Tita and the others sighed. The Knights of the Round Table were finished, and the Cougars on the other side were destined to be swept four to zero. This battle fully illustrated the importance of hiding one's abilities. Under normal circumstances, Ofi's final attack could have traded blows with any opponent. Her technical characteristics and the performance of the Spectre mech meant there was no room to dodge if she wanted to exchange blows with her opponent. At the last moment, Basta's sudden advance tricked Ofi. Normally, they would be clashing head-on to see who fell first, but Basta did it on purpose, making Ofi think he was going to fight her head-on, then suddenly unleashing his gravity-based ability – weightlessness.

The Spectre fighter, sprinting at full speed, had no time to react. Ofi was already powerful enough, and she still wanted to stabilize at that moment. If there were no opponent, she might really have been pulled back, but not only was there an opponent, it was Basta. Even if Ofi had anticipated this move, she might not have been able to dodge it, especially with a sudden attack at the most critical moment.

A monster!

Besides Basta, Valan's zone skill was also impossible to defend against. It was truly disgusting. And this was just against a sniper. If it came suddenly in close combat, it would be really uncomfortable. Defending wasn't an option, and not defending wasn't an option either; attention would inevitably be diverted.

Precisely because it wasn't related to the Apocalypse, Tita was particularly sensitive. She even felt that the strength of a team should be judged by its "Apocalypse content." The same went for Maxis on the other side, who, it was said, hadn't revealed any clues when defeating Robbie, as if it were a golden zone – definitely extraordinary. All the unconventional was extraordinary.

But from their performance, Ofi and Robbie showed a higher level of skill and fighting spirit than ever before. This was a sign that USE was gaining momentum, but from gaining momentum to achieving success, and then to reaping rewards, it would take time. It couldn't happen overnight in one session. The Moon had also been planning for many years to contend for a three-peat.

Alz and the others watched in silence. As contestants, they knew that the result would be the same if they were up there; they simply couldn't resist. They had thought that everyone was familiar with the golden zone this year and that the gap would be narrowed, but in fact, the opposite was true: the real powerhouses had gone further and further away.

The Knights of the Round Table, forced to the edge of a cliff, still didn't relax. Until the very end, they still had a chance. In the fourth match, Vice-Captain Gregg faced Monalo, the heavy armor of the Vulcan team. Heavy armor was as unconventional in the NUP as it was on the Moon, but top teams all had such a configuration. Monalo was also the undisputed number one heavy armor on Mars, directly showing off the Deep Sea Berserker.

Deep Sea Berserker.

Juggernaut, 160 tons.

Triple-engine nuclear fission drive, Deep Sea combined laser fire system, gravitational electromagnetic cannon, optional heavy titanium weapons, titanium shield.

Gregg chose the Thunderfire Zeus. At this moment, all the pressure was on the vice-captain. Gregg's expression was so solemn that he felt like he was suffocating.

Thunderfire Zeus, NUP,

Medium mech, 80 tons.

Thunderfire four-wheel-drive nuclear fission system, Thunderfire mimic system, K23 Thunder Blade, titanium shield.

Laser eyes, retractable shoulder missile system, Thunderfire laser gun.

Facing such an opponent, Gregg felt a bit pained. The key was that it was still an arena mode, and he had no room to maneuver. In terms of firepower, no matter how advanced the Thunderfire was, it couldn't match the Juggernaut's firepower. This thing was outrageous in the arena.

In fact, when they saw Gregg's expression, Ofi and the others already knew the outcome. Gregg was meticulous and calm, but he couldn't fight a tough battle. He was an excellent ordinary person who hadn't experienced the inhuman training of the Apocalypse. Faced with this situation, he was clearly overwhelmed by his opponent's momentum.

Gregg was, after all, the vice-captain of the Knights of the Round Table. After appearing, he still calmed down and steadily closed the distance in the firepower exchange. In terms of maneuverability, the Thunderfire still crushed the Deep Sea fighter. If played well, this thing was just a clumsy, hulking fool.

As he fought, Gregg regained his confidence and brought his skills to the extreme. Gregg did indeed possess the Flowing Heart Martial realm, which was worthy of his position as vice-captain of the Knights of the Round Table. For a time, he put his opponent in a relatively embarrassing position. This also gave the Earth audience hope, especially in the Knights of the Round Table Academy. Gregg was the second strongest point. In terms of configuration and strength, he was higher than his opponent. If he won a match, there would definitely be a chance later. Muni and Prussia were both very strong, and they also had the first-mover advantage to target the opponent. That's how Tianjing Mech Martial won in the past!

Gregg was also very excited, feeling more and more like he had a chance, as long as he dodged his opponent's gravitational electromagnetic cannon. This thing was actually very cumbersome, and only rookies would get hit. It was too easy to predict.

