"Hen Shin!" ×2
Shadow Moon and Minami Kotaro stood on opposite sides like mirror images, assuming the same pose as they began to transform.
If Shadow Moon was a mechanical-style Kamen Rider, then Kamen Rider Black, transformed by Minami Kotaro, was biological in style.
If Shadow Moon's entire body was covered in metallic silver-white luster, then Kamen Rider Black, transformed by Minami Kotaro, was pitch-black all over. The most eye-catching features were the two red compound eyes on his black head and the pair of antennae atop it.
Equally striking was the symbol on the left side of Kamen Rider Black's chest. It resembled the letter "n," except its lower-right stroke extended outward, curved, and ended in a separate dot.
As the teacher of the Heaven Dou Royal Battle Team, Qin Ming had always pondered one question: what counted as the best coordination?
There had actually been plenty of discussion about this in the Soul Master world. Martial Soul classifications were only minor categories, after all, and most people classified themselves according to the type of Martial Soul they possessed.
There were power attack, agility, support, and so on, but how were different roles supposed to coordinate with one another?
Most teams adjusted according to their own members.
For example, the Heaven Dou Royal Battle Team had two agility-attack members and two defense-type members.
If the enemy had two power attackers, Tian Yuheng could face one while a defense-type member handled the other.
It was basically the standard warrior-mage-priest setup.
Power attack or defense types held the front line, control and agility types handled crowd control or flanking damage, while support types buffed or healed.
It sounded simple, but once it came to actual combat, coordinating was difficult. The gap between one Soul Master and another was even greater than the gap between Soul Masters and soul beasts.
That was why most of it still depended on the team members working together.
After all, tactics were dead, while people were alive. The best tactics were those adjusted to suit different situations.
In other words, team members needed to take on different roles in battle. Power attackers could serve as meat shields, while support types could charge in and attack as well.
But problems arose when it came to coordination. Every genius had ideas of their own. No one truly wanted to be a supporting leaf; everyone wanted to be the star.
So relying on that bunch of geniuses was hardly dependable. Even Spirit Hall's much-boasted Golden Generation only had those three exceptional members. The other four members of the Spirit Hall Team were complete deadweight.
But today, Qin Ming finally witnessed what textbook-level coordination looked like.
Minami Kotaro and Shadow Moon were brothers who had grown up together, unrelated by blood and born to different parents.
More importantly, both were willing to give their lives for the other. They were true comrades who could entrust their backs to each other.
Their coordination was utterly seamless.
Even Soul Master pairs capable of Martial Soul Fusion could not compare to this level of coordinated combat. That was what astonished Qin Ming most.
Even a genius on Shadow Moon's level was willing to play support for Minami Kotaro, while Minami Kotaro, equally gifted, was willing to back up Shadow Moon. This was Qin Ming's ideal team!
But on the arena, even if Shadow Moon and Minami Kotaro were practically invincible among Soul Ancestors, that did not mean the two could join forces and defeat the current Dugu Bo.
Even though Dugu Bo had suppressed his Soul Power to that of a Soul King, his oppressive presence was still immense. Besides, Dugu Bo knew a Soul King's strength would definitely not be enough. Petty as he was, Dugu Bo's current power was no longer limited to that of a Soul King; it was infinitely close to that of a Soul Saint.
It was like two level-three heroes who had just learned QWE fighting an eighteenth-level hero with full equipment and every skill maxed out.
Even if that level-eighteen player said, "I'll only use Q and W against you. I won't use E or R," their fully equipped stats alone, combined with their maxed-out level-eighteen Q and W, meant they were already giving you a massive handicap.
Maybe a single basic attack would be enough to take you out. That was why, even with Dugu Bo suppressing his Soul Power as a Titled Douluo, Shadow Moon could only barely hold his own.
Not to mention that Dugu Bo was both overprotective and petty, and his Soul Power was not merely at Soul King level—it was almost at Soul Saint level.
Yet Shadow Moon and Kamen Rider Black persisted in the fight. Though Dugu Bo stood on the arena with an indifferent expression, his heart was already in turmoil.
"One Shadow Moon is already this strong, and there's another one at the same level. My Soul Power has already reached Soul Saint level, yet they can still trade blows with me for this long. Yan Er and the others didn't lose unfairly!"
Dugu Bo sighed inwardly. The further Soul Masters advanced in Soul Power Level, the greater the gap became.
If Soul Elders and Soul Kings could still win through sheer numbers, then Dugu Bo, at Soul Saint level, could kill an ordinary Soul Emperor with one punch.
Of course, what also surprised Dugu Bo was the pair's coordination, which was practically without any openings.
Whenever Dugu Bo threw a punch, one of them would block it while the other seized the chance to attack him.
If he attacked with both hands, they would use both hands to intercept him and then attack with their legs.
Dugu Bo understood. He definitely could not beat the two in close combat, but that was fine. He was a mage!
Dugu Bo made up his mind. He would kite them instead.
Dugu Bo used his Soul Power to directly stun Shadow Moon and Kamen Rider Black, then blasted them backward with it. At the same time, he flooded his legs with Soul Power and retreated.
Seeing the distance he had created, Dugu Bo began using his soul skills.
Second Soul Skill: Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Formation!
Countless venomous snakes appeared beneath Shadow Moon and Kamen Rider Black's feet, glaring at the two men.
Fourth Soul Skill: Serpent Python Heavenly Shield!
A faint green shield appeared around Dugu Bo's body.
Third Soul Skill: Jade Phosphorous Haze Formation!
First Soul Skill: Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Ball!
The Third Soul Skill was meant to confuse the two, while the First Soul Skill was for attack.
Just as Shadow Moon and Kamen Rider Black were struggling against the snakes on the ground, countless poisonous mists appeared in the next instant, restricting their senses.
Shadow Moon and Kamen Rider Black could only feel their bodies becoming unbearably uncomfortable as their vision gradually blurred.
Above their heads, a massive dark-green sphere appeared. One look was enough to tell that it was incomparably toxic.
"Kotaro, I'm counting on you!"
Shadow Moon turned to Minami Kotaro, who understood and nodded in response.
Kamen Rider Black clenched both hands into fists and slammed them together before his chest.
"Emperor Stone Light!"
Kamen Rider Black's belt emitted a dazzling radiance. This was one of his finishing moves, capable of removing all negative statuses, dispelling an opponent's invisibility, and attacking groups, among other uses.
Shadow Moon and Kamen Rider Black's vision immediately cleared, and once the dazzling light faded, the venomous snakes on the ground and all negative effects on the two of them had been completely removed.
At that moment, the poison sphere in the sky began to descend.
Kamen Rider Black and Shadow Moon exchanged glances and nodded. They bent down at the same time, then leaped upward together.
"Rider Kick!" ×2
Both used Rider Kick, but their targets were different.
Kamen Rider Black aimed for the poison sphere above them, while Shadow Moon aimed for Dugu Bo.