Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 101: End of The Underground Arena

With only six minutes left in the match, Shiro hurriedly got up to chase the brown mecha but was blocked again by Yuka’s powerful hammer strike.

Shiro had never despised anything with chains as much in his life.

Ichiro, too, was infuriated. "Lady" was like an impenetrable wall, blocking every attack and even rebounding them.

After being repelled once more, Ichiro changed his strategy.

No longer dodging, he charged straight at "Lady," taking a hammer blow on his shoulder. His cockpit rattled, almost getting him eliminated from the arena. Still, he didn’t stop, attempting to close in for an attack.

Yuka frowned, lengthening the chain in her hand to block the black mecha chasing Ayoi. She then drew her sword to block her opponent’s blade, their wrists turning simultaneously, causing a clashing before they separated.

Ichiro, confident at first, felt a chill down his spine as he retracted his sword—"Lady" had quickly figured out his swordplay habits and could anticipate his moves, perfectly blocking with her blade!

With no other choice, he prepared for his special move.

Three minutes remained in the match.

Ayoi’s cheerful voice came through the headset, "Yuka, I’ve found their Oniyon. It was hidden under a wooden table, and I’ve thrown it down the mountain."

With the blue team’s Oniyon no longer at their base, their team secured five points for capturing the enemy’s Oniyon.

"Roger that, well done. Come down now," Yuka responded.

Realizing there was no need to block the other black mecha, Yuka tilted her head, retracting her long chain. She let the other opponent go up the mountain, reverting her mechanical arm and gripping her sword with both hands, blade pointed upwards.

Shiro, now free to move, didn’t hesitate and quickly ran up the mountain in pursuit.

Outside the arena, Roukujou commentated, "Dear audience, Brownie has completed her mission, while the blue team’s players are still climbing the mountain. Pinky... wait, Pinky is gripping her sword with both hands? It looks like Pinky’s opponent is about to make a big move!"

[Go for it, fight!]

[They move so fast I can barely see, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying the spectacle.]

On the field, Ichiro took a deep breath. He became fully focused, gripping his sword’s hilt, positioning the long sword across the mecha’s chest.

Then, Ichiro slightly crouched; the next moment, he charged at full speed.

The opponent’s speed increased. Yuka concentrated, observing the black mecha’s movements. She adjusted her sword’s direction to swiftly raise and slash diagonally, successfully blocking the incoming blade.

Ichiro exerted force in his arm, slightly twisting his wrist, and thrust out another sword strike, only to be blocked again by "Lady’s" sidestep.

However, he didn’t panic; instead, he felt more exhilarated. Using the force of Yuka’s slash, Ichiro spun his long sword around, sweeping it towards the pink mecha’s waist, directly threatening the cockpit.

Yuka leaned back, dodging the blade, but before she could stabilize, Ichiro seized the opportunity to raise and flick his sword. The pressing blade tip swiftly rose, grazing the protective cover of her cockpit, leaving a shallow mark.

And it wasn’t over yet.

Ichiro pressed down the sword tip with force, so fast that only a fleeting cold gleam was visible, aiming again at "Lady’s" unguarded cockpit.

"C’mon! It has to work!"

"Boom!" The sword tip penetrated "Lady’s" cockpit.

"Lady" didn’t dodge at all; Ichiro knew she couldn’t!

Ichiro smiled, preparing to drive his long sword deeper, to shatter "Lady’s" cockpit completely. But in the next second, he was eliminated from the match by the system.

He was stunned, as were Roukujou and the audience.

[What happened? I didn’t even see where his sword was, and suddenly he’s gone?]

[I was just worried for Pinky, and then she’s fine, but the opponent is out first.]

[Pinky’s not completely unharmed, though. Her cockpit took quite a hit.]

[Saltyfish, replay that. I need to see the replay.]

Roukujou hurriedly opened the replay screen on the side and slowed down the playback speed so that both he and the audience could clearly see what had just happened.

"So, we can see here, Pinky dodged the first sword strike, and the blue team’s player quickly thrust out a second, which Pinky also evaded," Roukujou stroked his chin, analyzing. "But the third sword strike from the blue team’s player was brilliantly executed. After the momentum from the first two strikes, Pinky’s mecha was leaning forward in a skewed position due to consecutive dodges. So, if Pinky wanted to stabilize, she had to lean back, putting her right foot down first. This, however, positioned her cockpit right in the path of the third sword strike from her opponent."

"Pinky didn’t dodge because she couldn’t."

"But Pinky’s fighting style is always head-on. When the opponent’s sword tip pierced her cockpit, she also raised her long sword and stepped forward, driving her blade into the opponent’s cockpit."

"The damage to the opponent’s cockpit was originally higher than hers, and under this strike, he was eliminated from the match by the system." Roukujou zoomed in on the pink mecha’s cockpit on the screen, showing the cracks, and frowned, "His sword strike was indeed formidable. If he hadn’t been eliminated, and had continued to use his sword, Pinky might have been defeated before him."

[Guys, I have a question, if this guy’s sword strike was so powerful, why didn’t he use it from the start instead of waiting until the end?]

[Do you start a game of cards with your strongest hand?]

[Have you seen anime heroes use their strongest moves against villains right at the start? They begin with basic attacks.]

[LOL, that makes so much sense.]

[So Pinky is like the hero.]

[To be honest, this guy’s basic swordplay would be considered a strong move against other players, but he was up against Pinky...]

[No helping it, our Pinky is just that good.]

"Yes," Roukujou glanced at the comments, proudly saying, "The Swordsmen team is indeed formidable. Their swordplay wins with speed and precision, and they’ve won previous matches with their speed. But against Pinky, their advantage was gone."

