Though Oscar was lacking in combat ability and had performed poorly earlier, his mind was exceptionally sharp. At this moment, he instantly realized the potential scheme being plotted by the Absolute Offense and Defense duo.
Despite his disheveled state, Oscar shouted loudly:
"Boss, be careful!"
Dai Mubai's face remained cold as if he were weighing his options.
But in that instant, Wu Qing's third soul ring lit up.
"Boy, what do you think of my third soul skill, Earth Trap Toad?"
A massive toad-like mouth suddenly appeared beneath Dai Mubai, clamping him in place and rendering him immobile.
It was hard to believe that this was merely a hundred-year soul skill. However, it was likely that while it appeared to be a hundred-year soul ring, its true age was close to a thousand years.
From the stands, Ye Wen observed this soul skill and fell into deep thought.
The Douluo continent wasn't devoid of trap-type soul skills, but without exception, they all originated from exceptionally powerful spirit beasts. How could a commoner soul master with such mediocre soul ring configurations possess a skill like this?
Though Ye Wen didn't rule out the possibility of sheer luck, he glanced again at Sinael, who was still holding Oscar hostage, his gaze growing more profound.
Trapped but unfazed, Dai Mubai sneered.
"Let the stutterer negotiate with me while you stay silent on the sidelines—what a foolish trap."
Wu Qing knew their methods were crude, but he smirked devilishly.
"So what if you figured it out? But do you know why we're called Absolute Offense and Defense?"
Another idiotic question. As Dai Mubai gathered strength, he replied:
"How is that not obvious? Your attack and that guy's defense, right?"
"Hehe, you're half-right. Absolute Defense indeed belongs to Sinael, but Absolute Attack—"
At this moment, the perpetually stuttering Sinael cut in excitedly, "Belongs to me too!"
As his words trailed off, the thousand-year third soul ring on Sinael's body began glowing with an eerie purple light.
The giant snail shell on Sinael's back, now activated by the soul ring, began undergoing a transformation.
As the snail shell rotated, the opening that originally served as the snail's entrance and exit twisted and expanded, forming a massive cannon-like aperture!
Third Soul Skill—Silver Shell Mega Egg!!!
Feeling the surging soul power gathering within the colossal snail shell, Dai Mubai's expression instantly shifted, and his own soul power erupted with immense force.
Though Dai Mubai was only a Soul Elder, the soul power fluctuations emanating from him made Sinael's heart race.
"Wu Qing, what's going on?" Sinael, now visibly unsettled, instinctively turned to ask the commoner Wu Qing, whom he had always looked down upon.
The answer was obvious—if even Sinael, with his special background, couldn't figure it out, how could Wu Qing?
At this moment, the soul power Dai Mubai had been accumulating reached its peak!
With a flash of golden light, Wu Qing's third soul skill was instantly severed, and Wu Qing himself fell into a backlash state due to the destruction of his soul skill.
In that instant, the three competitors on the arena finally understood what Dai Mubai had just done.
Oscar stared dumbfounded at Dai Mubai, who was unleashing his full might, his eyes filled with both awe and admiration.
Dai Mubai stood tall on the stage, his body enveloped in the intense soul power fluctuations of the White Tiger Fierce Light Wave.
But the most striking feature wasn't the White Tiger Fierce Light Wave surrounding him—it was the massive golden sword suspended above his raised right hand, condensed from the White Tiger Fierce Light Wave.
Boundless Heavenly Strength - Form Solidification State - Heavenly Punishment Greatsword!
The next second, Dai Mubai declared his third move aloud, then grasped the Heavenly Punishment Greatsword firmly in his hand.
Simultaneously, Sinael's third soul skill finished charging. A torrent of cyan-blue soul power erupted from the cannon-like aperture, generating terrifying shockwaves that surged directly toward Dai Mubai.
"Ha!" Dai Mubai let out a fierce roar and swung his sword forward with tremendous force.
The golden sword wave collided fiercely with the cyan-blue energy blast.
Though both combatants were Soul Elders and their third soul rings were both thousand-year ones, it was clear that Dai Mubai's self-created soul skill, refined to the extreme, surpassed the power of Sinael's third soul skill.
After a brief stalemate, Dai Mubai's ferocious slash instantly split Sinael's energy wave in two, charging straight toward Sinael himself.
At the last moment, Sinael's years of battle instincts kicked in, causing him to spin around and use his thick snail shell to block Dai Mubai's attack.
However, Sinael was sent flying backward, leaving a massive gash on his snail shell. He collapsed unconscious outside the arena moments later.
After delivering this strike, Dai Mubai clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. He had claimed he would resolve the fight in three moves, but clearly, he had exaggerated.
Dai Mubai surged forward with explosive force, appearing before Wu Qing in an instant. Raising his Heavenly Punishment Greatsword, he coldly stated:
"Surrender, or I can't guarantee whether you'll 'accidentally' die from my next strike."
Already weakened by the backlash of his soul skill, Wu Qing broke into a cold sweat at the sight of the massive sword hovering near his nose. He immediately shouted:
"I surrender!"
Thus, Dai Mubai finally secured victory in this comeback match—not quite within three moves, but close enough.
Ohhh!!!
As the final verdict was announced, cheers erupted from the audience, though some cursed bitterly after losing their bets, showcasing the myriad facets of human nature.
"Satisfied?" Ye Wen asked.
Huo Yu'er seemed somewhat uninterested. Though the battle had been visually impressive, it lacked strategic depth. Still, since she had come of her own accord, she forced herself to nod and replied:
"Not bad."
At this moment, Ye Wen stood up and said, "If that's the case, let's go handle something else. I have a feeling there's more to that contestant, Sinael."
Huo Yu'er and Xiao Wu also seemed to recall something, nodding in agreement. After briefly discussing a plan, the trio split up, heading to several major exits of the Spirit Arena to begin tracking the Absolute Offense and Defense duo.
Though they weren't a professional investigative team, Sinael's massive build made him stand out. With a bit of attention and inquiry, they quickly located his residence.
Ultimately, it was Ye Wen who found Sinael first. After trailing him for a while, Ye Wen returned directly.
After all, if Sinael truly had ties to the human trafficker leader from before, he wouldn't be alone—there would likely be other Soul Elders nearby. Though Ye Wen had the strength to take on three opponents, he wouldn't recklessly charge in alone.
However, upon returning to regroup, Ye Wen discovered an intriguing sight—a slender figure crawling on the ground!?
------------------------------------------------------
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
40+ Chapters Ahead Guaranteed.