Chapter 832: The End
Chapter 832: The End (Combined)
This speed, there's no way to avoid it... After making his judgment, Qiao Sang shouted in his mind:
"Flash of Lightning!"
The lightning itself wasn't thick, but when all the lightning converged, it became immensely powerful.
Steel Treasure's size was larger than some General-Class Beast Companions. If it simply flapped its wings to move and dodge, it would definitely be hit!
The thick lightning fiercely struck towards Steel Treasure's position.
Just as it was about to hit, Steel Treasure slightly drew in its wings, and its body instantly dove down like a white beam of light.
The lightning missed its target.
At the moment it was about to land, Steel Treasure spread its wings, and a powerful shockwave erupted from it, sweeping across the stage with a wild momentum.
At the same time, dozens of purple-light feathers broke free from the lightning's control and flew back to Steel Treasure, rejoining its body.
"Lightning."
Thunder Lizard showed a look of interest, extending its broad, thick tongue and even scratching its right hind claw with its left hind claw.
This was a sign of its excitement.
In the next second, the score next to Iloti's photo, formed by the light projection on the left side of the giant Mechanical Pet, suddenly decreased by one point.
In an Elegant Battle, the base score is always full, but during the match, points are deducted based on the Familiar's performance. How gracefully one can counter the opponent's move and hit them, causing them to lose points, is the essence of the match.
The crowd, noticing Iloti's score decrease, began to murmur:
"Thunder Lizard was doing so well, why did it lose a point?"
"You were probably watching Steel Slash Giant Falcon the whole time. Thunder Lizard was scratching its foot."
"Oh, that's why."
In an Elegant Battle, the Familiar must always display its charm. If it exhibits ungraceful behavior during the match, points will naturally be deducted.
Why can't it get rid of this habit... Iloti's eyelid twitched as she noticed Thunder Lizard's action.
"Lightning..."
Thunder Lizard also realized the problem and its body stiffened for a moment.
At that moment, Steel Treasure's body flickered.
Five identical Steel Slash Giant Falcons suddenly appeared on the field, flying to the sky and flapping their wings in unison.
A fierce gale, like a blade slicing through the air, instantly swept towards Thunder Lizard.
Seeing this, Iloti smiled. "The performance begins again!"
"Lightning."
Thunder Lizard remained calm, stomping its left front limb down.
A loud "Bang!" echoed.
A massive surge of lightning erupted from the stage in front of it, shattering a large portion of it.
Debris and dust from the explosion filled the battlefield, carried by the gale.
Some of the debris and the shockwave directly dispelled four of Steel Treasure's clones.
Using a thunderstorm to blast the ground to defend against the gale? Qiao Sang furrowed her brow, sensing something was off.
Thunder Lizard's strength far exceeded that of Steel Treasure. It could have broken through the gale with brute force; it shouldn't need to use such an attack as a defensive measure.
Suddenly, she realized something and her heart skipped a beat. "Run!"
But it was already too late.
The debris was momentarily suspended in the air by the lightning.
The highest piece of debris was at about the same height as Steel Treasure.
Thunder Lizard moved swiftly, stepping on the large pieces of debris and ascending rapidly.
Its speed was so fast that it appeared as a yellow lightning bolt twisting through the air.
Thunder Lizard's momentum halted just seven meters from Steel Treasure, and it extended its claws, grabbing forward through the air with a fierce swipe.
A massive, expanding lightning claw suddenly formed, almost encompassing Steel Treasure's entire body!
"Bang!!!"
Under the attack of the lightning claw, Steel Treasure was hurled backward, but just before the attack struck, its entire body turned a bright, metallic gray, and it activated Iron Wall in time.
Qiao Sang, who had prepared for intense pain, was surprised to feel only a slight discomfort. Her first thought was:
All the suffering these past few months hasn't been in vain...
Steel Treasure landed on the stage, its wings and claws scraping against the ground, sliding backward for several meters before finally coming to a stop.
At the same time, on the right side of the giant Mechanical Pet's projection, the points next to Qiao Sang's photo decreased by five.
"Truly a battle of strength against strength. Thunder Lizard not only deftly countered Steel Slash Giant Falcon's attack but also used it to launch a counterattack, successfully hitting Steel Slash Giant Falcon", the announcer's voice echoed.
In an Elegant Battle, whenever there is a significant point deduction, the announcer provides commentary.
"Steel Slash..."
Steel Treasure slowly stood up.
Despite Iron Wall's timely defense, Thunder Lizard's lightning claws still inflicted some damage.
I can't win... The thought had barely crossed Steel Treasure's mind when its Beastmaster's voice rang in its head:
"Use the combination techniques we practiced last time when you get close."
