Although Axing managed to defend herself at the last moment by relying on the foresight brought by the fusion of Bronya's [Commanding Presence] and Gepard's Will of Ice, she was still struck on the jaw by the swift punch. Her body stumbled backward uncontrollably for a few steps, and the health bar above her head visibly decreased by a small segment.
Axing quickly stabilized her posture, the calculating light in her golden eyes flashing rapidly.
Seeing this, Baiheng was startled and immediately drew her bow repeatedly, firing several energy arrows in a 'pin' formation toward Anaxa, attempting to block his route of movement.
However, Anaxa's body seemed boneless, twisting in a posture like an abstract dance, weaving freely through the gaps between the arrows. He not only evaded all of them but also took the opportunity to execute a bizarre spin, kicking toward Axing's side waist!
Axing was prepared this time. She held her baseball bat horizontally, firmly blocking the kick, but the force transmitted still left her arm slightly numb.
She immediately counterattacked, swinging the bat toward Anaxa's shoulder with a whistling sound.
Anaxa did not meet the attack head-on. His body retracted like a loach, and simultaneously, his hands moved with lightning speed in a grappling motion, attempting to seize the bat!
For a moment, figures intertwined on the field.
Axing's offense was as steady as a mountain, every strike powerful and heavy, infused with the ferocity of Luka's [Fighting Spirit Ignition], attempting to suppress him with sheer strength.
Baiheng moved around the perimeter, her arrows like phantoms, changing position to disrupt Anaxa's rhythm.
Anaxa, meanwhile, remained silent and expressionless.
His fighting style was completely unpredictable. His moves were vicious and precise, sometimes suddenly interspersed with convulsive dance movements, yet these movements perfectly managed to evade attacks and even served as the starting move for the next bizarre counterattack.
His health bar decreased extremely slowly, demonstrating his astonishing tenacity and evasion ability.
"His combat logic... is completely chaotic, yet self-consistent within the chaos."
The system puppet calmly analyzed the data stream from the side, "It cannot be predicted using conventional tactical models."
Madam Herta rested her chin on one hand, her purple-black eyes watching the fierce battle with interest.
"No matter. This is the perfect time to test the results of our recent 'investment.' Let's see if the 'Qualities' gathered from the populace of Belobog can harness this pure 'Madness'."
In the arena, after a short-distance teleport, Baiheng seized a tiny opening Anaxa exposed while dodging Axing's heavy strike, firing an arrow at the back of his knee.
Anaxa reacted extremely quickly, forcibly twisting his body. The arrow only grazed the side of his leg, but this momentary pause was enough for Axing!
"Boom!"
The baseball bat, imbued with Stellaron Power, finally landed a solid hit on Anaxa's crossed, defensive arms for the first time!
The immense force sent him flying backward. He rolled several times on the ground before stopping in a half-kneeling position, his health bar visibly dropping another segment.
He slowly raised his head, still expressionless, but his vacant single eye seemed to truly "focus" on Axing and Baiheng for the first time.
The first round of probing was over; the real "persuasion" seemed to have just begun.
A heavier fighting intent permeated the air.
He slowly stood up, patting nonexistent dust off his hospital gown, his movements stiff like a puppet controlled by strings.
However, the dangerous aura emanating from him suddenly increased severalfold.
"Be careful, he's getting serious."
Axing's voice remained steady, but the knuckles of the hand gripping the bat were slightly white, showing that she was not as relaxed as she appeared.
The fusion of Pela's tactical analysis ability allowed her to keenly perceive the qualitative change in the opponent's aura.
Baiheng held her breath, the string of her energy bow drawn to a full moon, the arrow tip locked onto Anaxa. Her fox ears stood straight up due to her intense concentration.
She could feel that the previously gentle fluorescent pollen in the surrounding air seemed to become restless due to the invisible pressure Anaxa was emitting.
Without warning, Anaxa's figure suddenly blurred!
It was no longer the bizarre, dance-like movement from before, but a pure, straight-line charge that tore through the air!
Only a faint afterimage was left in his original spot; his true body had appeared before Baiheng like a ghost, moving at a breathtaking speed!
"So fast!" An alarm blared in Baiheng's mind, and she instinctively activated a short-distance teleportation, leaving behind a rippling spatial disturbance where she stood.
Anaxa's fist grazed the edge of her afterimage. The resulting punch wind actually severed several fluorescent bushes behind her, turning them into scattered fragments.
Missing the strike, Anaxa did not pause at all. As if he had already predicted Baiheng's landing spot, he executed a fierce reverse side-kick without turning his head, aiming directly for the waist and abdomen of the newly manifested Baiheng!
The angle of this kick was tricky, and the force was heavy and fierce. If it connected solidly, Baiheng would be severely injured.
In the nick of time, a gray figure, like the sturdiest bastion, boldly inserted itself between the two!
"Clang—!"
A dull, massive sound, like the striking of an ancient bell, echoed across the field.
Axing gripped the bat tightly with both hands, using the body of the bat to forcefully block the fatal blow.
The tremendous impact forced her feet to plow two shallow grooves into the ground, yet her posture was as steady as a rock, her golden eyes showing no ripple, only absolute resolve.
The fusion of Gepard's tenacity and Natasha's healing knowledge allowed her to immediately mobilize energy to soothe the numbness in her arms the moment she absorbed the impact.
"Now!" Axing shouted.
Without needing further communication, Baiheng understood immediately.
In the instant when Anaxa's old strength had just faded and new strength had not yet been generated, she did not choose to retreat. Instead, like the craftiest hunter, she crouched down and darted out from Axing's cover. Her energy bow was not used for long-range shooting, but rather like a close-combat dagger, carrying a condensed energy blade that slashed toward the ankle of Anaxa's supporting leg!
This change in tactic was unexpected!
Anaxa also seemed not to have anticipated his opponent would risk such close combat. In his haste, he could only forcibly twist his body to dodge, causing an unavoidable moment of imbalance.
"Bang!"
Axing seized this fleeting opportunity!
She held nothing back. The Stellaron Power surged within her, pouring into the baseball bat, causing it to glow with a dark golden light.
A simple yet full-force horizontal sweep solidly slammed into Anaxa's exposed chest and abdomen—the open gate—due to his imbalance!
"Gah—!"
Anaxa, who had been silent all along, finally squeezed out a suppressed groan from his throat.
He was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the trunk of a giant fluorescent tree at the edge of the arena, shaking the entire tree until its light shimmered violently and leaves scattered everywhere.
The health bar above his head plummeted like an avalanche, finally stubbornly settling on the last, nearly invisible sliver of red, flashing with unstable light.
He slid down the tree trunk onto the ground, curled up, coughing violently, his blue and white striped hospital gown covered in dust.
He no longer tried to stand, instead burying his head deep into the crook of his arm, his green hair falling forward, concealing his expression.
Won?
Baiheng slightly gasped, maintaining a vigilant posture as she looked toward Axing.
Axing also slowly lowered her bat, her golden eyes locked onto Anaxa, her brain still running at high speed, evaluating whether the target had truly lost its threat.
In the audience, Madam Herta leaned forward slightly, a flicker of anticipation in her purple-black eyes.
"It seems the first step of 'physical persuasion' is complete."
However, just when everyone thought the battle was over—
Anaxa, curled up on the ground, began to tremble slightly.
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