326: Chapter 261: After a Defeat in the First Battle, Wang Meng Makes a Comeback

Chapter 261: The First Battle's Vanguard, Wang Meng's Behemoths Show Their Might

Inside the arena, the clamorous waves of noise briefly stagnated after Qin Qing's figure completely disappeared into the teleportation light pillar, only to be replaced by even more heated and complex discussions.

The map and opponent draw for the first match was by no means good luck for Xinghai University.

In the holographic projection, the ubiquitous dreamlike mist and pinkish-purple "Enchanting Pollen" of the [Lost Garden] permeated the field, greatly restricting the Order Domain expansion and coordinated combat that the Judgment Angel Legion prided itself on.

Map Attribute: [Lost Garden]

Environmental Traits: Eternal twilight light, visibility reduced by 40%; permeated with "Enchanting Pollen" (a continuous mental interference gas; non-Order/Lawful alignment units must undergo a Will check every second; failure results in the "Lustful Infatuation" state, increasing the probability of attacking allies by 15% and the failure rate of spellcasting/skills by 20%).

Terrain Characteristics: Scattered with giant eerie flowers and vine mazes; terrain complexity is S-Rank; large-scale legion movement is obstructed.

Resource Points: 3 "Pure Stamens" (can temporarily purify the surrounding pollen and provide Order protection); positions refresh randomly.

Qin Qing had done well enough—she contracted her Divine Kingdom for defense, using the core miracle building [Temple of Law] (Lv4) as a fulcrum to fully expand a high-potency [Pure Land of Order] (Lv5) with a diameter of five hundred meters, dispersing the pollen within range and providing "Law's Blessing" (Mental Resistance +30%, Order-type skill effects +25%) to all Judgment Angels.

Deity Panel (Partial): Qin Qing

divine office: Law (Weak)

Current Divine Power Reserves: 87/100 (consumed by continuously maintaining the Pure Land of Order)

Core Rule: Law Shows No Mercy (additional +50% resistance to chaos and charm effects)

Her elite [Inquisitor Squad] (Average Lv42, led by a Six-Winged Archangel) conducted cautious scouting and counterattacks in a three-by-three formation, attempting to locate the opponent's Divine Kingdom core. The Judgment Angels possessed formidable individual combat power, with an average level of Lv38; combined with the [Judgment Sword Array] (a linked skill; damage within range +20%, damage taken shared -15%), they frequently gained the upper hand in local skirmishes.

However, the tactics of the opponent "Bewitching Heart" were even more treacherous and sinister. Her Succubus Divine Kingdom was hidden deep within the mist, and the core miracle building [Palace of Desire] (Lv4) constantly released small but highly seductive and chaotic units.

Enemy Unit: [Succubus Bait] (Lv35, Elite)

Attributes: Low health, weak armor, but possesses an "Illusory Body" (60% physical damage reduction) and Advanced Charm Aura.

Skills: Lustful Whispers (area mental interference, stacks "Distracted" debuff, can reduce target's accuracy and evasion by up to 40%); Phantom Clone (creates 3 illusions with 30% of the original's attributes, lasting 15 seconds).

Enemy Unit: [Phantom of Desire] (Lv33, Common)

Characteristics: Completely invisible in the pollen mist, detectable only by area True Sight or ultra-high perception scouting. Upon approaching a target, it self-detonates, causing area mental shock and attaching the "Longing" status (giving the target's next attack a chance to deviate or reducing damage to phantom-type units).

More troublesome was that "Bewitching Heart" had clearly mastered the technique of using the map's environmental "Enchanting Pollen" to amplify her own charm effects. Her Divine Kingdom trait [Hotbed of Desire] (in environments filled with desire energy, all charm-type skill effects +35%, cooldown -20%) created a terrifying synergy with the map. This forced the Judgment Angels to continuously consume extra Divine Power or willpower to remain absolutely clear-headed even within the Pure Land of Order, causing their Holy Light power to be steadily depleted during the persistent purification.

The battle evolved into a cruel war of attrition of will and endurance. Relying on the steadfast divinity of "Law Shows No Mercy," Qin Qing crushed seven waves of the opponent's main assaults within twelve hours; her own Divine Kingdom core remained as Immovable as a Mountain, but the Inquisitor Squad suffered over 50% casualties, and the status of ordinary Judgment Angels generally declined (averaging the "Mental Fatigue" debuff, all attributes -10%), and they remained unable to lock onto the opponent's core.

