Chapter 111: One-Wave Flow and the Aesthetic of Violence! Fighting Against the Replacement of the Big Sister!

After all, Asher also had a look of unwavering focus. They believed that a good student and comrade like Asher would never take the initiative to suggest pulling out such a banner.

'Hmm! It must be like this!'

Asher forced himself to focus his attention on the contestants in the arena. After scanning around, the ones he recognized and who had left the deepest impression on him were naturally Felter, Dexter, and the Leonheart sisters—four in total.

Next was Creed.

Then, it was Roy. The strength of the Thousand-Ridge Lord Beast was indeed not to be underestimated. Even without the buff from underlings, Roy still managed to squeeze into the final day of the competition.

As for Scar, just like he said, he had already been eliminated yesterday.

There was no helping it.

The precise control ability of the Dream Butterfly would fall behind as soon as it was slightly disrupted. Fortunately, Scar had a good mentality. As he said himself, as long as he didn't get eliminated in the first round, it was already a victory.

After that, no one else left a particularly deep impression on Asher.

But knowing 6 out of 20 finalists, Asher felt that was enough.

If he had made it to the finals, these people would have played one more round than him today.

Unlike the first and second days of the preliminary round, today, there were no simultaneous matches—each match was played one at a time.

And then...

Asher had exceptionally good luck and drew the first match of the day.

And his opponent was none other than Creed—the one who had left a deep impression on him and everyone else yesterday.

Felter looked at the arena with a subtle expression. "Ah... what a shame, I really wanted to fight both of them."

"Even if you lose the first round, you're not necessarily eliminated. There will always be a chance to fight," Dexter, sitting not far from him, said calmly.

"That's true," Felter was satisfied. "Then let's see which of these two is stronger."

Will the new king rise once again?

Or will the dark horse gallop wildly?

The battle was about to begin.

"Professor Asher, I didn't expect to meet you in the very first match of the finals." Creed looked at Asher across from him and smiled. "Roy is going to be so jealous."

Hearing Creed's words, Asher instinctively raised his head and looked in the direction behind Creed.

Then, he saw a pair of eyes staring intently at Creed's back, practically burning two holes through it, filled with resentment.

As soon as those eyes accidentally met Asher's, their expression instantly changed from resentment to blankness, then to terror.

The next second, Roy "whoosh"—vanished from Asher's line of sight.

The speed of that movement left Asher in awe.

"Did Roy realize that Professor Asher was looking at him?" Creed, though he hadn't turned around, accurately guessed what had happened. He chuckled. "Then he must be scared stiff."

"But that's good too. Otherwise, if he kept staring at me, it would mess with my mindset."

Asher had a complicated expression.

Hiss—was he brainwashed by June and Ivy's weird glances and interactions, or were these two people just inherently strange?

Asher: "Let's prepare for battle."

Rejecting oddly flavored dog food.

First, he wasn't a dog.

Second, he didn't eat dog food.

"Alright." Creed nodded. "Pearl Princess."

Asher also patted the Cat-Worm on his chest. "Go."

A round, chubby Cat-Worm VS the heroic mother, Pearl Princess.

The battle was about to begin.

Whether it was the audience or the contestants, their eyes were filled with anticipation as they watched the two.

"Do you think the Cat-Worm's larval form would be even cuter? A bunch of Cat-Worms?" June looked at the chubby Cat-Worm, imagining what it would look like if the Pearl Princess gave birth to a litter of lively little babies, and couldn't help but grin.

Ivy followed June's thought and imagined it as well, her eyes gradually lighting up—seems like it would be really cute.

At first glance, the Cat-Worm looked a bit ugly.

Looking at it seriously, it was a bit sanity-draining.

But once you got used to it, you could oddly find a bit of unique ugly-cute charm in it.

A tiny little Cat-Worm... just imagining it seemed even cuter.

"I can't speak for others, but there's no way Asher would ever let that clam spirit scam a baby out of his pet." Vicky crossed his arms, speaking with absolute certainty. "Letting the clam spirit get away with a scam pregnancy? That would be outrageous! Just with how bizarre the Cat-Worm's abilities are... Ugh, having one is bad enough. If there were more..."

'Can't imagine, can't imagine!'

Truly can't even dare to think about it.

