63: Tanya VS Zhang Lei (1)

Chen Hao was supported by Li Ang as he sat on the ground, his chest burning with pain and his face filled with grievance and indignation. He slammed the ground heavily, sending gravel flying. "Damn it! If it were a head-on clash, I could have smashed that armor of hers flat!" He glared at the valiant red figure in the field, teeth gritted. "But she didn't give me a chance at all! Those bullets buzzed like flies, numbing and slow, wearing me down endlessly. It’s too damn cheap!"

Tanya was about to turn and leave the field, ignoring the awe-struck or complex gazes of the surrounding soldiers.

"Miss Tanya, please stay." A steady and powerful voice rang out, carrying an unquestionable authority.

Zhang Lei stepped out from the crowd, a gentle yet oppressive smile on his face. Behind him, the air distorted, and two pairs of massive energy wings suddenly unfurled! On the left was a blazing, scorching wing of fire, each flap bringing a wave of searing heat; on the right was a crystal-clear wing of frost, radiating a piercing chill and scattering ice crystals as the surrounding temperature plummeted. Red and blue, ice and fire—two completely opposite yet perfectly fused energies instantly filled the entire training ground, forming a powerful aura that struck Tanya's senses like a physical force, making her feel as if half her body had fallen into an ice cellar while the other half was about to be ignited!

"What strong energy fluctuations!" Tanya's pupils constricted as she exclaimed inwardly. She hadn't expected this non-Red Alert Evolver to be a hidden peak expert! The pressure brought by this Superpower was far beyond what Chen Hao and the others could compare to!

With a light flap of his wings, Zhang Lei hovered in the center of the field like a deity. His gaze swept over the slightly dejected Chen Hao and the others, and he said loudly, "Miss Tanya cannot fly, so I won't play dirty." Before his voice faded, the dazzling wings of ice and fire turned into specks of light and vanished without a trace.

Showing his wings just now was purely to boost the morale of his defeated comrades. After all, they had fought together for so long, and then a newcomer arrived and defeated them so arrogantly. As the number one person in the army, he certainly had to teach the newcomer a lesson in humility.

Immediately after, light flickered on his body, and his signature red and blue Elemental Armor instantly materialized! The armor's lines were smooth, radiating the dual breath of ice's chill and fire's heat. Even more shocking was that behind him, a massive, slowly rotating red and blue Taiji Diagram appeared out of thin air! The Taiji Diagram was not a flat surface but was composed of a roaring blue ocean of ice and a churning red sea of fire. Ice and fire reached a strange balance as they circulated, emitting a magnificent and soul-shaking aura! This was a manifestation of Zhang Lei's deeper control over energy after advancing to the Second-rank; he was already able to create simple natural phenomena!

"Hiss... this entrance is way too showy, isn't it?" Tanya couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth, complaining internally, but her eyes grew extremely solemn. The opponent's aura pressed down like a mountain, causing her battle instincts to scream in warning.

Watching from the sidelines, Jiang Xin's eyes lit up, and he almost whistled. "Brother Lei's Superpower is just too cool! The special effects, the aura—full marks! It's so intimidating!"

Facing an unprecedentedly powerful enemy, Tanya did not back down; instead, an even more fiery battle intent ignited in her eyes. With a sharp cry, her body turned into a blurred figure as she launched the first attack! It was still a probing high-speed side kick, aimed straight for Zhang Lei's ribs, fast as lightning!

However, Zhang Lei was not Chen Hao!

*Screech—*

Before Tanya's sharp kick could land, a crystal-clear ice wall half a foot thick rose from the ground without warning, precisely blocking her path of attack! Even more terrifying, the extreme cold radiating from the ice wall instantly spread, firmly freezing the combat boots and pant legs at Tanya's ankles! A bone-chilling cold invaded upwards from her ankles!

"What?!" Tanya was deeply shocked. The power of her kick was enough to bend a steel bar as thick as a man's arm, but now, kicking the ice wall only left a few shallow marks; the ice wall didn't budge! The hardness of this ice was far beyond imagination! Subconsciously, she was about to mobilize her full strength to break the ice by force!

But at the moment her strength condensed, the indestructible ice wall shattered with a "clatter," disintegrating on its own into a shower of ice crystals! This sudden change caused Tanya, who was in mid-air with her center of gravity leaning forward, to instantly lose her support point, her body tumbling forward uncontrollably!

"Oh no!" Tanya cried out inwardly.

Zhang Lei was waiting for this exact moment! His right hand had already condensed a highly compressed, blindingly white fireball! In the moment Tanya lost her balance and fell, he swung his arm violently!

*Boom!*

That fireball, containing terrifying high temperatures and impact force, shot out like a cannonball, blasting straight at Tanya's chest and abdomen!

At the critical moment, Tanya showed the true value of her "Valkyrie" title! She forcibly twisted her waist in the air, crossing her arms in front of her. The Liquid Metal Armor covering her arms instantly hardened to the extreme, forming a solid arm shield!

*Bang!!!*

A dull explosion accompanied by blinding light erupted! Tanya felt an overwhelming force slam into her arm shield, as violent fire energy crazily lashed against the armor! Although the armor successfully resisted the direct burning of the flames and most of the impact, the terrifying thrust could not be completely dissipated! Her body was hit as if by a battering ram, flying back uncontrollably like a cannonball. She crossed the boundary line of the field and crashed heavily into the distant protective wall before stopping, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Whoa—!"

After a brief silence, deafening cheers erupted in the training ground! The soldiers waved their fists excitedly. Lord Zhang Lei had acted cleanly and efficiently! He had instantly regained their honor! The dignity of men was preserved!

In the dust, Tanya stood up somewhat disheveled, leaning against the wall, with scorch marks remaining on her armguards. She shook her numbed arms, and instead of frustration, her eyes held an even stronger battle intent. "Again!" Her voice was clear and bright, carrying a strong refusal to admit defeat. "I was careless just now! I haven't even used my real skills yet!" Her fingers lightly brushed the twin pistols at her waist, her gaze sharp. With the sharpness of the war god blade, that ice wall couldn't have trapped her at all; she had simply suffered from not understanding the opponent's bizarre abilities.

Zhang Lei looked at the spirited Tanya and laughed heartily. "Good! Since Miss Tanya is in the mood, I, Zhang Lei, will accompany you to the end! I haven't had my fill yet either!" He moved his wrists, his red and blue armor shimmering with light, and the ice and fire Taiji Diagram behind him rotated slowly, its aura majestic.