"Is this weeds-level team underestimated like Hellfire Academy?"
The spectators in the stands kept their eyes on team Holy Dawn, all of them thinking something like this.
Breith Magazine clearly tried to create some amusing and sensational content, so they exaggerated on purpose. Yet, regardless, Holy Dawn Academy should have been an unknown, obscure team, and now they became the focus of attention.
Very quickly, the first match between team Holy Dawn and team Mountain Kings began.
"Mountain Kings Academy against Holy Dawn Academy, first fight, Rykiel against Moss!"
Still wearing a gloomy expression because of the accident on the first day of the tournament, the main referee announced the names of the first contestants to step into the field.
When he heard that vice-captain Rykiel was the first one to fight for team Mountain Kings, Ayrin couldn’t help but mumble, "Violent Bear Rykiel. This guy’s unexpectedly making his appearance as soon as the match begins."
"Victory or defeat in the first fight has a very great influence on the confidence and momentum of the next team members. That’s why, the vanguards are usually relatively powerful, and relatively all-around types of fighters," Carter said with a faint smile when he heard Ayrin’s mumble. "That said, you guys are all abnormal people… For you guys, something like momentum doesn’t mean anything."
"Haha! He’s actually facing the vice-captain right from the start."
As soon as he saw that the other side sent Rykiel, looking as sturdy as even a bear, Stingham put his hands on his hips and laughed madly in schadenfreude. "Moss, you’re going to die miserably for sure this time. Lose straightforwardly now, don’t dillydally and waste time. I have to come out last and rescue the whole team, don’t throw a spanner in the works."
"…"
Ayrin and the others looked at him, a little speechless. Suddenly, they saw Moss turn back again when he’d already advanced a few steps.
"What’s the matter, brave warrior?" Ayrin asked inquisitively.
"I’m too nervous. Maybe I’ll only do Multi-Sizing and won’t be able to do Multi-Sizing together with Fury…" Moss said, his forehead covered in cold sweat, his face a little wan.
Ayrin blinked. "Can’t be, right? Didn’t you stimulate the hidden bloodline of the barbarians in the previous match and add Furious Rage to Multi-Sizing?"
"Haha, do you want to forfeit? Better forfeit right from the get-go." Stingham laughed, his hands on his hips, suddenly even more excited.
"Teacher Carter and teacher Minlur said they have a way to help me rouse it in cases like this." Moss looked at Carter as if appealing for help.
"Teacher Carter, what method?" Chris and Ayrin asked.
"Hit him, insult him, make him burn with anger," Carter said in a hush, a little helpless.
"Pa!"
Almost without any delay, Ayrin already struck him with a punch.
"Hurry up and hit him! The other side’s already stepped on the field!" Seeing everyone around him still in a daze, Ayrin gave Moss another kick. "Hurry up."
"…" Stingham opened his eyes wide in stupefaction. He thought, Ayrin was really a freak. He didn’t look too assuming usually, but now he actually acted so vile.
"Moss, is that enough yet!"
"Looks like it’s not enough yet!"
"Everyone, hurry up!"
The group started encircling Moss and beating him up cruelly.
"…"
"What are they doing?"
"Internal dispute? Team Holy Dawn is beating up their own member that’s going on stage?"
Not mentioning the spectators in the stands, even the referees were dumbstruck at the edge of the field.
"It hurts… I can’t take it anymore!"
"Crack crack crack." With a miserable shout, Moss’s body suddenly started swelling. His clothes made cracking sounds, as though they were going to burst. His exposed muscles also bulged like stony blocks.
"It seems it’s not enough yet. He only used Multi-Sizing, he didn’t rouse yet the hidden power of his bloodline." Ayrin was the one most familiar with Moss. When he saw it, he shouted again, "Just hitting him isn’t enough, looks like we have to insult him too.
"Moss, you chicken, you useless trash, you weak lame-foot!"
"Just look at you, why are you making so much fuss when it’s your turn to fight? We might as well beat you up…"
"Bastard, moron!"
