Chapter 65: Glad to Have Made It in Time
Chapter 65: Glad to Have Made It in Time
On the field.
A gray Star Array lit up in front of Hou Xiangyu.
A familiar that looked like a weight scale but had a soft, light gray body floated above the Star Array.
Despite knowing that the opponent only had one Fangflare, Hou Xiangyu did not summon his slightly weaker Bashutter. Instead, he summoned his Scale Controller, showing a great deal of respect.
Hou Xiangyu looked at the Fangflare, which was already poised to attack, with great admiration.
He had only watched the first day of the Newcomer Competition to get a general idea of the contestants' levels and had not paid much attention to the subsequent days.
Except for today's quarterfinals in the morning.
Although he had not seen all of Qiao Sang's previous matches, he had heard her name before.
After all, there were only a few standout players in the Newcomer Competition, and the media kept reporting on them.
As the only contestant to bond with a Fire Pet Beast, and being publicly recognized by Sha Duo as a future rival, it was hard not to notice her.
The morning's match lived up to the media's hype, perfectly demonstrating how a weaker opponent could triumph over a stronger one through strategy.
The strategy was brilliant.
However, many people overlooked the fact that a strategy required a capable familiar to execute it.
In just one match, the Fangflare had already showcased four skills: Shadow Clone, Blazing Charge, Flame Vortex, and Spark.
And the scene where it dashed across the collapsing ground, leaping from stone to stone to charge at the Dual-Tailed Land Turtle, showed a remarkable reaction speed.
It was hard to believe that this was a familiar just bonded by a junior high school graduate.
Watching that match made him want to bond with a Fangflare himself.
The reason he summoned the Scale Controller was not because he thought Bashutter would lose.
It was a way to acknowledge and respect the opponent's strength.
Everything was in place.
With the referee's whistle, both sides immediately unleashed their skills.
A layer of faintly transparent Psychic Power fluctuated around the Scale Controller. Its two short claws pointed at the Fangflare.
The Fangflare, upon hearing the whistle, quickly charged toward the Scale Controller.
Midway through its run, its form flickered, splitting into two, then four.
The four Fangflares charged in unison, using Ram.
The Psychic Power fluctuation around the Scale Controller's short claws paused, unsure which target to strike.
In that moment of hesitation, one Fangflare appeared right in front of it.
The Scale Controller regained its senses, and with a surge of energy, its body teleported to another direction.
The Fangflare lunged into empty air.
Tough...
Qiao Sang sighed inwardly.
The Scale Controller knew Teleport, a skill it hadn't shown in previous matches.
She had thought of several ways to defeat it.
Psychic-type familiars could be defeated by depleting their energy or by attacking them with faster reaction times.
But this Scale Controller could teleport.
That made it very difficult to hit.
Teleport was a skill that could be activated with a mere thought, definitely faster than the Fangflare.
Even if it managed to get within a meter, the Scale Controller could instantly teleport away.
Ranged attacks were also hard to land.
It seemed she would have to resort to a war of attrition...
The distance between them widened, and a stalemate ensued.
"Illusion Beam."
Hou Xiangyu issued the command first.
The Scale Controller's short claws stretched forward, and a beam of light, composed of various colors, shot out from its claws.
The Illusion Beam struck one of the Fangflares, causing it to vanish instantly.
It was a clone.
After dispelling the clone, the Illusion Beam did not stop. It continued to sweep across the other three Fangflares.
The energy of a clone cannot compare to that of the original, and its speed is also inferior.
Soon, the two Fangflare clones vanished under the sweeping Illusion Beam.
Only the original Fangflare remained, dodging.
Just as Scale Controller focused all its power on attacking the only Fangflare left, Qiao Sang responded, "Shadow Clone."
Fangflare's form flickered, and it immediately split into four.
Scale Controller: "……!"
Hou Xiangyu frowned, guessing the other's intent.
The Illusion Beam requires a significant amount of energy, especially when maintained in a sweeping state.
Fangflare only needed to dodge and use Shadow Clone, which required mainly stamina, not much energy.
Even though Scale Controller was an Intermediate Beast and had much more energy than Fangflare, the unequal energy consumption would likely deplete Scale Controller's energy first.
"Stop", Hou Xiangyu said calmly.
Scale Controller lowered its short claws, and the two sides were once again at a stalemate.
A quick resolution was necessary. Hou Xiangyu immediately assessed the situation.
"Shadow Clone."
Energy stirred within Scale Controller, and four more Scale Controllers appeared on the field.
Qiao Sang was slightly taken aback.
There were too many hidden skills!
All of them had not appeared in the previous matches!
The four Scale Controllers each appeared behind one of the four Fangflares.
"Four Fangflares versus four Scale Controllers, the situation is getting interesting. I didn't expect the match to last this long. Hou Xiangyu didn't end the match quickly like in the previous rounds. What do you think is the reason?" the commentator said, observing the field.
This time, before Sha Duo could speak, Gao Xulu interjected, "Of course, it's because Qiao Sang is strong."
The commentator: "……"
"Alright, let's continue watching."
"Illusion Beam", Hou Xiangyu issued the command.
Four Illusion Beams simultaneously targeted the four Fangflares.
Just as everyone thought the match was about to end,
"Shadow Clone!" Qiao Sang shouted.
Shadow Clone?
Both the audience on-site and those watching the live stream were taken aback.
Wasn't Shadow Clone already in use?
Fangflare was also stunned.
But it soon felt the change in its energy.
Its form flickered, and the four Fangflares instantly became eight.
"Teeth?"
Fangflare tilted its head.
Why did its clones suddenly become stronger?
The entire audience was shocked.
Are new participants hiding their true strength this deeply now?
In the Guest Stand,
"I didn't expect Fangflare to have hidden its strength in the previous matches."
"Yes, I've seen the earlier matches. This Fangflare's Flame Fang and Spark are both at the Intermediate Level, and Flame Vortex is at the Master Level. I didn't expect Shadow Clone to have reached Proficient."
"This Fangflare looks small, so I thought it was young. It seems to be quite old."
"That's not right. According to the rules, Fangflare's orange-red short fur on its head should turn the same red as its body fur by the time it reaches one year old. But the one on the field still has orange-red fur on its head", a guest who had passed the Trainer Certification said.
"You mean this Fangflare, with so many skills and such high proficiency, is less than a year old?"
"Don't listen to him; he didn't even pass the F-Class Familiar Trainer exam."
The guest who had passed the Trainer Certification: "……"
Qiao Sang sighed in relief as the eight Fangflares appeared on the field.
Thank goodness it managed to catch up.
(End of Chapter)
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