"I never thought this day would come, that a peer of my own age would push me this far. To show my respect, I have decided to use this move."
'Emperor' Valerius spoke in a calm tone as he slowly raised his right hand. It was no longer in its original form. It had become entirely black, with sharp, dagger-like claws extending from his fingertips. Faint black flames licked between his fingers. It was like the hand of a demon that had just clawed its way out of hell.
Faced with this sight, Fly remained exceptionally calm. "Come on, then," he said, his voice even. "Let me witness the true power of a Tarantino family genius."
As he spoke, lightning began to crackle at his side.
...
In the audience, the two teachers, Mr. Carter and Mr. Ironside, were beyond shocked. Even Dean Sterling's eyelid couldn't help but twitch.
Mr. Carter exclaimed, "What is that? Could it be... the Infernal Transformation?!"
"That's right," said the Dean. "Although this is only its initial form, it is indeed the ultimate secret technique of the Tarantino family that you speak ofâInfernal Transformation!"
Mr. Carter frowned and fell into a moment of deep thought, then suddenly shouted, "Hey, do you take me for an idiot?! That secret technique requires at least a level-four Beast Warrior to use! Valerius is barely past level two. How could he possibly use Infernal Transformation?!"
"No, it is Infernal Transformation," Dean Sterling said, his tone firm. "A gradual Demonization of the body, increasing attack power by 100% and burning effects by 100%... I would not mistake it. To be able to use this technique at a lower level, that boy Valerius is, without a doubt, a true genius."
Hearing this, Mr. Carter fell completely silent.
After a long moment, he turned to look at Fly on the stage and prayed silently in his heart: Please, Fly! You have to win...
...
On the stage.
Fly and 'Emperor' Valerius stood facing each other from a distance.
On one side was Fly, the dark horse with the Mythical Species Thunder-Roach totem, his mind a wellspring of novel tactics. On the other was 'Emperor' Valerius, the super-genius who, at the cost of shortening his own life, had used the ultimate secret technique of the "Clan of Combat"âthe Tarantino family.
Who was stronger...?
"Fly! I won't give you the chance to walk off this stage!"
"DIE!"
'Emperor' Valerius raised his right hand high, then swung it down violently. In an instant, a wild torrent of black flame howled towards Fly.
With a flash of his body, Fly swiftly dodged the roaring flames. A golden current enveloped his entire body as he activated the SkillâVoltaic Aegis!
Combined with the high-speed movement trait of his cockroach totem...
âSpeed increased by 50%!
Seeing this, Mr. Carter exclaimed in surprise, "The Voltaic Aegis? Sterling, isn't that your...?" (In his shock, he had forgotten to use the Dean's formal title).
"That's right, it's my Skill," said Dean Sterling. "Theoretically, the Power Assessment Test is meant to determine each freshman's individual talents, so before the test, teachers are only supposed to give directional guidance, not specific instruction like this..."
"But," the Dean continued, "if the Tarantino family can ignore my opinion as the Dean of the year and force this matchup for 'Emperor' Valerius, then why can't I give Fly a little extra help?"
"I wasn't the one who broke the rules first..."
Mr. Carter was silent for a moment, then asked, "Is this what you meant by 'that one thing'? You think Fly's newly learned Voltaic Aegis can defeat Valerius's Infernal Transformation?"
"No!" said the Dean. "Not 'defeat,' but 'delay.' Infernal Transformation itself places an immense burden on the body. For Valerius to use it at a lower level doubles the stamina consumption. All Fly needs to do now is stall for time. If he can just hold on, Valerius will collapse on his own..."
"What about flying?" Mr. Ironside, who had been silent until now, suddenly asked. "Don't cockroaches fly? Fly has mastered so many of its traits, he must have mastered flight as well, right? Why not have him fly into the air to stall?"
"He can't," Dean Sterling answered grimly. "A cockroach's flight is, more accurately, 'gliding.' If he tried to force sustained flight, his stamina would drain just as fast as Valerius's, if not faster."