When the match time reached its limit, the System judged based on multiple data points:

Battlefield Settlement (Partial):

Divine Kingdom Integrity: Xinghai University 92% vs. War God Academy 88% (Qin Qing's defense was superior)

Followers' Remaining Effective Combat Power: Xinghai University 41% vs. War God Academy 67% (Bewitching Heart preserved more active forces)

Core Area (Simulated Star Core) Control: Xinghai University 18% vs. War God Academy 35% (Bewitching Heart used mobility to occupy more resource points)

Environmental Adaptability Score: Xinghai University C+ vs. War God Academy A (A huge gap)

"The first match is over! Judgment result: War God Academy's 'Bewitching Heart' wins!"

Upon the announcement of the results, the atmosphere in the Xinghai University rest area turned slightly heavy.

Qin Qing teleported back, her face pale and showing clear signs of Divine Soul overextension, yet her posture remained solemn and upright. She walked before everyone: "I'm sorry, I lost. The synergy between her tactics and the environment was too high; my divine Domain System was severely countered, and I couldn't achieve victory within the time limit."

Su Yueyao immediately stepped forward, moonlight flowing from her palms as gentle Divine Power flowed into Qin Qing's body to alleviate her fatigue: "Sister Qing, you've already reached your limit. In such a map, being able to keep your Divine Kingdom intact and forcing a draw in core combat power is already a tactical victory."

Data streams flickered slightly in Lin Zhou's eyes as he analyzed: "Your 'Law' divine office actually has extremely strong suppression against the chaos side, but it was limited by the map's continuous environmental mental damage and the opponent's guerrilla tactics. If it were a conventional map, your frontal advancement capability would be enough to crush her. This battle is not your fault; the rules and luck were not on our side."

Vice Dean Wang Zhenyue also said in a deep voice: "Steady your minds. It's a best-of-five; we still have a chance. Wang Meng, get ready."

"Watch me!" Wang Meng's knuckles cracked as his Battle Intent boiled over, "Whatever monsters or demons they have, I'll crush them with one claw!"

The draw for the second match began on the light screen.

The virtual vortex spun, and a small ball popped out:

Xinghai University: Wang Meng (Behemoth Divine Domain)

War God Academy: Iron Curtain (Iron Golem Divine Domain)

"Second match, Berserk Beast King vs. Steel Bastion! Map drawing... Drawing complete: [Rusting Canyon]!"

The light screen switched, displaying a desolate and oppressive canyon landscape. On both sides were steep metal rock walls covered in dark red rust marks, with giant gears, broken metal beams, and mechanical wreckage scattered on the ground. The sky was a hazy yellow, and visible metal dust floated in the air.

Map Attribute: [Rusting Canyon]

Environmental Traits: Gravity Anomaly Zones (randomly distributed 1.5-3 times standard gravity fields, affecting movement speed, attack speed, and ballistics; continuous exposure requires a Physique check); Rusting Force Field (covers the entire Domain; durability of non-magical metal equipment/armor/weapons decreases by 0.1%-0.5% per second; biological keratin and bone carapaces are also affected, with the effect halved).

Terrain Characteristics: The main passage is relatively narrow (no more than three hundred meters at its widest); many metal wreckage covers on both sides make it easy to defend and hard to attack. Small amounts of "High-Purity Metal Veins" are distributed (requiring mining and refining, which can provide rapid repair Materials for metal units).

Resource Points: 2 "Stable Gravity Platforms" (small areas of normal gravity), fixed positions.

"Hahaha! Heaven helps me!" In the War God Academy rest area, a burly bald man with skin gleaming like metallic cold light, built like an iron tower, stood up laughing wildly; it was "Iron Curtain." His voice sounded like grinding steel: "A canyon terrain—my Iron Golem Legion can exert a 200% positional advantage! Gravity anomalies? Golem structures are the most pressure-resistant! Rusting Force Field? My golems are made of living alloy to begin with, and their rust resistance is S-Rank! Wang Meng, wait for your Behemoth claws to rust!"

In the spectator stands, the supporters of War God Academy cheered again. The Star Sea side was filled with worry—the map's compatibility suppression was even more obvious than the last match.

Wang Meng grinned instead, the fire of battle blazing in his eyes: "Metal cans? Crushing cans is exactly what I do!" He turned to Lin Zhou, absolute trust beneath his rough exterior, "Boss, how do we do this?"

Lin Zhou's eyes closed slightly. In an instant, detailed data on Wang Meng's divine Domain, the attributes of the Behemoth Legion, Iron Curtain's public battle records, the conventional characteristics of Iron Golems, the environmental parameters of the Rusting Canyon... a massive amount of information collided and was deduced within his consciousness.

