Chapter 1 The Beginning

Time rewinds slightly to witness the start of another battle at midnight...

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[Peak Showdown S3, Round One]

[Arena: Dirac Sea (Pseudo)]

As the system voice echoed in their ears, the fourteen players from the [Order] and [Deities] teams were all teleported into the script world.

This was a dark realm, boundless and lifeless, like a desert composed of particles; the "sky" and "earth" here had no clear boundaries, and it was impossible to tell where the light source was... However, whether it was the clarity of vision, or the sense of space and distance, this place was no different from the outside world.

[The match will begin in thirty seconds]

In a tense and solemn atmosphere, the "vanguard battle" candidates from both sides had already appeared on the battlefield.

[Order]'s first player was [Zuiwo Changran].

In terms of one-on-one strength, within "Zuisheng Mengsi," Zuiwo Changran and Meng Jingchan were evenly matched, slightly better than the other two; but in terms of personality... Brother Zui just liked to joke around, while Brother Chan was very "casual" in both words and deeds. Therefore, having Zuiwo Changran in this important first battle was a relatively safe choice.

Looking at [Deities]' side...

Their vanguard was the former "secret weapon" – [Asura].

The reason for adding the word "former" was that his strength was no longer a secret.

In S2, Asura had joined forces with the five powerhouses of Order to fight Jing Mo. At that time, he was inferior to any of the five.

However, that was in the past...

After the battle in the "Mirror World," Asura's original arrogance and conceit had been shattered, replaced by a fierce competitive spirit.

Those who hate their opponents after a setback will always be weak; only those who hate their own weakness after a setback have the potential to become strong.

Asura... clearly belonged to the latter.

When he realized that his talent was only mediocre in the professional world, and that there were countless people who were more talented and worked harder than him... he changed.

He restrained his arrogant and chuunibyou (delusions of grandeur) ways, placing himself in the position of a learner and pursuer; he no longer relied on his boss (Shiva's) cousin's status to occupy the studio's resources, but instead relied on his own efforts to constantly hone and improve.

In short, Asura's strength was now vastly different from what it once was.

…………

[Five... Four... Three...]

The final five-second countdown had already begun, and at this moment, the two people on either side of the barrier not only did not retreat half a step, but also stepped forward.

They stood facing each other, less than five meters apart, separated by the invisible wall.

[Two... One... Fight!]

Whoosh—

The moment the barrier disappeared, a burst of fist energy suddenly erupted.

Zuiwo Changran was indeed a top player among the current professional players. As soon as he saw Asura adopting a stance to confront him head-on, he came up with a plan – his first move was the fourth style of Tianshuang Fist (Heavenly Frost Fist), [Shuangxue Fenfei] (Snowflake Fluttering); this technique not only had twisting fist force and penetrating power, but also had a certain ice-attribute slowing effect... Regardless of whether the opponent chose to block or fight back, they would suffer some damage.

Clang—

As expected, after a moment, Asura, who had raised his arm to parry, managed to defuse the "penetrating" fist energy, but could not avoid the erosion of the frost effect, and was put on the defensive from the beginning of the fight.

Zuiwo Changran pressed his advantage, launching a set of his signature skills, [Shandian Guangsou Quan] (Lightning Speed Fist), raining down on Asura's head. Instantly, the fist shadows turned into lines, scattered like stars, suppressing Asura as he retreated step by step, able only to cross his arms to protect his head and defend.

After a few seconds, Asura's posture was getting lower and lower, and his entire upper body could not straighten up.

"Hey hey... it won't be over so quickly, will it..." The reason for Zuiwo Changran's internal grumbling was that the chance for a finishing move had already appeared not long after the battle had started.

Facing an enemy whose upper body was lowered and whose vision and stance were restricted, there was a very suitable way to break through - an uppercut.

As the saying goes... all martial arts in the world come from the rising dragon, and one fist in hand can break through the sky.

