Chapter 3 Golden Zone, Stage Three: Flowing Heart Martial Arts

The third stage of the Golden Zone, Flowing Heart Martial Arts, didn't impress anyone. At this level, it was a basic fire ability, not enough. Different levels had different requirements.

"Looks like 'Mad' Lion only has the 'mad' part left, and nothing else."

"The Golden Zone depends on talent. The higher the talent, the higher the ceiling. Actually, it was obvious in the last session that he's an emotional fighter. Frankly, he has more courage than talent. Of course, I'm comparing him to the top tier. He's going to be eliminated. Maxis is the real king."

"He's comparable to an ordinary member of a top team, but not enough against a War God."

The audience was in an uproar, and the live broadcast room was speechless. He put on this whole show just to act tough in front of Maxis? Was he out of his mind?

Along with the Flowing Heart Martial Arts stage, a gale arose.

The noisy discussions stopped, and the live broadcast room went silent. A second ability?

Wind and fire dual abilities?

Maxis remained expressionless. Adding wind didn't improve things much. He didn't have the understanding of integrating it into attacks like Musashi, who had a Wind Body. This superficial stuff was just a gimmick…

Robbie didn't attack immediately. The gale compressed and swirled with the flames. The red flames gradually changed, with blue light emerging from them, accompanied by crackling sounds.

The K23 Overlord Spear was enveloped in blue flames. Robbie's pupils contracted, and the Armored Tiger mech lowered its center of gravity. He raised the Overlord Spear with his right hand and supported it with his left.

Buzz.

The blue flames seethed, and the surrounding air steamed.

Maxis's expression turned serious. War God Gaze slowly gripped the greatsword with both hands. This had some spirit.

"Wind and fire fusion?" Musashi watched with excitement. Everyone's soul was different, and so was their gene expression. Some top-tier fighters had already sensed that the form in which abilities manifested was partly due to talent, determined by genes, and partly due to the combination of desire and thought. The deepest desires and fears were closely related to the form of the ability.

Robbie was passionate and enthusiastic, but his wind and fire were ordinary. The experts present could see that they were just common wind and fire. Yet, he could use the wind to fuel the fire, allowing the flames to advance. If it were a pilot battle, this flame's lethality would be different. But in a mech battle, even with the K23 God Element conduction, making the fire stronger… it was useless.

Unless he could become so extreme that touching it would ignite you, grazing it would melt you, but that was impossible. The energy couldn't reach that level. In comparison, Romero's flames, though ordinary, had a stronger melting effect.

"It's just an appearance. Every existence in this world is unique. Flowing Heart Martial Arts must follow the desires of the heart." Li Hao smiled slightly. "You can think about your heart."

"What about Soul Essence?" Zhou Naiyi asked.

"Trust, reliance, essence. Understand it, and you'll have it. Simply put, reaching Flowing Heart Martial Arts gives you the possibility of creating Soul Essence. It's not necessarily about how high your Zone value is. The mech's ability is limited, and a lot of it will actually overflow. Proper allocation is important. Boom, you suddenly understand, you get it, and it comes. It's not that mysterious," Li Hao said.

"Brother Hao, don't say such nice-sounding words next time," Teacher Ma said, feeling down. When would he ever reach that point? It was nowhere in sight. What kind of Soul Essence could his healer ability create? A uniformed nurse?

It had to have stockings, otherwise it wouldn't have a soul.

White ones!

Boom.

The Armored Tiger mech moved out. War God Gaze still waited motionless. The two rapidly closed the distance. The blue flames looked beautiful, but lacked the imposing power of the red flames. The pale blue flames looked eerie, but the War God mech remained on guard.

The Overlord Spear struck. Maxis's greatsword met it head-on. Maxis, who always made the first move, yet held an absolute advantage, slightly changed his expression. With a muffled sound, the beautiful blue flames bloomed between the titanium greatsword and the Overlord Spear. Immediately afterward, War God Gaze was knocked back, the mech shaking violently. Maxis almost lost his grip on the greatsword. The Armored Tiger mech launched a blitz attack, giving Maxis no time to react. Robbie had been waiting for this moment. The Overlord Spear roared in, forcing Maxis to parry each strike, with blue flames exploding with each impact. The War God mech suffered a violent shock.

