Lia watched her quietly, the flames dancing around Huo Wu reflected in her amber eyes.
She said nothing, merely bowing slightly in the customary salute between Soul Masters before a match.
Then she raised her right hand.
Fsssh—
A faint sound rang out, like a match being struck.
A flickering flame rose from her palm. At its heart was a tiny match formed from pure fire element—the blazing match martial soul.
Almost simultaneously, Huo Wu released her martial soul as well. A rose-red flame gathered in her palm, constantly shifting shape until it became a slowly rotating ring of fire—her mutated martial soul, flame shadow.
Standing at the edge of the arena, the referee looked at them both, drew a deep breath, and announced, "Begin!"
The instant his words fell, Huo Wu moved.
She was not an assault system Soul Master and would not charge recklessly. As a control system Soul Master, her first priority was to take command of the battlefield.
"First Soul Skill, Infinite Flame Shadow!"
Her rose-red Soul Ring suddenly blazed with light.
Huo Wu thrust both hands forward, and countless fiery red shadows spread outward from her like a surging tide.
Those shadows were not solid, but phantoms formed from pure flame energy. They darted across the ground, leaving bright patterns of fire on the dark-red surface of the arena wherever they passed.
In the blink of an eye, those fiery phantoms covered more than half the arena.
Several flame shadows appeared beneath Lia's feet as well.
She could feel the energy within them. They continuously gave off intense heat, trying to disrupt the circulation of her soul power while blocking her routes of movement.
This was a classic control system tactic: first restrict the opponent's room to maneuver with a wide-area Soul Skill, then seek