The Faceless's mecha, the ace of the younger generation of the Shadow Kingdom, crumbled to its knees as if its backbone had been wrenched out, losing all its luster.

From the moment Bai E's will descended to the instant when two Ghost Walker team members were "defeated," the entire process took less than three seconds.

Dead silence.

Immediately, there was an explosive uproar!

Whether at the scene in Star City or across the corners of the Star Network light-years away!

"My heavens! What just happened?!"

"Another reversal?! Again at the last moment?!"

"What kind of maneuver was that? How did Rose pull it off?!"

"Is everyone in this New Bauhinia some kind of monster?! Each one can erupt in desperate situations?!"

"Too perverse! This match is unwatchable!"

The referee's announcement came late, "Remaining units on the 'Hunter' side: 1. All units on the 'Escapee' side have lost combat capability. Match over, winner: New Bauhinia Republic."

Rose sat in the cockpit on the brink of collapse, feeling Bai E's will retreating like a tide, leaving behind deep exhaustion, shock, and a kind of indescribable realization, as if touching a higher realm.

She suddenly grinned, laughing louder and louder, even as her entire body was exhausted.

Bai E, even without personally entering the battlefield, was still the undefeatable king of New Bauhinia!

...

The final reversal of the battle at the Silent Graveyard once again plunged the audience and analysts of the Star Alliance Finals into collective confusion and fervent discussion.

"Rose's last few moves... They simply exceeded the limits of human mech pilots' reflexes!"

"One against five, taking down one, heavily injuring another, and then still managing to counter-kill the Faceless? What kind of monstrous constitution is this?"

"I'm starting to believe the members of 'New Bauhinia' might have undergone some kind of genetic modification or Spiritual Energy activation, this kind of 'death defiance' ability is too defying of the natural order!"

"Could it be some hidden mode of their mecha 'Dawn's Edge'? Automatically activated when the pilot's will reaches a certain critical point?"

"No matter which it is, Rose was completely deified this time! Even the ace pilots of 'Seven Sons of the Empire' can't gain any advantage before her! This is even more ferocious than the previous Xiliu!"

Discussions about why Bai E still refrained from competing remained, but the direction of opinion had long changed.

"Bai E not showing up doesn't seem like arrogance, this team is truly strong..."

"It could also be he's training his team, using the harshest of elimination matches to temper his players. Look at Rose after this battle, she has definitely transformed."

"In any case, New Bauhinia won again! And under the most unfavorable conditions, they defeated the ace from the Shadow Kingdom, which is adept in this field! Who dares say now that they 'lack foundation'?"

"Two of the Seven Sons of the Empire have already fallen to them! 'Child of Destiny', 'Faceless'... Who will be next?"

Supporters of New Bauhinia and neutral spectators excitedly cheered, while the reputation and support rate of "New Bauhinia" surged dramatically among the people, with labels like "Dark Horse", "Miracle", and "Empire Challenger" firmly attached to them.

Yet, in the eyes of a very few, suspicions only deepened.

In a dark chamber, Astra watched the battle video of Rose's final reversal over and over, his brows furrowing tighter.

The clean, precise, and uniquely "flavored" cutting maneuvers bore a striking resemblance to the "intent" of the sword Bai E used to defeat him in his memory!

This was by no means a mere explosion of power or skill, but a manifestation of some deeper "Dao".

"Xiliu's underwater burst... Rose's reversal in the graveyard..."

Astra murmured in his private training room, his eyes sharp, "The timing was all at critical moments, and the style after the burst all carried that unique 'mark'... No, something is off."

"How did Bai E... manage this?"

In fact, not only him, but a few other top ace mech pilots from the Seven Sons of the Empire, after deeply analyzing the videos of these two battles, also faintly sensed a trace of discord.

However, lacking Astra's profound experience of being "defeated face-to-face", their suspicions largely remained on the "tactical collaboration" or "special equipment" level, unable to get as close to the truth as Astra.

...

Suffering consecutive losses of both the "Child of Destiny" and "Faceless", these key cards, especially with the latter being overturned within their most specialized environment, dealt a significant blow to the reputation and morale of the Sons of the Empire.

In an urgent meeting, attended only by the highest seven representatives, the atmosphere was more solemn than ever.

"We can't continue like this!" The Shadow Kingdom's representative hissed hoarsely, with suppressed rage and a hint of fear.

"The Faceless's report clearly stated that Rose's combat power experienced a 'qualitative leap' in the last moment. Combined with Xiliu's previous performance... This is no coincidence! This Bauhinia must possess some unknown, terrifying ability to let team members erupt in desperate situations!"

The priest from the Holy Silver Church Country wore a sullen expression, "Our people also have similar suspicions. If this is true, then whether Bai E himself personally pilots a mech is of little significance. Each member in his team might possess similar desperate counter-strike abilities. And our sent aces could face an incomprehensible reversal when thinking victory is in hand."

The advisor from the Golden Federation rubbed his temples, "The key point is, we do not know the limitations and costs of such an ability. Judging by Xiliu and Rose's post-match conditions, it seems there is little harm. This means they may be able to frequently utilize such abilities. We must consider this heavily in our future strategies."

A representative from the Steel Alliance tapped on the table, "Then the question arises, in the next round of the quarter-finals, what if any of our teams draw 'New Bauhinia'? Do we send our aces again for a hard fight, betting on the endurance of our aces against their final burst?"

"The most crucial part... is in the last match of the second round, that mysterious Bai E will definitely appear."

The meeting fell into a brief silence.

The representative from the Flame Republic snorted coldly, though in his tone was less of the previous arrogance, "The War Dogs are indeed eager to have a real fight against that Rose or Bai E... But after all, it's the second round of the elimination matches, better to play safe."

The representative of the United Cast World sighed, "More importantly, it's about risk. In the quarter-finals, losing means you're completely out, not even a chance to compete for third or fourth place. We've already lost the Faceless, we cannot bear more early exits of our ace cards. That would affect our strategic deterrence in the long run."

Finally, an observer from an ancient and secluded force who had been silent all along slowly spoke, "Gentlemen, we may have fallen into a cognitive trap. We've been thinking about how to 'defeat' Bai E and his team. Yet, in this stage of elimination matches, especially at this crucial quarter-finals, risk avoidance, ensuring our surviving forces advance to deeper rounds, is also an important strategic decision."

The priest of the Holy Silver Church Country squinted his eyes, "You mean..."

"In the next drawing, consider a strategic retreat..." The observer's voice was calm and without fluctuation, "We, avoid them."

"What? Avoid? Am I to shy away from their sharpness?" The Shadow Kingdom's representative instinctively opposed, but as he spoke halfway, he too hesitated.

Conceding certainly brings humiliation, but if it's a carefully planned "strategic retreat," preserving aces and trump cards to fully compete for later rankings... Isn't it somewhat acceptable?

It's certainly better than sending out aces only to be bizarrely overturned and completely eliminated.

"Alas, it can only be like this..."

Upon learning of the decision made by the Seven Sons' coalition, Astra, still hidden in the dark chamber, curled his lips into a sneer.

"A bunch of cowards..."