Bronze vs. Steel Soldier

*Ding—* A soaring heroic march suddenly struck up, followed by the deep, magnetic drawl of a voiceover. "In the storied history of Godkin University, some clashes become battles, some battles become legends, and some legends ascend to godhood. Today, that moment has arrived once again!" Godkin University's sprawling campus appeared first on the giant screen. Immediately after, the screen seemed to burst into flame as rapid-fire clips of classic showdowns that had once sent Godkin into a frenzy flashed across the display. Queen Maeve, now a member of the Super Seven, slammed Deep Sea violently into the floor. Blindspot, blessed with superhuman hearing, and Eagle Arrow, endowed with superhuman sight, clashed on stage in a breathtaking sensory duel at the absolute peak of their powers. Two Poles went head-to-head against Wick. Fireman collided explosively with Ice Princess... Leading all the way up to today. "One was born with the blood of a hero running through his veins; the other clung obstinately to his own twisted pride, walking the path of a villain." "Bronze vs. Steel Soldier." "A new legend is born today!" The instant the narration faded, promotional photos of Qi Li and Derek standing proudly opposite one another in their respective battle suits exploded onto the massive display. The already sizzling atmosphere in the hall ignited completely, as deafening cheers and roars merged into a roaring ocean of sound. Then the screen cleanly snapped to another cut. Derek’s face filled the frame, glaring into the camera as he declared coldly, "Two men walk onto the stage. Only one walks out on his feet." The footage quickly cut to Qi Li, who offered a gentle smile. "This will be a wonderful duel that showcases the true caliber of Godkin University." Derek's expression twisted into a savage glare. "I'm going to grind him into dust, piece by piece." Qi Li appeared entirely sincere. "I hope both of us can put on our best performance." In a barrage of fast-paced, fragmented edits, Derek's voice was spliced to sound wildly arrogant: "All my life... I... fight... only... for myself!" The video returned to normal, showing Qi Li looking earnest and noble as his voice rang out loud and clear: "I will spend my entire life fighting for America and fighting crime!" "One night only! Live on Vought Pay-Per-View!" As the final advertisement ended, the venue's lights flashed to full brightness. The ring announcer's electrifying, high-pitched voice echoed across the arena: "Put your hands together and give a warm welcome to—Godkin's former number one, knocked off his throne, an avenger willing to do whatever it takes, even sell his soul to Satan, just to climb back to the top: Steel Soldier!!" A brilliant spotlight locked onto Derek, who had already reached the entrance tunnel. Derek strode out, pumped full of adrenaline. Having learned a bitter lesson from his failure to activate his superpower in time—which had led to him being ambushed and ridden like a pig—Derek didn't hesitate for a single second. With every step forward, a gleaming silver luster rippled across his body, and the cheers from the crowd rose in tandem. By the time he stepped onto the platform, he had transformed completely into a seamless, flawless silver steel statue. The harsh spotlights reflected dazzling beams off his metallic skin, eliciting gasps of awe across the arena. Granted, most of the audience had come to see Bronze. Even so, Derek still had a contingent of staunchly conservative fans. On top of that, after the "Pig-Riding Warrior" fiasco, he had picked up animal lovers as followers, along with plenty of internet trolls who simply loved watching chaos unfold. At this moment, the ovation he received was surprisingly formidable. Derek, who had been dreading a catastrophic drop in popularity, suddenly felt his confidence surge. He cast an unabashedly provocative, scornful glare toward the university's VIP box on the second floor. From the matchup arrangements to the online marketing, the promo video shoot, and the host's introduction, how could he fail to see through it? Godkin University was blatantly favoring Qi Li. What a joke. Such blatant unfairness! Still, it didn't matter. No matter what dirty tricks they pulled, strength was the only thing that spoke in the end. *** Up in the second-floor VIP box. Professor Brink had just finished exchanging pleasantries with his former star pupil, A-Train. Holding a glass of champagne, he watched Derek's display with a placid expression. For a brighter future, someone always had to be sacrificed. Neither he nor the university's upper management considered this the wrong decision. After all, it was a very simple choice, wasn't it? He turned his head and asked Indira Shetty in a low voice, "How did things go with Kate?" Shetty took a sip of her drink and offered a subtle smile. "Smoothly. It's done." "Good to hear." Professor Brink raised his champagne glass in a slight toast. Shetty raised hers in turn, returning the gesture with practiced grace. Everything seemed entirely under control. In truth, Qi Li was the one who had instructed Kate to reply that way. For one thing, he didn't want Shetty and the others to cook up some other unsolicited scheme after seeing their first attempt fail. For another, it kept Kate's channel to the school administration intact, just in case it yielded a pleasant surprise down the road. *** Down below, Derek—cast in the role of the villain—had completed his entrance. Next came the duel's undisputed protagonist. The ring announcer drew a massive breath. In a voice filled with even greater fervor, reverence, and power, veins bulging along his neck, he bellowed into the microphone: "And now, let us welcome with our most passionate cheers and applause—the history-maker of Godkin! The true king! The defender of honor! The idol of millions! Godkin's number one! America's true and worthy superhero: Bronnn—ze—!!" *ROAR!!* The entire venue seemed to shake as if hit by an earthquake. When thousands of dazzling beams cascaded from the ceiling, instantly illuminating the figure draped in the blue-and-gold battle suit at the entrance, the decibel level shattered all previous peaks and continued climbing with uncontrollable ferocity. Within seconds, the screams and roars coalesced into a unified, earth-shaking chant: "Bronze!! Bronze!! Bronze!!" The sound was so overwhelming it could be heard half a block away from the hotel. Swept up by the intoxicating atmosphere, Hughie, who had successfully snuck inside without a ticket, couldn't help shouting along a few times. It wasn't until Butcher shot him a pointed, sideways glare that Hughie snapped back to reality and sheepishly clamped his mouth shut. "Don't forget why we're here," Butcher muttered, curling his lip. He raised his binoculars back up, scanning the crowd toward A-Train's position. Right at that moment, Popclaw walked over, stopping beside A-Train. Looking at the figure commanding everyone's adoration down on the stage, she murmured enviously, "He's so famous, isn't he?" A-Train instinctively glanced left and right. Even though no one was paying attention to them, he instantly threw on a polite, detached expression. "Yeah. He is." A-Train's manager had arranged for him to make an appearance at this highly anticipated campus showdown specifically to ride the event's publicity and rebuild his reputation after accidentally killing a civilian. He hadn't expected Popclaw to follow him here.