Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 34: Game Over

Outside the arena, Roukujou was buzzing with excitement. "Here it comes! Last time, many thought Pinky just got lucky beating Greenie. Now, with both in top form, who’ll snatch the victory?"

"Pinky’s whip has captured Greenie’s right mechanical arm—the one with the sword. But Greenie, far from backing down, grabs Pinky’s whip with his other mechanical arm, trying to drag her over to his side!"

Roukujou’s eyes were glued to the screen. "Greenie’s quick switch! The longsword moves to his left arm, and he swings it down towards the whip!"

On the field, Yuka swiftly retracted her whip, dodging the blade, and quickly switched her weapon’s form.

Shawn, having witnessed her high psychic power, was extra cautious. He immediately retracted his blade and parried.

Yuka’s longsword clashed against Shawn’s blade. The two combatants touched briefly before leaping back.

Shawn stood sideways, his longsword guarding the cockpit, eyes fixed on the opposing pink mecha, trying to predict her next move.

Yuka stepped back slightly, enveloping her longsword with psychic power and transforming it once again.

A bad feeling suddenly hit Shawn as he watched her arm. "What is that?" Roukujou gasped. "A new weapon?"

[I know this! It’s a hammer!" "An ancient flexible weapon from the ancient era. Tricky to use, but with devastating power!]

Yuka swung the chain, the spiked hammer tracing a dark line through the air, hurtling towards Shawn.

Shawn knew the solid ball’s impact was massive. His longsword couldn’t withstand such force. He quickly dodged to the side.

The hammer smashed into a nearby charred tree trunk, sending splinters flying. The sturdy trunk swayed and toppled towards Shawn.

Startled, Shawn moved again.

Yuka dragged the chain, pulling the hammer back, and then threw it out again, controlling its trajectory with the chain.

Shawn leapt up as the tree fell, dodging both the trunk and the incoming hammer.

The next second, Yuka flicked the chain, the hammer still in mid-air, changing its course, smashing into the shoulder of Shawn’s mecha in the air.

Unable to dodge mid-air, Shawn staggered under the hammer’s massive force.

Yuka jerked the chain again, pulling the hammer out of his mecha and back into her hand.

Shawn, ignoring his injured shoulder, turned and fled.

But Yuka didn’t give him a chance to get far. She swung the chain, sending the hammer flying once more.

This time, she aimed straight for the cockpit of Shawn’s green mecha.

Hearing the whooshing sound behind him, Shawn turned and slashed back with his sword, attempting to sever the chain and destroy Yuka’s weapon.

Yuka slightly loosened her grip, releasing a length of the chain, which then coiled around Shawn’s sword. She took control of his weapon and, with a strong upward pull, disarmed him.

"Greenie’s lost his sword again!" Roukujou lamented. "Folks, Pinky’s precision and strength surpass Greenie’s. It’s no surprise he lost his sword again. I wonder if Greenie realizes his weak points. I hope he—"

Roukujou paused. "I hope he doesn’t face Pinky again."

[Greenie, that’s rough.]

[No, anyone against Pinky is in for a rough time.]

[Pinky handles that weapon so smoothly.]

If Yuka could see the comments, she’d reply: Of course, it’s smooth. It was her signature weapon in her past life. She preferred the dual-headed hammer for its greater lethality, operated with both hands, if not for the need to use the mecha arm for weapon changes after losing her boomerang.

Shawn, having lost his sword, quickly regained composure. He enveloped his right arm in psychic power, transforming it into a longsword.

He took a deep breath, pointing the blade at his opponent.

Yuka, holding her mechanical arm, continued swinging the chain, hurling the hammer out again.

Shawn, sensing an attack on his cockpit, raised his blade to block. He watched the black hammer fly towards him, then suddenly went down!

Caught off guard by the abrupt change in direction, Shawn tried to retreat but was entangled by the chain around his legs.

Yuka yanked the chain, toppling Shawn. He immediately swung his sword at the chain, but before he could land a second strike, he saw the pink mecha charging towards him.

