With a roaring shout, Joseph's bulky frame shot backward as if propelled.

The Seventh Prince rose from the ground, gripping his Talisman Sword, his entire being consumed by fury. To be so outmaneuvered by this red-haired youth, the Seventh Prince of the Empire, the favored son of Heaven—how could he possibly swallow such an insult!

Red light danced along the surface of the Talisman Sword, flowing and flickering erratically, making the weapon look from a distance like a sword drenched in blood.

...

"It seems the Seventh Prince has finally mastered the power of the Talisman Sword. That little red-haired fellow might be in real danger now," an elder murmured in a private viewing box high in the stands.

The speaker was none other than Marshal Elvis, the God of War of the Empire and the grandfather of Angelisa.

"Marshal, are you suggesting the red-haired youth will lose?" a solidly built middle-aged general asked Elvis beside him.

Elvis shook his head. "I don't mean he will lose. The Seventh Prince has grasped the true might of the Talisman Sword; even a Two-Star Fighter couldn't defeat him now. And you know how terrifying the power of the Talisman Sword becomes when truly unleashed. While this kid, Iori Yagami, seemed to gain the upper hand with his initial assault, he actually only served to ignite the Seventh Prince's fighting spirit. From here on, he'll be severely on the defensive."

"Alas, the Marshal speaks the truth," the middle-aged general chuckled. "When His Majesty Sol used the Talisman Sword, the power was truly astonishing. Even now, recalling it sends a shiver down my spine. Looks like we're in for a real show; that Iori Yagami is likely going to suffer for this."

"This kid is also quite amusing," Elvis laughed heartily. "I told him to look after Angelisa, intending to keep her safe from any harm in the matches. Instead, he actually barred my precious granddaughter from competing! If only he knew the treasures I've bestowed upon Angelisa, he'd surely regret this day!"

The middle-aged general countered, "I'm not so sure, Marshal. This boy strikes me as quite audacious. By refusing to let Angelisa fight, perhaps he intends to take on all three opponents himself."

"One against three. Ha! I wonder where the boy gets such reckless fervor. But I don't believe he can succeed! Alex's hand bone was shattered by him, true, but I doubt he came to the competition unprepared. Joseph's back injury isn't that severe. This promises to get more spectacular!" Elvis declared, fixing his gaze on the battle arena, careful not to miss a single detail.

...

Alex, perched atop the Savage Howl Demon Bear, pulled a pale red pill from his tunic and swallowed it. After a moment, his hand appeared as if perfectly restored.

But it wasn't truly healed; it was merely a temporary suppressive agent. For injuries of this nature, ingesting such a pill guaranteed stability for half an hour, allowing continued combat. If he utilized light magic for immediate healing after the fight, the consequences wouldn't be dire. If treatment was delayed, however, the side effects were severe—potentially crippling Alex's hand permanently.

Joseph, never having been so completely disregarded or so deeply insulted, felt the Behemoth bloodline within him ignite. He strode forward, suddenly appearing more bestial than the Savage Howl Demon Bear itself.

In an instant, the top three fighters under the age of twenty-five from the Loki Empire had redefined their positions, forming a blockade around Chen Feng.

Chen Feng smiled, his gaze cold as he stared at the trio. He took a deep breath, replenishing the Qi Cyclone power he had just expended.

The Seventh Prince's eyes turned venomous, his longsword reflecting an eerie glow. His lip twitched as he let out a sharp cry, and the Talisman Sword flashed toward Chen Feng like a bolt of lightning!

The Talisman Sword whistled down from the air, an alien and grotesque Dou Qi trailing from the blade like a thin whip shadow.

"Bang..." The sword's whip shadow struck the ground, sending shards of rock flying, but Chen Feng, who had clearly been standing directly beneath the blade moments before, had vanished without a trace.

"No..." The Seventh Prince snapped back to reality. With three opponents closing in, how could this Iori Yagami possibly remain stationary? He had moved so fast he left an afterimage.

The Seventh Prince swiftly pointed the tip of his Talisman Sword upward, and with a sharp clang, the sword was violently deflected by an immeasurably potent force.

A dark shadow descended from above, like a hawk diving for prey, hurtling directly toward his face.

Unintimidated in the face of danger, the Seventh Prince roared, holding his sword horizontally across his body. He sidestepped, evading the fatal blow, only to feel a sharp pain erupt on his back as a massive force slammed into him.

However, protected by his Dragon Armor, he could largely ignore attacks below the level of a standard Fighter. Chen Feng’s grab on his back mattered little. With a mere hop, he absorbed the impact.

But this forward hop landed Chen Feng precisely between the three opponents, trapping him in their encirclement.

