Chapter 988: Master Mimic
Chapter 988: Master Mimic (Combined)
Two dazzling Crimson Star Arrays lit up the field.
Soon, two familiars of different sizes appeared within the Star Arrays.
"Contestants Qiao Sang and Yu Zhenyi have dispatched Yan Jiaou and Master Mimic", Tian Yiyi announced from the Commentator Booth.
"Another battle between King-level familiars."
Tang Xueran chimed in, "We don't know who will win this match."
The Master Mimic is a general King-level familiar. Unlike ordinary Master Mimics, Yu Zhenyi's Master Mimic is a Variant Familiar, smaller by about a circle in size, with a startling A-Class Mimicry Trait. It can effortlessly learn basic skills from other attributes and knows several moves from multiple attributes. Qiao Sang looked at the familiar standing about five meters away, with its grayish-yellow skin and pink patterns, a slightly protruding forehead, and what appeared to be a pink headband. The relevant data about it flashed through her mind.
Her gaze involuntarily fell on those pink patterns.
Ordinary Master Mimics have yellow patterns and a yellow patch on their heads, while this one has pink.
It's said that the Variant makes it learn skills from other attributes more quickly.
However, these are just basic moves.
But these basic moves make its mimicry more successful in matches.
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy looked at the opponent with excitement in her eyes.
Then, she vanished from her spot.
"Hardening!" Yu Zhenyi declared without a moment's hesitation.
Yan Jiaou, a Psychic and Fire-type dual-attribute familiar, usually takes the initiative, preferring to attack. Because it can teleport, it especially likes to teleport to positions other than the front to perform a Flame Fang close-range attack.
"Mimicry!"
The Master Mimic called out, and its body instantly became incredibly hard, taking on a silvery-white sheen.
This is the sheen of a Mastery Level Hardening.
Fangy's tendency to start with Flame Fang must have left a deep impression. It had only just disappeared and hadn't even launched a formal attack, yet the Master Mimic was already on the defense... Qiao Sang felt a bit amused internally, but her expression remained calm.
The expected scene of Yan Jiaou appearing behind the Master Mimic and immediately using Flame Fang to bite down did not happen.
Unexpectedly, Fangy teleported to the sky, tilted her head slightly, and opened her mouth, spewing a terrifyingly powerful crimson energy ball that shot upward.
It started with Mars Rain... Yu Zhenyi's face showed surprise, and he quickly changed his command:
"Mimic!"
Yan Jiaou's Mars Rain is definitely at Mastery Level. Although the Master Mimic's Hardening is also at Mastery Level, Hardening is only a mid-tier skill, and he didn't dare let the Master Mimic take it head-on.
"Mimicry!"
The Master Mimic called out again, melting away like cement and disappearing.
The crimson energy ball exploded in the sky with a loud "bang."
Flame Rain descended from the heavens.
The entire sky was instantly dyed red.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The destructive Flame Rain fell, the explosive sounds ringing in the ears, and the Arena was filled with a terrifying scorching heat.
Debris and stones flew in all directions, and the ground was riddled with holes and craters.
Flames danced wildly, quickly turning the Arena into a scorched red wasteland, with no spot left unscathed.
Yet, in such a dense and terrifying attack, the Master Mimic's shadow never appeared.
The audience stands began to buzz with chatter.
"What did the Master Mimic transform into? It didn’t get hit at all."
"It’s probably sand."
"But wouldn’t the sand be affected by the attack too?"
"Not necessarily. The Arena is so large that there are bound to be some spots that the attack misses."
"Maybe it turned into fire when the Flame Rain fell?"
"Even if it turned into fire, it would still be vulnerable to fire-type attacks. It can’t really become fire itself."
Family Section.
Ye Xiangting watched for a while and, remembering that there was a teacher from the Imperial Beastmaster Academy nearby, humbly asked, "Teacher, what do you think the Master Mimic turned into?"
Liu Yao quietly perked up his ears.
"It turned into sand", Migala said.
Her heightened senses allowed her to see the Master Mimic’s transformation process and some of the details.
Ye Xiangting frowned slightly. "Where is it hiding? It must have had incredible luck to avoid such a dense Mars Rain."
Migala explained, "It maintained its Hardening skill while transforming."
Ye Xiangting blinked in confusion. "What? You mean the Master Mimic can use Hardening while in sand form?"
She had seen many Regional Tournaments, but this was the first time she heard of a familiar using such a technique.
Liu Yao’s eyes flickered with surprise.
