"Frankly speaking, of the 10 great Mo's List soldiers, Zhao Yilong, who had lost to Wang Zhong, is the only one among them who didn't have any unique traits. His title of overlord was completely reliant on the Dragon Stranding Spear. By relying on that weapon, he managed to obtain the strength to surpass the limits of the Casted Soul Stage. However, no matter how strong he was, he was still relying on an external power. He didn't possess any Spiritual Soul combat techniques that he could call his own. If strength and difficulty are truly taken into consideration, he might not even be as strong as Eddie and Galen, who had similarly lost to Wang Zhong."
"Let's not talk about Wang Zhong; I think that this is another kind of challenge that the Mo Family has set for All Mouthy King. In fact, All Mouthy King might have possibly reached the limits of an ordinary person. However, there's still a distance from the Sanctuary Division realm that the Mo Family has already reached…"
It could be said that the Mo's Family's match against Mammoth had brought the CHF to new heights, while simultaneously attracting the attention of several families. That was because their commoner opponents weren't as weak as they had imagined. The Golden Mammoth bloodline was well worthy of praise for being able to force Napier Mo to unleash his ultimate move. Although everyone was at the peak of the Casted Soul Stage, just a sliver of difference could be the difference between night and day.
Despite the massive upheaval caused by the morning's match, the arena officials had fortunately made preparations in this regard. Before the start of the afternoon's match, they had already installed a new granite floor. The upcoming match in the afternoon was similarly attention-grabbing, as it was the match between the Martial Ghost Divine Emperor and the Blazing squadrons. The critical question was whether the twin cores of the Blazing squadron would be able to create a miracle once more or not.
The 100-thousand seating capacity arena had long been filled to the brim. The various powerhouse squadrons had arrived early, causing various kinds of attention to be thrown their way. The afternoon match appeared to be even more lively than the morning one, as compared to Heaven's Fate's serious and solemn style, Martial Ghost Divine Emperor clearly had a more extremist attitude. Coupled with many people being interested in the flames of hell, this caused an even greater interest in this match. Nonetheless, there was something even more important than this, and that was the ball queen Sharmie.
Entering the arena, Wang Zhong and the others discovered that the atmosphere was already extremely lively and fervent, with many of the audience choosing to stand up. Upon seeing the Tianjing squadron, the shrieks of young girls rang out, clearly coming from Grai's fans. Fortunately, as of now, Barran had already become calmer than before, and thus was undisturbed by this response.
In the caster's podium, Ruo Zhi and Little Yu'er had also just gotten the signal for the start of the Skylink live broadcast, and had started off with greeting the audience in the arena as well as those already waiting for the Skylink live broadcast to start.
"All of the various powerhouse squadrons are here to watch this match. Eh, our cameras are now focused on the 2 beautiful soldiers, Carolyn and Divian, and our entire arena is filled up with cheers. These 2 are extremely good friends. Oh, our cameras are now showing the Grozny squadron. Looks like everyone is slightly optimistic of the Blazing squadron being able to cause some trouble for Martial Ghost Divine Emperor." Ruo Zhi commented with a smile. Such a lineup wasn't present in the morning's match. The reason was simple; although giants were strong and powerful, they lacked in their ability to change and adapt, and thus weren't a squadron that could craft and create miracles.
"That's right. However, they aren't the main characters for this afternoon's match." said Little Yu'er with a smile. "I'm captain Sharmie's fan."
"Ah, you should learn properly from Sharmie." as he replied to her, Ruo Zhi made an extremely obvious stare at Chen Yu'er chest. This fellow's standard of casting could be said to undulate from highs to lows at any given moment. His words instantly caused yet another wave of hyped chit chat between the viewers. Ruo Zhi was indeed top class in the aspect of stoking the flames in the atmosphere. It had to be said that he had instantly caused even more people to pay attention to Chen Yu'er. As an analyst, one could not hog everything for oneself.
Being an analyst, Chen Yu'er wasn't so gullible to be easily get frightened by a little bit of hype. She also knew that Ruo Zhi was playing the "fall guy" for her. "My specialities are also very distinct, you know. However, only my boyfriend knows what it is."
The hype within the Skylink surged to an even higher note, as Ruo Zhi laughed and replied, "So it turns out that our sis Yu'er's a veteran driver, huh!"