Robbie's ability was a derivative of fire – Blue Blast.

Each strike was equivalent to a double-impact effect. At this moment, the Armored Tiger mech, which had been treated like a monkey, finally unleashed the momentum of an overlord. Attacks needed to be effective to leverage his skills and abilities. This sudden explosive ability finally seized the opportunity. Even Maxis's refined technique and unparalleled overall talent were caught off guard by this sudden attack. He finally raised his titanium shield, and this change only intensified Robbie's momentum. He was the type who fought harder the more he fought. Facing the titanium shield's defense, he unleashed three consecutive strikes without hesitation. Three blue flames exploded, almost knocking the titanium shield away. At this moment, Robbie's Armored Tiger mech connected with a deadly Dragon Kick!

Boom.

War God Gaze soared into the air, but not from being knocked away. It used the force to take flight. The Skywing System activated, the mech spread its wings and hovered in the air. With a roar, the Armored Tiger soared up as well, its engine roaring, the hovering system activated, enough to cover some distance.

In mid-air, the War God mech and the Armored Tiger mech collided violently, blue flames erupting. Ultimately, the Armored Tiger mech was knocked back to the ground, while War God Gaze remained stably hovering in the air.

This was what was so hopeless. This was what Maxis could do, but others couldn't. In aerial combat, pilots couldn't stabilize their wing systems. Once they lost their balance and were shot down, they would face a miserable fate. But Maxis could. He possessed unparalleled control and an unbelievable mastery of balance. He would never lose his balance.

From this alone, he already dominated other mechs in terms of performance. Unless something went wrong with his own body, everyone else was just waiting to be beaten. It was so powerful that after S9 ended, many fighters demanded that War God Gaze be banned, or that a wing system that everyone could use be developed, or that this "immature" mech be scrapped.

However, like the Armored Panther, this request was ignored.

War God Gaze landed, and the greatsword was raised again. He glanced at Robbie with some surprise. "You really have improved. Now it's my turn to attack!"

Boom.

The War God mech vanished on the spot. This was Maxis's signature Inch Cut!

It was a near-teleportation killing move that maximized flash attacks and attack techniques. Clang.

The Overlord Spear blocked, and the attacked Overlord Spear released blue flames again. It was still the same explosive effect, but this time, the titanium greatsword didn't waver. With a sinking feeling, Robbie didn't even have time to react before another sword came down.

Boom.

The Armored Tiger mech was knocked down again. Robbie knew things were bad. He didn't expect that in just one exchange, Maxis had completely adapted to his flame explosion. He tried to escape this suppressed state with his mech controls, but before he could even execute, the third sword had already arrived.

Boom.

The Armored Tiger mech was pinned down. Robbie bit down hard, his eyes bloodshot, determined to hold on.

Suddenly, the greatsword lightened. Boom, the Armored Tiger mech was kicked away. War God Gaze followed like a shadow, delivering a smooth kick that sent the Armored Tiger mech flying more than ten meters into the giant fern forest, rolling and crashing.

"Robbie, you can't maintain this for much longer. If this is all you have, it's over," Maxis said calmly. There were some small things, but it still wasn't enough. Moreover, his Flowing Heart Martial Arts was at a relatively low level. In this state, he could probably only last a few more minutes at most. He had expected too much.

Clang.

The Armored Tiger mech leaped out, landing heavily on the ground. Robbie's Golden Zone flared up again, his grin twisted. He was too damn strong. He thought he could give everyone a surprise, but the gap was so big. This was his last battle. How could he end it in such a mess? Maxis hadn't even shown his full power.

The Armored Tiger charged. Mad Lion Robbie never knew what it meant to back down. Maxis frowned. Was he so reckless? Being defeated wasn't a big deal, but constantly overdrawing Flowing Heart Martial Arts could lead to serious injuries. From Robbie's released state, he could clearly judge Robbie's level.

Immediately afterward, the Armored Tiger was knocked away. No matter what angle the Armored Tiger attacked from, or what force it used, the two-stage explosion of blue fire was easily countered by Maxis. This two-stage force technique could defeat 99.9 percent of fighters, but Robbie was facing Maxis, a fighter at the apex of the pyramid. Such techniques weren't enough.