Maintaining a skill while in a non-biological form was nearly impossible. Only basic defensive skills like Hardening could possibly be sustained, and even then, only a few familiars could manage it.
He hadn’t expected to see such a feat in this Regional Tournament. This Master Mimic’s transformation trait must be at a very high level, Liu Yao concluded, his brow furrowing slightly.
Regardless of other factors, with this technique, Fangy would likely have to use an Ultimate Move to force it out. The energy disparity could put the opponent at a disadvantage later on.
Liu Yao’s gaze, tinged with worry, fell on the majestic shadow beneath the Flame Rain. When he saw Fangy’s increasingly excited expression, his concern vanished. He knew his worries might have been unfounded.
Qiao Sang and Fangy wouldn’t let the match drag on.
The sand, hardened by the Master Mimic’s Hardening skill, could withstand even the slight impacts from the Mars Rain. Yu Zhenyi sensed the Master Mimic’s status and felt satisfied. The sand was small, and with a Mastery-level Hardening, it wouldn’t suffer the same fate as the original form, which was large and couldn’t avoid attacks, leaving it to endure them passively.
The sand might still get hit a few times, but it wouldn’t be continuously bombarded like the original form.
Then, Qiao Sang raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Was he going to use Mars Rain again? Or perhaps Blazing Sun Impact? Yu Zhenyi’s heart tightened. If it was the former, the Master Mimic would resist, and the opponent would waste a lot of energy. If it was the latter, the opponent wouldn’t be able to find the Master Mimic’s current position, also wasting a lot of energy.
With this thought, Yu Zhenyi’s expression remained unchanged, and he issued no commands.
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy didn’t look up or open its mouth, nor did it rise higher. Instead, it rushed toward the ground.
Not Mars Rain, not Blazing Sun Impact! Yu Zhenyi remembered Yan Jiaou’s other Ultimate Move, his pupils narrowing, and he shouted, "Transform and fly!"
Silver sand rose and quickly twisted into a small, silver bird familiar, about a centimeter in size.
So, it can maintain the Hardening skill even while transforming. Qiao Sang understood why the previous Mars Rain hadn’t forced the Master Mimic out.
In a flash, Fangy landed on the ground.
As it touched the ground, the earth beneath it suddenly sank.
In the next second, a terrifying force of Flame erupted from the ground.
The Flame swept wildly, lifting the ground in front of it piece by piece.
The master mimic, which had transformed into a bird familiar with a silvery sheen, was still affected by the Flame, slowing its speed considerably.
Dense Flame Rain continued to fall, hitting the bird familiar.
"Transform!"
The master mimic let out a wail of pain but still managed to endure it, flapping its wings and swiftly weaving through the Flame Rain.
The rhythm was back in Yan Jiaou's hands. No, I can't let this continue... Yu Zhenyi, sensing the unfavorable start, shouted:
"Attack!"
The bird familiar with a silvery sheen continued to move quickly while yawning.
An invisible wave spread out.
Fangy felt drowsiness wash over it, and it couldn't help but yawn.
Yawn, a mid-tier Skill of the Normal type, causes the target to feel sleepy and fall into a sleep status.
I thought it would be an offensive Skill, but it turned out to be Yawn... Qiao Sang realized she had been careless.
Even though she clearly knew she shouldn't fully follow the opponent's commands, she had still instinctively listened to them.
However, even if she had known about the Yawn Skill beforehand, she couldn't have prevented it, especially with a familiar like Fangy, whose hearing is exceptional. It would almost certainly fall for it, unless it had a Skill to block sound or the willpower to stay awake.
It fell for it... Indeed, the effectiveness of a Skill doesn't depend on its level but on the user's proficiency. Sometimes, a mid-tier Skill can be more effective than an advanced one... Yu Zhenyi's face lit up with joy as he issued the command:
"Mountain Crush!"
"Transform!"
The Flame Rain had stopped, and the bird familiar with a silvery sheen flew high into the sky.
As it ascended, its form began to distort and expand, transforming into a Yan Jiaou over ten meters tall.
"Master mimic has transformed into Yan Jiaou!" Tian Yiyi, in the commentator booth, exclaimed. "It seems to be preparing to use Mountain Crush. Yan Jiaou is now in a drowsy status. Can it dodge it?"
Everyone's eyes followed the action instinctively.
The "Yan Jiaou" turned sharply downward, transforming into a beam of white light and plummeting like a meteor toward Fangy's location.
Qiao Sang remained calm and shouted:
"We're going to lose!"
"Ya Ya?!"
Fangy snapped to attention, its drooping eyelids suddenly opening wide, instantly awake and vanishing from its spot.
