Chapter 55: Victory
The massive ice spear collided violently with the ferocious pillar of fire, creating a deafening roar. The powers of both sides counterbalanced each other, forming a thrilling stalemate.
At this moment, Lan Bingxuan displayed her strength as a Rank 2; her ice abilities grew even more powerful. Meanwhile, Su Ke, in his Heatblast form enhanced after absorbing a skill crystal core, unleashed even stronger fire power. The battle between the two was exceptionally intense, with neither willing to yield.
However, despite Su Ke giving his all, his spiritual power was still not as abundant as Lan Bingxuan's.
At this point, the Omnitrix symbol on his chest began to flash. The power of the fire pillar gradually weakened, and the ice spear opposite him took the opportunity to press forward.
'No, I can't let this continue!' Su Ke thought anxiously. 'I have to think of another way to turn the situation around.'
Judging by the current situation, if things continued as they were, the loser would definitely be Su Ke.
After all, his realm was far lower than Lan Bingxuan's. Even if Heatblast's strength had improved, it was difficult to bridge this gap.
Now, his only advantage was that he could switch forms at any time.
Su Ke didn't want to use it easily because he didn't want to be discovered. 'Don't want to be discovered? I've got it!'
Right then, Su Ke freed his left hand, using only the two fire pillars from his mouth and right hand to resist. The price for this was that the ice spear pressed forward even faster.
However, Su Ke paid it no mind. He quickly used his left hand to control the fire, forming a ring of fire as a barrier around him. This tightly enveloped him so that the situation inside was completely invisible from the outside.
Immediately after, Su Ke completely withdrew the fire pillars, and the ice spear sped toward him at an incredible speed.
In that critical moment, Su Ke instantly switched forms and turned into Ghostfreak.
Once he turned himself intangible, the ice spear passed through Su Ke's body in an instant. Afterward, he quickly switched back to Heatblast.
Amazingly, Su Ke was unharmed. But to the outside world, it looked as if the ice spear had plunged straight into the fire barrier and then pierced through. Everyone mistakenly thought the spear had directly impaled his body.
Terrified screams rang out from below the stage. Zhang Xu and Su Yuan were so scared they nearly fell off their chairs.
The various leaders on the stage all stood up involuntarily. Lan Bingxuan also became nervous, her face turning pale as cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
Just now, due to her anxiety, she hadn't been able to hold back the force of that strike.
It was well known that if a life were lost in this competition, even she would definitely not have a good ending.
After the fire barrier dissipated, everyone stared intently inside.
They saw Heatblast, the form Su Ke had transformed into, lying on the ground. Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
It was common knowledge that once a Beast Transformation Spirit Energy User died, they would revert to their original appearance. Since he could still maintain his current state, it meant he was fine.
Su Ke slowly climbed up and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
A few wisps of flame fell to the ground.
"That was close. Luckily, I threw myself down fast."
Lan Bingxuan and the people on the stage were speechless, dark lines appearing on their foreheads.
If you're going to lie down, just lie down. Why set up a barrier? You made everyone so nervous.
Lan Bingxuan was especially scared, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest. She had thought she was going to prison.
Even now, her breathing hadn't settled down yet.
Su Ke didn't give her a chance to catch her breath and directly clenched his fist to smash toward her.
Lan Bingxuan condensed an ice shield to block it.
This wasn't a skill; it was just a simple condensation of the ice element.
Now, the spiritual power of both was bottoming out. Even the red light on Su Ke's chest had increased its flashing frequency from once a second to three times a second.
The two of them simultaneously condensed ice and fire blades again for one last strike.
The cold air around Lan Bingxuan gradually weakened, and she was drenched in sweat.
The symbol on Su Ke's chest also flashed faster and faster, reaching eight times a second.
Now, it was entirely a contest of willpower.
Although Lan Bingxuan had practiced martial arts, Su Ke had truly experienced multiple actual combat situations. He had fought in the Underground Arena and against wilderness Demonic Beasts, during which he had been injured many times.
Although the sensation of pain isn't something one gets used to easily, in terms of endurance, he was definitely stronger than Lan Bingxuan.
When he was hit by Lan Bingxuan, although it hurt, he could react quickly.
But when Lan Bingxuan was hit, her face twitched visibly. Her movements were slower than before, clearly hindered by the pain.
Finally, the match ended with Su Ke holding a fire blade to her neck.
"I lose."
Lan Bingxuan spoke with a mix of helplessness and reluctance.
But she knew that she was originally an entire major realm higher than her opponent. Even so, she still lost. She could only blame her own lack of skill; she hadn't been wronged by losing this match.
Su Ke's spiritual power also happened to bottom out, and he transformed back.
The red light on his chest flashed so fast it appeared constant, and the beeping sound was extremely piercing.
He had been trying his best to maintain the transformation. Now that the match was over, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The referee on the side announced Su Ke's victory.
Intense cheering erupted from the audience stands.
"Winning across ranks, and even winning across realms! That was spectacular!"
"Whose kid is this? He's really going places!"
"He's really bringing glory to us ordinary folks!"
As the referee announced the result, the entire venue exploded with deafening cheers and applause. The audience stood up excitedly, waving flags and banners to express their respect for Su Ke.
Lan Bingxuan sighed deeply, a bitter smile appearing on her face. Despite losing the match, she expressed admiration for Su Ke's strength.
She knew that although she was a major realm higher than her opponent, she had still been defeated. This could only be attributed to her skills not being refined enough.
This match not only showed the audience a brilliant duel but also filled people with expectations for this young contestant.
Ordinary families are easily satisfied. After this battle, everyone believed that Su Ke's future would be limitless.
Hearing the praise from the people around them, Zhang Xu and Su Yuan were full of joy. They looked at each other, the smiles on their faces deepening.
Their hearts were filled with pride and relief because their son had not only achieved victory but had also performed excellently. This joy was hard to put into words, but it was clear from the smiles on their faces that they were incredibly proud of their son.
On the stage, Lan Bingxuan had gradually recovered. She slowly stood up, took a deep breath, and looked at Su Ke again.
Despite having just lost the match, she was not discouraged or depressed because of it.
On the contrary, a determined light flickered in her eyes. It was as if she were telling herself that failure was only a temporary setback; as long as she persevered and worked hard, she would one day defeat her opponent.
She still spoke to Su Ke in that cold tone: "You are very strong."
The corners of Su Ke's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a confident smile: "I am indeed very strong."
Lan Bingxuan: ...
Unlock 30 chapters instantly (for the price of the old 20-chapter tier) and get 50–55 new chapters every month.
If you're enjoying the story, consider supporting me here:
patreon.com/anish_44