It took some time to get Stella hauled off to the medical team, and by then the other Mecha Girls were already ready at the starting line.
Imperial Scale arrived a bit late, following behind Derek Su.
Her cold gaze swept across every Mecha Girl present before she walked to the starting position, stopping right between ZK-34 and ZK-53. Gray Castle remained in her original spot, more than a dozen positions ahead of Imperial Scale. Only six Mecha Girls had been eliminated in the first stage, but as the track became more complex, it was clear that more and more would be knocked out.
By the third stage, perhaps only a dozen, or even just a handful, would remain to compete for the championship.
"You two are pretty good at crashing into others?"
Imperial Scale stared straight ahead at the track as she spoke coldly.
ZK-34 and ZK-53 stood nearby. Even though Imperial Scale wasn't looking at them, they could tell she was addressing them.
"What?" ZK-34 didn't catch it.
ZK-53 frowned. "Don't you know it's polite to look at someone when you speak to them?"
Imperial Scale tilted her head slightly, her eyes slipping through her dark hair as she cast ZK-53 a detached glance.
ZK-53 felt like she had just been locked onto by a predator. A chill ran down her spine, and she instinctively stepped back half a step.
But her driver was right behind her. There was nowhere left to retreat.
Besides, she was a combat-type Mecha Girl.
Even if she couldn't compare to monsters like the HB models, ZK-type Mecha Girls were still highly renowned.
Among combat-types below the top tier, they were arguably the strongest.
Since when had she ever been pushed back by a single glance?
Her pride snapped her out of it. Gritting her teeth, she was about to glare back when she realized Imperial Scale had already withdrawn her gaze.
Dressed in a pitch-black racing suit, she stood there quietly, yet felt like a humanoid black hole, as if even the surrounding light was being swallowed.
"There's something off about this Mecha Girl..." ZK-53 clenched her teeth, her guard fully raised.
She didn't know Imperial Scale's identity or model.
But the pressure alone was enough to make her uneasy.
Not far away, Gray Castle cast a calm glance in their direction.
Looking at Imperial Scale standing at the very front of the track, upright and cold-eyed, a faint smile curled at her lips.
Soon.
Very soon.
She would make everyone understand.
Only Mecha Girls with the HB prefix were the true kings of combat.
Now and in the future.
No matter how strong other combat-type Mecha Girls became, at best they were just imitations of HB models.
How could a copy ever surpass the original?
...
[All competitors, prepare for the start!]
The announcement rang out as the countdown began.
All Mecha Girls entered deployment mode at once.
Imperial Scale turned and took Derek Su's hand. Before he could react, the world blurred, and he found himself already seated in the cockpit.
ZK-37 and ZK-53 glanced over Imperial Scale's chassis and let out faint scoffs.
Her angular, off-road-style frame did look imposing.
But that was only compared to speed-type Mecha Girls. There were plenty of similar builds here. No matter how imposing she looked, could she really compare to their semi-trailer forms?
While appearance and size didn't fully determine attributes, generally speaking, larger Mecha Girls had better Impact Resistance and Stability.
Take Gray Castle, for example. Her chassis was the largest present, like a small fortress.
Meanwhile, smaller, streamlined builds were usually speed-type or technique-type.
Stella and Snowpeak were exceptions that didn't follow the usual rules.
"I thought she'd be something special. Turns out her chassis is that small?" ZK-37 muttered.
Her driver's expression shifted slightly as he warned in a low voice, "Don't underestimate her. The Magician currently has two known top-tier Mecha Girls: Imperial Scale and Purple Lightning. Purple Lightning is a technique-type, with low Impact Resistance and Stability, so she can't enter the Brana Ruins Advanced Race. That means this one is Imperial Scale. She's a top-tier combat-type Mecha Girl. We don't know her skills, but she's definitely not as simple as she looks."
"Hmph, Master always talks up others and downplays us." ZK-37 muttered, though she had heard him.
They couldn't beat Imperial Scale.
But if they couldn't fight her, they could avoid her.
...
Inside Imperial Scale's cockpit.
Derek Su looked ahead, the corner of his mouth twitching.
On the large screen above Imperial Scale's hips, a 3D projection of ZK-37's chassis was displayed. Thorn-like patterns coiled around it, and a blood-red greatsword hung above.
Clearly, this Mecha Girl had been marked as a judgment target.
[Special Skill: Imperial Might - When another Mecha Girl is within 50 meters, the nearest one is designated as the judgment target. If the target's speed is higher than DL-01, DL-01 gains a portion of their Acceleration based on the difference. If the target's speed is lower, no bonus is gained, and DL-01 becomes immune to all of that target's control effects and collisions; for all other Mecha Girls, when subjected to control (skills or collisions), DL-01 performs a resistance check. If DL-01's Impact Resistance + Stability is greater, control is negated; if lower, the control effect is doubled.]
Derek Su glanced at ZK-37's stats.
Her rating was only 73, lower than Imperial Scale's. Combined with his launch technique, Imperial Scale would be faster right from the start, meaning ZK-37 would have little effect on her and would simply be left behind.
But...
Thinking back to Imperial Scale's earlier gaze, Derek Su felt things weren't that simple.
Just as that thought formed, Imperial Scale's calm voice sounded ahead.
"Master, I have a small request. Will you agree?"
She didn't turn around.
All Derek Su could see was her slender waist and curved figure, even more striking than Stella.
He swallowed, awkwardly looking away, and nodded.
"Of course. Go ahead."
It was the first time Imperial Scale had made a request on her own. Usually, she remained composed, doing whatever was asked without hesitation.
He couldn't help but wonder what she wanted.
"For the first five minutes after the race starts, you don't need to control me. Just leave it to me."
Derek Su paused.
That meant self-driving.
He didn't know what she had in mind, but he still nodded.
"Alright."
"And... can I make one more request?"
This time, her voice carried a hint of hesitation.
"Go ahead."
"Could you say, 'Imperial Scale is a gentle and kind Mecha Girl,' three times?"
Confused but curious, Derek Su repeated the sentence three times.
He had no idea what she was planning.
"Master, remember it?"
"You mean that sentence? Yeah, I remember."
Imperial Scale said nothing.
The starting gun fired.
Without Derek Su's control, and without using a launch start, she started smoothly, even though she was behind most of the others.
It almost looked like she was deliberately holding back.
"Good."
Her lips moved slightly.
Her eyes locked onto ZK-37 ahead, her expression calm and cold.