Chapter 987: Ice Armor Form
Chapter 987: Ice Armor Form (Combined)
Yu Zhenyi's heart sank.
He hadn't expected that even at this distance, he was still within the range of the Frost Haven.
Was it the proficiency of the skill that was miscalculated, or the energy of the Ice Emperor Ram?
"Ice Emperor Ram has Frozen Ziptop!" In the commentator booth, Tian Yiyi rapidly narrated the situation. "Ice Emperor Ram used Frost Haven to instantly create a Colossal Ice Spike in mid-air as a foothold to move higher. Ziptop cast Thunderstorm, and several lightning bolts hit Ice Emperor Ram, but unfortunately, they were all blocked by Ice Emperor Ram's Ice Armor, failing to break through the defense."
"Even the Flash and Thunder Drop combination techniques were dodged by Ice Emperor Ram, who relied on instinct to close the distance and bring himself within the range of Frost Haven."
Tang Xueran commented professionally:
"At this distance, Ziptop can still be Frozen, which suggests that Ice Emperor Ram's Frost Haven might have reached mastery level."
Ziptop was currently estimated to be at least three hundred meters above Ice Emperor Ram, but that was just the vertical distance. Including the horizontal distance, it was at least a kilometer away.
The high altitude and spatial conditions mean that Ice Emperor Ram's Frost Haven proficiency is definitely more than just a small success.
A mastery-level Epic Skill... The crowd exchanged glances, and a wave of murmurs spread.
"Is that true? Has Frost Haven reached mastery level?"
"Who here knows more about Frost Haven?"
"I don't think it's possible. It's not easy to improve the proficiency of an Epic Skill. Didn't Qiao Sang mention in her interview that her familiar's Epic Skills are mostly spontaneous awakenings? It's already impressive that they can awaken at that level, and it probably takes years to improve even a small stage of proficiency."
"But when Ice Emperor Ram uses Frost Haven, his Ice Skills are almost all instant-cast. And the Colossal Ice Spike from the last two matches that seemed to cover the entire arena—low-proficiency Frost Haven couldn't do that."
"Yu Zhenyi probably doesn't even know the true range of Frost Haven. If he did, he could just maintain his distance and win this match for sure."
"But if you think about it, Ice Emperor Ram could have just used Frost Haven at the start. Ziptop can't teleport, and even if it flew up at the beginning, it wouldn't be faster than Frost Haven's Freeze."
"Ziptop is Yu Zhenyi's first familiar, so it has more energy and stronger attacks. It might be able to break the ice."
Despite Qiao Sang's high popularity, Yu Zhenyi, as a renowned Beastmaster who made a name for himself at a young age, still had many fans who believed he could turn the tide.
On the field.
Lulu stood on a Colossal Ice Spike floating in mid-air, looking up at the frozen Ziptop high above.
A second later, Ziptop began to fall.
Immediately after, a massive Colossal Ice Spike, resembling a small mountain, appeared above it and followed it downward.
It seemed that this distance was the limit for freezing Ziptop and casting a normal Colossal Ice Spike. Otherwise, casting the maximum extent of the Colossal Ice Spike might have directly defeated Ziptop... Qiao Sang analyzed instinctively.
With a loud crash, Ziptop hit the ground.
The ice on the ground cracked.
The Ice Shell developed a Rift.
A Colossal Ice Spike, resembling a small mountain, slammed heavily onto Ziptop.
Lulu leaped downward, closing the distance between herself and Ziptop, aiming to maintain the ice seal.
As she jumped, she continued to channel her energy.
Another Colossal Ice Spike, like a small mountain, formed above Ziptop.
However, at that moment, a brilliant yellow lightning burst forth from Ziptop, shattering the Ice Shell that already had Rifts.
"Raging Volt!" Yu Zhenyi called out.
"Ziptop!"
Ziptop shot forward, transforming into Yellow Lightning and vanishing from its original spot, charging toward Lulu, who hadn't fully landed.
"Bang!"
The Colossal Ice Spike, resembling a small mountain, landed in Ziptop's original position, missing its target.
A visible chill aura emanated from Lulu's body.
At the same time, "Yellow Lightning" erupted with an exceptionally bright light, illuminating the entire Arena to the point where it was blinding.
Everyone instinctively closed their eyes or shielded them.
Lulu, with her keen eyesight and being the closest to the light, also closed her eyes instinctively, causing the energy flowing within her body to momentarily stagnate.
"Bang!"
In that instant of closing her eyes, "Yellow Lightning" struck her forcefully.
The Ice Armor shattered, and Lulu was sent flying hundreds of meters away.
