The unlocking of the ion thrusters on the mech required ten points of score. After unlocking, it would restore the mech's ability to fly at low altitude.
Reno didn't choose it because low-altitude flight wasn't practical here.
Low-altitude flight didn't increase speed; at best, it was slightly faster than other mechs because it didn't need to navigate around obstacles and could travel in a straight line. However, it wouldn't be faster than a mech with two layers of unlocked engine power. More importantly, this was a survival challenge, and traveling on the ground provided cover such as trees and rocks, effectively concealing oneself. In the event of being locked on by search functions, one wouldn't be detected from extreme distances.
But once flying in the air, everything changed.
It meant making oneself the most obvious target, almost guaranteeing attracting all attacks at the first moment.
That's why almost no contestants chose to unlock flight.
However, now Reno saw a mech flying over.
And it was that extremely familiar mech—the Crimson Widow.
"Antonia!" he called out.
The crimson mech emitted a magnetic voice, "Mr. Shadow."
Reno lowered the raised cannon slightly, "I don't want to fight you, Antonia. We don't need to be enemies."
"Peace shouldn't be our pursuit," Antonia replied loudly.
As she sped towards him, two missiles flew towards Reno.
Clearly, she ignored Reno's desire for peace.
"Damn it!" Reno cursed, but his actions were not slow; he had already activated the high-frequency blade net.
If possible, he really didn't want to fight Antonia. In several past matches, Antonia had proven to be the most skilled among all contestants. As for Reno, he only proved his tactical awareness, not his mech skills. In a one-on-one head-on battle, he had no confidence in defeating Antonia, especially considering that Antonia's mech configuration didn't seem inferior to Reno's.
Just as the two axes were intercepted by the high-frequency blade net, the left and right arms of the crimson mech had each extended a Seraph mech combat pistol.
Though they were called pistols, these specialized mech pistols were no smaller than regular cannons, with a single barrel and multiple attack modes.
Reno knew too well the power of Antonia's two pistols. In the pre-match analysis, her dual pistols were listed as the most terrifying weapons. So as soon as he saw the pistols emerge, he knew it wasn't good.
Seeing Antonia raise her two pistols, he aimed the shoulder cannon at her, "Antonia, you have plenty of points; you don't need to fight me."
"But your score would be particularly sweet!" Antonia laughed in response.
Not everyone could face problems rationally; most of the time, people relied on instincts and habits. Although knowing that Reno was not an easy opponent, Antonia still excitedly rushed forward, and her dual pistols danced wildly with trembling flames.
"Damn it!" Reno cursed again as he fired the cannon.
At the moment of firing, he finally understood why Antonia had unlocked flight. At the same time as the gunfire rang out, the Crimson Widow had rotated and flown into the air.
Incredibly fast!
The bullets almost grazed her feet as Antonia's dual pistols fired at Reno.
The two of them, one on the ground and one in the air, began to fiercely exchange fire.
Only when they truly engaged did Reno feel how formidable his opponent was.
This woman's agility was terrifying; she controlled the Crimson Widow like a butterfly fluttering up and down. Despite Reno's cannon chasing her, she evaded every time, while attacks from her dual pistols struck Reno's Silver Wing Angel time and time again, causing intense flashes, no matter how Reno operated, he couldn't evade.
If using a game as a metaphor, this woman was a character with maxed out precision and evasion. Others couldn't hit her, but she couldn't be dodged, displaying extremely exquisite operating skills.
Before this, Reno hadn't even thought that one person could control a mech to this level; not even Nora could do it.
"Flight unlocked, at least two bullet production lines unlocked, and one missile production line unlocked, engine power one hundred percent..." Reno emitted a painful groan.
The latter was undoubtedly the most deadly. It meant that in front of the Crimson Widow, he had no chance to escape; he could only fight to the end.
Antonia danced lightly, laughing maniacally, "You're as clumsy as a bear, Shadow. I really don't understand how you managed to take down the Expedition."
Reno stared at Antonia, "Because you don't understand. Victory in battle is never just about speed!"
As he spoke, Reno's cannon suddenly lifted, roaring out with a tremendous sound.
The torrent of bullets surged forth, covering the entire sky in an instant.
Antonia had considered encountering such a violent attack, but due to the limited number of bullets, most mechs were unable to withstand such an assault.
But Reno could. He not only had bullets but also decisiveness.
At the moment of firing, he adjusted the cannon's firing rate to the maximum, almost instantly pouring out the remaining half-box of 18mm armor-piercing shells. After emptying all the 18mm armor-piercing shells, it was the 12mm bullets, relentlessly unleashed from high to low power at this moment.
Even with Antonia's strong evasion ability, it was impossible to dodge the onslaught of tens of thousands of bullets. A large, mottled light and shadow rippled across the energy shield of the Crimson Widow, and energy rapidly dissipated.
Antonia knew it was bad. She tried to evade, but the massive impact of the bullet stream caused her figure to pause momentarily, and a cannon shot hit her, sending her flying.
Immediately after, two more axes and two more cannon shots came at her, and Reno seized the opportunity to continue pouring firepower.
The Crimson Widow was a typical agile mech; although agile, its defensive capabilities were noticeably inferior. Moreover, she had only unlocked two layers of energy generators, which meant her defense was insufficient and couldn't withstand too many hits. As long as she wasn't given the opportunity to fly, she would be beaten to death!
"Stop! I agree to negotiate!" Antonia finally shouted.
"In this situation, I think it's more profitable to get rid of you!" Reno replied firmly, continuing to fire.
"You're asking for death!" Antonia roared angrily. Suddenly, the chest of the Crimson Widow opened, and a barrel protruded towards Reno, emitting intense flashes at the muzzle.
"Energy cannon?" Reno was taken aback and instinctively concentrated all energy to the front to form an energy shield. At the same time, the energy cannon fired, hitting the Silver Wing Angel directly, sending it flying into the sky.
With this shot, the glow of the energy shield on the Crimson Widow dimmed noticeably. Although the energy cannon was powerful, it consumed too much energy.
Antonia flew towards Reno with a pained heart, "You damn bastard, you've caused me a huge loss!"
Her energy was already low, and this shot made it difficult for her to maintain the energy shield. This was the biggest loss for Antonia so far.
Although the mech protected Reno from serious damage, the intense shock almost shattered his body. If he had used a pure neural system, he would have lost his combat capability by now.
Lying in the cockpit, Reno weakly said, "Okay, I admit what you said just now was right. Why don't we reconsider the issue of peace?"
"Let peace go to hell. Right now, I just want to kill you!" Antonia retracted her gun and raised her energy sword.
Just as the sword was about to strike, she saw the same glow emanate from Reno's body. Realizing what was happening, she tried to dodge but it was too late. The solar electron cannon's massive energy flow struck Antonia, sending her flying.
Reno maneuvered the Silver Wing Angel to fly up and pounced on the Crimson Widow. A sword of energy materialized in his hand, aimed at the mech's neck, as he shouted loudly, "So, what now? War or peace?"
Seeing the huge energy blade, Antonia's heart trembled.
She finally lowered her proud head, "Peace."
"Then it's your turn to give me a reason for peace," Reno said, his tone stern, not loosening his grip.