The Mech Touch novel Chapter 3463

Chapter 3463: The Dominant

Of all of the opponents Ves could match up against, pitting his Pontifical Lance against the Dominant was the worst-case scenario.

He possessed plenty of awareness that he was probably not the absolute best mech designer in this tournament. He was too young and his work was too unrefined and low-tech to compete against the better mechs.

However, he still held hope that his design philosophy along with his unique methods could make a difference.

He recognized that the key to winning against stronger opponents was to substantially increase the relationship between his own mech and its mech pilot.

As long as Gregory Haloscar developed a deeper bond with the Pontifical Lance and drew out more of its power, then it was not impossible for the two to defeat another combination that was stronger on paper!

"All of this requires time, though!"

If Ves matched up against one of the six dreaded centrist mech designers in the third round of mech duels, then he would have possessed a lot more confidence.

Gregory would have piloted the Pontifical Lance in battle two times by then. Each deployment was an extremely valuable experience that would quickly allow him to understand and deepen his trust in his living mech.

To start his first match against the equivalent of the main boss of this tournament was extremely unfortunate for both Ves and Gregory!

"Damnit! Why is my luck so awful again?" Ves cursed under his breath.

It was hard not to feel frustrated at the outcome of the random draw. He briefly suspected that it was rigged.

After all, there was a 1.075 percent chance that his mech would be pitted against the Dominance. There was a 6.452 percent chance that his work would be matched against the work of another powerful mech designer from the galactic center of the Milky Way.

Sadly, not everyone was able to avoid calamity. The centrists had to prove their work in some way, and a few unfortunate contestants needed to play the foil. Ves happened to 'win' the lottery this time.

"Oh well, at least I can afford a single ugly loss."

Ves grew a little less frustrated, but not entirely. He was banking on this scoring rule to build up a buffer for himself. He stood a much better chance of winning this tournament if he had three victories under his belt. In that case, his highest two scores would count, thereby ignoring any lower score due to an unconvincing win.

Now, his margin of error was pretty much wiped out. With one certain loss under his belt, he could only hope that Gregory Haloscar would be able to deliver a much better performance against his subsequent two opponents.

As eight new competition mechs entered their respective arenas, Ves took a close look at his own mech.

The Pontifical Lance already attracted a lot of appreciation from the audience. It might not be the strongest mech, but it was definitely the most aesthetically-pleasing mech.

Its pure white coating gave it a sense of purity and holiness that seemed more appropriate for a ceremonial mech or a display model than a fighting machine. The interesting addition of green flourishes that vaguely harkened back to ancient religious symbolism reinforced the impression that this lancer mech was a holy relic rather than an ordinary competition mech.

The excellent craftsmanship of this hastily-produced mech further enhanced its visual impact. Although laymen weren't able to explain the difference, the mech insiders could clearly tell that it was made by someone who was highly adept with mech fabrication.

[What a beautiful mech!] One of the analysts praised the white-and-green lancer mech. [I already appreciated its refined construction before, but Ves Larkinson's work truly stands out when compared to the Dominant. Although the latter's design is considerably more advanced, Mr. Larkinson can at least take pride in his ability to fabricate a higher-quality mech than Mr. Seinlin.]

The praise was enough to prompt Ereben Seinlin to turn around and exchange glances with Ves.

Although they only met eyes for a couple of seconds, Ves already experienced a lot of pressure.

"Strong!"

The way Mr. Seinlin carried himself and the potent spiritual strength he contained in his mind made it clear to Ves that this fellow was truly something else among the rest of the gathered Journeymen! It was not a coincidence that his Dominant managed to attract the strongest mech pilot.

"He's close to advancing to Senior."

When Ves compared Seinlin's spiritual development to that of various Seniors, the gap between them was surprisingly small. Perhaps Seinlin only needed to find a way to push through one final bottleneck before his design philosophy evolved to a new height. Becoming a Senior around the fifties was not record-breaking, but still impressive and indicative of great potential.

The Dominant certainly reflected the work of a highly-accomplished mech designer. The offensive knight mech was not only well-armored, but possessed a powerful and sophisticated flight system that gave it the speed to match faster mechs.

What was even more impressive was that the Dominant also carried a pair of shoulder-mounted positron cannons.

Unlike regular energy cannons, these ones were miniaturized. Their short lengths and relatively low profile meant that the Dominant did not become too clunky while carrying them. They also consumed less energy although that also came at the cost of limiting their firepower.

"It doesn't matter that much."

Ves pretty much understood the design concept of the Dominant. Ereben Seinlin envisioned a knight mech that could overwhelm any mech up close through superior defense and mobility.

Against opponents that were fast enough to stay out of its reach and attacked at range, the Dominant could grind them down by firing steady salvos of positron beams while relying on its formidable defenses to win battles of attrition.

This was an excellent winning formula, but one that was difficult to pull off. Only someone as formidable as Seinlin could stuff all of the requirements in a single mech in such a short amount of time.

"As for my own mech…"

Ordinarily, lancer mechs countered heavily-armored targets. As long as they built up enough speed, they could punch through any shield or armor plating!

Yet the Dominant was not a regular knight mech. It was not only maneuverable enough to evade attacks, but also performed well enough in other parameters. Paired with Hestinia Claes, the overall best mech pilot in the tournament, the mech would certainly make good use of its capabilities!

[The matches will commence in thirty seconds. Get ready!]

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