"Ah, we lost…"
In the contestant lounge of Sirius Dome, Ernesta lay face down on the table, looking utterly disappointed, and it was as if she had no energy left, not even willing to move.
Conversely, Camilla, who had been displeased earlier, now had a cheerful expression on her face. She said, "Although it's a bit of a pity to lose, this competition allowed Ardi and Rimsy to demonstrate their full potential perfectly, and we've gathered enough data and information, haven't we?"
For Camilla, participating in the Phoenix Festa was only to test her creations, with no other reason. Winning would have been great, of course, but losing didn't upset her much.
After all, Ardi's performance in the combined state, with increased performance and power due to the Urm Manadyte's energy, was equivalent to using Ogre Lux.
However, the existence of Ogre Lux was not in line with the Ferrovius Faction's philosophy. Therefore, Ardi's defeat, from Camilla's perspective, was actually a favorable outcome.
At least Camilla had gathered the necessary data, rather than relying on power that didn't align with her philosophy to win.
Compared to the latter, Camilla would prefer the result of defeat.
Only Ernesta was still brooding.
"But I had the intention to win, you know? I made a wish that Ardi and Rimsy would be able to attend our school," Ernesta said discontentedly. "So, doesn't that mean my plan is completely in vain now?"
"Well, you're not planning to give up, are you?" Camilla sighed and spoke the thoughts that were in Ernesta's heart. "For you, Ardi and Rimsy are far from the finish line. In the future, you'll surely create even better and more perfect inventions. By then, you can let them attend school together. Fortunately, you can participate in Festa again at that time and aim for victory to win the championship, right?"
"Ara Ara~~" Ernesta suddenly stuck her tongue out like a child caught in the act and said mischievously, "You found me out."
"You…" Camilla couldn't help but laugh.
At this moment, the lounge door opened.
Ardi and Rimsy walked in from outside, one with a hearty laugh and the other with a cold expression, creating a sharp contrast between them.
Ernesta immediately brightened up like a ray of sunshine and bounced over, exclaiming, "You're finally back! Let Mama see how damaged you guys are!"
Camilla nodded and thanked Ardi and Rimsy, saying, "Thank you for your efforts."
Upon hearing this, Rimsy immediately lowered his head and said, "I'm very sorry, Master, we lost."
"Don't worry about it." Camilla shook her head and said, "My goal wasn't for you to win. As long as we have enough results, then it will be alright."
"Yeah, yeah." Ernesta seemed to have completely forgotten her previous behavior and words, giggling as she said, "Anyway, there's more than one Festa. Next time, we'll come back and try again."
Upon hearing Ernesta's words, Rimsy hadn't had a chance to respond yet when Ardi vigorously nodded and said, "Master is right. Winning isn't the most important thing. We really enjoyed ourselves this time. That human named Fang Li is just too interesting. Let's have another match with him next time!"
"Shut up, you piece of scrap metal," Rimsy said in a cold tone. "You don't even have the right to say that after losing so miserably in the combined state. Indeed, scrap metal is scrap metal. Since you're almost ready for the scrap heap, you might as well throw yourself into the retrieval station."
In reality, Rimsy's words were not entirely wrong. Although Ardi had removed all the weapons transferred to Rimsy, his entire body was covered in wounds and cracks, looking as fragile as if he would shatter with a touch. This made Ardi a bit disheartened, and he muttered softly, "Don't say that. I don't want to end up like this. What can I do?"
Ernesta and Camilla exchanged a knowing look.
In reality, both of them knew why Ardi had ended up in such a sorry state. Those cracks all over his body were not just a result of his final clash with Fang Li.
It was because, in the process of giving it his all, Ardi couldn't fully control the power of the Urm Manadyte within his body, leading to a slight rampage of that power and putting an excessive burden on Ardi's body.
"But next time, I definitely won't end up like this," Ardi declared, his spirit rekindled. He clenched his fist and said, "After this battle, I've become even more adept at controlling the power within my body. Yes, I've become stronger than ever before!"
"Oooh!" Ernesta immediately asked in excitement, "Is that true?"
"It's absolutely true, Master!" Ardi gave a thumbs-up and laughed. "If it weren't for the damage to the school emblem at that moment, I could have unleashed even greater power to fight. By then, I wouldn't have lost to that human, right? It's such a pity!"
Indeed.
If Ardi's school emblem hadn't been damaged at that time, the ultimate victor might not have been Fang Li. This was not only because Ardi had better control of his power but also because Fang Li's all-out attack had depleted his Prana, leaving him unable to continue the battle.
Of course, if it had come to that, Fang Li would have gone all-in as well.
Let's not forget that Fang Li also held an ace card up his sleeve.
An ace card even more powerful than Bo Xie, destined to be the most suitable trump card for Fang Li.
"I'm starting to become interested in that Nii-Chan," Ernesta said with a happy smile, leaving behind those words. "I hope there will be another opportunity to play together next time."
…
At the same time, the exhausted Fang Li and Cecily had also returned to the contestant lounge, each lying down on a sofa, looking at each other's sorry states and letting out bitter smiles.
To say they were in a sorry state was an overstatement. Fang Li was simply exhausted, and Cecily had suffered some minor injuries from being caught up in the initial strike after Ardi's combination. Given the circumstances, their conditions were quite understandable.
"I never thought that we'd end up in such a sorry state right after entering the official competition," Cecily remarked, her expression filled with a sense of relief.
Encountering formidable opponents, Cecily had no reason to complain.
As for Fang Li, he gazed up at the ceiling, lost in thought.
...
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