The crowd couldn't help but speculate.
The only thing that could scare an S-rank contract spirit had to be SS-rank. As for SSS-rank -- that was just absurd.
"Your sick kitty seems a little scared, huh?"
Chen Shu spoke up, amusement dancing in his eyes.
Xia Yan's expression turned icy. "Hmph! You really think you can beat me?"
Chen Shu was about to reply when the options materialized before his eyes.
Ding!
[Option 1: Use the Slime's butt to flatten the Inferno Raging Tiger!]Completion reward: Large amount of Beast Taming Power
[Option 2: Surrender directly and attempt to reconcile with the opponent.]Completion reward: Three Strength Flowers
[Option 3: Pull out the urea bag, hood the opponent's head, then beat the living daylights out of him until he understands why the flowers are so red.[1]]Completion reward: Skill "Deterrent Roar" +1
Chen Shu said nothing. He opened his backpack and pulled out the urea bag.
He wanted the Beast Taming Power, sure, but a skill level wasn't bad either. More importantly -- this option spoke to his heart.
"What are you doing?!"
Xia Yan jolted. His pupils contracted and his body kept retreating backward.
"Excuse me, could you open the protection barrier?"
Chen Shu addressed the staff. To prevent Beast Tamers from being caught in the crossfire of contract spirit battles, each platform was fitted with a protective barrier.
"Uh..."
The nearby staff member's brain short-circuited on the spot.
Isn't this a contract spirit battle? Why did you just pull out a urea bag?
"DON'T OPEN IT! HE'S GOING TO COMMIT VIOLENCE!"
Xia Yan shrieked immediately, raw panic on his face. The terror overwhelmed whatever pride he had left.
With all these eyes on him, if he got hooded by the urea bag again, he'd never be able to show his face in Daxing City.
The staff member's mouth twitched. He hadn't expected Chen Shu to be this ferocious -- no wonder the kid called himself a bandit.
Watching Chen Shu practically bouncing on his heels with anticipation...
The moment that barrier opened, Xia Yan was getting beaten.
"Sorry..."
The staff member replied. He wanted to open it -- he really did -- but he couldn't break the rules. One complaint and his job was gone.
Inside the VIP booth, Shen Wushuang shot to his feet, black lines streaking across his forehead.
Are you goddamn serious right now?! Twenty days of peace and quiet and you're already starting shit again?!
This was a packed public venue. Plenty of people had their phones out, recording.
If this blew up online, how would anyone look at Nanjiang Second High? Were they even going to recruit students next year?
"Looks like it's your lucky day..."
Chen Shu sighed and put the urea bag away, regret written all over his face.
Xia Yan couldn't even meet his eyes anymore. He looked like a baby lamb.
"Match, begin!"
The announcer called out, momentarily easing the suffocating tension.
Xia Yan let out a breath of relief and commanded the Inferno Raging Tiger to unleash its skill.
He would use his contract spirit to reclaim the dignity he'd lost!
In an instant, the Inferno Raging Tiger opened its massive jaws.
A blazing fireball erupted outward.
Mid-flight, the fireball split apart into countless sparks, raining down like a barrage of incendiary rounds.
Chen Shu's expression stayed relaxed, but internally he was fully locked in.
This was his first time fighting an S-rank contract spirit head-on. That night, the one-hit victory had been pure ambush. Nothing more.
Sitting on the Inferno Raging Tiger's butt this time around wasn't going to be nearly that easy.
Facing the sky full of flames, the Slime's big eyes snapped shut.
"Zzz... zzz..."
It activated Sleep Kill directly, dropping into slumber. Its defense skyrocketed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Because the fireball had split, its range increased but its attack power was diluted. It wasn't enough to break through the Slime's defense.
But the fireballs were just a probing attack. The real killing move was still coming!
ROAAARRR!
The Inferno Raging Tiger opened its jaws wide and instantly unleashed its roar skill.
"Goo-gii!"
At almost the exact same moment, the sleeping Slime released Deterrent Roar.