"But this isn't up to Professor Asher. Creed's clam spirit is a scamming monster..." Scar also squeezed in beside them, sighing as he seriously analyzed, "Unless it's a pure fighting-type pet with only physical attacks, otherwise, once the battle starts, the clam spirit will definitely succeed in its scam."

"And once it succeeds... sorry, but at that point, things will spiral out of control."

"But even for a pure fighting-type, physical attack pet, breaking through that clam shell is incredibly difficult. That's the real frustration."

Saying this, Scar nodded solemnly. "To be honest, if this clam spirit weren't a special, one-of-a-kind beast with no known species, the teachers and professors in our province would have long recommended Pearl Princess for the national 'Extreme' research project."

Don't ask.

Just know that Pearl Princess's shell was genuinely hard, genuinely disgusting, and genuinely unbreakable.

"No, no, no, this is where you don't know." Vicky smirked, looking smug. "Just because others can't do it doesn't mean our Asher, my Big Daddy, can't!"

The battle began.

Pearl Princess moved second.

Creed gave no commands, just smiled as he watched Asher make his move.

Everyone else was also waiting for Asher to act.

They were curious—how would Asher fight?

Physical attack?

Special skill attack?

What method would Asher use to defeat this tricky and disgusting clam spirit?

If possible, they wanted to learn from him.

Then...

"Close in and use Breaking Blade."

Due to the clam spirit's special nature—immobile, dealing extra damage and hindering the Cat-Worm—Asher didn't bother using Shadow Sneak. He simply charged in directly.

Cat-Worm: (≧ω≦*)☆

'Meow!'

'Got it!'

'Understood!'

Then, the audience watched as the Cat-Worm, waving its seven tiny short legs in a chaotic yet incredibly fast manner, approached Pearl Princess.

No special energy fluctuation.

Not a single bit.

The moment it got close, the Cat-Worm leaped high into the air. Its seven sharp little short legs, looking fragile at first, became unstoppable the moment they struck down—Absolute Defense?

All shattered!

"Shadow Tentacle Stacking: Shadow Invasion!"

Pitch-black darkness, like a frenziedly writhing strange shadow, suddenly shot out from the shadow beneath the Cat-Worm's body.

"Swish, swish, swish—"

With a sharp air-slicing effect, it surged forward in one go, tightly wrapping around Pearl Princess, injecting venom.

The domain of Shadow Invasion also instantly took shape, firmly trapping Pearl Princess within.

The process was so smooth, the movements so sharp, that some of the audience hadn't even reacted to what had just happened.

When that black, sticky, fog-like yet seemingly heavy liquid tide wrapped around Pearl Princess finally receded—

What everyone else saw was a clam shell unable to close, wide open, revealing the pure white clam flesh inside, now mixed with black venom. The shell remained completely motionless.

Audience: "?"

Contestants: "?"

Commentators: "?"

"Uh… is this… Referee, can you check on the situation?" The commentator only remembered to call for the referee after a whispered reminder from Jade Dragon and Flood Dragon University's instructor beside them.

The referee then showed a sudden look of realization and quickly stepped forward with a "zoom zoom zoom" sound to inspect Pearl Princess' condition.

"Pearl Princess has lost the ability to battle. Contestant Asher wins." When the referee announced this, the audience still hadn't reacted.

Wait.

That's it?

Just like that?

A single attack?

Did the whole match even last over a minute?

Oh.

Including the time it took the referee to check Pearl Princess' condition, about two minutes.

The other contestants were even more shocked.

Was Pearl Princess' ability disgusting?

Yes.

Was it beatable?

Difficult.

The main issue was that her shell was nearly unbreakable. Not attacking would be considered passive play, but attacking… they'd end up suffering instead.

After watching Pearl Princess in action yesterday, many contestants—including the seeded ones in today's finals—had been thinking:

If they faced Creed's Pearl Princess, how could they possibly win?

Yet, in just one minute—

Asher used his method to put on a performance of precision strikes for everyone.

Too hard to beat? Too tricky?

Nonexistent.

Just charge in!

See?

Wasn't that easy?

As they watched Cat-Worm gleefully hop into Asher's arms after taking down Pearl Princess, looking as if it hadn't wasted even an ounce of extra energy, both the contestants and the audience all had the same dazed expression.

A new king… truly deserving of the title.

No wonder they say there are only poorly chosen names, never mistaken nicknames.

"Pearl Princess…!" Even Creed was stunned by the power Cat-Worm had displayed. He quickly ran over to Pearl Princess, crouching down to check on her condition.

