15: Chapter 15: A Series of Dominations, The Semifinals!

At 2:00 PM, the third round began.

[Third Round, Match Four: Su Bai (Grade 12, Class 8) VS Wang Lei (Grade 12, Class 1)]

Wang Lei, Martial Arts World, rated A-grade yesterday, is the same type as Zhang Lei from the first match. However, his Martial Arts World is more mature than Zhang Lei's.

Furthermore, he has a two-star hero, the Martial Arts Master.

After watching Su Bai's previous two crushing victories, Wang Lei had made thorough preparations.

Instead of choosing a head-on charge, he adopted a more flexible tactic.

Dispersed encirclement, using the mobility of the martial artists to bypass the Underworld Soldier array and directly attack Su Bai himself.

But Su Bai's response was even simpler.

He had Sadako continuously teleport to different positions, using Curse Brand to kill the dispersed martial artists one by one. Simultaneously, he had the Slit-Mouthed Woman guard his side; any martial artist who approached would be instantly killed by her Eerie Gaze.

The Underworld Soldier array advanced steadily, compressing the martial artists' maneuvering space.

Five minutes later, all thirty-four of Wang Lei's martial artists were killed in action.

Under the dual strikes of Sadako's Curse Brand and the Slit-Mouthed Woman's Eerie Gaze, the Martial Arts Master lasted thirty seconds before finally collapsing with blood flowing from his seven orifices.

"Third round, match four, Su Bai wins!"

In the stands, no one was gasping anymore.

Everyone watched in silence as the youth in his school uniform walked back to the stands, his expression as calm as if he had just finished a test paper.

"That's the third match," someone whispered.

"Three crushing victories, each one easier than the last."

"His heroes are getting stronger. Haven't you noticed? Sadako's Curse Brand is almost a one-hit kill now, and the range of the Slit-Mouthed Woman's Eerie Gaze is at least double what it was in the first match."

"They're evolving by absorbing fear and resentment! They get a bit stronger with every match; how are you supposed to fight that?"

"And not a single one of his Underworld Soldiers has died yet. One hundred and eighty-eight Underworld Soldiers, three battles, zero casualties. This defensive power is just ridiculous."

"It's not that the defensive power is ridiculous; it's that his Yin Energy Affinity is insane. As long as his world keeps releasing Yin Qi, the Underworld Soldiers can recover indefinitely. You can't kill them, but they can wear you down to death."

At 4:00 PM, the fourth round.

This was the quarter-final match. The opponent was Chen Hao from Grade 12, Class 2, representing the Mechanical World, rated A-grade yesterday.

Chen Hao's Mechanical World followed a technological path.

Sixty Engineering Robots had already built a crude production line, capable of self-repair and manufacturing new robots. Although he had no hero units, the numerical advantage and organization of the robots allowed him to advance easily through the first three rounds.

But facing Su Bai, Chen Hao's robot legion encountered a fatal problem.

The Underworld Soldiers were not afraid of the robots' attacks.

The Engineering Robots' weapons were welding torches, screwdrivers, and wrenches.

These tools were effective against living people, but against a group of Underworld Soldiers who didn't need to breathe, had no blood, and felt no pain, they were basically just tickling them.

However, Sadako's Curse Brand was ineffective against the robots.

Robots have no consciousness and no fear, so the Curse Brand could not take effect.

The Slit-Mouthed Woman's Eerie Gaze was likewise ineffective.

Robots don't answer questions, nor are they affected by mental attacks.

This was the first time Su Bai had encountered a situation that countered his hero units.

But he didn't panic.

"Ghost Bride."

This was the first time he had summoned the Ghost Bride in an official match.

A figure in red drifted out from the Yin Qi, hovering in the center of the arena.

"Master! It's finally my turn to appear!" The Ghost Bride spun in the air excitedly.

Su Bai raised his hand and pointed at the robots: "Dismantle them."

"You got it!"

The Ghost Bride drifted toward the robot array, her red clothes fluttering and her black hair cascading like a waterfall.

Chen Hao's robots simultaneously raised their welding torches, blue electric arcs jumping at the muzzles.

"Fire!"

