"Here it comes, here it comes! The classic is back!" Arthur couldn't help but exclaim, his excitement palpable.
"What are you talking about?" Caesar failed to grasp Arthur's meaning.
Arthur chuckled, "Don't you see? Lin Ran just pulled two weapons from his pants!"
"This is clearly meant to be a direct counter to Vasily!"
"Considering how he previously beat up Jin Tai Guang with his bare hands..."
"He's obviously planning to teach the man a lesson!"
Before Caesar could respond, Catherine, beside them, covered her mouth in astonishment. "This… this is too insane!"
"To go head-to-head with a berserker whose blades have already been enhanced through sacrifice? Not to mention the opponent's murderous intent!"
Caesar sighed, "Otherwise, why would they call him a freak..."
"The extent of his terrifying capabilities has far surpassed our expectations."
"So, I think instead of worrying about him, we should worry about Vasily on the other side..."
"I believe that even in Vasily's strongest domain – a duel with dual blades – Lin Ran can still emerge victorious."
Catherine hadn't recovered from her shock and asked dazedly, "Huh? You think that highly of him?"
"If he can crush Turing in a summoned duel, beat Jin Tai Guang senseless with his fists, and now defeat Vasily in a blade fight..."
"Then is there anything in this world he can't do?!"
"Even a well-rounded, six-sided warrior isn't this exaggerated!"
"Titles like 'master of all professions' are an insult to his skill..."
"Only a god would be worthy of him!"
Arthur seemed quite pleased with Lin Ran's performance. "You're just realizing that now?"
"The moment he used his secret technique to blast apart the Sea-Surging Whale and save me, I saw a god descend!"
"But since Lin Ran has a good relationship with us now, the stronger he is, the more comfortable we'll be..."
"And speaking of divinity, I think what Lucas just said makes more sense."
"The title 'Great Demon King' seems to suit him better."
Catherine finally closed her mouth slightly and sighed, "What a terrifying… fellow..."
"So, according to you, can we start preparing Vasily's funeral in advance?"
Arthur smiled and gestured towards the stage, "What do you think?"
…
On stage.
Vasily visibly stiffened when he saw Lin Ran wielding two weapons.
Then, a monstrous, bloodthirsty killing intent erupted from him.
"Hey, kid!"
"Are you… that arrogant?"
"Do you still think it's cool to defeat opponents using the same methods?"
"You actually want to insult me in such a way..."
"Today! I will tear you limb from limb!"
Seeing his enraged and pale face, Lin Ran plunged his two swords into the ground and spread his hands apologetically.
"Don't you think it's cool? As a contestant, I think it's incredibly cool!"
"It aligns with my vision of defeating an opponent – with flair and a touch of humor."
Vasily was utterly enraged and roared, "You're asking for death!"
With his roar, the match's countdown finally reached its end.
*Swish!*
The moment the match began, Vasily abruptly swung his twin blades, and a mysterious, surging bloodline power began to awaken within him.
Ice-Fire Divine Phoenix!
A top-tier divine beast bloodline!
Countless people stared at Vasily on the field in astonishment, surprised that he had concealed such a technique. It was truly incongruous for a bloodthirsty, irrational berserker to possess such a resplendent and pure bloodline.
After the phantom image of the Ice-Fire Divine Phoenix possessed him, Vasily's expression calmed considerably. He subtly lowered his aura, leaving only his unreserved killing intent to clash freely.
Lin Ran nodded with a hint of satisfaction. "Now this is a bit interesting..."
"I was initially expecting this match to end quickly given your crazy, unlucky state!"
"But it seems it might be enough to get a little warm-up in."
With renewed rationality, Vasily no longer bothered with words. Instead, he unleashed his terrifying frost and flames, one to his left and one to his right, slowly spreading across the entire arena.
Thin layers of ice and fire covered the stage, quickly dominating a large area of the ground. If not for the protective mechanism of the arena that prevented the boundaries from breaking before a winner was decided, the ice and fire formation would have likely spread to the spectator stands.
Not only that!
*Clang!*
Accompanied by a clear and resonant phoenix cry, a phantom image of a phoenix, half fiery red and half icy blue, with flames burning on its left wing and frost covering its right, appeared and hovered arrogantly beside Vasily.
"Is this the Ice-Fire Divine Phoenix? It exudes such a strong oppressive aura!"
The contestants and spectators on the platform first looked at Vasily's phantom, then shifted their gaze to Lin Ran.
Now that the opponent had revealed his hand, how would Lin Ran respond?
Would he still intend to charge headlong with his dual weapons against such a formidable foe? If so, the match would be truly captivating!
Lin Ran's previous powerful display with the Golden Dragon had already led many to believe it was an undeniable top-tier bloodline. Now, with Vasily's Ice-Fire Divine Phoenix revealed, their curiosity intensified about how the Golden Dragon, which had never appeared before, would fare against such a well-known, traditional divine-level bloodline.
*Swish!*
Lin Ran did not disappoint their expectations and showed no intention of retreating. He re-grasped his dual swords from the ground.
"The weapon spirits contained within your blades are quite exceptional..."
"After you die, they'll come with me."
"As a top-tier blacksmith, I will turn both of them into the ultimate divine artifacts in this world."
"Just like these two in my hands."
"In your hands, you are completely wasting their potential!"
Although Lin Ran appeared ready to fight Vasily, his gaze was fixed on the opponent's blades, muttering to himself, clearly coveting them.
Vasily's eyes immediately darkened. Had it not been for the calming effect of the Divine Phoenix, he would have likely jumped up and started cursing.
"Good! Very good! Excellent!"
"Not only do you want to kill me, but you also covet the national treasures of our Red Leaf Kingdom?"
"I will absolutely cut out that annoying tongue of yours today!"
(I've had various social engagements lately, involving a lot of high-intensity drinking every day...)
(Including visits from classmates who returned from graduate studies, friends who came back from work, family gatherings, invitations from friends, interactions with superiors and colleagues, and banquets for various events...)
(Therefore, it's difficult to fix a consistent update schedule. I hope all my readers will understand.)