Counterfeit Hero

Chapter 382: Volume 5 Chapter 15 Testing the Edge

The gurgling sound of flowing water echoed crisply. This sound made the forest bathed in twilight appear exceptionally serene.

Whether it was the weary birds returning to the forest or the nocturnal beasts out foraging, they all stayed far away from this place.

The cold winter wind blew through the treetops, causing the forest to undulate like waves, swaying and making a rustling sound, the shadows cast by the swaying treetops on the ground seemed somewhat menacing.

The sky was rapidly darkening.

The tattered Magic Beast stepped into the valley. Its external armor was already mostly gone, its Mecha shell was marked with countless deep and shallow scars. An external auxiliary drive rod was broken, swinging back and forth with the Mecha’s steps. Several critical areas around the chest and abdomen had gashes that sparked with electricity.

The Mecha emitted thick black smoke, and with each step, it made a creaking sound, making one wonder why this heap of scrap metal could still move.

”I don’t understand!” Bonnie held her breath, and Reinhardt’s voice echoed through the silent valley. His voice carried a biting chill and an overbearing mockery: ”Why have you come to die? Originally, you had already escaped.”

Bonnie clutched her arms tightly, her fingers turning white from blood loss. No one understood Reinhardt’s dominance better than her.

Over the years, she had seen him repeatedly use that tone to mock his opponents. It was a brazen confidence, an attitude of contempt for all adversaries, like a cat lecturing a mouse.

His opponents either chose to retreat or were defeated.

The overbearing tone in his indifferent voice made everyone who faced him tremble with fear. And once, she had been deeply infatuated with this indifferent arrogance of his.

The Magic Beast halted, holding its head as if in pain.

Fatty’s voice had an indescribable irritating quality: ”I also don’t understand, why do you like to put on airs so much? Is it fun to stand up there pretending to be the Sun God?” The Magic Beast waved at Apollo: ”A grown man like you, why are you still acting so childish? Hurry down.”

Apollo remained silent.

Bonnie almost laughed out loud in her astonishment; she hadn’t expected Fatty to ridicule Reinhardt like this. One could imagine that Reinhardt must be clenching his fists at this moment.

After a long while and a burst of cold laughter, Reinhardt spoke in a cold voice, barely suppressing his anger: ”You want to save her? Do you think you stand a chance? Do you believe you have any chance of defeating me or making her fall for you?”

Bonnie’s heart suddenly tightened. These were words the previous Reinhardt would never have said. The fact that he was saying such things now proved that he was utterly enraged and intended to slowly torment his opponent to death.

”Enough with the nonsense, idiot child. Do you really think you should meddle in adult affairs?” Fatty looked around impatiently and asked, ”Where’s your mother?”

Bonnie bit her lip hard, her stomach hurting from holding back. This damned Fatty always had a way of driving people mad. This reminded her of how he had called someone an ”idiot” three days ago. To this carefree Fatty who didn’t care about anything, any display of pride, confidence, or superiority in front of him might as well be idiocy.

Reinhardt finally realized that trying to humiliate this Fatty with words was self-defeating. As a nobleman who valued etiquette and cultured discourse, he was no match for a street hoodlum like Fatty.

Apollo roared in fury, his wings flaring open behind him. Under the powerful thrust of his auxiliary thrusters, the golden Mecha slowly lifted off the ground like the rising sun. Then, with a sharp whistle, he shot towards the Magic Beast like a cannonball.

At the moment of launch, Apollo’s momentum was immensely aggressive. In the blink of an eye, the Mecha had reached the Magic Beast and stepped down from mid-air.

Bonnie covered her mouth tightly, her heart racing. As a Level 7 Mecha Warrior, she knew all too well how terrifying this move of Reinhardt’s was! The speed, the posture of the Mecha diving from the mountaintop, it was a perfect ”Eagle Strike!”

Eagle Strike was an advanced pouncing technique in Mecha combat. In its regular form, the Mecha would leap from the starting point towards the target, pulling a gentle arc as it ascended from the ground to the sky before reaching the peak of the jump. At the top, it would choose the right moment and distance to dive straight down, head over heels, like a falcon hunting a rabbit!

This was an advanced pouncing technique in the Mechanical Control Standards, featuring unpredictable and extremely swift moves with numerous follow-up attacks after diving. In preparation for the pounce, the Mecha had at least a dozen mid-air directional or maneuvering options, leaving the target utterly confused.

Before accurately judging the true intent of an Eagle Strike Mecha, the attacked party could neither dodge nor not dodge!

This kind of pounce, when executed by a Level 9 Warrior with a hand speed exceeding fifty movements per second, was something many might never see in their lifetime. But Bonnie knew it well! It was one of Reinhardt’s signature moves. When performed by him, it was utterly enigmatic.

Bonnie had lost count of how many enemies had fallen to that Eagle Strike. She only knew that in their routine training, she had never once dodged it! Not even once!