Chapter 52: Championship Victory

Chapter 52: Championship Victory

The finals of the Heavenly Ascension Arena lasted a full week until the champion was decided. Afterward, the top three contestants were invited to the imperial palace to be personally received by the emperor and awarded prestigious honors. This period garnered the highest attention across the entire Stellar Network.

The entire event was streamed live on the Stellar Network that day, marking the Dawn Empire’s annual civilian festival.

The winner of the finals not only took home a whopping 50 million stellar coins but also received an offer from the military, granting them a position in an independent legion or other combat units. They would start as an officer, bypassing the hardships of beginning as a Level 1 soldier.

Each year, the top three contestants emerging from the Heavenly Ascension Arena were undeniable rising stars with immense potential. Nearly all the strong warriors who had been promoted to generals in the military throughout history shared similar resumes.

To ease tensions between domestic social classes, the Heavenly Ascension Arena was the last promotion channel left by the empire for society.

The arena had almost no barriers to entry. Except for officers already holding military ranks, everyone could participate. In the early stages, mecha weapons and equipment were provided for free, greatly compensating for the gap between the lower class and the elite descendants of the nobility.

Even in the finals, where contestants had to provide their own weapons and mecha, those who had gained recognition would attract sponsors willing to invest in them.

The famed General Wincer Light, who had risen from the arena, inspired countless grassroots who aspired to rise to prominence.

Xiao Sa's Black Knight watched his final match schedule in the arena hall. His first opponent turned out to be an old acquaintance, Feng Yu.

Since the arena rules stipulated that officers already in service and holding military ranks could not participate, it prevented established strong contestants from competing with newcomers for resources.

To a certain extent, the finals were a graduation stage for elite cadets from the four major academies in the capital. However, almost every year, unexpected contenders from the general public would break into the final circle.

This year, the biggest surprise was undoubtedly Xiao Sa's Black Knight Alpha.

As he entered the competition arena, his opponent Feng Yu was already waiting for him at the other end. The enthusiastic barrage in the spectator seats caused several lags.

Seeing Alpha's Moontrace Mecha, Feng Yu initiated the conversation: "I know I'm no match for you, but I want to know how far I am from a top expert. Please don't hold back."

Xiao Sa smiled, not expecting that in just a few months, the one needing guidance would change.

A calm voice with electric undertones came through the channel: "Alright."

Having spent two months together at the Mech Academy, Xiao Sa was quite familiar with Feng Yu's mecha operation habits and level. He did not choose his usual close-combat fast attack style but instead launched an offense targeting Feng Yu's weaknesses.

Feng Yu had obviously studied Alpha's battle style, but once the match began, the opponent was completely different from what he had imagined.

Every time he thought he had found a flaw in Alpha's defense and launched a full-scale attack, Alpha's particle cannon would land precisely and timely on his vital points, making him extremely uncomfortable.

"How could this be happening?" Within just ten minutes of the match starting, had he been completely seen through by his opponent? Alpha was terrifying.

After a feint close-up, Feng Yu habitually elevated the mecha's height to use the beam cannon for medium-range attacks. Unexpectedly, Alpha had completely anticipated his movement trajectory and directly closed in, sealing off his attack route.

A calm voice from Alpha came through the communication channel: "Since you're already close, why not deplete the opponent's energy first? The academy's textbook approach isn't like playing a turn-based game."

Feng Yu was startled; was he being coached?!

Before he could think further, Xiao Sa's attack arrived first. Feng Yu was not good at close combat and could only rely on his basic skills for instinctive defense.

How should he counter in this situation? Countless solutions flashed through Feng Yu's mind.

When he saw Alpha revealing the palm energy cannon, a light bulb went off in his head. He immediately pushed the energy lever, reacting so fast that he managed to launch the energy cannon first.

Alpha's Moontrace Mecha was blasted away.

He actually landed a hit?! Feng Yu was astonished himself.

His opponent's reaction speed and efficiency should have been much higher, so how did he fail to dodge?

