Chapter 375: Enchantress's L-Bomb
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
The two Mastery combatants, Gong-son Wuce and Guan Dongyang, were shocked to find out that Wang Tong's techniques were very close to that of Mastery.
Wu Xin had a million reasons to be alerted; she knew that her husband had hidden something from her. One thing she was certain of was that Wang Tong must have received training elsewhere in addition to Ayrlarng. Even if Wang Tong were a genius, without proper training, he could never reach level six. However, Wu Xin also knew that if she were wrong, the boy was deemed to be the next Einherjar.
Ma Xiaoru seemed to have registered her mother's concerns, although she didn't have answers either.
Unlike many new level-six fighters such as Li Ruoer, Wang Tong's soul energy output was exceedingly stable. With the level six soul energy, Wang Tong started to become more aggressive.
Ever since the fight with Guan Dongyang, Wang Tong had been experimenting with the power of nature—the way of Mastery. The results of the experimentation had surprised Wang Tong. Not only was using mastery a viable option for him, but his soul essence had also strengthened his soul mastery power.
At the same time, Wang Tong conceded that he needed to spend more time in controlling the power of the mastery. Since the source of the mastery power was from outside—unlike the GN force which came from the cultivator himself—the external power would sometimes harm its summoner's sea of consciousness. Wang Tong had the first-hand experience when he had accidentally drawn too much external power into his system. He conceded that to make the mastery more efficient; he would have to strengthen his soul energy.
Li Ruoer gritted her teeth, enraged by the blow she had received. Slowly, Li Ruoer dug the blade into her arm. Even as the blood oozed out of the wound, Rosy started to humming, and Li Ruoer's eyes started to burn with a purple luster.
Li Shiming jumped out of his seat and shouted, "What the hell is she doing?"
Li Ruoer calmly locked her purple eyes onto Wang Tong's. "I will defeat you, no matter what!" Li Ruoer said as some unseen force floated around her, blowing the loose folds of her shirt.
The Tactics of the Enchantress had a very extreme coup de grace that was quite self-harming. It was very unwise for Li Ruoer, as a new level six fighter, to use those drastic measures.
But, the honor and the dignity of her and her family was at stake. Hence, Li Ruoer simply could not afford to lose the battle. She knew what had to be done, since if she were defeated by Wang Tong once again, she might not have the courage to even stand face to face with him from then on.
"Kom!"
Purple energy lanced upward and engulfed the Enchantress. Even the Rosy had turned purple by now. Wang Tong registered the seriousness of the situation: It was not Li Ruoer who controlled Rosy at this moment, but it Rosy that was controlling Li Ruoer.
The situation was turning more dangerous by the second. Wang Tong took a deep breath and readied himself to embrace anything that would come up next.
Li Shiming stormed out of his house, trying to stop his sister's foolish act, but he paused after taking only a few steps.
"Stop her? Think again!" Li Shiming told himself.
Li Shiming knew that the honor of his entire family was at stake, and he could not simply show up and force his sister to announce defeat.
"She has made a choice, and now she will have to live with the consequences."
The Blood Sacrifice was a technique that was rarely used by even a veteran level, six Enchantress. Despite its power, it could easily drive the cultivator into the state of derangement.
The energy poured profusely into Li Ruoer from Rosy instead of the other way around. This reversed process was very dangerous.
Everyone in the arena could feel the immense power pouring out of the edge of the purple blade. Wang Tong lamented his lucky of encountering someone who had become as powerful as an Einherjar. He wagered that Li Ruoer must have used a secret technique that was unique to the House of Li, with which they could use their blood to summon the power of a former Einherjar inside of "Rosy."
Wang Tong conceded that this fight was going to be more troublesome than he had thought.
As Li Ruoer's eyes turned into pools of purple flames, she started an attack.
Rosy cheeks,
lost soul,
flower blossomed,
to whom its beauty owe?
Even the sky above the arena started to take on a purple hue as the energy of the Einherjar weighed on the audiences like a heavy blanket.
The pressure was much more intense on the stage. The floor of the stage had already started to crack, and many small fragments defied gravity as they were lifted upward by the purple energy.
Once released, the Enchantress coup de grace was able to shatter any opponent's sea of consciousness. So, Wang Tong focused on his defense and closely guarded his soul essence.
"Enchantress's Apocalypse!"
Li Ruoer pointed Rosy at Wang Tong; the ground trembled as she plunged the tip into Wang Tong's chest.
Suddenly, two beams of golden light shot out from Wang Tong's eyes. He crossed both his hands as ice walls erupted from the ground and surrounded him.
However, the ice walls were too weak to defend against the Enchantress's coup de grace; they shattered as soon as they came in contact with Rosy.
In a blink, the tip of Rosy was only an inch away from Wang Tong. Having no other deference, Wang Tong grabbed the blade with one hand to slow the attack at the expense of a severe injury. Wang Tong's left hand followed with attacks not on Li Ruoer, but on Rosy. After an intense wave of jabbing, the blade finally slowed down.
Although the blade had lost its momentum, it was still inching closer towards Wang Tong's chest slowly.
Wang Tong took a deep breath and then shouted at the top of his lungs.
The shout quickly turned into sound wave attacks that were aimed at Li Ruoer. If Li Ruoer had not bound her soul energy with Rosy, she would have been able to fend off the attack with ease. However, right then, she simply did not have enough soul energy to defend herself. As a result, she suddenly lost control of Rosy. Wang Tong seized the opportunity and threw it to the side.
The purple color slowly faded away and Li Ruoer collapsed onto the ground, her face pale as a ghost.
Wang Tong helped her sit up and then asked, "Why do you have to try so hard?"
Tears streaked across Li Ruoer's cheeks.
"I...like you."
Wang Tong was caught off guard, as he had never expected to hear these words from her. There had always been too much animosity between the two, and Wang Tong almost lost his life a few times because of her.
Seeing Wang Tong's shocked expression, Li Ruoer swallowed down her pride and bitterness. She knew that once she revealed her final secret to Wang Tong, she would become as vulnerable as a naked babe.
Wang Tong was stupefied by the development. As far as he knew, Li Ruoer loathed him and regarded him as her rival ever since they had met.
While Wang Tong was still lamenting the capriciousness of women, Li Ruoer fainted in his arms. Wang Tong stood up slowly, still dazed by what had happened. He had created the most shocking news ever since the start of the tournament: A no-account had defeated the heir of House of Li.
It took the students at Ayrlarng five minutes to finally take in what had just happened. The host was so shocked that he had a problem pronouncing Wang Tong's name.
Even with the power of an Einherjar at her disposal, Li Ruoer was still not able to defeat Wang Tong.
Wang Tong had become famous overnight across the entire Confederation. This was a tough fight, but Wang Tong had achieved total victory.
The S-Club members shouted the name of their leader while "Faith Hilling" their shirts, making the bright S stand out.
On the combatants' section, everyone stood up to congratulate Wang Tong. Karl was jumping up and down his seats, shouting Wang Tong's name.
Wang Tong remained calm as Li Ruoer's words still rang in his ears. He was not sure what to make of those words, neither did he know how to deal with Li Ruoer from then on.
Ma Xiaoru held back her urge of visiting Wang Tong, and went to visit Li Ruoer as soon as the battle was over.
Bothered by the potential plot her husband had hidden from her, Wu Xin wasn't in the mood of stopping her daughter to visit her friend. She dialed Ma Dutian's number and the line connected right away, as if Ma Dutian had been expecting her phone call.
"What do you have to say?"
"Oh my love, why so serious. I miss you so much!" Ma Dutian said with a sweet smile.
"That's not what I want to hear, Ma Dutian!" Wu Xin's voice became even more scathing.
"Ah...oh... you meant that boy. Yea, yea, I knew that he might be...The One."
"You mean The One?" Wu Xin was shocked by the revelation.
"You bet, my dear!" Ma Dutian said with a broad smile.
"How is that possible? Is he still alive?"
"God knows, but I am sure that no one other than him was able to achieve what he had done, not even in three hundred long a*s years. "
Chapter 376: Uphill Battle
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
"I think your approval of his relationship with our daughter had in part contributed to his audacity." Wu Xin said.
"Hon, you know me. I will do anything for Xiaoru. If Xiaoru were not interested in him, I would never agree to that. Anyways, our family matters aside, Blade Warrior's reappearance means only one thing…Humanity is in crisis again."
"That's an overstatement. Haven't we already controlled the spread of the Zergs?"
"Yea, but there was something... Anyways, we need to know more about his boy, especially about who is behind him." Ma Dutian knew he had to be extremely cautious, since one minor misstep could cause a disaster to the world.
"If he is the Blade Warrior, there must be something to prove it?"
"Hehe, let's wait until the tournament is over. Once he finishes the tournament, he will come talk to me, and then I will ask him about it."
"Me too, I can't pass up the opportunity of talking to a Blade Warrior."
"That's good. Watch out while you are on the Moon. I know the Li probably already know as much as we do, if not more."
"Yeah, yeah. I am not a kid." Wu Xin nodded and then turned off the terminal. If Wang Tong were the Blade Warrior, she felt it was her responsibility to protect him from harm.
Ma Dutian hung up and talked to an android right beside him.
"Still not working?"
"We are unable to connect at the nuclear level. If he is the Blade Warrior, why don't we let him give it a try?" The android asked.
"That's my opinion too. We have been working on the new battery for too long. Maybe, only the Blade Warrior would be able to help us. How's the progress on the construction of the BSG?"
