“He actually won.” Aeriole Von Basten stared at the hybrid child, Rao Wu, with a myriad of complex emotions flashing through her eyes; joy, sorrow, pride, and sadness. She gripped her armrest as she stiffly rose from her seat and then descended toward the arena grounds.

“Quickly make way! The Phoenix Princess is passing through!” Students screamed, quickly shifting out of Aeriole’s path as she descended the stairs.

The fiery child’s eyes burned with conflicting emotions as she walked out onto the arena while the medics carried Brooks and his soul monster out. Pa! Surprisingly, as if sensing her presence, Brooks snapped awake and then grabbed Aeriole’s arm.

Sss! Brooks ignored the sizzling sounds as fiery heat burned his palm and instead gazed into Aeriole’s eyes with a desperate fervor. Summoning the last energy he had, Brooks croaked, “Humanity can never lose to the hybrids!” His burning gaze shook the medics’ hearts as he refused to let go despite their attempts. “Swear you will not lose!”

Aeriole sighed and then grasped Brooks’ hand. “I’m a human of the Von Basten family.” She gently pulled off his palm and then promised in a grave tone, “Until I fulfill my destiny, I shall never bring disgrace upon the Von Basten name.”

“Hehe.” For the first time, Brooks cracked a small smile as he laid back on the stretcher. “That’s all I needed to hear.” Satisfied, his hand fell limp as he once again fell unconscious.

“What a powerful will,” exclaimed a medic as she gently bandaged Brooks’ burned palm.

Aeriole’s conflicted gaze slowly grew resolute as she looked at Brooks’ bruised and battered body. That’s right. Just like Rao Wu fought for his home, she too had a responsibility to her people. She could not hesitate just because Rao Wu was a friend. Having affirmed her resolve, she looked at the medics and said, “Treat him well. He is a future pillar of this kingdom.”

“Of course, Phoenix Princess!”

Upon receiving the medics’ confirmations, Aeriole tapped her chest as she walked to her starting point. Flames spurted from her chest, quickly enveloping her in flames. As she approached her destination, the fire slowly receded, revealing a fiery red dress with matching plate breastplates, gauntlet, and boots.

By the time Aeriole reached her designated point, the hesitant child had been replaced by a fierce young warrior. She looked up, the slightest traces of guilt in her eyes as she observed the fatigued Rao Wu.

For his part, Rao Wu wore a wry smile when he saw the fighting intent in Aeriole’s eyes. Well, this was not how he envisioned their reunion. Still, it was what it was. He would not hold it against her, as she too was fighting for her home just like him. So, he simply waved and then greeted, “Hey, there. It’s been a while.”

Aeriole calmly gazed at Rao Wu, her emotions hidden behind resolute eyes. “Where have you been?”

“I told you I had training,” Rao Wu answered as he winced. Overload’s aftereffects had begun. His body was racked by so much pain; it almost felt better to die. Rao Wu, however, gritted his teeth and endured the pain. He could not fall now. He just had to win this fight. Afterward… well, he’ll deal with ‘after’ when it arrived. “I just got back.”

Aeriole softly smiled. “Heh. Looks like you have perfect timing. Some would say fateful.”

“Hehe, I was just lucky.” Rao Wu chuckled as Xian Da, and Ju Tu walked over to his side. He then winked at Aeriole and teased, “I guess you can’t just give up and let me win, right?”

Aeriole let out a small laugh as she shook her head. “Can you?”

“I can’t.” Rao Wu shook his head with a wry smile. “It’s my fault you humans found out about the Eternal Spring Water. The jungle raised me. I can’t turn my back on them now.”

“You humans, huh,” Aeriole tested the phrase on her lips, drawing an imperceptible frown across her brows. “So, you really are a hybrid.” Her frown deepened as she angrily scolded Rao Wu, “Why didn’t you remain hidden? I could go easy on a human, but I cannot do so for a hybrid.”

Rao Wu’s smile turned a little sad as he looked into Aeriole’s eyes. “You too? You believe hybrids and beastkin are inferior to humans?”

“I—” Aeriole hesitated. She bit her lips in frustration, but then recalling Brooks’ face, she shook her head and stated, “I have a duty! You wouldn’t understand.”

