Chapter 212 - Crocodile vs. Tiger

"Let the fight begin!"

With Song Yazhu’s go-ahead, Hu Jie and Wani Garrett sprinted forward without hesitating a second. They had known each other for years now and didn't need to study their opponent. They just wanted to come to blows as soon as possible, as evidenced by their crazy excited smiles on their faces.

"Metal Crocodile Bloodline, Activate! Metal Law, Bronze Scales!"

The pale scars on Wani Garrett's body glowed with a bronze glow as they formed a pattern similar to the scales of a crocodile.

"White Tiger Bloodline, Activate! Metal Law, Diamond Body!"

Hu Jie's body also lit up, giving his body a diamond light.

PENG!

A loud metallic noise rang throughout the stadium. It was as if two large blocks of metal had crashed into each other at high speed. Yet, they were only two young spirit soldiers.

In the center of the fighting stage, the two fighters were grappling in a show of strength. Their hands were locked onto each other, and they were trying to push their opponent back. But neither of them gave an inch as they created sizzles of light generated by their metallic skin contact.

"You have improved in power since the last time we have seen each other." Hu Jie commented.

"And not only that. Intent of the Claws, Crocodile Vice!" Wani Garrett answered.

Screech!

Wani Garrett's Spirit Metal claws glowed with spirit power before sinking into the back of Hu Jie's diamond hand. Since the diamond skin wasn’t so easy to penetrate, the claws didn’t sink into the flesh but scraped the outside, generating loud screeches.

"Huh? Don't you try to overpower me by force alone like last time? Ahahah, Tiger Grip!"

Like Wani Garrett, Hu Jie buried his hands on the back of his opponent's hand even though he didn’t possess Spirit Metal claws. Yet he too generated screeches of scraping, and the reason was his impressive grip strength. If given the opportunity and enough time, Hu Ji could destroy his enemies' defensive layer with the power of his fingers alone.

Screech!

'Shit. I can't go on like this.' thought Wani Garrett before lifting his right leg and hitting Hu Jie in the stomach.

Peng!

Hu Jie's left leg intercepted Wani Garrett's kick. The former had seen his opponent move his leg and intercepted the blow by hitting the ankle, thus canceling the kick's momentum and power.

"What's up? Didn't you want to do a strength showdown? Or do you know that your Bronze Scales aren’t as tough as my Diamond Body?" mocked Hu Jie; he was in control of the situation.

“Don’t claim your victory, Hu Jie. We have just started. Metal Law, Silver Scales!"

The scars-scales on Wani Garrett's body lit up again. The former bronze color faded to be replaced by a silver tint. At the same time, Wani Garrett's muscular body visibly deflated like a balloon that had been punctured.

Slip!!

Wani Garrett's now thin hands slipped out of Hu Jie's grasp, thus freeing himself from that dangerous situation. However, soon after, the former launched another kick, this time a roundhouse kick aimed at the head.

Peng!

Hu Jie received the kick in full without batting an eye. The non-kicking power wasn't enough to hurt him, but it still left him slightly stunned. He was unable to anticipate it as he had done with a low kick before.

“Get ready, Hu Jie! Wani Family Technique, Crocodile Swimming!"

Wani Garrett moved from where he stood. His speed had reached an impressive level, far surpassing what he had previously demonstrated. And with his new speed, he began to fill Hu Jie with blows.

Peng! Screech! Peng! Screech!

Rather than punches, Wani Garrett clawed with his Spirit Metal claws. Even if they couldn't penetrate Hu Jie's skin, it was uncertain whether this would last throughout the fight. But the most important thing was that Hu Jie was unable to respond. Or at least that was how it seemed.

Peng!

Wani Garrett's claw crashed into Hu Jie's closed fist. The former was baffled because his attack had been anticipated despite his speed while the latter responded with a roundhouse kick, similar to the one he had received.

Woosh!

The kick cut the air like a blade but didn’t reach its goal. Wani Garrett was faster and ducked down quickly to avoid the impact. However, Hu Jie also anticipated this response.