The bullet comments in the audience area were instantly flooded with "What the hell?" and "?"

"What's going on today? Is there a new pilot behind Alpha? Why is Alpha's fighting style so different? Did they really just miss a basic attack?"

"Could it be that this cadet from the Mech Academy is really that good?"

From that point on, Feng Yu fought with increasing vigor. He seemed to grow more aware of the flaws in his past battles.

In the communication channel, Xiao Sa smiled with satisfaction, "As expected of a top student, his insight is impressive." But it's time to wrap up this match.

Before Feng Yu could process what that meant, Alpha's Moontrace Mecha disappeared from his sight, so fast that it was nearly impossible to catch with the naked eye.

Feng Yu suddenly felt an overwhelming force slam him into the air, bouncing twice before he desperately pulled the control lever to regain normal posture, but due to excessive mental energy consumption, he felt a wave of nausea.

With a loud "Boom," a beam cannon descended from the sky, sending Feng Yu crashing to the ground, disoriented, his shield's energy completely depleted.

The electronic voice of the system judge announcing the match results echoed throughout the arena.

The sudden turn of events left the audience in shock, struggling to process what had just transpired.

Only Feng Yu understood that Alpha had just given him a demonstration match.

He climbed out of the mech cockpit, his expression complex as he looked at the Black Knight opposite him, and solemnly nodded, "Thank you, sir."

Xiao Sa claimed a decisive victory in the first match of the finals. Over the next few days, he faced opponents with win rates roughly equivalent to his own. He continued to win consecutively, easily accumulating the highest score in the finals.

Until the last day, Xiao Sa looked at his opponent named Simon, feeling like he had seen him somewhere before. The opponent's accumulated points were just one short of his own.

Haino reminded, "This contestant named Simon was the champion of the Heavenly Ascension Arena last year."

Xiao Sa was surprised, "Can last year's champion participate again this year?"

Haino: "Generally, the top three contestants each year enter the military and are commissioned as officers, after which they can no longer compete in selection matches. But Simon, after winning the championship last year, rejected the military's offer, only taking the champion's prize money."

Xiao Sa was amused, "So, he participates every year just for the prize money? Isn't that a loophole in the competition rules?"

Haino: "It can't exactly be called a loophole, since no one has ever won the championship two years in a row. The prize money has never been the richest reward of the Heavenly Ascension Arena; the qualification to enter the military as an officer is."

"Participating again the second year, who's to say there won't be new dark horses—unexpected challengers? In fact, there are dark horses every year. If you give up the coveted opportunity to join the military just for the prize money, there's no guarantee you'll get it again. Not many are willing to take that risk."

Not only was Xiao Sa surprised, but the audience was also in an uproar.

The Dawn Empire's Stellar Network culture has always admired strength, but giving up the opportunity that others envied to chase prize money—this kind of 'throwing away the baby with the bathwater' behavior—was hard to judge. The forums erupted with complaints, as if they would have won if not for this contestant.

Xiao Sa entered the competition arena, facing a beautifully sleek dark blue mech.

Before the match officially began, the opponent suddenly opened his microphone, "To be honest, I have no interest in joining the military. The battlefield is too dangerous and not suitable for me. I just enjoy the feeling of defeating strong opponents in the arena."

His words, sent through the chat channel, caused the bullet comments to explode again:

"Does he think the arena is his own home? Maybe his last win was just luck."

"If you're so tough, why not take it to the front lines and face the humanoid mutants?"

"I can't tolerate this guy's attitude anymore. Alpha, kick him out quick!"

Xiao Sa raised an eyebrow and calmly said, "I'm not interested in your psychological journey. Let's get started; I'm in a hurry."

Simon snorted lightly and suddenly said, "I've watched all your match videos, and I've never seen you release a mental entity... Do you even have a mental entity?"

Xiao Sa's eyes flickered slightly, but he remained silent.

Haino whispered in his ear, "Xiao Sa, he's spotted you!"

