Chapter 770: Yabao vs. Steel Iron Dragon

“What an exhilarating scene!” The commentator was fired up.

“All of Fire Qilu’s clones were completely wiped out by a single Metal Sound from Steel Iron Dragon!”

The crowd erupted, especially Apollon’s fans.

“Aaaaaah! Apollon! Apollon!”

“Steel Iron Dragon, you're so cool!”

“Incredible, Steel Dragon’s Metal Sound must be mastered to ultimate-level technique!”

“That Steel Iron Dragon is seriously tough! Fire Qilu just hit it with Fire Fang at close range plus Exploding Bomb, and it still didn’t suffer heavy damage, it’s still going strong!”

“Oh, it definitely got hurt badly. It’s just that Steel Iron Dragon has insane endurance and pain tolerance.”

“Don’t underestimate Fire Qilu either, it recovered fast enough to dodge an attack and immediately counter!”

“It’s more than just impressive, it’s freaking amazing! So many clones and fire whirls… if it were my beast, its energy would’ve been drained completely…”

“Speaking of that, being able to instantly destroy so many clones with Metal Sound probably has to do with Steel Iron Dragon’s energy far surpassing Fire Qilu’s.”

“How do you know Steel Iron Dragon’s energy is higher?”

“Isn’t it obvious? With Qiao Sang’s kind of talent, she definitely wouldn’t contract older pet beasts. I bet she raised hers from carefully selected eggs. Steel Iron Dragon was contracted by Apollon thirteen years ago, and it was already in mid-stage form. It only evolved to General-level four years ago. Qiao Sang probably wasn’t even a Beastmaster back then.”

“You can’t say it like that. Energy levels can be boosted with resources too. Do you think Qiao Sang looks like someone short on resources?”

“Come on, pet beasts still need time to absorb energy. It’s not like you can just-”

“Holy crap!”

BOOM!

A massive explosion from the field cut the man off mid-sentence.

He turned to look, pupils constricting in shock, and blurted out a stunned “Holy crap” without thinking.

It was the kind of awe that only came from seeing a ultimate-level Meteor Rain for the first time.

Right now, the entire sky over the arena had been dyed blood red.

Countless flaming meteors fell like a torrential downpour from above, making it look as if the heavens themselves were ablaze.

Even though the flames didn’t reach the spectator stands, everyone felt the intense heat, as if they were surrounded by fire.

“Fire Qilu successfully cast Meteor Rain while hidden among its clones!” The commentator shouted, breathless with excitement.

“Faced with such an overwhelming barrage, can Steel Iron Dragon defend against it?!”

His words pulled the crowd out of their stunned trance.

Everyone suddenly remembered something they’d overlooked.

All of Fire Qilu’s clones had vanished, leaving only the real one.

And the real one… wasn’t on the ground anymore.

It was hovering over a hundred meters in the air.

Previously, everyone had been so focused on the hundreds of Fire Qilus, the fire whirls, and Steel Iron Dragon wiping them all out with Metal Sound, that no one noticed what the real Fire Qilu had been doing.

Turns out, Fire Qilu had teleported into the sky while launching the clones and had cast Meteor Rain from above.

“Why go airborne just to cast Meteor Rain?” Someone asked in confusion.

“Steel iron Dragon can’t fly. It takes longer for it to hit aerial targets. If Fire Qilu had stayed on the ground, it would’ve been more vulnerable to Metal Sound and probably wouldn’t have managed to cast the skill.”

The person speaking watched the battlefield intently and added, “Plus, if Meteor Rain had been launched from the ground, Steel Iron Dragon might’ve been able to intercept the energy balls. But launched from above? It’s helpless.”

“You know quite a lot…” The person who asked earlier gave him a sideways glance.

“Are you a professional Beastmaster?”

Tang Yi grinned sheepishly, revealing two rows of gleaming white teeth.

“Not yet. But I’m working hard to become one.”

---

On the field.

A rain of fire fell from the sky.

Apollon’s heart sank. He shouted, “Defend!”

To be honest, he had anticipated that Fire Qilu might use Meteor Rain in this battle, but he hadn’t expected it to come right after the use of so many clones and Fire Whirls.

Does Fire Qilu really have enough energy to sustain all that…?

Is this its own battle instinct, or a strategy Qiao Sang planned ahead of time…?

