My Insect Fusion System: Invincibility Begins with a Cockroach

Chapter 130: I Only Fear Not Burning Brightly Enough

To everyone's surprise, Sun-Peak City, widely presumed to be an easy target for Obsidian City due to its scarce educational resources, completely turned the tables. The moment Sun-Peak City's second competitor stepped into the ring, she swept through Obsidian City's three remaining fighters with overwhelming dominance, clinching the victory.

"Truly unexpected," commentator Winston Hayes sighed in amazement. "The first match was evenly matched, but the moment Serena Lowe stepped up, the entire competition turned into a completely one-sided affair."

"This Serena Lowe must be Sun-Peak City's strongest freshman Beast Warrior, right?"

Because Sun-Peak City's performance in recent years had been incredibly dismal, Winston Hayes genuinely hadn't paid much attention to their local Freshman Invitational.

He truly wasn't clear on where Serena Lowe stood in the rankings among Sun-Peak High's freshmen.

Faced with this question, however, Vera could only offer an awkward smile. It had been quite a long time since she had paid any attention to her hometown's Freshman Invitational either.

"Next up should be the showdown between Star City High and Sun-Peak High, shouldn't it?" Vera smoothly pivoted, steering the conversation away.

After all, she was a Beast Warrior who hailed from Sun-Peak City; if she answered incorrectly about her own hometown's situation, it would be a massive embarrassment.

Winston Hayes instantly caught on and went along with it, "The question is whether Star City High will continue utilizing their previous strategy."

The strategy Winston Hayes referred to was sending Fly out first to sweep the opposition as much as possible, thereby keeping the true strength of Star City High's other competitors hidden.

Although the footage of Star City High's Freshman Invitational had long been circulated all over the internet, it wasn't hard to see from the recent matches that the competitors from Star City High had been fortunate enough to receive guidance from Grandmaster Muse; their current strength was leagues ahead of what it used to be.

Those old match recordings no longer held much reference value.

If Fly could maintain this momentum and single-handedly defeat three opponents in a row, they would hold a significant initiative once they reached the knockout stages.

While such a prospect was enticing, it also carried considerable risks.

Even though Serena Lowe's Beast Totem was a Common Species, it was a fighting bull possessing the Tremor Strike Skill, making her undeniably formidable.

More importantly, no one knew for certain whether or not she was actually Sun-Peak High's ace.

What if Sun-Peak High's other competitors possessed even more overwhelming power?

Should Fly be defeated, Star City High's morale would inevitably take a massive hit. It could trigger an avalanche-like chain reaction, allowing Sun-Peak High to claim yet another victory!

"Of course, the likelihood of that happening isn't very high," Winston Hayes concluded, ultimately rejecting his own hypothesis after some analysis.

At the end of the day, the reason Sun-Peak City managed to secure a point was largely because Obsidian City's performance this year had fallen short of expectations.

If they had been facing Grand River High instead, Serena Lowe wouldn't have won so effortlessly.

Soon, Vera noticed that Star City High's competitor, Fly, had already stepped onto the arena under the guidance of the staff.

"Star City High still chose to let Fly lead the vanguard. It seems they really do intend to keep their true strength hidden," Winston Hayes remarked.

Although Serena Lowe's recent performance had been genuinely impressive, there was truly no reason for Fly and his team to fear her.

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Down in the arena, Sun-Peak High hadn't changed their lineup either; the first to step up was still Luna Monroe, the competitor wielding the Gray Wolf totem.

"Star City High sure is confident."

Luna Monroe was in no rush to manifest her Beast Totem; she merely cast a sidelong glance at Fly.

Seeing Star City High's lineup, anyone could tell exactly what was going on.

"Planning to sweep us just like you did with Grand River High?"

"Hmph, let me tell you, you can drop those unrealistic fantasies right now!"

"Our school's ace this year, Fiona Swann, is incredibly strong."

"So what if your Roach Matriarch is powerful? You already burned some stamina in the previous round, yet you still dare to come out first. Even if you manage to pick the rest of us off one by one, by the time you face Fiona Swann, you'll be nothing more than a spent force, won't you?"

