With just a few clipped sentences, Belon laid bare his dominant position and imposing aura, crystalizing the arrogance and lofty disdain of the Iron-Blooded Clan for all to see.

Fang Senyan regarded the Greyback Belon, then spoke with a slight coolness:

"If that is the case, then do you dare grant us a fair chance at a duel?"

The Greyback Belon was stunned into silence for a moment, then let out a harsh, raucous laugh, looking around at the others:

"Brave warriors, did you hear what he said? Do we dare?? Hahahaha! Tell me, what kind of fairness do you demand?"

Fang Senyan stated seriously:

"One-on-one fairness! If the five of you attack together, then the simultaneous fire from five shoulder cannons means no one can survive such an assault. For us, that’s an overwhelming crush with no chance to fight back. If that's the kind of fight you want, you might as well just fire the main cannons from your ship—don't bother with pretenses of fairness and honor!"

Upon hearing Fang Senyan's words, the Greyback Belon responded coldly:

"Human, you have insulted the honor of the Predators! You will die a painful death!"

Fang Senyan met his challenge without hesitation:

"Honor is demonstrated through action, not words."

The Greyback Belon threw his head back and roared with laughter, then boomed:

"Very well, you may select any one of us as your opponent. I swear on the honor of the Iron-Blooded, no one will interfere in this fair fight, or it will be a desecration of the Predator dignity! But, for this privilege, you will pay the price of having your blood vessels severed, howling for half an hour before your skin is flayed!"

This was precisely what Fang Senyan had been waiting for. He immediately stepped forward, pointing directly at the Greyback Belon:

"Excellent, then you are the opponent I choose!"

The Greyback Belon burst into a fresh peal of laughter:

"You actually chose me—you must be cursed with bad luck!"

A mocking smile touched Fang Senyan's lips:

"An old man should always be easier to deal with than a young buck, right? Oh, by the way, I hope you stand by your word now, and don't call for reinforcements once I’ve beaten you half to death."

Hearing this, a bloodthirsty glint flashed across the Greyback Belon's eyes. The Predators, naturally ignorant of goading tactics, immediately bellowed at his subordinates nearby:

"Listen closely! No one, under any circumstances, is to interfere in this fight between us, or it will be a direct insult to my dignity!"

After saying this, Belon strode off the ship, tearing his cloak from his back with a sharp rip! Visible beneath were several deep scars etched across the Greyback Belon’s body; some scars looked as if they had cleaved through vital areas. His musculature was prominent, clearly brimming with explosive power.

Among the Predators, a warrior only qualified for the Greyback rank by collecting over ten skulls; those in the Greyback echelon who possessed their own given name usually signified monumental contributions to the clan, earning favor and recognition from their superiors. The appellation Greyback Belon itself represented an extraordinarily high status and identity!

Fang Senyan observed Belon. His physique wasn't as bulky as some other Predators, yet he moved with lithe agility. Beyond the standard Predator gear, the laser-guided cannon on his shoulder appeared notably larger. He wore a 'Tiger Fang' pattern combat knife at his waist, exuding a distinct, savage aura.

Ordinarily, in a fair contest, larger size suggested greater strength—the idea of perfectly redirecting every punch like in Tai Chi, or staging a counterattack, was the stuff of cinema. Otherwise, why bother with weight classes like lightweight or middleweight in global boxing or martial arts? It would be simpler to throw everyone into one big melting pot.

However, to Fang Senyan’s senses, although the Greyback Belon was among the smaller Predators, his threat level was significantly higher. When Fang Senyan looked at the other Predators, it was like observing wild oxen or charging horses; but facing the Greyback Belon, he instinctively felt this being was like a coiled viper, venom already pooled in its fangs, eyes locked onto your vital points—a chilling sensation.

To be honest, the others were also startled by Fang Senyan’s sudden proposal for a one-on-one fight. Aldaris and Ronnie, who supported Fang Senyan, were indifferent. Given Aldaris’s temperament and history, he was a dueling enthusiast who would never shy away from a 1v1 death match with a Predator. Ronnie was even less of a concern; this assassin type was a nightmare in small-scale engagements.

It was Paul, Daldanian, and Pokan—the three casters—who preferred having someone at the front to absorb blows while they stood comfortably behind, chanting spells. Thus, Fang Senyan’s tactical targeting seemed obvious.

