Because the third stage of the Brana advanced race took place on a highway built over a bridge, and because the organizers wanted to preserve some mystery, there was no filming equipment anywhere along the road apart from the necessary rescue teams nearby.
So until someone crossed the finish line, no one knew who the final champion would be.
Host Taimei was waiting at the finish line together with the audience.
In the distance, the roar of an engine gradually drew closer.
But it was still too far away to tell which Mecha Girl was coming.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the champion of this Brana Ruins advanced race is about to be revealed. I'm sure all of you already have your own guesses about who it might be." Taimei aimed the camera at the track, then gave the two old men beside her a close-up and said with a smile, "Since that Mecha Girl hasn't reached the finish line yet, let's hear what our two experts have to say."
Expert Number One said, "I believe reinforced concrete should be mixed with No. 75 Italian pasta... ahem. Anyway, personally, I think the dark horse of this race, Imperial Scale, has a strong chance of taking the championship. Also, the racing suits from Longteng Group are excellent. Stylish, comfortable, and highly recommended."
Taimei's mouth twitched.
Was this expert running ads because the sponsorship fee had not been high enough?
Next.
The camera moved to Expert Number Two.
"I think the champion of this Brana Ruins advanced race should be an HB-family Mecha Girl, namely Gray Castle from the ESW club. As everyone knows, top-tier Mecha Girls of that model have always been called the kings of combat. A king's position is not so easily challenged." Expert Number Two took a sip of tea, looking calm and composed.
What he said resonated with quite a few people in the crowd.
Imperial Scale was indeed outstanding. In the second stage alone, she had gone on a rampage and eliminated more than a dozen Mecha Girls.
But those combat-type Mecha Girls and Gray Castle were two completely different things. Imperial Scale might be able to smash ordinary Mecha Girls off the track with ease, but against Gray Castle, no matter how you looked at it, that should have been impossible.
Most of the audience who came to watch the Brana advanced race were the kind who were obsessed with combat racing. Some of them were also fans following their own clubs, so many had their own opinions and had seen plenty of races. And the more races they had watched, the more deeply fixed Gray Castle's invincible image had become.
The moment that Mecha Girl activated her special skill, she became the ruler of the track.
Other Mecha Girls could barely move, as if caught in a giant spiderweb.
Rumor had it that Gray Castle's special skill was control over force fields.
An ability that advanced sounded unbeatable just to think about.
"The champion should still be Gray Castle..."
"Yeah. Whenever an HB-model Mecha Girl appeared on a combat circuit in previous years, she always took first place. Never lost once."
"I think Gray Castle has this locked down too, and I'm an ESW club fan, so this is a double win for me!"
Before the speaker could finish, a gloomy voice came from beside them.
"Double win, huh? Then I'm here to make this a real funeral celebration for you!"
Several audience members who had been discussing Gray Castle and Imperial Scale instinctively turned their heads.
A pink-haired Mecha Girl was crouching on her seat, both hands braced against the cushion, murderous intent boiling in her eyes, looking like she was about to spring at them any second.
"Tunbao! Calm down! You have to calm down!"
Luckily, Blazing Wind showed up in time and dragged Tunbao back.
"How am I supposed to stay calm? They actually said Imperial Scale isn't as good as Gray Castle?" Tunbao snapped angrily at Blazing Wind.
Then she turned back toward the audience and bared her teeth. "Just you wait. Don't sleep too deeply tonight. I'm gonna kill you all!"
The audience fell silent.
"Whose Mecha Girl is that?"
"No idea. Looks like she's from Stella Club..."
"Holy hell, she's fierce. Aren't Mecha Girls supposed to have behavioral restrictions? Why is she talking about killing people at the drop of a hat?"
...
Blazing Wind dragged the flailing Tunbao back to their seats.
Tunbao still looked thoroughly upset.
"Blazing Wind, what are you doing? Humans who slander Imperial Scale ought to be turned into plasma!"
Blazing Wind pressed a hand to her forehead, speechless. "Who the champion is isn't decided by our discussion. Even if everyone thinks Gray Castle will win, if Imperial Scale ends up taking the title, then nothing they said matters. And the reverse is true too."
Tunbao took that in.
But she was not the kind to accept things easily.
She still stood there with her arms crossed and lips puffed out, muttering unhappily, "With Boss Su as the driver and Imperial Scale as the Mecha Girl, how could they possibly not win?"
"Exactly." Blazing Wind chuckled. "We've got plenty of confidence in Boss Su and Imperial Scale."
As they were talking, the roar of the engine drew closer and closer.
Even Taimei focused all her attention on the big screen.
Everyone stared at the far end of the track.
Then suddenly, a black dot appeared, trailing sand and dust behind it.
It was rushing toward the finish line at incredible speed.
A few seconds later, people finally saw what that black dot was.
And the camera zoomed in for a close-up.
"Imperial Scale!" Taimei cried out, her voice full of excitement. "Ladies and gentlemen, the champion of this Brana Ruins advanced race is Imperial Scale, the top-tier combat-type Mecha Girl from Stella Club, together with her Master, Derek Su!"
Many people in the audience stood up and stared toward the finish line.
Their expressions varied. Some were delighted, some were shocked and confused, and some were full of regret and disappointment.
The people from Stella Club craned their necks, their eyes shining.
"Oh yeah!" Tunbao shouted excitedly, leaping three feet into the air.
Under everyone's gaze, the jet-black Imperial Scale tore through the wind and crossed the finish line.
Then, with one final tail swing, she came to a steady stop on the receiving platform.
At this moment, all eyes were on her.
And everyone had the same thought.
The era of HB-model Mecha Girls dominating the combat circuit was truly over.
At this moment, it was time to fire the salute for the new king.
...
This scene was also being observed on Mecha Island.
On the enormous crystal wall, countless Mecha Cores flickered slowly.
Among them, one black core glowing red flickered especially fast, carrying a trace of hostility.
Especially at the moment Imperial Scale and Stella stepped onto the podium...
...
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