How could Zuiwo Changran, who fought with fists, not have one or two "rising dragon" fist techniques? In that instant, he seized the opportunity, gathered all the Dou Qi (battle energy) in his body, and unleashed a [Baishi-Gui Ranshao] (Style Hundred - Demon Combustion)... He saw his fist carrying flames, from bottom to top, and striking out with a bang along the semi-rotating force of his body.

He thought it was a sure hit, but...

Just as the fist was about to strike, Asura, who had been defending with his head in his arms, suddenly took a step back at a speed that escaped Zuiwo Changran's vision, retreating more than a meter and calmly dodging his opponent's skill.

"Oh?" Zuiwo Changran, who had missed his punch, did not show any panic. He quickly retracted his move, readjusted his stance, and muttered, "As expected... it's not that easy..."

Although he didn't say it explicitly, seeing Asura's effortless dodging movements, Zuiwo Changran had vaguely guessed what was going on...

"Those punches I just took..." A second later, Asura, who had stepped back and stood still, looked at his opponent's eyes and said with an imposing manner what the other person was thinking, "Consider it a repayment for your care in S2."

He was naturally referring to the fact that the five members of Order had repeatedly rescued and assisted him in the Mirror Demon battle.

"Heh..." Zuiwo Changran replied with his signature frivolous smile, "I see... so you deliberately let me attack first for this reason?"

Asura did not answer. He just silently increased his Dou Qi and adopted a new stance, the unspoken implication being – "I'm going to get serious now."

"Sigh... kids are kids, their thoughts and actions are too naive." Zuiwo Changran said, changing his stance, "Looks like I have to teach you what professional ethics are and how to respect your opponent."

Chi—

Before he finished speaking, his fist attack had already appeared.

This time, Asura attacked first... His attack was attached to some kind of continuously activated enhancement skill (similar to Ling Shi Jushen Shu (Spirit Sense Gathering Technique)), so his seemingly ordinary movements and strikes were also powerful and aggressive.

After a dozen or so exchanges, Zuiwo Changran realized that he was at a slight disadvantage. If he continued to fight with basic physical skills, he would enter a situation of mutual consumption with his opponent, which would not be advantageous. After a little thought... he decided to change his fighting style. He immediately channeled a strong move, and between the movement of his fists, golden rays burst out, paving a light net to protect his body.

Asura knew that his opponent had used [Denglizi Guangsu Quan] (Plasma Speed Fist), and he also understood that... with his current physical skills bonus, not only would he be unable to break through this fist net, but he would also be gradually suppressed by the fist rays.

He didn't want this situation to happen, so a few seconds after the fist net appeared, he swayed his body, pretended to take half a step, took something out of his knapsack and immediately crushed it in his palm.

Instantly, a black energy bloomed from his hand, rushing to his entire body, causing a dramatic change in his appearance... Within seconds, Asura's entire body was covered with a layer of dark gold, and a ghost mask appeared on his face; under the mask and clothes, his skin became pitch black, his black hair turned fiery red, and his thin body swelled into a muscular figure.

…………

At the same time, in the Order team's viewing space.

"This is going to be troublesome..." Gui Xiao gave a disturbing assessment after seeing the change on the battlefield.

"Is that 'transformation'... that strong?" Wu Si Canxuan asked doubtfully.

"Yes, definitely." Gui Xiao replied, "The strongest transformation I've ever seen is Feng Bujue's [Doumo Jianglin] (Fighting Demon Advent), which can be said to be a unique Super S-rank transformation... Apart from that, S-rank transformations, with Xu Huai Shang's [Hunlin] (Soul Descent) as the standard, aren't many... but there are still some; what Asura has activated now is this level of ability."

…………

While Gui Xiao was speaking, Asura on the battlefield had already launched a fierce offensive.

