IUD-CHAPTER 326 MORE AND MORE INTERESTING

"That is…"

In the lounge, both Cecily and Zhao Hufeng redirected their attention to the Space Screen, where they saw the two peculiar robot puppets.

These were two very special robot puppets.

One had an entirely mechanical appearance, standing at over two meters tall. Its metallic body resembled muscles, giving it the appearance of a mechanized knight, exuding an overwhelming presence.

The other had an appearance almost indistinguishable from a human girl, possessing flawless features and a slender figure. However, it wore lightweight metal armor and had a somewhat aloof expression on its face.

Both of these robot puppets bore the emblem of the Arlequint Research Institute on their chests.

Observing these two robot puppets, the spectators in the Sirius Dome began discussing them with curiosity, creating a lively atmosphere.

"This marks the first time in the history of the Festa that puppet robots are participating independently as substitutes for contestants," The live broadcast commentator enthusiastically reported. "Puppets, after all, are robots, and in this day and age, they are commonly used as laborers all around the world. Some of them are designed for combat as well, but usually, they require external operators to control them, resulting in inevitable time delays and slower reaction speeds compared to Genestellars. However, according to reports, these puppets from Arlequint Institute are said to be a new type of autonomous puppet with self-awareness, capable of independent combat without the need for external manipulation!"

"Well, artificial intelligence is no longer a novelty nowadays, and it's already practical worldwide. Applying it to puppets was only a matter of time. This idea has been proposed for quite some time. However, whether they can win against Genestellars in battle remains to be seen."

"So that's how it is. According to the information provided by the Arlequint Research Institute, the male mechanized autonomous puppet is named AR-D, commonly known as 'Ardi.' The female human-appearing autonomous puppet is named RM-C, commonly known as 'Rimsy.' The former is standing in for contestant Ernesta-Kühne, and the latter is substituting for Camilla-Pareto!"

"Their opponents are contestants from Rewolf Black Academy, and one of them is surprisingly ranked twelfth in the sequence. This preliminary match appears to be more exciting than we initially thought."

Listening to the live broadcast, the emotions of the entire audience in the venue were ignited once again, resulting in cheers.

However, at that moment, something unexpected occurred.

"Listen up, you two humans over there!"

Suddenly, Ardi stepped forward, pointing arrogantly at the opposing contestants.

"Although victory is not a big deal for us, since the great Master allowed us to stand on this stage, we have an obligation to show everyone the extent of the power bestowed upon us by the Master. Therefore, we hope that you can be the ones to prove our power!"

Despite his mechanical voice, there was a strong human emotion within his words.

Then, Ardi continued, "We will give you one minute. During this time, we will not launch any attacks. Feel free to 'bring it on'!"

This statement immediately caused an uproar throughout the arena. Especially the two contestants on the other side, the veins on their foreheads bulged as their expressions turned furious.

They felt underestimated, and worse, it was by two puppets who weren't even human.

This would be hard for anyone to swallow, let alone students from Rewolf Black Academy, known for their proclivity for violence.

As a result, the opponents rampaged furiously.

However, what happened next left everyone speechless.

One of the opponents facing Ardi and Rimsy was a Page One from Rewolf Black Academy.

Although ranked only twelfth from the bottom, this individual is a Dante (Magus) who can wrap hurricane winds around his hands, forming a drill-shaped triangular cone. He is renowned for their ability to pierce through anything, purely in terms of destructive power, even among the competitors in Rewolf Black Academy's rankings.

However, in the face of such violent attacks, Ardi, like when he declared himself, didn't move an inch, enduring his opponent's onslaught without a single flinch.

How does he manage to endure it?

The answer is Defense.

Whenever that drill-shaped triangular cone of raging winds descends upon Ardi's body, a light barrier suddenly unfolds around him, formed by diamond-shaped crystals, deflecting his opponent's attacks.

The berserk hurricane strikes against the light barrier, sparking intensely, demonstrating the terrifying clash between the two.

Yet, even so, none of his opponent's attacks managed to breach Ardi's light barrier, it was as if they were all blocked.

As for Rimsy, the puppet who appears almost identical to a human girl, she coldly wields a gun-shaped Lux, utilizing the flight device on her back to float in mid-air while simultaneously engaging in gunfire.

Of course, Rimsy's gunfire isn't meant for offense but for defense.

The opponent of this young girl-like puppet is also wielding a gun-shaped Lux.

In such a scenario, Rimsy's shots almost perfectly counter her opponent's shots, akin to Tohyama Kinji's marksmanship, where bullets flicked away other bullets, ensuring her opponent never landed a hit.

In this manner, the result was clear.

One minute later, the victor was decided.

Inside the contestant lounge, Cecily and Zhao Hufeng watched this scene, their expressions even more solemn than when they watched Amagiri Ayato's match earlier.

Fang Li also narrowed his eyes slightly, remaining silent.

After a while, Cecily calmly said, "Junior Brother, this might be our biggest obstacle to winning the championship, don't you think?"

Hearing this, Fang Li smiled lightly and replied, "I wouldn't say the biggest, but if we were to meet them on stage and didn't give it our all, we might not win either."

Their current opponents were proving to be quite formidable.

"Amagiri Ayato… Toudou Kirin… Julis… Sasamiya Saya… Ardi… Rimsy…"

A small grin formed at the corner of Fang Li's mouth.

"Things are getting more and more interesting."

...

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