Tactical Deduction (Within Lin Zhou's Consciousness):

Comparison of Core Strengths:

Wang Meng - Behemoth: Extreme physical output (Attack S, Speed A, Burst SS), defense relies on thick health and damage reduction (Health A+, Armor B, Magic Resistance C), simple skill System (primarily melee physical, with a few War Roar crowd controls), poor environmental adaptability (rust affects weapon/claw sharpness, gravity affects jumping and pouncing).

Iron Curtain - Iron Golem: Extreme physical defense (Armor SS, Health A, physical damage reduction +30%), excellent energy resistance (all-element resistance B+), strong positional advancement (skills often include knockback, stun, and positional buffs), excellent environmental adaptability (rust immunity, low gravity impact), weak mobility and burst power (Speed C, sluggish turning).

Key Breakthrough Point: Cannot get bogged down in a war of attrition. Must utilize the Behemoths' instantaneous burst power to tear through the defensive line and strike the core before rust severely weakens the front-line elites.

Hidden Means: After being influenced by the Civilization heritage (primarily the School of Military, with a small amount of Confucianism), the Behemoth Legion's core War Roar skill [War Roar] has developed an embryonic mutation—[Civilization Roar] (not yet fully formed). This skill integrates the School of Military's will of "Swift as the Wind, Fierce as Fire" with the Confucian concept of "Vast Righteous Qi, Convincing People with Reason." For units like pure machines, undead, and absolute Order Puppets that have "no independent will" or "rigid faith logic," it has a chance to trigger underlying instruction disorder.

Environmental Synergy Hypothesis: The essence of the Rusting Force Field is a rule that "accelerates metal fatigue and energy dissipation." If the mental-rule disturbance of [Civilization Roar] can resonate with the Rusting Force Field, it might briefly and significantly enhance the interference effect on the golems' internal energy cores and rune structures.

Deduction complete. Lin Zhou opened his eyes and used Divine Thought to transmit an extremely risky but core-directing tactic into Wang Meng's mind: "...Your core mission is not to kill all the golems, but to use that 'roar' when the frontal pressure is greatest. The goal is not to kill, but to 'resonate' and 'question'! Target the most rigid and fragile string in their operational logic—'Why fight? What is invincibility?'..."

A sharp light flashed in Wang Meng's eyes as he listened, and he growled: "Understood! I'll give those iron cans something to remember!"

He strode toward the teleportation light pillar. Su Yueyao softly cautioned: "Watch out for counter-charge positions and self-destruct units."

"Don't worry!" Wang Meng's figure vanished into the light.

[Rusting Canyon], the match begins!

The Divine Kingdoms of both sides expanded at the entrances on either end of the canyon.

Wang Meng's Behemoth Divine Domain had a rough and primitive style. The core miracle building [War God Altar] (Lv4) towered majestically, built from countless giant beast skeletons and hard rock blocks, emitting an unextinguishable Battle Intent and blood qi. Around the altar, simple yet sturdy [Great Beast Nests] (Lv3) and [Honing Rock Peaks] (Lv3) were scattered.

Within the Divine Kingdom, over a thousand Behemoth Giant Beasts were already lined up. They had an average height of 5.2 meters, with muscles knotted like steel cables, covered in thick grayish-brown fur with a natural weak magic resistance (+10%). Their claws were nearly half a meter long, glinting with a cold light.

Core Followers: Behemoth Giant Beasts (Civilization Influenced · Battle-Axe Clan)

Average Rank: Lv38 (Elite)

Base Attributes (Adult Individual): Strength 92, Agility 65, Physique 88, Intelligence 18, Spirit 22 (Discipline +15)

Health Points: 4200 (+500 [Thick Fur])

Attack Power (Claw/Tooth): 355-480 (Physical Piercing)

Armor: 45 (Fur and muscle damage reduction)

Core Talents:

Wilderness Savage Blood (Passive): When health is below 30%, attack speed +40%, lifesteal +15%.

Hill Gallop (Passive): Movement speed penalty in complex terrain reduced by 70%, first attack damage during a charge +50%.

War Instinct (Passive): Evasion +10%, resistance to control effects +20%.

Legion Skills (Requires Wang Meng's Divine Thought guidance):

War Roar (Original): Area fear (Will check), weakens target physical defense by 15%, lasts 20 seconds.

Fierce as Fire (Burst): Consumes blood qi; for 15 seconds, overall attack power +80%, attack speed +50%, damage taken +20%.

