The young man had a considerable reputation at this battle club.
He was known as a "noob-stomping expert."
But it wasn't a good reputation.
The young man owned an entry-level Flame Bull, but he never fought other formal Spirit Tamers—only newcomers who hadn't yet reached the entry level.
He called it "guidance battles."
Spirit Tamers who had been at the club long enough knew that the young man's command skills were very limited. His high win rate came purely from an entry-level spirit crushing those who hadn't even reached that stage.
Veterans simply refused to battle him. Only clueless newcomers would be tricked by the "guidance battle" pitch, only to end up on the platform, battered and bruised by the entry-level Flame Bull.
And yet, this perfectly fit the club's rules.
As long as no one died, everything else was negotiable.
The watching Spirit Tamers whispered among themselves, casting sympathetic glances at the little fire crow.
No matter how strong it was, it was still pre-entry level.
And it had already fought four matches.
There was no way it could be a match for that Flame Bull.
If it surrendered early, it might be fine. If it waited too long, it would be brutally beaten. Even if it could be healed, the spirit might be left with psychological scars.
A Flame Bull, its body a reddish-brown, about the size of an ordinary plow ox, stomped heavily onto the platform with a snort.
Flames burned at the tips of its two red horns. As the Flame Bull pawed the ground, building up power, the fire grew fiercer.
"Flame Bull, Fire Spray."
"Moo—"
It reared up on its front hooves, opened its mouth wide, and a blazing inferno gathered, erupting into a thick pillar of flame.
Whoosh—
The orange-red fire shot straight at the little fire crow hovering in midair.
But this straightforward Fire Spray was less of a threat to the little fire crow than the three energy balls from the previous match. With a simple flap of its wings, it dodged the flames.
The watching Spirit Tamers shook their heads.
"As expected of a noob-stomping expert. That command level..."
"But it's still entry-level, and both are fire types. It's already in an unbeatable position from the start."
Sure enough,
as they spoke,
while the opposing tamer didn't give any commands, leaving a gap to chain moves, the little fire crow used its signature Fire Feather Needles to probe.
Feathers of flame, formed from spiritual energy, rained down with a soft rustle.
They blanketed the Flame Bull, which had closed its eyes.
"Moo—"
The Flame Bull cried out in pain, enraged. The flames on its horns flared up another notch.
"See? What else can the little fire crow's attack do besides piss off the Flame Bull?
"The level gap is too big. It can barely break through the defense. This isn't something command skill can fix."
"Speaking of which..." another person suddenly spoke up, "haven't you noticed that the challenger hasn't given a single command from start to finish?"
"Uh..."
Reminded of this, the others suddenly realized.
It was true. The little fire crow had been fighting entirely on its own.
Its tamer hadn't said a word. What kind of confidence was that?!
Could it be...?
The minor damage from the Fire Feather Needles put the young man's mind at ease. "Your spirit isn't bad, but in front of my Flame Bull, it's still too weak.
"Now, let me teach you the real way to fight. Charge in, use Flame Splash!"
The fan-shaped burst of flames finally left the little fire crow with no room to dodge.
Going head-to-head, the Fire Feather Needles couldn't compete with the sea of flames an entry-level spirit could unleash.
It deftly spread its wings, wrapping itself up to block the flying embers.
At that moment,
the Flame Bull's tamer didn't give an order, but the bull itself seized the opportunity.
While the little fire crow was encased in its black wings and struggling to move, it accelerated forward and leaped.
Special move—Charge!
The Charge move, executed by the Flame Bull, carried far more force than the chubby silkworm's version.
Flames blazed on its two horns, cloaking its charge in a fiery coat as it slammed into the little fire crow's wing defense.
The tough black wings, under the Flame Bull's momentum-fueled impact, seemed fragile.
With cracking sounds,
feathers shattered like porcelain shards. The Flame Bull, its momentum undiminished, crashed into the core of the wings—the little fire crow itself.
Boom!
Black feathers scattered everywhere.
The young man burst into laughter.
But the laughter cut off abruptly.
He stared at the platform. The Flame Bull had smashed the little fire crow to pieces, but the scattered feathers, drifting away, reformed into the shape of a little fire crow not far off.
"What... what move is that?"
"It's a Substitute, a Feather Substitute! A very advanced move!"
This was a battle club, after all, and there were knowledgeable people present who identified it at a glance.
But that only made the onlookers even more astonished.
They turned to look at the figure standing with hands clasped behind his back, still calm and composed. They saw him sigh faintly, as if dissatisfied with his spirit's performance.
Still not satisfied?!
Su Hao really wasn't satisfied.
If he had been commanding, he would have had the little fire crow use a fireball to blast a gap through the fan-shaped flames. With the little fire crow's flying ability, it could have easily slipped through a narrow opening.
Instead, it had tanked the attack with its wing move and been forced to reveal the Feather Substitute as a trump card.
He spoke. "Use that move."
"Caw!!!"
Facing the Flame Bull, which was unleashing "Flame Splash" again, the little fire crow moved.
It used Steel Wing, charging straight through the fan-shaped flames. Some feathers showed signs of scorching, but then the little fire crow did something that stunned every spectator.
It didn't pull away. Instead, it charged straight at the Flame Bull!
The distance shrank. The Flame Bull was also charging.
In an instant,
the little fire crow, darting like an arrow, flickered. Black feathers scattered, and it split into three!
It nimbly dodged the Flame Bull's charge. The three figures—one left, one right, one above—lashed out with black wings like blades, slashing down in a flurry.
In that moment,
blade-light flickered like shadows!
The dark, overlapping blade-shadows completely engulfed the Flame Bull.
Like a reaper claiming a life.
A moment later,
two of the little fire crows, their feather forms unstable, burst apart with a bang, leaving only countless black feathers drifting down.
The Flame Bull let out a pained cry, its four knees buckling as it was carried forward by its own charge momentum, rolling until it hit the edge of the platform.
Its body was covered in clearly visible wounds.
Only the little fire crow remained, spreading its wings and soaring, its cry ringing out to declare its victory.
It was over.
The entire arena fell silent.
Even the referee didn't react.
After who knows how long, the sound of someone sharply inhaling broke the stillness, and the venue erupted into noise again.
The young man couldn't believe it.
He had stomped so many noobs, and today he had been taken down by a pre-entry-level spirit.
"Why... how can a non-entry-level spirit be this strong? He cheated!"
No one paid him any attention. In fact, faint sounds of mockery reached his ears.
His face burning, the young man hurriedly left.
This battle had taken a lot out of the little fire crow.
But no one else came to challenge.
A few formal Spirit Tamers among the crowd weren't about to lower themselves to take advantage of the situation for a mere ten thousand yuan.
After a period with no challengers, it was defaulted that the defense had succeeded, and the deposit and reward could be claimed.
During this time,
Su Hao planned to watch some other battles.
Just as he was about to step down from the spirit platform, the young man who had left in a hurry returned.
He brought with him a man who looked somewhat like him but was much more mature.
"Brother, it's him! Get revenge for me!"
The man shook his head in disappointment, but still, amid the boos from the crowd, pressed the challenge button.
He brought out an entry-level spirit as well, but one whose aura was far more ferocious—a Blade Armor Crab—and stepped onto the platform.
Level suppression!
Type disadvantage!
The little fire crow was also injured!
No matter how you looked at it, it was a laughable match of the strong bullying the weak.
"But I only care about the result." The man's expression didn't change, completely unfazed by the audience's reaction.
Su Hao sighed as well.
If that was the case...
Dream Butterfly, Dream Butterfly, your rest time is over.