But by choosing the clearly powerful Greyback himself, Fang Senyan silenced any potential criticism.

Among the Predators, there was no nepotism; higher rank invariably meant greater power. The Greyback Belon, by virtue of his Greyback status—and possessing his own true name—was inherently two tiers above the standard Predators. By accepting the most challenging target, Fang Senyan had certainly done his due diligence as the main tank; what more could the others say?

At this moment, Pokan and Daldanian felt a slight pang of regret, realizing that while Paul’s assessment held some truth, the main tank remained the team’s anchor, especially a MT as formidable and powerful as Fang Senyan. His presence could never be ignored as long as the team existed!

However, Pokan and Daldanian also harbored pride and resentment. In their former teams, they had been leaders or core members, never suffering such indignities. It was natural for them to feel resentful; the seeds of discord were subtly sown right there.

Fang Senyan had no time to dwell on others' thoughts, for at that instant, the Greyback Belon lifted his head, fixing his blood-red eyes upon him. Simultaneously, Fang Senyan clearly noticed three red dots forming a triangular pattern on the ground, rapidly converging on his chest—

That was the iconic targeting system of the Predators! If a red dot paused in one spot for even half a second, it locked on, making escape impossible!

Fang Senyan certainly wouldn't make such a blunder. Seeing the three dots moving towards him, he stamped his toe hard, driving it into the soft earth, and kicked off forcefully:

A massive plume of sand and grit shot towards the Greyback Belon, momentarily blocking the path of the laser sight beams. Though only for a fraction of a second, it bought Fang Senyan the crucial buffer time to drop, roll, and spring up behind a nearby boulder.

Predator shoulder cannons had one peculiar feature: once the lock-on function was engaged, they had to fire within a maximum delay of five seconds. The cloud of dirt Fang Senyan kicked up only momentarily obscured the Greyback Belon’s vision and aim, but it was enough for Fang Senyan to swiftly drop, roll, and bound behind cover.

The lasers flashed—it was the five-second limit. They pulverized the rock, causing a violent explosion! Immediately after, the Greyback Belon switched to rapid-fire! Powerful beams poured forth at a rate of roughly one shot per second, instantly saturating the area. Smoke billowed everywhere, churning up debris and dust!

Clearly, Belon, the veteran, sensed Fang Senyan was slippery as an eel, and he wasn't short on experience dealing with such foes: carpet bombing! Usually, superior speed meant slightly compromised defense, so even if a direct hit was avoided, the accumulated splash damage could eventually take its toll.

Yet, Fang Senyan was the least affected by this tactic.

This wasn't just due to his astonishingly high health pool, but more importantly, because of the potent effect of his Barrier ability! The smaller the individual damage instance, the greater the effect of the Barrier—consider 100 damage versus two instances of 50 damage; the latter is clearly more restrained by the Barrier.

While the Predator laser shoulder cannon possessed formidable power, the nature of a laser beam was to focus highly concentrated energy onto a single point, entirely unlike a grenade, which was specifically designed for area damage. Thus, although Fang Senyan appeared utterly battered amidst the chaos, covered in grit, he remained effectively at full capacity.

The reason the Predator mistook his evasion for speed was due to Fang Senyan’s perception ability. He wasn't moving faster than light; rather, he could sense the subtle shifts in the cannon muzzle's aiming vector! As long as he could move quicker than the Greyback Belon's shoulder swiveled, Fang Senyan could evade.

The Predator’s energy supply could manage thousands of high-energy laser bursts, but the shoulder cannon's material composition was always subject to overheating. Therefore, even after special modifications, after seven consecutive high-energy laser bursts, the cannon had to enter a mandatory cooling cycle.

At this moment, the Greyback Belon expected the smoke to clear, revealing a scorched corpse half-buried in the dirt. But he was destined for disappointment. Before the haze had even fully lifted, a seemingly disheveled figure burst out from the residual smoke. Though stumbling, his speed was undiminished as he quickly dashed towards the cover of the nearby tree line!

The Greyback let out an explosive roar of pure fury—one could almost visualize his tusks protruding and mouth parts flaring beneath his mask in utter rage! Such a seemingly guaranteed attack had ended in failure, and in front of his own subordinates! Unquestionably, the Greyback Belon felt as if he’d been publicly slapped across the face, and he immediately bolted in pursuit of Fang Senyan. (To be continued)RQ