novelraw Chapter 122: The First Battle is the Decisive Battle!
Chapter 122: The First Battle is the Decisive Battle!
After introducing the contestants from Star City High, commentator Winston Hayes moved on to introduce the team from Grand River High.
"First to walk toward us is the captain of Grand River High, Spencer Sinclair."
"He is a Beast Warrior possessing a Mythical Species Beast Totem, the undisputed number one among Grand River City's freshmen in Martial Studies."
"He is also the heavy favorite to advance from this group stage!"
Winston Hayes deliberately raised his voice as he introduced him to the audience.
Meanwhile...
In an inconspicuous corner of the spectator stands, two girls quietly took their seats.
One was dressed in a flowing white dress with a vibrant green jade flute tucked into her waistband, while the other wore a pink lolita dress, tightly hugging a massive cat plushie in her arms.
These two were none other than Jade Flute Fairy and Fairy Beixuan, members of The Glacier Seven.
It was as if a faint barrier existed around their seats, making it impossible for anyone to approach them or overhear their conversation.
Upon hearing commentator Winston Hayes tout Spencer Sinclair as the number one freshman of Grand River High, a flash of disdain crossed Fairy Beixuan's eyes.
"Just a little brat who thinks he's invincible just because he got his hands on a Mythical Species. What's there to brag about?" Fairy Beixuan scoffed, her gaze then shifting toward Fly down in the arena.
Resolute eyes, handsome features.
What caught Fairy Beixuan's attention the most was the fact that out of all the boys she had met, every single one of them had bent over backward to curry favor and desperately tried every trick in the book to hit on her.
Yet this Fly treated her like she was completely invisible.
"So your name is Fly!"
"You'd better pray I don't run into you in the arena."
As she spoke, Fairy Beixuan threw two shadow punches in Fly's direction, looking entirely ready to beat him to a pulp.
But, in Fairy Beixuan's eyes, Fly's only chance to ever fight her would be if he somehow made it out of the group stages and, by sheer luck of the draw, went up against her Sovereign High in the quarterfinals.
Otherwise...
Even if they were lucky enough to advance, Fly's Star City High was destined to be eliminated in the very first round.
Ordinary Beast Warriors like them ultimately lacked the qualifications to challenge her head-on.
Jade Flute Fairy, on the other hand, didn't say a word. Her gaze simply rested quietly on Fly.
Even though Star City's educational strength didn't exactly stand out in the Jade State, Lysander Thorne had stepped over Sovereign High to reach the finals all those years ago.
It was exactly that bitter defeat that forced Sovereign High's administration to undergo educational reform.
Even though Sovereign High had now consecutively won The Jade State League championship five times, the humiliation of the past remained vividly etched in their memories.
To avoid another disastrous upset caused by a lack of preparation, every subsequent captain of Sovereign High learned to set aside their arrogance and thoroughly study every potential opponent.
This was precisely why Jade Flute Fairy, as the captain, had come in person to watch the group stages.
"Never underestimate," Jade Flute Fairy finally murmured after a long silence. speaking in a muted tone.
"Huh?" Fairy Beixuan was caught off guard.
Not only were the group stages broadcast live on TV, but there were also simultaneous streams available online.
Many streamers even relied on commentating The Jade State League to build their popularity.
They could have easily just had the school's video analysts download the footage later, yet Jade Flute Fairy had stubbornly insisted on coming to watch the matches live.
In fact, besides the two of them, not a single contestant from the other seven Martial Academies that were guaranteed a spot in the top eight had bothered to show up.
Normally, Jade Flute Fairy wasn't very talkative and had a terrible sense of direction. Fairy Beixuan only tagged along because she was worried Jade Flute Fairy might get lost or run into trouble.
"Sometimes I really don't get what goes on in that head of yours," Fairy Beixuan complained, cupping her cheeks in both hands with an annoyed pout. She couldn't muster an ounce of interest for these low-level group matches.
She even started to doubt Jade Flute's confidence.
"How could these small-timers possibly be a match for the two of us?"
"Even if we actually run into them in the quarterfinals, I can absolutely slaughter them by myself. You wouldn't even need to lift a finger."
"Right, Celestial Emperor Meow?"
As she spoke, she scratched the chin of her cat plushie.
"Lysander," Jade Flute Fairy didn't elaborate, simply letting that single name slip from her lips.
"Lysander? Lysander Thorne? That was just a fluke. If the seniors back then hadn't completely underestimated their enemy and lacked preparation, how could we have possibly lost to that guy?" Fairy Beixuan retorted without missing a beat.
To her, the only reason Sovereign High lost that year was purely because the seniors had let their guard down.
If the seniors had gone all out right from the very beginning, Lysander Thorne wouldn't have stood a snowball's chance in hell of winning.
Besides, in all these years, Star City had only ever produced a single Lysander Thorne.
Were they seriously expecting a Lysander Thorne 2.0 this time?
Dream on.