"They're not even on the same level. Robbie should just admit defeat at this point."

"The use of the Golden Zone prohibits unlimited overdrafting. It's not just physical recovery. Sometimes it can cause fatal aftereffects."

"You have to admit, Robbie still has some backbone, just like us Martians. He just met the wrong opponent."

The Golden Zone attracted everyone's attention as soon as it appeared, but they quickly discovered its drawbacks. Simply put, it was a type of energy that consumed the spirit or soul, a force that science couldn't fully analyze. It had a significant time limit. Physical strength could be replenished, but soul overdraft was currently untreatable. They could only leave it to fate, so fighters had to be extremely careful when using it. A mistake could ruin their entire lives.

Romero was alone in his room, watching the match. Worse than being blamed and insulted was being forgotten. It was as if, overnight, who Romero was no longer mattered. He knew what Robbie wanted to do, just as he had done. A self-deprecating smile appeared on Romero's lips. Regret? That didn't exist. Romero never regretted anything. He did it for himself, but had Robbie thought it through?

"Even if you give, you'll be forgotten."

When Robbie was hit back for the sixth time, he finally couldn't hold back the blood and vomited it out, staining the cockpit red. It wasn't just the Golden Zone anymore. His body was gradually unable to withstand the intense combat. Robbie had already bitten through his tongue. He needed to keep his mind clear and his limbs flexible, but he was such a waste. How could it end like this? Maxis hadn't even shown a fraction of his strength.

To hell with it.

Roar.

As his mental power surged, the hurricane rose again, and the blue flames continued to seethe. If strength wasn't enough, he'd strengthen it. Keep going, stronger, stronger, deep blue… a deeper blue!

The pale blue flames began to deepen. The gale whipped up the blue flames, swirling and rolling. The light was gradually intensifying, and blue lightning began to appear around the Overlord Spear.

Everyone watched the berserk Robbie and his hysterical roar.

Not enough! Not enough! Not enough!

Blood began to seep from Robbie's nose, eyes, and ears, but he didn't care. He was born to fight, and he would die fighting. Not enough, not enough, not enough!

He knew exactly what his opponent was like. The rolling blue flames hadn't caused any change in his opponent. This simple enhancement was just an increase in numbers. Courage and recklessness were useless.

He needed more power!

Robbie's expression gradually cracked, his madness filled with determination. "Hunters must win!"

Roar.

The blue flames soared into the sky, and the giant blue flame lion's silhouette began to appear.

Flowing Heart Martial Arts—Flame Lion Soul Essence!

At that moment, cracks appeared on Robbie's forehead, and his pupils turned a deep blue. The Flowing Heart Soul Essence finally stabilized.

Maxis gripped the greatsword with both hands, his expression turning solemn. He raised it high. The red on War God Gaze's body instantly turned gold, shining brightly. At this moment, the War God descended. This was Maxis's true Zone state. The previous was probably just a warm-up. Like Li Hao, he didn't deserve to witness it until he reached the real level.

Facing the pressure of the Flame Lion Soul Essence before him, he would capsize in the gutter if he wasn't careful.

For Robbie, the world had disappeared. Only the solitary War God Gaze remained before him.

Overlapping Force—Flame Lion Heart-Piercing Spear!

Heavenly Heart Flow—Heaven-Opening Single-Minded Slash!

The soaring blue flames and golden light collided, and the rolling blue flames rumbled like thunder from the nine heavens, deafening. The intense light exploded together.

The two mobile suits passed each other. The fully charged Armored Tiger mech charged out more than ten meters, its steps faltering. Seeing that it was about to fall, the Overlord Spear slammed into the ground.

Pop.

The K23 titanium Overlord Spear shattered. On the other side, Maxis's greatsword had already been sheathed. In the cockpit, Maxis's expression twisted slightly, then returned to normal. That spear had some meaning, but unfortunately, it wasn't mature enough.

Robbie gasped for breath, his eyes blind, everything was black. He didn't want to fall, but his body was no longer under his control. In the end, he still couldn't win.

"Second brother, I… tried my best."

Robbie lost consciousness. An urgent medical call sounded, and the paramedics entered.