Mantis Stalks Cicada, Oriole Behind

Upon learning that the nearest enemies were about a hundred meters away, a well-proportioned young man in the team quickly decided: "Get inside the room."

The three of them immediately moved toward a room by the roadside with heightened vigilance.

Just then, the frail-looking support-type Spirit Master was suddenly struck, his body jerking to one side as blood sprayed out instantly.

"Bang!"

A moment later, a sound loud enough for all three to hear clearly rang out from a hundred meters away.

"There's a long-range martial soul."

The three were struck with terror; the young man who had just made the decision threw himself into a roll toward the side of the road.

At the same time, two long vines sprouted from his right hand, rapidly extending to wrap around his two teammates' waists before he pulled them back with a violent jerk.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"

A continuous volley of gunfire followed like a shadow.

His sturdy teammate also reacted quickly, immediately grabbing the injured member. While pushing off the ground, he unleashed his spirit power and, aided by the traction of the vines around their waists, quickly escaped into the nearby room.

In the blink of an eye, the three of them had used every ounce of their strength to vanish from Zhang Yang's line of sight.

A hundred meters away, Zhang Yang pulled his gaze from the scope and began using his spirit power to reload.

"Damn, missed," Zhang Yang cursed under his breath.

Originally, Zhang Yang had intended to let them get closer before opening fire.

He hadn't expected this team to be so cautious; the moment they sensed someone nearby, they decided to dive into a room.

With no other choice, Zhang Yang had to fire first to weaken their combat strength.

But he hadn't expected that first shot to miss, and the follow-up shots only landed once.

A Spirit Master's movement speed was still too fast, especially when the opponent possessed a control-type martial soul like vines.

Hiding back behind the signboard, Zhang Yang opened the map, keeping a close eye on the movement of the Mandel Brick.

Inside the room, the support-type Spirit Master with the gunshot wound to his shoulder saw a white spirit ring flicker at his feet.

He tapped his milky-white staff lightly, and three beams of milky-white light erupted from it, drilling into the bodies of the three men.

As the light entered them, the three exhaled a breath of stale air, as if their bodies felt much more comfortable.

Acting as the team's brain, the control-type Spirit Master pulled a roll of gauze from his pocket to bandage the support-type Spirit Master's shoulder wound.

In the corner of the room, the power-attack-type battle Spirit Master complained: "This Soul Tool is truly a death warrant. We killed that three-man squad and got it, and now someone else is intercepting us."

"Enough, Grayson, stop complaining," the control-type Spirit Master barked, cutting off the power-attack-type battle Spirit Master's incessant grumbling.

"We have two choices now."

"First, give up this Soul Tool, throw it away, and leave here without anyone knowing."

"The three of us are in poor condition. Another fierce battle could lead to casualties. Besides, we just looted the treasures from those three people, so we've already gained something."

"Second, take out that long-range Spirit Master ahead..."

Before the control-type Spirit Master could finish, he was interrupted by the power-attack-type battle Spirit Master: "We choose the second option. Take him out."

"Ever since the day we became Spirit Masters, we've had one foot in the grave; life and death have long since become trivial to us."

"This Soul Tool is the most valuable treasure our squad has encountered since we formed, and I simply cannot bring myself to hand it over to others just like that."

The control-type Spirit Master nodded, then turned to look at the support-type Spirit Master, whose face was still pale: "Dylan, what are your thoughts..."

"I heard that this Soul Tool can raise a Spirit Master's spirit ring by one level."

The support-type Spirit Master, known as Dylan, did not state his opinion directly. However, his words had already made his decision clear.

The gap between a Ten-Year Soul Ring and a Hundred-Year Soul Ring was immeasurable for the improvement of a support-type Spirit Master.

With the intentions of his two teammates clear, the control-type Spirit Master nodded: "Since everyone is in agreement, then prepare yourselves. We'll fight that long-range Spirit Master to the death."