"The Battlestar is ready, except for the power unit—the battery."
Ma Dutian nodded. The Battlestar Galactica was the project he had been working on for his entire life, and the only component missing was its power supply. Ma Dutian conceded that he would have to ask Wang Tong for a solution after all.
Although Ma Dutian still knew very little about this boy, he was convinced that there was someone extremely powerful behind him, helping him along the way.
Meanwhile, on the moon, Zhang Mi, the journalist had been promoted to the senior reporter at the ETV thanks to her successful program on Wang Tong. The chief editor named Hitesh was very pleased with her work, and even made a move on her, asking her out for dinner.
She dug deeper into Wang Tong's past and created a special program based on it. The program was a smashing hit, as everyone was very interested in knowing more about this mysterious boy.
The special program had not only given more information about Wang Tong, but it had also reminded everyone of the former glory of Ayrlarng. Two heroic figures had graduated from this crestfallen academy, Li Feng and Rilangalos.
As Ayrlarng had fallen from grace and reached rock bottom, Samantha walked in and made drastic changes to the school. Ever since then, Ayrlarng seemed to have come back to life and improved significantly in METAL and Fleet combat.
Truth be told, the roles which Wang Tong and Karl had played in revitalizing the school were much greater than those of Ma Xiaoru and Wang Ben.
People saw the first sliver of hope in seeing a glorious Ayrlarng when Wang Tong and Karl had prevailed in the fleet combat tournament and with Now, with Wang Tong's advancement into the final eight, the promising outlook of Ayrlarng already seemed like a reality.
Exactly how strong was Wang Tong?
Would Ayrlarng restore its former glory?
Was Wang Tong the reincarnation of the two legendary fighters?
Ever since Wang Tong's victory over Li Ruoer, questions related to Wang Tong had become the second most searched items online. The most popular items were still related to Einherjar Wannabe.
Ayrlarng's rising to fame couldn't have come at a more convenient time, since it was around August, and many students were deciding which school to go to. Although Ayrlarng was not yet as famous as Capth, it had become very popular among the citizens of Shangjin. Not only did Ayrlarng boast the best fleet combat program in the entire Confederation, but it also hosted the most influential student group, the S-Club. As flurries of applications arrived at the Admission's office, the department head of the Admissions finally felt that he was working at a top academy.
The final battle for section four was about to draw back its curtain. It would be a fight between Lie Jian and Wang Ben.
Wang Ben sat quietly inside of the resting room, surrounded by darkness. He needed a period of solitude to reflect on his life, and on what this fight meant for him. In addition to his father, the most influential person in his life had been his friend Wang Tong. Sometimes, he wished that he could live Wang Tong's life, no longer constrained by his birth.
This match was deemed to be an uphill battle for both combatants, since both fighters were aggression-focused.
The arena was packed with Martians who came to watch Lie Jian's performance. They had been getting bored with the sophisticated but mundane fights and had been looking forward to Lie Jian's much more visceral performance.
Wang Ben walked to the stage amidst the cheers of the audiences. He glanced across the stage with a placid expression. Wang Ben never cared about fame; he was on the stage for only one thing, fighting a tough opponent.
Wang Ben was also very adamant in upholding his values, which was a nice way of saying that he was stubborn. For example, he could have passed the maze quickly without fighting the Zergs. Instead, he had to make sure that all Zergs were dead, and almost lost his ticket to the tournament because of that.
Every coin had two sides. Although Wang Ben was hindered by his stubbornness at times, in the long run, he had greatly benefited from his iron will.
Although the story of Wang Ben's two mind-opening operations had been a laughing stock among many members of the great houses, by now, no one considered him a failure, but a paragon of perseverance.
Wang Tong and his friends had also arrived at the arena. Although some of the Ayrlarng students didn't want to attend Wang Ben's match, Wang Tong had convinced them to come in the end. Wang Tong knew that Wang Ben didn't switch school willingly; he must have been forced to do so by his father.
Everyone on Team Ayrlarng had come to the arena, except for Karl, who still held a grudge against Wang Ben's betrayal.
As Wang Ben glanced at the audiences, his eyes paused for a brief second on Team Ayrlarng, then he looked away, as a warmth rose inside him.
Among all the students of Ayrlarng, the one person who was able to catch up with Wang Tong's progress was neither Ma Xiaoru nor Hu Yangxuan; it was Wang Ben.
As a swell of cheers erupted among the Martian audiences, Lie Jian sauntered onto the stage. He threw away the cape, revealing the swarthy and brawny body underneath as he raised his fists in the air as a response to his fans.
Lie Jian did not think Wang Ben would be a tough opponent, since the latter had to try twice just to pass the mind-open operation. However, he thought it would be fun to humiliate General Hu Ben by defeating his son.
Chapter 377: Hand To Hand
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
Both fighters had arrived on the stage with the unswerving conviction that they would be the victor. Neither of them was known for modesty; it was all in or all out.
Wang Ben initiated his tactics and charged up his soul energy to four hundred and twenty. This was an incredible amount for someone who lacked many advantages that Lie Jian had, and was the result of hundreds upon hundreds of hours of hard work.
Wang Ben had only been mind opened for less than a year, yet he had already reached the top of the level five; such an achievement was unprecedented, so much so that even his opponent Lie Jian was caught off guard by his rate of improvement. Surprise aside, Lie Jian was not a bit worried about his victory; a stronger opponent would only make the fight more entertaining for him.
Lie Jian started his tactics of the Blaze as his eyes slowly turned into pools of molten iron.
"Kom!"
"Tiger's Roar!"
"URHHH!"
The ground under both fighters trembled, and the two contestants disappeared into thin air simultaneously.
The Racing Tiger versus the Fist of Fire.
Wang Ben's supporters held onto their seats as they become worried. Not only was the Fist of Blaze powerful, but it was also infused with the vicious fire poison. If Wang Ben come to contact with the fire poison, he might as well have lost the fight.
"Kom!"
After the impact, Lie Jian stood where he had appeared while Wang Ben stumbled a few steps back.
A smug crept onto Lie Jian's face as he said, "Fist of the Tiger? Haha! more like the Fist of pussy-cat!" Lie Jian was well known for his conceit, and many fighters had become the victim of his poisonous tongue.
Wang Ben was unruffled by the taunt; he checked his system and found out that the fire poison did not break through his defense. The Fist of the Racing Tiger was the most righteous force in the world, and therefore, its cultivator was practically immune to any devious tactics, such as the fire poison.
As Wang Ben charged up his soul energy again, his body trembled slightly, and then he shouted out the name of his technique.
"The Eighteen Tigers—Mountain Tiger!"
Lie Jian didn't flinch as he closed in onto Wang Ben, and was going to face the attack head-on.
"Kom!"
The impact sent a wave of explosions throughout the arena, followed by a swelling of cheers. The audiences loved watching the intense hand to hand combat more than those that heavily relied on soul energy.
"Kom!"
Lie Jian's fiery fist blocked the attack with ease while the Martian invaded Wang Ben's defense with waves of fire poison.
However deadly the fire poison was, Wang Ben simply didn't care as he retaliated with abandon. Although Lie Jian's defense had prevented him from releasing the full power of Fist of the Racing tiger, Wang Ben was not deterred by the setback. Instead, it spurred him to attack with even more vigor.
The stronger the opponent, the more powerful was the Fist of the Racing Tiger.
Wang Ben's fists were gaining frequency and vigor by each strike, and his soul energy was also steadily increasing. Every single blow was meant to kill. However, Wang Ben's increasing power didn't alert Lie Jian. Wang Ben was still too weak to be a worthy opponent for him; he could be a practice target at best.
Wang Ben could sense the contempt in his opponent, but he remained confident that he was no less powerful than Lie Jian.
By the tenth blow, Wang Ben finally started to slowly gain the upper hand in the battle, as his soul energy was about to surpass that of Lie Jian. Lie Jian was forced into a corner; it was too late for him to crank up his soul energy, since a sudden increase in soul energy would guarantee an opening in his defense.
Before the discovery of GN force, physical strength was the dominating factor on the battlefield. However, to use the physical strength, one would first need to practice the inner breathing and increase the strength slowly. At the same time, the soul energy also needed to be increased slowly using tactics. Lie Jian had planned to focus on aggression and finish the fight as soon as possible. Therefore, his soul energy had been increasing at a much slower rate than his opponent.
By then, Wang Ben had overwhelmed Lie Jian with his attacks, The energy inside him bound with his will, so his execution of moves was flawless and deadly.
Wang Ben's overwhelming power also came from the solid foundation he had built ever since he was a child. General Hu Ben was known for being a strict mentor, and Wang Ben had followed his father's orders faithfully< never thinking of slacking off.
Although the foundation he had built didn't show its effect immediately after his mind open operation, over time, it had lent Wang Ben significant strength during the most difficult times.
"Kom!"
Wang Ben's punch hit square, and Lie Jian was blown a few feet out.
Suddenly, silence fell into the arena.
Lie Jian gathered himself and cracked a smile; he was pleased by his opponent's power.
Lie Jian reckoned that Wang Ben not only had the perfect physical defense, but he was also resistant to the poison.
"Oh, shit! When did he become so powerful?" Hu Yangxuan was astonished by Wang Ben's strength. He noticed that Wang Ben didn't use any tricks or element of surprise. He was trying to subdue his opponent by only force.
"Lie Jian was holding back his strength. We will see. " Wang Tong cracked a smile. Nevertheless, he was impressed by Wang Ben's improvement, and he figured that it must have something to do with the fact that Wang Ben had opened his mind in his second operation.