Steel Treasure's eyes immediately regained their serious focus.
It seems Steel Sparrow's new Advanced Form has strong defensive capabilities as well... Iloti, though a Coordinator, has extensive battle experience and knew this was the best time to press the advantage.
She called out loudly, "Closing Performance!"
"Lightning!"
Thunder Lizard leaped high into the air, its powerful limbs slamming down with explosive force. A terrifying burst of yellow lightning energy exploded from the ground, the shockwave about to reach Steel Treasure.
But at that moment, Steel Treasure folded its wings, using Flash of Lightning to soar upward.
Then, it turned its head and, amidst the flying debris and dust, charged toward Thunder Lizard at a speed that defied the eye.
"Lightning."
Thunder Lizard remained calm, even appearing excited. It stuck out its tongue and resisted the urge to scratch its foot.
As Steel Treasure approached to within twenty meters, Thunder Lizard extended its tongue, which suddenly transformed into a yellow lightning bolt, forming a thick chain. The chain split into two, then four, then eight, snaking out in all directions toward Steel Treasure!
Still thinking of attacking... Iloti inwardly scoffed.
If it were a General-Class Beast Companion, it would be understandable, but for a High-Class Beast Companion to have the audacity to continuously attack a stronger opponent was baffling.
If it had focused on defense and cleverly deflected attacks, it might have lasted longer.
But this was probably the Professional Beastmaster's way of fighting... Iloti couldn't help but glance at the black-haired girl in the distance.
Steel Treasure's speed was fast, but Thunder Lizard's was clearly faster, and it couldn't dodge... Seeing this, Qiao Sang clenched her teeth and decisively commanded:
"Hold on, pull it over!"
"Steel Slash!"
The yellow lightning chains swiftly wrapped around Steel Treasure, the lightning energy causing it to let out a pained cry.
At the same time, Qiao Sang felt a slight pain and numbness. She kept her eyes fixed on the arena, her expression unchanged, and firmly shouted in her mind:
"Pull!"
Losing isn't scary. Even if she loses, she wanted everyone to remember the charm of the Steel Sparrow race!
This is what Steel Treasure wanted to do, and what she wanted to do!
"Steel Slash!"
Steel Treasure let out a loud cry.
This time, it wasn't a cry of pain.
Its wing tips twisted and grabbed two of the lightning chains.
"The match should be over now", Iloti said with a confident smile.
The audience stood up.
Everyone sighed.
"If Qiao Sang had sent out Iceapura or Flame Kiru, she definitely wouldn't have lost."
"I'd actually like to see Iceapura. I've never seen a familiar with the Snowfall Trait before."
"Qiao Sang is just here for fun. If she wanted to win, she wouldn't have sent out the Steel Slash Giant Falcon."
"I think the Steel Slash Giant Falcon did pretty well. It managed to hold out for three minutes against the Thunder Lizard. Any other High-Class Beast Companion probably wouldn't have lasted a minute."
"That's because of its defensive strength..." The person speaking trailed off, looking at the arena.
The lightning on the chain predictably exploded.
But the next moment, something unexpected happened.
The Steel Slash Giant Falcon, despite being struck by lightning all over its body, used its wings to grab the chain and pulled the Thunder Lizard over!
Wait, how could the Steel Slash Giant Falcon still have the strength to move after being hit by a General-Class Beast Companion's attack? And it was pulling a chain filled with lightning?
And what was it trying to do by pulling the Thunder Lizard over?
For a moment, everyone's faces were filled with shock and confusion.
Above the stage.
The score next to Qiao Sang's photo, formed by light, was continuously decreasing.
Just as everyone thought the Steel Slash Giant Falcon might be making a last desperate move before collapsing, the Thunder Lizard suddenly showed an expression of extreme pain, struggling as if it couldn't breathe, looking like it was suffocating.
"!!!"
Everyone was stunned.
Yellow chains were retracted from the Steel Treasure, the energy dissipating, and the Thunder Lizard's tongue returned to normal.
Above, the score next to Qiao Sang's photo stopped moving, and Iloti's score began to decrease.
"The Steel Slash Giant Falcon has successfully defused the crisis! The match is still ongoing!" the host announced.
Others might not have understood immediately, but Iloti, as the Beastmaster of the Thunder Lizard and facing the Steel Treasure directly, figured out within a second that the Steel Treasure might have used Air Absorption.
Without hesitation, she shouted:
"Get away from it!"
Before the Thunder Lizard could react, the Steel Treasure, enduring intense pain, moved its body, and its feathers glowed purple, suddenly transforming into a flurry of purple blades that rushed toward the Thunder Lizard's position!