The venom had directly struck Pearl Princess' soft flesh.

Because her structure was similar to that of common aquatic creatures, her body was extremely simple. Unlike other beasts, which needed time for poison to spread through their systems, Pearl Princess' true body was just that small core of flesh. The moment she was poisoned, it had already spread throughout her entire body.

Once her defense was breached, she became fragile and helpless.

Seeing this, Creed let out a helpless smile. He swiftly recalled Pearl Princess into his spiritual beast space and, before heading off to get her treated, turned to Asher and said, "Professor Asher, your beast is truly incredible."

"Thanks for the compliment." Asher smiled, accepting this praise, which was much more sincere than last time.

Cat-Worm: *Proud*

"Meow Meow woo!"

'That's right!'

'This dragon is just that amazing!'

'The strongest little beauty dragon in the arena!'

Asher patted the two little dragon horns on Cat-Worm's head,"Keep it down, or you'll get smacked in the face later."

Cat-Worm: (ˉ(∞)ˉ)

'Impossible!'

Watching Asher and Cat-Worm's tacit interaction, Creed quickly turned away and left the arena, wasting no time in taking Pearl Princess for detoxification.

He still had a chance in the revival match. He had to get Pearl Princess treated before the remaining nine battles concluded and leave enough time for recovery.

Asher, calm and composed, left the arena with Cat-Worm and returned to sit beside June and the others.

Meanwhile, countless eyes—both openly and secretly—were locked onto Asher and the Cat-Worm in his arms, filled with awe and amazement—

"That was absolutely insane!" Scar gave Asher a big thumbs-up,"Look, the second group of contestants hasn't even recovered from their shock yet. That was practically an instant kill."

A single attack took the win.

It was just too fast!

Asher smiled. "Cat-Worm works hard every day. Hard work pays off, and today is the day to test the results of that effort."

"Cat-Worm handed in a rather decent answer sheet."

As he spoke, Asher casually stroked Cat-Worm's back.

Cat-Worm's face showed pure enjoyment.

But upon hearing Asher's words, it suddenly struggled to wake up, seemingly dissatisfied.

"Meow Meow!"

"Meow roar!"

'What do you mean by "rather decent"?'

'This was clearly a perfect score!'

Cat-Worm: ╭(╯^╰)╮

'This dragon is the best!'

"If you win the championship outright, then that'll be a perfect score."

Cat-Worm: *Turns head away silently*

Not that it didn't want to talk big.

It was just that…

Cat-Worm: QwO

'Beastmasters are so annoying!'

'Why must this dragon admit it might not make it?'

Five consecutive matches, each opponent tougher than the last… there's no way it'll last to the end.

Cat-Worm: *Emo mode activated*

'Today is a Not-Okay Dragon day.'

———

"Hm?"

"Interesting."

In two relatively secluded spots at the venue, Jasmine and Kevin, both wearing masks, sat where no one was around, conversing in low voices.

Kevin held a can of cola with a straw in one hand while rhythmically tapping the armrest of his chair with the other.

Watching the ongoing match between a new pair of contestants, he was actually commenting on Asher's previous performance.

"I originally thought coming out with you to watch this competition would just be a way to relax, wasting an entire day. I didn't expect to see something interesting."

"That pet beast of Asher's... its ability is intriguing, but its real strength probably isn't as strong as it seems."

"In terms of overall strength evaluation, it's definitely not at the eight-star level."

Kevin declared with certainty.

His confidence came from years of experience dealing with pet beasts and beasts.

"Ah... Asher does have another pet beast, the Oriental Peacock, which has already evolved. Its strength should be greater than Cat Dragon's." Jasmine nodded, recalling the discussions she'd overheard about Asher before arriving.

From dark horse to new king, an eight-star pet beast in overall strength... Yet the one Asher used was clearly the weaker of his two beasts.

But those who didn't know Asher well enough had no doubts at all—about whether Cat Dragon was truly an eight-star pet beast.

"Even if it's not eight stars, this pet beast should be rated at least seven stars in overall strength." Jasmine said, "But the gap between seven and true eight stars... should still be quite significant."

Just from the actual ranking alone, the difference was very clear.

"That's still impressive. A beast at most fourth-tier? Probably just low-level fourth-tier, yet it easily defeated several pet beasts, including that tricky clam spirit. No one doubting it is completely understandable."

