"Take this! Blazing Prairie Hundred Slashes!"
Yun Ying's movements instantly became graceful and fluid, her spear dancing in an impenetrable blur, countless phantom strikes layering upon each other like a prairie wildfire, continuously attacking Chang Koehan's weak points—his lower body, waist, and knees.
"213A321A—I need to maximize the damage!"
In her mind, she silently recited the combo commands that had been etched into her DNA from the Honor of Kings canyon.
"Ignite!"
With a sharp cry, every attack now carried the true damage of burning!
Though Chang Koehan was thick-skinned and tough, even he couldn't withstand this high-frequency "chip damage" with true damage attached.
His health bar began dropping in visible chunks, section by section.
"Damn it! Hold still!" Chang Koehan's ferocity was ignited!
He leaped high into the air, his massive body blotting out the sky like a meteor plummeting toward the ground!
"It's over!"
However, at the instant he landed, Yun Ying's figure appeared behind him like a ghost.
Her three stacks of spear intent fully charged, she gathered all her strength, transforming into a blazing meteor that thrust viciously toward Chang Koehan's completely exposed back!
"BOOM—!!!"
With a tremendous crash, Chang Koehan's massive body staggered forward as if struck by a cannonball, before finally crashing face-first into the arena with a thunderous impact, unable to get back up.
His health bar instantly hit zero.
[K.O.]
The system's cold electronic voice announced the result.
The entire venue fell into dead silence.
Then erupted into cheers more thunderous than any before!
"She won! That little girl won!"
"Unbelievable! How did she do that?!"
"That combo... it flowed like water! It was like she was playing a video game!"
Yun Ying retracted her spear, panting, and looked at the large portion of green still remaining in her health bar. Her little face was written all over with excitement and pride.
"Hmph hmph! Did you see that? This is the power of my Flame-Chasing Divine Spear!"
However, when the referee announced her victory and told her to prepare for the next opponent, she made a move that left everyone's jaws on the floor.
She raised her hand high toward the referee and said, completely out of breath: "Ref... Referee! I... I request... a substitution!"
Referee: "???"
Audience: "???"
"Why?" the referee asked, puzzled. "Your condition looks fine. You can definitely continue fighting."
Yun Ying's face instantly flushed red, and she stammered: "I... I... my legs went weak... they're still trembling..."
"Pfft—!"
Cloud nearly sprayed out the water he'd just drunk.
He looked carefully and saw that Yun Ying's calves, clad in red combat boots, were indeed trembling uncontrollably.
Cloud understood immediately.
This young lady, though she'd dominated the Honor of Kings canyon, had only ever faced opponents made of data—jungle monsters, minions, and heroes.
She had never truly faced a "real person" opponent like Chang Koehan—one who radiated oppressive pressure, whose every punch landed with bone-crushing force, and who posed a genuine threat to her life.
That battle had seemed effortless, but in reality, she'd been wound tight as a spring the entire time.
Now that the fight was over and her tension released, the aftershock and exhaustion hit her all at once.
Her actual combat experience was still too lacking.
"I understand." Cloud nodded to the referee's table. "We'll substitute."
Though it was a bit of a shame, Cloud respected her choice. Growth required process.
And so, under the unsatisfied gazes of the entire audience, Yun Ying limped off the arena like a little hero who'd won the battle but felt somehow wronged.
"How... how did I do?" She walked up to Cloud, tilting her small face upward, her eyes holding both an expectation for praise and a hint of embarrassment.
"Excellent." Cloud smiled and patted her head. "You got us off to a great start. Leave the rest to us."
Having received his approval, Yun Ying's face immediately lit up. The tension and fear from earlier vanished completely as she transformed back into that chatty, energetic girl, running off to brag about her battle record to Mai Shiranui.
Cloud shook his head, then turned his gaze to Nakoruru, who had been waiting quietly beside him.
"Nakoruru, you're up."
"...Mm."
Nakoruru took a deep breath, then showed Cloud a smile that was both pure and resolute.
She gently stroked Mamahaha's feathers, as if drawing strength from her companion.
Then she stepped forward, light as a drifting snowflake, and floated down onto the arena.
Her opponent was Korea Team's second fighter—"The Slicing Dagger," Choi Bounge.
"Hehehe..." Choi Bounge looked at this girl before him—pure and flawless as a forest spirit—and let out his signature laugh that made everyone's scalp tingle.
"Little missy, your skin is so white... my claws haven't tasted such tender prey in a long time!"
He extended his long tongue and licked his sharp iron claws, his eyes full of cruelty and greed.
Faced with such naked malice, Nakoruru's eyes remained calm as still water.
She simply stood there quietly, cradling Mamahaha, speaking softly as if confiding to nature itself: "Evil soul... please calm your rage."
"Nature will punish you."
...
On the arena, the atmosphere grew somewhat eerie.
On one side was Choi Bounge—short, monkey-like, wielding sharp claws, his creepy laugh enough to give the entire audience goosebumps.
He hopped up and down like a monkey with ADHD, exuding a cheap "I'm the villain" aura.
On the other side was Nakoruru—petite and delicate, pure as snow, holding an eagle, her eyes so clear they could reflect blue skies and white clouds.
She stood there quietly, like a snow lotus that had accidentally wandered into the mortal world, completely out of place in the bloody, hot-blooded fighting atmosphere.
...
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