Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 273 - 245: The Outcome Is Decided

Chapter 273: Chapter 245: The Outcome Is Decided

The VIP box offered a great view, allowing one to clearly see the scene inside the venue.

For the competition to acquire rights to the Shijin Mansion, including the New World Mechanism recently established by Xu Yang, four companies were involved. The competition was divided into two rounds, first a 2-on-2, then the 2 victors would duel, all to be completed within a day.

During the preparation phase, Xu Yang reviewed the combat information. The match was being broadcast live, with around 1,300 people online at the same time in the live room. The popularity was passable; after all, it wasn’t a grand festival, just a minor clash between companies.

The Colosseum combat was a fight to the death, and losers were at the mercy of others, typically killed, so most samurai only had a streak of victories, and few could live through a defeat.

The warrior from the Federro Mc Gee Group: a cool woman with a red jacket and black long hair, who fought fiercely with dual blades. A streak of 3 victories.

The warrior from the Phecda Express Company: a giant of a man, 2.4 meters tall, with a completely alloy-replaced spine and high-degree mechanical modifications, using custom-made energy gauntlets. A streak of 6 victories.

The warrior from the Ultimate Technology Company: a modified human who had taken biochemical mutation agents, with a combat style of high agility and bloodthirsty beastiality. A streak of 3 victories.

The warrior from the New World Mechanism: a very distinctive combat synthetic human wielding a one-handed longsword. It was their debut battle.

"How about it?" Xu Yang shared the information with A40, "Which enemy do you want to draw?"

"Definitely that dual-blade woman!" A40 replied upon receiving the message, "I want to clash with her! I’ll split her in half!"

As Xu Yang waited in the VIP box, a new message came through on his communicator, meaning someone wanted to connect with New World Mechanism. Xu Yang patched the voice channel of the other party into his system.

"Hello, sorry for the interruption! I apologize! I am a staff member of the Golded Award Service Company, my name is Nakatani Mikiko," she said, "I assist new business owners in adapting to the Colosseum environment and will provide real-time service for you to offer the optimum Colosseum Arena experience. Do you need any services right now?"

"Not for the moment." Xu Yang reclined, the services in the VIP room were indeed considerate without any depressing aspects, with food, drinks, and audio-visual entertainment readily available, "Oh, the drawing of lots is starting."

He pressed confirm, and soon enough, the order of battle was determined.

The first match: New World Mechanism versus Phecda Express Company.

The second match: Ultimate Technology Company versus Federro Mc Gee Group.

It was our turn to step into battle immediately. Xu Yang found it intriguing. He too wanted to know just how far A40 could go in these fights. How many battles could a combat synthetic human, who was more than adequate in the Underground City, win in the Colosseum contests of Anjiu City?

When it was A40’s turn, it rushed into the venue at a fast pace. The area inside was completely signal-proof, with the walls filled with signal blockers. Xu Yang had instantly lost contact with A40 and could only observe through pre-set camera positions. Providing guidance from outside once the contestant entered would be considered cheating.

Across from A40, a burly man entered the arena. He wore a pair of enormously huge energy gauntlets, casting a massive shadow over the venue like a iron wall, his slicked-back hair black, his face stern, clothed in sturdy, thick alloy armor, his expression coldblooded.

Xu Yang could see A40’s movements clearly, as it kept jumping on the spot.

It couldn’t wait... It just couldn’t wait!

"Your synthetic human will be battling Fang Shanyi from Phecda Express Company, an opponent with an abundance of combat experience," Nakatani Mikiko briefed Xu Yang, "I can offer you access to a private online betting site, where you can see the live odds and place your bets up to one second before the fight starts."

"Staging fixed matches sure is profitable, huh," Xu Yang noted as he saw A40’s odds were at 4.3 times. Most people had bet on Fang Shanyi winning.

"If you are confident in your robot, I would recommend betting on your own warrior," suggested Nakatani Mikiko, "Otherwise, you could invest in your opponent, as a way of hedging. I can provide you with a professional operating manual and practical examples to help you enjoy the profits brought by every Colosseum contest."

"These things are monotonous and dull," Xu Yang closed the betting webpage, resting his elbow on the armrest and propping his face with his hand.

Hearing Xu Yang’s words, Nakatani Mikiko felt a bit strange.

As the situation became more volatile, Colosseum combat increasingly served as a platform for various forces to carry out business operations. The significance of every duel had shifted, where the tactics displayed on the surface became unimportant. What mattered was the behind-the-scenes manipulation and gambles between bookies, operators, and their clients. Some companies on the verge of bankruptcy plunged into the Colosseum contests, hoping to turn around their fortunes through operations and rigged matches, with most so-called "warriors" turned into puppets manipulated by funds.

Yet this New World Mechanism was decidedly different.

It seemed to be casually enjoying the thrill of battle itself! As if it possessed a higher perspective, having already transcended the Colosseum contests, able to disregard winning or losing. Or as if holding a trump card, firmly believing in imminent victory amidst a series of bloody competitions...

Whichever possibility it was, it all seemed unbelievable to her.

"Only cold weapons are permitted, no ranged means allowed, no other rules," the electronic referee inside the venue gave a brief introduction, then swung his hand down with force, "Begin the battle!"

On the live broadcast platform, the audience clearly noticed a change in A40’s movements.

It had been extremely active before the fight as if eager to start, but the moment the battle began, its movements became very smooth, as if instantly becoming an indifferent robot, calmly walking towards its opponent.

Across from A40, Fang Shanyi loosened up his fists, also moving towards A40 with solid motions.

