Xiao Yun stood silently, staring at the burly man before him. He knew better than to underestimate this mountain of muscle. With a flicker of light from his storage ring, a crimson war spear appeared in his grip. Scarlet energy surged from within, bursting outward like flames. Holding his spear firmly, Xiao Yun stepped forward slowly. The tip of the spear scraped along the stone tiles beneath him, leaving behind a pale trail.
The burly man raised an eyebrow as Xiao Yun's aura steadily grew stronger with each step. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Building up momentum? That only works if your opponent politely stands still and lets you!"
His voice boomed like thunder across the arena. Without further warning, he stomped forward. With a shimmer from his own ring, he summoned a massive battle axe—easily taller than he was—and gripped it with both hands. Each step of his advance radiated raw force, like an avalanche hurtling toward its target.
"Outta my way, kid!"
Twisting slightly, he hefted his axe sideways like a giant shield and hurled himself forward, aiming to bulldoze Xiao Yun with sheer brute force.
At nearly seven feet tall and wielding an axe even taller, the man was like a charging tank. Xiao Yun's original plan shattered under this overwhelming pressure. But he wasn't green enough to panic. Not anymore.
He swiftly retreated, his crimson spear lashing out like a dragon's fang. In a flash, he struck the approaching axe several times, trying to deflect the brute's onslaught.
Clang!
The moment weapon met weapon, a crushing force surged down Xiao Yun's spear. The sheer power behind the axe was insane. Fortunately, Xiao Yun hadn't committed fully to that strike—he'd merely been testing the waters. His spear trembled violently, spinning to deflect the impact layer by layer. Still, the shock nearly tore the weapon from his hands.
"What the—?! That strength is ridiculous!"
"Nice reflexes, but you're still not getting away!"
Seeing Xiao Yun retreat, the burly man gave a growl and charged again. This time, earthy yellow energy surged from his body, solidifying into a menacing battle armor that covered him from head to toe. With his strength and speed enhanced, he closed the gap in the blink of an eye.
"Great. Just great," Xiao Yun muttered under his breath. "I used to be the strong guy smashing others into the ground. Now I know how they felt."
The man's axe technique was simple—brute force, no finesse. Xiao Yun, on the other hand, moved like flowing water, redirecting each swing the moment it came too close. But there's a saying: "Overwhelming strength trumps technique." That works especially well when your opponent is swinging ten tons of metal.
No matter how skilled he was, Xiao Yun was still just a boy, not even ten years old. Each time he parried, a bit of the brute's strength still bled through, draining his stamina at a worrying pace.
In the center of the arena, the two clashed repeatedly—scarlet and ochre auras flaring wildly, painting the field in shifting hues. Each collision between spear and axe sent out shockwaves visible to the naked eye, rattling the very stone beneath their feet.
One stomp. One swing. That was all the burly man needed to keep Xiao Yun on the defensive.
The problem was size. His opponent towered over him, wielding a massive axe that favored direct power. Xiao Yun's spear, by contrast, was a weapon of finesse and variability—requiring speed, agility, and precision.
Struggling to keep up, Xiao Yun's mind raced.
He's charging me head-on, completely confident in his strength. A spear's greatest strength is adaptability, but even a thousand techniques mean little when faced with overwhelming force.
Truth be told, his biggest disadvantage was physical. If he were just a little older, a little stronger, this wouldn't be nearly so difficult.
If I keep defending, I'll slip eventually. Instead of losing like this, I'd rather go down swinging!
With that thought, Xiao Yun let the next blow land without deflecting it. Instead, he rode the force of the impact and was pushed backward. Just then, a violet blaze surged up from within. It rushed along the spear until the entire weapon burned with intense flames.
He suddenly stopped retreating and stomped down hard, using the recoil to launch himself high into the air.
"You've hit me enough—my turn!"
Raising his spear overhead, Xiao Yun roared and brought it crashing down like a fiery meteor, the tip engulfed in violet fire, descending straight for the brute's head.
He was unleashing everything—his flame, his strength, his momentum. It still might not match the man's full might, but it was damn close.
"Hahaha! Come on, then!" The brute didn't even flinch. He grinned, gripped his axe tight, and swung upward, aiming to meet Xiao Yun head-on and crush him mid-air.
