"...The next match will be the strongest shield of the Mechanical Team, the legendary Traffic Light! Versus the softest flower of the Knights of Beauty! Miss Huohua!"
"Eh! Me?"
Caught off guard, Huohua tightened her grip on Zao Wu's arm, shrinking her neck, her long twin-tails swaying. And "softest flower" or whatever, it was one thing for her to say it herself, but for everyone to hear it was just too embarrassing!
Although Huohua really didn't have any combat power. The result of provoking her was... you've provoked the right person! Huohua roughly understood the organizer's intention, which was for her to be the "suppression" before the "rise." Well, unless Huohua could unexpectedly awaken her hidden power in battle, she was going to make a fool of herself...
And Dr. Digger was still setting the stage for Huohua's appearance. Just like in many comics where a character is about to get killed off and suddenly goes into a flashback, it was the same routine!
"Speaking of this Miss Huohua, you may be very unfamiliar with her."
"But her hometown, you are definitely familiar with!"
"That is Rivet Town, the town that was once as prosperous as Boulder Town!"
"As we all know, Rivet Town in that disaster back then... sigh, no need to dwell on the past."
"In short, Miss Huohua was once a member of Rivet Town, but was cruelly abandoned by her parents when the disaster struck, and disappeared into the depths of the Fragmentum!"
"No one could have imagined that she could come back alive, and at the same time bring... the curse of immortality!"
"We can't imagine what supported Miss Huohua to walk out of hell and return to the human world."
"Was it deep sorrow? A desire for revenge? Or a twisted personality?"
Hearing Dr. Digger's introduction, the audience's dissatisfaction at not seeing Zao Wu on stage immediately turned into deep sympathy for Huohua. Rivet Town was located near Boulder Town and was also the site of the original orphanage. It was once a home that brought warmth and beautiful memories to countless people. But because of the withdrawal of the Silvermane Guards and the unrestricted spread of the Fragmentum, it was now overgrown with monsters, had long been abandoned by the residents of the Underworld, and had become a desolate, dead land.
The "localized persona" Scott created for Huohua was very eye-catching. Many people could empathize with Huohua's experience. They didn't find it strange at all that a girl with such a tragic experience would turn dark. Instead, it gave her a sense of tragic tension.
But why did the current Miss Huohua look...
This was the key point that Dr. Digger was about to reveal next.
"It's because of—love!"
"People are like mirrors. When others reflect evil, people also become evil."
"When others reflect love, people will also receive salvation."
"We still don't know the name of the flower the boy gave the girl that day."
"But from that day on, Huohua was reborn!"
Dr. Digger's narrative was clichéd but effective. Not to mention the audience below the stage, even Huohua herself began to quietly wipe away her little pearls. Wait, why are you getting involved in this! Well, the "cute girl shedding tears" move of the person involved actually increased the authenticity of the event by a lot.
For a time, shouts of "Go for it, Miss Huohua!" rose and fell below the stage, eventually forming an infectious wave that shook the heavens! Even the usually cool Wildfire member Seele muttered in a low voice.
"...Go for it."
Her background was equally pitiful. She was a member of the orphanage in Rivet Town, so she could especially empathize with Huohua.
As for the great Hook sitting on Luka's mechanical arm, her small face was already streaked with tears.
"Sob, sob, the great Hook is not crying..."
"It's the onions! The great Hook added onions!"
With this prelude, Huohua's popularity among the audience immediately soared. It probably didn't matter how badly she lost her opening match. At the same time, she could also achieve the "suppress first, then rise" program effect that Scott wanted.
And so, amid the still-unabated cheers, Zao Wu and Bronya temporarily left the stage, leaving the most easily provoked Miss Cotton and the so-called "youth version of the Star God of Preservation," Traffic Light, for a 1v1 human-vs-machine battle.
The Mechanical Team's Traffic Light, originally named Automaton Beetle, but everyone preferred to call it by its customary nickname.
Since most of the members of the Mechanical Team were machines of few words, the commentary had to be done by Dr. Digger, a fan of human-vs-machine battles.