Although it didn’t look fast, they quickly closed the distance, entering each other’s strike range within a few seconds.

Then, A40 leaped forward, launching like a bolt of lightning with a natural spin in the air and high speed. "Rapid Slash" was the name of this familiar move it used. It was the same move it launched at Pan Ruiyi before, which resulted in A40 being killed instantly, flung to another district and shattered into pieces on the ground.

Clearly, Fang Shanyi was not an opponent of Pan Ruiyi’s caliber and could not catch and counter A40’s attack in such a short time, so he had no choice but to block rapidly with his arms.

Clang!

The blade cut through Fang Shanyi’s arm armor, and the edge of Fury, forged of Yan Duo Metal, left a gash on Fang Shanyi’s arm as blood flowed due to the strike from the Zenith-freed, now out-of-production advanced weapon.

"Hmph—" Fang Shanyi turned and swung a punch toward A40’s slender frame.

The ferocious attack unleashed by such a giant, if it had hit A40, would have instantly crushed its iron skin into scrap metal!

But just as the fist was halfway through its arc, Fang Shanyi’s entire body deflated like a balloon pricked by a needle, tilting sharply downward as if his legs could no longer support his weight.

Seizing the opportunity, A40 thrust upward with its sword, just as Fang Shanyi’s body was falling, hitting the blade precisely!

Stab!

The lights in its eyes switched back and forth between red and an even deeper red. A40 thrust its body forward, pushing Fang Shanyi backwards with force, piercing through his body with the blade, and with a powerful shove in the opposite direction, pulled the longsword out with great effort.

Fang Shanyi, severely injured, emitted a strange "hehe" sound from his mouth, with his gaze drifting aimlessly.

Powerful toxins were rampaging through his veins. Most of his organs and parts had been replaced with metal, and his body housed a variety of strong medical devices. Built-in healing injections and adrenaline shots had already triggered, and the expensive antidote meticulously concocted inside his armor had been used, but...

An incurable poison!

The toxin flowed through his blood, rapidly paralyzing the biological functions within his body and causing his nerves to necrotize. The metallic parts inside him, which couldn’t function independently, now became dead weight, dragging down his movements. A40 leapt forward, chopping off Fang Shanyi’s head cleanly, and grabbing his brainpan to survey the surroundings before tossing it to the ground.

A40 gave a deep bow to Fang Shanyi’s corpse and then left the arena.

"The winner has been determined!" the electronic referee announced.

The arena swiftly initiated cleanup efforts. Within a mere 2 minutes, the corpse had been removed and the blood cleared away, leaving the arena spotless and tidy once more.

"A clean victory," Nakatani Mikiko congratulated Xu Yang, "We’ll send you a gift for your first victory. May we have your communication address?"

"Shijin Mansion," Xu Yang said.

Nakatani Mikiko was momentarily stunned.

What?

On the other end of the communication, Nakatani Mikiko tapped on the table, feeling inevitably surprised at such confidence!

She confirmed repeatedly; this "New World Mechanism" had long been tagged in the background, indicating that Kirino Reisei was protecting the interests of this corporation.

A company esteemed by the Sakura Witch is indeed extraordinary.

"Yes," she responded promptly.

"How does it feel?" Xu Yang messaged A40.

"Good, I want to fight," A40 said, "and this is the kind of fight that suits me, this is where I should be. I want to keep killing here until the very end of the deathmatch!"

"One more victory, and you take out the opponent, then we’ll have a whole building," Xu Yang said.

The second fight started quickly.

A bioengineered beast-man from Ultimate Technology Company against the dual-blade female warrior from Federro Mc Gee Group. Before the fight began, the beast-man already stimulated the potency of the biochemical drug pump on his back, inflating rapidly, transforming into a large, fearless, and bloodthirsty werewolf.

The dual-blade female warrior was indifferent, wearing a fully enclosed mechanical helmet, and dressed in an optical camouflage suit.

As soon as the referee announced the start, she instantly activated the cloaking field of her camouflage, disappearing from the ring.

The variety of tactics in Colosseum Arena was indeed diverse, Xu Yang observed. This was still just a minor match. When the true battle celebration began, as companies vied for the final laurel and the honor of being the First Warrior, they would spare no effort to build their strongest fighter.

The werewolf sniffed non-stop, using its implants to detect, relying on its biological instincts to perceive—this fight had become a battle of information.

Suddenly it picked up on a slight trace, swiftly turned around, and let out a loud roar toward one direction before leaping forward, covering the female warrior with a dark shadow in an instant.

"Aaaah—"

Xu Yang couldn’t see her, but he could hear the piercing screams of the female warrior and the grating noise of splattering blood.

Like gutting a fish, the werewolf ferociously tore at the flesh below, shredding even her cloak so that one could see her disjointed, bloody remains.

Staring at the werewolf, she found the strength to counterattack! She sliced upward with her dual blades, wounding the werewolf’s upper arms. The werewolf’s howls intensified as it bit down on her head, ripping it from her neck in one motion and crushing it in its jaws.

"The winner has been determined!" the electronic referee announced.

The werewolf howled loudly, clutching its bleeding arms as it exited the arena. It needed time and surgery, therefore requesting a pause in the match. The organizers granted an extended recovery break of 2 hours.

"You die if you lose, and even if you win, you’re covered in scars!" A40 sent a message, "It seems like the Colosseum festival requires careful planning to figure out how to avoid injuries! Otherwise by the time of the final, one would already be riddled with wounds."

Injuries? Accumulated damage?

"For others, that’s certainly the case," Xu Yang said with an easy tone, "but for us... there’s a lot of room to maneuver."