"Once Fiona eliminates you, she'll ride that momentum and wipe out all of your teammates!"

"Sun-Peak High is absolutely advancing this year!"

"We're going to show all those bastards who looked down on us exactly what we're made of!"

Luna Monroe delivered these words with ringing absolute certainty, her gaze resolute, as if formally declaring war on Fly.

Ever since the start of The Jade State League, Sun-Peak High had been subjected to relentless mockery and sarcasm on the internet.

Their school's forums and official accounts were frequently bombarded by random trolls mocking them as a third-rate school, a diploma mill.

Accusing them of only qualifying for The Jade State League because they were taking advantage of their city's overall weak level of Martial Studies.

Calling them nothing but charity cases who got carried in.

Though Luna Monroe desperately wanted to refute these claims, every time she argued with them, the other side would just hit her with passive-aggressive remarks like "Yeah, yeah, sure," "Whatever you say is right," or "You're just invincible, aren't you," before instantly blocking her.

Not giving her the slightest chance to explain further.

Some would even turn around and accuse her of being an ungrateful wretch—saying she talked a big game, but at the end of the day, didn't everyone train so hard in Martial Arts just to escape their impoverished hometown?

Out of all the Beast Warriors who emerged from Sun-Peak City, how many actually gave back to their hometown after achieving some level of success?

Every single one of them treated their home like a barren wasteland, fully intending to never return once they left.

These accusations had once left Luna Monroe profoundly demoralized.

Did Beast Warriors from impoverished regions simply deserve to be discriminated against?

That was, until she met Fiona Swann. Until she saw how brilliantly Fiona shined, watching her defeat opponent after opponent and lead them right here, to the arenas of The Jade State League.

Only then did she gradually step out of that haze.

It was Fiona Swann who gave her—a Beast Warrior born to a destitute family in an impoverished region—a glimmer of hope.

It was Fiona Swann who showed her that Beast Warriors from destitute areas could be this powerful too.

Now, Fiona Swann wanted to lead Sun-Peak High to advance from the group stages, and perhaps, even stand on the final podium.

This is Fiona Swann's dream, and I... absolutely will not let her down!

At this thought, Luna Monroe decisively manifested her Beast Totem.

The phantom of an over two-meter-long jungle gray wolf materialized behind her.

The areas where she had been injured during the previous battle—including the deep, bone-exposing wound on her thigh—had only been given the most rudimentary treatment. Blood was already seeping through the medical gauze, staining her pants bit by bit.

Sun-Peak High was already severely lacking in educational funding, and a student like Luna Monroe simply couldn't afford the surplus resources needed for rapid healing. As long as the bleeding was somewhat stopped and bandaged up, she would return to the arena.

She had no extra resources to spare; the only thing she could offer, was her everything!

Seeing this, Fly couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Luna Monroe's current condition could no longer be described simply as 'weakened'.

She was practically a dilapidated wooden cabin, tottering precariously in a blizzard.

"Is this really necessary?" Fly couldn't resist advising her. Suffering from such grievous injuries, she probably wouldn't even be able to withstand a single strike from him; she'd be better off just forfeiting entirely.

"Even if you can't receive the best treatment right now, with a good period of rest, your wounds should still be able to fully heal."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but if I don't at least try, how will I know the outcome? I am not afraid of getting hurt, nor am I afraid of dying. I only fear... not burning brightly enough, not burning completely enough." Luna Monroe smiled, slowly shaking her head.

Fly didn't say another word, merely manifesting The Roach Matriarch totem in silence.

He understood that Luna Monroe had made up her mind; further persuasion was pointless. When facing a warrior like her, repeated attempts to dissuade would only be perceived as an insult. The only way to grant her wish was to respect his opponent and strike with full force.

Normally speaking, when opponents with vastly inferior strength saw Fly's Roach Matriarch totem, the most primal terror buried deep within their hearts would be triggered.

They would either display blatant hesitation, or shiver uncontrollably, too paralyzed to advance.

However, facing an opponent countless times stronger than herself, Luna Monroe's eyes were practically blazing, her fighting spirit roaring to life.