Chapter 106: The Masked Contestant Returns

Seeing his treacherous plot succeed, Necro-Sword gently pivoted his body, sidestepping Zhang Yang’s attack. He then draped the sheer veil he had been caressing over Zhang Yang’s head, enveloping his entire body.

"What is happening!?"

Once covered by the veil, Zhang Yang felt the world around him grow blurry. Through the fine fabric, he saw the figure of Necro-Sword begin to twist and distort, and then, a sudden darkness fell, obscuring everything.

"Wow!!"

Seeing Zhang Yang vanish, Bai Ying and Fei Yan, standing below the stage, were stunned. Even with their keen senses, they could not detect where he had gone. It was like a magic trick; covered by the cloth in Necro-Sword's hand, Zhang Yang simply disappeared before everyone’s eyes. As for where he went—or if he had been killed—perhaps only Necro-Sword, the one who made him vanish, knew.

"Zhang Yang’s presence... it’s gone!"

Gazing at Necro-Sword on the stage, Bai Ying could hardly believe it. To watch a living person disappear right in front of him was truly unfathomable.

"Contestant Zhang Yang has disappeared! Does that count as falling out of the arena?" Star Dream hesitated, staring at the veil in Necro-Sword’s hand. "Should I start the countdown?"

"It’s useless. Even if you counted to ten, he wouldn't be coming back." Necro-Sword gently retrieved the veil, caressing it with both hands before tossing it backward. As the air currents caught it, the veil swirled and fluttered around his body. "Strange, isn't it? Where did that disfigured fellow go? Did my veil send him to another world, or to some other place? I have no idea myself." Looking down at Bai Ying, he provoked them further: "Why don't you come up and experience it for yourselves? See where you end up after being covered by my Veil of the Death Feather!"

"Then, since contestant Zhang Yang has disappeared, I hereby declare Necro-Sword of the New World team the winner of this match!"

Hearing that their beloved Necro-Sword had won, the crowd of female fans erupted in cheers. They hadn't expected their hero to be not only strikingly handsome but also so elegant in his technique. With just one light flick of the veil, that fool had vanished into thin air. He truly lived up to his reputation as the heartthrob Necro-Sword! He was simply magnificent!

Back at the old arena, a chrysanthemum-shaped black hole suddenly tore open in the air, spitting Zhang Yang out.

"Ouch! Where am I!?"

Zhang Yang tumbled from mid-air, crashing onto the arena floor, still dazed. *Where is this? How did I end up here? What rotten luck! Where is that Necro-Sword? I’ll fight you to the death!*

Scrambling to his feet, he dusted himself off and scanned the empty surroundings. It was the arena where they had fought before. *How did I get teleported here? This is preposterous! Necro-Sword, you just wait—I won’t let you get away with this!* With that, he bolted toward the entrance, determined to get back to the tournament grounds and settle the score.

However, just as he reached the corridor leading to the entrance, a familiar voice drifted down from above. "Isn't that Zhang Yang? How did he suddenly show up here? Come up here, we’re over here!"

Zhang Yang halted and looked up. He immediately spotted the lovely Fei Xue, his older sister Jing Chu, and Aunt Su Su. Beside them were Xia Dan and Qin Xiaochuan’s girlfriend, Fan Fan. *Why are they all here? How did I run into them of all places?*

"Hey! Miss Fei Xue, why are you here with them?"

"Them!?" Jing Chu’s face darkened as she heard her brother refer to them as "them." She descended from the platform, marched up to the bewildered Zhang Yang, and demanded, "Why did you suddenly appear here? Tell me! Were you in a match? Did someone beat you down here?"

Caught in the act, Zhang Yang forced a sheepish laugh. "Haha, not at all, Sis! I just missed this place, so I ran over from far away. A match? What match? Oh, right! There’s a match today! I completely forgot, it must have started already, let’s go—"

"Don't call me 'Sis' with that 'old' attached, or I'll make you regret it! Tell me the truth—did you fall into someone’s trap?" She knew him too well; the moment he opened his mouth, she knew exactly what he was up to. Realizing he couldn't hide it, Zhang Yang scratched his head and smiled awkwardly. "It wasn't much, just a bit of carelessness!"

