They each retreated a distance, creating a buffer zone between them.

  "Beep—"

  A sharp, ear-piercing whistle sounded the next instant.

  Latham entrusted everything to his sensor-enhanced consciousness while withdrawing his own awareness completely into his mind, not daring to let it extend outward.

  Two colossal steel behemoths charged toward each other almost simultaneously.

  This scene wasn't unfamiliar to Latham. One particularly dazzling sequence in the training footage had shown exactly this: two elite mech pilots initiating synchronized attacks from equal distances, meeting at the arena's center to perform a series of classical offensive and defensive maneuvers.

  Ten, nine... three, two, one. Begin.

  Latham watched the massive silhouette rapidly approaching while silently counting in his mind. When the two titans finally collided, a faint smirk curled his lips. So Schneider claims fundamentals are everything? Let him witness the true power of sensor-enhanced consciousness now.

  Straight punch. Block. Elbow strike. Evasion. Side kick. Leaping dash...

  Every movement unfolded as if pre-choreographed, executed with textbook precision.

  Latham couldn't help feeling genuine admiration for his opponent. He knew full well his own flawless performance relied entirely on the sensor systems, yet Schneider's seamless execution of these complex maneuvers could only result from years of grueling practice. Those decade-long drills certainly hadn't been in vain.

  As their mechs leaped skyward, Latham recognized the climax of this simulation was approaching. The mid-air combat sequence from the training footage—spectacular, visually stunning, heart-stopping, and notoriously difficult to execute—would leave Schneider no grounds for objection if perfectly replicated.

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  His mech soared upward, sensors locked on Schneider's unit. All he needed was for the opposing machine to jump, and he'd initiate the aerial assault.

  But unexpectedly, Schneider's mech remained rooted to the ground, completely motionless.

  Confusion flooded Latham's mind. System malfunction? Network latency? Or... could he actually be stunned by my performance?

  As these thoughts swirled, Schneider finally moved. A massive hydraulic arm shot upward with precise timing, clamping around the ankle of Latham's airborne mech.

  A powerful half-pivot followed, the training mech's full power channeled through its actuators. With a thunderous crash, Latham's machine slammed into the steel-plated floor.

  Thud...

  The impact sent chaotic static through his neural interface. Latham knew with cold certainty: in real combat, this single move would have crippled his mech.

  No flashy techniques. No elaborate maneuvers. Just a textbook shoulder throw had obliterated all his follow-up strategies.

  Climbing mechanically to his feet, Latham noticed his holographic armor had dissolved. In the virtual arena, this meant only one thing—catastrophic system-diagnosed damage. Complete defeat.

  He stared at his now-ordinary training suit, then at Schneider's intact war machine. Bitter disbelief flooded through him. Though he'd known his single day of training and reliance on sensor systems made victory unlikely, the brutal suddenness of this failure crushed him. The meteoric fall from "prodigy" to "novice" left him reeling.

  Hsss—

  The cockpit hissed open as Schneider emerged, quickly approaching. "Latham... you alright?"

  Forcing a strained smile, Latham gestured dismissively. "Just some dizziness."

  Schneider visibly relaxed. "Normal after sudden armor purge. Happens to everyone." His gaze intensified. "Feeling gutted?"

  "...Yes."

  A calloused hand clapped his shoulder. "First times always sting." Schneider's usually stern features softened. "My debut match? Lasted two seconds. Two."

  Latham blinked, the number cutting through his gloom.

  "Second try: four seconds. Third: ten. Now?" A fierce pride lit Schneider's eyes. "Now I can floor that same opponent in under ten."

  Something in Latham's chest loosened at the admission.

  The veteran pilot's grin turned conspiratorial. "Cheer up, rookie. Everyone eats dirt their first time. Grind through it."

  Latham's choked laugh surprised even himself. However unorthodox, Schneider's blunt encouragement worked—the weight lifting slightly from his shoulders.