"Kom!"
Suddenly, Lie Jian's fists were engulfed in flames. Unlike soul Mastery, these flames were infused with Li Jian's own soul energy.
Wang Ben remained calm as he clenched his fists, getting ready for whatever would come next. All the while, both fighters' soul energy were burning and toiling inside their sea of consciousness.
"Come on!" Lie Jian shouted and attacked first.
Wang Ben followed and charged at the attacker head on.
"Kom...Kom-Kom!"
In a blink, the two had exchanged a dozen blows. Both fighters attacked directly, trying to subdue their opponent.
"Gosh, is he stupid or something? Why can't he use some tricks like a feint or a dodge?"
"Hehe, you said it as if he has a choice. He can only defeat Lie Jian with a direct attack. " Turbolix said.
"Wang Ben's improvement is very impressive. When he first came to Capth, he was even weaker than me!" One of the combatant from Capth lamented.
"Well, have you noticed that Wang Ben had spent practically every single minute of his life on training? Practice makes one perfect! Plus, he is also very talented." Turbolix said.
"What about his cultivation? He has already reached level five in such a short time." Another student said.
"He didn't have a life, that's why. No girlfriend and no hobbies equal no distraction. " Turbolix answered. He knew that these students were simply jealous of Wang Ben's achievement, but had failed to see the hard work behind it.
Turbolix had been watching Wang Ben ever since he entered Capth. Although at the time, Wang Ben was much weaker than most students, Turbolix had concluded that he would catch up very quickly, because he had the most important quality for a powerful cultivator: perseverance. The real advancement wouldn't come overnight. Instead, it was built upon thousands and thousands of mundane repetitions.
Nevertheless, Turbolix was also impressed by Wang Ben's improvement, and he believed that no one in the confederation had ever made such a great leap in their cultivation.
"Kom!"
GN force splattered out form the impact of two fists as both fighters took a few steps back. Lie Jian had received a solid blow on the chest, while Wang Ben had gotten three. Each blow Wang Ben had received was infused with fire poison. By then, Lie Jian was convinced that his fire poison had already worked its way into Wang Ben's system.
Wang Ben would feel the poison slithering in his blood vein as he tried to contain it with soul energy. The pain would be unbearable to any ordinary human. However, Wang Ben acted as if nothing had happened.
Wang Ben's mettle and determination had impressed even Lie Jian.
Chapter 378: One Simple Punch
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
Lie Jian wanted to give Wang Ben more pressure, since he was concerned that the latter would eventually be able to overcome the fire poison. As the belligerent punch almost reached Wang Ben, Lie Jian folded the energy like folding a piece of cloth, and completely changed its property.
"Palm of the Fire Cloud!"
Lie Jian was well versed in many techniques in addition to the tactics of the Blaze Thanks to his solid foundation that he built using the Tactics of the Blaze, Lie Jian was able to master any tactics that he later practiced.
Wang Ben took a deep breath and shouted as he punched back at his opponent. It was common knowledge that the softer energy inside the Fire Cloud Fist was the bane for overbearing forces such as that of Fist of the Racing Tiger.
Although Fist of the Racing tiger was a powerful tactics, Wang Ben had yet to know how to use it to counter soft energies.
After a few rounds of attacks, Lie Jian seemed to have gained the upper hand just like everyone expected. A few moments later, Wang Ben was hit squarely in the chest.
Wang Ben stumbled back as blood spilled out of his mouth; he swallowed the rest of it down, along with the pain.
Finally, Wang Ben had tasted the power of the Magnificent Five.
Standing in front of him, Lie Jian looked haughty as ever; his power was undisputed.
Meanwhile on the Earth…
Wang Ben's mother was worried about the safety of her child. Although she knew that as a soldier's mother, she should have expected this, she found it difficult to watch her son being beaten up in front of her. What made her angrier was that her husband was not even watching their son's fight with her. His excuse: too busy.
Looking at the conceit on Lie Jian's face, Wang Ben smiled as he freed all the GN forced that he had used to keep the fire poison in check. As the GN power surged inside his system, so did the fire poison. Pain shot through Wang Ben's body. However, he contorted his face and managed to bear the pain inside with his iron will.
Lie Jian was impressed by Wang Ben's perseverance; he didn't attack right away. Instead, he waited patiently for his opponent to drop to the ground as the fire poison slowly went out of control.
Wang Ben had overlooked the power of the fire poison. In a few moments, the poison had reached Wang Ben's sea of consciousness, and was wreaking havoc inside.
The pain aside, Wang Ben felt his body starting to spasm; he was gradually losing control of his muscles.
Students from the Ayrlarng were unnerved by the development. Although Wang Ben had betrayed them once, they had been friends after-all.
"What the hell are you doing? Don't get defeated by that Lie-Lame-Jian! F*ck him! I have been playing fire ever since I was a kid!"
A loud voice rang among the quiet students from Ayrlarng; it was Karl. No one knew when he had sneaked into the arena, but his unsavory comments had drawn many dirty looks from the Martian audiences.
"F*ck it! Finish this douchebag! I forgive you!"
Karl shouted at the top of his lungs while waving his fists in the air. Lie Jian threw a sidelong glance towards the noise, but didn't bother to find out who the heckler was.
"Do you know him, this low-life garbage?" Lie Jian asked.
"What kind of garbage are you?" Wang Ben said as he struggled to pick himself up off the ground.
"Ah-ha, you can still talk? How impressive! Are you going to surrender or you want me to make it easier for you?"
"We are not done yet!"
By then, Wang Ben had gained full control of his body, and the spasm had disappeared; even the fire poison seemed to have faded away.
"Fire Poison? What a joke! It's just a trick." Wang Ben announced, his strong voice suggesting that the fire poison had been cured.
Hu Yangxuan and Wang Tong exchanged a knowing glance. They had never heard anyone that could break the fire poison so easily.
"Based on the information I have gathered, the fire poison was a type of soul poison. It was not lethal, but it was meant to inflict unbearable pain for a period."
It was the first time that Lie Jian's fire poison had ever failed. Lie Jian was aware that any tactics could fail. For example, if the fire poison were used against Einherjar Wannabe, Lie Jian was certain that not only was it useless, but Einherjar Wannabe would also be able to take advantage of the free energy inside the fire poison. That being said, Einherjar Wannabe was a much powerful fighter than Wang Ben, and therefore, Lie Jian was perplexed by the development. Moreover, Wang Ben's courage to break the fire poison with his will alone—a feat even Lie Jian himself wouldn't dare attempt—had deeply impressed the Martian Warrior.
"You are a true warrior. Fine, as a token of respect, I shall show you my coup de grace! " Lie Jian announced. He had decided to completely overwhelm Wang Ben in order to wane his confidence. All the while, Lie Jian marveled at the huge improvement Wang Ben had made in just under one year.
"Kom!"
The GN force inside Lie Jian suddenly boiled over as his soul energy reached the top of level five. his eyes turned into two pools of molten iron.
Wang Ben knew that Lie Jian was about to unleash his coup de grace, so he dug in his heels and took a deep breath to get ready.
The success of overcoming the fire poison had lent Wang Ben confidence, and he knew that the reason Lie Jian decided to release his coup de grace was that he was afraid. On that note, Wang Ben had already gained the upper hand.
However confident and determined Wang Ben was, he could not ignore the immense power of his opponent. By then, Lie Jian's soul energy had reached four hundred and ninety, while Wang Ben's remained at four hundred and fifty. Wang Tong knew the actual power of the two fighters could differ greatly from their sol readings.
Lie Jian's soul energy was finally fully charged, and suddenly, he shouted, "Double Winged Fire Drake!"
As Lie Jian's GN force erupted out of him, the stage turned into a sea of fire. From the flames, a fiery beast charged out and galloped towards Wang Ben.
Wang Ben didn't even flinch; he didn't choose to use any advanced moves to counter the attack. Instead, he punched directly at the beast, the same punch he had been practicing ever since he was a child.
This was a direct punch, the most straightforward attack. But, Wang Ben had practiced it countless times, a million times or a hundred million times—he couldn't remember.
"Kom!"
The fist punched through the beast like a piece of paper, and Lie Jian could already feel a deadly force coming at him.
Lie Jian immediately followed with two more attacks, as two more beasts charged at Wang Ben.
Wang Ben's fist cut through the two beasts like cutting through butter, and landed a solid blow on Lie Jian. Lie Jian was sent flying; his limbs dangled from his body in the air like that of a rag doll.
A reverential silent fell inside of the arena.
Wang Ben had done it!
Wang Tong nodded in approval; the fist-technique was extremely powerful. Although it was plain and couldn't be simpler, it was able to overcome Lie Jian's coup de grace.
The Martians couldn't believe what they had just seen. Their prince's coup de grace was countered!
Zhang Mi, the journalist, made a mark on Wang Ben's profile. She found it hard to believe that it was purely a coincident that Wang Ben had studied at Ayrlarng and had been a member of the S-Club. She couldn't help but wonder what Samantha had done to the school to bring it back from its slump.
Wang Ben saw Karl give him a thumbs up, and smiled, it was the first time he smiled ever since he left Ayrlarng.
Inside a military officer's room, a group of military officers cheered for Wang Ben's success.
"Only one year! Atta boy!"
"Yeah, his rate of improvement is crazy!"
