Who Are You, Really?

Meng Hongchen frowned as she watched Song Que behave strangely, walking toward the edge of the arena. For a moment, she stood frozen in place.

She had no idea what he intended to do.

Song Que gripped his blade in a reverse hold and struck an odd pose, pointing its tip straight at Meng Hongchen.

While everyone watched in bewilderment, Song Que spoke softly. "Shoot him dead, Shinsō!"

A silver flash streaked across the arena.

Before anyone could react, the long blade pierced Meng Hongchen's shoulder, drove her off the platform, and pinned her hard against the wall behind it.

Song Que turned to look at her, apology in his eyes. "Sorry. Against your Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad, I had to catch you off guard."

Meng Hongchen stared at the blade through her shoulder, unable to believe what had happened.

"You... I... How is this possible..."

"The match is over! Song Que of Just Sky Academy wins!"

The Referee's announcement jolted the spectators back to their senses, and cries of shock erupted across the venue.

Xiao Hongchen rushed onto the platform at once. He supported Meng Hongchen and carefully checked her injury.

Fortunately, Song Que had deliberately avoided anything vital. Her wound was not too serious.

"Damn it! That Song Que is a sneaky bastard!" Xiao Hongchen seethed, grinding his teeth.

Meng Hongchen coughed twice and shook her head. "That's his ability. There's nothing to complain about. Even if he hadn't done that, I couldn't have won. He held back. Otherwise..."

Before Meng Hongchen could finish, Jing Hongchen hurried over, helped her to the waiting area, and began treating her wound.

"That's enough. No need to say more. We can take a loss," Jing Hongchen said gravely.

"Xiao, you're up. Go all out from the start. This boy is far stronger than we expected."

"Even if you can't beat him, drain as much of his Soul Power as you can."

Xiao Hongchen nodded. "Don't worry, Grandpa. I'll beat him."

Xiao Hongchen stepped onto the platform.

His eyes locked on Song Que. He secretly gripped several metal spheres in his right hand as he began circulating his Soul Power.

"Song Que, don't think beating my sister makes you so impressive," Xiao Hongchen said. "She just let her guard down."

Song Que glanced at him. "You're as talkative as ever."

As soon as he spoke, the Zanpakutō in his hand gave a slight tremor.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

Pink blossoms burst across the sky. Countless petals swept toward Xiao Hongchen like a dense rain of blades.

The storm of petals reached him almost instantly.

Xiao Hongchen's expression changed. Not daring to take the attack head-on, he hurriedly raised both hands and drove metal fragments in front of him.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sharp impacts rang out in rapid succession.

The moment the metal fragments touched the petals, they were sliced apart and scattered as even smaller pieces.

Alarmed, Xiao Hongchen activated a Soul Tool shield to block the fragments. He retreated quickly while directing more metal spheres in front of him.

But Senbonzakura's attack could not be stopped by blocking straight ahead.

Petals were everywhere. Some came from the front, others circled around from both sides, and still others skimmed along the edge of the platform at ground level. Every route of escape was cut off.

His defensive Soul Tools were steadily worn down, forcing him back again and again. Petals slashed his clothes whenever he switched between Soul Tools, leaving him in constant danger.

"Damn it!"

"It's much faster and stronger than yesterday. This guy..."

If he kept taking hits without fighting back, he would only leave more openings.

A ruthless glint flashed in Xiao Hongchen's eyes. He abandoned defense and flung out both hands.

"Metal Frenzy!"

Over a hundred metal spheres rose into the air. Barrels unfolded rapidly from them, forming a dense firing line before him.

"Fire!"

Countless Soul Tool blasts poured from the barrels. Flames, Soul Power beams, and explosive orbs all hurtled toward Song Que's position.

Fire engulfed the platform, and deafening explosions shook the arena.

"Let's see you dodge this!" Xiao Hongchen growled.

But when the barrage landed, Song Que was already gone.

Above, below, left, right—Song Que's figure flickered in and out of sight from every direction.

The next moment, Song Que's voice came from behind Xiao Hongchen.

"Too slow."

Every hair on Xiao Hongchen's body stood on end. He spun and fired almost on instinct.

But by the time he turned the barrel, all he saw was a sweep of pink blossoms.

Slash!

Blood burst from his shoulder.

Xiao Hongchen grunted and stumbled.

At last, panic seized him.

Song Que was clearly nearby, yet Xiao Hongchen's eyes, Soul Power perception, and targeting systems could not keep up with him.

Song Que was like a shadow, seemingly everywhere yet impossible to catch.

"Show yourself!"

Xiao Hongchen unleashed his Soul Tool cannons in a frenzy, covering the entire platform with fire.

But the longer he fired, the colder his heart grew.

His barrage was fierce, yet it could not even touch the hem of Song Que's clothes.

Instead, the pink petals kept slipping through the flames and cutting at him from every direction.

Several more cuts appeared on Xiao Hongchen's body. None were deep, but the feeling of being toyed with nearly drove him out of control.

"Bastard! Is hiding all you can do?!"

He roared as he kept up the barrage.

But the instant his attention slipped, Song Que's voice sounded again from behind and to one side.

"Right here."

Xiao Hongchen whipped his head around, only to see a cherry-pink blade flash toward his face.

In that instant, he activated the Soul Tool on his right ring finger almost without thinking.

Green light flashed.

He vanished from where he stood and reappeared on the other side of the platform, more than ten meters away.

It was the Teleportation Ring.

After landing, Xiao Hongchen's face was deathly pale, his chest heaving.

If he had not teleported away from that slash, he would likely have lost on the spot.

Song Que's eyes lit up. He stared at Xiao Hongchen's finger and said admiringly, "Interesting. You really have a lot of good stuff."

"That ring is nice. I like it."

Xiao Hongchen ignored him and hurriedly activated the defensive Soul Tools on his body.

The cannons still thundered across the platform.

But a thousand miles away, beside Sea God Lake in Shrek City, all was quiet.

A figure in black appeared silently by the lakeshore.

His black robe stirred in the wind. His presence was faint, and his face was impossible to make out.

Yet the moment he entered the Golden Ancient Tree's domain, someone appeared before him out of thin air.

The newcomer wore plain clothes and had white hair and an aged face. He was Mu En, the master of Sea God Pavilion.

"Oh? The Dark Sacred Dragon?!"

"Interesting... A pity you came a step too late. Otherwise, you would have been a fine choice."

The black-robed visitor was Long Xiaoyao, the Dark Sacred Dragon.

At those words, Long Xiaoyao stopped, his brow furrowing deeply.

He stared at the man before him for a long time before slowly asking:

"Who... are you, really?"