Mr. Carter's face fell. "So, you're saying Fly has no choice but to face Valerius's attacks head-on?"
"Yes," said the Dean. "All we can do now is believe in him."
...
On the stage.
Fly continuously dodged amidst 'Emperor' Valerius's relentless assault.
Such a dense barrage of attacks! Fly thought.
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However...
SkillâSteelbone Blades, activate!
The barbs on a cockroach's legs are covered in fine sensory hairs that can detect the slightest disturbance in the air currents. This was one of the reasons for their keen perception.
And the bone blades extending from Fly's forearms were covered in this same layer of sensory hairs, allowing him to clearly perceive the trajectory of Valerius's attacks.
I see it!
I see the gaps between his attacks!
Faced with Valerius's overwhelming assault, Fly did not retreat. Instead, he advanced, charging straight into the roaring black flames.
His body twisted bizarrely in mid-air, and he "squeezed" through the gap between two columns of fire, as if his body had been momentarily compressed flat.
This was another of the cockroach's traitsâthe ability to compress its body to pass through narrow spaces.
Just like that, Fly passed through the dense barrage of black flames and appeared right in front of 'Emperor' Valerius.
"Hmph! You want to get in close? Do you think I'm afraid of you?"
Valerius roared, and a gout of black flame instantly spewed from his mouth.
With a sizzleâ, the "Fly" in front of him was instantly incinerated, like a piece of paper.
Molting again!?
Where is the real Fly?
Swish!
Fly appeared behind 'Emperor' Valerius, his Steelbone Blades Skill activated, the steel blades striking for the back of his head.
BAMâ
Valerius spun around at the last possible second, blocking Fly's bone blades with his demonic black hand. To Fly's surprise, Valerius's hand was as hard as steel.
If that's the case, then I'll win with speed! Fly thought.
He swung his arms, launching a continuous barrage of attacks at an incredible rate, like the rapid kicking of a cockroach's legs.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
'Emperor' Valerius swung his right hand, barely managing to block the attacks. But Fly had two arms to attack with, while Valerius only had one hand to defend. Under Fly's relentless assault, he was forced to retreat again and again.
Damn you, little insect!
Rage finally consumed 'Emperor' Valerius.
He channeled the power of his Cerberus totem, and the demonic form began to spread from his hand up his arm.
"Area of DemonizationâExpand!"
"Expand! Expand! Expand! Expand!"
"EXPAND! EXPAND! EXPAND! EXPANDâ"
As Valerius roared like a madman, his entire forearm transformed into that same skeletal, black demonic form.
"Not good, Valerius is putting his life on the line!" Even the experienced Dean Sterling was horrified.
The core of the Infernal Transformation technique was the gradual Demonization of the body. The larger the demonic area, the greater the power. It was said that when a user achieved full Demonization, their strength could reach up to three times its original level.
...
As Valerius's entire forearm became demonic, his power skyrocketed. The muscles in his forearm bulged, eventually growing so large that it took on the shape of a massive shield.
The giant, demonic forearm actually began to suppress the continuous attacks of Fly's Steelbone Blades; sheer mass was overpowering speed.
'Emperor' Valerius was now completely consumed by rage. He had never imagined that even after using his family's ultimate technique, Infernal Transformation, he would be pushed to such an extent by Fly.
Damn you, little insect!
I, the noble second young master of the Tarantino family, have been made to look like a fool by you!
Even if I die, I will wash away this shame in blood!!!
'Emperor' Valerius roared, and black flames completely engulfed his right arm. He threw a punch that howled through the air towards Fly.
Fly didn't dare to take the hit head-on. With a flash, he quickly burrowed into the ground.
'Emperor' Valerius gave him no chance to escape. He punched the hole Fly had just disappeared into, pouring the scorching black flames directly into it.
"Hide? HIDE! I'LL SHOW YOU HIDING!!" he roared.
