Fierce Battle in the Sky

Three days passed, and after sixty-four fierce matches, the first round of the elimination tournament concluded under the personal observation of Embers of the Burned Emperor Keosius.

Half of the players advanced, while the other half were eliminated.

During the three-day elimination rounds, players showcased their skills, creating many memorable moments:

The Lang Li Bai Tiao was crushed, the Dawei Tianlong was pierced through the heart by an ice spike, the Yu Zhong Cheng Chi relied on the Yu San Jia " to unexpectedly defeat the Vice President of the Royal Authority, the Flying Witch drew the Seventh-Circle Spell Fireball to kill the enemy instantly, and Singo defeated the Da Dao, who was also a Red Scale Conqueror, in aerial combat. Steamed Bun also took this opportunity to accumulate a large amount of video material, which he planned to release all at once after the competition to make a big splash in traffic.

His own luck was surprisingly good; he drew an ordinary Paladin player and easily won the match by relying on the aerial advantage of the Wyvern Knight.

On the contestants' platform, Steamed Bun, who had successfully advanced, stood with his hands on his hips and sighed with feigned profundity, "The world is truly full of heroes!"

"I never imagined that my slightest action would lead to this."

Singo, standing nearby, didn't hold back in pouring cold water on the idea. "Nine out of ten of those who made it to the top sixty-four are professional players."

He drew several arrows from his quiver and smeared an unknown liquid on the arrowheads.

"This time it's not about whether you're lucky or not, it's about who's lucky enough to draw your name; that would be the best possible draw."

Steamed Bun couldn't help but retort, "I'm an entertainment blogger, on par with professionals!"

Singo ignored him and instead looked at the Tiefling staff in the distance. "Look, the next draw is about to begin. Let's see if you'll still be so lucky."

Steamed Bun puffed out his chest, pointed to the tip of his nose, and said confidently, "I have real strength to rely on, and I dare to fight anyone who comes."

"Hehe, let's wait and see."

Singo left a message and got up to queue for the lottery.

Steamed Bun then took out the fine equipment crafted by the Fire Dwarf, polished its surface until it gleamed, and muttered under his breath, "Maybe this will get me into the finals."

After a while, Singo returned with the bronze medal. His expression was a bit strange; his usually expressionless face looked like he was holding back a laugh.

Steamed Bun looked up and asked curiously, "Who did you draw?"

"What? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Suddenly, Steamed Bun seemed to realize something, and his face froze, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

"Looks like I'm pretty lucky."

As he spoke, Singo directly showed his bronze medal, on which were clearly written the words "I'm Going to Eat Mantou".

Steamed Bun immediately broke out in a cold sweat, his face gradually turning red, and after a long while, he slowly uttered two words.

"Damn it."

As a teammate, Steamed Bun knew Single's abilities all too well.

This guy spends 24 hours a day in the game pod, holds a high position in the Red Scale Garrison, and travels around exploring ruins every day, collecting almost all the resources that can be found on the map.

Although Steamed Bun barks "Xin Gou" every day and makes all sorts of anti-fan remarks on the forum.

Even he had to admit that Single's dedication and skill were off the charts, and he had an incredible number of trump cards up his sleeve—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the strongest solo player.

What? I hit Xin Gou?

Although it sounds a bit embarrassing to say whether it's true or not, that's what Steamed Bun is thinking right now. How can we fight like this?

Also a Red Scale Conqueror, Singo has raised his riding proficiency to +19 and learned many aerial combat techniques, reaching a level comparable to his mentor, Alger.

Steamed Bun's riding skill level is still hovering around +14. He patrols around every day to catch people and gain some experience and contribution points.

As for physical attributes, Single has explored dozens of ruins and consumed all sorts of Giant Elixir and body-modifying potions to his heart's content. It is said that his strength has reached 19 points.

Meanwhile, Steamed Bun goes around having fun, shooting funny video footage, and all his attribute points are given by the panel.

The only thing that could barely compete was equipment. Steamed Bun had tricked the Fire Dwarf into giving him several rare pieces of equipment, which at least on the surface could rival Single's rare set.