Under the Steel Treasure's control, these purple blades directly broke through the Thunder Lizard's defenses!
"Lightning!"
The Thunder Lizard let out a miserable cry.
At that moment, the entire venue fell silent.
Even Iloti, who had always maintained a composed expression, opened her mouth wide and froze in place.
Then, she quickly covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing uncontrollably.
No, she couldn't laugh, absolutely not... Iloti struggled to control herself, almost to the point of tears.
The professional host didn't immediately comment.
After a brief moment of silence, the audience burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha..."
There was no way around it; the sight of the Steel Slash Giant Falcon's body shaking, its feathers completely gone, was just too funny.
Almost everyone present was a Coordinator, used to seeing the beautiful feathers of bird familiars. They had never seen anything like this.
The visual impact was so strong that it was even more memorable than some Coordinators' performances.
"Truly a powerful and unforgettable attack", the host said, suppressing a smile.
"I can't handle it, my stomach hurts from laughing..."
"What's so funny? This effect can only be achieved if the Blade Feather skill is at Mastery Level. Hahaha..."
"Hahaha... I declare that, regardless of the outcome, the Steel Slash Giant Falcon has already won in my heart."
Amidst the laughter of the crowd, only Qiao Sang looked at the featherless Steel Treasure with a pained expression, her heart aching as she subconsciously ignored her own physical pain.
With the combination of Air Absorption and the full-force Blade Feather, this was already Steel Treasure's strongest attack. The lightning chain had actually broken through Steel Treasure's Defend, dealing it a fatal blow.
This was Steel Treasure's last attack. If Thunder Lizard hadn't fallen...
Just as the thought crossed her mind, there was a loud "bang", and Steel Treasure crashed to the ground.
All the feathers embedded in Thunder Lizard's body lost their purple light.
"Lightning!"
Thunder Lizard roared, yellow lightning surging over its body, causing a chaotic gust of wind to rise around it.
Purple feathers littered the ground.
Thunder Lizard glared at the fallen Steel Treasure, seemingly dissatisfied that it had gone down so easily.
At this moment, there were still 9 seconds left in the five-minute match.
A Mechanical Pet with the same face as the one in the upper hologram flew into the arena.
"Steel Treasure! Get up quickly!" Qiao Sang's heart raced with anxiety, her mind filled with desperate shouts.
Steel Treasure could lose, but it absolutely couldn't lose in such a humiliating way, right after everyone's laughter.
If the match ended now, the only thing people would remember and spread would be its featherless appearance.
This was definitely not why Steel Treasure had wanted to participate in the Coordination Competition.
It had practiced so hard and even fought for the chance to compete in the second round. It hadn't done all that to become a laughing stock.
Qiao Sang could hear her own frantic heartbeat.
If Steel Treasure lost the match like this, would it still be willing to return to Blue Star with her?
How would it feel?
"Steel Treasure! Have you forgotten why you entered this match!" Qiao Sang shouted in her mind.
She was filled with anxiety, with no outlet for her pent-up emotions, as if a surge of Strength was about to burst forth from within her.
Steel Treasure's wings twitched.
The Mechanical Beast Judge, who had approached Steel Treasure, paused upon seeing the slight movement of its wings.
There were now only 5 seconds left in the five-minute match.
"What's the holdup? Why haven't you declared the match over yet?"
"Ha ha ha, I can't wait to tell others about this match."
"Steel Slash Giant Falcon without feathers looks like this, ha ha ha..."
"Seeing the only featherless Steel Slash Giant Falcon from Supernest, this match was worth it."
"My mobile phone can't take good photos, but yours can. Send me a picture of the featherless Steel Slash Giant Falcon later."
"No problem, it's just a shame we didn't record it."
There were now only 3 seconds left in the match.
The Mechanical Beast Judge lifted the whistle hanging around his neck to his mouth.
"Steel Treasure!" Qiao Sang shouted out loud.
At the same time, she felt the pent-up Strength within her release.
"Steel Slash..."
Steel Treasure's weak voice echoed in her mind.
Qiao Sang froze.
There were now only 2 seconds left in the match.
"Whistle!"
The Mechanical Beast Judge blew the End-of-Match Whistle.
The match time froze.
In the hologram above the stage, the giant Mechanical Pet's image and Qiao Sang's photo disappeared, leaving only Iloti's photo magnified in the center.
At the same moment, the featherless Steel Treasure's body was suddenly enveloped in a blinding white light.
The scattered purple feathers on the ground began to rustle and then, as if sensing a force, all flew into the white light.
(End of Chapter)
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