CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THREE

For a while, the two Mechs just stood at each other.

The Lionknight posed heroically with its samurai sword in one hand and the spear in the other. The right side of its body, which held the sword, knelt down low, whereas the left side of the body stood high and proud. The final pose would have looked awkward and disjointed on a human, but the Lionknight's lengthened arms and mechanical flexibility made the strange position possible.

It held the spear high in the air above its head, almost like a Greek warrior on an antique vase. Meanwhile, it'd pulled its sword just halfway out of the long sheath at its waist, holding it at the ready so he could draw and slice through Jason in a single stroke as soon as he stepped forward. The hand at the hip clearly evoked a samurai.

To Jason, the strange mix of martial cultures looked rather comical, but he knew it was part of DISTINCTIONMAN's fan base. His supporters included melee enthusiasts from all around the world, and everyone wanted to see their signature item represented.

In comparison to the Lionknight, Jason's Red Minerva looked like an utter monster. In a strange way, the machines were almost parallel to each other - like DISTINCTIONMAN, Jason's Mech had each half of his machine dedicated to a very different task.

The rebuilt machine had a long and gangly body, and its neck stretched out an additional ten feet outwards. In total, the machine was seventy feet tall when it reared to its full height, and the gentle back and forth sway of its body was much closer to a snake than a dragon. On top of that, the strange imbalanced weight of the machine further led to its strange posture. The left side was covered with grime and its shoulder jutted out far to the back due to the Mana Gatherer Spikes.

Each time it shook, it threw a little bit more ooze to the ground.

The hideous green substance quickly congealed on the floor, leaving countless tiny puddles. All the while, the new Mana Gatherer Spikes sticking out of its left shoulder flared brightly, lighting up the entire battlefield with its ominous hue.

The red machine's snub-nosed head snarled. One of its eyes flashed bright red due to the implanted sensor, and the usual yellowed eye had taken on the same green tinge as the Mana Gatherer Spikes. In addition, the chemical tanks strapped on his back gave the machine a hunched over and almost shoddily feral appearance. DISTINCTIONMAN's clean and well-built weapons made the Red Minerva's blazing replicas look savage and even a little crude. The copy of the Valorous Ji flickered back and forth in the Red Minerva's right hand.

There would have been a pretty clear hero and villain under normal circumstances, but in this case, everyone on the stage was cheering for Jason.

"Yo, you got it!"

"Show us that dragon is still cool!"

Stephanie pumped her fist.

"Take that asshole out!"

DISTINCTIONMAN scoffed in disbelief. The famous streamer was genuinely indignant.

"How have you heard about the Tournament of Assassins, but not about me?!"

DISTINCTIONMAN charged, jabbing the spear high at the Red Minerva's head. It only took a simple command for Jason to swerve away and snake around his opponent's guard. The lengthened neck and increased flexibility meant it was extremely difficult to attack his Mech's cockpit in the head.

After jerking past his opponent's guard, Jason launched a torrent of poisonous flames at their back, but DISTINCTIONMAN jerked his spear upwards. The flames bent around the spear, dissipating uselessly in a dome around the weapon's sharp point.

Jason cursed.

He hadn't watched DISTINCTIONMAN's games in a while due to his focus on the Tournament of Assassins. Otherwise, he would have seen that counter coming. One of the downsides of being a prominent streamer was that your signature weapons lost their element of surprise. DISTINCTIONMAN's signature spear was built out of thrice-reinforced steel which could penetrate any shield ranked lower than the S-tier. In addition, the tip was covered in an expensive coating that could diffuse ranged attacks.

The Lionknight spun, then swung its sword. The machine's speed was exquisite, and Jason barely managed to duck back in time. The very edge of the sword still cut into his machine, sending a wave of blood through the air.

For a moment, Jason's heart dropped. This opponent was faster than he thought. On top of that, DISTINCTIONMAN was still a skilled swordsman. Jason might have underestimated him thinking that he was just some random streamer...

DISTINCTIONMAN slashed again, stabbing into the Red Minerva's upper shoulder. Once again, blood spurted, and Jason cursed for not recovering in time.

But then, he adjusted his strategies, turning his opponent's aggression into an advantage. His fingers deftly manipulated the Mana Gatherer Spikes' magic, turning the flowing blood into a wave that blotted out DISTINCTIONMAN's head. Jason was still keeping the Biological Beast far away from the fight, and he wasn't skilled enough to control multiple creatures at once yet, but he could still use other features.

The wave of blood didn't do any damage, but it stopped his opponent from seeing properly, allowing Jason to land a pair of sucker punches. The first was a ferocious jab with the Valorous Ji, and the second was a wave of slime directed at his foe's legs.

Without even the hint of a creak, the pink panels on DISTINCTIONMAN's armor silently split open. The Mech's body swung apart like the doors of a futuristic sports car. Initially, all Jason saw was a black void. Then, a series of eerily human-like eyes opened and began staring at the Red Minerva. The pupils came in a countless variety of colors, ranging from regular shades like brown, green, and blue to violent red and searing yellow.

A low pneumatic whooshing noise thrummed through the air, and then both of Jason's attacks vanished into the black space. The Lionknight's spear was powerful, but its Gaze Across Eternities ability was a much more powerful defense. It transmitted Jason's attacks into a separate pocket dimension, and he couldn't inflict any actual damage until he exhausted his opponent's resources.

Fortunately, Jason had kept his opponent's signature defensive ability in mind. The spear was jerked straight out of Jason's hands, swirling into the Deadeyes Lionknight's armor and mixing with the wave of slime. Even better, he'd blinded his opponent beforehand, meaning that DISTINCTIONMAN hadn't realized what explosive substances he'd brought into his own Mech.

