My Insect Fusion System: Invincibility Begins with a Cockroach

Chapter 134: Thousand-Spike Carnage Formation

Just in the nick of time, the massive vines that had been dancing on the ground surged forward wildly, weaving together over Fiona Swann's torso to form an armor of thorns.

Thud!

Even though Fly's Steelbone Blades were incredibly sharp, they only left a dull thud against the thorn armor. Taking advantage of the momentum, Fiona flipped over, thrusting a wooden hidden blade from her right wrist straight toward Fly's jaw.

Fly smoothly dodged backward, causing Fiona's attack to hit nothing but air.

But, Fiona was exceptionally rich in combat experience. Seeing Fly evade her thrust, she simply executed a crisp kip-up, forcefully bringing herself back to a standing position.

Her nature magic flared to life once more. The primeval fern vines, which had previously stopped growing, surged toward Fly to entangle him again.

Quicker than words could describe, Fly retreated rapidly, the continuous "hissing" echoing from his mouth. A moment later, he spat out a roach ootheca. Grabbing it with his hand, he crushed it directly, giving birth to a fresh, pure-white Spectral Roach.

Fly immediately hurled the Spectral Roach forward. Then, his black scythe flicked out, slicing it cleanly in half.

The splattering acidic blood instantly melted away all the encroaching vines.

"What?"

Witnessing this, Fiona felt her mind buzz. She hadn't expected Fly to have such a ruthless technique up his sleeve!

Faced with the splashing acidic blood, Fiona had no choice but to retreat temporarily. This, in turn, gave Fly the breathing room he needed to cast his Witchcraft.

Fly silently took all of this in, his mind racing.

The main reason my Spectral Roaches are so relentlessly difficult to deal with and completely fearless of death is that they inherited the hive mind consciousness of Skaar's The Phantom Hivequeen.

Among swarm-living insects, individual bugs possess little to no self-awareness. The sole meaning of their existence is to protect and expand the colony.

To that end, every single member of the swarm is willing to sacrifice themselves for the collective.

This was exactly what gave Fly the absolute confidence to casually use his Spectral Roaches as "acid splashers."

And it was precisely because of this that Fiona was caught off guard, falling one step behind.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

In the split second Fiona stepped back to evade, Fly spawned three more Spectral Roaches in a single breath.

"Thousand-Spike Carnage Formation!" Fly shouted, his voice low and forceful.

The three Spectral Roaches split up, flanking Fiona from three different directions. Upon reaching their designated spots, they peeled back their mandibles, revealing dark, hollow internal cavities.

The very next second...

Salvos of black flying needles erupted from the three gaping maws!

Like a torrential storm, they poured down mercilessly upon Fiona!

Fiona immediately kicked off the ground, hastily retreating backward while murmuring incantations. Her fingers tapped rapidly in the air, bursting with bright, fluorescent light.

Instantly, the vines and branches beneath her feet began to grow frantically, thickening at a pace visible to the naked eye.

In the blink of an eye, they transformed into a towering tree.

She intended to use it as a shield against Fly's Thousand-Spike Carnage Formation.

However, the flying needles fired from the maws of the Spectral Roaches were far from just simple piercing attacks.

Every single needle harbored acidic blood within!

The moment they pierced their target, the needles would violently burst open, splashing the highly corrosive acid inside to dissolve the target from within.

Even though this was a brand-new Skill Fly had created by integrating his Stand-In Attack, every time he used it, he couldn't help but marvel at its sheer tyranny.

That towering tree Fiona had used as a shield lasted for merely two breaths before it was completely melted away by the acid of the Thousand-Spike Carnage Formation.

With the edge of the arena right behind her, Fiona had nowhere left to run.

At the critical moment, she had no choice but to channel her nature magic entirely into her thorn armor. The brambles grew wildly, encasing her completely like a set of heavy ironclad armor.

But how could mere thorns possibly withstand the corrosion of that acidic blood?

The outcome was all too predictable...

The Thousand-Spike Carnage Formation wasn't a burst-damage attack; it was an onslaught capped only by the physical endurance of the Spectral Roaches. As long as their bodies could bear the strain, the barrage of needles would never cease.

And currently, the Spectral Roaches could sustain the Thousand-Spike Carnage Formation for a full two minutes.

In other words, for two straight minutes, unless the opponent managed to destroy them, the needles would fire endlessly.

Even Fiona's reinforced thorn armor could only block a fraction of the attacks.

As more and more flying needles detonated, the thorns protecting her were gradually eaten away.

Next, was Fiona's flesh and blood!

Plumes of blood mist erupted from her body layer by layer.

Bone-deep, agonizing pain tortured her consciousness. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans poured constantly from her forehead. Finally, unable to hold on any longer, she crashed heavily onto the ground.