Gregg's ability was thunderstrike. He wanted to bring out the maneuverability of the Thunderfire fighter and become a thunder god descending to save the Knights of the Round Table and save his goddess.

Suddenly, the Deep Sea Berserker's electromagnetic cannon gathered energy. Gregg also knew that his chance had come, and he rushed towards the Deep Sea fighter without hesitation. As long as the opponent's energy cannon missed, there would be a huge opening.

The energy cannon fired, and Gregg accurately made a prediction, easily… The energy cannon turned and directly ensnared the Thunderfire fighter. The mech was sucked over, and waiting for Gregg was a giant battle axe.

Boom, boom, boom, boom.

With each strike, the Thunderfire fighter was hacked into scrap metal.

Monalo's ability was energy control!

Just like that, the Vulcan team swept the Knights of the Round Table four to zero, not giving them a single chance, and advanced hand in hand with Maxis's Galaxy.

Both sides weren't just recovering from injuries; it was as if gods had returned, with everyone's condition maxed out, and all the members returned to their best state.

The captain was the soul of a team, and to a large extent, it also determined the strength and condition of the members.

Both sides showed strength far exceeding other traditional powerhouses, existing in a league of their own.

The first two matches of the round of eight were like a nightmare for USE. The Cougars were swept four to zero by the Galaxy Academy. In terms of strength comparison and process, the Cougars were actually very tenacious; they just couldn't win. Given their mid-season ranking, everyone didn't have too high expectations, but Ofi's Knights of the Round Table being taken away four to zero by the Wolf King's Vulcan team was very painful. They didn't even get to fight a team battle. As perennial runners-up, the Knights of the Round Table were, in terms of results, truly miserable this time.

Of course, putting a positive spin on it, in order to not give the Knights of the Round Table any chance to turn the tables, the Vulcan team also exposed a lot of their abilities, providing a reference for later teams. But even if they knew, could they beat them?

After the match, the Wolf King Basta once again became a hot favorite to win the championship, even surpassing War God Maxis at one point. This weightlessness ability could definitely throw any opponent into chaos. It was an unsolvable ability, coupled with his own combination of defense and offense – awesome plus. Ofi's own performance was sufficient. If it hadn't been for being countered by this ability, she could have at least traded blows with the others one-for-one. The problem lay in the average level. Excluding the two captains, the other members of the Vulcan team were stronger than the Knights of the Round Table.

To win the championship, it wasn't enough to rely on the captain alone. There had to be very good bench depth. In fact, this was also the reason why the Knights of the Round Table had never been able to reach the next level. The members lacked a fighting spirit of desperation.

With the advancement of the Moon and Mars representative teams, many fans were relieved. At least there were no upsets. The next day had the Camella team vs. the GRU team and the Celestial Star team vs. the Fiery Cloud team. Among them, the Celestial Star Mech Martial's match was again very popular. In terms of strength, there was nothing to say, but with Arths's addition, everything was different. The Celestial Star Mech Martial had many more casual fans. And compared to the first day, both sides in these two matches had a chance, depending on who performed better.

Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night for some people. After the match ended, along with the battle report, various streamers and commentators gave their own views. Now it seemed that USE's strength in this session was really not enough. The GRU team also had a really hard time against the Camella team. The only hope was still on North Carolina, but was it enough to rely on one North Carolina?

"Van Loo is an old powerhouse. Both sides have a chance. If the GRU can beat Camella, then they have some skill."

"Originally, the USE teams were at a disadvantage in these two matches. The strong ones are in the back. What's the rush!"

As uncomfortable as it was, the chances of winning in the first two matches were indeed not great. It was just that the losses were too ugly, and the difference in strength was a bit too big, especially for the Knights of the Round Table team. Being swept wasn't a matter of luck.

The gap between championship teams and non-championship teams wasn't just a little bit. Confidence, the mindset and will when facing difficulties, and other comprehensive factors – even luck was one aspect. Without the blessing of luck, it was also difficult to reach the top.

It could only be said that the Knights of the Round Table really didn't have a champion's destiny. After this battle, Ofi, and the Knights of the Round Table for that matter, might have to change. If this continued, this long-standing European powerhouse would really fall.

The Tianjing people who watched the match also felt the pressure. They hadn't encountered Galaxy, but they had encountered Vulcan. During the entire Sea Dragon Exchange Tournament, the Vulcan team was quite low-key and almost non-existent. They even wondered if the Wolf King and his members were shrinking back. Romero was the big boss. As a result, they were dominating the S-level competition. Recalling their original thoughts, Teacher Ma couldn't help but blush. It could only be said that the stronger the person, the greater the breadth of mind. Damn it, they still had to fight the Eternal team. Hao-ge wasn't afraid, but he was.