A series of internal explosions rocketed the Lionknight, and black smoke billowed high into the air. DISTINCTIONMAN let out a cry of surprise, swinging his weapons uselessly back and forth as Jason slipped away. He dove into the ground, shattering the marble panels and allowing the Red Minerva to slip away. Once he'd gained appropriate distance, he charged up his Pestilent Snipe before popping up and blasting his opponent in the head. The loud clang sent the Lionknight falling back to the ground. This time, the damage stuck. Jason's explosive attack had nullified his opponent's internal absorption, and DISTINCTIONMAN wasn't fast enough to get up his spear in time.

However, the battle was far from over.

The Red Minerva writhed back and forth and let out a windy sigh. The Deadeyes Lionknight glowed bright pink, piercing through the smoke as its remaining eyes stared at Jason's dragon.

A long wailing echo resonated through the Red Minerva's cockpit as the Lionknight activated its ultimate skill. The Gaze of Eternity forcibly aged an enemy machine, and it was especially effective against the biological nature of Hemoborn machines.

The Gaze of Eternity's forcible aging effect would demolish Jason's weakened Mech in a matter of minutes. DISTINCTIONMAN had used the ability to great effect during the Selection. Just like his spear, the counterplay was well-known. Jason had initially hoped to gun down the Red Minerva from long range, but this attack forced them into a final confrontation.

The Red Minerva's central processing system flashed bright red. Both gauges began depleting, falling steadily from the orange zone into the dreaded red zone, and then Jason winced as he heard a loud clank. The thrusters on his Mech's legs were rotting and falling to the ground. On top of that, a stray spark flickered from his Mana Gatherer Spikes, almost igniting the ooze in the tank. Jason swiftly ejected the globule, hurling it at the Lionknight before it exploded.

Now that his machine combined two different classes, it was even weaker than he expected. The rapid decay rate meant he only had about a minute or two left to destroy his opponent and end the source of the deadly aging.

Suddenly, a pair of blazing red lights pierced the battlefield, and a loud explosion rocked the Lionknight, which fell to the floor. Jason heard another loud thrum charging up behind him, but he shook his head before Stephanie could fire again.

"That was a pretty good shot, but I want to take him out on my own!"

Stephanie laughed, then nodded.

"Alright, alright, I'll step aside."

By then, DISTINCTIONMAN was already raging about the dishonorable fight. Stephanie chuckled.

"Technically, we didn't say it was a one-on-one...and he's keeping us from getting any items."

Jason thought for a moment, then stepped forward.

"Alright. How about this? I'll give you a free hit!"

DISTINCTIONMAN instantly stopped raging.

"Alright. Let me get ready."

Instead of attacking at once, DISTINCTIONMAN activated his Overdrive bonus. Bright pink lights flashed across his Mech as his Spell Titan activated Enter the Infinite. Under normal situations, the Spell Titan would be allowed to cast an infinite number of spells, but the Deadeyes Nullifier primarily relied on swordplay, with all of its spell slots dedicated to passive abilities. Instead, he only activated it for increased damage.

Then, he raised both swords high, holding a pose for a little bit as he waited for the aging ability to continue weakening Jason's Mech.

Jason rolled his eyes.

Stephanie's attack had been a regular strike that grazed the Lionknight's armor.

Meanwhile, DISTINCTIONMAN was unleashing some kind of ultimate attack as its free hit. Well, in that case, Jason could also tilt the odds in his favor a little bit...

His opponent wouldn't expect something like this...

Jason entered a complicated series of commands, then waited to activate them until after DISTINCTIONMAN hit him. No matter what, he'd still give his opponent the free hit.

The Knight slashed with both blades at once, removing both of the Red Minerva's hands. The dragon howled in pain, stumbling back. Then its modified foot rusted and shattered, causing the creature to fall to the ground.

Jason cursed.

What a cheap shot!

Normally, he'd never be able to win a close combat duel without hands.

Without any hesitation, DISTINCTIONMAN moved to a follow-up strike. In response, Jason swung around, trying to strike his opponent with the extended ooze grab he'd practiced at the Good Game Shoppe. Even without a hand, he could still use his Mana Gatherer Spikes to create a substitute.

To his shock, the attack completely missed.

The thruster on his left arm had broken, and the forcible aging effect had further slowed down his attacks. Every single second the fight went on, the worse the Minerva's performance became.

The pink machine twisted around, dodging Jason's attack and lashing out with his spear. Jason's hands dashed to the top end of his keyboard and he flicked at the top lever for dear life.

There was a loud clang and Jason's bladed tail abruptly slammed to the floor. The new extendable tail was a completely mechanical part consisting of coiled springs and wires. Once it struck the ground, it blasted the Red Minerva straight into the air, almost like a kangaroo leaping.

Then, the Lionknight crumbled to the ground as the Biological Beast smashed into his opponent from behind. Although Jason's own Mech had been dramatically slowed by the weakening effect, the drones it created were largely unaffected. As DISTINCTIONMAN whirled around to try and kill the creature and reclaim the Triple-Gravity Staff, Jason dismissed it back into a pile of ooze before lunging forward and summoning the shark. The beast had no chance of surviving out of the water, but it had just enough time to unleash a close-range chomp, destroying the Lionknight and ending the battle for good.

The pink machine exploded, removing the streamer from their lobby just as Jason picked the Triple-Gravity Staff off the ground. The weapon burned as he copied it with the Blazing Avarice system, then he turned back to his new team, a wide grin on his face.

"Alright guys - let's get a move on."