SNAP—

Shawn cut through the chain, rolled up to his feet, but before he could steady himself, Yuka kicked him, sending him flying.

Roukujou couldn’t help but cover his forehead.

"Dear audience," Roukujou said, "Pinky really packs a punch. Even though, before Pneyon’s was created, only high psychic power was necessary for mecha pilots, physical strength still influences the attack to some extent."

"Simply put, the higher the physical strength, the stronger the combat power the mechas will have."

Roukujou continued, "But normally, mechas are paired with long-ranged weapons, so this difference wasn’t much emphasized. However, Pinky loves close combat, and in such fights, strength really gives a huge advantage."

[I’m starting to feel sorry for Greenie.]

[No pity for the opponent! In underground arenas, being unskilled is a sin!]

[Pinky is the best! Love you!]

In the arena, Shawn felt himself being kicked into the air, a bitter smile crossing his face.

Yuka, abandoning her hammer, followed up with a punch, landing squarely on Shawn’s cockpit.

Shawn heard a crack from his cockpit as he clumsily grabbed a nearby charred tree trunk to steady himself. Suddenly, his expression changed.

He felt something soft and sinking under his feet, like stepping into a swamp.

Shawn quickly revised his strategy. He took a step back, waiting for the pink mecha to pursue him.

Yuka landed a punch and advanced for another. That’s when Shawn lunged at the pink mecha, pushing her down into the swamp covered in leaves and burnt debris.

Yuka’s hands plunged into something sticky, instantly realizing what it was.

Roukujou almost flipped his table. "A swamp! The game has changed, folks! Greenie has dragged Pinky into a swamp! Can he turn the tables?!"

"Greenie’s at the edge of the swamp, just a step away from escape. But the swamp is already up to Pinky’s calves, and she’s sinking further!" Roukujou shouted. "Pinky reacts swiftly, getting up and grabbing Greenie’s arm, pulling him into the mire too!"

Tears filled Roukujou’s eyes. It had been a long time since he had seen such a dramatic duel. "This is what a match is, everyone! An unpredictable battlefield, thrilling combat... um..."

He watched the two mechas throwing mud at each other and fell silent, his tears retreating.

[Thrilling mud-fight, got it.]

[Roukujou’s shocked face meme ×3, saved.]

[LMAF, can someone tell me why they are throwing mud?]

[I’m going to pass out from laughter, they are so serious about their mud fight.]

Roukujou wiped his face, calming his emotions, and explained, "Now that both are stuck in the swamp, everyone should know that thrashing around only makes you sink deeper. So, they’re both cautious about making big moves. The distance between them is delicate, so all they can do is throw mud at each other, waiting to see who sinks first."

On the field, both Yuka’s pink mecha and Shawn’s green mecha were now a muddy brown. They deliberately aimed mud at each other’s cockpits and mecha heads, trying to block the opponent’s view.

The butler screamed, "Master! Ladies should not play in the mud!"

It sobbed, "Oh no, you’re all filthy."

Yuka rolled her eyes and shushed it, "Quiet, I’m competing."

With five minutes left on the match countdown, both contestants realized that their mechas had hit the swamp’s bottom. The depth was awkwardly perfect, submerging them up to their mecha arms, leaving only the shoulders and hands above.

Yuka and Shawn paused their mud-throwing and started moving towards the shore. Since they couldn’t sink any further, the next best option was to get out.

The resistance in the swamp made moving difficult. Shawn struggled to take a step and looked up to see Yuka already far ahead.

Not wanting to be left behind and attacked helplessly, Shawn gritted his teeth and raised his left arm. His remote artillery’s cooldown had ended.

He decided to perish together with the pink mecha if he had to.

Yuka heard the whoosh of incoming fire and instinctively turned back.

Shawn had fired his artillery at close range, aiming it downward instead of up, blasting the ground near them.

The explosion sent Yuka reeling back, blinded by the heatwave, falling into the swamp.

The massive explosion ignited the swamp gas, causing a secondary blast, removing both Yuka and Shawn from the competition.

