Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 70: Meeting Top Five

Yuka gently released her grip, straightening the lamppost amid the stunned glances of passersby. She calmed herself and walked towards the underground arena while the passersby was still in shock.

Just before entering the underground arena, Yuka took off her helmet and tossed it into a spatial button, then headed towards the bald man.

Upon seeing Yuka, Mr. Bald grimaced in pain and asked, "Why are you here again?"

Yuka replied matter-of-factly, "To compete and win first place, of course. What else could I be doing?"

The bald man sized her up, waving dismissively, "Don’t joke around. With your condition, you can’t even make it into the top hundred, let alone first place. Wait a few more years... Forget it. Even then, it’s hopeless."

Yuka glanced at the ranking board, where she was ranked eighth. Moments later, she raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and left the puzzled Mr. Bald behind.

Entering the holographic pod, Yuka, as usual, chose the solo arena match.

Now a top ten player and a favorite to be the winner of the year, her appearance immediately drew attention.

In the lobby, Philip, seeing the pink mecha opting for a solo match again, frowned and messaged in the group, "Why is ’Lady’ choosing solo again? Wasn’t she playing team matches? Are you sure of what you’ve heard?"

After sending the message, he decided to enter a room himself, hoping to match up with "Lady" in the solo arena.

In the commentary room, Roukujou, who had been slouched in his chair, perked up. He combed his messy hair and addressed the audience, "Folks, Pinky is back!"

[Pinky has to be a UUA student. She was absent because of the UUA midterms, which aligns with the timeline.]

[Oh, is that so? Then Pinky must be a freshman.]

[Newcomers will participate in the Academy Tournament at the end of this year or early next year. We should be able to spot Pinky then since the league will be broadcast live.]

[Too bad we can’t see faces in the underground arena. We can only recognize Pinky in the league by her style. Let’s all cheer for Pinky then!]

Roukujou glanced at the chat and then announced to the audience, "Pinky has entered the match. Her opponent is not highly ranked... Excellent, Pinky knocks her opponent out of the arena with one move."

"Pinky’s rank is already high, but since many participate in solo matches, the chance of her facing a higher-ranked opponent is slim. After this, Pinky will likely face lower-ranked opponents."

The live comments on the screen surged:

[Whatever Saltyfish said, believe the otherwise.]

[I bet Pinky will face a top-five player in the next match.]

Roukujou smirked at this comment, "It won’t be that coincidental. I’m no oracle."

But the moment he finished speaking, Yuka stepped back into the solo arena.

Roukujou sipped his tea, but upon seeing Yuka’s opponent, he choked, coughing dramatically, his face turning red.

[See, I told you Pinky would face a top-five player next.]

[Saltyfish isn’t an oracle, he’s a jinx!]

[Hey folks, can someone explain who this red mecha’s pilot is?]

Roukujou, managing to stop his coughing, addressed the audience professionally, "I absolutely dislike the jinx title, stop saying that. Pinky’s opponent this time is named ’Hephaestus,’ ranked fifth."

"Their traits are very distinct, clearly a newbie from Heraclitus Academy."

"Some viewers might not be familiar with him, so let me explain," Roukujou elaborated. "Heraclitus Academy is named after a pre-universe philosopher, Heraclitus, who believed ’fire is the source and nature of all things’. The Academy emphasizes various thermal weapons; their top students have terrifyingly high accuracy, hardly ever missing. They claim that under their guns, no opponent can survive."

[Wow, that’s bold.]

[Go Pinky!]

"Hephaestus, ranked fifth, is particularly adept at firearms, much like Pinky’s teammate Brownie. Their accuracy is almost equal," Roukujou added swiftly. "But Pinky’s weakness is exactly in shooting, making this match dangerous for her."

The match began.

Yuka, upon entering, noticed her opponent had no melee weapons, only firearms, resembling the fifth-ranked player in her memory.

Honestly, Yuka disliked such opponents.

So, she launched an attack at the start, aiming to kick the opponent off the arena quickly.

Philip, realizing his opponent was "Lady" he had been eagerly seeking, suppressed his excitement and fired a shot at her.

Yuka, running towards Philip, bent her legs sharply, sliding on her knees while leaning back. The short cannon shot whizzed past the chest of her mecha, exploding outside the arena.

Yuka swiftly got up and continued her charge towards Philip. Aware that he couldn’t let her get close, Philip started running around the arena, firing at Yuka’s cockpit while on the move.

Yuka drew her long sword, its blade flickering coldly as she deflected the bullets with continuous clangs. Both competitors were intensely focused.

Yuka, reading her opponent’s tricky shooting angles, confirmed that he was indeed the fifth-ranked player.

Philip, increasingly alarmed, realized that "Lady" was blocking every single bullet flawlessly!

Roukujou, clutching his cup, told the audience, "Did you see that? Oh right, you can’t see clearly. I have a slow-motion replay here, and I saw Pinky deflect every bullet with her sword! Now, they must be waiting for a moment, a mistake from the other."

"Just one misstep from Pinky, or a missed shot from Hephaestus, and the situation will change instantly."

[I can’t breath now. This is so intense.]

