A few minutes later, Tang San and Xiao Wu had just finished their spirit battle and found Ma Hongjun and Oscar already seated in the audience. Curious, they approached.
"小奥! Fatty! Why aren't you two in the ring? What are you doing here?"
Ma Hongjun and Oscar were strikingly synchronized—legs together, arms resting on their knees, chins propped in their hands, staring intently at the empty spirit battle stage.
"We're waiting…" both responded simultaneously without turning their heads.
"Waiting? Waiting for what?"
Tang San tilted his head, even more puzzled.
At that moment, the arena host stepped into view and loudly announced the next match.
"Next up: the Twin Kill Duo versus the Absolute Offense and Defense Duo!"
"They're here! They're here!" To Tang San's surprise, Ma Hongjun and Oscar became visibly excited upon hearing the matchup. Tang San quickly looked toward the participants' entrance and was even more astonished to see Han Feng walking alongside Dai Mubai toward the ring.
"Han Feng teamed up with Mubai!?"
Tang San whispered in shock. He couldn't help but be surprised—this pairing was overwhelmingly strong. In terms of offense and defense, they were the pinnacle among the Shrek Seven Devils. Their combined power might even surpass the total of the remaining six—of course, assuming Tang San didn't resort to his bag of hidden weapons or poisons...
"Don't rush! The real show's just beginning!"
Oscar glanced at Tang San with a smug look, as if watching a country bumpkin react to fireworks.
Left with no choice, Tang San pulled Xiao Wu down next to Oscar and furrowed his brows as he began to observe.
Meanwhile, Han Feng and Dai Mubai were quietly deciding who would go first for the "Twin Kill."
"Who's up first?" Han Feng asked in a low voice.
"I'll go." Dai Mubai glanced at the opposing team—one tall and skinny like a stick, the other short and round like a ball. Aside from their appearances, he couldn't glean much. There was no way of telling what kind of spirit masters they were.
Which made sense—unless a spirit master released their spirit, they looked much like ordinary people. The most Dai Mubai could surmise was that the lanky guy probably wasn't a defense type.
Han Feng shrugged. "Then you go."
This was a gamble anyway. If they were up against control-type spirit masters, either of them would be in trouble.
"Haha! What luck! We get two noobs in masks. What, afraid of losing too badly to show your faces back home?"
As Han Feng and Dai Mubai stepped onto the platform, the tall thin spirit master took one look at them and laughed mockingly.
Since both Dai Mubai and Han Feng wore masks, the fat and thin brothers didn't recognize them. They assumed they were newcomers and immediately launched into cliché psychological warfare.
Unfortunately for them, both Dai Mubai and Han Feng were seasoned veterans of the spirit arena and didn't spare them a single glance.
"Tch!" The tall one clicked his tongue, seeing his verbal jabs fall flat. He whispered to his brother, "You cover me. Let's knock the blond one out of the ring first. The younger-looking one should be easier to handle after."
"Five minutes."
Before either of the opponents could make a move, Han Feng had already jumped down from the stage and headed toward the waiting area without looking back, leaving behind just two words.
Dai Mubai's expression remained unchanged. He didn't even glance at Han Feng but instead looked at the brothers with open disdain.
"For certain reasons, I need to end this quickly..."
"So let's skip the pointless chatter and start the battle!"
With a roar, Dai Mubai released his spirit. Evil-Eyed White Tiger!
Two yellow rings and one purple spirit ring floated behind him, and the kingly pressure of a wild beast swept across the arena.
"What the heck are Han Feng and Mubai doing!? Why did Han Feng just leave? Don't they want to win? Is Mubai really going to 1v2?"
Tang San cried out in disbelief, staring at the two with wide eyes.
Seeing his reaction, Ma Hongjun and Oscar exchanged a knowing smile and quickly explained what had happened behind the scenes.
When they finished, Tang San had a strange expression on his face.
"Mubai and Han Feng really are daring… Treating a spirit battle like a bet. Aren't they afraid the master will scold them?"
"He just walked off? Chickened out?"
"Nah, looks like the blond guy is going to fight alone…"
"Alone? In a 2v1? This is a Spirit Elder-level match! That Absolute Offense and Defense duo both have spirit power over level 35. You're telling me that blond kid's going to 1v2?"
"He's being arrogant. Just trying to show off."
The audience was just as bewildered. Murmurs spread through the crowd, most doubting the possibility of victory.
"You're saying you're going to take both of us on by yourself?"
On stage, the tall one narrowed his eyes, danger flashing in them.
Dai Mubai didn't answer—he simply beckoned with a finger.
Everything was clear without words.
"Arrogant punk!"
The tall spirit master roared in fury. His spirit possessed him—purple-black spots surfaced on his skin, and his tongue lashed out at Dai Mubai with impossible length.
"Hmph." Dai Mubai snorted coldly. Rather than grab the tongue, he used the more spirit-energy-consuming White Tiger Light Wave to blast it away.
With his experience, he immediately recognized that this opponent's spirit was poisonous. There was no way he'd risk direct contact.
"You'll have to go through me first!"
Before the Light Wave reached its target, the short and chubby spirit master stepped in front, yelling loudly as he activated his own spirit. Two antennae popped out from his head, and a snail shell materialized on his back, along with a conch-shaped shield in hand.
Seeing their spirits, a flash of insight crossed Dai Mubai's eyes. A smirk curled across his lips.
"Empty."
The Light Wave struck the conch shield with a dull thud but didn't break through. The two brothers stood firmly behind it, completely unharmed.
"Heh! You think you can handle both of us?" the tall one sneered, about to taunt again—
"I don't have time to waste on you."
Dai Mubai cut him off with a vicious grin, raising three fingers.
"Three moves! I'll defeat you in three moves. Use whatever you've got—don't hold back!"
He had been concerned at first—worried they might be control-type or his weakness—but now…
A single exchange was enough for him to understand their roles. With that, all hesitation vanished.
"Courting death!"
Enraged, the tall spirit master grabbed his brother's shield and charged. His straight-line speed rivaled that of agility-types, though he clearly lacked maneuverability.
Dai Mubai's eyes filled with disdain.
"Defense? I know someone whose defense makes you look like amateurs."
"First move!"
First spirit ring—White Tiger Barrier!
Third spirit ring—White Tiger Vajra Transformation!