Apollon couldn’t help glancing toward the black-haired girl with a ponytail in the distance.

Yabao was clearly having the time of its life...

Qiao Sang took a deep breath to calm the adrenaline rushing through her from the excitement of the match, forcing herself to analyze the situation rationally.

Using Meteor Rain was a good move, it was Yabao’s ultimate skill. Perfect for testing Steel Iron Dragon’s defensive capabilities.

If even this move doesn’t break through Steel Iron Dragon’s defenses… then Yabao will have to reserve enough energy for one more finishing attack.

“Iron Iron!”

Steel Iron Dragon clearly sensed the danger. Its expression grew serious.

With a roar, a shimmering layer of light flashed across its body, making it appear even more solid and fortified.

Boom boom boom!!!

The flaming rain bombarded the arena. The ground shattered, scarlet eruptions blasting through the terrain. Fire tongues rampaged across the field.

But such terrifying flame strikes seemed completely ineffective on Steel Iron Dragon.

It stood tall in the center of the chaos, fire raining down and exploding across its body, yet it didn’t move a single step.

It held up…

Apollon let out a breath of relief.

Then, his expression subtly shifted.

Steel Iron Dragon shuddered ever so slightly.

No one else noticed it, but as its Beast master, Apollon instantly realized: Steel Iron Dragon hadn’t completely shrugged off Meteor Rain's damage.

This won’t work… Meteor Rain would continue falling for at least a full minute. If Steel Dragon just stood there taking it for that long, even if it didn’t fall, it would be too injured to continue fighting.

Apollon’s brain raced.

“Attack!” He commanded.

“Iron Iron!”

Hearing its master’s voice, Steel Iron Dragon roared, opening its mouth and firing a silver-white beam straight at Yabao’s position.

Yabao dodged in time, avoiding the blast.

But Steel Iron Dragon didn’t stop there. It tilted its head upward slightly and continued sweeping the beam at Yabao.

The silver beam swept across the air with blinding speed and immense power, forcing Yabao to keep teleporting to evade.

“Steel Iron Dragon is enduring Meteor Rain while launching a counterattack at Fire Qilu!” The commentator exclaimed, spitting in excitement.

“Does it even feel pain?!”

Incredible...

The crowd was stunned.

This was a ultimate-level Meteor Rain, and it was taking it head-on without going down, that alone was amazing.

But not only that, it was still attacking!

Is this truly the Steel Iron Dragon known for top-tier defense among General-level Dragon-type beasts?

People’s view of Dragon-types soared once again.

Steel Wall, a high-tier Steel-type defensive skill…

And using Dragon Pulse to counter while under Meteor Rain…

Could Meteor Rain really be ineffective? That shouldn’t be…

Yabao’s Meteor Rain was trained to ultimate peak-level mastery. Even if it couldn’t completely break Steel Iron Dragon’s defense, it should’ve at least injured it…

Qiao Sang stared at the Steel Iron Dragon, still glowing despite launching its attacks, her mind racing.

She didn’t let her thoughts scatter, she quickly refocused and shouted: “Inferno!”

If Meteor Rain alone wasn’t enough to break Steel Iron Dragon’s defenses, then she’d combine it with Lava Inferno!

(T/n: I just realized, Lava Inferno is Lava Purgatory. Did I mention that in past chapters? I don't know anymore, I forgot already. I'm going to just make it Lava Inferno.)

Yabao had used up most of his energy already, this skill had to be used now, while he still had enough strength left.

There’s no way Steel Iron Dragon can withstand Meteor Rain and Lava Inferno!

Inferno? What Inferno?!

Apollon’s heart lurched with a sense of impending crisis.

It made him instinctively shout: “Ground!”

No matter what kind of Inferno skill it was, it would likely launch from the ground. If he was right, Fire Qilu was about to teleport there!

As the thought flashed by, sure enough, Yabao appeared on the ground.

Got it!

Apollon’s eyes lit up with joy.

Steel Iron Dragon lowered its head, and the silver beam blasted straight toward the freshly landed Yabao!

The Dragon Pulse was so fast, it closed a 100-meter distance in just 0.03 seconds, and struck Yabao head-on.

BOOM!

A massive explosion flung Yabao backward.

A mistake

… Qiao Sang’s pupils contracted, overwhelmed by guilt.

Her brain worked at lightning speed, she instantly realized why Apollon had said “ground” before Yabao even landed.