However, facing Fairy Beixuan's rant, Jade Flute Fairy merely stated evenly, "Lysander, strong."
Fairy Beixuan couldn't help but feel a bit speechless, her gaze soon landing back on Fly.
As the commentators finished introducing the contestants from both sides, the first competitors from each team began to step into the arena.
But what Fairy Beixuan hadn't expected was...
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Right off the bat, it was a grand showdown between Fly and Spencer Sinclair.
"Oh?"
Fairy Beixuan let out a soft hum of surprise.
These two were the captains of Star City High and Grand River High, respectively.
They were supposed to be the strongest fighters on their teams.
Yet instead of serving as the final anchors, they were acting as the vanguard.
Fairy Beixuan wasn't the only one caught off guard; even commentators Winston Hayes and Vera looked momentarily stunned.
"To think both sides would send out their captains for the very first match," Vera said, clearly surprised.
"Could it be they're so confident in their own strength that they're planning to pull off a 1v4 sweep?" Winston Hayes speculated.
During the Star City Freshman Invitational, Fly had claimed the championship with a 1v3 sweep.
Spencer Sinclair had also crushed all his opponents at the Grand River City Freshman Invitational with a sheer gap in power.
In Winston Hayes's eyes, Spencer Sinclair's strength was absolutely on par with some of the students from Sovereign High!
It seemed both sides were treating this opening battle as the decisive one!
"This way, whoever wins this first match will definitely inflict immense psychological pressure on the opposing team's remaining fighters."
"Absolutely brilliant! Who would have thought the very first matchup of the group stages would be this thrilling!"
Winston Hayes expertly began to hype up the atmosphere.
At the exact same time, the live feed was uploaded to TT's streaming channels.
Hordes of viewers flooded the streams, cheering on the contestants they supported.
[Go Fly, wreck this guy!]
[Don't hold back, Spencer! Kill that bastard!]
...
For a moment, before the match had even officially begun, an all-out flame war was already raging in the live chat.
On the arena floor.
The corners of Spencer Sinclair's mouth curled up, a smug smile spreading across his face.
But the moment he flexed his facial muscles, the heavily swollen tissue on his cheek tugged painfully, instantly contorting his smile into a wince.
"Ouch..."
Spencer quickly clutched his swollen cheek, hissing venomously, "You Star City High trash..."
"Didn't expect to run into you in the very first match."
Spencer took a step forward and immediately pulled out his Beast Totem Card.
"It's just a shame this venue is so small. Not many people will get to watch me brutally slaughter you... But rest assured, you're still going to die a miserable death."
"Don't say I didn't warn you, you Star City High piece of garbage."
Spencer growled in a low, menacing voice.
Fly, however, couldn't care less.
"Cut the crap and let our Martial Arts do the talking."
The moment the words left his mouth, faint lights began to flicker behind both of them.
Rumble!
As the faint lights faded, the entire arena violently shook. Plumes of dust billowed upward, morphing into a terrifying shockwave that swept out in all directions.
A colossal phantom slowly materialized from within the dust.
"Hehehe..."
Spencer's sinister laughter slowly echoed out. He was the first to step out of the dust cloud, one hand still pressing against his swollen cheek, his eyes practically overflowing with utter contempt.
"Seeing my Beast Totem, you should finally realize you're just a big fish in a small pond, right?"
Fly ignored Spencer's arrogance, his gaze fixed intently on the space behind him.
A powerful gust of wind blew outward, splitting the dust cloud right down the middle. Then, a pair of rugged, massive ant mandibles came into Fly's view.
Fly's very first reaction was sheer size!
The phantom of Spencer's Beast Totem looked to be easily three stories tall, making even this enclosed stadium feel a bit cramped.
The lower half of the phantom resembled a gigantic elephant, covered in thick fur. Its legs were like marble pillars, knees bending backward, ending in wide, flat feet. Its upper body was as robust as a water vat, layered with a cuticle that looked like plate armor, and a pair of hide-like pauldrons draped over its shoulders.
That upper half truly resembled a steel gargantuan ant. The massive mandibles extending from both sides of its face were like the Grim Reaper's scythes, and its dark red eyes stared down lifelessly at everything before it.
Meanwhile, Spencer's own body swelled at a visible rate. In just two breaths, he had expanded to three times his original height. To Fly, he looked exactly like the Incredible Hulk from The Avengers in his past life!
It had to be said, Fly's frame appeared incredibly tiny in front of the current Spencer.
"How about it, Star City High trash? This is what a true Mythical Species looks like! This is what true power is!"
Spencer boasted triumphantly, "My Beast Totem is named The Mammoth Ant Tyrant. It possesses the traits of both a mammoth and a Hercules beetle, and likewise, it wields their extraordinary strength..."
"No."
"The strength of my Mammoth Ant Tyrant is leagues above theirs."
"Moreover, it's infused with the essence of a troll. The sheer force of a single strike is enough to shatter mountains and crack the earth!"
"Never mind this measly group stage."
