Chapter 45: Revenge, Step One

The Sun and Moon Battle Team quickly finalized their lineup for the upcoming 2v2 match and submitted it to the referee.

"The first 2v2 team battle is about to begin. Competitors from both teams, please step onto the stage."

Without surprise, the members of the Sun and Moon Team saw Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng step confidently onto the battle platform.

On the other side, Shrek Academy's team saw Ma Rulong among the selected Sun and Moon members, which they expected. However, what surprised them was the presence of their substitute, Xiao Hongchen, who also walked onto the stage for the match.

"Xiao Hongchen, are you sure you can do this?"

Ma Rulong glanced at the menacing expressions of Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng and asked.

Unusually, Xiao Hongchen didn't act arrogant or proud. He nodded with a serious face.

They were up against two powerful Assault-Type Soul Emperors from Shrek Academy—an intimidating duo.

The match quickly began with the referee's announcement.

Against these tricky soul engineers, the two Assault-Type Soul Emperors naturally adopted a strategy of closing the distance for a rapid assault. The phoenix and white tiger unleashed simultaneous meteoric attacks. Xiao Hongchen and Ma Rulong had no choice but to activate their soul tool shields and fall back while taking a guerrilla-style approach.

It looked like they were on the defensive, but in reality, this was all part of their plan. Ma Rulong remembered Huo Yuhao's repeated reminders before the match. Though he didn't fully understand why he couldn't act otherwise, he wisely chose to follow Huo Yuhao's strategy.

As the two Soul Emperors rapidly closed in, soon to enter the range of their powerful single-target soul skills, Xiao Hongchen gritted his teeth and suddenly redirected all his firepower—which had been evenly distributed—to focus solely on Ma Xiaotao. Ma Rulong followed suit, activating his propulsion system and charging at her with the apparent intent to take her down first.

Ma Xiaotao frowned. "So they're trying to eliminate me, the strongest attacker, first?"

She wasn't afraid in the slightest. Instead, she grinned with a wild smile and charged straight at Xiao Hongchen. "Trying to take me out? Let's see who takes down who first—me, the only Soul King on the field, or you two clowns!"

Dai Yueheng, with his sharp battle instincts, quickly realized that Ma Xiaotao wanted to eliminate Xiao Hongchen as quickly as possible and moved to intercept Ma Rulong, who was charging toward her.

Seeing Dai Yueheng rushing toward him, Ma Rulong smirked.

Ma Xiaotao's attack on Xiao Hongchen came fast—very fast. Her terrifying single-target move, Phoenix Howl of the Heavens, landed right in front of Xiao Hongchen. At the last moment, his invincible shield activated.

Even with an invincible shield, a move like Phoenix Howl of the Heavens would normally deplete both the shield and itself, leaving the target open for a second wave of attacks. But to everyone's shock, Xiao Hongchen's shield blocked it completely and remained intact.

Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't have been possible, especially since Xiao Hongchen had been seemingly going all-out in his attack. But most of the projectiles he'd fired were low-energy decoys. His shield? A never-before-seen, Grade-7 invincible soul shield.

Seeing his smug little face behind that invulnerable barrier, Ma Xiaotao immediately realized—I've been played!

She abruptly turned her gaze toward Dai Yueheng's direction. There, she saw Ma Rulong and Dai Yueheng rapidly closing in on each other. As they clashed, Ma Rulong's long-range soul tools vanished, replaced by a massive close-range soul sword in his hands.

"In darkness, we judge the heretic!"

With a thunderous roar, Ma Rulong raised his weapon—a blackened Grade-8 soul tool, the Sword of Judgment—and struck down toward Dai Yueheng.

Feeling the dreadful dark energy radiating from the blade, Dai Yueheng's expression changed drastically. He tried to retreat, but it was too late. The Sword of Judgment didn't need to physically strike to unleash its power.

A beam of pure black energy blasted from the sword's tip, striking Dai Yueheng at light speed. He had no time to dodge.

Dai Yueheng collapsed in agony, kneeling to the ground, his body wracked by chilling, evil energy that clashed violently with the upright and righteous spirit of his White Tiger martial soul. The two forces reacted inside him like fire and ice, tormenting him from within.

Ma Rulong's smile widened. He had no intention of letting up. Taking advantage of the brief time he could wield this nearly Grade-9 soul tool, empowered by sacrificing some of his own life energy through the Rite of Sacrifice, he activated the sword's second function—Light Judgment. A radiant slash of energy descended and struck Dai Yueheng.

In the moment that light—meant to cleanse darkness—collided with the darkness within darkness, Dai Yueheng screamed in agony and fell unconscious, completely losing his ability to fight.

On the city wall of the imperial capital, Dai Hao nearly rose from his seat. He gripped the armrests of his chair tightly, feeling as though his heart was bleeding.

Huo Yuhao felt a deep sense of satisfaction—not only because Ma Rulong had listened to him and hadn't used the Sword of Judgment against Ma Xiaotao, but also because of the immense pain his dear big brother was now enduring. What kind of internal damage will that sword cause? Truly something to look forward to.

"Did you see that, Dai Hao? This… is only the first step of my revenge."

Huo Yuhao looked up toward the imperial wall and muttered.

And with that, Dai Yueheng was eliminated. After being handed off to the medical team by the Skyfiend Douluo, the battlefield became a 2v1: Xiao Hongchen and Ma Rulong versus Ma Xiaotao.

Ma Xiaotao was shocked. All because of one soul tool, the fierce and resilient White Tiger Soul Emperor was just… gone?

Xiao Hongchen didn't waste this opportunity. With his Golden-Footed Toad martial soul and soul tools unleashed at full power, the stage erupted into a metallic fireworks show worthy of Magneto himself.

Under the bombardment of such terrifying firepower, Ma Xiaotao was stunned to realize that even she was struggling to cope. The match had reached a dead-even standoff.

She finally found an opening to eliminate Xiao Hongchen with a combo, only to be thwarted by his fifth soul skill, Golden Devotion, which turned his body into liquid metal, allowing him to absorb the attack effortlessly.

Thanks to the ten-plus seconds Xiao Hongchen bought with that move, Ma Rulong recovered from the intense drain on his life force and soul power and rejoined the attack on Ma Xiaotao.

The roaring cannon fire on the battlefield told the audience just how terrifying it was when the two most skilled soul engineers of the Sun and Moon Team went all out.

"These soul engineers... damn, they're so annoying!"

Ma Xiaotao cursed inwardly.

Indeed, they kept their distance and attacked in the safest, most annoying, textbook soul engineer style.

Before long, Ma Xiaotao started to falter.

"No! For Shrek's honor!"

She had to give it her all. The Evil Fire surged within her mind, and her phoenix flames darkened with a terrifying hue. If she fully released this fire—so close to the extreme—it just might turn the tide and defeat both opponents.

But would they give her the chance?

Of course not.

Seeing the blackening flame, Ma Rulong sneered and pulled out a seemingly ordinary soul tool pistol—one of Huo Yuhao's modifications. He fired.

A tiny, inconspicuous ice crystal shot toward Ma Xiaotao at high speed. Just as it approached, it exploded mid-air, unleashing the aura of ultimate ice. The sinister flames around Ma Xiaotao were instantly extinguished, and the temperature on the battle platform dropped by over ten degrees.

(End of Chapter)

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