New/Mutated Skills (Result of Civilization Influence):

Civilization Roar (Embryonic Form): ??? (Effect unknown, needs to be triggered in actual combat)

Divine Kingdom Traits:

Wilderness Desolation: Followers in uncivilized, natural, or battlefield environments gain +8% to all attributes and -30% morale decay speed.

War God's Blessing (Elementary): Sub-races can still fight even when heavily injured (avoids death once when at 10% health, 72-hour cooldown); immune to "Fear" and "Rout" effects.

On the other side, Iron Curtain's Steel Divine Kingdom was cold and precise. The core miracle building, [Eternal Forge Core] (Lv4), was like a giant black metal heart, pulsing with dark red energy flows that powered the entire Divine Kingdom and provided a "Metal Activation" effect. Around it, the [Automated Foundry] (Lv3, increases Golem production speed and base attributes) and the [Rune Engraving Workshop] (Lv3, adds extra defensive or offensive runes to Golems) operated efficiently.

His Golem Legion was strictly arrayed and divided into three categories:

Core Sub-race: Iron Golems (Three basic models)

Heavy-Duty Defender (Lv36, Shield-Guard Type):

Attributes: Strength 85, Agility 30, Physique 90, Intelligence 5, Spirit 5.

Health: 5800, Armor: 125 (Heavy Composite Armor).

Skills: Shield Wall (jointly gain extra block value and damage reduction), Immovable as a Mountain (when in standing defense, receive an additional 25% damage reduction), Shaking Slam (shield bash, small area stun).

Fortress Crusher (Lv37, Assault Type):

Attributes: Strength 95, Agility 40, Physique 85, Intelligence 8, Spirit 8.

Health: 5000, Armor: 95.

Skills: Drill Thrust (high armor-piercing single-target attack), Giant Pincer Tear (continuous damage, can destroy weapons), Overload Ram (consumes own durability to deal massive damage and knock back).

Long-Range Punisher (Lv35, Support Type):

Attributes: Strength 60, Agility 50, Physique 70, Intelligence 15, Spirit 15.

Health: 3800, Armor: 70.

Skills: High-Explosive Ballista (area physical damage, splash), Blazing Jet (cone of fire, continuous damage and reduces target armor), Positioning Beacon (provides hit correction and range buffs for allies).

Divine Kingdom Traits:

Steel Torrent: All metal units gain +25% armor and 18% damage reduction against non-magical/non-divine pure physical damage.

Precision Casting: In metal-rich environments (such as Rusting Canyon), unit production and repair speed +35%, and resource consumption during repair -20%.

“Hmph, a nest of beasts,” Iron Curtain’s synthesized metallic voice echoed through the canyon. “Construct the defense line! Let these beasts shatter themselves against their own claws!”

He did not attack proactively. Instead, he commanded the Golem Legion to quickly use the terrain and wreckage to build three layers of staggered metal defense lines. The Heavy-Duty Defenders were at the front, the Crushers patrolled the flanks, and the Punishers stayed in the rear to provide firepower. Behind the lines, the foundries worked at full capacity as new Golems continuously rolled off the production lines.

Wang Meng’s Divine Thought swept across the battlefield, and he grinned. “A turtle formation? I’ll flip your whole shell! Behemoth brats, charge!”

“ROAR—!!!”

The earth trembled! Over a thousand Behemoths, like a grey tide of fury, launched a death-defying charge toward the steel defense line! [Hill Gallop] was activated; even in areas scattered with metal debris and gravity anomalies, they maintained high speeds. Their staggering explosive power caused the air to boom.

Iron Curtain sneered. “Fire coverage! Meet them head-on!”

The shoulder-mounted Ballistae of the Punisher Golems roared, high-explosive bolts arching through the air and crashing into the Behemoth charge! Flamethrowers spat twenty-meter-long tongues of fire, igniting the path! The Heavy-Duty Golems slammed their giant shields into the ground with a dull thud. Runes on the shield surfaces lit up, forming translucent energy barriers.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Explosions and flames bloomed among the Behemoth pack, and the smell of scorched fur filled the air. The Behemoths howled in pain but did not stop their charge! They pushed through the firepower and slammed hard into the steel defense line!

“Clang! Clang! Crack!”

Claws collided with shields and armor, erupting in blinding sparks! The Behemoths' terrifying strength forced even the Heavy-Duty Golems to slide backward, leaving deep claw marks on their shields. But the Golems' defense was truly astonishing; combined with Shield Wall and Immovable as a Mountain, they actually held firm against the first wave of impact! Crusher Golems surged from the flanks, their drills and giant pincers viciously stabbing into the Behemoths' relatively soft bellies!

