106: Chapter 106 The Bizarre First Battle!

It was agreed that the first battle would be a concession. On the Xia Kingdom side, Luo Xiaoya was sent out. Originally, the monk, Kukai Numoku, should have stepped out to take this easy win, but he was blocked behind the stage steps by the swordsman, Shimazu Hayato. "Chiyo wants to see if this physical body is qualified," Shimazu explained to Kukai Numoku.

The shrine maiden, Fujiwara Chiyo, walked onto the arena stage with elegant, small steps. A red light descended, completely isolating the arena and the Adventurers on both sides. The teams were also separated by the protective barrier of the Paradise Lost space.

"I, surre—" Just as Luo Xiaoya was about to call out her surrender, Fujiwara Chiyo pulled a strange, blood-stained camera from an indescribable place in her embrace. She snapped a photo of Luo Xiaoya, and Luo Xiaoya froze in place, staring blankly at her opponent, having lost all reaction.

[Custom Fuji X100 Camera: Can be used on evil spirits and Adventurers. Attack method: press the shutter. Deals a certain amount of damage to evil spirits in the frame (can combo!). Inflicts attacks from the evil spirits lurking within the camera onto Adventurers, including but not limited to evil spirit possession, ghost wall, curses, and other attack methods, randomly selected.]

Fujiwara Chiyo's perspective:

"Not bad, I drew evil spirit possession!" Fujiwara Chiyo slowly walked toward Luo Xiaoya and lifted her chin with slender, pale fingers.

"Although she looks a bit similar, she seems to lack a bit of spirit. I only want the best!" After saying this, she drew the [wakizashi] from her waist and stabbed it into Luo Xiaoya's heart. Blood gushed out onto the stone platform. Fujiwara Chiyo pulled out the [wakizashi], wiped it on Luo Xiaoya's clothes, and looked at the motionless Bugs Bunny standing on the sidelines. "Respected referee, can we start the next round?"

On the sidelines, Sister Loran was hitting the red defensive light curtain like a madwoman, her head bleeding. Mia quickly signaled for Ryan Nephalem and Tuaner to hold her back and applied her own [Primary Healing Potion EX] to her. She was very calm because the system had not indicated that Luo Xiaoya had died. She looked at Luo Xiaoya's corpse in the center of the stage, lost in thought.

[First Round: Shrine Maiden, Fujiwara Chiyo VS Ghost Speaker, Luo Xiaoya. Fujiwara Chiyo wins!]

The red defensive light curtain dissipated. Sister Loran glared at the two people holding her back with hatred and was about to go up to fight for her life when she noticed a puff of smoke erupting from the corpse on the stage. A [substitute doll] twisted its little face and struggled to crawl out from under the corpse. It shook off the blood on its body and hopped into Mia's arms. "You scared me to death, Sister Mia!" Then, it caught Sister Loran's murderous gaze, jumped down, struck a pose, and threw itself at its dear mother. "You scared me to death, Mother!"

Fujiwara Chiyo on the stage was lost in thought. She used the [wakizashi] to poke the corpse on the stage a few times. The corpse slowly shriveled, revealing its true form—a palm-sized, cotton-cloth doll. Meanwhile, the little thing that looked like a [substitute doll] off-stage also vanished in a puff of smoke, revealing its true appearance—Luo Xiaoya.

[First Round: Shrine Maiden, Fujiwara Chiyo VS Ghost Speaker, Luo Xiaoya. Because Luo Xiaoya possesses a rule-based item (not purchased, gifted, generated by herself), she is immune to death!]

[Second Round: Shrine Maiden, Fujiwara Chiyo VS ? ? ? ? ?. Does Fujiwara Chiyo wish to forfeit the match?]

"No! Ridiculous, how could I forfeit the match! Just because of this kind of opponent?"

[Match continues! Second Round: Shrine Maiden, Fujiwara Chiyo VS Druid, Loran]

Loran climbed onto the stage. Before this, she had apologized to her teammates for her rashness. Looking at her tear-stained daughter who had truly experienced death, her manic heart seemed to grasp the true meaning of the Druid bear form—touch my cub, and you die!!!]

The red light curtain dropped, and the deathmatch began!!

Tuaner nudged Mia with her elbow off-stage. "How could you feel safe letting Sister Loran go up? She's so impulsive right now."

