However, his attack, unexpectedly, did not land on Yuchen. A large figure stepped in front of Yuchen before the blade could strike, blocking the fatal blow for him.
Clang!
Amidst the crisp sound of clashing metal, Tendo's 'Starbreaker,' which was meant to land on Yuchen's shoulder, instead struck a golden body that gleamed with a cold, hard light.
Drip, drip...
Yuchen looked up, his pupils contracting sharply in shock. At some point, Liu Ma had broken through Tendo's star energy blockade and was now standing alone in front of him. The 'Starbreaker,' which should have struck him, was now deeply embedded in Liu Ma's crossed arms, from which blood was flowing.
"Squinty-eyes, you owe me a life now."
Looking at Liu Ma, who was enduring the pain, Yuchen was at a loss for words. He never expected this person, whom he had only met a few times, to save him at this moment. Nor did he expect Liu Ma to be able to withstand the terrifying star energy pressure of 'Ink Wash' with his bare body and sheer will, regaining his freedom.
"Liu Ma, I spared you once, but that doesn't mean I will spare you a second time."
"Even if you have a Disaster as your backer."
Hearing Tendo's words, a bright, sunny smile appeared on Liu Ma's face, which had been distorted by pain.
"Heh, I never wanted you to spare me anyway."
"Because..."
To the surprise of the dimensional audience, Liu Ma, who had been completely powerless against 'Ink Wash' a month ago, now forcefully pushed the blade with its deep black glow away from Tendo's hand with his arms. At the same time, the star energy within his body surged wildly, and a golden halo emanated from his body.
"You're also a monster, but you're miles away from a certain arrogant guy!"
Bang!
Liu Ma's full-power burst not only briefly pushed Tendo back, but his brilliant golden-yellow star energy tore through the abyss of star energy that Tendo had laid down like a sharp sword. The moment it fell upon Yuchen, it also immediately freed him from Tendo's star energy confinement.
Not wasting the precious opportunity Liu Ma had created for him, Yuchen staggered out of Tendo's pressure field, clutching his knees and gasping for air. A moment later, he looked up at Tendo, who was surrounded by black mist. His usual squinted eyes were now wide open, and his gaze was filled with dread. He was clearly still shaken by what had just happened.
On the other side, Liu Ma, who had completely 'powered up,' had transformed into a special state with the upper body of a golden bull and the lower body of a four-hooved Nether Warhorse. His original height of 2.2 meters had now soared to an exaggerated 2.6 or 2.7 meters with the help of the horse-like body. Just standing there, he was like a small moving mountain, exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression.
This was the result of Liu Ma combining his 'Star Source: Nether Warhorse' and 'Star Core: Golden Demon Bull.' It was a special form he could only use after he had completed the 'perfect awakening' of his 'Star Source: Nether Warhorse' a week ago.
Perhaps due to his confidence in his current strength, Liu Ma looked at the expressionless Ink Wash in the distance and dared to mock him.
"Ink Wash, even though my big sister warned me not to mess with you, I never took it seriously."
"Because having seen a true monster, I know very well what kind of person I truly can't afford to provoke."
Liu Ma paused, his tone relaxed. "Ink Wash, your name alone isn't enough to make me tremble."
Although Liu Ma's expression at this moment showed a different kind of ferocity, for the dimensional audience who had watched the first season, his words were filled with a strange sense of humor.
What do you mean 'tremble just from hearing the name'? Bro Bull, what's with your arrogant yet timid words? Hahaha!
As everyone knows, the Children of the Stars have one thing in common: fear-of-Tendo syndrome.
I've noticed that these guys can't go three sentences without mentioning Tendo.
Congrats, you've found the blind spot.
Might as well rename it 'Tendo and His Fanboys' (lol).
And the people who couldn't keep a straight face were not just the dimensional audience on Station 13.
As the 'true monster' Liu Ma was talking about, Tendo was also a little awkward, and he temporarily stopped his attack. After all, it felt good to be praised so earnestly, but there was also an indescribable feeling of embarrassment. The flattery was a little over the top. If he had reeled it in just a little, the scale would have been perfect.
But then again, why had he never noticed that Liu Ma had such an accurate eye for people?
Very well. I was originally going to teach you a lesson and give you a lifelong memory. But since you're so good at talking, I'll 'take it easy' on you.
With this thought, there wasn't much change on Tendo's face. However, the star energy that had gathered in his body subtly retracted a bit. After all, he had just been planning to secretly use 'Vector Control' to give Liu Ma a truly unforgettable experience.
Speaking of which, since he had been using the 'Ink Wash' alias, he had only used 'Ink Coffin' on the Gear Church's Silver Knight once. Other than that, he had basically never used his 'Star Source: Vector Control.' The so-called 'Ink Manipulation' was just an effect he simulated with his Level Two Perfect star energy.
Strictly speaking, he had been suppressing his enemies with just his base stats, without using his Star Core or Star Source at all. If one had to make an analogy, it would be like fighting with his hands and feet tied.
Yet even so, relying on his six 'S+' base attributes, he was still able to easily dominate most of the enemies in the second season. This wasn't because of some extraordinary talent; it was the result of Tendo's 'hard work'!
After all, to maintain his 'all S-rank attributes' across all stages and plots, he had been pouring a massive amount of his popularity value into his base attributes since the first season and had never stopped, even in the second. The 'hard work' and 'sweat' behind this was something no one but Tendo himself could ever know.
Thinking of this, Tendo couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Everyone else thought he was the darling of the show's creators, and that he had been able to cheat his way to where he was today because of the creators' 'favoritism.'
But what was the reality?
The reality was that there was never any favoritism! Everything Tendo had today was the result of his tireless effort to gain popularity! It was his 'struggle' that had forged him into the 'Summit of the Stars' he was today!
There was no such thing as unearned success in this world. The secret to reaching the mountaintop had always been 'diligence' and 'effort.' In this regard, Tendo 'believed' he had always done very well and would continue to do so. After all, a genius who was also diligent was a rare sight indeed.
With this thought, the certain diligent genius raised his 'Starbreaker' and said something that left both the dimensional audience and Liu Ma dumbfounded.
"While I'd rather not say it, besides my accomplishments in star-energy techniques and control..."
"I also know a thing or two about swordsmanship."
"Liu Ma, in response to your soaring fighting spirit, I will fight you a little more seriously from now on."
"Because if I continue to treat this as a game, it would be a great insult to a true Martial Arts Metropolis combatant."
With that, the aura around Tendo suddenly changed. The ink-like tide of star energy grew even deeper.
Mocking the Summit of the Stars? Liu Ma, you're an interesting one!
Liu Ma, who had been mocking Tendo just a second ago, now had a frozen smile and a terrible expression on his face. He had already said his tough words, otherwise, he would have really liked to tell Tendo, "You don't have to be too serious. Things were fine just the way they were."
But unfortunately, Liu Ma couldn't say such a thing now.
Because Tendo... wouldn't give him the chance!