Flender

It was foreseeable that if Qian Qiao really got hit by Zhao Wuji's fist, he'd probably be bedridden for a while.

Seeing Zhao Wuji shooting toward him like a meteor, Qian Qiao had no choice but to use his ultimate move.

He took out a small device and attached it to his foot.

Opening the phone on his belt, he pressed a button.

"Exceed Charge!"

Closing the phone, the belt's command sent Photon Blood flowing to his right foot.

Watching Zhao Wuji closing in at breakneck speed, Qian Qiao instead unhurriedly crouched down.

With his left foot as support, he rested his right arm on his right thigh, his left hand hanging naturally.

Zhu Zhuqing could even see Zhao Wuji's ferocious face.

Still, she held onto hope for Qian Qiao.

Suddenly, Qian Qiao moved—his speed so blinding that Zhu Zhuqing couldn't track his trajectory.

Using his incredible speed and strength, he launched himself into the air.

He curled his arms around his legs, spinning like a ball midair for a full rotation, then stretched his body out.

The symbol on his right foot flared red, and a deep crimson light shot forth.

A spinning, deep-red drill, its tip locking firmly onto Zhao Wuji as he descended from above.

"What?!"

Zhao Wuji found himself unable to move, completely stuck in place.

Though he could still lift his arms and legs, he couldn't budge an inch from his spot.

Given that Zhao Wuji was free-falling from the sky, it was as if some invisible force had trapped him in a cage.

He saw the crimson drill Qian Qiao had fired, and even he, a Soul Saint, couldn't break free.

"Ha!"

Zhao Wuji saw Qian Qiao's right foot as the lead, his left foot pressed against his right leg, his left fist poised as if to strike, his right fist straightened.

When Qian Qiao entered the red cone, it spun rapidly, drilling into Zhao Wuji's heart like a bullet.

"Ah!"

Zhao Wuji never imagined a Soul Elder could actually break through his defense.

His claim to fame was single-handedly taking on several Soul Saints of his own level.

Now, a Soul Elder had cracked his defense—and it genuinely hurt.

If the spinning red cone was like a drill boring into Zhao Wuji's heart, then Qian Qiao passing through it truly wounded him.

Qian Qiao stumbled as he landed, barely managing to stay upright.

Following the code of a true man, he didn't look back, walking straight to Zhu Zhuqing and patting her shoulder.

Zhu Zhuqing, without blinking, stared at Zhao Wuji's situation.

At the cone, a Faiz symbol appeared.

Boom!

An explosion rang out, followed by a shockwave.

Zhu Zhuqing thought to dodge the blast, but a massive figure blocked her path.

Just as she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the impact, nothing happened.

Cautiously opening her eyes, she found Qian Qiao standing in front of her, shielding her from the shockwave.

Warmth filled her heart, and her hand unconsciously rested on Qian Qiao's collarbone.

The shockwave brought not just the blast, but a cloud of dust.

The swirling dust turned the arena hazy.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind blew, scattering the dust storm.

"Zhao Wuji! Cough, cough—Zhao Wuji!"

It was Franky who arrived, since such a commotion wasn't something he'd miss.

Flender, on the other hand, wondered how a bunch of students could cause this much trouble.

But with visibility near zero, Franky used his Owl Martial Soul's wings to channel soul power and blow all the dust away.

"My money..."

Seeing the big pit in the arena, Flender felt both bitter and amused.

Bitter because he'd have to pay for repairs again, given the size of that hole.

Amused, however, by Zhao Wuji's current state.

At this moment, Zhao Wuji had one eye shut, a scar on his head slowly dripping blood. He knelt on one knee, his clothes in tatters, with only a few strips of fabric remaining.

Though Zhao Wuji was injured, aside from the scar on his forehead, there were no other wounds on his body. This meant his opponent had only inflicted this one injury on him.

And the only ones fighting Zhao Wuji on the field were the newly enrolled students, so Flender was almost certain it was those gifted kids who had done this.

As for the possibility of Martial Soul Hall personnel hunting Zhao Wuji, Flender figured that if it really were Martial Soul Hall, they wouldn't have left just these few wounds.

Besides, when he used his soul power to disperse the smoke, he saw a red, black, and white mysterious Armored Man barely holding himself up, which only made Franky more convinced it was the students' doing.

"Zhao Wuji, you alright?"

Flender's tone carried a schadenfreude that made Zhao Wuji's blood boil.

"Hmph, it's those students you recruited. Ouch, don't even mention it, they're pretty strong!"

Zhao Wuji had wanted to complain to Flender, but seeing such talented students, he couldn't help feeling pleased inside.

Even though these kids had left him in such a miserable state, to Zhao Wuji, being a mess was fine as long as the students were impressive.

This was similar to the original story—when he saw the ten-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape coming for Xiao Wu, his first thought was to hold it off so the students could escape first.

Remember, Zhao Wuji was a wanted fugitive from Martial Soul Hall.

Survival was Zhao Wuji's top priority, yet he was willing to risk his life for the Shrek kids he'd only known a short time, and even follow them deep into the forest. That showed he truly cared for his students.

Otherwise, in this rundown little place, with no good rewards and exhausting work, what was the point?

So Zhao Wuji's feeling toward Qian Qiao reducing him to this state was like...

It was like a student who never paid attention in class but always came first in exams and kept bringing back awards.

Teachers loved that kind. They'd complain the student didn't listen, that everything came too easily, but deep down, they were happier than anyone.

"But I still need to teach them a lesson."

Happy as he was about the new term, Zhao Wuji still planned to give them some trouble.

"Hey, put some clothes on first. The smoke will clear soon."

With that, Flender, in a rare show of generosity, took clothes from his Storage Ring and tossed them to Zhao Wuji.

Zhao Wuji stared at Flender in disbelief. Him being so generous with clothes? That didn't seem like Franky at all.

"Ahem, there's a reason for it. Oh, and this outfit will be deducted from your salary."

Seeing Zhao Wuji's expression, Flender's face reddened slightly as he calmly said something that made Zhao Wuji's heart ache.

"Fine, I'll leave the rest to you. Take it easy on them. I'm off."

Flender handed the rest over to Zhao Wuji, then used his Martial Soul Avatar to fly off into the distance to watch.

To be honest, Avataro was really good, but it was a shame the other Super Sentai series didn't have the resources.