Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

Early morning, the fields outside the city.

More than twenty mechas, painted in blue and white, stood silently arrayed on the land.

In front of them, there were two other mechas of the same model, facing each other in silence.

The instructor's voice emitted from the loudspeakers inside the cockpit of each mecha, announcing the training content for all mech pilots today.

"Standing beside me is the legend of Mech Armored Corps, the goal that all of you work hard for. Today's training is very simple. Use whatever method you like... whether it's a relay or a group fight. As long as you can bring down the mecha beside me, the victor may make any request of me! As long as it's within reason, if I can't do it, I will apply to the superior! Just fight, and leave the rest to me. Understood?"

"Understood!" The crowd was fervent, and the voices from the speakers were a jumble.

During the time Bai E was away on missions, Mech Armored Corps had consecutively selected several pairs of qualified mech pilots from the reserves.

Apart from the initial batch who had been to battle with Bai E and witnessed him forcefully break through and behead the Thunderbeast, the newly selected pilots somewhat resented the "formidable reputation" left by Bai E.

All were mech pilots, and occasional sparring in daily life could result in wins and losses.

They didn't believe the same mecha could not perform spectacularly in someone else's hands.

They clamored to the instructor, expressing the desire to meet the current "legend" of the Mech Armored Corps. Not just to admire his legendary aura but more so to see if they could gain some advantage over him.

To be outmatched in a fight was to recognize the gap, but to win... one always needs something to look forward to, right?

Seeing the rivalry successfully stirred, the instructor curled his lips into a slight smirk and asked Bai in a private audio channel, "Captain Bai, any concerns?"

"None," Bai E glanced at the distant barracks and countered, "Will it be troublesome to repair if they're damaged? I heard the decisive battle is drawing near."

The instructor waved his hand expansively, "Don't worry! Fight all you want!"

"Okay."

Bai E and Rose exchanged a glance, a tacit smile in their eyes.

Although it had been nearly half a month since they last operated a mecha, the muscle memory they'd developed was hard to forget so quickly.

On the contrary, after this break and returning to the mecha, Rose suddenly felt a new level of comprehension in the operation of the mecha.

And when paired with Bai E, they couldn't be that far off, could they?

...

"Let's begin," the instructor's light words kicked off the battle.

He then withdrew to the back, driving his mecha alongside the personage of Mechanical Court.

With Bai E returning to the squad today, the personage of Mechanical Court, who had long been absent from the Mech Armored Corps training, took time out to come.

"Wonder if this kid's skills have become rusty..." The instructor looked at the single blue and white mecha standing alone, his tone somewhat wistful as he deliberately struck up the topic.

"Rusty?" The personage from Mechanical Court's tone took an uptick, his eyes narrowing, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Even in just a simple standing posture, he sensed something out of the ordinary.

That feeling was like the prelude to a relentless slaughter during judgment missions in Mechanical Court alongside other senior executioners.

Whether it was becoming rusty or even more skillful, it would soon be clear.

"Buzz!"

The sound of engines running merged into a continuous whir, and the mechas of Mech Armored Corps, having been in an irregular formation, instantaneously dispersed.

Despite not restricting relay fights or group brawls, the training mechas weren't equipped with many types of weapons, only basic combat swords and a machine gun that couldn't breach most of the mecha's defenses, making the weaponry options limited for the pilots to choose from.

To rush forward together would not only likely hinder each other, the unfamiliar coordination could also cause accidental injuries to teammates.

The two mechas at the forefront of the formation glanced at each other, nodded, and decided to take the initiative to strike first and test the "legend's" mettle.

Acting first naturally meant losing more opportunity to observe the opponent, but where could you have the chance to leisurely watch and then analyze your opponent on the actual battlefield?

Adapting on-the-fly was a basic skill of every warrior.

As elites who had distinguished themselves from the reserve mech pilots, they were both confident in their abilities.

The two mechas, one left and one right, boldly attacked!

The alloy combat swords traced arced trajectories in the air, and their two different feinting methods undoubtedly required the target of their combined strike to expend more effort to counter them.

Since everyone was piloting mechas of the same technical standard, in terms of strength, speed, and even weapon configuration, there was no chance of miraculous feats of strength or absolute speed.

Apart from the title of "Captain's Mecha," there was no difference between the mechas.

However... with a light retreat backward, the swords of the two mechas missed their mark at the same time.

And taking advantage of the moment one mecha's sword swung down in a slanting chop, the Captain's Mecha, not yet fully withdrawn, surged forward again, the sword slashing toward the opponent's right arm holding the sword, ferocious and ruthless.

"Clang!"

Apart from a few areas, the arm armor's protection was second only to the chest plate.

The mecha struck solidly by the combat sword emitted a loud noise, but that was the full extent of the "Captain's Mecha's" counter.

The slight dent was the only result of that retaliation.