Everyone thought that Fan Liewit was a coward back then, not daring to fight mech duels, but was he really a coward? Or did he sense danger and not want to engage in meaningless fights at that stage, preserving his strength, and wouldn't it be wiser to leave everything in the S-level competition?

That was quite possible. Exposing the strength of the mech, winning against Tianjing Mech Martial, people would think it was justified. Losing would be shameful. The value of an exchange tournament was obviously not that great.

From another perspective, being able to control emotions and not engage in emotional disputes was itself a very awesome thing. A person who could endure wouldn't have a weak vengeful heart. Fan Liewit would definitely study Tianjing Mech Martial inside and out.

After seeing today's situation, Zhou Naiyi and the others also felt immense pressure. They wanted to win, really wanted to win. There were definitely opportunities. On-the-spot adaptability, the manifestation of will, and tactics – sometimes victory or defeat was just a moment away.

Li Hao was gone. He went to check on Robbie's condition. Fortunately, although Robbie's injuries were a bit serious, he would recover with slow recuperation. Robbie was an optimist. As long as he did what he thought he should do, he didn't care about anything. This guy was still very excited in the tank, which made the little nurse have opinions about Li Hao.

Li Hao thought that what made Robbie excited was the little nurse.

Mill San'nan and the others were very enthusiastic. The failure of the Cougars wasn't discouraging. Within their range of strength, they had already performed exceptionally. They really just couldn't beat Galaxy, and there was nothing to regret, but as mobile warriors, they also yearned for victory, or the victory of their camp. They were even clearer about why Robbie had fought so hard. They enjoyed fighting, and now it depended on whether Li-ge could create a miracle. South Americans were filled with passion in their bones.

Li Hao didn't dawdle. He left after seeing that Robbie was unharmed. He was mainly here to make sure that Robbie didn't have any sequelae.

The Knights of the Round Table were really sad. Losing was one thing, but losing so miserably caused enormous pressure from public opinion, and the members were also very self-reproachful. They weren't without opportunities, but they didn't handle the details well, and they got anxious, so the result became like this.

Gregg had already lost his usual gentlemanly demeanor, sitting slumped in his chair, muttering something under his breath, and just now he had complained about his teammates.

"It's all because of the Apocalypse people. How are they so strong, and how are you so weak!"

Mo Yu, Chen Ang, and the others all lowered their heads. They weren't the top tier in the Apocalypse back then.

"Losing is losing. As the captain, I have the greatest responsibility." Ofi interrupted Gregg's complaints. "Keep silent for the next period of time. I'll deal with the other media outlets."

Gregg wanted to say something, but he finally held back. He threw down his towel and walked away alone. The atmosphere was a bit oppressive. The supporters had high expectations for the Knights of the Round Table. Losing so ugly caused a lot of criticism, and Gregg couldn't handle the pressure.

Ofi dialed Li Hao's Skylink, "Where are you?"

Li Hao sent a location. Ofi said she would be there soon. The two met at the entrance of a Chinese restaurant in the Galaxy Center.

Seeing the graceful Ofi, Li Hao waved happily, looking her up and down, "Are you in good shape?"

"I'm okay. Basta didn't choose to fight head-on, which avoided serious injuries," Ofi said. "I feel like he's also a bit hesitant; otherwise, he wouldn't want to expose this ability."

Li Hao smiled. "Haha, Basta has multiple plans. He has more than just this move. It seems like he's prepared a lot of things to wait for me."

Hearing this, Ofi's mood was still a bit low. Losing was one thing, but she didn't expect her opponent to be hiding something. Before the golden zone was discovered, she felt that there was a gap, but it wasn't that big. Now it suddenly widened, and she couldn't accept it for a while. She thought that her preparations this time were quite sufficient before the competition, but it was very hurtful when she actually fought.

That's how life is. Many times, hard work doesn't lead to the desired results.

"Second Brother, I came to you for comfort, but you're really trying to discourage me!" Ofi couldn't help but say.

"It's not that bad, is it? It's just this little thing." Li Hao was dumbfounded. People from the Apocalypse would also be frustrated, but he didn't believe that their will wasn't strong enough. In his eyes, Ofi was definitely a real man.

"Second Brother, I'm also a girl, and I also have times when I'm fragile!" Ofi couldn't help but glare at Li Hao. What kind of look was that?

"Um, you said, is there a possibility that you, in your fragility, want to invite me to dinner, but you're too embarrassed to say it? Actually, you can try it. I'll let you know what it means to have your wishes come true," Li Hao said, looking at the restaurant next door.