Chapter 986: Ziptop
Chapter 986: Ziptop (Combined)
The Master Mimic is a general-type Royal Beast. It can instantly replicate the appearance of its opponent by scanning them with its eyes, and it can also mimic targets it has encountered before. Not only that, it can also simulate the opponent's moves, though these are just illusions with no actual power. However, Yu Zhenyi's Master Mimic has a few skills from other attributes, which might seem like illusions but could actually be real. Therefore, it's best to be cautious of all its skills.
Additionally, the Master Mimic's mimicking trait has reached the A-Class level. It can mimic not just living beings but also inanimate objects like sand, rocks, and even skills. ... As Qiao Sang looked at the Master Mimic's trait power, she was reminded of the time she had a Mimic Puppet impersonate her in class at Supernest, and a wave of bitterness washed over her.
What good is a familiar that can only mimic appearances? It would be truly impressive if it could also mimic voices and engage in normal conversations.
At the Royal Beast level, even if an opponent uses a Clone skill, the mimicry is useless. The opponent can either dissipate the clone immediately or sense and identify the non-clone opponent right away.
However, the ability to mimic skills and inanimate objects like sand and rocks is indeed something to watch out for. ... Qiao Sang reined in her emotions and continued to read the information seriously.
...
Time passed, and the matches proceeded smoothly.
The Top Eight matches were divided into four groups, and whether they were held in the morning, afternoon, or evening, all four groups could complete their matches.
Qiao Sang was in the third group and was scheduled for the afternoon.
To avoid being mobbed by fans, she had a quick meal backstage and described each of her opponent's familiars to Fangy and the others before returning to the contestant area.
The sunlight was intense, and most of the audience had not yet arrived. However, as soon as she sat down in the contestant area, the few audience members in the stands erupted into enthusiastic cheers.
Qiao Sang politely smiled in the direction of the cheers.
As a B-Rank Beastmaster, her senses were far beyond those of a normal person. Despite the considerable distance, she could still keenly spot a particular area.
This is... Qiao Sang narrowed her eyes.
On the stands, a boy was waving his arms enthusiastically, holding a songbird. Beside him were another man and her opponent, Yu Zhenyi.
Songbirds are not particularly rare familiars, and encountering a few on the way is not unusual.
But this songbird was waving a cheer baton with its wings, clearly a fan of hers, which immediately reminded her of the songbird that came for autographs yesterday.
Qiao Sang asked, "Steel Treasure, is that the songbird that came to our room for autographs yesterday?"
"Steel Blade..."
Steel Treasure followed his Beastmaster's gaze and called out, indicating that he couldn't see clearly from that distance.
"Ice Emperor."
At that moment, Lulu, who had somehow poked her head out of the backpack, called out, confirming it was indeed the same songbird.
That's it, then... Qiao Sang's brow furrowed involuntarily.
Yu Zhenyi, also a Top Eight contestant, was standing next to the songbird's Beastmaster, not paying any special attention but occasionally chatting, as if they were already acquainted.
It seems Steel Treasure's worries from yesterday were justified...
...
At the same time.
In the audience stands.
The young boy exclaimed excitedly:
"Bro, did Qiao Sang just look over here?"
The man with a stylish low ponytail glanced at the Contestant Area, maintaining a Path of Indifference:
"Someone just glanced at this area; they weren’t specifically looking at you."
The boy retorted, "Who says? Maybe Qiao Sang saw Brother Yu and caught a glimpse of me in the process."
"Song."
Songbird nodded vigorously.
"Exactly, exactly."
A man wearing a black short-sleeve shirt and a headband, looking sunlight-handsome, laughed and said:
"Why aren’t you this excited when you see me?"
The boy replied:
"You’re different; she’s my idol."
With that, he continued to wave his cheer baton enthusiastically.
"This match, be careful", the man with the stylish low ponytail warned:
"She looks in great spirits, probably because she’s been Healing."
Yu Zhenyi dismissed it with a wave of his hand:
"Her Ice Emperor Ram has Healing Light. I didn’t Prepare anything specific to counter her, I just mentioned it because your brother is her fan."
The man with the stylish low ponytail fell silent for a moment, then patted his shoulder and said:
"Do your best in the match."
Yu Zhenyi: "…"
Just from that one sentence, he knew his friend wasn’t very optimistic about his chances.
...
Time passed slowly.
Soon, it was time for the afternoon match.
