Power of Equal Match

Xiao He carefully observed the enemy in front of him: the Balance Man, Sebastian.

At 1.75 meters tall, he wasn't particularly strong, and his Superpower rating was the lowest among all Mutant. However, he spoke with the most confidence among all Mutant, claiming that he would defeat "Yinglong".

"An interesting fellow," Xiao He said with a smile, looking at Sebastian.

"You're not as interesting as me," Sebastian said casually. "You play yourself like a hero."

"Playing a role?" Xiao He asked, somewhat puzzled.

"You may act like a hero, but your true nature is nothing but arrogance," Sebastian sneered. "You revel in the cheers and adoration of those people, and it makes you feel good. Your actions are nothing but a way to satisfy your own vanity, and have nothing to do with 'heroism.' You... are nothing but a petty scoundrel in the guise of a hero."

"Yes, you must be the person who knows me best in the world. Is your Superpower to monitor me 24/7?" Xiao He asked with a hint of teasing, but he was not swayed by the other's words.

"I don't need it," Sebastian scoffed. "People like you always fight for yourself; you'll never sacrifice yourself for others. I won't lose to someone like you."

"Hmm..." Xiao He nodded, then got into a fighting stance. "That had to be for the best, otherwise, if you disappoint me, the consequences will be very, very serious..."

Sebastian got into position and then jumped up and down on the spot.

"Butterfly Step... This guy's a trained fighter too," Xiao He thought to himself with interest, then got into a fighting stance.

However, the next moment Xiao He suddenly felt a wave of weakness and soreness throughout his body, and his body became much heavier.

"Gravity control? No... that's not right." Xiao He frowned. He was familiar with this feeling; it was the feeling after he deactivated some of the Trigger. His power had been drained, about half of it. He looked down at himself, then at Sebastian in front of him, and suddenly realized. "So, that's why you're called Balance Man?"

"That's right," Sebastian chuckled. "My Superpower can extract half of an enemy's power, whether it's physical constitution or Superpower, and then add it to myself."

As he spoke, Sebastian's eyes turned cold, and he assumed a fighting stance. "Then let's see how you defeat your enemy when you don't have an advantage in Superpower?"

"Are you Captain America? You think you can go toe-to-toe with anyone?" Xiao He sneered, getting into a fighting stance as well.

The opponent's stance resembled freestyle fighting, but Xiao He dared not let his guard down. The opponent had taken away half of his Superpower and physique, and in terms of ability, the opponent was even slightly stronger than him—just a tiny bit stronger than Sebastian himself.

"Someone stronger than me?" Xiao He wondered to himself, suddenly feeling a sense of pressure: This was the first time he had encountered an enemy stronger than him in both physique and Superpower. Could he really win despite being at a disadvantage in terms of Superpower?

"Here they come!" Seeing Sebastian approaching, Xiao He took a deep breath and prepared to meet the enemy.

Sebastian threw a straight punch, Xiao He deflected it with his left arm, blocking the blow from the side of Sebastian's fist. He then followed up with a low kick aimed at Sebastian's lower body. Having fought many strong opponents, he possessed considerable skill and experience, and could now be considered a seasoned fighter. However...

"Tsk, so heavy..." Xiao He frowned, thinking to himself. This was his first time fighting Mutant of similar strength, and the feeling was completely different from before. Even a simple straight punch felt so heavy: Is this what it feels like for mortals to fight?

Sebastian raised his foot and kicked Xiao He's ankle, deflecting the attack. Then, the moment he landed, he used a Butterfly Step to switch the position of his feet, shifting his weight to his left foot, and swept over with a flying spinning kick.

Xiao He raised his arms to protect his head, blocking the kick. A throbbing pain shot through his hands, and he staggered two steps. Sebastian's performance then began. He stepped forward and delivered a mid-section kick to Xiao He's side. Xiao He gasped in pain and quickly blocked Sebastian's subsequent high kick with his arms, taking a step back to create distance.

"Does it hurt?" Sebastian sneered. "How does it feel to fight an enemy of equal skill for the first time?"

"You seem to talk a lot." Xiao He stretched a bit, then got into a fighting stance again: he was getting a little used to this feeling.