Kevin nodded.

Hearing this, Jasmine laughed.

Asher... truly kept surprising her.

A talent in pet beast evolution research.

A talent in pet beast combat.

Both were dazzling.

Advancing together.

So exaggerated it felt unreal.

Was this really something a normal human could achieve?

Unknowingly, admiration crept into Jasmine's gaze as she looked at Asher.

Kevin, who noticed: "..."

Suddenly, the cola in his mouth didn't taste as sweet.

And why hadn't this little elementary schooler nagged him about drinking carbonated drinks being unhealthy today?

Thinking this, Kevin bit his straw and let out a loud, dramatic "slurp" as he sucked up the last bit from the bottom of the can.

Jasmine, who had just shifted her gaze from Asher: "Teacher, drink less, or I'll report to your Wife."

Kevin: "..."

He swallowed.

Feeling the fizzy bubbles explode on his tongue—satisfying.

———

The first round of battles ended quickly.

Next came the resurrection matches for the remaining ten contestants.

Asher watched calmly.

From ten to five, then selecting one from five.

It didn't take long; soon, the final sixteen were determined.

Every person Asher had his eyes on made it onto the list.

Now, from sixteen to eight.

Perhaps it was fate—Asher was matched against Roy.

Roy: "!"

*Excited!*

Huffing and puffing, stumbling over his words, the young man could barely form a coherent sentence in front of Asher. But when he finally spoke, his tone was unexpectedly provocative.

"I watched... all your matches. And I analyzed them very seriously!" Roy declared. "I... I-I... Your pet beast's actual strength isn't all that impressive. I definitely won't lose!"

Asher: "..."

If he hadn't already met Roy before, heard Creed's explanation, and noticed the jealous little glances Roy shot at Creed's back…

He really wouldn't have been able to understand what Roy was trying to say with his completely disjointed words.

Oh.

Not to mention, Roy kept sneaking glances at him, filled with admiration and the embarrassment of being caught.

Asher: 'OK.'

'Got it.'

Time to turn up the intensity for this little fan.

"Cat-Worm, give it your all this time. Show your full strength."

Cat-Worm: ヽ(￣▽￣)

'Okay!'

'No problem!'

And then… that was that.

Asher commanded Cat-Worm, and within five minutes of battle, Roy nearly questioned his entire existence.

Roy: 'Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?'

No idea.

Ask, and the answer is still no idea.

Clutching his knocked-out Thousand-Ridge Lord Beast, eyes swirling in confusion, Roy was almost seeing stars himself.

"You and your Thousand-Ridge Lord Beast are both very strong,"Asher said sincerely. "I almost lost."

Not an exaggeration.

Just as he claimed, Roy had meticulously studied Asher's matches, identified Cat-Worm's weaknesses, and used solid tactics against it. But Cat-Worm, aside from its level, had other strengths—its unique triple-attribute nature allowed it to maintain its dignity and hold out until victory.

However, because of this, Cat-Worm had expended far more stamina than expected.

Asher had thought Cat-Worm could last three and a half matches, but now it seemed… the next battle would be tough.

The transition from eight to four left little time for rest.

As the competition narrowed, the remaining contestants all had serious skills, with formidable pet beasts that were extremely difficult to deal with.

Winning easily?

Better have some self-awareness.

"I… I'll work even harder next time!" Seeing Asher about to leave, Roy clutched his unconscious beast and shouted in Asher's direction, "I… I won't let you down!"

And with that…

Before Asher could respond, Roy got flustered, grabbed his pet, and dashed off in a panicked retreat.

Asher chuckled.

Did he just gain a little fanboy?

Shaking his head, he led Cat-Worm out of the battle area.

This time, instead of returning to the front-row spectator seats, he took Cat-Worm to a small supply station reserved for contestants.

It stocked food and supplies tailored to various pet beast attributes.

Just a second ago, Cat-Worm had been limp in Asher's arms, pretending to be on the verge of death. But as soon as it saw the food, its eyes lit up at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Meow! Meow!"

"Meow! Meow-ao!"

'Food!'

'FOOD!'

'The dragon can eat everything in one go!'

Asher: "..."

He patted Cat-Worm's soft, bouncy rear. "Go easy. Eat."

Cat-Worm: ('ω') 'Got it!'

'Om nom nom!'

