Alpha Control

Fortunately, warframe fights were not determined by simple speed. There were many contributing factors that lead to victory; if much of the fight had relied on speed, Han Sen would never have been able to catch up to King of War.

King of War was very powerful. It had a very high defense, and it possessed many different weapons. This meant its size was less than an ideal; it was big, and as a result, clumsy and a little stiff to move. This was where the SKTS could prove itself.

The SKTS was far lighter and its agility was high.

With Han Sen's incredible eighth sense, Han Sen was able to predict King of War's movements and adapt accordingly.

Using Heavenly Go, Han Sen took on a formation. He prompted King of War to fire first, giving him the opportunity to start his dance of evasion. With the SKTS, Han Sen was able to make his way over to King of War while it was preoccupied.

"Is this fight staged?"

"Ha! This is way too fake. How can King of War not manage to strike that old SKTS, when its headed straight his way."

"Haha! I give this crappy display a one-out-of-ten rating. Their performance is terrible, and it beggars belief. King of War fires continuously, and I'm expected to believe the SKTS can dodge such a barrage without a scratch?"

"How much did SKTS pay for this shameless, laughable display? I'll pay double just to make it stop!"

"It may be just a show, but SKTS's power is nothing to laugh at. That being said, the agility is difficult to believe. Performing a single dodge is hard enough, but to keep on doing so is too good to be true. The fitness level of whoever is inside that SKTS must be rather lofty."

"This performance is interesting. I wonder who is in control of the SKTS?"

"This isn't a show, numbnuts! This is the real deal. I saw how this fight got started, over in the lobby. Li Chengxian started picking on Han Sen and his fellows, so he offered to duel him with a warframe."

"Holy smokes! Is that true?"

"Why would I lie? There were quite a few people there. The tension between the two was stoked like a fire."

"This is crazy. Han Sen is the one operating SKTS? Are his abilities really that good? He's not even a warframe operator."

"Don't you recall when SKTS first entered the market? Han Sen was the one who starred in its advert, when he was still in military school."

"I remember Digang having just created super biological warframes. When SKTS first came out, it was massive. The advert's focus was on the warframe and Yu Qianxun, I didn't notice the young man in it."

"He was SKTS's Alpha Operator. It's no wonder he is so strong."

...

The arena for their battle was very small. With a firm handle on the SKTS, Han Sen effortlessly made his way over to King of War.

When in range, however, Han Sen did not attack right away. The difference between their armor statistics meant Han Sen could not fight him face-to-face.

Therefore, Han Sen used his SKTS to go around and around King of War. Instead of just dodging in one direction, he ran circles around King of War. With his sword, he kept slashing as he went, waiting for the perfect opening in which he could use his laser blaster.

King of War kept spinning, and it almost seemed stuck in its attempt to locate the SKTS. It couldn't even attack.

"Are you sure this isn't a show? It seems fake. Why isn't he fighting back?" someone asked.

"Oh, he wants to fight back. The thing is, he can't," an old warframe soldier said, as he looked at the SKTS. Despite his affirmation, he was still surprised at what he was seeing.

"Brother Xu, what do you mean by that? How can he not fight back?" Everyone turned to look at the old soldier, in anticipation of an explanation.

The soldier looked at the video and said, "King of War has many native, built-in weapons, as well as weapons that are external attachments. It may seem powerful, but too many weapons make you bulky, and accuracy comes at the cost of time."

"The SKTS manages to always place itself inside King of War's aiming deadzone. By the time King of War adjusts his position, the SKTS has already moved to another deadzone. King of War will never be able to lock onto him, provided the SKTS keeps this up. So, how can he possibly fight back?"

Hearing this explanation, everyone watched the screen with a clearer concept of what was going on. When they saw King of War's gun move, the SKTS had moved. It really was impossible for King of War to lock-on to his opponent.

"His control is too much. It's like a bug, forever hiding in the enemy's deadzone. He is too good."

"It is no wonder why he is the fiance of the princess."

"It isn't that SKTS has been updated, it's just down to the driver. There is a reason why Digang invited Han Sen to film the advert. Han Sen did indeed know everything about the SKTS, and he was indeed like an alpha."

"Are you recording this video?"

"No, but you can just ask for a copy off the restaurant later."

"An Alpha Operator of the SKTS is something that's well worth watching."

Everyone was exuberantly happy, watching this fight unfold. The only one not having a good time was Li Chengxian. Try as he might, he could not lock onto the SKTS. Everything he tried to do was thwarted, as if the SKTS had the ability of foresight.

It was like someone had installed a window into his soul, and there his opponent was, peering right through it. It even frightened him a bit. Although this was all virtual, he couldn't help but imagine Han Sen's face grinning like a devil. This vision made his skin itch.

Li Chengxian no longer expected victory. More than anything, he wanted to lose right now and bring an end to the nightmare.

He would have vastly preferred it if the SKTS had the strength to immediately blow up the King of War. But the SKTS's weapons were too weak, and the King of War's armor was too sturdy.

It was a bad combination, and all the SKTS could do was slowly whittle away the defense and health of King of War. It would still be a while before the horror was over and King of War would be destroyed.

A fight like this was not unlike torture, and it made Li Chengxian feel a phantom pain.

If the Royal Warframe Team's honor wasn't at stake, he would have happily thrown in the towel.

It had been a very long time since Han Sen last touched a warframe, and he recalled the times he would occasionally hop in one for some fun. Moving at high speed, with a sword that did not stop swinging and the laser blaster that kept on firing, it was an orgy of sounds. The pinging of laser on metal was particularly delightful for the ears of men, and it made them super excited.