"Even looking across the entirety of The Jade State League, not a single Beast Warrior is a match for me!"
"This year's league championship belongs to me, Spencer Sinclair!"
Spencer grew more and more worked up as he spoke, completely disregarding Fly's existence.
At the end of the day, no matter how strong Fly's The Roach Matriarch was, it was still just a roach. At best, it was a little fast. But his Mammoth Ant Tyrant was renowned for its absolute power and defense.
"Roaches are just a bit of a nuisance, but ants are famous for their sheer strength!"
"No matter how hard you hit, you'll probably only be scratching an itch for me, right?"
Spencer continued to spit out his mockery.
"You're already shaking in your boots, aren't you?"
"Heh. I'm not a petty guy. As long as you drop to your knees and beg for mercy, and then have those two pretty little chicks keep me company for a few days, I'll let you off the hook. How about it?"
"Otherwise, you'll be leaving here on a stretcher today."
Spencer's words dripped with malice and threats.
In reality, ever since Spencer unveiled the totem of The Mammoth Ant Tyrant, the live audience had their eyes blown wide open in shock.
They had all assumed this group stage would be a battle between noobs. Many had only reluctantly bought group stage tickets as a substitute because they couldn't snatch up tickets for the knockout rounds.
Yet who would have thought that this contestant named Spencer Sinclair would possess such an extraordinary Beast Totem!
Even commentator Vera was startled. "So huge, so magical, so majestic!"
Sitting all the way up at the commentators' desk, she could tangibly feel the oppressive aura radiating from Spencer, to say nothing of Fly, who was standing right there in the arena.
"This is exactly what makes Spencer Sinclair so terrifying," Winston Hayes sighed in awe.
"Wielding the Mammoth Ant Tyrant totem, he once completely pulverized the arena floor with a single punch during the Grand River City Freshman Invitational. Countless Beast Warriors chose to forfeit the moment they laid eyes on his totem."
"Even the few Beast Warriors brave enough to face him were all finished off by Spencer with just a single punch."
"In fact..."
Winston Hayes drew in a sharp breath before continuing, "Spencer's Mammoth Ant Tyrant totem doesn't just possess jaw-dropping strength; its defense is entirely flawless."
"Spencer once gave an opponent the chance to attack him freely, yet no matter if that opponent hacked with a blade, chopped with an axe, punched, kicked, or even bit down with their teeth, they couldn't breach Spencer's defense."
"When discussing pure 1v1 combat capabilities, Spencer Sinclair is likely the absolute strongest in this group stage."
"What a pity..."
Winston Hayes turned his head to cast a glance at Fly.
"If he were up against anyone else, Fly might have been able to concoct some novel tactics and clutch out a narrow victory. But in the face of absolute power and absolute defense, how could ordinary parlor tricks possibly work? ...Eh?"
Suddenly, Winston Hayes's expression froze in surprise.
While the general traits of roaches were a flat, oval head, crimson or pitch-black exoskeletons, and barbed hind legs, the Beast Totem phantom Fly was currently displaying looked slightly different from the one at the Freshman Invitational.
Winston Hayes remembered that Fly's primary means of attack back then had been the black scythes attached to his elbows.
But this time, not only did the phantom of Fly's The Roach Matriarch look a bit larger and sturdier, but it was also holding something resembling a Staff in its hand.
"Could it be that Fly's strength has undergone a massive upgrade in just half a month's time?"
Winston Hayes ventured a guess.
"But..." He took another look at the colossal phantom behind Spencer Sinclair. "I still feel that the outcome of this match is already set in stone."
He let out a slow sigh as he spoke.
Furthermore, in his view, anyone with even a basic understanding of Martial Arts should be able to see that Fly simply had zero chance of winning.
"It looks like this year's Grand River High is truly formidable," Vera chimed in with her own assessment.
Even Mr. Carter and the rest of the team watching from the waiting room were severely startled by the scene unfolding before them.
Because Fly's ultimate goal was The Jade State League championship, they had spent all their time studying fighters from powerhouse schools like Sovereign High, completely brushing off their group stage opponents.
Who would have thought that Grand River High would produce a monster like Spencer Sinclair this year? Mr. Carter's face abruptly drained of color.
"Oh no..."
He hissed, drawing in a sharp breath.
If Fly could use his new Skills and new abilities, he might still have a chance to turn the tables.
But right now, Fly was restricted to using only the abilities and Skills he had shown before the Freshman Invitational...
It was all his fault for arranging such a strategy!
For a moment, Mr. Carter couldn't help but feel a wave of intense self-blame wash over him.
Even if his students didn't take it seriously, as their teacher, he should have at least kept an eye on Grand River City's Freshman Invitational.
"It looks like we can only pin our hopes on the remaining two matches. If we can secure two points, we can fight for advancement in the tiebreakers," Mr. Carter gritted his teeth and said.
"Fly..." Genevieve silently prayed for him in her heart. Please, don't let anything happen to you...