"Carelessness! You’ve brought shame upon the Zhang family! Shame! Shame! Shame!..."

"Ouch, Mom! I was wrong, Sis! Don't hit my face! Ow! Mom!! Stop hitting me! Sis, I’m sorry! I still have to go back for the match! Ow! Ow! That’s my nose! You’re too cruel! I’m your own brother! Not there again! Ow!..."

"Sister Jing Chu is really something else. Zhang Yang looks like he’s about to pass out."

"Ow, Sis! If you keep hitting me, I’ll miss the match! I know the way, I’ll take you there! Ow, my ear! Stop pulling, it’s going to fall off! Ow! Ow!..."

Back at the tournament, the female fans were screaming Necro-Sword's name. Seeing their enthusiasm, Necro-Sword wore a satisfied smile. "Since you all like it so much, let’s continue!" He pulled a pair of dice inscribed with the names of the teams from his robes and tossed them onto the ground. The dice rolled and settled: the "Freedom" side and the "Masked Contestant" name faced up. Necro-Sword looked at Bai Ying and Fei Yan. "Freedom will be me, obviously. But what about your side?"

"The Masked Contestant spot is mine," Fei Yan said, glancing at Bai Ying. "I said from the start I would step in for them. You have no objections, right, Bai Ying?"

"Wait," a voice came from behind Fei Yan. He turned to see the long-missing Masked Contestant. "The dice show my name, don't they? I’ll take this match."

Fei Yan looked at the figure, wrapped tightly in robes. "Who are you? You aren't the same person as before!" Blocking the way, he continued, "The previous contestant possessed immense spiritual power; even masked, you could feel it. But your spiritual energy is so weak it’s almost non-existent. Who are you?"

Knowing he wouldn't let her pass without an explanation, the Masked Contestant replied, "That has already been passed on to Qin Xiaochuan! Does that explain it for you?"

"!!"

Fei Yan stared in silence, but Bai Ying seemed to grasp the situation. It wasn't two different people, but rather the same individual with a drastically altered spiritual aura. The Masked Contestant’s energy was indeed incredibly faint.

Seeing Fei Yan offer no further resistance, the Masked Contestant walked past him and stepped onto the arena stage.

"Does contestant Necro-Sword have any objections to the Masked Contestant’s late arrival?" Star Dream asked.

"None," Necro-Sword replied, drawing his long blade and pointing it at his opponent. "If anything, this person’s weak spiritual power is a great insult to me. Fighting with such pathetic strength is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—an act of self-humiliation!"

The Masked Contestant remained silent, simply walking to the opposite side of the stage. Seeing both sides ready, Star Dream didn't waste words and waved her hand to announce the start of the match.

Necro-Sword raised his blade high and swung downward at the Masked Contestant. "Let me slice off that mask and show everyone who you really are!"

With a nimble twist, the Masked Contestant dodged the strike and turned to sprint toward the other side of the arena. Necro-Sword gave chase, his blade in hand. The distance between them closed rapidly, and the Masked Contestant felt a shiver of alarm—his speed was incredible. Just as she was caught off guard, Necro-Sword lunged again. "Take this!"

"Contestant Necro-Sword’s speed is incredible! The Masked Contestant is struggling just to dodge! It’s too fast—the very air pressure from the blade has shredded the Masked Contestant’s clothes! After narrowly avoiding a lightning-fast strike, the Masked Contestant’s movements are slowing down. She’s trying to flee again, but Necro-Sword is right on her heels! They’re clashing again!"

"Not only is your spiritual power pathetic, but your speed is like slow motion," Necro-Sword mocked. "It’s hard to believe you’re the same person as before! It seems I’ll have to slice that mask off to find out who you really are. Show your true face!"

With that, Necro-Sword accelerated his strikes. In a brief moment of interception, he used the tip of his blade to slice through the mask’s fabric, revealing the true face of Master Jing Hai to the entire arena.