Chapter 379: The Harp Goddess
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
"I won't feel jealous of him if I were you. I had been to his house once when he was only six, and I guess what I saw? The kid was practicing that same old punch, and both his fists had been struck into pulp. That was when he first started training. I asked him if it hurts, and guess what the lad said?"
Everyone shook their heads as curiosity burned in their eyes.
"He said, 'it doesn't matter.' I was shocked!"
On the stage, Lie Jian finally struggled to his feet; it was a humiliation to be struck by such a simple punch.
"Kom!"
Lie Jian recharged his soul energy, and the fire-elemental GN force immediately surrounded the Martian. The promise of another round of attacks kept everyone on their seats.
Lie Jian's soul energy didn't stop rising, and in few moments, it had reached level six, just like Li Ruoer and Wang Tong. His injury seemed to have lent him strength, and then and there, the third level six fighter of the year was born.
As the GN force rolled inside him, Lie Jian charged at Wang Ben like a flaming lion.
Wang Ben rushed to counter the attack as the fist of the Racing Tiger roared in the air. However, by then, the difference in the two fighter's power was too big, and Wang Ben was no longer able to defend himself effectively. Soon, he received a dozen solid blows on him, and the last strike had sent his body flying to the other end of the arena.
Seeing the sudden turn of events, even Karl sat down in his seat quietly. The difference between a level five and a level six fighter was unbridgeable. If Wang Tong hadn't reached level six in time, he would never have been able to defeat Li Ruoer either.
After the last bout of attack, Lie Jian reestablished dominance. As he thought that the match was over, he watched as Wang Ben stand up from a pile of rubble.
Lie Jian was shocked, but then he gathered himself and asked, "Do you wish to court death?"
Wang Ben stood still and didn't answer.
As Lie Jian readied his fist to strike again, Wang Ben suddenly collapsed to the ground and didn't get up again.
"The Winner is LIE JIAN!"
The medics rushed towards Wang Ben; they knew he was in a dire situation.
The Martians boiled over as the host announced Lie Jian's victory. As they poured cheers and applause at Lie Jian, a sense of respect towards the Earthling boy rose inside them.
The son of General Hu Ben had proven to the Martians that not all Earthlings were despicable schemers.
Wang Tong suddenly appeared next to Wang Ben before the medics did. Without saying a word, he channeled his soul energy and covered Wang Ben's body with it. Wang Tong watched as the fire poison was lured out by Wang Tong's soul energy. However, as long as it came in contact with the golden energy, it evaporated into thin air.
After all the fire poison were eliminated that way, Wang Ben finally regained some consciousness. Wang Tong cracked a smile and said to him, "Rest now! We should hang out sometime."
Wang Ben looked at Wang Tong with a pair of eyes filled with sorrow and remorse; the people in Ayrlarng were his only true friends.
Although Wang Ben's training had forced him into seclusion, no one liked to be alone forever. Only the ones that had suffered from loneliness knew how precious true friendship was.
Wang Ben nodded as Wang Tong patted on his shoulder. The medics finally arrived and carried Wang Ben off the stage, not paying much attention to Wang Tong.
All the while, Lie Jian had been standing at the other end of the stage and watching the interaction between the two. The seemingly ordinary boy was the second level six fighter of the year, and had defeated Li Ruoer. According to Michaux, he was supposed to be Einherjar Wannabe as well, although Lie Jian was no longer certain on that one.
Wang Tong looked up and locked his eyes with Lie Jian's; they didn't speak a word to each other.
All matches that were scheduled for today had been finished. However, another equally enticing match was about to start. As soon as the final match was over, everyone rushed to the nearest bar to watch Einherjar Wannabe's PA fight.
Ever since Einherjar Wannabe defeated Zambrotta, he had become the synonym for the phrase "Everything is possible." The debate over his age had also stirred thing up. Till this day, no one knew for sure if he were a real human or a ghost.
After all, who could live for over two hundred years?
To add salt to the injury, the PA system had verified Einherjar Wannabe's age to be 16 years old when he first joined the PA system. The verification process during a user's first registration was very strict, and therefore, it was not likely that PA had made a mistake.
Tonight, Einherjar Wannabe was about to face Lan Qinyue, the grand master of the Soul Devouring Sect. She was a well-known fighter among the Ivantians, and was regarded as the goddess of martial arts on the moon, not only because she had single-handedly destroyed hundreds of Zergs, but also because of her beauty and many of her Einherjar level pursuers.
At the age of thirty, Lan Qinyue had retained her youth through her cultivation. As a result, hr look never changed ever since she was eighteen. However, her wisdom that had accumulated over the time shone through her pair of wide eyes.
Not a lot of people knew what had motivated Lan Qinyue to challenge Einherjar Wannabe. Ever since she retired from the military, she had been focusing on her music and grooming her disciples.
Wang Tong and his friends had already been waiting for the fight to start. Wang Tong liked watching Mr. Wannabe's fights, and he wondered how he would fare in this fight against such a beautiful woman. Too bad that Mr. Wannabe had lost his memories. Otherwise, Wang Tong would love to hear his wild stories.
Everyone was in a good mood since Wang Tong had won his fight against Li Ruoer without even a scratch. After the fight, many students who had not yet joined the S -Club quickly handed in their application. They were completely mesmerized by his performance.
In addition to Wang Tong, Hu Yangxuan's display of mettle had also won the hearts of many fans, although he had ultimately lost the fight.
Since Wang Tong had invited everyone from the S Club to join him in watching the PA fight, over three hundred students had come to the meeting hall and turned it into a theater.
Knowing the gravity of the fight, DREAM had shut off all other PA fights to prepare for this one.
The Harp Goddess had already arrived, but Einherjar Wannabe was still nowhere to be seen. Sweat crept onto Cameron's forehead as he prayed that he would not bail on the match last minute.
Although there was still half an hour before the start of the match, and Cameron knew that Einherjar Wannabe had the habit of being "fashionably late," the stake was too high to be so nonchalant this time.
Fans raised the picture of Lan Qinyue high up in the air; although she was not as beautiful as Heidi, her unique mannerism and her wisdom were what captivated the world.
Wang Tong nodded as he felt that she would be a great match for Mr. Wannabe. He wondered if Mr. Wannabe would feel bad for striking such a delicate and elegant lady.
Meanwhile, inside Wang Tong's dorm...
"HA!! You cheated! Charcoal, you are an a*shole! You cheated!" Mr. Wannabe shouted furiously. He was playing poker with Charcoal and got a little bit too carried away.
"I would like to remind you about your fight in half hour."
"Don't change the topic! One more round, you sneaky b*stard!"
Chapter 380: Hero Incognito
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
Five minutes before the match started, Einherjar Wannabe was still nowhere to be seen. Cameron chucked down a couple of pills to calm his nerves. The show ratings were increasing by the second, yet the stage remained half empty.
By then, even Cameron's subordinates could feel their boss's nerves. Everyone held their breath and dared not to comment on the situation.
On the stage, Lan Qinyue was calm. She plugged the virtual harp and felt the difference compared to her real one. Although it lacked a soul like the one in real life, it should suffice for the fight tonight.
Standing beside Lan Qinyue quietly were her disciples. It was a sect rule that no one was allowed to speak when their master was tuning the Harp.
Two minutes until the start of the fight, and Einherjar Wannabe was still missing. The ads had been pouring into the PA system ever since this morning; every second of airtime would cost a big fortune. If Einherjar Wannabe bailed on the match, DREAM would walk right into a legal disaster.
In the last minute, Cameron heard a din from the system: Einherjar Wannabe had arrived. Finally, Cameron heaved a big sigh of relief.
The large screen on top of the virtual stage turned into a countdown, the anticipation keeping everyone on the edge of their seats. There were more than two million subscribers online watching this fight at the same time. Some of them were here to see Lan Qinyue, but more were here to watch Einherjar Wannabe.
Lan Qinyue stood up as her disciples walked off the stage. Although Einherjar Wannabe had defeated Zambrotta, he was not the only one who had done that, as Lan Qinyue had also defeated the Thunder Drum a long time ago. In other words, what drove Lan Qinyue to challenge Einherjar Wannabe was not his previous victory. Instead, it was the couple of drum beats that Einherjar Wannabe had made at the end of his last battle. As Lan Qinyue watched and listened to the drum beat, her intuition told her that she had to meet this mysterious fighter to seek the answer and truth.
Einherjar Wannabe walked onto the stage and studied the beautiful women. Although the countdown had already finished, neither of the fighters seemed to have the intention of making a move.
Lan Qinyue stared the old ghost back without saying a word, dragging out the silence.
"Little wrench, I am in a hurry here. So, I have only time for one of your songs." The old ghost said impatiently. He never liked talking to women. Plus, there was something inside of this girl's eyes that had unnerved Mr. Wannabe.
Although Einherjar Wannabe's pompousness had caught Lan Qinyue by surprise, she didn't mind it, since the mysterious fighter's age had lent him credence to his superior wisdom.
"Moon Dust!"
Lan Qinyue's soul energy started climbing as she plugged the strings with her immaculate fingernails. Every plugging of the string sent a sound wave that was completely different, but equally deadly as that of Zambrotta's drum beats. The attack from the harp strings was much more pervasive, and therefore, harder to defend against. Already, the floor on the stage had started to disintegrate under the omnipresent energy from the harp.
Einherjar Wannabe's face turned serious right away, as he had sensed that this girl was not only more powerful than Zambrotta, she was very close to reaching the level of Super Einherjar.
The main theme that Lan Qinyue had woven into this song was the "four immeasurables" taught in ancient canons. Such a highly spiritual theme had made the music devoid of any worldly pleasures.