As for the items, the difference is even more exaggerated, considering that Singo is a well-known collector.

He possesses at least one of almost every special item whose name he can name, and his methods are incredibly diverse.

"How the hell are we supposed to fight this? We're being completely crushed by Xin Gou."

Steamed Bun became more and more discouraged, and slumped on the sofa in the players' seat like a wilted steamed Steamed Bun, his eyes lifeless.

Wait a minute, he seems to have a trump card too! Steamed Bun sprang up from the sofa with a bang, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, his gaze regaining its passion.

It's just a Xin Gou, right? Why not go all out and maybe win? Wouldn't that give us a chance at the championship?

"Number 00325, I'm Going to Eat Mantou."

As the referee's voice rang out, Steamed Bun walked out of the player tunnel with a determined look on his face and waved to the audience.

Hmph, this time I'm going to show you all my true strength! With a mortal body, I'll rival professionals, and then I'll edit my best performances into a video compilation to gain a huge wave of female fans.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the screen were filled with comments like "Mantou Gege is so handsome"?

As the most well-known video blogger on the "Erezege" channel, Steamed Bun has a high level of popularity, but not many loyal fans.

Most players treat him like a virtual pet, watching him for fun when they have nothing to do, and even using his videos as a snack while eating.

"It's that old Steamed Bun!"

"Holy crap? He made it into the top 64 too?"

Waaaaah, this is probably Steamed Bun's last match, so let's cherish it while we can.

"Old Pigeon, hurry back and edit the video! Also, don't include your personal opinions!"

"Heavenly King covers the Earth Tiger, Steamed Bun's charm is 5! Pagoda suppresses the River Demon, Steamed Bun is truly fierce!"

The cheers of the players came from the stands, but it wasn't the kind of support that Steamed Bun had imagined.

He couldn't help but raise his head and retorted on the spot, "It's Charm 9, hey, don't spread rumors!"

However, the players in the audience not only did not restrain themselves, but became even more rampant.

"He's panicking!"

Urgent! Urgent! Urgent!

"The steamed Steamed Bun is too hot. Can someone splash some water on it to cool it down? Or maybe give it some rock sugar pear soup?"

"I know you're in a hurry, but hold on a minute. By the way, who's Steamed Bun's rival?"

"."

No, I can't let rumors bother me; these are just malicious gossips.

With a sorrowful expression, Steamed Bun walked forward to the designated spot.

"Number 00005, Singo."

When the referee announced the name of the blue team, the venue erupted in cheers once again.

"Holy crap, S God?"

"Haha, now Steamed Bun will definitely have to go back and edit the video!"

"Steamed Bun: Should I play Singo?"

"S God is great, no further words are needed!"

"Xin Gou fans, calm down, you're making a scene by bullying a vegetable."

"Damn, Xin Gou is really lucky. I guess we'll have to rely on the people behind him to snipe this guy."

"Damn, don't let this guy actually win the championship, or Xin Gou Gouxiaozi will start jumping around everywhere again."

What do you mean?

Singo is a highly controversial figure. Supporters idolize him, considering him a guiding light for "Erezege," while opponents despise him, viewing him as a complete scoundrel.

But one thing is universally acknowledged by both sides—Singo is very strong.

Therefore, no one had high expectations for the outcome of this match, with the odds of Single winning as high as 23.00.

Both sides in the match have a large following, and the commentators are also on high alert for this highly anticipated game.

"The red team in the competition is the famous blogger 'I'm Going to Eat Mantou.' This contestant has 500,000 followers on a certain platform, and his videos are extremely popular."

"The blue team in this match is the renowned strategy master, professional player Singo. In the last match, he was just defeated by the highly anticipated ' Da Dao' player."

"Interestingly, the two players are teammates in the same squad, and both are [Red Scale Conqueror]."

"There's a saying that goes, 'It's not scary to run into a professional; it's embarrassing if the player is less skilled.' What kind of sparks will fly between them? Let's wait and see!"

"The match begins!"