"I knew you would do that!" the Seventh Prince's voice rang out like a triumphant general's. "When I struck directly at you, to reduce pressure, you certainly wouldn't try to dodge sideways; you would have to jump up and try to strike my back. So, I was willing to take your hit just to trap you in the middle!"

With that, Joseph and Alex simultaneously took a step forward, locking Chen Feng firmly in their trap.

"Heh, does surrounding me guarantee victory?" Chen Feng sneered, immediately executing a backward retreat step and lunging toward Alex.

Alex clearly hadn't expected his opponent to target him first. In his haste, he raised his fists to block Chen Feng. Suddenly, his vision blurred; Chen Feng flashed past him, delivering a Qin Yue Yin strike that slammed onto Joseph's head, dragging him to the ground!

Attacking Alex was merely a feint; the true target was Joseph. As the saying goes: deal with the softest target first.

"Boom!" Azure Flames erupted, and Joseph was instantly engulfed in a sea of fire.

"Ahhh..." A piercing scream tore through the air as Joseph's right arm was instantly incinerated to ash!

Chen Feng showed no mercy, unleashing a Xie Feng move that hurled Joseph off the edge of the stage!

But at that very same moment, the Seventh Prince's Talisman Sword pierced Chen Feng’s shoulder. Wincing in pain, Chen Feng accelerated forward, shooting seven or eight meters away in an instant, narrowly dodging a fatal thrust. He turned to look at the searing pain in his shoulder—a bloody hole drilled more than two inches deep.

"Not bad, you actually managed to wound me," Chen Feng said to the Seventh Prince, his voice grim.

"Trading one wound for one of our team members; this transaction seems quite favorable to you," the Seventh Prince replied.

"Leaving a weakling like that on stage serves no purpose but to get in the way," Chen Feng countered coldly.

The Seventh Prince smiled. "Then let us settle this between us!"

With that, his Dou Qi raged along the ground, and he shot forward like an arrow leaving a bowstring.

Chen Feng unleashed a Gui Shao to block the incoming assault. Upon landing, he followed up with two rapid An Gou Shou hooks, both connecting solidly with the Seventh Prince. However, it was as if he had struck air; they had absolutely no effect.

The defensive capabilities of the Dragon Armor were fully evident. Chen Feng could not breach the defense, while the Talisman Sword remained his greatest hazard! By all appearances, Chen Feng was at a distinct disadvantage!

"Roar..." The Savage Howl Demon Bear seemed equally incensed by Chen Feng's provocation. This time, without even needing encouragement from Alex, it charged forward on its own.

"Crack!" A massive arc of electricity illuminated the entire arena, dazzling like the midday sun.

Chen Feng narrowed his eyes, his vision momentarily blinded by white. He retreated rapidly; such an electrical discharge hitting him meant certain death or permanent crippling. Forget continuing the match, surviving to leave the stage would be questionable!

He had barely taken one step back when he heard a rapid rush of air directly behind his head.

Unexpectedly, Alex had circled around from the Demon Bear’s shoulder during the split second of the electrical flash.

"Bang!" A heavy punch slammed directly into the wound on Chen Feng's back. Blood immediately surged forth.

Due to the excruciating pain of the wound, Chen Feng felt dizzy, his limbs numb, nearly collapsing.

"What a powerful pincer attack!" Chen Feng leaped out of the encirclement, facing both the Seventh Prince and Alex. Indeed, when these two became enraged, both their attack power and speed had noticeably increased.

Yet, the more this happened, the more excited Chen Feng became; his fighting spirit burned hotter, and his berserk urges grew stronger.

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with his finger, Chen Feng stared at the crimson stain. "You actually made me bleed. I will make you pay the price for this!"

"Qi Cyclone Power 50, Hundred and Eight Style Dark Hook Hand!" Chen Feng roared.

When utilizing moves from the King of Fighters repertoire, if Qi Cyclone Power is not forcibly called upon, the majority of the move's strength remains around the 20 mark. However, power fluctuations in combat are significant. The percentage of total Qi Cyclone Power required to unleash maximum strength is the external manifestation of one's control over power—the so-called 'Qi Cyclone Power **.'

At his current cultivation level, Chen Feng could only exert a maximum of 60% Qi Cyclone Power while in an aroused state; maintaining 50% under normal conditions was already his limit.

Therefore, as this Dark Hook Hand was unleashed, the bluestone paving beneath exploded, creating a path. The ground looked as if it had been turned over by an iron plow—a crack nearly a meter wide rocketed toward Alex.

The speed was terrifying; it reached him in the blink of an eye.

"Ah..." Alex's face finally paled.