"Stop!"

"We forfeit!"

Watching from the sidelines, Jasper Locke couldn't contain himself any longer. He frantically signaled the referee as he rushed onto the arena.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

He had a premonition that Fiona might lose, but he never expected her to lose this tragically!

The wounds ripped open by the acidic blood bursting across her skin were incredibly difficult to heal.

Blood continuously seeped from her body, making for a gruesome sight.

"Enough." Afraid that the Spectral Roaches' needles might accidentally injure Jasper, Fly immediately called off the attack.

Hearing the command, the three Spectral Roaches rapidly ceased their fire, their hideous mandibles snapping shut organically.

The referee looked at the brutal scene, shook his head helplessly, and announced the match results.

"The winner, from Star City High, Fly!" The referee's voice echoed through every corner of the stadium via the microphone.

No one expected the match to end in such a fashion.

Especially when Fiona unleashed her nature magic, the audience had thought she could rely on that unique combat style to defeat Fly's Roach Matriarch.

After all...

Fly had demonstrated the power of his Witchcraft in previous matches.

And in the minds of many, Witchcraft heavily overlapped with black magic. In other words, just like black magic, Witchcraft was considered a gray, perhaps even evil power, carrying a rather unsavory reputation.

Fiona's nature magic, on the other hand, broadly speaking, was supposed to be the natural counter to Witchcraft and black magic.

But who could have known that in the face of absolute power, ordinary type-advantages meant practically nothing.

At this moment, in the eyes of the audience, Fly was as terrifyingly powerful as a monster.

"Who would have thought! Fly's Witchcraft completely overwhelmed the nature magic that was supposed to counter it. Truly a terrifying display of power!" Commentator Winston Hayes couldn't help but exclaim.

Like many in the audience, when he saw Fiona's nature magic sweep across the arena, he too believed she had a genuine shot at winning.

"But looking at it now, Fly is a Beast Warrior who simply cannot be measured by common sense."

"At this level of strength, I'm afraid only the absolute top-tier Martial Studies high schools have what it takes to fight him."

Fiona may have lost, but her performance was equally outstanding.

In fact, out of all the competitors who had taken the stage so far, Winston Hayes felt her strength was second only to Fly's.

"Even though Spencer Sinclair's Mammoth Ant Tyrant is incredibly strong, it still feels a step behind Fiona's Nine-Hued Doe," Winston Hayes remarked.

Vera chimed in from the side in agreement. "While Spencer Sinclair, possessing The Mammoth Ant Tyrant totem, is incredibly imposing, his attacks rely on raw, primitive power. Facing Fiona, who can manipulate the forces of nature, he'd likely find it very difficult to secure a win."

"But..." Vera turned her head to look at Fiona lying on the arena. "This really gives off the tragic vibe of 'Why must two unparalleled geniuses exist in the same era?'"

As a Beast Warrior who had walked out of Sun-Peak City herself, Vera naturally hoped that competitors from her hometown could advance to the knockout stages.

In her eyes, if it weren't for running into a Beast Warrior as unreasonably strong as Fly, Fiona would have very likely led Sun-Peak High out of the group stages.

But... as luck would have it, they slammed right into the insurmountable mountain that was Fly.

"With Fiona's level of Martial Arts, even if she encountered competitors from Sycamore High, she likely wouldn't fall into a disadvantage."

"Luna Monroe and Serena Lowe are both incredibly courageous Beast Warriors as well."

The more Vera thought about it, the more regret she felt, unable to stop herself from mumbling.

"Indeed." Winston Hayes glanced at Vera. They had been colleagues for quite some time, so he understood her personality well enough.

Over the years, because of her work, she rarely had the opportunity to return to her hometown; yet, her love for it had never waned.

Seeing Fiona defeated today surely left a bitter taste in her mouth.

But this was simply how the world worked.

More often than not, where a person was born dictated half their life.

To climb out of a small valley, one had to put in several times more effort than an ordinary person.

But even more often, even if you put in the effort, you would still be crushed by someone with more talent, more resources, and who worked just as hard.

"However, I believe that even if Sun-Peak High fails to advance from the group stages this time, with Fiona's Martial Arts talent, she will undoubtedly achieve greatness in the future."

"Mhm." Vera nodded. After calming her emotions, she steered the topic back to the tournament.

"The competitor taking the stage now is Jasper Locke. He is the final competitor for Sun-Peak High."

"I wonder what kind of performance he'll bring us?"

Down by the arena.

After escorting Fiona to the medical room, Jasper Locke returned to the venue with a heavy, complicated heart.

Without saying a single word, he walked straight toward Fly.

"This is truly... a difficult feeling to describe."