By the time Asher left the supply station, carrying a now-round-bellied, nearly spherical Cat-Worm, all that remained on the table was a single packet of plain, crispy biscuits.

A staff member, who had just arrived to check which food stocks needed replenishing, saw the empty table and the overflowing trash bin and froze.

'Wait!'

'All that food, enough to feed forty pet beasts…'

'Where did it go?'

'Is this a robbery?'

The staff hurried to report the situation to Jade Dragon and the teachers of Flood Dragon University, swearing with absolute certainty,"This food was definitely enough to eat!"

"At most, due to different attributes and tastes, some types might be consumed faster, while others might be left over."

"There's no way a single pet beast could have eaten all this food."

A thief!

This had to be a thief.

Jade Dragon and the teachers of Flood Dragon University were alarmed.

They urgently checked the surveillance footage.

A thief sneaking into Jade Dragon and Flood Dragon's territory?

Do they have a death wish?

And then... the next second, they saw the surveillance footage of Cat-Worm devouring the food like crazy.

Devouring.

For the first time, they realized that this word wasn't just a descriptive term—it was pure reality. The speed at which Cat-Worm ate could only be described by this word.

If they had to come up with an even more vivid description, the only thing they could think of was a starving ghost reincarnated... cough cough.

The staff were also stunned by this scene.

"Th-this... this... this person's pet beast eats way too much, it's excessive..." The staff member's trembling finger pointed at the screen, barely finishing the sentence before Jade Dragon and Flood Dragon University's teachers, smiling, interrupted.

"Prepare more."

"That's right, take a good look at yourself. Don't you think you made a mistake? Why didn't you prepare more food?"

Staff: "..."

'You are the clients.'

'You make the rules.'

'Fine.'

The staff left, feeling dazed and in disbelief.

The sheer amount of food Cat-Worm consumed was still shocking.

———

Actually, Asher was a little shocked too.

"How are you eating this much?"

"I remember yesterday you only ate about fifteen times what your big sister eats, but today you've eaten several times more than that?" Asher sat in his seat, rubbing Cat-Worm's belly while speaking helplessly.

Lately, Cat-Worm had been eating a lot.

Asher had a rough idea—it was because Cat-Worm was storing energy for its 'hatching' process. He understood.

But today's intake... wasn't it a bit too much?

Asher didn't know exactly how much food the staff had prepared, but it should have been enough for twenty pet beasts.

Yet, Cat-Worm ate it all.

"If you aren't overstuffed, then who would be?" Asher's hand, which was rubbing Cat-Worm's belly, moved to its head and ruffled it a few times.

"Meow Meow!"

Cat-Worm lay in Asher's arms, protesting loudly.

'Not at all!'

'This is just a normal energy replenishment for this dragon!'

'Little Beauty is still growing!'

Asher: "…"

'Fine, fine.'

'I believe your nonsense.'

Asher's gaze occasionally drifted to the field.

The round of sixteen was truly exciting.

The battle for the top eight had no resurrection matches. Winning meant winning, losing meant losing—there were no second chances.

They had made it this far.

Anyone with even a bit of skill wouldn't want to lose here, right?

The competition for the top eight grew more intense—

Finally, when Cat-Worm let out a satisfied "gulugulu" sound from its throat and its round belly had mostly shrunk back, the top eight battles concluded.

Asher, Luna, Dexter, Felter, Creed, and three other contestants Asher wasn't familiar with (and didn't bother remembering their names) entered the top eight.

What surprised Asher was that among the Leonheart sisters, the elder sister Aria didn't make it into the top eight.

Looking at Aria's opponent in the round of sixteen—Creed, Pearl Princess.

'Oh!'

What seemed unreasonable suddenly made sense.

After all, Pearl Princess's skills were truly disgusting to deal with.

Difficult to fight? That was an understatement.

Asher had only won by brute force.

Others couldn't copy that method at all.

Just breaking through Pearl Princess's defense was enough to stump most people.

Imitate?

Imitate what?

There was nothing to imitate.

In the finals, Creed, who had nearly been eliminated at the beginning, finally shook off the shadow Asher had cast and made it into the top eight. Fate was indeed a mischievous trickster.

However, out of the six people who fought their way up from the resurrection matches, only Creed made it into the top eight—the other five were eliminated.

This indirectly proved that Creed was strong. He had just been unlucky to run into Asher at the very start and almost got knocked out.

With the top eight lineup set, the next round was the quarterfinals.