Peng!

Seeing Wani Garrett come down, Hu Jie stopped his kick as soon as he passed him. Then, at the same time, he grabbed Wani Garrett's outstretched hand with the arm used to counter the claw attack while bending the leg used for the kick so that it dropped down.

In an instant, he had blocked his opponent's arm, preventing him from escaping, and with the heel of his raised leg, he struck Wani Garrett's face. But it wasn't over there. The ram served only to disorient Wani Garrett momentarily to gain the few moments he needed for the next move.

"Tiger Armlock!"

Hu Jie took the already trapped arm's wrist in both hands and twisted it to contort it. He then pushed his right elbow down on the twisted arm, forcing Wani Garrett to fall to his knees to the ground due to the sudden movement.

At that point, he quickly moved his right arm over Wani Garrett's left shoulder as his left arm hooked his neck and pushed him forward, causing him to fall to the ground. Finally, he placed his left knee over his opponent's neck as he twisted his arm again behind his back.

A few seconds. This was the time it took for Hu Jie to reverse the situation he was in. Not only had he defended himself and blocked Wani Garrett's rampage of attacks, but he had counterattacked, forcing the latter to the ground in a submission hold.

'What an amazing technique. There are no flaws in his technique, and his speed of execution is impressive. It wasn’t a fortuitous situation; he was aiming for an armlock from the start. '

Hei was surprised. It was rare to find someone versatile in submission holds, especially at such a high level. Apart from when it came to ambush, even he rarely used such moves because of the difficulty of execution during a fight.

"It's amazing that such a light-hearted guy is capable of such analytical skills, isn't it?" Long Tian commented next to Hei. “If it weren't for his nature, he would be an excellent commander. But come to think of it, it wouldn't be the Hu Jie we know. Rather than glowing within a group, he shines better alone."

“I agree, although a little responsibility wouldn't hurt him. But aside from that, it's definitely dangerous to face in a 1 vs. 1 fight." Feng Chen added. The latter spent a lot of time with Hu Jie and had learned to appreciate him despite their different natures.

Meanwhile, the fight was still ongoing even though it had reached a stalemate. Hu Jie still kept Wani Garrett trapped on the ground without giving him a way to free himself. Metallic screeches filled the air as the metal skins of the two were in contact.

From what it looked like from the outside, it was only a matter of time before Wani Garrett's silver scales collapsed. At that point, it would be a child's play for Hu Jie to finish the fight and take the win.

“Don't make me laugh. I didn't train so hard just to lose in this ridiculous way. I will show you how the Crocodile eats the Tiger!” grunted Wani Garrett before pulling out the card he had in store. It was the same card he had used in the first turn, but this time he would use all his power.

"Metal Law, Gold Scales! Wani Family Secret Technique - Golden Giant!"

At that cry, Wani Garrett's body began to expand rapidly. Hu Jie's hold on him was shattered, leaving the Hu Family's young man empty-handed but above all exposed to a counterattack.

BOOM!

A golden fist flew in Hu Jie's direction, who was suspended in midair after he had to release Wani Garrett's arm. This punch made Hu Jie roll backward, generating a roar.

"Much better. Time to repay the favor. Crocodile Bite! "

The three-meter-tall golden giant, aka Wani Garrett, ran at full speed towards Hu Jie. His every step thundered on the floor as if an earthquake was in progress. His resentful eyes were fixed on his prey still in midair.

Hu Jie, meanwhile, regained his concentration and stabilized after being thrown backward. It had no damage thanks to the diamond body but still suffered from the blow. With a more serious look than before, he prepared to welcome the golden giant coming towards him.

"Tiger Lariat Tiger!"

Extending his right arm, Hu Jie lunged forward to meet Wani Garrett. His diamond arm glowed with spirit power as it swelled up to become double in size.

Boom!

Hu Jie ducked down with quick aerial movements to dodge Wani Garrett's bite, right up to his neck. At that point, the combined momentum of the two crashed into each other right on the golden giant's neck.

