Chapter 338 - Surrender? What for?

The match started, and Han Wu wasted no time. He unleashed a Dragon Fireball of pitch-black flames, its shape forming the snarling head of a dragon that opened its jaws as it hurtled toward the opposing leader.

Da Shan, acting as the tank, stepped forward to shield his leader. The fiery dragon struck with a thunderous impact but failed to breach the Iron Tower Shield.

The leader laughed. “You are too weak!”

Han Wu stayed silent and unleashed even more Dragon Fireballs. They were enormous, and their sheer number blanketed the sky. Like an artillery barrage, they all detonated with overwhelming force on impact.

The crowd gaped at the speed of his assault.

“Doesn’t the Skill have a cooldown?”

“Even if it doesn’t, shouldn’t casting them consume energy? How can he launch so many in a row?”

Confusion rippled through the crowd, but the match pressed on. Dragon Fireballs rained down so densely that even Da Shan could not block them all. He managed to deflect only the first ten before the rest tore through his defenses.

The leader and the second representative were struck next. The Level 53 Fire’s Blessing not only resisted ice-type Skills but also mitigated damage from fire-type Skills.

The leader absorbed several Dragon Fireballs without a scratch. A small black ember, however, landed on his arm. It was so tiny that he extinguished it with a single pat and scoffed. “All bark and no bite. What a useless Skill.”

Han Wu’s smile widened. “You might want to check where you were hit. My flames don’t go out so easily.”

The leader glanced down at his arm. The ember hadn’t gone out. It was crawling up his arm, spreading until it engulfed the lower half of his elbow. Thanks to Fire’s Blessing, it caused no harm.

He sneered. “As long as it doesn’t hurt me, your black flames are useless.”

His companion’s voice rang out in alarm. “What are these flames? How are they burning through my Fire’s Blessing?”

No sooner had he spoken than Da Shan’s Iron Tower Shield started to crack under the relentless assault of black flames. Even the Fire’s Blessing on his body was gradually being consumed.

Just as his companion had warned, the black flames devoured the effects of Fire’s Blessing. The more they spread, the more relentless their damage became. The moment the flames touched their bodies, their lives were set on a ticking clock.

Sensing the Blessing’s power fading, the leader knew he had only moments to defeat Han Wu—or all of them would fall. “Fine. I will make you feel the full force of my wrath!”

He produced a golden cudgel, then vanished. In an instant, he reappeared behind Han Wu, raising the weapon high. Every motion screamed that he aimed to smash the back of Han Wu’s head!

He was too close for Meng Qi to intervene. The leader already envisioned Han Wu’s skull splitting beneath the blow and savored the thought.

The crowd gasped. This was an interacademy competition for youths. Their Skills did not match the Masters, yet casualties were inevitable. Everyone could see that blood would be spilled today.

Han Wu’s teacher acted immediately, shouting to the announcer and referee that they intended to surrender. Reaching this stage had been a blessing for Azure Sea, and he would not allow his student to be injured.

Unfortunately, the announcer and referee were too far away to respond in time. Almost everyone waited, frozen, for the next second when blood and brain matter would fly.

The leader swung his cudgel down with deadly force, and the audience collectively inhaled in horror.

Unexpectedly, no blood spilled. The cudgel struck a thick jade shield instead. The moment it appeared, everyone saw its immense weight, density, and durability. Not even the leader’s mightiest blow left a dent. It resembled a castle gate more than a shield.

Han Wu’s teacher was elated. He had always known Han Wu wielded Fireball with skill, but he had never imagined Han Wu possessed such formidable defensive strength as well.

The referee froze, then turned to the teacher. “Are you still going to surrender?”

“Surrender? Why would we? The match continues.”

The match resumed in the arena.

Leng Ning and Meng Qi knew how strong Han Wu was and remained motionless as they stood on the side.

The leader’s scowl deepened as Han Wu effortlessly deflected his deadliest, one-hit-kill trump card. Humiliation burned in his chest!

With his first plan thwarted, he had no choice but to fall back to his backup plan. “Second plan!”

The representative tasked with maintaining Fire’s Blessing obeyed instantly and summoned a Fireball the size of a room.

The crowd gasped at its immense scale. A massive Fireball did not guarantee power, but it could cover a wide area. Yet in the small arena, the sheer size seemed unnecessary. The damage mattered more than the area of effect.

The representative had a purpose. Focusing his formidable mental strength, he compressed the Fireball until it shrank to the size of a ping pong ball.

Now the crowd could see the terrifying energy contained within the tiny orb. Any target struck by it would be vaporized in an instant.

Meanwhile, the leader, frustrated by his failure to breach the Dragon Shield, retreated slightly and warned, “Han Wu, surrender now! You still have time.”

Han Wu roared. “Bring it!”

The leader snapped the order. “Fire the condensed Fireball! Vaporize him!”

The representative nodded and shot the compressed Fireball. It streaked through the air like a miniature sun, leaving a trail of searing gas. The arena floor itself started to melt into magma under the intense heat.

Han Wu made no move to dodge. He raised the Dragon Shield and planted it firmly before him.