Blood and metal fragments flew everywhere! Under the frequent attacks, the Behemoths' sharp claws were affected by the Rusting Force Field, their sharpness dulling at a visible rate as their attack power began to drop. While the Golems sustained damage, new units were constantly being replenished from the rear, keeping the defense line as solid as a rock.

“Hahaha! Fool! Your beasts will only get weaker! But my fortress shall never fall!” Iron Curtain laughed wildly, commanding a squad of Crusher Golems to attempt a flanking maneuver from a side with lighter gravity to cut through the Behemoth formation.

The battle seemed to be progressing in a direction extremely favorable to Iron Curtain.

Standing at the altar, Wang Meng sensed through his Divine Thought that Behemoth casualties were rising. The rust level of the frontline elites' claws had exceeded 30%, and their attack power had dropped by nearly 15%. Iron Curtain’s defense line was like a meat grinder, steadily and efficiently consuming his forces.

He remembered Lin Zhou’s advice: '...When an enemy's rules operate at their most stable, most rigid Peak, that is often the moment they are most fragile and resistant to "variables"... Your roar must become the "wedge" driven into their logic core...'

Now was the time!

Wang Meng took a deep breath, his chest pumping like a bellows! Divine Power surged through his body as he connected with the [War God Altar], resonating completely with the berserk will and unyielding Battle Intent of all the Behemoths fighting bloodily on the front lines! He locked onto the core area where the enemy's defense was thickest, the Golem array densest, and where Iron Curtain’s Divine Thought control was most concentrated!

In the next instant, Wang Meng looked to the sky and let out the most violent roar since the start of the battle—yet one that seemed to contain an indescribable rhythm!

This roar transcended ordinary sound waves! It carried Wang Meng's combat divinity, the boiling blood-mist of over a thousand Behemoths, and... a faint yet resilient principle of civilization, imprinted by Lin Zhou using the Civilization Scroll as a medium to harmonize the "martial wisdom" of the School of Military with the "benevolence and righteousness" of the Righteous Path!

“ROOOOAR——!!!”

A visible dark red sound wave swept forward like a circular shockwave from an explosion! At the core of the sound wave, faint yet dazzling golden specks of light flickered and flowed!

Skill Activated: [Civilization Roar] (Prototype · First Practical Activation)!

Base effects inherited from [War Roar]: Area-of-effect mental deterrent (150m radius). Enemy units within range must undergo a Will Save (DC based on Wang Meng’s Godhood Rank + Behemoth Legion’s total morale). Failure results in "Stunned" (unable to act) or "Cowering" (all attributes -15%) for 3-8 seconds. Also weakens target physical defense by 20% for 30 seconds.

New · Civilization Interference Effect: The roar contains trace amounts of the principles of civilization (currently a mixture of the School of Military's tactical will of "Swift as the Wind, Fierce as Fire" and the Confucian concept of hegemony versus true kingship). For units that rely on strict command logic and lack an autonomous Soul or faith core, there is a very high probability of triggering [Logic Self-Check Conflict]. Effect: Target unit’s underlying command flow becomes chaotic, and attack/skill priority becomes disordered for 5-12 seconds. Effectiveness increased by 50% against mechanical constructs, undead, and absolute Order Puppets.

New · Environmental Synergy (Rusting Canyon Specialization): The rule perturbation caused by the roar creates an unknown resonance with the active "Rusting Force Field" in the environment! The rust effect temporarily surges: affected Golem units suffer a 50% drop in internal energy core stability, a +70% chance of rune structure overload, and the metal fatigue rate instantly increases to 300%! This effect lasts for 8 seconds.

The most shocking scene occurred!

At the core of that dark red sound wave, four blurry yet golden-shining ancient Chinese seal script characters, seemingly manifested directly from the rules, flashed momentarily—

【 Stopping war is the way to peace】 (Zhi Ge Wei Wu - To Stop Conflict is True Martialism)

The four characters appeared for less than 0.3 seconds, yet they carried a majestic intent that pointed directly to the essence of war and shook hearts of mortal iron! It wasn't just visual; every existence that sensed it—whether the Behemoths and Golems on the battlefield or the spectators and gods inside and outside the arena—felt as if their Souls were struck by a heavy hammer!

