With the top sixteen battles climaxing. The Gemini Gravity battle team was the third team to advance. It was a long and fierce process. The final teams battled for over an hour, only to win by a small margin
In comparison, lady luck was not smiling on the Imperial Glory battle team, led by Di Maria. Their opponent, the Tiantong Star battle team, advanced to the fourth round through sheer luck; cruising to a three-nil win.
The battle between the Astina Justice battle team and the Light of the Sons battle team was a battle of the titans. The Astina Justine battle team was a traditionally the stronger team. But the Light of the Sons battle team was a roadblock that every team was wary of.
Even during the qualifying rounds, basically no one wanted to face the Atlanteans and the Mayans. Not because of any alliances, but rather because their assessing tactics were unusual. Often times, they would sacrifice themselves heavily in order to win.
There was no doubt that the Maya Empire was the real super power.
Of course, the opponent in this round was also a force to be reckoned with. Although the odds were stacked against the Astinians, there was still a chance of winning.
Captain Ogan, twenty-five years of age, an Earth-rank warrior. His Ability X was rated at the highest level and he was also a power figure. Although not ranked as one of the top ten captains, he was a force to be reckoned with.
In round one, the Astina Justice battle team sent out the most reliable member for probing purposes.
However, when the Mayans sent out their warriors, it angered Astina. Even the audience was shocked. What was this situation!?
Substitutes!
Matt Locatelli sent out the substitutes despite facing the Astina Justice battle team!
Was this madness from Matt Locatelli, or was he being supercilious?
Ogan was absolutely furious!
The Light of the Sons battle team? Did they think they had the ability to glow or did they really think of themselves as sunshine?
"Sidney, show the Mayans the manners of a warrior." Looking across at the Mayans, Ogan, cold and still as stone, obviously did not think much about the Astinians.
He had to admit that the Mayans were strong. However, when it came to one-on-one battles, the Mayans had no advantage. The energy-centred Maya's real power laid in team battles.
"Roar!"
Sidney pounded his chest, his eyes revealing a vicious fighting spirit. Sending the reserves against him? Light of the Sons? Not necessarily sons of the sun, it might just be the candles in the wind.
Wang Zheng was amongst the audience, watching the Light of the Sons battle team, feeling somewhat awkward. There had to be some disparity between the Light of the Sons battle team and the two Mayans beside Lear. The front seats for the contestants had emptied quite a bit. It was a rare sight for the losers to stay behind. After all, those who made it to the main competition were individuals who were prideful, and it would not be wrong to say that they were conceited. Failure meant departure. This was the natural law of humans.
The Van brothers of Arbiter were the ultimate victims. They had had many glorious years, but they suffered an unprecedented defeat at SIG. This was reality; for the lack of any reason. Pressure from the family, the Arbiter Empire, and much more. Their lives had never been easy, and that was life. Wang Zheng could only wish them luck. He was not faring any better either. The more Kashawen did not make her move, the more cautious he needed to be. The only consolation was that Aina had more fighting spirit than before. After all, they were fighting together.
The Dynasty battle team were the hot favorites, but Luo Fei was not around. Ever since that last battle, Fatty Luo had not appeared again. It was rumoured that he had been consumed by his ability and was no longer able to walk. But there was no concrete evidence to this rumour. Luo Fei's energy was not Heaven-rank. With the current level of his Ability X, the way he was "consuming" would definitely have consequences, but to what end? His opponents would wish that Luo Fei would not stand up again. He was frightening. Even if there were consequences, it would only benefit others if he failed.
It was quite a good fortune for many people; with Asura eliminated, and Lou Fei seriously injured. There was nothing to Asura. The people that followed were very fortunate.
Round one.
Sidney came on, fully charged!
The first rule of battle with the Mayans: never compete with long-range firepower with the Mayans.
The Astina battle team was roaring, cheering Sidney on. This was their style, a one-person team, the prayers of the team. Each time anyone came on, it carried the courage of the entire team.
Substitutes?
Go to hell!
Battle was sacred, not be defiled.
Sidney was clear that the key to winning was to get close to the opponent. Once they entered melee range, the Mayans were novice. But he was blade!
However, halfway through the charge, Sidney sensed that something was not right.