Mia snorted. "First, because Sister Loran's strength is enough to crush that Yin Ghost trapped in the corpse. Second, because my combat power has already "collapsed." If I go up, you guys won't have anything to fight. Look over there at Ryan Nephalem, who is red-eyed and waiting to vent—do you think he'll stand for it?"

Tuaner snuck a glance at Ryan Nephalem and felt it was safer not to provoke him right now. She stuck out her tongue, turned back, and continued to watch Sister Loran's match intently.

The moment the red light curtain descended, Fujiwara Chiyo's [kagura bell] was already gently shaking in her pale fingertips. Invisible sound waves spread like poisonous fog, and the temperature of the entire arena plummeted.

"Poor mother," the shrine maiden tilted her head and smiled, her voice like honey-coated poison. "Were you scared just now?" After delivering this trash talk, she covered her mouth and giggled.

Loran did not speak. Deep within her pupils, dark green flames ignited.

"Screech—"

The sound of flesh tearing suddenly rang out. The muscles in her arms twisted and expanded, her skin rapidly hardening and cracking, and dark green scales crawled up her arms like armor. Her ten fingers turned into sharp claws, her nails as black as blades, and foul, murderous aura oozed from between her nails.

—[Beastification: Poison Python]!

"Oh? A Druid?" Fujiwara Chiyo's smile stiffened for an instant, clearly not expecting her opponent to be in this form. "How... inelegant."

"Bang!"

Loran stomped hard on the ground, shattering the stone tiles, and her figure lunged forward like a cannonball! Her left hand turned into a claw, digging straight for the shrine maiden's heart, while her right hand swept across her throat. Before the scaled claws arrived, the foul wind had already sliced through the air.

Fujiwara Chiyo retreated in a hurry, the [kagura bell] shaking rapidly, and a translucent barrier condensed in front of her. "Ding!" The sharp claws collided with the spiritual barrier, actually producing a metallic clashing sound.

"Crack—"

The moment the barrier cracked, two black-purple vines suddenly lashed out from Loran's sleeves! This was the mutated [Azure Green Vine] she had raised with [Slaying Aura]. Unlike its usual harmless, supple appearance, the vine body was now covered in barbs, its tips like the fangs of a venomous snake, heading straight for the shrine maiden's eyes!

"Shikigami: White Fox!"

At the critical moment, Fujiwara Chiyo tore open a talisman, and a snow-white fox phantom leaped out from it, biting the [Azure Green Vine]. But as soon as the vine made contact with the shikigami, the white fox wailed and turned into black smoke—the murderous aura on the vine could actually annihilate spiritual bodies!

The shrine maiden's expression finally changed. She hurriedly retreated again, simultaneously raising that blood-stained camera—

"Click!"

The flash lit up blindingly, and Loran's figure paused instantly. Illusions surged before her eyes: she saw Luo Xiaoya pierced by a blade, saw her own rotting corpse, saw Fujiwara Chiyo stroking her withered bones with blood-stained fingers...

[Ghost Camera: Evil Spirit Illusion]!

"Mother!!"

Luo Xiaoya's heart-wrenching scream from off-stage pierced through the illusion like a sharp sword. Loran bit her tongue hard, the blood and sharp pain bringing her back to her senses—just in time to see the shrine maiden closing in, the [wakizashi] short blade stabbing toward her heart like a viper!

"Pfft!"

The blade pierced three inches into flesh but was jammed by the suddenly thickened scales. Loran grinned savagely and grabbed the shrine maiden's wrist, while the [Azure Green Vine] took the opportunity to wrap around her neck, the barbs piercing into pale skin, injecting murderous aura crazily!

"Ah!!"

Fujiwara Chiyo let out a scream that did not sound human, and spiderweb-like black veins appeared under her skin. She used her last bit of strength to shake the [kagura bell], and the ear-piercing sonic boom forcibly separated the two.

Fresh blood flowed out from Loran's chest in a gurgle, but instead of retreating, she advanced, her beastification deepening further—her spine arched, a python tail covered in bone spurs extended from her coccyx, and scales began to crawl over her face!

"Do you know why Druids are favored by nature?" the half-human, half-snake monster let out a hoarse growl, the [Azure Green Vine] dancing wildly around her. "Because we can devour even death..."