The item that Asura had crushed just now was called [Xiuluo zhi Xue] (Asura Blood), which was similar to the [Ba Jing Xia Wan] (Eight Jing Xia Pills) that Xu Huai Shang had used before. It was a consumable and unique item; its effect was to allow the user to enter a state called [Jiwu-Xiuluo Bian] (Ultimate Martial - Asura Transformation).

Perhaps some people still remember (actually I know almost no one remembers anymore, what am I writing it for if everyone remembers), this was the move used by the ultimate Lu Bu in the "Super Dimension Melee". Once activated, the caster would transform into a true Asura demon god, with his combat power increasing exponentially.

There was no doubt that Asura in this state was definitely stronger than Zuiwo Changran, and... because they were basically the same type of players (both are fighting specialists who mainly used boxing), once there was a difference in their main attributes, the comparison in actual combat would be particularly obvious.

In a short while, Asura broke through the fist net created by [Denglizi Guangsou Quan] (Plasma Speed Fist) and launched a barrage of attacks on Zuiwo Changran's body.

The Asura fists were all aimed at vital points, with power penetrating the spine, and at the point where Dou Qi erupted, sweat and blood were evaporated the moment they were splashed out.

Zuiwo Changran was beaten back while blocking in this blurry vortex of Dou Qi, unable to escape, and his defeat was already apparent.

But... he did not give up.

Professional players do not give up easily, especially experienced veterans like Zuiwo Changran, whose tenacity is even more extraordinary.

Everyone knows that in the "professional player" business, no matter how long the growth period and peak period last, and what height is reached, anyone over the age of twenty-five will decline... This is determined by human physiology. Although some projects adapt to older ages, or even the older the better, and there are very few individual exceptions... but overall, in those projects with high operating intensity, players under the age of twenty-five have a clear advantage.

Zuiwo Changran is exactly twenty-five years old this year. Without others telling him, he also knows... as a professional player, at least his physiological peak period has passed.

But... he is still one of the top, most stable, and most difficult to deal with players today.

Perhaps he no longer has the reaction speed and growth potential of a teenager, but he has advantages that those teenagers do not have – experience.

People who have been through hundreds of battles have a sense of judgment on the situation, a keen sense of opportunity, and a persistence in victory... all of which are incomparable to novices; and their psychological qualities, which have been tempered thousands of times, have long been trained to the point where they can remain calm even when Mount Tai collapses in front of them.

The reason why great players are great is not only because they have fast reactions, superb operations, and excellent awareness... People with these abilities can be called "powerful", but to become "great", they also need a tenacious spirit and an iron will.

Zuiwo Changran is a professional player who deserves the word "great". When he played other projects in his early years, he would seriously play games that others thought could be hung up and surrendered in about ten minutes, and he would play until forty or fifty minutes... Even if he was miserably abused, as long as the game was not over, he would still constantly think about ways to counterattack and do everything possible to exchange for even 1% chance of a comeback.

His logic is also very simple: Suppose there is only one desperate comeback in a hundred hopeless games, then I can win that one, and those who give up early will never have that chance.

The same is true if this ratio is changed to a thousand or ten thousand games... and this theory can also be said to be the origin of Zuiwo Changran as a professional player.

Now, Zuiwo Changran, who has been completely overwhelmed by the opponent in terms of hard power, has also reached that "desperate" point.

But he did not lose his composure and determination to win. While minimizing the damage to himself, he thought...

"The gap in physical skills is already too big. It's the limit to be able to parry like this. If I'm attacked like this for a while longer, my survival points will run out...

"There are no items or equipment that can change the situation or delay time...

"Unless I temporarily break away from this continuous suppression, it's impossible to use an attack skill to perish together with the opponent..."

As these thoughts flashed through his mind one by one, Zuiwo Changran's survival value broke through the 20% danger line, and he had no room to wait any longer.

And Asura seemed to have noticed the other party's situation, and immediately took a deep breath, raising the power of this continuous attack by a few points.

In fact, for Asura, the current battle situation cannot be said to be foolproof...

