The moment the Mad Rhino thundered toward her again, Xiao Wu's head throbbed. Tch… defensive Soul Masters…
Of all opponents, she hated these most. Her signature grappling throws—her teleports, her flexible combos—were all dulled when facing brutish fortresses who only knew one thing: take a hit, and keep charging.
What fumed her more was the decisiveness of Kuang Xi. Without hesitation, he plunged straight at her, body reinforced by glaring rings. She barely had the window to blink before his massive frame barreled down. No time left to prepare the explosive Eight-Stage Throw.
"First Soul Skill—Blue Silver Entanglement!"
"Second Soul Skill—Parasitism!"
Tang San's calm yet urgent cry rang. His Blue Silver Grass surged upward in a forest of emerald, vines binding Kuang Xi's legs and torso like chains.
"Xiao Wu!" Tang San shouted, his tone commanding, sharp.
Her eyes narrowed. Seizing the brief bind, Xiao Wu stepped with a dancer's poise, then with a vicious spin—her heel smashed into Kuang Xi's chest with raw force.
Bang!
The collision resounded through the stage. The giant defensive Soul Master crashed back, forced directly into one of the Twin Sheep Brothers, who were busy dueling Ma Hongjun on the flank. The poor sheep-boy crumpled under the sudden collision, his balance shattered.
But the enemy's formation wasn't so easy to break.
"Come back!"
The Spider-Woman's cold, calculating voice rang. One of her arachnid legs lashed out, hooked, and reeled the dazed Sheep Brother back toward safety, stitching him into their formation.
…
At the backline, Xiao Tian shook his head faintly, eyes cool and detached.
No. Tang San's command was flawed. At the start, Xiao Wu should've immediately teleported to their backline. Use charm on the Ruyi Pan Soul Master instead. Remove support—that is always the first priority. With him gone, the team would crumble…
Instead, forcing her to clash with Kuang Xi? That only cost momentum. Was this hesitation Tang San's pride hiding his own depths again?
Xiao Tian sighed. It's another attempt to conceal, isn't it? To hold cards too long…
His thoughts flowed into his spiritual thread.
"Xiao Wu," Xiao Tian's voice transmitted smoothly, directly to her ears. "Next chance—teleport straight to Ruyi Pan. Use charm. Knock him out. His third soul skill amplifies all attributes for the Berserkers. If he fully unleashes it, their entire team surges stronger."
Xiao Wu's eyes gleamed, blood boiling, her resolve sharpened. "Got it, Brother."
The field paused in stalemate, both teams reorganizing briefly.
Now.
Her third ring pulsed red.
A pink glow burst in her eyes—her figure flashed—and suddenly: Teleport!
She vanished—then reappeared right in front of the Ruyi Pan Soul Master, the Berserkers' key auxiliary.
"Charm!!"
The man froze instantly, his pupils glowing pink.
"Hah!" Xiao Wu twisted, spun, and with a dancer's grace stomped her heel straight into his gut. His body convulsed and reeled backward, soaring toward the platform's edge.
"Wake him up! Shout! Now!"
For once, Spider-Woman's usually calm voice cracked sharp. She hadn't expected Xiao Wu to strike here, now—and in the tiny interval after redeploying her spider leg. She had been caught off guard.
She roared at her teammates, and the Berserkers didn't hesitate:
"WAKE!! Third skill! Activate it!!"
"Brother Pan—WAKE!!"
They shouted with all their force, sound waves tearing through the air.
For support-controllers like Ruyi Pan, external impact or sudden sound could jolt them from charm, unless the mental gap was unfathomable. Xiao Wu, despite her strength, couldn't yet eclipse entire Soul Masters mentally.
Still charm-drunk, Ruyi Pan spiraled off the platform.
And then—
Two shadows split from the flanks. The Monkey Brothers, nimble agility-assassins, sprinted in mirrored arcs. Without hesitation, the rear one launched the other airborne like a catapult, hurling his sibling high.
