Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 75: Fierce Fight

Chapter 75: Fierce Fight

Zinnia unleashed a barrage of bullets from the back of her mecha’s head, driving forward into the thick smoke instead of backing off. "Thierry, pin down Eagle!" she yelled.

"On it!" Thierry responded, quickly laying down suppressive fire from above, forcing Eagle to dive lower and navigate through the ravine.

Out of nowhere, a bright red tail sliced through the haze, smashing down with brutal force. It was a Python mecha.

Python’s tail struck Eagle, slamming it into the cliffside. It coiled around Eagle tightly, charging up its railgun.

But Vikie didn’t panic. She calmly entered a series of commands, prepared to take Zinnia down with her if it came to that. Then alarms started blaring in her cockpit, "Warning! Warning! Power source damaged."

The residual venom on Python’s tail had dripped onto Eagle. With its lighter armor designed for speed, Eagle’s corrosion spread rapidly.

In the live stream, the host clapped and cheered, hyping up the moment. The slight power slowdown gave Python just enough time to fully charge its cannon.

"Vikie!" Gillia, piloting Spider, tried to rush over to help, but a Lizard mecha on the cliff unleashed a burst of bullets, cutting her off. The two mechas immediately began a high-speed chase along the cliffside.

With a loud bang, Zinnia, in Python, managed to take down one of the enemies. Just as she turned to assist Thierry, a Werewolf mecha suddenly leaped down from a stone pillar.

In an instant, a fully charged laser shot straight through Python’s head, aiming for the cockpit located in the snake’s neck.

Zinnia’s heart skipped a beat as the laser barely missed the cockpit. She quickly swung Python’s tail, knocking Werewolf off balance. But before she could react, the enemy had vanished, and a powerful claw shattered the glass of her cockpit.

Python, built for quick moves in the ravine, was now being toyed with. The usually noisy chatroom went dead silent, everyone glued to the screen, captivated by the intense battle.

"Werewolf is crazy fast!"

"And Zinnia’s skills are next level! She just used the enemy’s attack to take down Eagle."

Helion laughed as he attacked. "Gillia, keep Thierry occupied!"

They knew they had to take Zinnia out before Lyra arrived if they wanted a shot at winning.

Gillia, still dodging attacks, almost whimpered, "I’m trying!"

Spider landed on the flat ground of the ravine, spitting venom and firing lasers, but Thierry dodged everything with ease. Instead of creating space, Gillia found herself locked in close combat.

Gritting her teeth, Gillia left a pool of venom behind and jumped away.

Thierry couldn’t adjust Lizard at the moment because it was in midair. After moments’ thinking, he calmly shot at Lizard’s landing spot, using the recoil and tail to avoid the trap.

Gasps of awe rippled through the audience, everyone amazed at the slick maneuvers. Even Cohen smiled, thinking of Thierry who once challenged him without fear.

"Helion, I’m toast!" Gillia wailed as she continued to dodge while firing at Lizard.

Down at the bottom of the ravine, Helion kicked Python’s head down and leaped high into the air. His mecha’s wolf claws retracted, transforming into dual curved blades, designed to slice through cockpits like butter.

Zinnia struggled against the sudden weightlessness, frantically trying to input commands. But the force of Python’s head slamming into the ground caused her hands to slip from the controls.

Too late.

Just then, however, a large blade flew in from behind, smashing into Werewolf and sending it tumbling through the air.

The host zoomed in, shouting, "Lyra is here!"

A sleek, silver humanoid mecha stormed into the scene at full speed, relentlessly firing at the airborne Werewolf.

"You go first," Lyra ordered.

Lyra stepped over Python, poised to strike, but suddenly halted.

Her instincts kicked in as she raised her shield just in time to block a red beam of light slicing through the smoke. She quickly adjusted her controls, pulling back to dodge Werewolf’s curved blade, returning fire as she moved.

"Did you see that? Her timing is unreal!"

"Yeah, but how’s she gonna handle Werewolf up close without her sword?"

Werewolf charged through the hail of bullets like a wild beast, grabbed the humanoid mecha by the ankle, and swung it into the cliffside.

Sparks flew as Lyra’s mecha scraped against the rock, but she skillfully balanced it.

She almost reclined in her seat, guiding the massive machine like a seasoned martial artist.

Rolling a few times, Lyra landed near the sword. She quickly snatched it up, and blocked Werewolf’s blade just in time.

What followed was a brutal close-quarters battle. Punches, kicks, and gunfire flew as the sword and curved blade clashed in a blinding display of sparks.

The live stream viewers were transfixed by Lyra’s hands. They were moving so fast on the controls that they were a blur. Every input was precise, every attack seamless, and the screen lit up with her masterful technique.

"Who was doubting her just now? She’s killing it!"

"She’s matching Werewolf blow for blow with just a humanoid mecha!"

"Now we see why she’s so confident. She’s got the skills to back it up!"

Even the host, who’d questioned her confidence the day before, realized why Lyra carried herself with such assurance: When you’re this good, a little arrogance is just part of the package.

The haters went silent, and even some of the skeptics started to flip, turning into fans.

Lyra’s epic comeback was blowing up online.

Werewolf, though powerful in attack, had a weak spot—its low defense. After a well-placed strike, Lyra severed a connection strap on its leg, causing the mecha to stumble. She didn’t hesitate, slicing open the cockpit with a single, decisive blow, knocking Werewolf out of the match.

At the same time, Thierry managed to defeat Spider, securing their team’s advance to the next round.

After the match, Cohen, who’d been watching with interest, was about to log off. His time was valuable, after all. But just as he was about to exit, a familiar voice stopped him.

"Lieutenant Commander Whyte, are you here to watch the match too?"

He turned to see Erin Shedd, a face he hadn’t seen in a while. With a polite smile, he nodded, "My cousin’s competing here. Miss Shedd, enjoying some time off?"

"Yes," Erin replied, her smile graceful as she gazed at him. "I heard the mecha tournament is nearing its end, so I came to watch."

In the background, Thierry and Zinnia’s laughter echoed, followed by a distant, indifferent "hmm," which made Erin’s hand tighten slightly around the railing.

"I have something to attend to, so I’ll be leaving now," she said, her voice cool as she clicked to exit, her virtual avatar fading away.

"Cousin Cohen! Who were you just talking to?" Thierry jogged over, grinning widely. "Did you see me? Am I getting better?"

He was like a big, eager puppy, desperate for approval.

Cohen patted his shoulder sincerely, "You’ve improved a lot, and you owe much of that to your teammates."

Just then, Lyra walked over, and Cohen’s expression shifted slightly. He muttered something about having to go and quickly logged off.

"Huh? What’s the rush?" Thierry wondered aloud, turning to Lyra. "Aren’t you his lifesaver? Why didn’t he say anything to you?"

But Lyra just flashed a playful smile. "Maybe he’s a bit shy."

Zinnia couldn’t hold back her laughter at Thierry’s puzzled look.

While their mood was light and easy, the planning manager wasn’t having such a good time.

Called into a tense meeting with the higher-ups, they were sternly warned, "You’d better get this under control. If you can’t handle it, prepare for the consequences."

After getting thoroughly scolded, the planning manager nodded and bowed like a scolded child before leaving the meeting room.

Once back in his office, his frustration boiled over, and he took it out on his secretary, snapping at them for no good reason. Still fuming, he picked up the phone and made two calls.

"The semifinals are coming up next week," he began, his tone calculated. "Could I ask you to personally take on Thierry? And as for Lyra, let’s have Caleb handle her. What do you think?"

A pause, then a voice on the other end responded, "That works."