Surprisingly, Rao Wu chuckled in reply as he said, “Alright then, one day you can explain your duty to me. But for now—” Rao Wu accepted his spear from Ju Tu and then brandished it with a grim gaze. “—How about we finish this competition?”

“Sorry, Rao Wu—" Aeriole shook her head as two tiny red balls floated out from behind her and then slowly danced around arms.

Within the podium, Bu Lu’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the tiny, floating balls. “Fire Motes: the Von Basten Family’s primary soul pet.” He glanced at Hao Ranhui by his side as he muttered, “I heard the Von Basten Family can only use Fire Motes. Is this true?”

Hao Ranhui, likewise, viewed the floating balls with a hint of reverence. “It’s not that they can’t use other soul pets, but that they simply do not need to. The Von Basten’s Fire Motes and Wisps are enough to dominate half the Eastern Continent.”

Bu Lu swallowed hard as he looked at Aeriole. “Why is that?”

Hao Ranhui sneered as he glanced at Bu Lu. “The weakest Fire Mote in the Von Basten arsenal is general-ranked, and they have enough to outfit the entire clan from the Baron to the janitor. You tell me, is such a clan powerful or not?” Before Bu Lu could get over his shock, Hao Ranhui dropped another bombshell, “The Phoenix Princess’ Fire Motes are some of the strongest. I wouldn’t be surprised if her Motes are at monarch-rank or noble at the very least.”

As Hao Ranhui said, Rao Wu was currently facing the enormous pressure of two noble-ranked soul pets. However, the shock had only just begun.

After summoning her soul pets, Aeriole tapped on her spatial ring, and then pulled out a giant broadsword almost as big as her. Before the audience could even ask how she intended to wield the sword, Aeriole grasped one of the Fire Motes and then pushed it into the sword’s hilt.

Vwoosh!

The sword ignited as violent flames poured all over, transforming it into a flaming broadsword. Aeriole still was not done yet, as she then grabbed the second Fire Mote and pushed it into her chest.

“Another assimilation-type?” Rao Wu’s eyes twitched as he watched Aeriole burst into flames, her image closely resembling berserk Fire Spirit.

Rao Wu did not know that while Motes were indeed assimilation-types, they usually could only be put into objects to change their elements. Any human that assimilated a Fire Mote would immediately combust to ash, or at best, suffer severe burn damage to both their souls and bodies if they canceled the assimilation in time.

Aeriole was only fine because she had a special immunity to flames. As to why she had that immunity? Well, time would reveal all secrets.

The flaming apparition gently raised her broadsword and rested it on her shoulder as she looked at Rao Wu. “I would have liked to fight you at full strength, but I cannot take any risks. Please forgive me.”

“Argh, damn it.” Rao Wu, meanwhile, chuckled as he brandished his spear. “Why can’t you be like those arrogant jerkoffs and let me heal up first?”

Aeriole, seeing Rao Wu’s playful mood, couldn’t help but smile. “Now, that would not accord you the respect you deserve, would it?”

“Aish, me and my big mouth.” Rao Wu, realizing Aeriole threw his words back at him, burst out laughing and then winked at the referee. “Well then, ref. Shall we get this show on the road.”

The middle-aged referee chuckled as he looked at the spritely child. At first, he wanted Rao Wu to lose more than anything, but now, as he watched the child make one miracle after another, a small part of him wanted to see Rao Wu created another miracle. ‘Why did you have to be a hybrid?’ Unfortunately, the referee’s patriotic pride would never let him root for a hybrid.

The referee looked away from Rao Wu with conflicted eyes and then confirmed Aeriole’s readiness. After Aeriole nodded, the referee nodded and then waved his hand, “Fight!”

Boom!

Aeriole exploded like a missile, leaving a blazing trail as she rapidly zipped across the arena. Within the blink of an eye, she reached Rao Wu and then swung down with all her might!

Bang! Ju Tu grunted as he parried the vicious strike with his spear. By his side, Xian Da quickly shot out a Wind Blast at Aeriole’s exposed midriff.

Aeriole did not panic. Instead, she calmly activated Blaze, a Fire Mote, Area of Effect (AoE) attack that unleashed a conical explosion in a 5-meter radius with her as the epicenter.

Boom! Xian Da’s Wind Blast imploded against the burning cone, forcing Xian Da to retreat before the explosion consumed him too.

