speed.
Under the effects of Imperial Sword, her acceleration had already reached a staggering 95. She was getting the full acceleration bonus from the ten Mecha Girls within a hundred-meter radius.
On a road like this, it was a speed that combat-type Mecha Girls could only watch from afar.
She took the lead immediately and charged onto the bridge.
The surrounding Mecha Girls did not even get a chance to contest her. She was like a bolt of black lightning, opening up a huge gap in the blink of an eye.
Inside Gray Castle's cockpit, Richard Cheng was dumbstruck.
He had expected Imperial Scale's second form to be fast, but he had not expected it to be this fast. Gray Castle could only eat dust behind her. Forget taking the track. Gray Castle did not even have the right to compete for it.
"What do we do now? We can't use the stability and collision resistance module anymore." He scratched his head anxiously. If he boosted Gray Castle's collision resistance and stability now, would that not just lock in second place?
Then what if he boosted Gray Castle's acceleration instead?
One hand on the control stick, he opened the suitcase with the other. Inside were all kinds of modules, all with decent attributes. Among them was an acceleration-type module that could raise Gray Castle's acceleration by ten points, though it would lower her collision resistance and stability a little.
Should he use it?
Richard Cheng hesitated for a long time, but in the end he decided to equip Gray Castle with the acceleration module. At least that would give Gray Castle a sliver of hope. If he did not, then catching Imperial Scale would become completely impossible.
...
Meanwhile, as Imperial Scale widened the gap between herself and the other Mecha Girls, Imperial Sword's effect weakened, and her acceleration dropped from 95 back to 85.
Even so, she had already opened up a large lead on the rest of the field.
The entire third section of the Brana Ruins advanced race had been built on a narrow bridge.
Water surrounded it on all sides, and the road surface was similar to a highway. For speed-type Mecha Girls, this kind of terrain was even more favorable, making it easy to drive at full pace.
So it was not until the third section was already halfway over that Richard Cheng, driving Gray Castle, barely managed to catch up.
Derek Su was not surprised at all to see Gray Castle closing in. There was no need to guess. Richard Cheng had definitely equipped her with an acceleration module.
He glanced at Gray Castle through the rearview mirror.
Sure enough.
Gray Castle's acceleration had risen from 80 to 90, while her stability had dropped from 89 to 85 and her collision resistance had fallen from 97 to 93.
Her other stats had shifted too, all within the normal range for a purple module.
And those stats were clearly enough to threaten Imperial Scale.
Her collision resistance and stability were already above Imperial Scale's now, and Imperial Scale's special skill was no longer functioning like super armor.
But so what?
Derek Su glanced at the [Heart of Rock] module beside him, and an eerie smile curled at his lips.
...
"Gray Castle, we've got a chance. We caught up to Imperial Scale!"
Richard Cheng looked at Imperial Scale coming back into view, delight spreading across his face.
Gray Castle, on the other hand, was confused.
She could not figure out why.
The acceleration Imperial Scale had unleashed at the starting line had left her in despair.
She had almost given up on defending the honor of the HB-model Mecha Girls.
And yet, in a sudden twist, they had actually caught up?
What were Derek Su and Imperial Scale doing?
Or was that burst of acceleration at the starting line related to Imperial Scale's special skill?
And now that the skill's duration had ended, had Imperial Scale's speed dropped as a result?
Gray Castle had heard that top-tier dual-form Mecha Girls usually had two completely different special skills to suit their two different forms.
Imperial Scale was very likely that kind of Mecha Girl.
And in a sense, was that not an opportunity?
Gray Castle had never expected the light of victory to appear again just as she was about to sink into despair.
"Master, hit her!" Gray Castle said excitedly. "Imperial Scale's collision resistance and stability definitely aren't as good as mine right now. If we knock her straight into the water, we win this race!"
Richard Cheng was thinking the exact same thing.
Granted, speed-type Mecha Girls did not necessarily have poor collision resistance and stability. Stella was an example.
But Imperial Scale was dual-form. There was no way both forms could be that tough, right? That would be absurd.
So he and Gray Castle were in complete agreement.
This was the best possible chance to defeat Imperial Scale.
To maximize the force of the collision, Gray Castle also activated her special skill, [Force Field Dominance].
Since Imperial Scale was in front of her now, Force Field Dominance acted on Imperial Scale as attraction and gravity.
Buzz!
The invisible force field descended again.
This time, both Derek Su and Imperial Scale felt an overwhelming pressure and a pulling force from behind, making their speed drop more and more.