“What?!” Iron Curtain cried out in horror! He felt his mental link with the hundreds of Golems on the core defense line fluctuate violently. A massive amount of chaotic and contradictory feedback flooded his mind: “Defense... meaning? ...Attack command... conflict... 'Halberd' stop? ...'Martial'... definition error? ...” The red light in the Golems' eyes flickered wildly. Raised shields fell weakly, the trajectories of swung hammers twisted, and two Heavy-Duty Golems even suddenly turned their shields and crashed into their own companions! Meanwhile, the protective runes on their bodies flickered violently, and ominous energy overload whines and metal fatigue groans came from within!

“Now is the time! Fierce as Fire! Smash this iron turtle for me!” Wang Meng bellowed!

The eyes of all the frontline Behemoths instantly turned blood-red! [Fierce as Fire] was activated! Their attack power and speed skyrocketed! They seized this once-in-a-lifetime fatal window where the enemy array had fallen into utter chaos!

“Boom! Crack! Clatter——!!!”

Having lost effective command and coordination, and with unstable internal energy and embrittled structures, the Golem defense line was as flimsy as paper under the full explosive force of the Behemoth Legion! Claws easily tore through overloaded armor, and brutal collisions sent entire rows of Golems flying! The gap was instantly ripped open and widened!

The defeat was like a mountain collapsing! The Behemoths poured through the gap like a bursting flood, charging straight for the Long-Range Punishers and the foundries in the rear that were still "dazed" or "self-checking"!

“No! No! Restart commands! Forced suppression!” Iron Curtain’s eyes were bloodshot as he frantically consumed Divine Power, trying to forcibly override the chaos and repair the Golems. But the logic conflict and rust surge caused by the [Civilization Roar] continued, and his commands were like stones sinking into the ocean. The Behemoths' vanguard had reached the core!

Fifteen minutes later, the [Eternal Forge Core] was smashed into scrap metal by three Behemoth Chiefs (Lv47) working together, and the Divine Kingdom's rules collapsed.

“The second match is over! The winner: Xinghai University, Wang Meng!”

When Wang Meng returned, teleporting back with his blood-soaked, scarred, yet high-spirited and howling Behemoth Legion, the Xinghai University rest area erupted in deafening cheers!

“Wang Meng! Invincible!”

“That roar! I saw golden characters! ‘Zhi Ge Wei Wu’! Was that a rule manifestation?!”

“Civilization Roar... what kind of modification did Lin Zhou actually do to Wang Meng’s Behemoths? A physical roar carrying a mental rule strike?”

“The iron wall of War God Academy had its logic shattered by a single shout! This is too ridiculous!”

Su Yueyao’s eyes sparkled with brilliance, and even Qin Qing’s pale face showed a hint of relief. Zhou Yan pounded Wang Meng’s shoulder hard. “Meng-zi, that was awesome! That shout was incredible!”

Vice Dean Wang Zhenyue stroked his beard and smiled, looking at Lin Zhou. “What a fine ‘Zhi Ge Wei Wu’! Using the principles of civilization to shake the Order of steel. Lin Zhou, your handiwork is truly astounding.”

Wang Meng chuckled. Although his Divine Power consumption was huge, his spirit was incredibly excited. He leaned toward Lin Zhou and whispered, unable to hide his agitation, “Boss! That method you taught was miraculous! When I roared, those tin cans became like Puppets with their strings cut! What were those four golden characters? I felt like my whole body was transparent when I shouted them out!”

Lin Zhou smiled slightly, but his eyes held a thoughtful look. “That is an interpretation of ‘War’ by Way of Civilization. The fact that you could manifest its form shows that your fighting will and the Behemoths' fierce blood-qi have begun to resonate with this ‘principle.’ However, this time was more about taking advantage of the environment and the rigidity of the opponent's rules. The skill itself is still a prototype and needs subsequent stabilization and deepening.”

His gaze then turned calmly toward the opposite side.

In the War God Academy rest area, Lei Hao’s face was so dark it could drip ink. Faint sparks of lightning crackled around him, and his gaze toward Wang Meng and Lin Zhou was filled with undisguised violence and killing intent. Beside him, "Bewitching Heart" still looked lazy, but her eyes were solemn; "Iron Curtain" looked Soul-crushed, clearly not yet recovered from the blow of having his defense broken by a single roar. The other team members no longer showed any of their previous contempt, replaced instead by deep wariness.

Lost the first battle, won back the second!

The overall score was tied at 1:1!

The critical third match would decide the direction of the entire series. The Star Realm Conquest, the true bitter struggle, had only just begun.