“Ugh!” Ju Tu, on the other hand, gritted his teeth as the flames washed over him. The Silver Primates’ fur singed but surprisingly did not catch on fire. Ju Tu, for the first time, began to see the effects of his transformation. His fur was not only stronger but had increased elemental resistance.

Seeing as he did not need to fear the flames as much as Rao Wu or Xian Da, Ju Tu immediately seized the vanguard role, resolutely smashing his staff against Aeriole. Xian Da, meanwhile, darted around Aeriole and then swung his claws at her. Soul Energy rapidly coagulated and then burst out in the form of three chakra blades. This was the claw battle technique, Meat Grinder that Rao Wu bought for Xian Da. It was far deadlier than Punishing Claws as the soul energy rotated for a few seconds, tearing deeper into the target and rupturing internal organs.

Aeriole’s fiery gaze erupted as she switched tactics. Since Ju Tu had elemental resistance, she no longer bothered with passive fire damage. Instead, she slashed upward with one hand, disrupting the Ju Tu’s attack, and then pointed her left hand at the Silver Primate’s stomach.

“Scorch!” Aeriole shouted as two thin columns of flames escaped her left hand and the sword, which coincidentally swung toward the incoming chakra blades.

Boom! Aeriole’s hair madly fluttered in the wild winds as the explosion sent Ju Tu flying and then destroyed the chakra blades. However, she then jumped several feet into the air like a rocket, barely dodging in time as Xian Da burst out from her Shadow in an attempt to bite her ankles.

Aeriole spun in the air and then once again swung her sword downward, unleashing a stream of flames at the emerging Xian Da. Fortunately, Xian Da reacted quickly, spitting out a Wind Blast that exploded the incoming attack. However, rather than relax, Xian Da’s fur sharply stood on end as his instincts flared with warning.

Xian Da quickly took stock of his surroundings, and his eyes widened with fear when he saw the falling embers. Recalling a certain water mage, he promptly tried to retreat, but Aeriole was faster.

“Too slow!” Still airborne, Aeriole clenched her fists, causing those scattered embers to coagulate around Xian Da. She then squeezed harder as she cried, “Explo—”

“Like I’ll let you!” Ju Tu, who at some unknown point had jumped over Aeriole, roared as he smashed his staff down at her head.

“Tch!” Aeriole gave up on exploding Xian Da and instead turned and smashed her sword against Ju Tu’s, igniting an explosion that sent them both flying. As Aeriole hit the ground, she quickly looked at the fireball that contained Xian Da and then squeezed. “Explo—”

Boom! In the end, Aeriole wasted too much time, allowing Xian Da time to escape with Gale, an AoE attack that unleashed a small explosion of wind with Xian Da at the epicenter.

Having learned his lesson, Xian Da quickly jumped into his shadow and retreated before Aeriole could capture him with the embers.

Having twice missed opportune moments to defeat one of her enemies, Aeriole clucked her tongue and then glared at Rao Wu, who had been grimly watching the fight. She wanted to eliminate Rao Wu quickly, but she knew Ju Tu and Xian Da would not make it easy.

Aeriole frowned and then looked at Ju Tu, who had once again positioned himself between her and Rao Wu. “Fine,” she said as she took a step toward the Silver Primate. “I’ll just defeat you guys first.”

Boom!

Aeriole’s tactics changed after deciding to focus on the soul pets. She turned into a one-woman detonation charge as she bombed around the arena, unleashing devastating attack after devastating attack. She quickly pushed Xian Da and Ju Tu on the defensive, her seemingly endless soul energy allowing her to utilize soul techniques without end.

Within a few minutes, both Ju Tu and Xian Da were terribly injured, the latter with severe burns across his fur. However, neither soul pet backed down in the least as they confronted the inexhaustible flaming empress with all their might.

Aeriole sighed as she rested her blade on her shoulder and then said to the soul pets, “You can’t win. Give up.”

Ju Tu gritted his teeth as he brandished his staff. A long burn scar ran across its right eye where Aeriole’s sword had almost blinded him. Despite this, he thumped on his chest and declared, “Never.”

Xian Da, whose fur was wholly burnt in several patches, chuckled as he glared at Aeriole. “You’re not enough to make us give up.” His eyes burned as he smirked, “We’ve faced worse.”

“Oh, you have?” Aeriole smirked and then turned to Rao Wu, who had gotten to his feet and now wielded the spear with a grim expression. “Are you finally joining us?”