There was a boom, and the golden giant’s advance was incredibly stopped as he opened his mouth and spat out saliva. Even though his skin wasn't cracked, he had suffered from the impact. He quickly searched for Hu Jie to take revenge with his eyes but didn’t find him in the position he thought he was in.

"Tiger Direct!"

Boom!

Another boom, and once again, the golden giant was hit. Hu Jie had taken the opportunity to move quickly to the back of Wani Garrett's head and had launched a direct from there.

Wani Garrett took a few steps forward from the blow, but this time he didn’t allow himself to be destabilized by the impact. Using the forward movement to his advantage, he quickly turned his body to hit Hu Jie with a spinning kick.

Peng!

Hu Jie put his arms forward and welcomed the full impact of the kick. This time he wasn’t rolled back as before but was forced to take only a few steps back.

"Tiger Front Kick!" Hu Jie immediately replied and executed a straight front kick on the golden giant's nose.

At that moment, a back and forth confrontation began between the two. Both of them would receive the blow of the other without backing off or trying to dodge and then respond in turn. It remembered the ancient fairy tale about the clash between a young human and a giant spirit beast.

The spirit beast was tens and tens of meters high and sowed terror in the human world. Various heroes tried to take it down but in vain. Finally, the nightmare ended when a brave young boy stepped forward and exploited his ingenuity by hitting the creature's weak points.

The ongoing scene, therefore, reminded the audience of this fairy tale. However, Wani Garrett wasn’t a ten of meters high spirit beast, but a human who had inflated his body thanks to a special technique. On the other hand, Hu Jie wasn’t a frail human who had to use his wits to win; it was more like a tiger excited in front of prey worth hunting.

The two kept hitting each other relentlessly, and finally, the sound of something shattering could be heard - it was Wani Garrett's skin. The golden giant had reached its limit before Hu Jie.

“Ehehe, it's time to end it. Hu Family Secret Technique - Fighting Tiger!"

Hu Jie took a big breath of air before his muscles swelled out of proportion. It was similar to the technique he had used during the Lariat, but this time it was the whole body that was affected.

“I don't usually use it that way because it drastically drops my speed but with such a large target in front of me… hehe. Tiger Assault!"

Hu Jie unleashed an outburst of deadly punches at Wani Garrett. Part of the scales covering Wani Garrett's body would shatter and crumble on contact with the floor with each blow.

It was a real beating. Wani Garrett had no way to fight back, and it was only until all the scales on his upper body were destroyed that Hu Jie held back his barrage of blows.

“You fought well, I have to admit. If it continued further, my diamond skin would give way. You can be proud of yourself. Tiger Direct!" Hu Jie said before delivering the last punch in Wani Garrett's face, who was back to his normal state.

The latter smiled before receiving the punch and passing out instantly. Even though he was regretful of the defeat, he couldn't deny Hu Jie's strength. They had a frontal confrontation, and he had lost, end of the story.

"The winner is Hu Jie!" Song Yazhu announced as soon as Wani Garrett lost consciousness. As the tournament progressed, the fights would become more and more intense, and therefore his interference in the fight would be less.

For this reason, he didn’t stop the fight immediately after Hu Jie shattered Wani Garrett's skin. Sometimes to grow, especially for martial artists, it was necessary to crash violently into a wall to understand your shortcomings and overcome them.

Hu Jie nodded to the unconscious Wani Garrett and returned to the other fighters. Even though he was unharmed on the surface, he still suffered from the blows he received. Furthermore, his spirit power had been enormously spent, and fatigue was making itself felt.

“The first challenge is over. We will now proceed with the second challenge that will see two beast tamers compete against each other, the winners of the third and fourth matches of the first round - Pablo Cortés and Hei."

Hearing his name, Hei rose from his seat. Now it was up to him and his little sisters to take the field.

"Ye, Xing, let's go," Hei said as Ye and Xing increased in size and regained their true appearance. There was a mad desire in their eyes to fight, especially after an intense fight like the one they had just witnessed.