Shaking her head, Chen Yu'er said, "No, I'm the car…"
The Skylink instantly exploded, as countless fresh flowers blossomed within. Clearly, Chen Yu'er was considered to be a delicate and pretty type of girl, never had anything like a sex scandal about her, and never needing to rely on such things to promote herself. However, her sudden play of this card had caused the Skylink to ignite into flames. It had to be said that today's tabloids would definitely not be lacking about this.
Ruo Zhi secretly gave her a thumbs up. Only this could be considered to be a true pairing. Although acting embarrassed and shy might do the trick, it definitely wouldn't have had the same effect as this.
"Cough cough, our sis Yu'er's formidable. Returning to the topic, everyone has been able to satisfy their cravings from this morning's match. The powerful strength of the Heaven's Fate squadron, as well as the Mammoth squadron's unyielding spirit of never giving up. I believe they have given everyone a deep impression to remember them by. Next up, we have the next apex showdown for this round-of-16 round, and it will definitely not disappoint anyone --- Martial Ghost Divine Emperor VS Blazing squadron."
"Both squadrons are extremely powerful and strong, especially the Blazing squadron. Their performance in the last match was truly astonishing."
With a laugh, Ruo Zhi took over. "In the round-of-16, stuff like S rank or A rank are in fact already no longer suitable to be used. Now, who dares to say that the Blazing squadron doesn't possess the strength of an S rank? That's wrong, it's S+. With their twin cores, upon entering a group battle, the terrifying output of firepower from Sharmie and Mario would cause a headache for any squadron that bumps into them."
"However, the superiority of the Martial Ghost Divine Emperor squadron is also extremely obvious, in that they have 3 Mo's List rankers in their lineup. With one more core, they have an extremely wide range of combat strategies they can choose from."
"The first duel for this match has officially started."
As the referee took his place, everything appeared to quieten down, with the Divine Ghost Martial Emperor and the Blazing squadron being in their respective preparatory areas and making arrangements for the duel between the vanguards.
The most unique factor of the vanguard duel was that both squadrons would start off blindly. Both parties would not know whom the other had sent out as their vanguard. It was this point where the battle of wits would occur.
Counterpick against counter-counterpick. The outcome of the first duel would very well likely dictate the final scenario of this match.
"The duel between the vanguards is extremely important, as it concerns the morale and spirit of both squadrons, as well as the strategies they would employ in the later duels. Little Yu, if you are given a chance to decide who to be the Blazing squadron's vanguard, who would you choose?"
"With the first duel being a blind pick, I'll naturally choose the great black magician, Mario." Little Yu'er replied in a straightforward manner.
"Oh? What's your reason behind that?"
"I believe that in the past few days, everyone should have seen the analysis of Mario done by the various websites on Skylink. Being able to defeat Tianqiong Musk shows that Mario's strength has in fact reached the Sanctuary Division. The massive move he had unleashed during that duel could be said as a non-solution combat technique within the Casted Soul Stage. With Mario being in the first duel, it will be able to throw Martial Ghost Divine Emperor's plans in a passive state. It isn't too appropriate for them to send one of their 3 Mo's List rankers up. However, if they were to send field anyone else, they will lose a point. Towards the S+ rank Martial Ghost Divine Emperor, this would severely weaken their imposingness and their momentum in this match."
Little Yu'er had done her homework, allowing her to speak frankly with assurance. Everyone too was extremely agreeable with her point of view. That's because Mario's existence would indeed be the most uncomfortable pick for the Martial Ghost Divine Emperor squadron. With the match being organised in such a fashion, anything that was able to make one's opponents feel uncomfortable would definitely be done.
"I agree with Yu'er's point of view. I have to say that Mario's existence would allow the Blazing squadron to have a massive strategic superiority in the blind pick for the 1st duel. His existence would most likely cause the Martial Ghost Divine Emperor to send out one of their 3 Mo's List rankers up to contend against him, as their other members would definitely be unable to win against him. However, that would mean that they have to be aware of the possibility of the Blazing squadron sending a substitute to deal with one of the 3 great Mo's List rankers. That would also forcefully tow the Martial Ghost Divine Emperor into a twin core available lineup, identical to that of the Blazing squadron. Honestly speaking, Mario is a BUG, as just his mere existence is able to contend against 2 Mo's List rankers." Ruo Zhi had also made an analysis of the strengths possessed by both squadrons, and had too believed that Mario's existence was the genuine superBUG for the Blazing squadron.