BOOM!
The collision was deafening.
Xiao Yun was sent flying, landing hard at the very edge of the arena—mere inches from a ring-out.
But the burly man didn't get off easy either. Though Xiao Yun was physically weaker, the added force from gravity and the Lionfire made the strike formidable. The flames wrapped around him like venomous snakes, keeping him from following up.
"Gah!" Xiao Yun coughed up blood but his eyes gleamed with excitement. The chaos, the stakes—it reminded him of the old days in the Enforcement Squad. This was a real fight. Life and death dancing on a razor's edge.
Shaking, every muscle screaming, he propped himself up with his spear.
This… this is the kind of pressure that sharpens a blade…
With a flicker from his ring, a few healing pills appeared in his hand. He tossed them into his mouth and swallowed them dry. Warm energy rushed through him, patching up his battered body.
"Hope you don't mind?" Xiao Yun chuckled with a lopsided grin.
"Go ahead," the burly man growled, brushing off the lingering flames. "I'm not done yet either."
"Great! Let's start round two!"
The arena blazed with flames. Xiao Yun no longer stuck to defense. With his agile movements and the sticky, searing nature of Lionfire, he flipped the tables. His spear darted up and down, slashing out trails of violet fire as he pressed the attack.
"He's turning the tide," one elder muttered from the viewing stands above the arena. Dressed in black robes, the trio of elders scrutinized the fight closely.
"He's got momentum now," said another, "but that beast flame eats through energy fast. He'll burn out soon."
"Even so," said the third with a small smile, "it's better than cowering. Taking the fight to your enemy—even if you lose—teaches you far more. And if he sets a trap and his opponent slips up…"
"He could win," the others murmured.
Back in the arena, most of the spectators thought Xiao Yun had no chance. Just a last stand before the inevitable. But he didn't look like someone about to lose. In fact, he looked like he was having the time of his life.
His spear danced—sometimes soft and fluid, sometimes wild and aggressive. He pushed its versatility to the limit, meeting that giant axe head-on in eight out of ten clashes.
His attacks are strong, sure, Xiao Yun thought, but they're slow. Big moves. Wide arcs. All power, no subtlety.
The longer this drags on, the more chances I have.
The spear clashed with the axe over and over. Xiao Yun's strength still couldn't match the brute's, but Lionfire changed everything. Every time the man tried to chase an advantage, the flames surged, forcing him to back off.
Eventually, Xiao Yun's arms were so numb he could barely feel them, but he kept going through sheer will.
His opponent didn't look great either. The heat had worn down his armor, and his aura was flickering.
BOOM!
Another powerful clash. This time, the brute gave it everything—his final desperate blow. Xiao Yun's spear flew from his hands and skidded across the floor.
Seeing this, the man's eyes lit up. He charged forward like a raging bull, raising his axe high for the finishing strike.
Now!
Xiao Yun's eyes flashed. Finally, a crack in the wall!
The brute's footing wasn't steady. He'd overcommitted. Xiao Yun twisted his body midair, snatching his falling spear in a serpentine motion. In one fluid move, he landed, hands flashing through a rapid sequence of seals.
With the last of his energy, he poured power into the spear, and—
"Blazing Flame Palm!"
A fiery red aura shot out from the end of his spear. It expanded in a flash, forming a two-meter-wide flaming Palm. It crashed down toward the charging brute like the hand of an angry god.
Point-blank.
The brute had no chance to dodge. He quickly raised his axe like a shield.
BOOM!
The explosion rocked the arena. Smoke billowed everywhere, obscuring the field entirely.
"Did he win?!"
"Can't tell! Too much smoke!"
The crowd held its breath.
Then—
Cough. Cough.
A soft cough echoed from within the smoke.
The arena fell silent.
As the smoke cleared, a slender figure slowly came into view, leaning on a battered spear, barely standing.
Around him, the stone floor was shattered, cracked like a spiderweb.
At the center of it all lay the burly man—flat on his back, unconscious.
A judge appeared in a flash, checking the man's vitals. After confirming he was just passed out from exhaustion, he raised his voice.
"Contestant 78, victory! Will you continue to the next round?"
Xiao Yun swayed, then gave a wry grin.
"Nope. Somebody help me up—I'm about to fall over…"