Just then, Dylan, who was holding the Mandel Brick, suddenly changed his expression and exclaimed in alarm: "Enemies are coming! The Soul Tool's reaction is becoming violent... No, even more violent. The enemies are closing in fast."

Hearing this, the expressions of the other two teammates shifted rapidly.

The power-attack-type Spirit Master Grison unleashed his spirit power, his muscles bulging, and a "King" character mark appeared on his forehead. His already sharp eyes transformed into beastly pupils that chilled the heart.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

A series of footsteps rang in the ears of the three. Grison's ears twitched slightly, and then his body exploded with force as he smashed open the door and charged out.

The control-type Spirit Master followed closely behind.

Emerging from the room, the two were met with several cold, biting glints of light.

Facing them were three weapon-type battle Spirit Masters.

The three newcomers had bright spirit rings glowing at their feet, clearly having already unleashed their spirit ring skills. They struck with their strongest moves, showing no mercy.

"Crack!"

"Whoosh~"

As cold weapons clashed, several vines wove out from the hands of the Control-type Spirit Master, hurtling toward the trio.

"Vines? A Control-type?"

One of the enemy Spirit Masters, wielding a broadsword, narrowed his eyes and shifted his target, violently shattering the vines reaching toward him.

As the vine fragments scattered across the floor, the broadsword-wielding Spirit Master surged forward instead of retreating, charging straight at the opposing Control-type Spirit Master.

In team combat, a Control-type Spirit Master can generally exert more influence than a single Battle-type Spirit Master.

Although the narrow terrain limited the full potential of the Control-type Spirit Master.

The presence of an enemy Control-type Spirit Master remained an unstable variable in the battle.

Seeing the enemy Battle-type Spirit Master closing in, the Control-type Spirit Master manifested more vines from his hands, which swarmed toward the opponent in a dense cluster.

After several rapid slashes, the vine fragments littered the ground, and the Battle-type Spirit Master had already closed the distance. His spirit ring lit up, and he raised his broadsword high, preparing a diagonal strike to decapitate the Control-type Spirit Master before him.

Just then, a milky-white long staff extended from the side, barring the path in front of the Control-type Spirit Master, as if intending to intercept the attack with its mere two or three centimeters of diameter.

Simultaneously, the Control-type Spirit Master swept his gaze across the entire battlefield, and his yellow spirit ring flared brightly.

In an instant, dozens of broken vine fragments on the floor sprouted into long, slender, yet resilient complete vines.

"Bind!"

Following the Control-type Spirit Master's explosive shout, dozens of vines violently wrapped around the broadsword-wielding Spirit Master and the other Battle-type Spirit Master who had been charging close behind him, trussing them up like dumplings and leaving them unable to move.

A milky-white light surged from the long staff, rapidly pouring into the body of Grison not far away.

Receiving support from his teammate, Grison revealed a ferocious grin. He swung his claws, using a trade-damage style to force back the enemy Agility-type Battle-type Spirit Master wielding dual daggers, then lunged toward the enemies bound like dumplings.

After a while, the room fell silent, leaving only the sound of heavy, ragged breathing.

Having secured another victory, the Support-type Spirit Master, nursing new wounds, felt the Mandel Brick still vibrating violently and offered a bitter smile to his teammates: "Brothers, more enemies are approaching. It looks like this round is going to be tough."

"It must be that long-range Spirit Master. He's likely planning to let the snipe and the clam fight so the fisherman can reap the benefits."

The Control-type Spirit Master looked at the vine fragments covering the floor and let out a long sigh: "If he's alone, he won't be a match for us indoors."

Grison, whose spirit was the Fierce Tiger, bared his claws, which resembled small daggers, and growled viciously: "If he dares to enter this room, I'll tear him apart alive."

Just as the two were making bold threats to bolster their confidence, a ball of explosive flame smashed into the room from outside the window.

The expressions of the three changed instantly.

"Boom!"