At the referee's command, the two Red Scale Conqueror simultaneously rode their Wyvern into the air.

Steamed Bun's tactics are simple—close combat!

If he's fighting from a distance, he's no match for Singo, who has the [Bow Combat Proficiency] feat, so he has to close the distance quickly and overwhelm the master with a flurry of punches.

"Noodles, charge!"

Steamed Bun let out a sharp shout, Wyvern beneath him flapped its wings and pounced directly at Singleo.

"Heh. You want to get close to me?"

Singo sneered and squeezed her legs together.

The Wyvern beneath him immediately understood, flapping its wings and soaring into the air to quickly seize the high ground.

Singo calmly drew an arrow from the quiver on his back, then nocked it with his bow.

He drew his refined Hunter Longbow to its full extent and aimed at Steamed Bun's head from over a hundred meters away.

"Holy crap?"

Steamed Bun discovered the "Hunter Mark" on the top of his head.

He was very familiar with this thing; it not only had a tracking effect but could also cause additional damage.

If you are hit in the head, you will die instantly!

Thinking of this, Steamed Bun leaned forward slightly, gripped the reins tightly, and then shouted loudly, "Noodles, turn right!"

"Whoosh—"

The gleaming arrow sliced through the air, heading straight for the Steamed Bun.

The Noodles flapped its wings on one side and forced itself to turn sideways in mid-air. The arrow grazed its body, narrowly missing its Wing Membrane.

Just when the Steamed Bun thought it had escaped the attack—

"Bang!"

The arrow suddenly exploded, spewing out highly toxic smoke that enveloped the steamed Steamed Bun and Noodles.

"That's fucking sneaky!"

"Cough, cough, Noodles, fly out!"

"Aww—"

Noodles let out an angry roar, flapping his wings with all his might, and finally flew out of the billowing smoke.

But his movements also became somewhat sluggish and weak.

Steamed Bun gritted his teeth and muttered, "No, we need to get to the high ground to fight them."

"Noodles, climb!"

Despite being affected by the poisonous gas, the Noodles still obeyed orders and flapped its wings vigorously.

Although Steamed Bun wasn't good with a bow and arrow, he did have a ranged weapon—he bought a pistol from Battlefield Wheelchair Man.

Steamed Bun pulled out a gun from his pouch, quickly loaded it, aimed at Singo in the distance, and pulled the trigger.

My lord, times have changed! While cold weapons may seem romantic, I want to win! Bang!

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

But it's too far away.

Instead of continuing to occupy the high ground as he had imagined, Singleo began to dive and glide, flying at high speed around the Steamed Bun.

His speed was extremely fast, almost like a crimson wind, constantly rolling, turning, and spiraling, as if he were performing an aerial acrobatics show.

It's so difficult to spot even with the naked eye, let alone hit it.

Steamed Bun was getting frustrated after missing several shots, but Singo continued to fire arrows at high speed.

"When!"

The crisp sound of metal clashing.

The arrow struck Mantou squarely in the Steamed Bun, almost piercing through, but fortunately his armor was sturdy enough to save his life.

However, cracks also appeared on that "rare" level breastplate.

Those spiral arrows could actually destroy equipment! Steamed Bun felt a pang of pain – that was rare-grade armor! Then another strangely shaped arrow exploded in mid-air, causing a huge blast that almost made Steamed Bun fall off the Wyvern's back.

"Boom!"

Another explosion occurred, creating a mushroom cloud in mid-air. It seemed to have anticipated the location where the Steamed Bun was escaping and almost swallowed it up along with the dragon.

"What the hell?"

Steamed Bun couldn't help but roar, his face was already charred black, and his equipment was tattered.

"There has been some progress, but not much."

Singo stopped in the distance, shook his head with a smile, and then a hint of eager fighting spirit flashed deep in his eyes.

"Ending like this is rather boring."

He said in a low voice, "Then let me see what you're really relying on."

Singo hovered in mid-air, riding Wyvern, drew the longsword from his back, and pointed it at the Steamed Bun in the distance.

The meaning is quite obvious.

"Duel?"

