Noya's first battle

The starry sky hung like a curtain. Twelve towering pillars surrounded a square arena the size of ten football fields.

A platform slowly rose on the left side of the arena, with Noya standing proudly atop it...

The audience erupted in a chorus of wild howls and cheers... Noya calmly acknowledged the spectators around the arena, then turned toward Zhang Fan's VIP box and bowed.

Beside Zhang Fan, Madoc smiled as he stared at Nona. "This girl seems to be enjoying herself..."

Princess Domina fixed her eyes on Nona and asked without looking away, "Overlord, is this member of the Insect Race for sale?"

"...This one isn't."

"What a pity. A powerful body like that is just what I need."

Zhang Fan nodded inwardly. A good business opportunity had just come knocking. "If you need one, Princess Domina, I could make a body for you."

"Really?" Every scale on Domina's face relaxed. "If you can give me a body as powerful as hers, you can have anything you want from my Krami Star System."

Madoc suddenly spoke up. "Princess Domina, we have quite a few bodies on Mokla that would suit you..."

Domina replied tactfully, "Please don't tease me, Lord Madoc. Your people are all quasi-mechanical beings. They're difficult to control."

Just then, a platform slowly rose on the right side of the arena. Atop it stood what looked like an enormous half-mechanical ape, a full five meters tall...

Domina looked at Madoc in astonishment. "Surikar certainly lives up to his reputation as one of Mokla's three mightiest warriors. Are those black crystals around his waist black demon crystals?"

"You have a keen eye, Princess. Surikar won those twelve black demon crystals through his own strength."

Princess Domina's jaw almost dropped in amazement. "Impressive! I heard that only the strong are worthy of possessing black demon crystals on Mokla, and he actually has twelve..."

"Overlord, perhaps you should call your little girl back. Surikar has quite a temper. It would be a shame if this spoiled our friendly relations... Hahaha!"

Madoc's openly provocative laughter made the guards outside break into a cold sweat. What would they do if a fight broke out inside?

Zhang Fan bowed politely. "Noya's temper is fairly good. She just likes to strike to kill. You should worry more about that monkey, Lord Madoc."

"All right, you two. The match is starting!"

A bell rang through the arena, and the platforms began slowly retracting...

Surikar leaped straight off his platform, clasped his hands into a hammer, and smashed them down toward Noya.

"I hate monkeys more than anything..." Noya sprang backward and spread her wings, avoiding Surikar's hammer blow. Turning, she formed both hands into swords and sent two crossing waves of sword energy straight toward his face.

Despite his massive size, Surikar was extraordinarily agile. He twisted aside to dodge the sword energy, then reached out and caught Noya in his hand.

Madoc smiled. "I wonder how tough this little girl's bones are."

Zhang Fan smiled too. "Noya doesn't have many bones. Just a few thorns!"

Instead of Noya's scream, Madoc heard Surikar's howl of pain...

Surikar flung Noya away and clutched his right hand. His entire palm had turned green, as though he had been poisoned.

Noya steadied herself in midair and roared, "You damned monkey! How dare you squeeze me!"

Before her words faded, three spheres of energy-red, white, and blue-began circling her. Noya raised both hands high and brought down a sword strike.

Accompanied by a massive wave of sword energy, the three energy spheres tore a fissure through the arena floor as they hurtled toward Surikar.

In a flash, Surikar's agonized roar rang through the entire arena, shaking it to its foundations.

Even the protective glass of the VIP box began trembling incessantly. Domina hurriedly folded down her pointed ears.

Madoc's face turned livid. A faint smile appeared on Zhang Fan's face, though his armor-like shell hid it from everyone else.

Surikar stared at his arm, half of which had been severed by the sword energy, then glared at Noya, who looked no bigger than a moth to him.

"Die..." Surikar roared. His severed right arm actually began growing back at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Zhang Fan marveled, "What incredible regenerative power."

Madoc sneered. "We people of Mokla grow stronger through life-and-death struggles. Naturally, we have a few special abilities."

Zhang Fan spoke to Noya through his mind. "Find a way to consume his genes."

"Understood!"

Noya dodged Surikar's fierce charge, circled behind him, and hurled three fireballs at his back.

From the stands, Princess Domina cried out in surprise, "She... she can use magic? The Atari People's magic... How can she use it too? Does the Insect Race also have magical abilities?"

As though something had occurred to him, Zhang Fan immediately smiled. "It's only Ionization Fire. It ignites through high-speed friction between positive ions in the air. That has nothing to do with magic, does it?"

"It looks so similar. Why didn't we think of this technology?" Princess Domina raised her right hand and abruptly clenched her five fingers into a fist. Flames blazed around it.

Zhang Fan's shock was beyond words. Just how powerful was this Princess Domina, who was only the size of a grain of rice?

Noya's fireballs struck Surikar, burning away much of his fur. He put out the flames with his right hand, while five missiles suddenly shot from the mechanical fingers of his left.

The five missiles were so fast that even Noya, whose specialty was speed, was hit before she could react.

Fortunately, she wore the Chromium-Bismuth Metal Armor obtained from the temple on Second Earth. Even so, the explosions left Noya covered in soot and grime, with several scorched patches across her body.

"You damned monkey! I'll kill you!"

With a roar, Noya transformed her entire body into a sharp sword wreathed in seven colors and charged at Surikar.

The five-meter-tall half-mechanical ape actually caught the blade barehanded, stopping Noya's sword form right in front of his chest.

Madoc glanced at Zhang Fan. "Overlord, your little girl is fighting awfully hard. This is only a preliminary match. There's no need to fight to the death, is there?"

"Ah... Noya has a habit of striking to kill. Even I can't control it. Oh... right, I forgot to mention that she hates monkeys more than anything."

Madoc's face was livid and ugly. Princess Domina glanced at him, then smiled at Zhang Fan. "Overlord, this is only a match for entertainment. Please have the little girl from the Insect Race stop. A War General with twelve demon crystals is a figure of considerable importance on Mokla. We've already witnessed the strength of your Insect Race."

Zhang Fan nodded. "Lord Madoc, have your monkey let go. Noya won't take his life, but we shouldn't make it too obvious."

After Madoc's eyes flashed red twice, Surikar froze for a moment, then slowly loosened his grip.

Noya met his gaze. She immediately dispelled her sword energy and passed straight through Surikar's chest.

Noya licked Surikar's blood from her blade and glared at him. "You damned monkey. You got lucky today."

Surikar glared at the VIP box, visibly furious. He stood upright and pounded his chest three times to express his displeasure, then tore the twelve black demon crystals from his waist and threw them at Noya's feet before leaping out of the arena.

The battle had lasted only a few minutes, yet the spectators had been so engrossed that they forgot to cheer or applaud. After a brief silence, the stands erupted in a frenzy of howls and cheers.

Madoc sighed. "That foul temper is such a nuisance."

Madoc bowed to Zhang Fan. "Thank you for showing mercy, Overlord. As for those twelve black demon crystals, might I ask you to..."

Domina immediately interrupted. "Surely you aren't asking for them back, Lord Madoc... That would be rather ungracious."

"Well... but..."

Through Noya's consciousness, Zhang Fan examined the black demon crystals closely and discovered that they contained tremendous power. But he could not understand why Surikar had not used them if they held so much power.

"Lord Madoc, we can only call that match a draw. As for the black demon crystals, once Noya returns, I'll have her give them back to you."

"Then you have my thanks, Overlord."

But inwardly, Zhang Fan thought, You wish. You lost, yet you still have the nerve to ask for them back. Since you have no shame, don't blame me for making you lose face.