Meldenma stood completely still, her eyes locked on the new Celeste.
She was studying it — every inch of it — every calculated move it made.
Then suddenly, the giant silver sphere — Celer — began rolling at high speed, launching itself from the arena floor to the rooftops, spinning like a machine possessed.
Model A5 stepped forward with a cold voice.
"Rolling and jumping won't win you anything here. Come down and face me properly."
In a blink, Celer dropped straight from above — and landed just inches from Model A5.
The impact made A5 take a step back.
A5 scoffed.
"The match hasn't even started yet, dumb ball."
But the giant sphere stayed silent.
A5 narrowed his eyes.
"Oh. So you can't speak? Guess your creators spent all their money on making you spin instead of giving you a brain."
From the stands, Vita leaned closer to Meldenma.
"Either this Celer is going to win big... or completely break apart."
Meldenma's voice was steady.
"It's going to win."
Vita blinked.
"And how exactly do you know that?"
Meldenma stared at Celer like she already knew its secrets.
"Because the way it's built... it's special."
Vita laughed lightly.
"Please. Anyone can tell those holes in its body are probably for shooting spikes or blades or whatever. I doubt that's enough to defeat Model A5."
Meldenma replied sharply.
"Don't forget about hidden weapons."
Vita smirked.
"And don't forget about A5 — the undefeated champion for 5 straight years. Wanna bet?"
Meldenma's eyes gleamed.
"Alright. If Celer wins, you'll sneak me into its 5-minute break or maintenance room after the tournament ends."
Vita choked.
"How am I supposed to do that?"
Meldenma smirked wider.
"Not you. Your boyfriend's best friend works in that section, remember?"
Vita groaned.
"How do you always know everything?"
Meldenma leaned back with confidence.
"Oh, and I also know this match will end in record time. By round 3 — max 5 minutes."
Vita gasped.
"Girl, I've been coming here for 5 years. Machines never finish fast."
Meldenma didn't blink.
"That's because Celer won't fight like a machine. He's going to fight like a human."
Vita shook her head.
"What the hell, Melma. I'm seriously not following anything you're saying anymore."
Meldenma smiled faintly.
"Don't follow. Just watch."
---
🎤 A booming voice echoes through the arena:
Female Announcer:
"Round One begins now! You've got 10 minutes. And remember—NO weapons. Only bare combat!"
The crowd, the bots, and every single soul in the arena was on the edge of their seat.
All eyes locked on the fight about to erupt.
🔊 Then the mechanical countdown starts:
Robotic Voice:
"5… 4… 3… 2… 1… ATTACK!"
"Attack!"
The command echoed across the arena like thunder.
Model A5 instantly thrust both arms forward, bracing himself. If Celer tried to roll in at full speed, he'd be ready to block.
But… that didn't happen.
Instead, the giant silver sphere pulled back — moving backward as fast as it could, and then with a sudden blast of speed, launched itself straight toward A5.
A5's instincts kicked in.
He knew one thing — he couldn't block this.
Not at that speed.
So, he shifted his stance, ready to dodge, pivot, do anything to avoid the direct hit.
But Celer—
Celer didn't need more than a second to change direction mid-spin.
It veered sharply, locked onto A5's body—
and slammed into him with devastating force.
Then it rolled over him—like a tank crushing its target—without even slowing down.
---
A deafening sound tore through the stadium.
It was the sound of metal being flattened.
Gasps echoed. Silence fell.
No one knew what they just witnessed.
A moment later, A5 stood up—staggering.
He looked down at himself…
His once broad, unshakable chest was now split at the center—almost on the verge of breaking apart.
And then—
Celer came back.
Spinning forward again at terrifying speed.
But this time, A5 was ready.
With flawless timing, he jumped over the rolling sphere, landing behind it.
As Celer passed, A5 shoved his fingers into the sphere's tiny holes, the ones scattered all over its metallic surface.
And with a roar, he used every ounce of strength to tear it apart.
For a second… it felt like he might succeed.
But only for a second.
Because before A5 could apply full force,
Celer began to rotate violently in place, its body twisting in the opposite direction.
The sudden torque was brutal.
In one horrifying second—eight of A5's fingers snapped, stuck deep inside the rotating machine.
They broke clean off—and remained wedged inside the spinning sphere.
A5 staggered back.
No scream. No roar.
But his eyes said everything—
Not pain.
Not anger.
Just pure shock.
And something worse—
Embarrassment.
A5 roared.
His voice thundered across the entire arena, echoing off the steel and glass.
"You filthy, spinning piece of junk!"