Amidst the laughter in the comments, there was only a minute and a half left in the match.

On the other side of the arena, Shiro was inwardly praying desperately that the opponent wouldn’t find their Oniyon.

However, contrary to his hopes, just a few hundred meters from the mountain temple, the opponent emerged from the temple, and the symbol representing their defensive point on the map disappeared.

Their Oniyon was gone.

Ayoi, spotting her rapidly approaching opponent, raised her mechanical arm. They were now away from the central battlefield, which meant she could confidently use her heavy artillery.

Shiro sensed danger as he saw the brown mecha’s arm rise. He glanced at the steep cliff on the right side of the mountain path, sprinted towards the edge, and without hesitation, leaped off. Jumping down offered a slim chance of survival; a direct hit from the artillery would mean immediate elimination.

The artillery exploded behind him as Shiro tumbled down the rocky slope. Thankfully, the dense plants cushioned his fall, allowing him to curl up and protect his cockpit, keeping his already battered mecha barely functional.

Although the pain synchronization was low, the sensation of rolling down a mountain was still unpleasant. Dizzy and disoriented, Shiro struggled to his feet, shaking his head to clear his vision. He noticed the broken branches under him and a pair of pink mechanical legs.

Shiro was startled.

He barely managed to reach for his long sword, which had fallen with him, before being swiftly eliminated from the match by Yuka’s blade.

Yuka sheathed her sword. It was a pity that the elegant and agile style of swordsmanship couldn’t fully adapt to mecha combat. They needed something lighter and faster; otherwise, the fight could have been even more exhilarating.

Roukujou, commenting from outside the arena, expressed his disappointment, "I didn’t expect the final showdown to end like this. Although it was exciting, it differed from what I imagined. It feels like something was missing."

[Yeah, it seemed a bit too ordinary? Did I set my expectations too high?]

[The higher the expectations, the bigger the disappointment.]

[This time, Swordsmen was too cautious, so there weren’t many highlights. And both sides just performed as usual, except for that last sword strike.]

"Yes," Roukujou agreed, "It was too much of a routine performance, lacking in thrill and twists."

The system’s announcement echoed through the arena:

[Congratulations to the Red Team for the victory.]

[Remaining players: Red Team two, Blue Team zero.]

[Oniyon status at defensive points: Red Team’s Oniyon secure; Blue Team’s Oniyon lost.]

[The match is now concluded.]

Upon hearing the system’s announcement, Ayoi, still on the mountain, jumped for joy, "Yuka, we did it! We’re now the number one in the team competition!"

Yuka was about to speak when the underground arena announced the conclusion of this year’s competition. She was transported by the system back to the initial interface and exited her room. Outside, Alex and Ayoi, overwhelmed with joy, eagerly expressed their excitement in a jumble of words.

Yuka, calming their excitement, suggested, "Let’s go to the hall and see what’s happening."

The spectator hall was packed. All players had emerged from their rooms, joining the audience to watch the final announcements of the underground arena:

"Good day to all players and spectators. In Stardate 209, the underground arena welcomed new players and spectators, witnessing many thrilling moments of victory and defeat, joy and tears. Now, we will announce the top three individuals and teams in the singles and team competitions, along with their respective rewards.

The winner of the singles competition is—"

A majority in the hall shouted in unison, "Lady!!" The image of the pink mecha, along with her profile and record of achievements, appeared on the screen. Those less familiar with her were astounded to see her undefeated record. A 100% win rate was simply astonishing!

Yuka was taken aback by their enthusiasm. Amidst the loud cheers, Ayoi, excitedly shaking Yuka’s arm, exclaimed, "Yuka, they all love you!"

The system completed announcing the top three in the singles competition, and the audience’s excitement intensified. They stared at the screen unblinkingly, ready to cheer for the top team.

"The winner of the team competition is—"

The crowd’s response was even louder and more enthusiastic than before, yelling, "Yeah, Whatever!"

Those who had successfully bet on the outcome erupted in a mix of tears and laughter, their emotions setting off a chain reaction in the arena. People were freely expressing their emotions, shouting the names of their favorite players.

The system finished announcing the winners, continuing over the excited shouts, "Tonight, the underground arena will undergo maintenance and upgrades. All winning players are requested to collect their prizes on the second floor of the underground arena within one week, starting tomorrow at nine a.m. We look forward to seeing you in the new year of Stardate 210!"

Yuka, acknowledging the announcement, turned to Ayoi and Alex and proposed, "Let’s come to collect our prizes after finishing the Tournament."

Ayoi and Alex nodded in agreement.

As the cheers continued long after the competition ended, Shawn gazed at the pink mecha on the screen, firmly resolving to surpass her next year. Philip shrugged, "Let’s go, we still have the Tournament to prepare for tomorrow."

Lory, patting Ichiro, who had just emerged, said, "I really hope ’Lady’ and her teammates are freshmen at UUA, so we can meet them at the Tournament." They were very curious about the identity of "Lady" and her team. Considering their exceptional performance, it was surprising they hadn’t made a name for themselves earlier.

Meanwhile, Yuka and her teammates, unaware of the attention they were drawing, approached Mr. Bald, who was happily counting money. Yuka smiled at him, a seemingly harmless grin.

Feeling a chill, Mr. Bald put down his chips, asking warily, "What do you want?"

Yuka’s smile was genuine, "After we finish the Tournament, we have a surprise for you."

Mr. Bald hesitantly asked, "Can I refuse it?"

Yuka and her teammates, in unison, "No, you can’t."