[Jiwu-Xiuluo Bian] (Ultimate Martial - Asura Transformation) is a transformation that puts a heavy burden on the body. Even Lu Bu on Wushuang Plains could not turn it on for too long, otherwise his own life would be in danger; Asura, as a player, has even more limited time to use this move, so he does not dare to let his offensive slack off in the slightest, and strives to take away his opponent with a round of continuous attacks.

"Ha!"

At this critical moment, suddenly, Zuiwo Changran shouted loudly and made an unexpected move... He gritted his teeth and took a punch to the chest, then used a "stick" style from soft boxing, grabbing Asura's wrist.

This move... is said to be of little use, because Asura's strength is above him, and even if his wrist is grabbed, he can still retract his fist.

However, Zuiwo Changran obviously did not intend to do this; he did not intend to prevent the other party from retracting his fist, but to...

Whoosh—

In the next second, Zuiwo Changran actually contracted and curled his figure, and like a swimming snake, he used the force of that "stick" style to wrap around Asura's arm.

It turned out that the method Zuiwo Changran came up with in desperation was – to use grappling techniques.

If Feng Bujue's grappling skills are professional-level, then Zuiwo Changran's grappling skills are vAn-level... Including him, Qi Sha, Xiao Wen Cangtian, Dafantian, etc., all these players who are very proficient in unarmed combat have all practiced grappling techniques.

Of course, in general, very few players of this level will actively use that, because this kind of technology can only delay time at most in the battles in the later stages of the game, and cannot determine the outcome; moreover, in terms of viewing, compared to the kind of battle where both sides use punches and kicks to attack each other or release waves... the entanglement of grappling techniques is both tiring and ugly.

"So, you want to win this much..." Asura was entangled in half of his torso by the other party, but he was still standing, which showed that his current strength was enough to support Zuiwo Changran's entire weight while fighting the grappling techniques.

"It's not that I 'want to win this much', but that I have an obligation to 'want to win this much'..." What Zuiwo Changran said was really difficult to understand at first glance, "The will to win is the basic professional ethics of this industry, and I simply will not think about or measure how much I 'want to win'... because doing my best to win is a matter of course..." While he was talking, he also used one of his free hands to take out a bottle of unknown liquid from his knapsack and gulp it down, "In battle, there's no time for you to think about your desire for victory. What you should be thinking about is how to use the most effective technology... at the most effective distance, at the most effective timing, and with the fastest speed... launch an attack!"

I don't know what Zuiwo Changran drank, but after he finished speaking, the strength on his body also soared suddenly... He used the strength of his whole body to fight against the strength of Asura's one arm, and successfully broke the latter's arm.

"Cough—" When the severe pain came, Asura gritted his teeth and did not yell out, but just let out a muffled groan from his throat. Two seconds later, he shouted, "Good! Thank you for the guidance!"

After drinking, he suddenly threw his shoulder.

For Asura, breaking his left arm was also a good thing in a sense, because it allowed him to naturally break free from the grappling techniques.

With his forceful throw, Zuiwo Changran flew out.

"Now's the time!"

At this moment, the same thought flashed through the minds of both of them.

Zuiwo Changran was in a near-death state, and he had finally managed to win such an opportunity to fight in the air, so he would not let it go.

And the burden on Asura in the transformation state had also reached its limit, and coupled with the fact that he had lost an arm, if he didn't decide the outcome with this move, it was likely that he would be the one with nine deaths and one life next.

"Dragon Fist..."

"Asura..."

At the moment of death, the two sides unanimously offered their strongest killing moves and all the energy in their bodies, and... they both called out the names of their moves when they launched them.

[Long Quan-Baofa] (Dragon Fist - Eruption) vs [Asura Ba Huang Quan] (Asura Overlord Phoenix Fist)!

Extreme powerhouses, extreme killing moves.

Head-on confrontation, to determine the winner.