[It’s so fast, I can barely see Pinky’s hands, just the sword constantly moving, making me dizzy.]

[Go Pinky, we love you!]

On the arena, Yuka knew her opponent’s cannon cooldown was nearly over. Philip had retreated close to the edge of the platform, calculating the cooldown, ready to strike "Lady" fatally.

In his cockpit, Philip smirked, thinking "Lady" wasn’t as formidable as Lory had claimed. He confidently raised his mechanical arm, ready to fire at Yuka.

However, just as he was about to shoot, the pink mecha suddenly retracted the sword guarding the cockpit and slashed horizontally at his mecha.

With no sword to block it, Philip’s bullet hit Yuka’s cockpit, cracking the protective shield. The cracks started spreading, but Yuka didn’t care.

Her sword penetrated Philip’s cockpit, the tip hovering right before his eyes. Cold sweat broke out, and he quickly retreated, distancing the blade from his cockpit but failing to widen the gap with Yuka.

If he fired now, given their proximity, both would be blown up.

Philip hesitated for a blink.

That half-second was all Yuka needed. She swung her sword, chopping off his mechanical arm!

"You!!" Philip couldn’t help but shout. "What kind of strength is that?!"

"Pinky did great!" Roukujou stood up from his chair, raising his hands and shouting, "As always, Pinky was decisive, striking quickly during her opponent’s moment of hesitation, giving him no time to react!"

"Now that Hephaestus has lost his arm equipped with the cannon, he’s halved in combat strength!" Despite being used to Pinky’s aggressive style, Roukujou was still thrilled, "Go Pinky!"

Since the solo match was muted, Yuka didn’t hear Philip’s outcry and immediately followed up with a punch on his cockpit.

Philip, struggling to dodge Yuka’s next punch, continued to fire at her. His shooting skills were impeccable, maintaining high accuracy even under pressure, the bullets creating an ever-growing crack on Yuka’s cockpit.

Yuka, still wielding her sword, kept retaliating, creating deep cracks on Philip’s cockpit.

Without his cannon arm, Philip tried to distance himself from Yuka, hoping to wear her down with a bullet tug-of-war.

Determined, Philip rapidly retreated – but he forgot how close he was to the edge of the platform.

Feeling a void under his feet, Philip’s body stiffened. He frantically waved his remaining mechanical arm, trying to regain his balance and get back onto the platform.

Yuka approached him, leisurely extending a mechanical finger.

In Philip’s shocked and indignant gaze, mixed with unspeakable sadness, Yuka gently pushed his mecha.

[Game Over.]

"Phew," Roukujou relaxed, "I was so nervous when Pinky was being suppressed by Hephaestus’s bullets. But now, I’m thrilled. The expression on Hephaestus’s face when he got pushed off by Pinky’s finger must have been priceless."

[Hephaestus’s most embarrassing match, poor guy.]

[#HowIGotDefeatedByAFinger]

[A one-finger superhero, so terrifying!]

[You guys are mixing up things.]

[Pinky shouldn’t be called Lady anymore, we should can her ’Fireman’ instead.]

[Hahaha, you guys are so mean!]

Unaware of the online discussions, Philip, fresh from the solo match, would have been fuming if he knew. Meanwhile, Lory, having watched his match with Yuka, approached him and gloated, "How does it feel? Still think she’s weak?"

Philip’s face turned a mix of pale and red, and through clenched teeth, he admitted, "She’s not weak; she’s actually very strong."

Lory laughed heartily, relishing the rare sight of his arrogant rival being humbled. He asked cheerfully, "Are you going to play in the solo matches tomorrow? Be careful not to match up with ’Lady’ again."

"I’m not playing," Philip replied, clearly annoyed. "Stop laughing! It’s not because I’m scared of her! I just haven’t played team matches with my friends for a while. I plan to solidify my ranking there!"

Lory didn’t expose Philip’s excuse or tease him further like he used to, but instead letting him leave the underground arena in peace.

Had Shawn been there, he would have comforted Philip with a pat on the back, telling him his personal experience, "Playing against ’Lady’ can leave a psychological trauma, really, I understand."

It was the kind of scar that made Shawn never want to see her again.

Meanwhile, Yuka, returning to the starting interface, discovered her rank had risen to fifth, just four opponents away from the top spot. She stepped out of the holographic pod, refreshed after her match, and approached Mr. Bald’s counter.

Mr. Bald, having just made a hefty profit from the bet on the match between the fifth and eighth ranks, was gleefully counting his money. Even his attitude towards Yuka softened, and he asked with a smile, "What can I do for you now?"

"I have a small piece of advice for you," Yuka glanced at the money in his hands and said. "I suggest you save your earnings, not just spend them as you get them."

Mr. Bald waved his hand dismissively, "Worried about the casino going bust? Young lady, let me tell you, as long as humanity exists, casinos won’t go out of business."

Yuka looked at him with sympathy. Casinos might last, but gamblers always went broke.

After a moment of thought, she decided that after her final exams, she would come to inform Mr. Bald of her ranking and remind him about their agreed 50/50 split of the winnings.

Hopefully, by then, he’d still have enough money to honor that agreement.