The top four battle.

Once they made it into the top four, they were almost guaranteed a spot in the top three—after all, out of four, only one would be pushed out in the end.

Having made it this far, everyone believed they had what it took to be in the top four.

Who would think they'd be the one left out?

No one.

But the atmosphere between them became more and more intense.

Quarterfinals!

Top four!

Victory was right ahead.

The first match: Dexter vs. Creed.

"Dexter, Creed… now that you mention it, I just realized they have the same surname," Scar laughed from the sidelines. "Even though they didn't know each other before this, maybe they were family eight hundred years ago!"

"And today, they have to fight to the death here."

Was this fun or what?

Scar thought it was hilarious.

Don't ask.

If you asked, well, ever since Creed entered Hidden Mountain University, mocking rivals and watching them struggle had become an iron-clad tradition.

Asher: "…"

Scholars really knew how to entertain themselves.

Just as the spectators were about to debate who had the upper hand, Dexter showed everyone what true brute-force aesthetics looked like.

No talent?

No problem.

Just make up for it with raw power.

His Fighting-type War Blood Lion King, a pure physical brute, attacked relentlessly with sheer strength.

A bloodbath!

Absolute offense!

If you weren't truly indestructible, then I'd tear an opening in your defense.

Once a crack appeared, breaking through the shell was just a matter of time.

Frenzy!

Tearing!

Unleashing brutality!

Pearl Princess... Pearl Princess was brutally crushed.

Pearl Princess: *whimper ~*

The War Blood Lion King's heavy paw slammed onto Pearl Princess's shell. Its sharp claws made Pearl Princess shudder in fear—she couldn't fight back at all.

Compared to Cat-Worm's poison, which spread instantly and knocked opponents out, the War Blood Lion King made Pearl Princess experience true terror.

Fear.

Trembling.

Pearl Princess: 'I don't want to lay eggs anymore! I really can't lay them!'

Dexter won.

"Well… Dexter won partly because Pearl Princess hadn't fully recovered from Asher's influence in the last match," Kevin calmly sipped his cola, savoring the explosion of bubbles on his tongue before continuing, "That Cat-Worm... or whatever, its poison had a much bigger impact than expected."

From Pearl Princess's last fight against previous opponent, it was clear—her egg-laying speed had slowed down, and the offspring's size and energy were weaker than before.

That was because of the rejection reaction caused by Cat-Worm's energy.

Jasmine: "?"

"I don't quite understand what you mean, teacher." Jasmine said in confusion, "The toxin has been removed, what other rejection reaction could there be?"

Kevin shook his head.

Based on his observations over the past few battles, Kevin had come to understand Pearl Princess. After being knocked out by the Cat Dragon's poison and waking up, Pearl Princess should have, under the guidance of her innate skill, nurtured the Cat Dragon's energy within her body. Combined with the detoxification treatment, this would have truly freed her from any lingering effects.

But just now, Kevin went to check.

Pearl Princess had not nurtured a Cat-Worm hatchling.

Why?

Kevin had an answer in his heart—the concentration of the Cat Dragon's energy far exceeded what Pearl Princess's current innate skill could nurture.

The overly saturated energy could not be expelled from her body through normal nurturing. It also interfered with Pearl Princess's ability to "scam" and conceive offspring from other pet beast energies she would normally be able to absorb.

Kevin: 'This is getting more and more interesting!'

"Just like in this battle against the Blood Lion King—logically speaking, Pearl Princess had two opportunities to nurture offspring. But due to the lingering effects of the previous energy saturation, she failed to nurture anything." Kevin shrugged as he spoke. "That brat Dexter really has some skill. He actually managed to break through Pearl Princess's defense by sheer force."

"I can understand why Jade Dragon was so eager, willing to be resented by that old fox Macmillon, just to snatch Dexter over."

"Totally worth it."

"If he's trained well, in a few years, he could become a formidable general in Star City's defense force!"

What?

The North Huaxia Military District?

Tsk!

Well, Jade Dragon is pretty good at poaching talent.

Even their own cubs get stolen—Zhang, that old fox, should probably reflect on his own shortcomings.

Why doesn't his son want to work under his own father?

Clearly, the father didn't do a good enough job.

Kevin: *Continues watching the show.*

———

The second match was Luna VS Unnamed Contestant No.1.

Without a doubt—

Luna won.