Fly was digging through the earth when he suddenly felt a wave of intense heat from behind. Cursing inwardly, he frantically dug forward, bursting out from the ground.
BOOM!!â
With a massive explosion, a pillar of incandescent black flame erupted from the earth. The force of the blast sent Fly tumbling through the air, and the intense heat incinerated his shirt into tatters.
"Go on, hide! Keep hiding! You're so good at it, aren't you? Let's see where you can hide now!!" 'Emperor' Valerius threw a series of punches, and torrents of black flame closed in on Fly from all directions.
Fly felt as if he were surrounded by a furnace of black fire. Even with the keen sensory hairs on his arms, he couldn't find a single opening.
"YOU BASTARD!"
'Emperor' Valerius roared until his voice was raw. He clenched his right fist, concentrating countless black flames upon it, compressing them more and more, until the black fire seemed to solidify.
"LET'S DIE TOGETHER!!"
"SkillâHell's Roar!!!"
He threw the punch. The near-solid black flame shot towards Fly with unparalleled speed. The stage tiles were ripped from the ground, and a deep trench was carved into the arena floor.
BOOMâ!!!
A blinding flash of light.
A thunderous, deafening roar.
And then... a swirling cloud of dust and smoke...
No one knew what had happened on the stage. Everyone craned their necks, trying to see through the thick smoke. Their faces were a mixture of shock, fear, sorrow, and excitement... but there was one emotion common to them allâanticipation.
Everyone was waiting, waiting for the final outcome of this ultimate duel.
...
The smoke cleared. The wind died down.
On the stage, Fly and Valerius stood facing each other.
Valerius was frozen in a punching motion. Fly was frozen in a defensive stance.
Fly's crossed arms were blocking Valerius's fist. The steel blades on his forearms had shallowly pierced into Valerius's demonic arm.
At the very last moment, Fly had also used his own strongest SkillâVoltaic Steelbone Blades.
When the two ultimate attacks collided, it seemed neither had managed to harm the other.
"Hahahaha..."
It was 'Emperor' Valerius who spoke first. He laughed.
"After all that, all you could do was scratch my skin. As for me..."
Fly cut him off with a cold smirk. "Don't forget, my Skill comes with a paralyzing lightning effect."
"Wh-what!?" Valerius's face drained of color.
Fly smiled and activated his lightning power. The electricity surged from the blades embedded in Valerius's arm and coursed through his body.
"ARGGGHHHHH..."
With a final, agonized scream and a violent convulsion, 'Emperor' Valerius finally collapsed to the ground, motionless.
...
In the audience.
Mr. Carter and Mr. Ironside asked in near-perfect unison, "That thing you mentioned was...?"
Dean Sterling replied, "That's right. Exploiting Valerius's personalityâhis pride. I had Fly continuously provoke him, to stir up his arrogance, to make him push his body beyond its limits for the sake of victory."
"If Valerius had maintained his initial Infernal Transformation state, it would have been hard to say who would have won. But thankfully, Fly successfully enraged him, making him expand the Demonization to his entire forearm. At the same time, to force a direct confrontation, he wasted too much energy trying to block off Fly's escape routes... You could say that Valerius's final attack was the last gasp of a dying flame."
"That was the 'one thing' I needed Fly to do. This was a victory of tactics, a victory of psychology, and more importantly, a victory of character."
"Fly truly is a natural-born Beast Warrior."
Hearing the Dean's analysis, both Mr. Carter and Mr. Ironside nodded in absolute agreement.
...
After a long, stunned silence, the announcer, whose jaw had been hanging open in shock, finally announced the result of the match:
"I... I now announce that the winner of this Martial Trials match is..."
"Fly Ansel of Class Two!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the stadium erupted in a thunderous, enduring wave of cheers and applause.
Fly raised his right arm, balled his hand into a fist, and held it high, basking in the adoration of the crowd.
At that moment, he was like a god of war.