Xiao He's abilities are dynamic; he's experienced all the physical attributes from LV1 to LV6, so the weakening effect Sebastian inflicted on him wouldn't affect his performance. The key issue is that his opponent possesses the exact same Superpower as him, not just physical attributes, but also the Perfect Cube, Kinetic Energy Absorption, and Time Stop —that's what's most annoying.

However, Sebastian is not currently using any other Superpower. Xiao He plans to observe Sebastian's attack methods first, and then consider how to combine Superpower to defeat him.

He wasn't quite familiar with Sebastian's fighting style; although his opponent primarily used kicks, he also employed techniques like punches and slaps.

Sebastian performed the Butterfly Step again, then charged forward and delivered a front kick.

Xiao He took a step back to avoid the opponent's attack, then raised his foot and swept it towards Sebastian's face.

As Sebastian leaned back to dodge, he swept his foot across Xiao He's side, causing Xiao He to immediately frown: That fucking hurts!

But he had also learned a lot from his past enemies, and those skills were born for this moment. So when Sebastian took advantage of his pause to deliver a knee strike, Xiao He suddenly raised his foot and kicked Sebastian's supporting leg, stopping Sebastian's center of gravity.

Sebastian's center of gravity was unable to shift forward, and the power of his knee strike was greatly weakened. Although it still hit Xiao He's chest, it was equivalent to merely pushing Xiao He with his knee. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xiao He threw Russian Swing Punch at Sebastian's side. Sebastian hurriedly raised his hands to defend, but was still knocked back a step.

Xiao He immediately adjusted his posture and followed up with a powerful punch. This heavy punch sent Sebastian flying to the left, but Sebastian rolled to his feet and staggered two steps to try to steady himself. Before he could adjust his posture, Xiao He was already in front of him, holding the back of his head with both hands to adjust the angle, and then kneed him in the face.

"Ugh!" Sebastian raised his arms to defend himself, but the heavy blow broke through his defenses, and he fell backward.

"Huff--!" Xiao He quickly stepped back, adjusting his breathing: If I keep this up, there won't be any problems.

After Sebastian fell to the ground, he was quiet for a moment, then rose from the ground with a Thomas Flair.

"You've got some skill. Looks like you've trained properly besides relying on your Superpower." Sebastian wiped his mouth with his thumb and said, "Unlike those idiots who only know how to rely on their Superpower... In that case, I'll show you my respect."

After speaking, Sebastian took a deep breath and assumed his stance again.

However, Xiao He noticed that this guy seemed different from before.

"They're getting serious now..." Xiao He frowned and thought to himself, then got into a fighting stance.

Sebastian took a short run-up and then launched a flying kick. Xiao He blocked the attack with his left arm and jumped back to deflect the force of the blow. However, after landing, Sebastian relentlessly attacked with various side kicks, cross kicks, and front kicks. The storm of attacks forced Xiao He to defend for the time being and look for an opportunity to counterattack.

At this moment, Sebastian swept a mid-level kick towards Xiao He's side. Xiao He raised his arm to defend, but at this moment, the opponent's leg suddenly turned in mid-air, changing from a mid-level kick to a high-level kick, sweeping across his face.

"Whoosh!" Xiao He's mind went blank for a moment. He took two steps back, and then Sebastian stepped forward and kicked Xiao He twice in the stomach and chin. Xiao He staggered back, and just as he regained his footing, Sebastian kicked him in the waist.

A sharp pain shot through the spot where he had been kicked. Xiao He clutched his wound and couldn't help but kneel down on one knee. At that moment, Sebastian took another short run-up and delivered a flying knee strike to Xiao He's face.

Xiao He felt as if he had lost his hearing, the world had become quiet, the scenery before his eyes spun around, and the next moment he made intimate contact with the ground. His body felt as if it were melting, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to muster any strength. Only the sharp pain in his waist reminded him that he was still alive, and the smell of blood filled his mouth and nose.

"My God! Balance Man unleashed a spectacular combo, knocking Yinglong to the ground! He hasn't gotten up yet! This is the first time in this competition that Yinglong has been knocked down for more than five seconds without getting up!" the host exclaimed in astonishment. "I simply can't believe that Balance Man, whose attack and defense rating is the lowest among all Mutant, actually knocked down Yinglong attack and defense rating is infinitely high!"