The Mayan's Heavenly Crystal King was standing still, not moving at all; with no intention of stopping his approach.
What was this?
Some of the spectators were stunned too. Did it mean that the Mayans were hinting at a close range battle?
Dina Atlas gave a little smile. The Mayans were finally taking that move.
Moving closer!
The two mecha collided head-on!
Sidney burst forward. After closing in, the explosive force of the mech was like a ferocious tiger. In his presence, the Heavenly Crystal King, with beautiful curves, was like a half-undressed woman.
What needed defence was the Mayan's Energy Force Field. It was not a problem for Sidney. What looked like flamboyant attacks may be deemed as a threat during IG, but for SIG, it merely looked good, like a wallpaper.
The Heavenly Crystal King then made his move.
Energy Force Field?
Sidney was prepared. A counter defence, and that would teach the Mayans the meaning of a warrior's pride, the humans' version.
But it was not an Energy Force Field.
Rather, an Energy Light Sabre was drawn.
Bright lights flashed!
The Heavenly Crystal King suddenly disappeared right before Sidney. Vanished right in front of everyone's sight. NO!
Not disappeared, but turned into bright lights.
Distorted and active.
Lights. In a flash, it passed through Sidney's mech.
The Heavenly Crystal King then appeared again behind Sidney.
The Energy Light Sabre made a maneuver.
Decapitated!
Silence filled the arena.
What was this attack???
The Atlanteans were known for their spiritual strength and runes, while the Mayans were known for the use of energy and light. Compared to the high acceptance of the Rune Power, the Mayan technology seemed to be only self-treasured!
Every battle team from all nations were watching. Obviously, it was a headache for the technicians. They needed to grasp the key issue of the problem. They needed to break the code; otherwise, they would be suppressed.
Round two…
Astina's momentum was not destabilized despite the lost in the first round.
"The Mayans have concealed themselves well. However, sicne they have been exposed, they will not stand a second chance us Astinians. This power is nothing but the mere exploitation of lights and illusions. We had simulated the response methods during training. Menkes, your power is best at dealing with this. Go thrash them."
Ogan was a typical Astinian leader. No matter the situation, the momentum should not be lost. Motivation was needed even though he did not feel like he was convincing.
However…
It was useless.
Menkes tried his best. Second only to Ogan. He was already within the threshold of the Earth rank; he just needed one transformation.
Facing the Heavenly Crystal King, his method was not too bad. However, he only lasted two attacks longer than Sidney. Facing an opponent that he could not defend as the opponent could suddenly turn into light, changing its tracks, failure was inevitable.
Two-zero. The Astina Justice battle team was standing on the edge of the cliff. Ogan stepped up.
This was an Earth-rank expert!
Would the Mayans still send on the reserves?
Two-zero. Another win would take them straight to the next round, avoiding the team battles, which had too many variables.
The most reliable scenario was for Matt Locatelli take on the challenge himself.
However, Matt pointed to the person behind him.
Still a reserve!
Ogan was fuming mad. He was an Astinian, a blazing messenger, an Earth-rank warrior. Reserves?
Battle cries!
Ogan was burning.
But the audience was silent.
The Earth-rank expert merely lasted an additional five minutes. Ogan's Ability X was a trait technique - Puppet Force Field. It could create a mental suppression, even to the point of mind control.
However, this was utterly useless against the Mayans. Five minutes into the battle, entering into a frenzy mode, Ogan was utterly suppressed.
In the last second of the five minutes, Ogan could not evade the eventual fate of decapitation.
The timing was so accurate that one wondered if it was intentional.
Silence, followed by many debates. Much research had been carried out on the Mayans' technology by the different countries. But none were as strong as this group of people!
Matt Locatelli did not accept any interview after the competition. Whether it was disrespect or arrogance, it was of no consequence. The Mayans were displaying their power everywhere. Compared to Atlantis, who had enjoyed many glorious years, the Mayans' core technology was still a mystery to the humans.
As the loser, Astina seemed despondent. Sometimes, advancing to the next round might not be a good thing. Losing like this was devastating. Their intelligence personnel had to bear the primary responsibility. There was complete lack of understanding of the Mayans' battle tactics and skills.
Before the humans could find a solution, whether it was the first team or the reserves, the end results would be the same.