At this moment, the referee walked onto the stage, before announcing for both vanguards to come forth.
"Okay, it's time for the veil of mystery to be lifted. Both vanguards are now heading to the stage. The camera's now focused on the Martial Ghost Divine Emperor squadron. The person they have sent out is -- our number 1 assassin within the younger generation of the Federation, Gui Wulie!!! And his opponent is...oh my god, it's unexpectedly Sharmie!!!" upon spotting Sharmie, Ruo Zhi felt as though his face has swelled up. After doing such a detailed analysis, his face had been slapped by the resulting outcome.
However, this time, the audience was standing on his side, as a wave of whooshes and clamouring rang out.
How could they send their ball queen to be the vanguard? Ruo Zhi and Little Yu'er's earlier analyses were impeccable; in this situation, the Blazing squadron should have either sent Mario or a substitute to gain a strategic advantage!
"The Blazing squadron is planning on making a heroic gamble! They're gambling that the Martial Ghost Divine Emperor would send up an ordinary member as their vanguard! That's because it was extremely likely for the Blazing squadron to either send a substitute, if not Mario as their vanguard! Be it to deal with that substitute, or use an ordinary member to remove Mario immediately, this strategy will net a huge benefit for Martial Ghost Divine Emperor. However, they have sent Gui Wulie out instead. Now, Sharmie's in danger." Little Yu'er gave a breakdown of the current situation.
"That's not what I see. Sharmie's also in the Mo's List. This is a matchup between a Mo's List ranged soldier and a Mo's List assassin. Truthfully speaking, there isn't a great difference between the 2 vanguards. Furthermore, with this being an arena, there is theoretically no complicated environment that an assassin could use to deal with a ranged soldier. An open battlefield is, in fact, an advantage for Sharmie in this duel." said Ruo Zhi while shaking his head. Although his face had swelled up, he still had to continue his casting and analysis. Furthermore, if one viewed this situation from a different perspective, with this being the round-of-16, the Blazing squadron wouldn't commit an entry-level mistake like making the wrong strategic arrangements! On the contrary, they made a big move.
"I don't know if anyone has noticed, but being a Mo's List expert, Sharmie's performance in this CHF has always been very average. Although she is still extremely strong and powerful, there's nothing unique about her performance. Therefore, I feel that Sharmie will definitely showcase her true strength in this duel. Gui Wulie's the one who really needs to be careful."
Sharmie looked at Gui Wulie with an exceedingly calm and tranquil expression on her face. Indeed, her Blazing squadron could, in fact, send a substitute up for as their vanguard. However, this duel had an extremely important meaning to her.
The Gui Family was extremely strong, strong to an unfathomable level! There were some things that could not be understood by ordinary analysts or laymen. Only those within the inner circles of the aristocratic families would be able to obtain some scattered bits of information, and form a rough picture of what was really going on.
Facing off against the Martial Ghost Divine Emperor squadron had caused Sharmie to feel even more relaxed. Truthfully speaking, when they had been matched up against the Fiery Arrow squadron in their previous match, they had already resigned to going back home. However, never in their wildest dreams would they have expected Mario to give such a shocking performance for everyone.
Now, they had bumped into the even stronger Martial Ghost Divine Emperor. This caused Sharmie's fighting spirit to soar even higher. Now, she wanted to test exactly how invincible the legendary Gui Family was, and how different the Mo's Listers from the 10 great families were as compared to her.
To her, the victory or defeat for this match was already secondary.
Noticing Sharmie's expression as she stood on the arena stage, a faint smile appeared on Wang Zhong's face. One could not be austere if one they had any selfish desires. Sharmie did have a chance for victory in this duel. What's more, there was an imposing aura that was currently radiating from her entire being. This meant that it was an extremely likely for her to breakthrough.
"This Sharmie truly can't be underestimated. She had a bit of an unyielding character."
Divian sighed in admiration as she spoke to Carolyn. Standing above the dividing line, she was sensitive to a few matters. Perhaps due to her being stimulated by Mario, Sharmie gave people a feeling as though her special ability was in an unstable, hyperactive state. This kind of unstable state was generally indicative of 2 situations. The first one was that her strength would decline. As for the other one, it meant a breakthrough. The calm and tranquil emotions she had as well as the guts to make such a decision were both worthy of praise.