Just when everyone thought the next two matches would likely be Asher VS Unnamed Contestant No.2 and Felter VS Unnamed Contestant No.3, leading to an easy advancement for the "Twin Kings"—

The third match's lineup was announced:

Asher VS Felter

Before Asher and Felter could say anything—

The teachers of Jade Dragon University stood up first.

"Calm down, calm down! Even if Felter is up against Asher, it's not certain he'll lose. Felter's Gold-armored Wyvern is really strong!"

"Yes, yes! We must believe in Felter. He's one of this year's top candidates for the battle department's chief position."

"But let me ask... why is Asher facing our Jade Dragon student again? What about Flood Dragon? Did Flood Dragon manipulate things behind the scenes to make sure their students avoided Asher?"

The other teachers: "…"

'...No, wait.'

'Now that you mention it…'

Their first reaction was: 'Impossible!'

Then immediately after: 'Why not?'

If it were Jade Dragon and Flood Dragon… yeah, this is the kind of thing they'd do.

Flood Dragon, who just got splashed with dirty water out of nowhere: "…"

First instinct—roll up their sleeves and argue with Jade Dragon.

Then their gaze wavered…

Uh, even though they didn't do it, maybe some colleague did pull some strings behind the scenes?

'Gotta say—well played!'

'Hahahaha!'

Asher's first match was against one of Jade Dragon University's promising battle students—eliminating them without even giving them a second round.

Now, in the semifinals, he was up against Jade Dragon University's top battle department candidate.

Never mind whether Asher could win—just seeing Jade Dragon University's nervous, unlucky expressions was already satisfying enough.

The relationship between Jade Dragon and Flood Dragon was that simple and unpretentious.

As long as the other side was unhappy, they were happy.

And if their own contestant placed well? That was double the happiness.

Jade Dragon: "…"

'Despicable Flood Dragon!'

———

"I didn't expect to meet you before the finals—this is just perfect!"

As soon as Felter stepped onto the stage, his eyes burned with fighting spirit as he locked onto Asher. He didn't evade, didn't dodge—his battle intent surged.

"Honestly, I had high hopes for you. But unfortunately, since you ran into me before the finals, your journey ends here."

Felter lifted his head proudly. His words were clearly provocative, yet they didn't make people angry—probably because he spoke them with such confidence, as if he truly believed he was the strongest in the world.

Asher smiled.

No problem.

He, and society, would teach Felter a lesson.

"You're absolutely right. I feel the same way."

Asher smiled, cutting Felter off mid-sentence.

Felter: "…Hmph!"

Asher was too calm, making Felter's tough talk feel completely unrewarding.

Asher wasn't taking him seriously at all.

Felter: Unforgivable!

No way!

He had to go all out—show Asher his true strength!

The top candidate of Jade Dragon's battle department wasn't just some empty title.

…What?

Dexter?

Never heard of him!

"Come forth, Gold-armored Wyvern!"

Felter pointed skyward with dramatic flair, striking a chuunibyou pose as he loudly and seriously summoned his Gold-armored Wyvern.

Standing opposite him, Asher: "…"

To be honest…

Without an intense background soundtrack, this whole scene felt kinda embarrassing.

'Oh!'

Asher's gaze landed on the Bluetooth headset hanging around Felter's neck.

Alright, now he understood why Felter didn't find this chuunibyou at all cringy.

The guy had his own personal BGM playing in his head.

But in the next second—

A bird with a wingspan of three meters, covered in metallic feathers that shimmered like steel, with a terrifyingly ferocious face, appeared behind Felter.

"GAHHH—!"

'Gold-armored Wyvern!'

Living up to its name, as the arena lights hit its body, each metallic feather gleamed like gilded gold.

Like layers of golden dragon scales.

The Gold-armored Wyvern's fierce eyes locked onto Asher and the Cat-Worm on the ground.

Upon seeing the Gold-armored Wyvern, Cat-Worm's eyes sparkled too.

"Meow Meow!"

"Meow Meow rawr!"

'A replacement for Big Sis?'

'Nice!'

'Today, this dragon would eliminate Big Sis's substitute—no, wait, uphold justice! Representing its beastmaster, it would defeat the enemy!'

Gold-armored Wyvern: =_=

'Although…'

'This tiny thing is way too arrogant.'

'What do you mean by "substitute"?'

'I am the legendary Gold-armored Boss!'

'No pet beast could defeat me!'

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