Suddenly, Einherjar Wannabe clapped his hands loudly and broke the spell of the music, startling the harp goddess.
"I can't stand it! You are alive and well, so why do you have to be so pessimistic about the world. This is what happens when you are over thirty and still single, you turn into a pretentious nihilist! In my time, we called your kind Hippies! Einherjars are human too. They get married and have babies too! Get a life already!"
Lan Qinyue was stupefied by Einherjar Wannabe's outburst of scathing criticism. She had firmly believed that only by detaching herself from the world would she be able to advance to the next level of her cultivation.
Einherjar Wannabe gathered himself from his rage and said, "Fine, fine, keep on going. I still have some time." Mr. Wannabe was disappointed by the values of present-day top fighters. He wondered what had happened to the world that had made everyone so pathetic and fragile. He remembered that when he was young, all the Einherjars upheld more traditional values, and reveled in "traditional activities" such as feasting and wh*ring wherever they went. Most important of all, no one complained about the world, since the world was simply a place to be conquered and enjoyed.
Thus it was, the main drive in human evolution being desire, and to be detached from the world full of desires was to take the fuel out of the engine of self-improvement.
Lan Qinyue seemed to have seen some sense in Einherjar Wannabe's criticism, so she asked, "Thank you, but I have one more question. Can playing harp really help me find The Way?"
Although her peers and her disciples respected Lan Qinyue for her knowledge, when it came down to cultivation towards the level of Super Einherjar, she was just an amateur.
Einherjar Wannabe was shocked by the question. Something in between the lines was beckoning his memories to come back.
As fragments of memories rushed into Mr. Wannabe's mind, he vaguely remembered someone he loved, but their love was painful. He saw in the reflection of one fragment that someone was chasing after a swarm of Zergs; his face was contorted with anger and despair.
Who was that?
A shadowy figure appeared in another piece of memory, and the figure spoke in a voice sweeter than honey.
Suddenly, Lan Qinyue felt a deadly power emanating from Einherjar Wannabe. She could feel that it was the power of an Einherjar, but it was much stronger than any Einherjar she had met.
The powerful energy not only made La Qinyue tremble uncontrollably, but it also brought her a sense of forlorn and dread.
Einherjar Wannabe was also visibly distressed by this power, and therefore, he gathered himself and managed to keep the spread of the energy in check. He then threw Lan Qinyue a glance and then said coldly, "Let's start."
The energy that was still floating about was much calmer, and gave Lan Qinyue an opportunity to study it carefully. She registered that it was filled with bitterness and sweetness of love. Suddenly, she had a moment of Epiphany.
The harp started singing again as music quickly filled the arena. This time, the rhythm had gained a very different flavor; it was like a combination of all human emotions.
Einherjar Wannabe listened to the music as strong feelings roiled inside him. Time seemed to have turned back to when he had been a deadly warrior, and he killed Zergs to numb the pain inside him.
Someone he kept as the apple of his eyes had left the world, but he remained, living inside a cold, empty husk.
The music gradually wove the fragments of memories together, and Mr. Wannabe could finally discern the face of that girl who had left him.
No longer was Mr. Wannabe able to remember what had happened, but he was content to be able to see her again.
Meanwhile, the music had bonded Lan Qinyue and Einherjar Wannabe's souls, and therefore, she could able see into his memory as well as Einherjar Wannabe could, if not even clearer.
She saw a warrior storm through swarms of Zergs and leave piles of carcasses behind. In a matter of hours, he had finished all Zergs on the entire planet.
Standing on a pile of dead Zergs, high as a mountain, the warrior took out a picture of a girl from his pocket and stared at her with love and sorrow.
Although everything seemed to have happened in an instance to Lan Qinyue, she was deeply shocked by what she had seen in that flash of memory. She watched Einherjar Wannabe in front of her, and she no longer saw a PA avatar. Instead, she saw a lone-star traveling through eons, seeking the love that he had once lost.
As the music ended on the last note, tears poured out of Lan Qinyue's eyes.
Chapter 381: The Third Wheel
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
But why? Why did such a hero remain incognito for so long, and who exactly was he? For the first time, Lan Qinyue had felt that she was genuinely interested in someone.
Einherjar Wannabe cast an icy stare at Lan Qinyue and announced, "If you say one word to anyone about what you saw, I will kill you." And then, he signed off.
Audiences strained their ears to capture the fading echoes of the music. The scores were perfectly touching and mesmerizing. As many men saw the tears on the face of the Harp goddess, they wished they could do something to ease her sorrow.
Everyone was so emotional at the time that no one seemed to remember why they were there, nor cared about the outcome of the match.
After a while, people finally managed to gather themselves and started to reflect on the fight. Did Lan Qinyue win?
To be fair, no one would be able to judge the outcome of the fight except for the fighters themselves.
The result of the fight aside, Lan Qinyue knew that she was finally about to advance in her cultivation. However, she also conceded that she had fallen in love with that lone-star—a warrior consumed by love.
After Lan Qinyue signed off, she sent a letter to DREAM, acknowledging her defeat.
What technique did the two use while they fought?
Why did Lan Qinyue break into tears towards the end?
One question bade another, but no answer had come.
Wang Tong finished watching the fight with red eyes and wet cheeks. The music reminded him of Ma Xiaoru, and the moment when he thought that she had left him for good.
The fight had clearly gone beyond a normal person's comprehension, and what people failed to foresee at that time was that it would later on change the human history.
After the fight, many analyses of the fight surfaced on the internet, and their interpretation of the fight diverged significantly from each other, some being outright preposterous.
Einherjar Wannabe didn't even move a finger, yet he had subdued the powerful harp goddess; not even an Einherjar was able to achieve that.
After watching the fight, Wang Tong felt the urge of holding Ma Xiaoru close to him. Knowing that was impossible, he felt depressed. So, he decided to chat with Mr. Wannabe to relax a bit. As soon as he was about to leave the hall, he received a message over Skynet. His heart almost jumped out of his chest when he read the message. He quickly excused himself from his friends and ran towards the arena number one.
Arena one was empty, except for one girl sitting in the audience seat. She wore a baseball cap and a familiar ponytail.
Wang Tong closed in and hugged her tightly. There had been many things Wang Tong wanted to tell her, but words just evaporated from his mouth by the sweetness in the air.
In contrast to the scene inside arena one, Li Ruoer had been troubled by her seemingly senseless infatuation. As soon as she woke up from her coma, she had kept on thinking about Wang Tong.
However, she never regretted anything. Instead, she felt relieved after confessing her feelings to Wang Tong.
Too many things had happened between Li Ruoer and Wang Tong. She was curious at first, then provoked, tricked, rinsed and repeated. Her cultivation was also greatly affected by her relationship with Wang Tong. Despite her defeat, her injury had given her the precious time and distance to reflect on her actions and her relationship with Wang Tong.
She couldn't help but notice that she could find Wang Tong at every turn of the corner in her life. It was as if her life entirely revolved around him alone.
The pain in her lower back reminded her of the first confrontation with him, when he had so ruthlessly spanked her. She no longer held the grudge for what he had done to her. Instead, she felt a refreshing feeling of being conquered, something she would otherwise never feel as the heir of House Li.
When she first approached Ma Xiaoru, she wasn't sure how it would turn out due to her ulterior motives to "befriend" her. However, as she spent more time with Ma Xiaoru, the innocent girl started to grow on her, and eventually, the two became real friends.
However, their friendship had complicated the already murky situation. Li Ruoer wanted Wang Tong, but she didn't want to hurt her friend.
Li Ruoer had never been so altruistic, and therefore, the fact that she cared for Ma Xiaoru's feeling was refreshing to her. It was against her former belief, yet it made her feel so good. Li Ruoer finally fell asleep with a taste of sweet bitterness in her mouth. In her dream, she was married to Wang Tong, together with Ma Xiaoru.
Li Ruoer felt well rested the next day and was in a good mood because of her dream. After breakfast, she heard a doorbell ring.
As soon as she cracked the door open, she was greeted by a large bouquet of blue flowers.
"Hey girl, are you feeling better?" Lie Jian poked his head out from behind the bouquet and smiled, revealing two rows of healthy teeth. Flowers and a handsome face should strike a chord with any girl's heartstrings. However, Li Ruoer was annoyed.
"None of your business. Do I know you?" Li Ruoer side with a distanced voice. He had completely ruined her mood.
"Of course! Haven't you heard that the great houses are one big family? I could be your cousin if that's the case."
Li Ruoer felt hardpressed to get mad at him, and neither did she want to offend House of Lie. "Thank you for the flowers. I am a bit tired, so..."
"Well, let me cheer you up then!" Lie Jian was still very confident that he had won the girl's heart with the flowers.
Li Ruoer didn't know how to respond, as she was surprised by Lie Jian's confidence. Too bad the Enchantress was injured. Otherwise, there would be one more name to be added to her list of victims. Nevertheless, Li Ruoer let Lie Jian into the house.
Half a second later, the door cracked open again, and Ma Xiaoru poked her head into Li Ruoer's room. She was caught off guard by the presence of Lie Jian. Ma Xiaoru had brought Wang Tong with her to make peace with Li Ruoer. After all, she didn't want to be stuck in the middle of a bitter rivalry between her boyfriend and her best friend.
Lie Jian's eyes shined as he spotted another beautiful girl. Immediately he recognized her as the heir of House of Ma.