"Roar..." The Savage Howl Demon Bear roared and spat a spherical bolt of lightning from its mouth, firing it directly at the incoming flame trail.

"Boom..." Bluestone fragments flew everywhere as the stadium floor erupted in shrapnel. Alex, closest to the explosion, was struck squarely by the resulting shockwave, sent flying backward dozens of meters, spitting up large mouthfuls of blood.

He lacked the protection of the Dragon Armor, and this injury was severe. Alex had the unique distinction in the history of pet ownership of nearly being killed by his own magical companion's attack.

When a master subdues a magical beast, their cultivation levels are usually close. If one party becomes overwhelmingly powerful, it exerts immense spiritual pressure on the other, eventually leading to the rupture of the contract—unless a Soul Blood Pact was signed, all other contracts suffer this imbalance. Alex was merely an Eighth-Rank Fighter, yet he had contracted a Fourth-Rank Magical Beast, equivalent to a human High Fighter. The disparity in power was too great, inevitably leading to this unequal situation. Fortunately, the Savage Howl Demon Bear restrained itself, not daring to unleash its Fourth-Rank magic; if it had, at least half the arena would have been pulverized.

Chen Feng smiled, stomping his foot to unleash a burst of Dou Qi, propelling himself toward the fallen Alex. Since the opponent was already injured, he had to strike while the iron was hot, showing no mercy. If Alex consumed his injury-stalling potion, Chen Feng would simply face another vigorous foe.

"You seek death!" The Seventh Prince, discerning Chen Feng's target, roared in anger and shot into the path Chen Feng was taking, his Talisman Sword cleaving down through the air.

The timing of this strike was precise; if Chen Feng didn't stop, he would run directly onto the blade.

It seemed Chen Feng had anticipated this exact move. He threw a ball of flame from his left hand toward the Seventh Prince, shouting, "Qi Cyclone Power 50, Hundred and Eight Style Dark Hook Hand!" as he simultaneously ascended three feet into the air, barely clearing the threat of the sword.

In reality, the flame held no significant power—just ordinary Azure Flame. Chen Feng shouted the incantation merely to startle his opponent and waste the time needed to attack Alex.

As expected, the Seventh Prince, caught in his pattern of thought, flinched, instinctively leaping several meters backward to evade the flame. Only when he saw the flame sputter out after glancing off the ground did he realize he’d been duped, and his rage flared sky-high.

However, by then, Chen Feng had reached Alex. Even if the Prince wanted to pursue, it was too late.

Seeing Chen Feng dive from above, Alex rolled desperately to the side to evade. But Chen Feng’s speed, augmented by the Air Dance Technique, was too great. An Outer Style Lily Fold Kick smashed onto Alex's head, immediately followed by a Inner Three Hundred and Sixteen Style Jackal Bloom!

"Boom!" Alex was blasted skyward by the ascending Azure Flames, falling back heavily outside the platform, his fate unknown.

The moment Chen Feng finished the Three Hundred and Sixteen Style Jackal Bloom, his entire body froze; a sharp current of electricity instantly paralyzed him. It seemed Alex's magical beast, the Savage Howl Demon Bear, had seized the opportunity to launch a sneak attack from behind.

As the current entered Chen Feng's body, that peculiar, transparent droplet of liquid suddenly surged silently from within his meridians. Like a super-capacity battery, it completely absorbed all the attacking electrical current.

The electricity vanished, and sensation returned to Chen Feng's body. His face contorted in fury as he roared in anger and charged toward the towering magical beast. To be wounded not by a man, but by a beast—Chen Feng was enraged. He unleashed a Two Hundred and Twelve Style Qin Yue Yin, immediately followed by Inverse Peeling, Inverse Inverse Peeling, Peony... consecutively striking the Savage Howl Demon Bear. In less than ten seconds, Chen Feng employed nearly ten different attack methods. Chen Feng focused this barrage on a single point. Even the Demon Bear's hide, as hard as steel, could not withstand such sustained assault. Flesh and blood spattered; with a final scream, before it could even deploy its innate magic, it perished!

Now only the Seventh Prince remained on the stage; two of the three strong opponents were eliminated. Chen Feng's fighting spirit soared. With a flourish of his hand, he beckoned, uttering the famous line Terry Bogard shouts when entering a match from the King of Fighters game: "Come, come!"

ps: Apologies, I seem to have slept too little last night; I have a terrible headache. I promised 6000+ words but only managed over 4000+. Sorry, but it seems I still hit 13,000 words today, and with 275 monthly votes secured, 290 is not yet reached, so the task is technically overfulfilled. (To be continued. For the rest of the story, please log onto www**com for more chapters, to support the author and enjoy genuine reading!)