Jiang Peng pointed the giant axe in his hand at Ma Rulong and said coldly,
"I will defeat you."
As if he had not seen the provocation in Jiang Peng's eyes, Ma Rulong merely smiled calmly.
"You think that can provoke me? Your attempt to bait me is utterly terrible. It might work on our inexperienced Reserve Team captain, but if you want to fool me, I suggest you save your breath."
As they spoke, both of them retreated toward the edge of the competition stage, ready for the match to begin at any moment.
As though he had not heard Ma Rulong's words at all, Jiang Peng continued,
"Ma Rulong, I'll show you that Soul Engineers who rely on external tools can never compare to Soul Masters like us, who work hard to unlock our own strength. You'll fall beneath my axe just like your teammate did."
Ma Rulong shook his head.
"Mika did not display his full strength. Defeating him does not mean Soul Masters are stronger than Soul Engineers. The Soul Tools Mika used were not made by him. They were externally supplied items specially configured to deal with you, so his own abilities were not fully brought into play. Only you understand yourself best, which is why a Soul Engineer is at their strongest when using Soul Tools they made themselves. Every Soul Tool I use was crafted by my own hand. I'll show you what a true Soul Engineer is."
Jiang Peng snorted.
"As if I'd believe that. You made those Level 7 Soul Tools yourself too?"
Ma Rulong replied calmly,
"I have no reason to lie to you."
By then, they had reached the edge of the stage. With the referee's shout of "Begin," the battle erupted instantly.
Just as he had in the