A rush of testosterone shot through Lie Jian's body, as what was in between his legs overrode the control of what was on his shoulder. He wondered what it would feel like to be in bed with both girls at the same time, 'Threesome is awesome.'
However, Lie Jian's eyes lost its luster as soon as he saw Wang Tong trailing behind Ma Xiaoru.
Ma Xiaoru registered the despise and conceit on Lie Jian's face, so she moved to eclipse Wang Tong from the Martian's view.
"You can hide him now, but he will have to face the great house sooner or later! "Lie Jian announced.
The two girls looked at each other, and were not sure what to make of his comment.
"My Ladies, why don't we go out and have some fun? I know a perfect spot for us to hang out." Lie Jian heard himself talking. Lust had completely subjugated his mind.
Ma Xiaoru linked her crook of the arm with Wang Tong's and said, "Nah, I have plans with my boyfriend already."
The announcement disheveled Lie Jian. He wagered that Wang Tong had won Ma Xiaoru's heart after he had defeated Li Ruoer.
"Well, I hope you don't mind a third wheel?" Lie Jian asked. He was confident that he would be able to change Ma Xiaoru's mind with time.
Li Ruoer laughed out loud and held onto Wang Tong's other arm, then said, "Excuse you, the third wheel is here!"
Chapter 382: Gloves Are Off
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
Lie Jian stared at Wang Tong for a second and conceded that he was a bit too late to join the harem game. Therefore, he found a random excuse and left Li Ruoer's room.
The two girls laughed out loud as soon as Lie Jian walked away. Wang Tong wiped away the sweat from his forehead and marveled at the two girls' courage to refuse Lie Jian.
"Don't fret! You are Xiaoru's precious babe. I won't snatch you away from her."
"Whatever! If you want him, I can offer you half of him."
"I'm afraid someone is not going to protest that. Haha! Hey Wang Tong, don't just stand there and do nothing. Do you mind peeling an orange for me? Haha!"
The laughter of the two girls erupted from the room. Although Wang Tong had no idea what was on LI Ruoer's mind, he was certain that she no longer meant any harm to him.
Meanwhile, the fight of the fifth section was about to start.
It was a fight between Michaux Odin and Ye Kai from the Templar's Court. Ye Kai's Gentleman's sword skill had impressed everyone when he used it for the first time, and therefore, everyone anticipated an excellent performance from him. As for the young master of the Divine Master sect, so far, no one was certain of his exact power. However, Ye Kai had prepared himself well, and had since improved his defense against soul energy attacks.
As soon as the match started, Ye Kai started the attack with abandon, wishing to finish the fight in one strike. It was obvious that he did not want to engage in a prolonged fight.
The tension on the stage kept the fellow inner court disciples on the edge of their seats. To prepare Ye Kai for the fight, they had cast a protective shield on him to help him fend off Michaux's soul energy attack.
This protective layer would give him an edge during the heat of the battle if Michaux chose to deploy his soul-energy focused tactics.
Michaux used the same tactics as before, as he crossed his hands while quietly staring at the incoming attack and then he shouted out, "Break!"
Suddenly, Ye Kai stopped in his tracks as a gush of blood squirted out of his mouth. As if struck by an invincible force, Ye Kai's body was thrown into the air before thudding heavily back to the ground.
Silence fell into the arena.
Even the inner court disciples were shocked by the development, as they watched how ineffective the protective shield was. However powerful Ye Kai the Gentlemen was, he was finished under one second by Michaux.
Slowly, Michaux bowed to the audience as if he had just finished a routine exercise.
Although Martians were familiar with Michaux's power, many Earthlings and Ivantians had doubts in their mind regarding his real power before the fight. However, after the fight, those doubts were all gone. Ye Kai didn't even get a chance to zero in on him.
Inside Li Ruoer's room, as Wang Tong and the two girls marveled at how quickly the fight had finished, they all found it hard to grasp the technique Michaux had used. Li Ruoer could tell that Michaux had used soul energy attack, since it was similar to the attacks of the Enchantress. However, she couldn't explain why even the well prepared Templar had failed to defend against the straightforward soul energy attack, considering that the Templars were well known for their soul energy damage resistance.
Michaux Odin had entered the quarter-finals without any difficulties.
In the sixth section, the Heir of the Wind-Cloud kick, Turbolix, was about to fight against Heidi, the Kaedeian Princess. Although the Wind-Cloud kick was a renowned tactic in the confederation, Turbolix had lost the battle to Heidi. After-all, Turbolix's power was at par with Wang Ben at most.
After the fight, Heidi had also entered the quarter-final.
In the seventh section, Thunder Blade Lee Xin fought against the Dark Witch Wu Ma.
The Dark Witch was an important branch of the Mastery, and it emphasized heavily on the damage output. Unfortunately for Wu Ma, Lee Xin not only had an innate ability to resist all forms of soul energy attacks, but he was also taught personally by his Einherjar father. Wu Ma lost the fight in a few minutes, and Lee Xin entered the quarter-finals.
In the eighth section, Zhang Buyu from the inner court fought against Allen Smith, the heir of the Golden Wheels.
Although Zhang Buyu had finished all of his matches so far with only one strike, the Golden Wheel focused heavily on defense, and countered the attack. As long as long as Allen was able to fend off the first attack, the tactics of the Golden Wheel would be able to retaliate continuously, until his opponent used up all of his energy.
However, Zhang Buyu was able to land a solid blow on Allen on his first attack like he always did, and finished the match then and there.
Finally, the roster of fighters competing in the quarter-finals had come out.
Patroclus, Ivantian
Li Shiming, Earthling
Wang Tong, Earthling
Lie Jian, Martian
Michaux Odin, Martian
Lee Xin, Ivantian
Heidi, Kaedeian
Zhang Buyu, Earthling
They were the strongest eight among all young fighters of the Confederation. All eyes would be on these eight deadly fighters to find out who would prevail and to claim the title of Champion.
Right before the start of the intense quarter-final, the fighters finally got a much-needed break. They had already proven their power by earning a seat this far into the tournament, and all of them needed time to prepare for the next fights. They knew that all the fighters in the quarter-finals had come not just for the sake of participation, but to claim the title of champion.
The next couple rounds of matches would be not only a test of their strength, but also their strategic thinking. It would be crucial to strike a balance between winning the very next fight and preserving strength for any ensuing battles.
The anticipation was immeasurable; everyone was curious as to who would be the final victor. Nevertheless, it was still too early to judge. After all, the final result would depend largely on the yet-to-announced match-up of fighters.
By far, the most likely Champion had remained to be Patroclus. Not only did he have the home advantage, but his performance had also impressed everyone. To a lot of audiences, Patroclus was a reincarnation of the legendary Rilangalos. Therefore, without the intervention of another Blade Warrior, Patroclus would be invincible, like Rilangalos had been before he encountered Li Feng.
The second most popular fighter for a long time had been Li Shiming. However, that had changed as Michaux usurped that position after defeating the mighty Ye Kai with one strike.
Everyone was excited to see more of Michaux's techniques, and to learn more about the secrets of the Divine Masters. The Divine Master Set was no less influential than the Templar's Court. However, unlike the Templar's court, who had publicly claimed to be the birthplace of all tactics, the Divine Master had upheld a humble tradition, and kept most of the sect's secrets to themselves.
It was this very secrecy that had added much fuel to Michaux's already flaming popularity.
The third most popular fighter was Li Shiming, closely following the two ahead of him. That being said, the ranking did not equate to saying that the other five fighters were less powerful than the three.
Wang Tong and Ma Xiaoru were enjoying the quality time they had spent so far. However, they both knew that the next few fights would be uphill battles, and therefore, they refrained from intimate and laborious activities. Ever since he gained the soul essence in the Crystal Space, Wang Tong had noticed that he had gained a new ability to examine the condition of other's sea of consciousness. Therefore, he had been examining Ma Xiaoru's sea of consciousness to find out the culprit of her slow improvement.
"Take your jacket off, Xiaoru." Wang Tong announced.
Chapter 383: Have Me Now
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
"Right now?" Caught off guard by Wang Tong's request, Ma Xiaoru's heart fluttered.
Thanks to the internet, she had read a lot about what it meant to take their relationship to the next stage, and she had been looking forward to that moment. She knew that this was what she was supposed to do as a girlfriend, and therefore, she quickly swallowed down her fear.
Watching the flickering shyness in Ma Xiaoru's eyes, Wang Tong knew his words didn't come out right. However, the thought of intimacy throbbed in his mind as hormones coaxed him to take an advantage. Wang Tong hesitated, still feeling remorse over what had happened between him and Samantha, then made up his mind to take things slowly this time.
Wang Tong was very certain that he would always be faithful to Ma Xiaoru. However, he was not sure if he could provide enough for her. Wang Tong knew that Ma Xiaoru wouldn't protest if he decided to make a move then and there. However, he had promised to her father that he wouldn't touch her until he had proved himself. Wang Tong eventually decided not to break his promises.
"Ruoer, I want to do a check-up on you. I want to find out what had been hindering your cultivation." Wang Tong cracked a smile and then threw his jacket to the side.
"Why...didn't you tell me so earlier?" Ma Xiaoru blushed and lowered her head as she twiddled corner of her shirt in between fingers.
Wang Tong suddenly closed in and embraced Ma Xiaoru. "I do want to do it. I think about it every night!"
"We can... do it." Ma Xiaoru said quietly.
"I know. You know I love you so much that I will do anything for you. But, I need to gain your parents' approval yet. If anything happened to you before that, I don't know what your parents will think of me." Wang Tong pressed Ma Xiaoru against his chest while brushing his fingers against her soft and blushed cheek.