Originally, Steamed Bun was almost helpless against Singo's disgusting kite tactics.

But since Singleo has given him this opportunity, he might be able to win!

"Since that's the case..."

"Then don't blame me for being uncivilized! Noodles, let's go! Dragon Roar Charge!"

Steamed Bun revealed a passionate smile, squeezed his legs together, bent over, and pressed his body almost against the torso of the Wyvern.

He held a nearly six-meter-long Stillsteel Longspear tightly between his elbows, its sharp tip piercing the air with a whooshing sound.

"Aww—"

The Noodles understood what the Steamed Bun meant and let out a roar.

He immediately tightened his wings, tucked in his forelimbs, straightened his tail, and made his body into the most streamlined shape for breaking the wind, and then swooped down from the sky at an extremely fast speed.

Having gone through countless battles, the combination of Steamed Bun and Noodles has become ingrained in their very being, a matter of instinct.

They swooped down like meteors, heading straight for Singo in the distance.

"Whoosh—"

Meanwhile, Single also adopted a charging stance, riding the Wyvern and flying at high speed into the sky.

In just a few breaths, the two dragons came to each other from a distance of several hundred meters away, and the two Wyvern roared almost at the same time.

They could almost feel each other's hot breath.

"Roar--"

Two almost identical, enormous phantom Red Dragon appeared behind the two Red Scale Conqueror, bringing boundless power.

The two sides are about to clash!

The audience held their breath, watching the scene with bated breath, while Keosius watched with great interest.

"Whoosh—"

A cold glint flashed, and blood splattered.

In a flash, Singleo's Wyvern spun sideways in mid-air like a rolling wheel, dodging the thrusting spear.

When they were less than two meters apart, Single swung his longsword from below and cut off Noodles ' long neck.

The Noodles ' roar abruptly ceased, and the massive body separated from its head, about to fall from mid-air.

The outcome is already decided.

This is the thought in everyone's mind.

As is customary, in the duel of the Red Scale Conqueror, the death of either side's mount signifies the end of the match.

As the saying goes, "Shoot the horse before the rider," a knight who has lost his Wyvern has no ability to resist.

Even the commentator exclaimed excitedly, "The match is about to end! What a thrilling contest! Let's congratulate Singleo in advance! And what's that?"

A sudden and dramatic change has occurred!

Suddenly, Steamed Bun flung off the reins and jumped off the Dragon Saddle from the back of the headless, Wyvern.

"Since we can't win even this way, then—"

"I'm not human anymore, Xin Gou!"

Suddenly, patches of red scales appeared on the surface of the Steamed Bun's body, two huge wings sprouted from its back, and a tail protruded from its rear.

"Roar!"

The Steamed Bun flapped its wings in the air, barely managing to steady itself, before lunging at Single with its claws outstretched.

The commentator exclaimed in astonishment, "My God, the Steamed Bun contestant has turned into a dragon!"

"This has never happened before in any competition! Is this Steamed Bun's trump card?"

"That's incredible!"

On the high platform, Tinia scratched her cheek in frustration. She felt that this power was somewhat familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Above the venue, Singo looked at the Wyrmling rushing towards him with a smile that showed that he had everything under control.

"Just as I thought."

"Steamed Bun, I've figured out your trump card!"

Singo raised his right hand, and a long-hidden crossbow appeared on his wrist, equipped with sharp cross-shaped arrowheads.

Those are Dragon Slayer Arrow! This thing is definitely a contraband within the empire, but he managed to acquire several from Thrace through connections within the Southern Continent Company.

Singo aimed at the Wyrmling's chest and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

"Whoosh—"

The cross-shaped arrow tore through the scales on the Steamed Bun's chest and pierced his heart.

"Aww~~"

The Wyrmling that the Steamed Bun had transformed into let out a heart-wrenching wail before crashing to the ground.

Singo stood on the back of the Wyvern, looking down at the falling Steamed Bun, and said in a low voice, "Sorry, Steamed Bun, you were fooled. There are no friends in the ring."

"Heh heh, I've gathered all the information about you!"