Seeing that the other party still hadn't said a word, Simon sneered, "It doesn't matter. The rest of my opponents are just sparring among cadets. I'll show you the strength of the annual champion."

As soon as he finished speaking, the system referee officially announced the start of the match.

Simon didn't waste a second and immediately released his spiritual entity—a creature with grayish fur, a body like a tiger or leopard, a long tail, a strangely shaped head resembling a dragon from legends, and a pair of wings on its back.

It was the first time Xiao Sa had seen such a strange spiritual entity, unlike any animal he had encountered before. It reminded him of fantastical species he had seen in movies and games.

He asked Haino, "What kind of spiritual entity is this?"

Haino replied swiftly, "It's a Pixiu, and its ability is devouring. This ability gives it a huge advantage in the arena. No physical attacks or energy cannons work against it. Even the mental energy of some spiritual entities gets devoured."

"Last year, this guy dominated the arena thanks to this spiritual entity. He was unstoppable."

"Oh? A legendary spiritual entity?" Xiao Sa's interest was piqued, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

The spiritual entities and abilities in the star sea region were always fascinating, constantly presenting him with novel and unseen battles.

"With a spiritual entity this powerful, wouldn't it be a waste not to join the military?"

Haino looked up at the sky, "Probably because the frontlines are too dangerous. Although his spiritual entity can devour anything, he himself is still mortal. Not everyone is like you, born with a hunger for battle."

Before Haino could finish his sentence, Simon on the other side couldn't wait any longer and charged toward Xiao Sa.

He was well aware of Alpha-class fighters' prowess and had no intention of engaging in hand-to-hand combat or mech operation. This Alpha most likely didn't have a spiritual entity, and his own spiritual entity's ability was definitely top-tier.

With such an advantage over a disadvantaged opponent, the odds were clearly in his favor!

Any hesitation or probing could give the Alpha an opportunity to turn the tables. He had to unleash his trump card from the start, ideally forcing the opponent to surrender immediately.

"Come on, Alpha! A single strike to decide the winner! I'm the one who can win two consecutive championships and be the unique champion!"

Xiao Sa's vision suddenly went dark, and his spiritual domain immediately expanded. He realized he seemed to have fallen into a kind of dark, isolated space.

He understood clearly that this was the competition arena, and there was no way he could be transferred to another space. It was most likely the devouring ability of Simon's spiritual entity. The mental energy formed an impenetrable, massive pocket, swallowing him inside.

He tried firing two energy blasts, but the surging energy cannons disappeared into the darkness without a sound, as if the energy had been devoured, leaving no trace.

Haino asked in his ear, "Xiao Sa, what should we do? You can't afford to lose here. Although the top three can enter the palace, losing a round is still very frustrating."

Haino said indignantly, "Should I just kick him offline? He's basically cheating by taking advantage of your lack of a spiritual entity."

Xiao Sa chuckled, "He's not cheating; you are. Don't worry, I have a plan."

Whether it was the Pixiu or any other spiritual entity, the diverse forms of attack ultimately boiled down to different manifestations of mental energy.

Although he didn't have a spiritual entity, his S-rank mental energy was unmatched.

According to legends, the Pixiu "has a mouth but no anus, able to devour everything without excreting."

This manifestation of mental energy was like a giant pocket. Inside, the victim's senses—sight, hearing, smell, etc.—were completely cut off. Attacks were ineffective, leaving the victim to either run out of energy or surrender, which was indeed quite troublesome.

From the viewers' perspective in the stands, they could only see Xiao Sa's Moontrace Mecha standing still, firing a few blasts into the darkness.

Meanwhile, Simon on the opposite side hovered leisurely in midair, both mech arms wielding energy cannons, easily firing at Xiao Sa.

The group of die-hard Mech Academy fans watching the match from outside were getting anxious.

