Chapter 453: Fight and Die
"Fight and die~"
Cheng, who had no intention of leaving early and planned to watch all the subsequent matches, kept most of his attention on Hong Meiling. Thus, he quickly determined what system she hailed from.
Touhou Project: Hisoutensoku.
The spell card system Hong Meiling used was likely from this framework, which was quite demanding on one's fingers.
If Cheng Tian were to give an initial assessment of Hong Meiling, it would be "solid fundamentals," "well-rounded," and "lacking experience."
"Solid fundamentals" referred to her physical stats. This gatekeeper of the Scarlet Devil Mansion was clearly a stat monster in terms of physique. Additionally, perhaps due to her basic training in a style similar to a derivative and expanded form of Bajiquan, her explosive power was incredibly fierce. This was the first time Cheng Tian had seen such a powerful physical female warrior outside of Bazett.
And she had a considerable understanding of her own physical strength, so much so that when facing Joan's fierce knee and elbow strikes, which originated from "Muay Thai," she would even decisively trade blows with her, interspersing them with the use of spell cards 『Red Cannon』 and 『Red One-Inch Punch』.
If her opponent hadn't been Joan, who used Muay Thai, the scene might have quickly devolved into a one-sided chase and escape.
Joan, of course, refused to show weakness. Her boxing was both powerful and agile. You couldn't even tell at first glance whether her next kick would be a normal kick or a synchronized release of a flying wave called 『Poison Serpent Strike』.
Having never paid attention to the Female Fighter Team channel, Hong Meiling naturally didn't know Joan's combat moves and suffered a small setback. But after she subsequently released a qi defense barrier like a shimmering rainbow, 『Water Form Tai Chi Fist』, the Poison Serpent Strike never succeeded again.
Hong Meiling was skilled in punches, Joan in kicks. Their back-and-forth exchanges made the audience exclaim—
THIS is what you call fighting! Not a mage fighting a warrior!
Relying on her richer tournament experience and Hong Meiling's own lack of experience, Joan did indeed suppress Hong Meiling for a short while initially. But once the latter adapted to the surrounding audience noise and her eyes only saw her opponent, the situation began to reverse.
Joan, feeling somewhat unwilling but still having to admit her physical prowess was inferior to her opponent's, chose to use a qi burst combined with 『MAX Illusion Dance』 for a desperate gamble. Meanwhile, Hong Meiling's body first flashed with golden light, giving herself a strengthening buff called 『Tiger Strength』, and then she mobilized her qi from all over her body, even the qi hidden in the starry sky, gathering it in her hands.
An enormous, colorful qi blast erupted from Hong Meiling's hands—
Star Qi Star Vein Earth Revolve Bullet!
As the qi blast struck, Joan felt as if she was once again facing the 『MAX Haoh Shokoken』 she had taken head-on when she fought Ryo Sakazaki.
Ultimately, the super-large colorful qi blast still broke through the qi burst on Joan's body, sending her flying, her bartender uniform tattered.
Fun fact: In the early days of Art of Fighting, Ryo Sakazaki initially thought Joan was a man until he tore her clothes off and realized her true gender. Moreover, the clothing-shredding system was inherent to Art of Fighting; both Joan and Yuri Sakazaki had experienced it… "Victor! Hong Meiling!"
Hearing the announcer's declaration, a slightly panting Hong Meiling straightened her back, cupped her fists, and bowed to Joan, who was already unconscious in the distance.
However, when she somewhat excitedly tried to turn her head to seek praise, she saw her maid chief's strange gaze, filled with a sense of disappointment.
Didn't I win? Why is she still looking at me like that!?
Hong Meiling, looking bewildered, moved closer. Cheng Tian, witnessing this, saw the Tai Chi True Eye on his forehead faintly glow. He immediately activated a scan, intending to eavesdrop on the more specific details by scanning her lip movements, and quickly understood what the maid chief was annoyed about.
She was annoyed that Hong Meiling had used too many spell cards in a vanguard battle, and had also used a projectile attack that consumed 5 card slots. Since it was a continuous battle, the maximum number of cards would not reset, so theoretically, she only had 15 spell cards and a maximum of 3 five-cost ultimate moves left.
Of course, from a tactical perspective, Hong Meiling, having used only a quarter of her resources, could easily defeat another opponent with the same resources. This way, even if she lost and the maid chief had to enter the arena, her young lady could still continue to drink tea under her parasol.
But what the maid chief actually wanted to see was for the gatekeeper to achieve a three-win streak without using any resources, just like Cheng Tian did. That way, she, the maid chief, could also be lazy… and conserve her strength!?
The maid chief's behavior was basically the embodiment of her personal desires. However, within the Scarlet Devil Mansion's food chain, Hong Meiling had neither the ability nor the eloquence to resist the maid chief, so she could only obediently endure the criticism.
Tsk tsk tsk~ Poor gatekeeper, who told her to join the Scarlet Devil Mansion~
Unlike Cheng Tian's highly controversial battle, the Female Fighter Team normally accepted Joan's defeat. They had already sent her for medical treatment at the fastest speed and simultaneously dispatched their second fighter.
From the explosive roars of all the men throughout the venue, it was clear who was making an entrance.
A fiery figure descended in an arc from the sky. As she landed steadily, the tremor of her magnificent peaks instantly captivated countless men's eyes, causing an uncontrollable surge of heat in their lower abdomens.
Clap!
The incredibly loud sound of a fan opening awakened a group of male compatriots. A fervent stance, clearly mixed with intense desire, was displayed to its fullest at this moment.
And the alluring woman, with half of her body's skin exposed, raised her flower-butterfly fan and declared with a piercing voice:
"Mai Shiranui! Here I come!"
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!!!!
At this moment, the main arena erupted in cheers as if it were about to be overturned.
If Athena Asamiya was the world's number one idol, inspiring strong admiration and protective desires in countless people, then Mai Shiranui was the one who sparked countless fantasies, easily stirring humanity's primal desires.
You see, facing the overflowing desires from the audience, Mai Shiranui not only felt no disgust but instead performed a series of fan-service-like positive interactions, such as turning around, blowing kisses, and waving.
The core concept of the Shiranui-ryu fighting style was to use everything available to interfere with the opponent's thoughts and actions. And for a woman, her body was the strongest weapon!
Having received this education since childhood, Mai Shiranui never believed there was anything wrong with her behavior. Even when she identified herself as Andy's fiancée, she never restrained her revealing attire or her almost instinctive seductive poses.
Alas~ Shiranui-ryu~
Alas~ Brother Andy~
Glancing from afar at Andy, who appeared calm but was actually "dead" for a while, Cheng Tian could only express—
Show more, he loves to see it.