Dozens of electric arcs shot toward the Ghost Bride at once.

The Ghost Bride did not dodge.

The electric arcs passed through her body, hitting the ground behind her and blasting out scorched craters.

Yet she remained unharmed.

[Wraith Avatar]!

Her body transformed into pure resentment.

The Ghost Bride drifted into the center of the robot array and spread her arms.

[Soul-Claiming Red Makeup]!

A blinding red light erupted from her, instantly enveloping the surrounding area for dozens of meters.

The red light was exceptionally effective against conscious beings, but robots had no consciousness or fear; Soul-Claiming Red Makeup was ineffective against them.

The Ghost Bride paused for a moment, then curled her lip: "No fun, they aren't afraid of me at all."

Su Bai's voice came from behind her: "If they aren't afraid, then just hit them directly."

"Alright."

The Ghost Bride withdrew the red light, drifted in front of a robot, and slapped its iron shell with her hand.

Boom!

The robot was sent flying by her slap, crashing into the arena's protective shield, sparks flying as it scattered into a pile of parts.

[Tier 2, 3-Star Hero vs. Tier 1 Engineering Robot]

The outcome was a foregone conclusion.

The Ghost Bride was like a red butterfly, flitting through the robot array, each slap shattering a robot.

Within three minutes, all sixty Engineering Robots had been turned into scrap metal.

"Fourth round, match four, Su Bai wins!"

In the stands, over three thousand students were completely numb.

"That's four. Four crushing victories."

"The Ghost Bride's first appearance, and she dismantled sixty robots in three minutes. Is this what Tier 2 hero combat power is like?"

"The key is that her Wraith Avatar is too insane; both physical and energy attacks are completely ineffective. How do you even fight that?"

"You can't. Unless you have means for mental attacks, but how many Tier 1 worlds have those?"

At the judges' table, the teacher with glasses sighed and wrote on the score sheet:

"Comprehensive hero units, well-developed tactical system, excellent on-the-spot adaptability. Overall evaluation: S."

At 5:00 PM, the semi-finals.

[Semi-Final Match One: Su Bai (Grade 12, Class 8) VS Lin Qingxue (Grade 12, Class 8)]

The stands finally erupted in excitement once again.

"Lin Qingxue! Lin Qingxue is going up!"

"Elf World versus Yin Qi World! A+ grade versus S-grade! This should be the most exciting match of the day!"

"Lin Qingxue's Elf World isn't your average A+ grade; she has a two-star hero plus fifty Elf Archers, and her tactical system is very mature. Moreover, Elf Archers have long-range physical attacks with great range and high precision, which perfectly counters the Underworld Soldiers' melee spear formation!"

"Although Su Bai's Underworld Soldiers have strong defense, their movement speed is slow. If they get kited, it's hard to say who will win."

"Don't forget Su Bai has three heroes. The Ghost Bride is Tier 2, while Sadako and the Slit-Mouthed Woman are Tier 1. Lin Qingxue only has one two-star hero, so she's at a disadvantage when it comes to hero units."

"But Lin Qingxue's Elf Archers can focus fire on the hero units from a distance! Neither Sadako nor the Slit-Mouthed Woman has long-range defensive skills. If they're targeted by fifty archers at once, how many seconds can they last?"

Discussions rose and fell in the stands as everyone's emotions were stirred up.

Su Bai stood up and walked toward the arena.

From the opposite side, Lin Qingxue approached, her high ponytail fluttering in the wind, exuding a heroic aura.

The two stood in the center of the arena, their eyes meeting.

Lin Qingxue looked at Su Bai, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly: "I've finally matched against you."

Su Bai's face was calm: "Mhm."

"I won't let you win too easily." Lin Qingxue's tone held a hint of provocation. "My Elf Archers have a range of three hundred meters, while your Underworld Soldiers only move at two meters per second. To run from this end of the arena to that end takes at least thirty seconds. Thirty seconds is enough for my archers to fire three volleys."

Su Bai looked at her and remained silent for two seconds.

"Will your archers even get to fire three volleys?"

Lin Qingxue was taken aback.

The presiding teacher raised their hand.

"Begin!"