Chapter 97: Heart Flame
As Nailuo's words fell, the surrounding team members selectively turned deaf.
"Although he's not a contractor, he did that kind of thing in the real world. Doesn't he deserve to die?"
Stan lowered his eyelids, no longer looking at Nailuo.
"He does deserve to die, but why did you personally take action? To show your determination to cut off your own arm? You..."
Nailuo took a deep breath.
"Don't bring this up with me again in the future. The team comes first. Also, I want a divorce from you."
"Di...vorce?"
Stan clearly hadn't reacted. He always felt that two contractors getting a divorce was somewhat absurd.
"That's right, divorce."
"Crazy woman."
Stan was actually quite helpless. He knew that developing romantic feelings within Reincarnation Paradise was a bad idea, but he and Nailuo were already married before entering Reincarnation Paradise. Their interests were completely intertwined. To put it in trendy terms, the Blood Gate Adventurers was a jointly owned asset of the couple. If they drew a clear line, it would be equivalent to an internal split within Blood Gate.
Currently, the relationship between Stan and Nailuo was peculiar. They couldn't be hostile to each other, and while they couldn't stand each other, they still had to go through life and death together.
Don't be fooled by the harsh tone between Stan and Nailuo. Once an external enemy appeared, this couple would transform into a pair of deadly killers. As for Umbrella Brother, he was actually being used by Nailuo.
The circle was too chaotic. That's why Su Xiao didn't want to get involved in the matter between Blood Gate and Umbrella Brother. This matter was a huge pitfall. If any adventure group tried to take advantage of the situation, what awaited them would definitely be a relentless bombardment.
On the other side of the spectator stands, a dog and a cow were also seated. These two special spectators naturally caught the attention of the Blood Gate members.
Noticing the gazes from Blood Gate, Bubu Wang and Amu simultaneously raised their middle fingers at them.
Seeing the dog and cow flipping them off, the Blood Gate members were visibly stunned for a moment. Soon, they responded to Bubu Wang and Amu with dozens of middle fingers.
"Woof!"
Bubu Wang let out a low bark, anger flashing in his dog eyes. He looked at Amu beside him, who immediately raised a sign that was a full ten meters in diameter, with the words written on it: 'You're all idiots over there.'
The expressions of the Blood Gate members were quite interesting. Perhaps in their previous lives, they had never been looked down upon by a dog.
"Ignore them."
Stan spoke, and the surrounding team members lowered their middle fingers.
"Although it's a bit childish, it's indeed quite irritating."
Nailuo looked at Bubu Wang and Amu with interest. She had collected a lot of intelligence about Su Xiao, including information about that Minotaur. The only data she hadn't gathered was about that 'Husky.'
After the 'friendly' exchange between the two sides in the spectator stands, a countdown appeared above the battlefield, indicating that the battle would begin in 60 seconds.
When the countdown reached five seconds, Su Xiao, who was in the rest area, received a notification.
[The competition is about to begin. Current opponent rank: Second Place.]
[If the competitor defeats the second place, Victory's Glory (Mark) will be promoted to a title.]
...
"It's finally starting."
Su Xiao took a deep breath. Apart from the encounter battle at the Holy Grail World, this was his first fight with the Blood Gate Adventurers.
Light and shadow flickered before Su Xiao's eyes. When his vision cleared, he found himself in a swamp. The unique smell of soil entered his nostrils, faintly mixed with the scent of decaying vegetation.
The ground beneath his feet felt slightly soft, but with Su Xiao's perception, he couldn't possibly step into a swampy area.
Looking into the distance, the edge of the swamp was surrounded by an energy barrier. Behind the barrier were Bubu Wang and Amu. Bubu Wang pointed his dog paw forward, signaling Su Xiao to look the other way.
Following the direction Bubu Wang indicated, Su Xiao saw the Blood Gate members. Stan's gaze happened to be looking this way as well. Their eyes met, confirming that they were people who wanted to kill each other.
Neither side provoked the other. Even if they met in the Trade Market, they would only exchange a 'greeting' and then ignore each other. But if they met in a derivative world, it would be a fight to the death.
Su Xiao stopped looking at the Blood Gate people. His gaze shifted to the other side of the swamp, where Huang Fen stood.
Huang Fen was around 30 years old. His appearance was unremarkable. If not for his terrifying aura, he would be just a background character if thrown into a crowd.
Despite his ordinary looks, Huang Fen possessed the strength of the second-ranked within the third rank. Kuang Hu was the strongest in the third rank, a universally acknowledged fact, while Huang Fen was the eternal runner-up.
What no one knew was that the reason Kuang Hu was stronger than Huang Fen wasn't that his overall combat power surpassed Huang Fen's, but that his abilities countered Huang Fen.
Huang Fen's abilities were singular—only flames. But he wasn't a fire mage, nor a user of the Mera Mera no Mi. His fire was the flame in his heart. He had ignited his own soul. As long as his body could withstand it, the temperature of his Heart Flame had no upper limit.
"Last time in the Holy Grail World, you were one step ahead of me. I lost that round."
Huang Fen in the distance walked toward Su Xiao. With each step he took, he left a fiery footprint behind.
"It was your two subordinates who were greedy."
Su Xiao walked toward Huang Fen, slowly drawing the long blade at his waist.
"A loss is a loss. Failure means bearing the consequences."
The distance between the two closed. When they were only 30 meters apart, a notification appeared above.
[Competition... Begin!]
Boom!
The mud beneath Su Xiao's feet flew in all directions. He instantly turned into a blur, charging straight at Huang Fen.
In the spectator stands, Nailuo leaned forward and said, "That kind of speed isn't something a third-rank contractor can possess. No wonder he's developing four attributes simultaneously."
Tie Shu shook his head and then asked, "How did this guy survive the newbie phase?"
"According to the report, he fought his way through all the way."
"That makes sense. An ordinary person wouldn't be qualified to challenge Huang Fen."
As the two were talking, flames erupted within the Death Swamp. In an instant, the swamp, which was half a kilometer in diameter, was filled with flames, becoming a world of fire.
"He's finished. Huang Fen's Heart Flame can't be withstood even by a fourth-rank."
A female contractor stood up, ready to cheer for Huang Fen, when the flames in the swamp suddenly disappeared.
The female contractor's pupils gradually contracted, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
In the swamp, steam rose. Su Xiao stood behind Huang Fen, his Dragon-Slaying Flash having pierced through the other's chest.
The female contractor in the spectator stands was stunned. She was only a regular member of Blood Gate and didn't know Huang Fen very well.
But Stan, Tie Shu, Nailuo, and the others watched the scene below with calm expressions. They all knew that this was Huang Fen's fighting style.
"Stan, does it feel like a thorn in your throat? That newcomer who was only second-rank before can now fight Huang Fen on equal footing."
Nailuo smiled. If Stan was unhappy, she was happy.
"Shut up."
Stan ignored his wife and continued to focus on the battle below. From the very beginning, Stan had never underestimated Su Xiao. The only time he had sent someone to chase him, he had sent the team's second-in-command. As for why Huang Fen had failed, he hadn't asked. Huang Fen had sacrificed a lot for the team, and there was no way he would betray Blood Gate.
On the field, Su Xiao, holding Dragon-Slaying Flash, stood behind Huang Fen. The long blade didn't feel like it had pierced a solid body. Instead, the temperature of the entire blade was rapidly increasing.