Jasper Locke came to a halt less than three meters away from Fly. He pressed a hand against his forehead, seemingly agonizing over how to phrase his words.

"This year's Obsidian High didn't have any outstanding Beast Warriors. Spencer Sinclair from Grand River High was formidable, but with Fiona's strength, defeating him wouldn't be difficult."

"As long as we could defeat you guys, we would successfully advance and make it into the Top Eight."

"Then we could prove to those snobs in the Jade State Department of Education that our Sun-Peak City still has genius Beast Warriors."

"Fiona... she might have finally received better educational resources!"

Jasper's emotions gradually spiraled out of control. A bitter smile slowly crept onto his initially expressionless face.

Tears welled up in his eyes. He shook his head slowly, seemingly sobbing in a low voice.

For this Jade State League, Fiona woke up before dawn every single day to train.

Every night, she was the very last one to rest.

Her hard work. Her perseverance.

Jasper Locke had seen it all.

"If we could just make it to the knockout stages, she... she absolutely had a shot at breaking into the Top Four!"

"It could have even... changed the entire educational landscape of Sun-Peak City. But... why, out of everyone, did we have to run into you, Fly!"

The more Jasper Locke spoke, the more agitated he became.

Standing opposite him, Fly listened, utterly dumbfounded.

I'm here for a tournament, what's the point of telling me all this?

You say you guys trained hard, but among the competitors who made it to The Jade State League, who hasn't trained their hearts out?

What good does crying and complaining to me do?

Aren't resources something you earn through strength?

"Do you know, Fly?" Jasper calmed himself down slightly and continued. "Earlier, I actually thought about coming up here and poisoning you, and then taking the fall by forfeiting. Sacrificing myself to trade for a hope of victory."

"That way, Fiona's Nine-Hued Doe would be able to sweep Star City High."

"And we... we could have gone to the knockout stages!"

"But Fiona didn't agree. She stopped me, because she felt, she... she..."

Jasper choked on his sobs once more.

Finally unable to hold back any longer, Fly interrupted him.

"You wanted to poison me?"

"To advance to the knockout stages using such dirty tricks?"

"Have you severely misunderstood something?"

"Your failure to reach the knockout stages has absolutely nothing to do with your kindness."

"Perhaps from your perspective, it was because you were too kind and held onto your morals that you couldn't advance."

"But reality doesn't work like that at all!"

"You couldn't make it to the knockout stages because your strength wasn't enough. It's that simple."

"If this were a single-elimination bracket determined by drawing lots, you could use bad luck as an excuse. But this is a round-robin group stage. There is no such thing as luck here."

Fly's tone was flat, but every single word pierced into Jasper Locke's heart like a steel needle.

"If you lack strength, you lack strength. Why look for excuses?"

"If you can't get your mentality right, then even next year, or the year after that, you still won't make it to the knockout stages."

"What... did you say?" Jasper stared at Fly in disbelief. He had thought that pouring his heart out would make Fly understand Fiona's efforts.

Make him understand Fiona's kindness.

But who could have predicted that from Fly's mouth, he would only receive a dismissive "Your strength wasn't enough."

"Poisoning me would get you to the knockout stages?"

"Stop dreaming!"

"Setting aside whether your poison could even take down a 'roach' like me, let's talk about my teammates. They didn't put me in the vanguard because they were too weak."

"On the contrary, it's a deliberate tactic."

"Having me take the stage first to secure our way through the group stages with the smallest possible cost, that's all there is to it."

"In other words, my strength is far more than just what you've seen here."

"You couldn't even get past me, yet you delusionally thought you could sweep my teammates. By harboring such thoughts, you had already lost from the very beginning."

"Our goal was never something as simple as just advancing from the group stages."

"We came here with only one goal, and that is—the Championship!"

Fly gradually raised his voice, his words ringing out with undeniable conviction.

His overwhelming aura forced Jasper Locke to involuntarily take a step back.

Then, Jasper's heel accidentally caught on a vine left behind by Fiona. Leaning backward, he lost his balance and plopped heavily onto the ground.

His eyes widened into huge circles, staring at Fly in sheer disbelief, beginning to doubt if his ears had misheard.

Star City High's only goal was...

The Championship!

That was why they were prepared to defeat powerful enemy after powerful enemy, relying on their own strength to climb to the absolute pinnacle of The Jade State League.

They completely disdained using any dirty tricks.

Was this the gap between them?

"Come on, summon your Beast Totem!" Saying so, Fly took a step forward.

This speech left even the referee standing off to the side completely stunned.

He also knew that Fly's Martial Arts level was absolutely formidable.

But he never in his wildest dreams imagined that Fly's goal was actually to win the Championship!