"…"
A bunch of people suddenly started swearing at the same time they were hitting him.
"Is it enough yet?"
"It looks like it still isn’t working?" Beaten black and blue, Moss was about to cry already. But maybe because it was the first time he faced the national tournament and felt too nervous, too timid, there seemed to be something holding back the power inside him. He still wasn’t there, it still couldn’t come out.
"What kind of person gave birth to a moron like you? The son’s so dumb, the mother can’t be any better."
There was no telling who insulted him like that.
"You guys… do you want to die or what!"
Moss roared explosively all of a sudden. His eyes sunken deep inside his stone-like muscles became like two red stars. Deep-red patterns made from fire appeared on his skin, all over his body.
"Alright!"
Ayrin shouted in excitement. Afraid it wasn’t enough yet, he gave Moss a strong kick on his butt. "Hurry up and go! Brave warrior!"
Moss roared at him in anger. Boom boom boom, he went into the field.
…
"Interesting."
Not far away in the stands, the members of team Dragon Breath recovered from their daze. Captain Morgan couldn’t help but laugh. "It turns out they were trying to rouse the hidden power of his bloodline. This guy actually has a rare mixture of giant and barbarian blood. He just can’t arouse the power of his blood totally by himself. It seems his arcane level can’t be that high. No matter how I look at it, he shouldn’t be Rykiel’s match."
"What a strange team." Audrey looked at Moss walking into the field, as well as Ayrin, Stingham, and the others at the edge of the field. She suddenly couldn’t hold back her smile.
"It’s really a strange team." When Audrey smiled, the others from Dragon Breath Academy couldn’t hold down their smiles either.
"It turns out to be a double bloodline power, Multi-Sizing and Furious Rage. Only, he can’t even stimulate them on his own, it looks like he didn’t even open his second arcane gate… They still dare say we’re worse than free fruits, they’re really too arrogant!"
Watching Moss walk into the field, Violent Bear Rykiel’s face became increasingly ferocious.
"Are you ready?"
"Start!"
Seeing both Moss and Rykiel signal they were ready, Kleis, the main referee, announced the start of the fight.
"War Blast!"
"Meteor Drop!"
A sound wave visible to the naked eye surged out of Moss’ mouth. At the same time, his heavy body jumped in the air with a boom. Flames gushed out of him, and he crashed down in Rykiel’s direction like a huge burning boulder.
"Teacher Carter, is that Moss’ new arcane skill?" Subconsciously covering his ears, Ayrin’s eyes flashed all of a sudden. "He didn’t have that kind of flames when he used crashing strikes like this before."
"That’s right. This is a new skill he learned recently."
At the same time Carter nodded and said these words, Rykiel, swaying under War Blast’s impact, also roared fiercely.
"Bear Grasp!"
Together with his roar, a huge deep-brown paw suddenly appeared in the air and ruthless slapped down on the dropping Moss.
"Bang!"
Two small hills seemed to crash into each other. Those in the stands felt as though the air around them was vibrating.
"Ah!"
Moss shouted miserably. His entire person actually snapped back and flew away under the paw’s impact.
"That’s the extent of his invocation speed?"
"A single strike sent him flying?"
At the edge of the field, everyone in team Mountain Kings was suddenly overjoyed at this turn of events.
"He’s merely at this level?"
Rykiel was also a little startled. A sharp happiness gushed inside his chest.
"Wooden Ram!"
Without the slightest pause, Rykiel made a throwing motion.
Dazzling arcane particles rushed out of his hands. A huge circular wooden beam suddenly appeared in the air. Before Moss landed on the ground, it smashed ruthlessly on his chest.
"Ah!"
Moss shouted miserable once again.
This huge wooden beam smashed him to the ground, producing a huge bang.
"Amazing. He’s not his match at all," Ayrin shouted.