"You really think you can just swallow my precious fingers into your disgusting body and I'll let that slide?"
His eyes burned—fury boiling in every word.
"I swear I'm going to rip you apart—piece by piece—crush you where it hurts the most!"
"And when I'm done, there won't be a single gear left in one comfortable place!"
The crowd went still.
No cheers. No chants. Just the tension of one machine—once invincible—now on the edge of snapping.
A champion… humiliated.
And ready to go savage.
A5 charged.
No hesitation. No strategy. Just pure rage.
He bolted toward Celer, who this time... didn't move.
The massive silver sphere stood completely still —
silent, motionless, waiting.
And then—BOOM!
A5 leapt.
A long, furious jump, landing with full force on top of Celer.
The arena echoed with a violent crack.
But it wasn't Celer's body that broke.
It was the granite-tiled roof beneath them — once pristine white, now fractured and scorched black like a collapsed black hole.
The entire stadium went silent.
People stared — breathless.
No one had ever seen a surface that strong shatter like that.
And yet... Celer hadn't budged.
Not a single dent. Not a loose screw. Not even a vibration.
A5 stood there, breathing heavy, teeth clenched in disbelief.
All that strength.
All that rage.
And nothing.
Not even a scratch.
Furious, A5 didn't wait. He spun and kicked Celer with everything he had.
This time, Celer rolled — hard — crashing toward the front rows of the arena.
And landed right in front of Meldenma and Vita.
Well… almost.
It landed slightly off to the side, sparing the rods directly in front of them.
Meldenma tilted her head, looking down at the enormous sphere now lying beside the barrier. And then looking at the two dents on the rods
She blinked once.
"Damn. That's a big, fat ass."
Vita gasped.
"What the hell, bitch?! You can't crack jokes in the middle of this! This is serious!"
Meldenma didn't reply.
She just turned slowly to look at Vita—expression blank.
But inside?
She was definitely laughing
The moment Celer struck the rods, it didn't stop.
Instead, it rebounded—zig-zagging with wild, unpredictable speed like a metallic lightning bolt.
And before A5 could even register the motion—
CRACK!
Celer collided directly with A5's legs.
The sound of metal snapping tore through the air.
A5 dropped.
Not staggered.
Not shaken.
He collapsed.
Flat.
His knees twisted at unnatural angles, sparks sputtering out of broken joints, mechanical fluids leaking into the arena floor.
The crowd let out a collective gasp—
half of them in horror, the rest in awe.
The invincible champion, Model A5, was now on the ground, legs shattered.
He didn't scream.
But his face said everything.
Shock. Rage. And something new—fear.
Female Announcer (voice echoing through the arena):
"And that concludes Round One! A five-minute maintenance break will now begin."
The stadium was silent.
No cheers. No music. Just heavy breaths and the sound of damage echoing across metal walls.
Celer, the silent beast, stood still—motionless—just for a few seconds.
Its blank, featureless body turned slightly, facing the broken figure of A5 on the ground.
And even without a face…
Even without eyes or a mouth…
Everyone could feel it.
That silent, cold, victory smile.
As if Celer was enjoying the moment.
Then, without hesitation, it rolled off toward the maintenance chamber—calm, clean, and unfazed.
Meanwhile, for the first time in five years, a maintenance team rushed onto the battlefield…
For Model A5.
The undefeated legend, now lying on the ground with crushed knees and pride in pieces.
---
Up in the stands, Vita leaned back, still staring at the motionless champion.
Vita (softly, almost in disbelief):
"I really thought it was just a giant metal ball…"As the arena slowly buzzed back to life during the maintenance break, Meldenma sat still, eyes narrowed, watching the last trace of Celer disappear into the chamber.
She exhaled slowly.
"You know what…" she began, her voice low, certain, dangerous.
"Celer planned all of this from the very beginning."
Vita turned to her, confused. "What do you mean?"
Meldenma didn't look away from the arena.
"From the moment it entered the field, it was calculating—measuring the entire arena. Every inch. Every rod. Every possible impact point."
She leaned forward, her voice sharpening.
"Even the height — how much damage it could do with a vertical hit, how much pressure the floor could take. That hit on the rod?"
She paused.
"It wasn't an accident. Celer did that on purpose — just to test the rod's endurance, to know exactly how much force to use when it launched back at A5."
Vita's jaw dropped.
"Holy shit... you're saying that thing did all that analysis in its first round?"
Meldenma finally turned toward her, her voice almost smug.
"Told you girl... it wouldn't fight like a machine."
"It fights like a human—not just with strength, but with strategy. Not some programmed bot. It thinks."