Bayer was frantically typing in the group chat, "The Pixiu mental entity is too cheating! What do we do? Why isn't my godfather releasing his mental entity yet? If this keeps up, he's going to lose! I bet 100,000 stellar coins on my godfather to win!"

Kaman rolled her eyes and frowned, "Don't you guys find it strange that Alpha never releases his mental entity? What if he really doesn't have one?"

The crowd outside was buzzing with discussion, but not a single word reached Xiao Sa's ears. All he saw was his defense energy bar dropping as he was hit by the opponent.

Just when everyone thought Alpha was in trouble, the Moontrace Mecha suddenly vanished from view, moving so fast that it seemed to disappear.

Simon gritted his teeth as Xiao Sa's mech kept flashing on the radar.

This meant the opponent was moving at high speed with no sign of slowing down, making it impossible for him to launch an energy cannon attack and lock onto the target.

"It's okay, he can't escape my mental entity. Even if he keeps dodging, it won't make a difference. This kind of acceleration will only increase his energy consumption."

As soon as he finished muttering to himself, Simon suddenly felt a sharp pain behind his mental entity. Even though most of the pain was blocked by the arena's pain-blocking mechanism, it was still enough to make him yelp and almost fall out of the cockpit.

"What's going on?! Physical attacks should be ineffective against my mental entity!"

Unseen by anyone, Xiao Sa slowly raised his right hand, and a long, silver mental energy needle gradually elongated, spinning above his palm.

Xiao Sa chuckled softly, "A Pixiu, huh? Time for the 'butt-stabbing' again."

With a low brow, "Swish!" the silver mental energy needle disappeared in an instant, flying off to who knows where.

In his mental domain perception, the "pocket" around him was like a bloated and thick balloon, being drilled intensely at one point by his needle. The tables had turned, and the advantage became a disadvantage.

Soon after, a faint whooshing sound echoed through the arena, as if an invisible barrier in the air had shattered.

Xiao Sa's vision cleared, and he lunged at the stunned blue mech. When it came to close combat and hand-to-hand fighting, Simon was no match for Xiao Sa.

The air was filled with the deafening booms of the battle, making eardrums tremble and scalps tingle.

Finally, a loud explosion resounded, and the blue mecha was sent flying into the wall, creating a mecha-shaped crater before slowly falling to the ground.

The cold voice of the system referee announced: Alpha has won the match.

There was a full three seconds of silence in the arena, and then the barrage comments were flooded with "Champion," causing the network to crash three times due to the overwhelming number of viewers.

Outside the arena, Bayer was crying tears of joy, "Godfather is indeed my godfather! He took down a divine beast mental entity!"

Only Kaman stared without blinking, watching the slow-motion replay of Xiao Sa's breakthrough. Something about this scene felt eerily familiar.

Colorful electronic fireworks in the arena hall bloomed into a dazzling display in front of the entire Stellar Network audience.

Countless golden sands floated down towards Xiao Sa from above, finally condensing into a brilliant golden crown on the head of the Black Knight.

The system referee's simulated electronic voice appropriately conveyed a tone of joy, "Congratulations to Mr. Alpha for achieving the highest cumulative score in the Heavenly Ascension Arena finals and winning this season's championship!"

"Witnessing a miracle, a third championship!"

"What? Did I just witness the early days of the next imperial general? What? I'm a shareholder in the future imperial general's spirit?"

"Above comment, how do you know it's a general?"

In an instant, Xiao Sa's page was flooded with celebration messages, and countless system notifications popped up:

"Congratulations on winning the Heavenly Ascension Arena championship. The prize of 50 million stellar coins will be transferred to your account shortly. Please check for the receipt."

"Congratulations, you have received an invitation from the royal family. You are invited to enter the Golden Dome Hall of the Baroque Palace to meet the Emperor at 3:00 PM seven days from now."

"Please upload and verify your real information in its entirety. We have detected that you are located on Central Star. A royal guard will contact you within three business days to arrange a security check. On the seventh day, a royal shuttle will come to pick you up for a secondary security check at the Baroque Palace. Please read the following prohibitions and precautions..."

