Chapter 31: I Don’t Like Losing

Arthur’s crimson eye narrowed.

If I can’t land a hit on her by predicting where she’ll move...

His grip tightened around the Photon Blade.

Then I’ll just have to force her to move where I want her to.

Arthur raised his head.

"Agis."

〘Yes, Arthur?〙

"Deploy the Railgun."

〘Command acknowledged. Deploying Anti-Carrier Crash Railgun.〙

A mechanical hum suddenly echoed from the Type-Vanguard’s frame.

Arthur felt something shift across his left shoulder.

A small circular platform emerged from the armor plating and unfolded beside his head.

It hovered just above his shoulder, surrounded by faint golden energy.

Then—

Six black-and-gold metallic rods materialized above the platform.

Each one was long and cylindrical, with golden patterns running along its surface.

A brilliant golden energy core glowed within each rod, visible through narrow openings in their black outer shells.

He glanced toward the Railgun mounted above his shoulder.

His eyes gleamed.

"Say..."

"Is there a limit to the number of Railguns that can be deployed?"

〘The Type-Vanguard can deploy a total of four Anti-Carrier Crash Railguns simultaneously.〙

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Four?"

〘Two can be mounted on the shoulders.〙

〘The remaining two can be deployed from the rear of the Type-Vanguard, where they will materialize upon dedicated mounting arms positioned above the primary thruster system.〙

Arthur’s grin slowly widened.

Four Railguns...

He looked toward Seraphina.

His excitement surged.

"Excellent."

The energy within the Railgun began to intensify.

"Let’s try this again."

Arthur raised Agis’ free hand and casually gestured toward Seraphina.

"Hey, Teach."

Seraphina raised an eyebrow.

"You don’t plan to just dodge for the entire duration of our spar, right?"

Seraphina smiled faintly.

"Hardly."

She adjusted her grip on the silver sword.

"But if I simply went in and obliterated you, you might argue that it wasn’t a fair fight because you haven’t gotten used to your Mecha yet."

"Ouch..."

Her smile widened slightly.

"So, I’m willing to let you get a few practice swings in before I decide you’re ready for me to actually humble you."

Arthur stared at her.

"You don’t say."

A faint grin appeared beneath the Type-Vanguard’s helmet.

"Should I feel insulted that you don’t actually consider me a threat, Teach?"

He tilted his head.

"Or should I be grateful that you’re willing to go easy on me?"

Seraphina’s smile became more pronounced.

"Grateful."

She gestured casually with her sword.

"Naturally. After all, I’m one of the only people that will allow you to lose with your dignity intact."

Seraphina casually gestured with her free hand.

"Come on. Let’s continue."

She raised her silver sword.

"You’re free to take five more swings before I start bringing the pressure home."

Arthur chuckled.

"Nah..."

He tightened his grip around the Photon Blade.

"If you really know me that well, Teach, you should know that I don’t like losing."

His tone carried a playful edge.

But inwardly, Arthur’s expression became serious.

Genesis.

〘Yes, Master?〙

Activate Deductive Probing.

For a brief moment, the crimson circuitry surrounding Arthur’s right eye flickered.

Then—

〘Activating Deductive Probing EX!〙

Arthur’s eyes narrowed.

Alright.

Red rings now appeared in both eyes.

Unknown to Arthur, everyone else present suddenly felt a strange wave of energy emanate from him.

Then, without warning, a small black spatial crack opened behind him.

From its depths, a crimson eye seemed to look around.

Then—

It suddenly focused on Seraphina.

Despite Arthur standing directly in front of it, the eye seemed to look past him, gazing directly at her.

Before anyone could say anything, however, the spatial crack suddenly vanished.

Soon, Agis began to give off a faint red aura.

For a moment, the entire Type-Vanguard seemed to be enveloped in crimson energy.

Then—

It vanished as well.

Sinclair and his assistant immediately fell onto their asses.

Several of the other engineers went pale.

Luzi stared at the spot where the strange phenomenon had occurred.

"What the hell was that?"

Sinclair swallowed hard.

"I... don’t know."

Seraphina remained silent.