The speed was too fast... Qiao Sang opened his eyes and saw Lulu being flung backward, his heart tightening, and his expression becoming grave.
Ziptop could combine any attack with Flash to increase the accuracy of its Skills.
This time, the opponent hadn't issued a command related to Flash.
It seemed he couldn't rely on the opponent's commands to make judgments... With this thought, Qiao Sang immediately said:
"Full Armor!"
"Thunder Drop!" Yu Zhenyi said simultaneously.
Yu Zhenyi wasn't surprised that Ziptop used Flash while performing Raging Volt.
Sometimes commands weren't just for the familiar; they were also for the opponent to hear.
Initially, he deliberately issued commands for the Flash and Thunder Drop Combination Techniques so the opponent would know that when he said "flash", Ziptop would use Flash, and the Ice Emperor Ram would prepare.
When he didn't say "flash", Ziptop's sudden Flash would catch the opponent off guard, achieving its intended effect.
Yu Zhenyi's face was tense, and he didn't relax even though the attack had been successful.
Everyone doubted him, but he was determined to win this match!
"Ziptop!"
Ziptop let out a high-pitched cry, wasting no time. It didn't even take to the air; a wild Yellow Lightning bolt shot from its body, heading straight for Lulu.
At the same time, it lit up with a blinding light.
The audience shielded their eyes, unsure of the situation on the field.
In the Family Section.
Ye Xiangting closed her eyes, her heart tightening. Then she thought of something and quietly pulled out a pair of black sunglasses from her bag and put them on.
The expected cry of the Ice Emperor Ram didn't come.
Everyone opened their eyes and saw that the Ice Emperor Ram was no longer in its original position.
It was wearing a finely crafted, ice-formed armor, with a helmet that not only covered its head but also its entire face, including its eyes.
This was an Ice Armor Form that only could be created at the Perfection and Mastery Levels!
The form of the Ice Armor caused a stir.
"Wow, it turns out the Ice Emperor Ram's Ice Armor proficiency is so high. It must have been hiding this skill until now, truly keeping it under wraps!"
"If it weren't for Ziptop's constant bursts of light, I doubt Qiao Sang would have let the Ice Emperor Ram reveal this technique."
This level of Ice Armor can cover the entire head. Now, even if Ziptop uses its intense light again, it’s unlikely to cause dizziness. No wonder it managed to dodge the Thunder Drop attack.
The expressions of the contestants in the Contestant Area were somewhat taken aback.
Everyone has some hidden tricks, but it’s rare to see someone like Qiao Sang, whose familiars reveal new hidden skills in each match.
On the field, Yu Zhenyi’s expression remained unchanged as he shouted:
“Thunderstorm!”
“Ziptop!”
Ziptop’s wings spread, and it began to fly upward.
As its wings opened, it once again emitted an intense, blinding light.
Damn, here we go again... The crowd shielded their eyes for the third time, unable to hold back a string of curses.
Although this move is indeed unique to Ziptop and quite effective, they still hoped to watch the entire match without missing a single moment.
This damn Flash prevented them from seeing how the Ice Emperor Ram condensed its Ice Armor to dodge the attack.
In the previous matches, Yu Zhenyi’s Ziptop hadn’t used Flash so frequently.
In the Family Section, Ye Xiangting, wearing black sunglasses, stared straight at the scene on the field.
The Flash disappeared.
The crowd looked back at the field.
The arena froze.
Ziptop, in its upward flight, was frozen in mid-air.
“This time, the Ice Emperor Ram finally managed to cast Frost Haven in time!” the commentator, Tian Yiyi, exclaimed from the Commentator Booth.
“That’s right. It seems the Full Armor Ice Armor effectively countered Ziptop’s Flash,” Tang Xueran added.
She paused, then continued:
“However, Ziptop’s Thunderstorm has also been successfully cast.”
In the sky, the sky darkened.
Dark clouds gathered.
Terrifying yellow lightning arcs darted through the black clouds.
“Boom!”
The sound of thunder echoed.
Beneath the dark clouds, an “Ice Mountain” large enough to cover the entire arena suddenly appeared.
The Ice Mountain plummeted.
At the same time, yellow lightning bolts struck down from the black clouds.
“Bang, bang, bang!!!”
Numerous lightning bolts struck, causing the upper half of the “Ice Mountain” to explode.
Large chunks of ice fell to the ground.
But this didn’t stop the Ice Mountain from falling.
With a deafening “bang,” the Ice Mountain, now reduced by a third, slammed into the arena.
The ground shook violently.
