Chapter 77

　　"Welcome, one and all, to the Light Class Ranked Ladder Invitationals sponsored by Delphi Optics! Delphi, see the future!" An announcer began to speak, his voice carrying over the crowd. With his words, the corporate logo of Delhi Optics hovered in the air over the arena.

　　"We`ve got a banger of a show for you today! Over ten thousand participants have been invited from all corners of the galaxy. But only the top five hundred will compete in the Arena below. For now, we`ve sent all our Pilots to a custom-created battleground for the preliminaries."

　　An image of the battleground replaced the Delphi Optics logo, showing an impossibly large city with tall skyscrapers and wide roads. A river ran through the middle of the metropolis, with multiple bridges connecting the two sides.

　　The buildings and streets were empty, and no NPCs cluttered the area, leaving the Pilots free to demolish everything in their quest for a spot in the tournament.

　　"Custom designed and built by Kobayashi Entertainment, the rules of the preliminaries are simple. Killing an opponent will give you a point. The first five hundred players to achieve twenty points will secure a spot in the tournament. There will be unlimited respawns, but each will cost you one of your points."

　　The crowd cheered at the announcement, and the battleground image above them shifted to show some of the more popular Pilots. When Sim appeared with his garishly painted Goblin Mech, Micah screamed along with thousands more.

　　The most impressive was Osiris. Her pink bodysuit and matching Mobile Suit sent the crowd into a frenzy. Even fans of other Pilots cheered at the sight of her. Ty had to admit even he felt like standing up and shouting when she appeared on display.

　　"Pilots, get ready. The Preliminaries begin now!"

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　　Kal reviewed the rules of the preliminaries from the private storage area. Leaning against the leg of his Scout Mech, he scrolled through the holo hovering in front of him.

　　The rules were simple. All forms of combat were allowed. Pilots could even form teams if they wanted, although the points would only go to the person who dealt the killing blow. The organizers even provided a map of the battlefield, and Kal marvelled at the attention to detail the developers put into it.

　　The city was likely a hundred miles wide but perfectly flat. They removed the planet`s curvature, allowing sensors and weapons to track much longer distances. It would make for a quick battle as ten thousand Mechs would be crammed into such a tiny area.

　　Additionally, they would all enter the battlefield in different ways. Either from below-ground bunkers, drop pods, or simply appearing in the middle of a street. Their entry method would be randomly chosen, and Kal would have no way to prepare.

　　Disturbingly, the expected nervousness or excitement over the coming battle was still absent within him. He didn`t feel anything as he read through the description. His left hand shook slightly, the tremors returning. Kal clenched his hand tightly into a fist, waiting for them to subside.

　　Over the past few weeks, he had learned that they would only truly stop when he was in a Mech, an oddity that he had come to accept.

　　"Pilots, two minutes to deployment." A voice spoke out, the announcement simultaneously broadcasted to every Pilots storage area. Closing the holo display, Kal gripped the ladder of the scout Mech, letting it retract and carry him to the open cockpit. Enclosed in its interior, he waited for the preliminaries to start.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

　　"Three. Two. One." The voice sounded off before Kal`s vision turned dark.

　　"Deploy."

　　Kal felt himself transported, the Mech shifting from the storage room to another dark location. He had a moment to adjust when the ground began to rise, propelling him upwards at a tremendous speed. Looking above, he could see a circle of light rapidly approaching, the velocity of his ascent pushing him into his seat.

　　In an instant, Kal was flying through an opening in the ground. His Scout Mech catapulted from a tube below the city streets. He was above the buildings in seconds, his Mobil Suits sensors feeding him data. In the short time he had spent in the dark, streaks of energy and Lasgun fire were already crossing the city skyline.

　　Far above, hundreds of Mechs were deploying from Drop pods, red streams of light trailing behind them from the friction of their descent.

　　Something stirred within Kal, a faint excitement and, deeper still, a bloodlust that he hadn`t thought would stay with him outside of Atlas. With a grin, Kal raised his Lasgun, looking for his first target as the City exploded around him violently.

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　　"What a spectacle, they`re really going at it, folks! Thanks to our sponsor, Delphi Optics, we are bringing you the action in crystal clear clarity. Delphi, the future of eyesight!" The announcer was yelling out over the match being displayed above the crowd.

　　"There`s young Sim Delmar from Cygnus. Already with four kills, he really stands out in a crowd! The recruiters are going to have a field day with him after this. Moving over towards the city`s west side, we have Amara Jacobson from Praxis absolutely tearing through her opponents with an excellent three kills. She`s a real contender for number one! But idol sensation Osiris is drawing the attention of today`s crowd. With four kills, she`s looking to secure her place in this tournament early."

　　At the mention of their chosen Pilots, the crowd shouted and cheered, their banners waving in the air. Despite John`s name not being included, Ty shouted as loudly as the others. He couldn`t spot his teammates Mech in the confusing melee, the dull navy blue colour wouldn`t stand out, but he hoped he was doing alright.

　　"Let`s check the leaderboards, sponsored by Agamemnon Industries. Conquer the Competition!" The display changed slightly, showing the leaderboards next to the ongoing conflict. Quickly running his eyes down the list, Ty`s eyes widened at the name at the top.

　　"What`s this?! We have a rookie in the number 1 position. A D` rank, Merit of Caledon has a commanding lead over the other competitors with an astounding seven kills! Let`s focus more on this newcomer."

　　The battlefield zoomed in on a section of the northern city, where buildings were on fire, and large craters had been carved into the ground. In the center, a black Scout Mech was pulling its beam sword from the cockpit of another Scout. Kicking the powerless Mech away, it quickly turned around while raising its lasgun one-handed.

　　The weapon discharged in a deafening crack of thunder, burning a hole through the center of another Mech that had been coming around the corner of a toppled building. Not hesitating to see the Mech stumble, Merit dashed forward, his beam sword sliced down, cutting the disabled Mech in half before searching for more opponents.

　　"What a display of skill! Merit of Caledon is now at eight kills! Astonishing! I look forward to seeing what this young man can do in the one-on-one! Truly a talented newcomer, Merit has only been in the game for a few months before taking a two-year hiatus. We`ll try to get you more information after the preliminaries."

　　In the background, the tournament organizers were hurriedly trying to pull up any information they had on Merit to display to the crowd. He was a complete unknown, his invite having been sent out automatically after his recent winning streak in ladder matches. He didn`t even have any merchandise to sell!

　　"Moving on, we have-" Ty ignored the announcer, looking at his companions in shock as he heard the name.

　　"Isn`t that the guy we teamed with during that world event a couple of years ago? The one that Mare was so interested in?" Ty asked. The only reason it stood out in his head was the fact that the usually cold and removed Mare had been unexpectedly close to Merit at the time.

　　After the world event, they tried to keep in touch, but Merit never returned online to answer their messages.

　　Cid was already pulling up her communication panel, furiously typing a message to Mare through their friend list on the holographic keyboard. With its connection to the Imperial Net, communication with the real world was possible anywhere within the game as long as you were friends or teammates.

　　Sharing a glance with Micah, the two men shrugged, oblivious to the gossip their third member was engaging in.