The audience members whispered amongst themselves, expressing disbelief at what they were seeing.

"Darling! Get up quickly!" Cui Man said anxiously, "Are you still conscious!?"

Xiao He lay on the ground, feeling his consciousness drifting away. His eyelids felt incredibly heavy, as if his soul were leaving his body. However, the pain throughout his body was gradually subsiding. He hoped he could just pass out, so he wouldn't be tormented by this intense pain anymore. Would everything be alright when he woke up?

"Old Xiao!" Ye Wanqing's voice came through the earpiece, and Xiao He instantly woke up.

"Ugh..." Xiao He barely managed to support himself, kneeling down to get up. By this time, the referee had already counted to "8". As his consciousness gradually returned, the pain in his body became more and more intense.

The kick to my lower back was especially painful; it felt like one of my internal organs had been shattered.

"He's using Kyokushin Karate," Cui Man explained in the earpiece. "That change-of-line high kick is also called the Brazilian Kick. It uses the power of the hip joint and knee to adjust the attack trajectory midway through the kick, changing from a mid-range kick to a high kick. And the kick that hit your waist is called the 'Crescent Kick,' which uses the tiger toe of the foot to attack the liver."

"Interesting... Martial arts are indeed interesting, so many techniques." Xiao He laughed breathlessly, then removed the lower half of his mask and spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm. This was the first time he had been forced to this point, but for some reason, he suddenly felt very relaxed. He had a feeling that this battle was crucial for him.

"They're pretty durable..." Sebastian took a deep breath and said, "Come on, round three."

Having said that, Sebastian attacked again, and after several quick exchanges, the two became entangled in combat. At this moment Sebastian unleashed another mid-range kick, and Xiao He hesitated: should it be a mid-range kick or Lane-Shift Kick?

But in that moment of hesitation, Sebastian had already kicked him in the waist. Xiao He couldn't help but feel annoyed: there was absolutely no time to hesitate! If he hesitated, the other party would kick him directly, but if he guessed wrong, he would still get kicked!

This mid-section kick made Xiao He pause slightly, but Sebastian then kicked him in the chest with a front kick, knocking him away before leaping up and delivering a powerful punch straight to Xiao He's face.

Xiao He's figure suddenly blurred, dodging Sebastian's fist. Then, in the instant the two passed each other, Xiao He regained his physical form, turned around, Russian Swing Punch at Sebastian's ribs.

However, at this moment, Sebastian's body suddenly blurred, and Xiao He's fist passed straight through Sebastian's body. Then Sebastian returned to solidity, locked Xiao He's head, and delivered two consecutive knee strikes.

Xiao He then Kinetic Energy Absorption, placed his hand on Sebastian's chest, and unleashed a powerful shockwave.

But the impact was like a stone sinking into the sea; Sebastian slapped him in the chest, blasting the impact back.

Xiao He absorbed part of the impact through his passive ability, while the remaining impact erupted within his body.

"Cough cough!" Xiao He coughed violently. Sebastian continued his pursuit, and he quickly activated his Forced Mediation Domain.

However, Sebastian's fist still landed on his face. Xiao He took two steps back and couldn't help but frown: This guy actually turned off the Forced Mediation Domain he had activated!

After Xiao He steadied himself, he raised his hand, freezing time. But unexpectedly, Time Stop, Sebastian was still able to move, and his upper whip kick swept across Xiao He's face.

Xiao He groaned and fell to the ground again. The world spun before his eyes. He tried to get up, but after taking two unsteady steps, he collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

"Oh my god... Yinglong has been knocked to the ground again." The host's voice trembled. "This is completely different from Yinglong's previous fighting abilities! What exactly is the Balance Man's Superpower!? It can actually suppress Yinglong!"

"Don't get up," Sebastian said coldly, his breathing rapid. "Continuing will only be shameful. This is your country. Unlike you, I'll leave you some dignity."

"Self-respect is something you have to earn yourself," Xiao He said, struggling to stand up again. He took a deep breath and suddenly felt very relaxed.

He finally understood why he felt this battle was crucial. "Today is a good day for transformation."