Ziptop, hidden beneath the Ice Mountain, was nowhere to be seen.
“Bang, bang, bang!!!”
The lightning continued to strike.
The Ice Mountain shattered, sending ice fragments flying everywhere.
Qiao Sang shouted:
“Again!”
“Ice Emperor!”
Lulu called out, and another Ice Mountain, smaller than the previous one but still a hundred meters tall, appeared in mid-air and fell downward.
Ziptop has the Volt Absorb trait, which means it won’t take damage from lightning attacks but will instead recover.
This Thunderstorm isn’t over. If it continues to strike, it might completely shatter the remaining Ice Mountain and hit Ziptop, allowing it to recover.
Absolutely can’t let the lightning hit Ziptop. It must be knocked out before that happens... Qiao Sang watched the field closely, not daring to be careless.
“Bang, bang, bang!”
The terrifying lightning continued to strike.
The Ice Mountain, now half-destroyed, fell to the ground.
Ice fragments scattered, and the ground shook.
After the first Ice Mountain, another one appeared, though each one was smaller than the last.
At the same time, several lightning bolts struck Lulu.
After being struck several times, the Ice Armor began to crack.
Chill aura surged from the cracks, and the Ice Armor instantly restored itself.
Lulu stood firm, her crystalline and exquisite ice helmet covering her head, obscuring her expression.
“Thunder Crash! Ten Thousand Volts! Discharge!”
Yu Zhenyi continued to issue commands, but there was no response beneath the “Ice Mountain.”
After an indeterminate amount of time, the thunder ceased, the dark clouds dissipated, and the sky above regained its brightness.
A gigantic ice spire, resembling a small mountain, crashed down.
“That’s enough,” Qiao Sang said.
Lulu’s Ice Armor dissipated.
The arena’s temperature returned to normal.
The shattered “Ice Mountain” melted away.
Deep underground, Ziptop lay unconscious with his eyes closed.
“Has this match already been decided?” Tian Yiyi’s voice echoed.
Yu Zhenyi could no longer control his facial expression, which became somewhat grim.
The Ice Emperor Ram’s Frost Haven was even more difficult to breach than he had imagined.
The mechanical referee appeared beside Ziptop, observed for a moment, and then waved a green flag toward Qiao Sang’s position.
“Let’s congratulate Contestant Qiao Sang on winning the first match, taking the first point!” Tang Xueran announced with enthusiasm.
As she spoke, a giant virtual screen appeared in the center of the arena.
Beneath Yu Zhenyi’s photo, Ziptop’s photo turned from color to black and white.
The audience stands erupted in cheers and commotion.
“Qiao Sang! Qiao Sang!”
“Ah! Ice Emperor Ram! Ice Emperor Ram!”
“I knew Qiao Sang would win!”
“You’re right, that was nerve-wracking. The Electric Beast’s attacks are no joke. I felt like Ziptop could have burst out of the ice with an Electric-type attack at any moment.”
“You’re underestimating the Ice Emperor Ram. With such a massive ‘Ice Mountain’ pressing down, how could he have escaped? Even if he did, he would have been instantly frozen again.”
“Ziptop’s Electric-type skills are powerful. That Thunderstorm move felt like it could have taken down a Novice-level Frost Haven. Too bad the Ice Emperor Ram’s Frost Haven isn’t Novice-level.”
“I’d say Qiao Sang had no trouble at all against Yu Zhenyi. She’s already beaten Chen Tianqin, and among the remaining contestants, only Yuan Tianlong stands a chance against her.”
In Row 6 of Section A, a young man who had been enthusiastically cheering for “Qiao Sang” noticed his brother’s gaze and stopped, saying sheepishly:
“Brother Yu is so unlucky. If he hadn’t faced Qiao Sang, he would have definitely made it to the semifinals.”
The man with the stylish low ponytail: “…”
You shouldn’t have said that.
On the field, Yu Zhenyi waved his hand, returning Ziptop to the Beastmaster Codex.
Qiao Sang did the same, recalling Lulu.
“It looks like Contestant Qiao Sang isn’t preparing to let the Ice Emperor Ram fight in the next match,” Tian Yiyi commented from the commentator’s booth.
“I wonder what familiars the two contestants will send out for the next match.”
The number “10” appeared in the center of the arena.
“Of course, it’ll be Master Mimic and Yan Jiaou.”
“Sigh, I wanted to see Clear Hidden Sprite’s match…”
The audience stands buzzed with discussion.
As the countdown ended and the light faded, Qiao Sang and Yu Zhenyi simultaneously formed hand seals.
(End of Chapter)
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