"Bang!"
A deafening explosion echoed as the white light collided with the Flame-covered ground.
A massive crater formed on the ground, sending sparks and rocks flying.
Yu Zhenyi: "!!!"
What the hell?
Just three words woke Yan Jiaou from a Mastery-level Yawn?
"Yan Jiaou dodged it!" Tang Xueran said with enthusiasm. "Contestant Qiao Sang only used three words to wake up Yan Jiaou. It seems that winning or losing is very important to Yan Jiaou."
"Transform..."
The master mimic returned to its original form, standing up in the deep crater, still glowing with a silvery sheen.
"Transform and fly!" Yu Zhenyi shouted.
But it was too late. Fangy, having teleported away, reappeared a hundred meters away, just outside the crater.
It stomped its left front paw.
Instantly, a fierce Flame erupted from the crater, completely engulfing the master mimic.
"Transform!!!"
The master mimic let out a wail of pain as the intense Flame burned and exploded on its body.
I remember Rong Yuhua's data saying that the master mimic's Hardening Skill is at the late Mastery level... Qiao Sang recalled the information and, to be safe, said:
“Melt.”
Fangy opened his mouth, and a swirling flame instantly shot out.
He maintained the open-mouthed position.
Immediately, the swirling red flame visibly distorted.
A beam of light, tinged with gold, shot from Fangy's mouth, piercing into the distorted, swirling flame.
The power of the flame surged, expanding several times over, and struck the master mimic, which was still screaming in pain.
“Bang!!!”
“Mimic Transform!!!”
Amid the thunderous noise, the master mimic let out another scream and was sent flying, leaving a trail over a hundred meters long before finally stopping.
Yu Zhenyi sensed the master mimic's status and his expression changed.
The commotion on the field subsided.
In the trench left behind, the master mimic had closed its eyes and fainted.
“Yan Jiaou used the combination of Flame Vortex and Blazing Bomb, increasing the power of the flame, and struck the master mimic, which had just been severely injured by Hellfire!” In the commentator booth, Tian Yiyi commented on the scene: “Is the second match about to end?”
Tang Xueran added helpfully:
“After Yan Jiaou cast Flame Vortex, the flame visibly distorted, indicating the addition of another fire skill. If I’m not mistaken, it was Phantom Flame. The fusion of three fire skills, along with Hellfire, has likely incapacitated the master mimic.”
In the commentator booth, a mechanical-type familiar referee appeared beside the master mimic, observed for a moment, and then waved a green flag in the direction of Qiao Sang.
“Ya Ya!”
Fangy, having competed in many matches, understood the meaning of the green flag. He immediately swung his tail and stood tall with pride.
A giant virtual screen appeared.
Below Yu Zhenyi, the master mimic’s photo changed from color to black and white.
“Let’s congratulate Qiao Sang on his second consecutive victory! He has won the second match!” Tian Yiyi exclaimed with enthusiasm.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
“Ah! Qiao Sang! Qiao Sang!”
“Yan Jiaou! Yan Jiaou!”
“Semifinals! Semifinals!”
“There’s still one more match to go.”
“Yu Zhenyi’s strongest remaining familiar is only General-Class. What’s the difference from advancing to the semifinals early?”
“Oh my gosh, three different flames fused together? That’s so difficult!”
“To be honest, I’m most impressed by how quickly Yan Jiaou recovered from Yawn’s drowsiness effect. If it had been a bit slower, the outcome of this match might have been different.”
“Hahaha! My pocket money! My pocket money is safe! Go, Qiao Sang! I bet on you to win 3-0!”
In Row 6 of Zone A.
“Qiao Sang! Qiao Sang!” The young boy, unable to contain his excitement, waved his arms and shouted.
After a few shouts, he turned his head and saw his older brother staring intently at the field, his face tense. He couldn’t help but say:
“I told you, Brother Yu isn’t Qiao Sang’s opponent.”
The man with the stylish low ponytail kept his eyes fixed on the field and didn’t argue: “I know.”
The boy was a bit surprised and asked:
“Then why do you look like that?”
It was as if he was at a critical moment, still hopeful and tense.
“You wouldn’t understand, kid.” The man said gravely.
He had bet on a 3-1 score.
Qiao Sang 3, Yu Zhenyi 1.
As long as Qiao Sang recalled Yan Jiaou and summoned a Champion-Level familiar, he still had a chance to win.
Amid the roaring cheers, Qiao Sang waved his hand and recalled Fangy into the Beastmaster Codex. (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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