Chen Shu's timing was practically perfect. Even veteran Beast Tamers couldn't have pulled that off.
When two crowd-control skills collided, they didn't cancel each other out -- both took effect simultaneously.
Both sides fell into a brief state of dizziness.
The Inferno Raging Tiger recovered first. Flames ignited across its claws. Its wings beat once and it lunged forward in an instant.
A smirk of revenge curled at the corner of Xia Yan's mouth.
He had to admit -- Chen Shu's combat technique was exceptional, using Deterrent Roar at just the right moment to buy time.
But the Inferno Raging Tiger's roar skill had already reached Lv3. Its stun duration was definitely longer.
He could practically see the Slime being torn to shreds.
"STOP! What are you doing?! STOP!!"
Chen Shu thrust out his hand, fury and panic flooding his eyes.
Inside the VIP booth, Shen Wushuang's mouth twitched. The hell -- could your acting BE any more over the top?
Everyone in the Special Training Class knew Chen Shu was baiting someone again.
Only Xia Yan had absolutely no idea who he was dealing with, and assumed the panic was genuine -- that his opponent's mental game had crumbled.
But maybe he should have considered: a guy who'd whip out a urea bag in front of a live audience to assault someone -- could that guy's nerves really be that fragile?
"Scream! Go on, scream! You can scream until your throat shatters and nobody's coming to save you!"
Xia Yan couldn't hold back his grin.
The more terrified Chen Shu looked, the more excited he got.
"AHHH!!"
In that instant, a scream of agony erupted from below.
The fearsome Inferno Raging Tiger shot backward like a kite with its string cut.
It was coughing blood mid-air, looking absolutely devastated.
And hovering above it, a terrifying sphere was soaring freely through the air, accompanied by a chorus of gentle snoring.
Wait, what...
The entire arena fell silent. Every single person rose to their feet, eyes blazing with shock.
The reversal had happened in the blink of an eye. The audience hadn't even had time to process it.
Just a moment ago, the Inferno Raging Tiger's flaming claws had been poised to rip the Slime apart.
But then the Slime had leapt upward -- not stunned at all -- and unleashed Violent Butt-Drop Kill.
The Inferno Raging Tiger's reflexes weren't slow. It had tried to fly away immediately.
But the Slime spewed Wind's Breath, activated Charge, and took to the sky right after it.
Without its master's commands, the Inferno Raging Tiger saw the flying super-turd and its brain blue-screened.
What the hell is that thing?
But the Slime didn't freeze up. Under Chen Shu's control, it rammed the Tiger clean out of the air.
Chen Shu had been acting the whole time, but his focus had never left the fight below.
His Slime had Tyrant Body. How could it possibly be stunned?
The Deterrent Roar he'd released earlier was nothing more than a ploy to make Xia Yan drop his guard.
"Scream! Go on, scream! You can scream until your throat shatters and nobody's coming to save you!"
Chen Shu threw the exact same words right back at him. Xia Yan nearly coughed blood himself, his mind going blank.
"I want to file a report -- you're fucking CHEATING!!"
Xia Yan clenched both fists. He'd been too busy playing tough just now and hadn't considered for a single second that the fight could reverse this fast.
Bitterness churned in his chest. He'd already sworn last time that he'd never play tough again.
And this time he couldn't hold back. He hated himself for being so weak...
"Zzz... zzz... zzz..."
But the sleeping Slime paid Xia Yan no attention. Airborne, its speed was extreme.
It caught up to the Inferno Raging Tiger in an instant.
WHAM!!
Another devastating impact. The Inferno Raging Tiger took more damage.
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
What followed was an inhumane barrage of relentless Charges. Some people in the audience couldn't help but cover their eyes, unable to watch.
The once-mighty Inferno Raging Tiger was on its way to becoming a pixelated mosaic of gore...
CRASH!
Finally, the Inferno Raging Tiger slammed into the ground. It looked exactly like a sick kitty.
"Twenty meters of sheer mass -- can you even handle that?"