Ma Xiaoru was deeply moved by Wang Tong's honesty and sense of responsibility, so she nestled herself in Wang Tong's arms and said, "No matter what happens, we will always be together."
"Right. Now, can you take off your clothes?"
"You jerk, I was still talking to you." Ma Xiaoru laughed and then punched at Wang Tong. Nevertheless, Ma Xiaoru eventually obeyed the order and took off her shirt, revealing a tight body that was half concealed by a piece of lace underwear. Lights reflected off her fair skin as Wang Tong's heart started to beat like a hammer.
"What... about this?" Wang Tong pointed at her laced bra.
Ma Xiaoru raised her head slowly and said, "Well, you can help me with this one."
Hands trembling, Wang Tong clumsily took off Ma Xiaoru's bra, and he was shocked by the beauty of her alluring naked body. As blood rush through his body, Wang Tong felt his soul essence start to quiver as if it, too, was aroused by the scene.
Wang Tong struggled to gather himself and asked Ma Xiaoru to lay on the bed. Wang Tong reminded himself of his yet to start combat, and was eventually able to calm himself.
He raised both arms as Ma Xiaoru's body was lifted by an unseen force into the air. As Wang Tong channel his soul energy into her body, his face turned serious and said, "Xiaoru, listen to me. Make sure you follow my lead."
As soon as Wang Tong's soul energy entered Ma Xiaoru's system, he found that something was amiss. Although Ma Xiaoru's body was fully recovered, many of her GN nodes were still damaged and hollow.
This was beyond the capability of any medical doctor. Ma Xiaoru's healthy and robust GN nodes had become dormant and sluggish. Although the condition was not life-threatening, it would hinder her cultivation if not outright deteriorate her power.
If the situation worsened, it would be a devastating blow to someone like Ma Xiaoru, who was used to being a competent fighter.
Wang Tong tried to fix some of the nodes, but found that his double-GN force was incompatible with that of Ma Xiaoru. Wang Tong finally realized the seriousness of the situation; he had heard of the depletion of soul energy, but he had just learned that one's GN force could also be drained.
Wang Tong pulled back his GN force and sat down with a solemn face. Ma Xiaoru knew that something had gone wrong.
"What's going on inside me?"
Wang Tong plastered a smile on his face and answered, "Nothing. I just realized that you are not yet fully recovered."
Ma Xiaoru smiled softly and kissed Wang Tong on the forehead "You are the worst lier I have ever seen. I have already died once, so just tell me what it is. I'm not afraid of it."
Wang Tong heaved sigh and conceded that he could not hide anything from Ma Xiaoru. "It's your GN nodes; I think they are damaged. Don't worry though, I promise I will find a cure." Wang Tong announced while distress and worry were written all over his face.
Ma Xiaoru held up Wang Tong's face with both hands and kissed him. "I'm not afraid. I have you to protect me."
The two then embraced each other firmly. Cheesiness aside, the feelings of the two teenagers towards each other were pure and genuine, since they had gone through such difficult time together that no ordinary person could even fathom.
"Don't worry. I will find the cure!" Wang Tong announced with conviction.
"Don't force yourself too hard, some stuff in our life is better to be left to fate." Ma Xiaoru was not very hopeful that Wang Tong would be able to find a cure after all of her family doctors—experts in the field of medicine— had failed. Plus, she would be satisfied with her life as long as she was with him. Looking at Wang Tong's concerned expression, she suddenly felt that this misfortune was well worth it.
Wang Tong fixed his gaze on Ma Xiaoru's face and felt content to have a princess's affection. Unlike his predecessor Li Feng, Wang Tong had never harbored grand ambitions. However, he was willing to do anything for his loved one.
"There must be a way, you just have to believe it. Let me tell you a secret—"
"Well, don't tell me if it's a secret." Ma Xiaoru cut him short and laughed. Right now, she only wanted to lay in his boyfriend's arms and think of nothing else.
"Xiaoru, if I tell you that I am the heir of the Blade Warrior... would you believe me?" Wang Tong asked.
"You are ... who? WHAT?" Ma Xiaoru didn't see it coming, and was rendered dumbfounded by the question.
"The Blade Warrior, Li Feng, the greatest legend of human history." Wang Tong smiled. Already, he noticed that MA Xiaoru seemed to have gained some confidence in his claim of curing her.
"That is why I said I could find a cure. Didn't you notice that my tactics are unique?"
"That's right. I had been wondering all the while why your tactics are so effective against the tactics of the Enchantress."
"It's because I used the two hundred and fifty-six node version of the tactics of the Blade. The normal version had only eight nodes."
Ma Xiaoru was so shocked by the revelation that she almost screamed out loud.
"You want to know more?" Wang Tong said with a smug look. It felt good to brag about himself in front of his girlfriend.
"Hold on, let me get ready."
The two then laid on the sofa together as Wang Tong started to tell her stories from his life. An hour later, from the corner of his eyes, Wang Tong caught Ma Xiaoru crying.
"What's wrong? Did I say anything that upset you?" Wang Tong asked.
Ma Xiaoru stood up without saying a word. Any remaining concern and hesitation in her had capitulated in the face of Wang Tong's moving and heroic stories. She quickly took off her underwear and cuddled into Wang Tong's arms and said, "I am yours, and I want you to have me, now."
Chapter 384: First Night of Love
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
Ma Xiaoru was not interested in the stories of the Blade Warrior, but her heart sank quickly when she heard about Wang Tong's numerous injuries. Ma Xiaoru only cared about her boyfriend and no one else, not even the legendary Blade Warrior.
In that sense, Wang Tong was extremely lucky.
However, his luck didn't stop there, as Ma Xiaoru was offering her first night to him. He realized that if he refused Ma Xiaoru again, it would be not only cowardly, but also rude.
To the two young lovers, nothing would be sweeter than this moment, not even the joy of winning the tournament.
Fame and glory had nothing to do with what was happening right now; it was pure love. The only thing that Ma Xiaoru wanted was to find someone she truly loved, and when she finally found him, he happened to be as madly in love as she was.
The rest of the night lost its meaning to them, and before they knew it, the sun had come out; it was a new day.
Wang Tong stayed in bed. They had done it so many times last night that he barely had time to sleep. But still, he felt energetic in the morning. This was not Wang Tong's first time, and therefore, he knew how to last longer to enjoy the satisfaction of the flesh to its fullness. Although it was Ma Xiaoru's first time, the Tactics of the Enchantress had made things much easier for her. No only her tactics had heightened Wang Tong's pleasure, but the combination of the Enchantress and the Tactics of the Blade had greatly enhanced the power of Wang Tong's soul essence—a benefit even Wang Tong didn't realize until much later.
Ma Xiaoru was still asleep, with a faint but sweet smile hanging on her rosy cheeks. The scene evoked a sense of pride inside Wang Tong; he knew his life would no longer be complete without her.
Wang Tong held back his urge to wake up his girlfriend to quench his new found lust. Instead, he channeled out his soul energy into Ma Xiaoru. To his surprise, he found that Ma Xiaoru's GN nodes were already starting to recover.
"Perhaps the Tactics of the Blade is the cure?" Wang Tong was elated by the thought. He recalled the moment last night when he was about to relieve himself, he felt that his soul energy was so closely intermingled with that of Ma Xiaoru that they were practically one. The union of their soul energy had also given him an explosion of pleasure that was beyond physical sensation.
'What had happened at that moment?' Wang Tong thought. Perhaps, no one other than Li Feng would be able to answer this question, since his wife, Zhou Zhi, had also cultivated the Tactics of the Enchantress.
Wang Tong kissed gently on Ma Xiaoru's forehead before he cleaned himself up and started his daily practice.
As soon as he started cultivation, he was shocked by the huge improvement in his power. He had never felt so much improvement in one night. The more he advanced his cultivation, the more difficult it was to improve. The Tactics of the Blade only provided a solid framework for Wang Tong, and he had since been struggling to beef up his power by increasing his soul energy. However, the process had been extremely slow, despite being rightfully so.
The promise of a huge advancement had given Wang Tong a newfound carefulness. Instinct told Wang Tong that the first round of practice would be crucial in determining the actual improvement he could harvest, so he took his time to finish the first round to maximize the benefit.
As soon as Ma Xiaoru opened her eyes, she found Wang Tong hovering above the ground, surrounded by a golden hue. He had become so powerful that Ma Xiaoru suddenly felt lack of words to describe it. Was it the power of the Blade Warrior? No, this was the power of her boyfriend.
Wang Tong finally took a deep breath as the golden hue dissipated. He immediately felt Ma Xiaoru's gaze on his half-naked body.
"You are awake."
"Yeah! Your power is so... different."
"Haha, yes! But, I can't let my guard down. I bet both Li Shiming and Patroclus are no less powerful. How are you feeling? I have checked your GN nodes this morning, and they are already recovering."
Wang Tong said as he jumped on to the bed and spooned Ma Xiaoru's naked body. "Looks like the Karmamudra had worked!"
"There is no such thing! You pervert!" Ma Xiaoru blushed at the mentioning of last night's passion.
"It's true. Think about it; our tactics are the same as Li Feng and Zhou Zhi's. We just need more experiments to prove it." Wang Tong said as he cracked a smile.
Ma Xiaoru nodded. Deep down, she was ready to agree with whatever Wang Tong would say from then on.