"The step from the Elite to Sanctuary Division isn't easy. Looks like she's planning on relying on her breakthrough to do that." said Carolyn with a faint smile. "However, the Gui Family isn't that easily deceived."
Sitting not far away from her, Wang Zhong was still talking cheerfully with his squadron members, appearing as if they didn't notice Carolyn at all. A sliver of brightness flashed past Carolyn's eyes, before her expression returned back to her original emotionless state.
With both parties facing each other, the duel has officially commenced!
Bang!
At the instant Sharmie raised her runic cannon, a stream of flames proceeded to spurt out. At the same time, a fiery brilliance started to radiate from her body. As she started her offensive, she had also increased her speed with her fire attribute special ability.
"Human-shaped self-propelled cannon!"
Ball queen Sharmie's fans shouted out loudly in excitement.
Milami was also grabbing hold of Ma Dong's arm tightly. Unlike hers, Sharmie had total control over the tempo and accuracy of her cannon fire. Furthermore, her firepower was even more powerful and violent. Coupled with the increased speed and fire provided by her special ability, Sharmie's firepower explosion wasn't just at the instant of launch, but could also be continuously displayed during her high-speed movements!
In a sudden move, Gui Wulie flashed to the side, sliding as he rotated. Every single one of his actions appeared exceedingly clean and perfect, with not a sliver of superfluous movements to pick about. He had done so right at the instant when Sharmie had unleashed her cannon fire. Contrary to everyone's expectations, Gui Wulie was still able to maintain an absolutely calm state even with such intense suppressive fire raining down on him.
"Gui Wulie's assassin-type movements are extremely perfect, with a cool head along with his cold and callous expression. However, he will definitely be at a disadvantage if he continues to remain passive. Sharmie's Soul Power is vigorous and forceful. Furthermore, her firepower suppression is extremely accurate, while maintaining an extremely perfect control over her firing tempo. There will definitely be no issue with her energy consumption."
Little Yu'er made a rapid commentary of the happenings in the duel. However, never did she expect for Gui Wulie to actually be suppressed from the start of the duel.
With a smile, Ruo Zhi took over. "As I've just said, an assassin would require an suitable environment to counter a ranged soldier. With the spacious and open area of the arena stage, an assassin will have difficulty unleashing 90% of their true capabilities."
"That's right. What Gui Wulie needs to do now is to break out of this situation. If not, problems will definitely occur."
However, the discussions occurring in the Skylink live broadcast had exploded. Break out of this situation? Gui Wulie had actually been forced into a disadvantageous situation upon the start of the duel?
An assassin's bread and butter survival method within an arena stage was speed! A blitzkrieg offensive! That was the only way for an assassin to survive a duel in a battlefield like this stage. Within the 0.1 seconds after the competition bell rang, he should have already reacted, executing an advance before his opponent could react to his movements. The closing-in process, as well as the assassination, had to be executed fluidly with no hesitation allowed. He could not afford to be sluggish, as an assassin lived at the edge of death! He should have gone all out at the very beginning! However, Gui Wulie had reacted too slowly, allowing Sharmie to gain the first shot advantage!
Furthermore, with Sharmie's blaze speed increase, she could reduce the effects of Gui Wulie's assassin-type agility and speed, making it even more difficult for him to close the distance. What's more frightening was that being one of the 5 great Mo's List ranged soldiers, her control over her firepower output and tempo basically eliminated his chances to carry out any sudden advances.
"That's called making a poor choice, and being led step by step into a wrong decision, and a complete loss."
Sharmie's runic cannon continue to shudder and shot by shot, she sealed up every single movement that Gui Wulie could make.
A faint smile appeared on Wang Zhong's face. From her current performance, Sharmie had clearly matured. At this moment, she did not place all of her strength into unleashing her shots, placing 30% into her tempo, 30% into her shot control and 30% into accuracy. She did not try to suppress her opponent to death, and instead aimed at suppressing Gui Wulie's movements and actions. Being one of the 5 great Mo's List ranged soldiers, Sharmie's strength was absolutely on par with her fame.