"Haha, he’s really being beaten up pretty miserably." Stingham laughed wildly, his hands on his hips. "Moss, you might as well hurry up and admit defeat. You can’t win anyway, you’ll be beaten to a pulp if you continue. Stop wasting time."
"Aren’t they teammates from the same team? Why are they praying so hard for their teammate to lose?" Many people in the stands looked at each other when they heard Stingham’s wild laughter.
"Ah!"
Under the blow, Moss’ head was already swimming. He somewhat lost track of the situation, became a bit frantic. Breathing painfully, he stood up on shaky legs and hugged the huge wooden beam, about to smash it on Rykiel.
But the wooden beam suddenly disappeared in his hands. Instead, he somewhat lost his balance and fell down to one side.
"Violent Bear Chain Strike!"
Just then, Rykiel’s body that looked as cumbersome as a bear suddenly appeared beside Moss while the latter was almost about to fall on the ground.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
Four concussive sounds exploded in succession.
Moss’ neck, chest, belly, and left rib cage suffered four heavy consecutive punches from Rykiel.
Moss grasped his throat. At this moment, not even his miserable scream came out. His huge body toppled on the ground under the blows and slid away more than a dozen meters.
"Indeed, this guy only has one open gate!"
"His reaction and his invocation speed, there’s really too much of a difference even compared to ordinary team members."
Seeing Moss at only this level, the gloomy hazes thoroughly lifted from the hearts and minds of members of team Mountain Kings. Their tension vanished.
"Isn’t this guy too inexperienced? A wooden beam invoked by an arcane skill, he actually treated it like solid matter and wanted to fling it back to the one who used the skill?"
"Just with this level, they still… We are invincible, we want to be champions?"
Many people in the stands couldn’t refrain from hooting in laughter.
"Haha, Moss, hurry up and admit defeat. You can’t win anyway." Stingham took delight in Moss’ misery. His laughter was even louder now.
"This weeds-level team, did they really come to clown around?"
Many people couldn’t help but have this kind of thought, Rykiel included. Rykiel released a ferocious breath, completely relaxed.
"Ayrin, you can already see, this guy’s strength is probably even higher than yours. His speed is also very high, he’s very well rounded. You’ll probably have to think of something if you want to deal with him." That was what Carter originally wanted to tell Ayrin, but when he glanced around and saw Ayrin’s excitement written on his face, all his being seemingly burning with fighting spirit, he subconsciously closed his mouth. He felt he didn’t need to say anything.
"This guy, he’s trembling all over in fear, but he indeed still has the courage to risk his life. It looks like he’s hiding his strength, he’s not even going to use Holy Body Ignition." Ayrin watched Moss grab his own throat, such a though emerging in his mind.
"Still standing up? He’s that hardy?"
What made Rykiel slightly surprised was, holding his throat, Moss once again stood up on shaky legs.
"Violent Bear Chain Strike!"
Another four explosive strikes banged in the air.
Moss once again slid away, scraping the ground.
Only, what was different from the last time was, Moss had protected his face and throat this time with both his arms.
That was why he let out a vague miserable shout.
"Haha." Rykiel laughed in derision, extremely happy. "What, didn’t you say we weren’t even as good as free fruits? Is that all you’ve got?"
"That’s a misunderstanding… It’s Breith Magazine’s own drivel," Moss said in an indistinct voice. He once again stood up, swaying on his feet.
"…He’s actually talking about misunderstandings now. They were so arrogant before." Many people rolled their eyes in the stands.
"Misunderstanding? What about now, you’re still not admitting defeat. Don’t tell me you’re still thinking of beating me?" Rykiel mocked Moss with a laugh.
"At the very least, I can consume some of your strength." With a roar, Moss charged at Rykiel.
"…" Members of team Mountain Kings were suddenly a little speechless.
Was he really taking blows head on just to wear down his opponent’s strength and create an opportunity for his following teammates?
"Your team Holy Dawn, did you qualify for the national tournament by fighting like this?" Team Mountain Kings’ "Death Hammer" Austin couldn’t hold back his loud laughter.