Rao Wu smirked as he turned to Ju Tu, “Do it!”

“Third Pillar!” Ju Tu suddenly roared and then slammed his staff into the ground. Aeriole initially prepared to block that troublesome attack, but shockingly, the attack only struck the arena grounds and kicked up a dust cloud.

“Awooo!” Xian Da then howled as it unleashed Gale, causing the dust cloud to scatter in every direction—including Aeriole’s.

Aeriole quickly realized the trio wanted to blind her, and so she swung her sword, unleashing a chaotic flaming crescent that parted the dustcloud. Before she could relax, however, Aeriole’s instincts flared as a spear broke through her flames and then charged at her.

Clang! Aeriole expertly deflected the spear skyward, causing it to spin in place, and then quickly turned around. As expected, Rao Wu’s fox-fire hovered behind her. However, rather than pay attention to the fox-fire, she stabbed her sword backward, almost catching Rao Wu, who emerged from his spear’s shadow.

“You’re annoyingly perceptive!” Rao Wu shouted as he slapped the burning blade, so it passed by his stomach. Before Aeriole could detonate, he chuckled as he called, “But I’m not the main attacker this time. Soul Burst!”

Xian Da and Ju Tu’s auras rapidly surged, stunning Aeriole. Before she could react, Xian Da jumped into his shadow, zipped across the shadow cast by the receding dustcloud, and then emerged from the foxfire's shadow all in a second.

“What!?” Aeriole, who was still recovering from Rao Wu deflecting her attack, was rendered defenseless as Xian Da gathered wind in his mouth. Meanwhile, Ju Tu swung its staff as it took advantage of its surging soul energy to forcefully unleash the Forth Pillar toward her skull.

Attacked on all sides, Aeriole’s eyes burned with fury as she roared, “Blaze!”

BOOM! Aeriole desperately unleashed Blaze, causing an explosion that rocked Rao Wu, Ju Tu, and Xian Da.

Moments after the explosion ended, Aeriole panted and looked around with frightened eyes. In her panic, she forgot to hold back. She hoped she didn’t kill Rao Wu.

“Did I say I wasn’t the main attacker?”

Rao Wu’s teasing voice snapped Aeriole back to reality, and she quickly turned to see a silhouette amidst the clearing smoke. The smoke rapidly cleared, causing loud gasps to ring around the arena as Rao Wu appeared, somehow, unscathed.

Aeriole’s mind trembled as she stared at Rao Wu. ‘How?’ ‘Just How!?’

Rao Wu had no intentions of explaining at the moment. Instead, he grinned as his eyes suddenly flashed. “Sorry, I lied.”

The exhausted Aeriole could not resist as Rao Wu plunged her into a brief illusion. It was not the most powerful illusion, but it was enough to render her utterly defenseless for a single second.

A second was all Rao Wu needed. He took a step forward and channeled most of his soul energy into his fist and then buried that fist deep into the girl’s stomach.

A stunned Aeriole coughed up blood as the attack launched her halfway across the grounds until she exploded into the arena wall.

“Hah… Hah… Finally got her.” An exhausted Rao Wu collapsed to the ground and swallowed huge mouthfuls of air. He then looked over as Ju Tu, and Xian Da stumbled over and then collapsed next to him. “Hehe… Looks like we did it, guy—”

Rao Wu suddenly froze as he sensed something wrong. He quickly glanced at the referee, who was looking at the hole in the wall with a grim expression. The referee wasn’t the only one. Most humans were looking at the wall with excitement like something grand was about to happen.

Squeaaal!

A piercing, shrill cry pierced the afternoon sky just as Rao Wu looked at the hole in fear. A tremendous pressure, similar to Fen’s when he finally got serious, pressed down on Rao Wu and his soul pets. It suffocated the trio as if denying them the right to breathe in its presence.

BOOM!

The arena wall exploded, revealing a cluster of flames in the form of a woman. Beautiful, bountiful, flaming wings sprouted out of the Fire Spirit’s back as it flew into the sky, and then stared at Rao Wu.

Rao Wu swallowed hard as he stared at the flaming apparition. “Aeriole?”

“I warned you.” Aeriole Von Basten, the 53rd Flaming Phoenix Princess, raised her hand for the final time. “You cannot win.”