"It’s now 1:30 PM", the Commentator Booth announced with Tian Yiyi’s enthusiastic voice: "The first pair of Contestants for the afternoon is about to take the stage!"
"One is a high-popularity Contestant who has participated in the Regional Tournament three times and has consistently achieved excellent results, known as the King of Simulations, Yu Zhenyi!" Tang Xueran continued:
"The other is the youngest and strongest dark horse of this tournament, who won the previous round with a 3:0 record, the highly popular Contestant, Qiao Sang!"
As the commentator spoke, two Azure Birds flew out from either side of the Arena.
The Audience stands erupted in a tidal wave of cheers.
Almost everyone was shouting Qiao Sang’s name.
After several rounds of matches and the confirmation that she would join the National Beastmaster Bureau, Qiao Sang was undoubtedly the most popular and highly anticipated Contestant in the Regional Tournament.
Even the acknowledged champion contender, Yuan Tianlong, was slightly overshadowed by her.
Yu Zhenyi listened to the cheers around him, smiling and automatically tuning them out.
Qiao Sang waved to the crowd.
The cheers grew even more intense.
A "10" appeared in the air.
Qiao Sang lowered her hand and looked at her opponent with a serious expression.
A mechanical voice counted down with the changing light:
"9, 8, 7... 3, 2, 1."
The light disappeared.
Both Contestants simultaneously formed hand seals.
Two brilliant Crimson Star Arrays lit up.
Then, two exceptionally large shadows appeared within the Star Arrays.
At the same time, the temperature on the field plummeted, and snow began to fall.
"Contestant Qiao Sang and Contestant Yu Zhenyi have dispatched Ice Emperor Ram and Ziptop", Tian Yiyi narrated from the Commentator Booth, describing the familiars each had sent out.
Ziptop, an Electric and Flying Type dual-type bird familiar, emits a blinding light to daze the opponent, then takes advantage of the confusion to launch lightning attacks. The light it emits is particularly bright, capable of turning a few kilometers of area as bright as day even in the absence of moonlight... Qiao Sang looked at the familiar in the distance, a bird about ten meters tall with a predominantly yellow body, red eyes, a mask-like yellow pattern on its face, and wings tipped with two yellow, glowing orbs. The relevant information about it flashed through her mind.
“Ziptop!”
Ziptop's wings flapped, transforming it into a bolt of Yellow Lightning as it instantly soared hundreds of meters into the sky, overlooking the ground below.
Yellow Lightning Arcs crackled across its body.
White snowflakes fell, but before they could reach, they were eradicated by the yellow electric arcs.
At this distance, it should be out of Lulu's Frost Haven range... Qiao Sang looked up at the sky, estimating the distance between Ziptop and the ground, and subconsciously analyzed the situation.
The opponent had flown so high from the start, and Ziptop was already shimmering with electric arcs. Clearly, this was to guard against Frost Haven and Frostflower Seal.
Could it be that the opponent planned to have Ziptop attack from such a distance throughout the match?
However, for a Royal Beast, this distance didn't seem too far.
To win, Qiao Sang needed to get the opponent within the domain's range... With this thought, he spoke:
"Domain, steps."
Lulu couldn't fly, so there were two methods to get closer to the sky.
The first was Rainfall, using the Water Fusion Trait to merge with the rain and move upward.
But this method was risky. The opponent was an Electric Beast, and using large-scale Electric-type skills would only increase its Electric-type power, making it easier for Lulu to be struck.
The second method was more reliable.
Lulu's left front paw stepped forward, and a visible chill aura spread from its body.
Instantly, a layer of solid ice shell spread rapidly across the ground.
The entire arena transformed into an icy world.
"Thunder", Yu Zhenyi commanded.
Yellow Lightning Arcs suddenly expanded around Ziptop's body.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Terrifying bolts of lightning shot down from its body, striking toward Lulu's position.
This scene caused the crowd to react, and the noise rose:
"Damn! Frost Haven can't reach Ziptop's position. No wonder it flew so high from the start!"
"Trouble! Ice Emperor Ram can't reach Ziptop, but Ziptop can attack Ice Emperor Ram. Isn't this just standing there to be hit? Is Qiao Sang going to lose this match?"
"Ziptop's lightning is flashing, and it seems even Frostflower Seal isn't effective."
"Did Ice Emperor Ram use Frostflower Seal?"
"I'm not sure, but in the previous two matches, it often used Frostflower Seal during the Snowfall Trait phase, blending it in."