As the flames approached, Shawn wondered if any members of the Red Team were left. If not, it would be a tie, and no loss. But if there were, he’d accept his defeat. Yet, he couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

Since Ban, they had been consistently outplayed by the pink mecha. If not for its overwhelming strength, they wouldn’t have lost so badly.

’Who is this mysterious pilot from another academy? I’ve never heard of the guy before.’ He wondered.

Meanwhile, at the northern bridgehead of the river, Alex, hearing the explosion, looked up in alarm, then quickly checked the status of her teammates.

Seeing the number 1 icon disappear, Alex frowned deeply, her heart hanging in suspense.

With three minutes left in the match, Alex received the notification that the game was over.

Outside the arena, Roukujou collapsed into his chair, exhaling deeply. "Folks, who would’ve thought Greenie would choose that way at the end to take out Pinky."

"Luckily for the Red Team, they had one member left and managed a narrow victory," Roukujou stroked his chin. "Ah, Pinky’s style remains aggressive, swift, and solitary as ever."

Back at the main interface, Yuka observed her rank rising to number 92 and then looked at the points she earned from the match: 15 points.

"So, besides the basic 10 points for winning, everyone gets 5 points for their Oniyon?" Yuka asked Guidance Min.

[Yes.]

Yuka thought about the value of Oniyon in team matches. In future games, there would surely be teams dead set on defending their Oniyon, and others aggressively attacking to snatch the opponents’ Oniyon. She felt her teammates in this match were of high quality and would have liked to team up with them if she could reveal her identity.

[Emergency Announcement: Due to the implementation of new rules, the map requires adjustments. Hence, the map mode will be closed from today for system maintenance and will reopen after three days. We apologize for any inconvenience and wish all players success in the arena matches.]

At lunchtime, Yuka stepped out of the holographic chamber and into the hall. She casually leaned on the bald man’s counter and asked nonchalantly, "Player 100 won again. How much did you earn this time?"

The bald man glanced at her warily. "Why do you ask?"

Yuka thought if she told him who she was now, perhaps she could even suggest a 50-50 split later. But outwardly, she appeared indifferent. "Just curious. You must have lost quite a bit, right?"

"Hey," the bald man took the bait, excitedly responding, "girl, do you know player player 100’s rank has risen? See that leaderboard over there for the top 100? Rank 92! She made me a whopping one hundred and fifty thousand astracredits!"

Yuka turned to look at the other side of the large screen. It displayed the top 100 with just rankings and holographic images of the mechas. Her pink mecha stood out oddly yet prominently among the darker mechas.

"Yuka!" Ayoi and Alex approached from the other side of the hall. Ayoi, looking dejected, said to Yuka, "Did you see the school’s notice?"

"No, what about it?" Yuka asked.

Alex replied, "The art appreciation class on Friday has been changed to a theory class with a quiz."

Yuka looked puzzled.

Ayoi sighed with a troubled expression, "Yeah, they say it’s going to cover half the book’s theory. I haven’t memorized anything."

"How about we go back and study?" Ayoi suggested with a blink. "We can come back here when we’re free?"

Yuka and Alex nodded in agreement, "Okay."

Meanwhile, the bald man, observing them, asked, "You three, are you from UUA’s mecha specialization?"

Yuka confirmed, "Yes, what about it?"

The bald man clicked his tongue and said, "Nothing, just that you won’t make it to the final round of the Academy Tournament anyway. No point in mentioning it."

At the mention of the "Academy Tournament," all three turned their attention to him.

He smiled smugly, "You don’t know, do you? Next January, in Stardate 230, the quadrennial mecha Academy Tournament will be held. All five academies will participate."

"The final round is a real, live-fire competition on an actual map. Only the top students from each academy can participate," he hummed.

Yuka turned and walked away. It didn’t concern her.

Ayoi and Alex exchanged glances and followed Yuka out.

The bald man was puzzled.

"Hey," he exclaimed, eyes wide, "Aren’t you three curious? Have you resigned yourselves to not making the finals, so you don’t even want to listen?"

After they left, the bald man grumbled resentfully, "What’s with kids these days? No ambition at all!"