Inside the arena, Lin Ran grinned excitedly as he watched the countdown reach its end. He took a step forward.
Golden Dragon True Form!
Amaterasu's Wings!
Just as time expired, Lin Ran leaped, transforming into a golden flash trailing black flames. With an awe-inspiring momentum, he plunged into the embrace of the summoned heroes.
He was immediately met with a pincer attack from the seven heroic spirits.
Sabers, spears, swords, halberds, axes, battle axes, hooks, and rakes!
Unlike the ninja army from last time, the weapons wielded by these spirits and the energy they contained didn't seem to have a strong connection to the land of Sakura.
Strange. Perhaps their mysterious shrine of heroes didn't solely store spirits from Sakura?
If there was no historical connection, how were they able to command these spirits?
Lin Ran was puzzled.
Facing attacks that were about to land on his face, he really didn't have much time to ponder these questions.
Shinra Tensei!
Lin Ran drew his Cursed Sword from the Ring of Souls with his backhand and unleashed his most powerful counter-skill under siege – Shinra Tensei – pushing it outwards.
However, this time, Shinra Tensei wasn't as effective as Lin Ran had hoped.
Although the explosion from the center was still formidable, it didn't inflict much damage or cause significant displacement to the heroic spirits.
The polearms they wielded still struck him squarely.
His Kenbunshoku Haki also seemed much weaker!
Lin Ran's eyes narrowed, and he activated Kamui.
Clang!
A chilling metallic symphony echoed. Beyond the distinct sound of cold iron, there was a faint, deep, and resonant tone, like porcelain hitting the ground.
This is extraordinary… Interesting!
Lin Ran chuckled, leaping out sideways, first escaping the encirclement using his intangible state, then switching his sword to a bow. He drew out the True – Shooting the Hundred Beasts and aimed at the dragon souls and heroic spirits before him.
Exactly nine!
At this moment, Lin Ran's vision was solely focused on the two summoned dragon souls and the seven heroic spirits. Hanzo and Gen in his armored soul state were completely forgotten.
With a resounding twang as the string was released, nine automatically tracking meteor arrows shot forth, one aimed at each target.
Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit!
Not a single shot missed!
The effect of these nine shots from Shooting the Hundred Beasts was significantly stronger than Shinra Tensei, but that was all.
Though their movements faltered slightly, they showed no further signs of being heavily impacted. They quickly readjusted their stances and continued their charge towards the escaping Lin Ran.
Seven humans and two dragons advanced together, on land and in the air, forming an arrowhead formation, their approach menacing.
Whoa! They're this strong?!
Lin Ran's long-dormant fighting spirit finally blazed anew.
Good! Very good! Excellent!
It seems I've finally encountered a tough opponent. I no longer need to hold back or be secretive. I'll go all out and have a satisfying battle!
After all, except for when he faced Petra in the last match, Lin Ran had always used minimal offense, fearing he might break the toys across from him.
Even Petra wasn't exciting enough.
Petra's turtle-like playstyle provided very little feedback for Lin Ran.
Forget offense or struggling; there wasn't even the slightest tremor.
Although Lin Ran had a blast fighting on his side, facing a pile of dead meat that couldn't even grunt or groan quickly dampened his enthusiasm.
For Lin Ran, battles between two individuals absolutely required feedback from the opponent.
Otherwise, if only you are charging forward with gusto while the other party remains stoic and unresponsive, isn't that just boring for everyone involved? What's the difference from having preserved fruit, utterly uninteresting.
Perhaps this was a habit developed from Luo Qingyan, his most frequent sparring partner.
Possessing two faces, one pure and cute, the other alluring and seductive, she was always captivating regardless of her posture.
Each time, she provided Lin Ran with the most thrilling feedback at the most opportune moments, helping him increase his attack speed and critical hit rate.
And after every session, she would feign a pitiful, hesitant, innocent complaint, then playfully whisper in his ear with fragrant breath, making him want to do it all over again, to conquer this little temptress properly.
She truly understood.
The so-called perfect girlfriend was probably just like this.
…
Outside the arena,
"Such powerful summoned creatures!"
"Hanzo Shimada actually has this kind of strength?"
Seeing Lin Ran's repeated attacks yield no results, Anfiya gasped, covering her mouth. She looked incredulously at the other contestants, seeking their reactions.
Similar to her, most of them wore expressions of shock.
Catherine chuckled helplessly:
"I never expected… all of you seemingly harmless individuals are actually masters of various skills."
"It seems you were all secretly holding back in previous matches, right?"
"Now that you've encountered a strong enemy, you're all showing your true colors…"
"I thought the gap between us wasn't that large before, but now it seems I was completely mistaken!"
"I am completely convinced, utterly convinced…"
"Thank you, Duke, for making my previous defeats not so miserable."
Arthur scratched his head and said with a smile:
"It's not that bad, is it…"
"If there was holding back, there definitely was, but it shouldn't have been enough to crush you. Don't overthink it!"
Catherine snorted indignantly:
"Do you think I can't tell if you're hiding your true strength? You clearly didn't even use all your strength from last year…"
"Honestly, this is all the strength I have. Otherwise, I would have infuriated you to death."
"As expected… the saying 'there's always someone better' isn't baseless. I, who am a top-tier existence in my own country, am being beaten around abroad!"
"The world stage is truly for the monsters…"
Arthur was completely at a loss for words now and could only force a couple of laughter, then started chatting about other things to change the subject.
On the other side, the onlookers from Sakura's nobility also showed satisfied smiles upon witnessing this scene.
It seemed their plan was on the verge of great success, and the heroic spirits were indeed providing significant resistance to Lin Ran.
This way, building upon the foundation of winning Lin Ran over, they had taken a great stride.
It was truly a small step for Hanzo Shimada, and a giant leap for Sakura!
Of course, Kenji Tanaka, who had more pressing concerns, felt even more delighted.
Excellent, if things continue this way, his goal of changing the regime should be achieved soon!
However, as his gaze fell upon Chizuru Ginshiro, he noticed something was amiss.