It wasn't until breakfast that Ma Xiaoru mentioned that her mother was also on the Moon.
"Let's go see my mom together. I was supposed to go home last night...You know how she is..." Ma Xiaoru paused, wondering if she should continue.
Wang Tong understood Ma Xiaoru's concern, and he felt that there was no point in hiding anything from Wu Xin. He was unable to hide anything even if he wanted to anyways.
"Ok, let's go meet the in-laws."
"Who is your in-laws?"
"Your mom!"
Although Wang Tong had anticipated this moment, he was unnerved by its possible consequences. Wang Tong wanted to see Ma Xiaoru happy. However, if her mom were strongly against their relationship, he would be stuck in a very tough position. Nevertheless, Wang Tong conceded that he had no way out.
Wang Tong and Ma Xiaoru were greeted by the butler's ingratiating smile. "Ma'am is in the living room."
Xiaoru pulled Wang Tong closer to her; she was more nervous than Wang Tong, as she was worried that her mom still held prejudice against Wang Tong.
However, she was adamant that she would spend the rest of her life with Wang Tong, regardless of what others might think.
The two plodded into the living room, and Wang Tong saw Wu Xin relaxed on the sofa, reading a newspaper without any sign of distress. Realization suddenly downed upon Wang Tong that Wu Xin had already acquiesced their action—it was time to cement his relationship with Ma Xiaoru.
Wang Tong closed in with a few bold strides and bowed deeply to Wu Xin "Nice to meet you Mother in law. I wish you a nice day!"
An amused grunt escaped Wu Xin's mouth and then she said, "Who the heck is your in-law? You don't feel shame, do you?"
"Mother in law, I promise I will look after Xiaoru. "Wang Tong announced sincerely.
"Mom! Don't talk to him like that!" Ma Xiaoru complained.
Wu Xin rolled her eyes at her daughter and then said, "I didn't do anything yet! Wang Tong, since you had taken her first night, I hereby announce you her fiancé. You can take her hand the day you claim the title of champion."
Ma Xiaoru was caught off guard by her mother's announcement, overtaken by joy. She didn't know what to say.
Wang Tong was also shocked. "Thank you, would-be-mother-in-law." Wang Tong hurried to reply and bowed to Wu Xin one more time.
"Ru'er, I have something to ask him, alone." Wu Xin announced. Ma Xiaoru left reluctantly, but she nodded at Wang Tong before she disappeared behind the door, willing him to relax.
After Ma Xiaoru was gone, Wu Xin gestured Wang Tong to sit down. "Don't be afraid. We will be one family soon. I know that you are hiding a lot of things from us, but that's not what I want to talk to you about. I only want to ask you this… Will you devote yourself to my daughter's happiness?"
Wang Tong had been expecting threats. However, he only felt a mother's love for her daughter.
Chapter 385: The Eight Quarter Finalists
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
"I promise I will!"
"Love is the easy part; it is loving that's hard. Although Xiaoru has a kind heart, there would be the time when you two find yourself quarreling with each other. I hope you would be mindful of her feelings."
Wu Xin knew that it would be useless to threaten Wang Tong. However, she really hoped that Wang Tong and her daughter would stay together and be happy forever and after.
"Xiaoru is the best girl I have ever met, and it is my honor to protect her. Thank you!" Wang Tong announced.
Wu Xin nodded in approval.
Wang Tong had a sneaking suspicion that House of Ma had already discovered some of his secrets. He also reckoned that since House of Ma had acknowledged his relationship with Ma Xiaoru, they would have to get ready for the ire from House of Li.
"Very well, go find your sweetheart now. She must be waiting for you outside." Wu Xin finally cracked a smile and nodded.
Wang Tong bowed to Wu Xin one more time before leaving the living room. When he saw the gleeful smile on Ma Xiaoru's face, Wang Tong felt like the luckiest person in the world.
In the living room, a knowing smile hung on Wu Xin's face. Ma Xiaoru and Wang Tong were just like her and Ma Dutian when they were teenagers, brave, wild, and silly.
Although Wu Xin conceded that Li Shiming was a good candidate for her son-in-law, Wang Tong's genuine and unvarnished personality was much more to her liking.
Although Wang Tong was the heir of Li Feng, Wu Xin conceded that he would not be able to bring any immediate benefits to House of Ma. However, being the heir of the Blade Warrior meant that he would be more than capable of protecting Ma Xiaoru, and that would be enough for Wu Xin for now.
In the long run, when both Wu Xin and Ma Dutian got old, Ma Xiaoru would have to carry on the family business. In that sense, a marriage with House of Li might seem to be the most reasonable choice. However, fate had a habit of throwing a curveball from time to time, and no one could have predicted the emergence of Wang Tong.
Before the meeting with Wang Tong, Wu Xin had not only dug into his experiences, but also learned a great deal about his personality and reputation. She had quickly discovered his secret affair with Samantha. However, Wu Xin was not disturbed by her discovery. Instead, she reasoned that the fact that Samantha—a brilliant young girl —had fallen for him spoke loudly of his qualities.
The ringing of sky-net abruptly stopped Wu Xin's train of thoughts. It was Ma Dutian.
"Haha… Xin, still feeling bad for giving away our daughter?"
"Puhh...She is all grown up. It's hard for me to see..."
"Wang Tong is a good lad, don't worry."
"Did you find out anything else about him?"
"Well. I didn't choose him, you did."
"Whatever! You know what I mean."
Although the two had been married for decades, they still enjoyed harmless squabbles like a pair of newly married couple. This would be a rare scene in House of Li.
The main difference between House of Li and Ma was in their goals. House of Ma was content to have found their rightful place in history while House of Li burned in the egocentric mission of dominating the Confederation. Every generation of House of Li had to prove their superiority to the world, and therefore, they had become quite unforgiving to their family members.
After Ma Xiaoru left her house, she had been walking around in the streets while holding Wang Tong's hand. With her mother's approval, they could finally hang out in public as a couple.
Although Wang Tong knew that Wu Xin's approval did not amount to his final success, since he still needed to prove himself, he didn't share his concern with Ma Xiaoru, as he didn't want to make her worry.
"Tong, let's go hang out with Zhou Sisi and Karl."
"I see, you want to make the announcement." Wang Tong smiled.
"Of course! I want them to let them know that we belong to each other from now on."
"Ok, let's go."
The crowd cheered as the two appeared in front of them hand in hand. The sudden change of House of Ma's attitude had also surprised everyone. The group went straight to a restaurant to celebrate the lovers' reunion.
A few days had passed, and the seeding ceremony for the quarter-finals was about to start. There were over ten thousand media journalist that had applied to enter the arena. However, only a few were granted the pass.
All eyes were on the seeding process, as it would play a significant role in shaping the outcome of the remaining fights.
Suddenly, a streaky flash of light appeared on the stage as Zhang Buyu walked out of the backstage. The light came from his long glinting blade. He folded his hands and bowed to the audiences, polite as ever.
After the MC announced his name, the backdrop on the stage showed a projection of highlights from Zhang Buyu's previous fights.
When the images finally faded, a lightning flash zapped across the stage, and with the din of a blaring thunder, Lee Xin sauntered onto the stage with his legendary Thunder Blade. His dramatic entry won him lots of teenage girls' screams.
Before the screams had died down, the lights on the stage changed from blinding lightning flashes to dream like soft shades, as the only female contestant—Kaedeian Princess Heidi—appeared in front of everyone.
After the MC announced Heidi's name, the projector projected the image of Planet Mars onto the stage backdrop. As the camera panned closer to the red planet, Mars turned into a ball of fire, and Michaux slowly walked out of the flames.
Suddenly, the flame burned with more intensity, as another Martian walked out of the blazing fire. He was Lie Jian, the Martian prince.
The flame waned after Lie Jian's entrance, and the stage was slowly swallowed by darkness. Despite the darkness, audiences could vaguely discern an even darker outline of a human figure. As the mysterious fighter stepped into the light, everyone found out that he was Wang Tong, the dark horse of this year's tournament.
Suddenly, a blaring clap shot through the entire arena, and thousand trumpets followed with a few powerful high notes, as the two most popular fighters stepped onto the stage at the same time.
They were the heir of House of Li, Li Shiming, and the perfect human, Patroclus. All the audiences held the same question in their mind, "Will they re-enact their ancestor's legendary fight a few centuries ago?"
The eight fighters stood under the stage light. They represented the ultimate power of their generation. The most anticipated moment was about to arrive, as the names of the eight players rolled on the screen.
"Ding-a-ling!"
The first group: Li Shiming vs. Lee Xin.
It would be not only a confrontation between two young swordmasters, but also a fight between "Vayu" and the "Thunder Blade."
Lee Xin was very pleased with his position, since his opponent was not Patroclus, and he always believed that he would be able to defeat Li Shiming.
The second group: Michaux vs. Wang Tong.
The announcement had unnerved all earthlings, as they doubted that Wang Tong would be able to defeat the young master. To everyone's surprise, they both looked at each other and smiled knowingly, as if they were both pleased by the seeding result.
The third group: Patroclus vs. Heidi. It would be a fight between two hotties.
The fourth group: Lie Jian vs. Zhang Buyu.
After the final announcement, the seeding ceremony finally lowered its curtain. The next day, stage lights lit up again as the real battle of the tournament started.
The MC shouted the names of the combatants, but the feverish cheers of the audiences drowned his voice. This would be the first official fight between "Vayu" and "Thunder Blade."
Both fighters stepped onto the stage amidst waves of cheers of their supporters.