"No! I bet all my savings on Qiao Sang!"
"Don't be so pessimistic. The match has just begun."
On the field.
As the lightning bolts struck, colossal ice spikes suddenly appeared, forming a staircase in the air.
Lulu leaped up onto the nearest ice spike and then used it as a stepping stone, continuously jumping upward.
The lightning bolts missed.
Qiao Sang watched the scene with a calm expression.
The second method was to instantly condense colossal ice spikes as stepping stones to move upward within the range of Frost Haven.
With Frost Haven, the size and position of the colossal ice spikes could be controlled with a mere thought.
As long as the opponent entered the range of Lulu's domain, the match was as good as won.
Using colossal ice spikes to form a staircase and jump upward... Yu Zhenyi quickly responded:
"Thunderstorm!"
"Ziptop!" Ziptop let out a high-pitched call, amplifying its energy.
Wings flapped forcefully.
The sky suddenly turned gloomy and dark.
Dense Thunderclouds appeared mysteriously in the high sky.
Startling electric arcs flickered within the Thunderclouds, like restless Lightning Serpents, darting about in all directions.
“Whoosh!!!”
Lightning struck.
Countless Yellow Lightning Arcs writhed down from the Thunderclouds, nearly covering half of the Arena.
The Colossal Ice Spikes that had been hovering in mid-air shattered with a resounding boom, large chunks of ice falling downward.
One of the lightning bolts shot directly at the leaping Lulu.
Just as it was about to hit, a thick and crystalline Ice Armor instantly condensed around Lulu’s body.
With a “bang,” the lightning struck Lulu.
“Jump!” Qiao Sang shouted.
By now, the Colossal Ice Spikes in the sky had all vanished under the lightning strikes.
Amidst the lightning, Lulu exerted all its strength, and an Ice Spike suddenly formed beneath its feet, providing a foothold.
It leaped upward, and the Ice Spike beneath its feet shattered and fell under the lightning attack.
Lulu, however, emerged unscathed from the lightning.
A crystalline ice shell covered its body, showing no signs of damage.
Qiao Sang’s expression was not particularly surprised.
During this time, apart from training in the Training Arena, Lulu had been practicing Ice Armor almost constantly in the backpack and room, refining it to the Perfection level.
With the enhancement from Frost Haven, its defense had been significantly boosted, allowing it to withstand most attacks. Unless the attack was concentrated, such powerful but scattered attacks were hard to break through the Ice Armor’s defense.
In the high sky.
Another Colossal Ice Spike appeared beneath Lulu’s feet, serving as its landing point.
Absolutely cannot let the Ice Emperor Ram get close... Yu Zhenyi shouted loudly:
“Ascend, Thunder Flash!”
Ziptop’s Wings flapped, transforming into a bolt of lightning as it continued to ascend, increasing the distance between itself and Lulu.
“Zap!”
It let out a high-pitched cry.
A shocking Yellow Lightning Arc shot out from its body, slicing through the sky and plummeting toward Lulu’s position from the high heavens, like a divine punishment from above.
Qiao Sang suddenly recalled a match he had watched before involving Yu Zhenyi and immediately shouted:
“Close your eyes, move!”
“Ice Emperor.”
Lulu, without hesitation, closed its eyes in trust and leaped upward, leaving its original position.
At the same time, the two yellow spherical light emitters on Ziptop’s body suddenly emitted an intensely blinding light, turning the gloomy sky instantly bright, making the previous thunderstorm seem non-existent.
The light was blinding.
The audience in the stands instinctively closed their eyes or covered them with their hands, feeling as if they were nearly blinded.
Qiao Sang also shielded his eyes from the intense light.
Sure enough, it was the combination technique of Flash and Thunder Strike, using a blinding light to daze the opponent, preventing them from dodging or counterattacking, thereby increasing the skill’s accuracy.
A loud “bang” echoed.
Qiao Sang snapped out of his thoughts and lowered his hand.
The terrifying lightning had already struck the ground, creating a massive crater in the Arena.
In the high sky, Lulu continued to leap upward, stepping on Colossal Ice Spikes that appeared almost instantly.
It remained with its eyes closed, moving by feel.
At this distance... Qiao Sang said:
“Ice.”
Lulu opened its eyes and looked up at Ziptop in the sky.
In the next second, Ziptop, maintaining its downward gaze, froze into ice. (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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