A red, gilded electronic invitation appeared before Xiao Sa, with several lines of cursive clearly imprinted on it.

When Xiao Sa registered for his arena account, his identity information had already been modified by Haino.

Haino had fabricated a complete set of identity information for him, so there was no need to worry about failing the security check.

The only concern was that he could no longer dress as the Black Knight or wear a mask when entering the palace. Moreover, the media would broadcast the entire event live across the Stellar Network, meaning he would be revealing his face in front of the public.

Xiao Sa frowned and asked, "Haino, do you have any solutions?"

Haino sent over a description of a pair of military micro-projectors. Xiao Sa examined them carefully and realized he had seen these devices in the Exploration Corps' supply warehouse. He was in charge of logistics at the time and had these gadgets on hand.

Haino explained, "These micro-projectors can be worn like glasses. They use optical simulation to create a nearly 1:1 realistic effect to deceive others' vision. When placed on your face, they will project a different appearance to others."

Xiao Sa nodded, "These are indeed good tools."

They might come in handy when retrieving the necklace from the main control room under the palace.

"However, security checks at the palace do not allow any technological devices to be carried in."

Haino patted his chest and guaranteed, "Just bring them with you. I guarantee the security check won't detect anything."

Xiao Sa couldn't help but sigh, "As expected of you, Haino."

※※※

On the other side.

In the distant West Ring Star Zone, the Third Corps' warship was docked at the spaceport.

Caro held a stack of documents and briskly made his way to the medical room door, gently knocking. Upon receiving permission, he entered. "Sir, the operation to clear out the humanoid mutant nest has concluded successfully. I've brought the casualty reports."

Landis rose from his chair and received the documents.

The military doctor conducting routine checks on mental energy and pollution sources pushed his reading glasses up the bridge of his nose and said to General Landis, "General, your mental energy is very stable, and we can barely detect any pollution source fluctuations. Congratulations, your mental pollution can be considered virtually eliminated. Is there anything else bothering you?"

Landis thought for a moment and shook his head, seemingly without any significant issues. His appetite and sleep had been good lately, and his waistline had even expanded a bit. If anything, his desires in that area had intensified, but he wasn't about to admit that to anyone.

The doctor paused. "Your body is very healthy, but the data on your mental energy levels seems a bit too active. I still recommend you return to the Central Star Zone and get a detailed check-up at the Royal Capital Hospital."

Landis nodded. "I understand."

This mission had gone smoother than expected, allowing for an early return. He had already scheduled a private fertility check-up, and this time, he was definitely bringing Xiao Sa along.

※※※

A week later.

A royal air and ground shuttle slowly landed on the helipad outside the Baroque Palace and then drove towards the palace at a leisurely pace.

Through the tinted window, Xiao Sa gazed at the towering palace walls, which enclosed a sprawling and majestic complex that glimmered faintly in the sunlight.

The convoy's destination was the Golden Dome Hall within the palace, a place specifically used for banquets and celebrations.

A red velvet carpet stretched from inside the hall to the base of the steps, flanked by royal guards in uniform holding long ceremonial swords.

The outer area was the media-exclusive zone, with countless cameras and flashes blinking non-stop. Across the Stellar Network, millions of people were glued to their screens, watching live.

This day was the only opportunity for ordinary people to get a close look at the interior of the royal palace. The annual event where the emperor meets select guests was jokingly dubbed "Fantasy Day" by the public.

The private jet slowly stopped at the security entrance. Xiao Sa, "transformed," stepped out of the car in black formal attire.

He wore a pair of silver-rimmed glasses that complemented his sharp features, giving him an air of sophistication and grace. His chiseled features, mature yet refined, exuded both elegance and charm.

At that moment, all eyes and cameras were on him.

He glanced up at the imposing royal palace, its towering facade like the gaping maw of some ancient beast. Xiao Sa strode forward, walking into the palace with calm assurance.