It was because she had called out “Inferno.”

Even though she hadn’t finished saying Lava Inferno, a seasoned professional Beast master could guess the skill’s type from just the word.

Apollon was that type of Beast master.

He’s way stronger than any opponent I’ve faced before…

Stay calm, there’s still a chance…

Qiao Sang took a deep breath to steady herself.

Through the rain of fire, she fixed her eyes on the glowing Steel Iron Dragon.

At that moment, the commentator’s passionate voice rang out: “Oh! Apollon accurately predicted Fire Qilu’s movement! Steel Iron Dragon successfully hit it with Dragon Pulse!”

Cheers and shouts erupted.

“Apollon’s predictions are insane!”

“How did he guess Fire Qilu would teleport to the ground?!”

“So good! No wonder he’s won the Beast Arena Championship four times!”

“Steel Iron Dragon is amazing too! It managed to hit a teleporting beast while under Meteor Rain!”

Qiao Sang didn’t hear any of it.

More precisely, she was so focused that her mind automatically blocked everything else out.

She saw the flames exploding continuously against Steel Iron Dragon’s body.

The ground under it had collapsed.

And the dragon itself, was trembling, just slightly.

Meteor Rain was working!

Qiao Sang’s eyes lit up, and she shouted: “Yabao!”

It wasn’t just a call, it was a cry of excitement.

“YAP!!”

A blazing light burst forward!

What the, after taking that hit from Dragon Pulse, it looks even stronger than before…?!

The firestorm above obscured Apollon’s vision, but he could make out a flaming beast rushing toward him.

Blaze! It was Blaze!

Apollon’s heart thudded, he knew this was the turning point of the match.

If he could survive this round, once the Blaze effect passed, Fire Qilu would enter a weakened state!

“Explode!”

“Iron Iron!”

At his command, Steel Iron Dragon roared, and its body burst with white light.

Bright dots of energy gathered around its body, glowing intensely.

Metal Burst, a high-tier Steel skill that returns the final damage received to the enemy. Incredibly powerful, but only in close combat.

Qiao Sang’s heart pounded, she shouted: “Continue!”

Continue the attack that had just begun.

Others might not get it, but Yabao understood instantly.

Just as the white energy points began to form around Steel Iron Dragon, the incoming fireball vanished, and reappeared a hundred meters away.

Apollon was stunned for a second.

Wait, wasn’t a beast under Blaze supposed to go berserk and fight head-on? How was it able to stay calm enough to pull back like this?

No, Fire Qilu didn’t retreat from Metal Burst, it’s preparing to attack!

By the time Apollon realized this, it was too late.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

The white energy exploded outward in eight-meter-long beams, accompanied by deafening blasts.

Some of the beams hit the still-falling fire rain, amplifying the shockwaves across the field.

At the same time, Yabao, engulfed in flame, grinned wildly, completely thrilled.

Its right front limb stomped down hard-

Dark red, molten magma burst from beneath its feet, instantly engulfing the battlefield!

The red light surged like hellfire, unstoppable and terrifying.

The rising lava waves flooded Steel Iron Dragon completely.

“IRON IRON!!!”

Steel Iron Dragon let out the most pained cry of its life.

And still, the fire rain hadn’t stopped falling.

From the sky: Torrential Meteor Rain.

From the earth: Hellish Lava Inferno.

The battlefield turned into a forbidden land.

In that moment, everyone was stunned speechless, mouths agape, faces frozen.

Even Apollon.

“IRON IRON!!!”

Steel Iron Dragon howled as its Steel Wall finally vanished.

Lava boiled beneath it.

Fire rained down above.

It thrashed, roared-

Then with a final

BOOM!

, collapsed and fell silent.

Utter silence.

Lava… Lava Inferno?!

Apollon stood there, shocked and dazed.

So when Qiao Sang said “Inferno” earlier, she meant a super-tier skill, Lava Inferno?!

At that moment, the robotic pet judge blew the whistle, signaling the end of the match.

The commentator snapped back to reality, swallowed hard, and took a deep breath before shouting with passion: “Let us congratulate Qiao Sang for winning the first match!”

The crowd remained silent.

“Yap…”

The flames on Yabao’s body gradually faded.

His body swayed slightly.

Then, he steadied himself, puffed out his chest, lifted his chin, and posed to show off his hairstyle to the crowd.