Her expression had become unusually pale.

What was that pressure?

And what was that thing just now?

She needed to tell Young Master Arthur that she didn’t think this spar was safe anymore.

They needed to get inside and have experts examine the arena.

"Young Master, I think we should—"

"Here I come, Teach."

Arthur suddenly disappeared.

BOOM!

The Type-Vanguard’s thrusters erupted.

In an instant, he closed the distance between himself and Seraphina.

Arthur’s movement was so swift that it caught Seraphina off guard.

Her eyes widened.

She immediately enveloped her body in Chi.

"!"

CLANG!

Their swords collided.

The impact sent a violent shockwave through the arena.

Seraphina’s feet dug into the ground as she was forced backward.

Her expression changed.

She hadn’t expected the Type-Vanguard to possess this much strength.

Inside the Mecha, Arthur’s eyes suddenly widened as a system notification appeared before him.

〘Combat Analysis〙

〘Player has activated Deductive Probing during a combat situation.〙

〘Player’s reflexes have entered a Flow State.〙

〘Player will now instinctively react to all projected future scenarios necessary to secure victory in combat.〙

Arthur’s pupils contracted.

〘Pattern analysis sequence bypassed.〙

〘Target analysis complete.〙

〘Player now possesses a comprehensive understanding of the target’s combat patterns, movements, habits, and potential responses.〙

〘At current item level, the skill can only be used on one target daily.〙

〘Skill Duration: Indefinite〙

〘Deactivation: Manual〙

〘WARNING: Extended usage beyond five minutes will result in severe backlash.〙

Arthur stared at the notification.

"...Oh?"

A grin slowly spread across his face.

...So that’s what Deductive Probing does.

Seraphina’s expression became noticeably more serious.

"Young Master, stop."

Her voice carried genuine concern.

"This has gone far enough. Your life could actually be in danger."

Arthur ignored her.

"You were the one who said you’d let me get a few practice swings in."

The Type-Vanguard raised the Photon Blade.

"Besides, you’re the one who wanted to humble me, remember?"

Seraphina’s eyes narrowed.

She was about to respond when she noticed something.

The Railgun mounted above Arthur’s shoulder had been charging this entire time.

Golden energy had accumulated within its six rotating components.

The weapon was ready to fire.

Seraphina’s expression changed.

"Wait..."

The Railgun discharged.

BOOM!

A concentrated beam of golden energy erupted from the weapon.

Seraphina immediately enveloped her entire body in Chi and raised her forearms to shield her face.

The blast struck her head-on.

BOOM!

Her feet were forced backward as the sheer force of the impact sent her skidding across the arena.

Dust and debris exploded around her.

After several meters, Seraphina finally came to a stop.

She slowly lowered her arms.

"What—?"

Arthur was no longer standing in front of her.

Her eyes widened.

Where did he—

A sudden presence appeared behind her.

Seraphina’s pupils contracted.

He’s already behind me?!

Before she could fully turn around—

BAM!

The Type-Vanguard’s elbow slammed into her abdomen.

"Ugh!"

Seraphina winced as the impact nearly doubled her over.

But she immediately recovered, planting her feet firmly against the ground.

Arthur didn’t give her a chance to breathe.

The Photon Blade came sweeping toward her.

CLANG!

Seraphina raised her silver sword just in time to block.

Arthur immediately followed with another strike.

CLANG!

Another.

CLANG!

And another.

CLANG!

The two exchanged blows at incredible speed.

Seraphina’s expression grew increasingly serious as she blocked, parried, and redirected each attack.

Arthur’s movements had changed completely.

There was no hesitation anymore.

Every movement flowed naturally into the next.

Every time Seraphina attempted to reposition herself, Arthur was already there.

Every opening she created was immediately exploited.

CLANG!

Their blades collided again.

Seraphina was forced backward.

Arthur stepped forward.

Another strike.

She blocked.

Another.

She parried.

Another.

She barely dodged.

The Type-Vanguard continued pressing forward relentlessly.

For the first time since the spar had begun...

Seraphina wasn’t humoring Arthur anymore.

She was actually fighting him.