Part 1: Broken Bones on the Battlefield and a Stubborn Soul
Maria's panicked and anxious voice echoed off the stony walls of the arena. In the air, the fierce roar of Monica's Wind Magic and the dust of the debris still swirled.
"Captain! Your condition is not good! Your ribs... your bones are cracked! Standing alone against a monster like Bai-Long in this state is nothing short of suicide! Please, don't torture yourself like this!" Maria cried out, nearly in tears. Her hand trembled as she held the bowstring.
Rick slammed his heavy shield onto the ground and looked at Kai. A mixture of sweat and blood covered his forehead. Shaking his head, he agreed, "Kai, Maria isn't wrong. If a simple punch from Bai-Long has put you in this state, you won't even be able to stand up straight if he uses his real power or magic skills. Let's draw back and think of another way!"
Kai did not answer. He didn't even move. He just stared with calm, unwavering eyes at the shining blades of the double swords in his bloody hands. Every breath was a struggle. Every time he inhaled deeply, it felt as though a dozen sharp needles were piercing the left side of his chest simultaneously. A sharp throb pulsed from his fractured hip bone, threatening to numb his entire nervous system.
But was there any trace of fear in Kai's eyes? No!
Burning there was a deadly, stubborn crimson fire—the fire of a true challenger! A fire he had carried since setting the three ultimate goals of his life: he had to find his grandfather, punish the cunning relatives who had stolen his family's inheritance, and rip open the chests of all the magic beasts in this world. If he broke down from a minor injury like this, how would he ever face the monsters of the future?
"Maria... Rick..." Kai finally spoke. His voice was incredibly low, yet carried the unyielding grit and resolve of a mountain. "If I don't hold him back, we all die here. Our journey ends here... right now. Did you guys really come here just to lose? Do you want to go back to our training camp as losers? Our coach staked his honor before his master. Are we going to let that go to waste?"
This single question from Kai pierced the hearts of the other four like an arrow. The faces of Rick, Bobby, Roose, and Maria instantly hardened. If an injured man like Kai could fight this hard, why were they letting themselves feel weak?
"We only have one shot at this," Kai muttered, gripping the hilts of his twin swords even tighter, as if the skin of his hands would split open and bleed. "I will buy you time. I'll hold this monster back. No matter what, you four eliminate the rest of them quickly. This is my last order as your team leader, team!"
For the first time, they saw the reflection of a true commander in Kai's eyes. They realized there was no stopping him.
Part 2: The Demonic Steps of the Heavy Martial Artist
"Hahaha! Amazing! Truly interesting!"
Seeing Kai take a combat stance once again, Bai-Long roared with laughter. His massive, broad chest heaved with amusement. An eerie, hot wind emanated from his giant frame, raising the temperature of the entire arena.
"You really are different, little boy! Any ordinary fighter would have passed out on the ground from hip pain after taking just one of my basic 'Mountain Punches'. Yet, here you are, still smiling into my eyes! I respect your grit, Kai... but this excessive stubbornness of yours will be the very cause of your downfall today!" Bai-Long cracked his shoulder joints with a loud pop as he readied his giant hands.
BOOM!
In the next instant, Bai-Long vanished from his spot. In a single bound, he shattered the concrete slabs on the ground and lunged toward Kai like a shot arrow. Looking at his massive, heavy build, no one would ever suspect he could move so fast! He was fast, unbelievably fast! Whistling sharply through the air, a massive, stone-hard punch came hurtling straight at Kai's head.
Kai's mind went into hyper-drive.
He knew that if he tried to block this supernatural punch with his ordinary swords, both his arms and his weapons would be crushed to pieces. Thus, he threw all thoughts of defense out of his mind. Bearing the intense agony in his fractured hip, he dodged an inch to the side at the very last second.
The speed of Bai-Long's punch was so immense that the sheer wind pressure sliced Kai's cheek, sending a spray of blood into the air. But Kai was not one to back down! The moment he dodged, he slid right past Bai-Long's guard, straight into his exposed chest.
Gathering the entire strength of his twin swords and the last ounce of his body weight, Kai executed a cross-cut attempt—"Twin Fang Strike!"
CLANG!
But the moment Kai's twin swords struck Bai-Long's stone-like skin, a deafening metallic screech rang out. It felt as though a regular sword had struck a solid wall of steel weighing several tons. Sparks and embers flew in all directions, but not a single drop of blood was drawn from Bai-Long—there wasn't even a scratch on his skin!
"Too weak! A pitiful strike!" Bai-Long bellowed. In the blink of an eye, he delivered a devastating kick with his right leg straight to Kai's chest.
Kai had crossed his twin swords over his chest to defend. But the impact of the blow was so brutal that his swords nearly slipped from his grip. He was sent flying, sliding across the ground until he crashed violently into a stone pillar at the edge of the ring.