"Go!!"
The propelled Monkey soared through the air. At the precise moment, just above the platform's edges, his skull slammed upward into Ruyi Pan's falling body.
"Urrghh!" Ruyi Pan gagged awake, pupils clearing in sudden shock. His third soul ring pulsed instantly, the Fanaticism Skill bursting before his body even settled.
But the collision of force rattled his nerves too much. His body fainted immediately afterward, flopping unconscious to the ground… but not before his frenzy expanded.
Crimson light swelled across the Berserker Team.
Every member's attack, speed, strength, stamina—their overall attributes surged fifteen percent for an entire minute.
The arena erupted.
The Berserkers had pulled off a miracle combo.
…
On the Shrek bench, everyone sat dumbfounded. Even Xiao Wu bit down on her lip in shame and frustration.
That had been perfect! She had executed Xiao Tian's command flawlessly—yet the enemy's raw coordination had turned the tide.
Yu Xiaogang watched, solemn disappointment clouding his face. "Their tacit understanding is… far superior to ours. The Berserkers' synchronization makes them nearly flawless."
Flender blew a low whistle. "Xiao San erred from the start. He wasted Xiao Wu's advantage. Two of her key strengths—Teleport and Charm—have been directly anticipated and countered. Now what?"
Chen Xin only chuckled coldly, arms folded. "A strong team… yes. But I'll remind you: team coordination falters before absolute strength. They prepared everything against Xiao Wu, planned counters for every detail. But what of the boy standing behind your auxiliaries? What defense exists for him?"
He tilted his chin toward where Xiao Tian stood, black sword unmoved.
"…When that boy steps forward, their web will be torn apart in an instant. Mark my words."
…
Indeed, Spider-Woman clapped her sharp hands now, smirking at Shrek from across the stage.
"That was close. You almost broke our line. But against us, Violent Rabbit—it's useless. Admit defeat, or fall."
Audiences howled, opinions splitting in the stands:
"Did you see that? The Violent Rabbit nearly ended their support, but Berserkers pulled him back with that miracle monkey combo! Too perfect!"
"They've already cracked Xiao Wu's two best skills. With Fanaticism buffing their whole team, Shrek is toast!"
"Nonsense! Have you forgotten the Xuanyuan Emperor? He downed the Dark Night Assassin with one blow! You think these Soul Masters can stop him?"
"Team fights aren't one-man shows, idiot! You think he's secretly a Soul King?? He's just a Soul Sect!"
"You calling him 'just a Soul Sect'? He's barely in his teens!"
"Quiet down, trash. You're just a Great Soul Master bragging."
"WHAT did you say!?"
A war of words exploded in the stands. Bets shifted chaotically. The name "Xuanyuan Emperor" thundered louder and louder.
…
On the ring, Xiao Wu clenched her fist, shoulders trembling faintly. She turned toward Xiao Tian, eyes brimming with shame.
"Brother… what do we do now? That should've been the end. But they turned it back around…"
Xiao Tian smiled faintly, walking forward slowly from the backline, one hand brushing Xiao Wu's head in comfort.
"You've done well. Leave the rest… to me."
Oscar piped in hastily, producing gleaming sausages. "Eat my mushrooms! Quick! Once you sprout wings, they won't hit us. We can take the sky, stall their frenzy out!"
Tang San's brows even twitched with temptation at the idea.
But Xiao Tian's chuckle silenced them all. "Pointless. You can only make ten. Their Frenzy lasts over a minute. You won't hold out wasting spirit power… Save it."
His face sharpened as sword intent flickered around him, an oppressive pressure surging like a tide.
From behind, his iron sword hummed lightly. His voice rolled deep.
"…Fifteen. Get bigger."
The black blade in his hand glowed faintly—expanding, lengthening, as his condensed sword energy coalesced into a sharp monstrous edge.
The crowd stilled.
For the first time in this team battle—Xuanyuan Human Emperor stepped forward.
And the stage trembled at his gaze.
--
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