Imperial Scale let out a cold snort and glanced at the rearview mirror.
At the same time, a shield similar to Stella's rose up, ready to protect Derek Su.
But before it could fully form, Derek Su suddenly picked up the [Heart of Rock] module at his side and lightly pressed it against Imperial Scale's lower back.
"Mm..."
The sudden insertion of the module caught Imperial Scale off guard, and she let out a muffled sound.
Blushing, she turned back to look at Derek Su, her eyes carrying a trace of complaint.
It was as if she was blaming him for not giving her any warning.
Derek Su did not notice Imperial Scale's resentful look. He was focused on the panel in front of him. Imperial Scale's stability had now risen to 98, her collision resistance to 95, and her acceleration had dropped to 82. With those stats, Gray Castle would definitely catch up faster.
But would Gray Castle's impact actually do anything...
That was another matter.
There was almost no time to react.
The moment Imperial Scale's protective shield over the cockpit fully formed.
Bang!
Both Imperial Scale and Derek Su jolted.
Gray Castle had rammed into them.
Crack!
The sound came from behind.
Derek Su thought Imperial Scale's rear end had been damaged, so he looked up into the rearview mirror.
But what he saw was Gray Castle's front bumper shattered to pieces, with half of it even left lying on the track.
"Damn... Imperial Scale, your rear end is seriously tough."
Derek Su clicked his tongue in amazement.
Imperial Scale being able to withstand Gray Castle's impact had something to do with her current stats, but it was probably also because Imperial Scale had originally been a combat-type Mecha Girl.
At least, that was how Derek Su saw it.
Imperial Scale's base materials had always been extremely tough, and even after changing forms, the materials making up her body had not changed.
Maybe after taking Gray Castle's hit, her rear end had only deformed a little.
"Mainly because Master trained me well," Imperial Scale said coolly.
She was obviously referring to the [Heart of Rock] module he had just inserted.
Derek Su rubbed his nose.
...
Inside the other cockpit.
Bang!
Bang bang bang!
"Ahhhhhh!"
Gray Castle howled, blood running down her head. Her fierce eyes were fixed on Imperial Scale, but she could do nothing.
She could not move her. She simply could not move her at all.
Even if she slammed into her with all her might, all she could do was make Imperial Scale shake a little. And if there were corners...
No. Even corners would be useless.
With Derek Su's skill, corners would only make it easier for him to evade her collisions.
He might even toy with her and send her off the track instead.
"Gray Castle, calm down. Stop crashing into her!"
Richard Cheng's heart ached as he looked at Gray Castle's injured forehead.
He might be broad-minded and have a whole collection of top-tier Mecha Girls.
But every single one of them was precious to him.
"We can't win this race. There's no point in crashing any more. We should go back and treat your injuries. There'll be chances to deal with Imperial Scale later."
Gray Castle knew Richard Cheng was telling the truth.
Imperial Scale's speed had obviously dropped just now, so she must have installed a module. There was a ninety percent chance that module boosted collision resistance and stability. Once it was removed, her speed would rise again. The key problem was that Imperial Scale was completely blocking the road now. There was no way to turn things around.
Would there really still be another chance in the future?
...
Gray Castle stopped ramming into her.
All she could do was grit her teeth and follow behind Imperial Scale.
As time passed, another combat-type Mecha Girl with solid stats caught up from behind.
And at that exact moment.
Vroooom!
The engine roared.
Imperial Scale, who had been moving steadily like some ancient old tortoise, suddenly accelerated. Purple-red flames burst from the exhaust, instantly opening the gap between herself and Gray Castle. Before long, she had completely vanished from sight.
Derek Su had activated Breakthrough.
Even with only 83 acceleration, Imperial Scale could still unleash a burst of 99.6 acceleration.
And that burst was the final straw that broke the camel's back.
Gray Castle stared blankly at the dust and white smoke kicked up by Imperial Scale's tires ahead, unable to recover for a long time.
She knew.
She had lost. Completely lost.
All her unwillingness and anger finally turned into a single sigh.
Perhaps the era of HB-model Mecha Girls ruling the combat circuit was over.
She watched Imperial Scale's taillights grow farther and farther away. Her vision gradually blurred, tears filling her eyes as she lowered her proud head in dejection.
In the end, she still had not been able to protect the glory of the HB-model Mecha Girls.
The old king was fading with age.
The future of the combat circuit might belong to a new king.
Imperial Scale.
...
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