"Kah!" Kai coughed up a glob of dark, crimson blood onto the stone floor. The pillar behind him had shattered into dust from the impact of his back.
'Damn it...' Kai got to his knees with great difficulty, his body trembling. His vision was starting to blur. 'His physical defense is not that of a normal human. He must be using some special art or hidden technique. I have to keep diverting his attacks and keep him busy, otherwise my friends are done for.'
Part 3: From Lack of Coordination to the First Synced Teamwork
Watching Kai fight this perilous battle, the blood of his teammates surged. They realized that Kai was putting his life on the line for them. If they just stood idly or fought individual battles now, it would be a betrayal of his sacrifice!
"Rick! We need an opening! We have to break their defense!" Roose shouted, pulling out several small throwing daggers from inside his coat and slipping them between his fingers.
"Leave it to me!" Rick roared.
Pressing his massive metal defensive shield tightly against his shoulder, Rick charged at Monica like a bullet. Monica was still keeping herself safe, enveloped in a fierce and dangerous invisible wall of Wind Shield.
Boom!
Rick slammed into Monica's Wind Shield with his full body weight and the momentum of his heavy shield. The violent swirl of the wind screeched against the metal surface of his shield. Gritting his teeth, Rick screamed, "I can't break it, but I can destabilize it! Her wind rotation is weakened for a moment! Bobby, now is the time! Take aim!"
Sniper Bobby closed his eyes for a brief second. He ignored his own opponent, the "Shadow Ghost", knowing that victory was impossible unless they downed Monica first. He aligned his sniper rifle's barrel straight toward the air currents surrounding Monica's Wind Shield, his ears attuned to the slightest shifts in wind speed.
"Found it! The flow of wind has a focal point!" Bobby whispered. Any wind vortex has a specific center where the atmospheric pressure drops to its lowest.
BANG!
A high-penetrating special bullet fired from Bobby's sniper rifle. Ripping through the air, the bullet struck precisely at that weak focal point of Monica's Wind Shield.
Screeech!
For a split second, Monica's impenetrable Wind Shield默 stuttered, and a large crack ripped through the invisible barrier surrounding her.
"Now, Maria! Finish it!" Roose yelled, throwing five daggers in rapid succession toward Monica's face to distract her. Forced to dodge the incoming daggers, Monica whipped her head aside.
Maria pulled her bowstring all the way back to her ear. Her eyes sharpened like an eagle's, entirely focused on that tiny crack in Monica's Wind Shield. She gathered all her focus and energy onto the tip of her arrow.
"This is for our Team! This is for Kai! Aero Shot!"
Fwoosh!
Released from Maria's grip, the specialized arrow cut through the air with a sharp whistle, passing straight through the crack and striking Monica. The arrow pierced clean through her right shoulder.
"AAARGH!" Monica shrieked in pain and collapsed to the ground. Instantly, the invisible Wind Dome around her shattered like glass!
"Yes! We did it!" Maria jumped up in pure joy. They had managed to completely shatter the defense of a powerful magic user for the first time. Their synchronized teamwork had actually worked!
Part 4: The Awakening of Bai-Long's Crimson Aura
But their moment of joy lasted only a few seconds.
Across the ring, when Bai-Long saw Monica from his team writhing in pain on the ground, the light, mocking smile on his face vanished instantly. His pupils narrowed.
An eerie, heavy, and suffocating silence descended upon the entire arena. It felt as if gravity had suddenly multiplied, pulling everyone's feet down against the stone floor.
"You guys actually managed to hurt Monica..." Bai-Long's deep voice shook the very concrete of the training ground. There was a strange vibration in his tone that struck primal fear into the hearts of the trainees.
"It seems I took you too lightly. I was holding back too much. Hiding my true strength before fighters as stubborn and dedicated as you is almost an insult. I do respect your determination..." Bai-Long spoke in a calm but chilling voice.
In the next instant, Kai's pupils dilated with fear and shock.
He watched as a bizarre, dark-crimson smoke-like energy—an Aura—began to pour out of Bai-Long's massive body. The air around the aura seemed to warp and tremble. Small pebbles on the ground began to float into the air on their own. It was as if a sleeping lion, caged until now, had broken free and was roaring to life!
"Get ready, Little Friend," Bai-Long said, locking his eyes onto Kai. His eyes were no longer normal; they burned with a crimson glow like hot coals. His voice sounded even deeper, almost supernatural.
"Now, the real battle begins."
Kai forced his trembling, pain-ridden legs to stand straight once more. Every nerve in his body screamed at him to collapse, but the fighter spirit within him refused to yield. Wiping the blood from the corner of his lip with the back of his hand, he let out a bloody, stubborn grin.
Raising his twin swords to chest level, he stared directly into Bai-Long's eyes and roared—
"Bring it on, Monster! Let's see just how strong your magic really is!
[ See you in next chapter ]