Huo Wushuang had clearly refused to accept being repelled. With a thunderous shout, he charged back in without using any Soul Skill, slamming straight toward Dai Mubai with brute force alone. What he sought to defend was his reputation as an unstoppable frontal fighter.
Meanwhile, the other assault-type Soul Master from Blazing Fire Academy found himself in far less favorable circumstances—he was facing attacks from both Tai Long and Huang Yuan simultaneously.
Tai Long's Martial Soul was the Diamond Gorilla, and in his Martial Soul Possession state, his physique had become staggeringly powerful. While he still couldn't compare to those freaks from the Elephant Armor Academy, the rippling muscles bulging through his torn clothing radiated an even greater sense of raw strength. His attack was the simplest of all—pure power. He didn't care what the opponent did. He let every incoming strike slam into his body while delivering a devastating punch of his own. Huang Yuan, meanwhile, darted forward at lightning speed, his sharp claws blazing with yellow light as he drove them straight for the enemy's chest and abdomen.
The gap in rank was negligible. Two against one—this should have been a fight with no suspense whatsoever. But in this moment, Blazing Fire Academy's true strength made itself clear.
The motes of fire that had been condensing in the air above were originally distributed evenly among the other five combat members. But the instant Huang Yuan and Tai Long launched their coordinated attack on the Fire Leopard Soul Master, those motes suddenly accelerated, converging in a concentrated barrage and fusing into the Fire Leopard Soul Master's body in the blink of an eye.
A ring of golden-red light erupted violently from the Fire Leopard Soul Master's body, the massive energy surging outward and actually knocking back both Tai Long's and Huang Yuan's attacks.
Though neither of them was injured, the Fire Leopard Soul Master's crisis had been resolved. He immediately pounced toward Huang Yuan, who appeared to be the weaker of the two, showing no restraint whatsoever. Under the infusion of those fire motes, both his offensive power and speed had surged dramatically.
What excellent support and control. Tang San's eyes lit up, because he had already clearly assessed the opponent's situation.
Those three who appeared to be two support and one control type could actually be treated as three Control Type Soul Masters. The two large-framed individuals weren't ordinary support Soul Masters—they were a peculiar support-control hybrid type.
On the battlefield, they used their support abilities to exert control, selectively providing aid to their teammates. In a sense, this approach bore some resemblance to Ning Rongrong among the Shrek Seven Devils.
Though their Martial Souls were nowhere near as extraordinary as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, having two people simultaneously boosting a single individual could elevate that person's combat strength enormously within a short window. This was precisely why Blazing Fire Academy fielded only two assault-type Soul Masters.
Now that he had seen through this, Tang San finally made his move. With a single thought, his Blue Silver Grass contracted sharply. Huang Yuan retreated. Tai Long retreated. Under Tang San's precise control, both withdrew in the same direction. Retreating along with them was Dai Mubai, who had been trading blows furiously with Huo Wushuang.
Dai Mubai and Huo Wushuang could truly be called evenly matched. Both were assault-type Soul Masters, both possessed tyrannical Martial Souls, and their Soul Power was virtually identical. In the heat of their clash, each felt the exhilarating thrill of fighting at his full potential.
But just as they were locked in their spirited exchange, Dai Mubai's sudden retreat was something Huo Wushuang simply could not understand. Instinctively, he followed forward. Pulled by the momentum of their clashing auras, he threw both fists toward Dai Mubai's chest.
However, in the instant Huo Wushuang surged forward, he realized something was wrong.
Dai Mubai had retreated far too quickly. As Huo Wushuang charged ahead, Huang Yuan and Tai Long simultaneously closed in from both flanks. The three formed a perfect triangular encirclement, trapping him in the center.
Although Tang San had employed this tactic on the battlefield more than once, with his increasingly precise control of Blue Silver Grass, it yielded devastating results every single time. Over the first ten ranked battles, no fewer than six team captains had been lured to their downfall inside Tang San's trap.
Huo Wushuang was no weakling, but judging by the situation, he was about to become the seventh.
Dai Mubai had cooperated with Tang San for a long time. The moment he retreated, he already understood what Tang San intended. Without a shred of hesitation, he activated his tyrannical third Soul Skill—White Tiger Diamond Transformation.
In a flash, white fur erupted with a dazzling golden glow. Though Dai Mubai's body was still moving backward, the aura radiating from him surged to a terrifying peak in an instant. The moment the pincers closed in from both sides, Dai Mubai planted one foot and halted his retreat, his body coiling slightly like a tiger tensing before a pounce—and then he struck with the force of a thunderbolt.
Every shift had happened in the blink of an eye. An encirclement like this demanded speed, precision, and ruthlessness. By exploiting their numerical advantage and explosive burst power, they could dismantle one of the enemy's key fighters first. If they could crush Huo Wushuang, the match would become far easier for Shrek Academy.
But was it really going to be that simple?
The Great Master had been observing the other teams' matches, and the other teams had been closely studying Shrek Academy's squad—the very same team that had already racked up ten consecutive victories.
In the split second before the encirclement could be completed, a crimson whirlwind suddenly exploded from the center of the arena.
Tang San was controlling his Blue Silver Grass, but his gaze had never once left the enemy's control-type Soul Master—Huo Wu. Just as he expected, she made her move now.
Huo Wu struck without any warning. Her action was deceptively simple, but what flared to life was the third Soul Ring on her body. The dazzling purple glow merged with the golden-red aura blazing around her, and a ring of searing flame burst outward, instantly spreading to precisely where it was needed most.