"Okay, we can now see Traffic Light using 'Unstable Field'!"
"This is also its signature move, dealing damage to the enemy while providing a barrier for itself."
"Go for it, Traffic Light! Show her what real 'power of Preservation' is!"
Traffic Light's red light suddenly lit up, and it charged towards the still-innocent-looking Huohua with a fierce headbutt!
"Waaah!"
A几十斤 (several dozen jin) iron lump was hurtling towards her. Who wouldn't be dazed by that? Fortunately, Huohua dodged in time. Otherwise, she suspected she would have turned into "Huohua paste"!
Wait! You're for real!
"Oh oh! Miss Huohua used dodge! It's super effective!"
"Miss Huohua used charm, but unfortunately, it's ineffective against the mechanical race."
"On the other hand, Traffic Light is really a one-trick pony!"
Huohua's stamina was also gradually decreasing from constant dodging and running. It looked like the girl was about to be caught by Traffic Light! Zao Wu's and Bronya's hearts clenched tightly!
But just then, a magical scene suddenly appeared!
"Wait, what happened!?"
The stage was suddenly enveloped in a pink smoke, and when the smoke cleared... in Huohua's original spot, there was an Automaton Beetle completely identical to Traffic Light! Only a "maple flower" sticker on its signal light seemed to reveal its extraordinary nature.
Dr. Digger was indeed knowledgeable. While everyone else was still confused, he suddenly shouted excitedly.
"It's a transformation! Miss Huohua used transformation!"
"As a cursed girl, it's normal to have a 'transformation' skill!"
And more importantly, after "transforming," Huohua could actually use the original's abilities. In other words, when Traffic Light used "Unstable Field," Huohua also used the same "Unstable Field (Fake)." The two machines collided with each other, were canceled out by each other's shields, and then generated new barriers! This repeated, as if it would never end!
"Is Traffic Light locking Miss Huohua, or is Miss Huohua locking Traffic Light?"
"Perhaps the two machines could fight until the end of time, but our ring match has a fifteen-minute time limit."
"If a winner is not decided after the time is up, it will be judged a draw!"
Time passed by, and the passionate clash between the machines was about to come to an end.
"Let's count down together, five! Four! Three, two... one!"
"Draw!"
With Dr. Digger's announcement, the first battle between Huohua and Traffic Light officially ended. And Huohua could no longer maintain her "transformed" state. With another puff of smoke, Huohua reappeared in everyone's sight, but she was swaying. It turned out she was far from being as at ease as others had imagined. Faced with her new skill unlocked in a crisis, the girl was more embarrassed and unaccustomed. Traffic Light's barrier could perfectly offset the damage, but she had to endure the aftershock of the impact. What had supported her to grit her teeth and persist was the belief that she didn't want to lose, and even more so, didn't want to disappoint the people she cared about!
Cotton may be soft, but it may not be unable to overcome steel!
Fortunately, this persistence paid off. Just as Huohua was about to fall, it was Zao Wu who jumped onto the stage and caught her in time. Feeling that familiar and reassuring embrace, Huohua's body completely relaxed. She lifted her watery eyes, full of soft attachment, and wrapped her arms around the boy's neck.
"Zao Wu... I did it."
"You've worked hard. Leave the rest to us."
"Mmm~"
The girl's rising tone at the end made one's heart itch and tremble, as if tickled by a feather. Huohua was a natural stunner, often seducing people with her unconscious charm. Even Zao Wu, who was still ignorant of the matters between men and women, gradually developed a novel feeling as he spent time with her. In short—Sister Huohua sometimes showed a unique kind of beauty that made it hard to look away.
The next second match was Bronya's turn. This was also for the sake of ratings. If the biggest selling point, Zao Wu, went on stage first, probably more than half of the audience would leave after watching the boy's match. In addition, to suppress first and then rise, the weak Huohua was supposed to be the "suppression," but she made a comeback in a desperate situation and became the "rise." But it didn't affect Zao Wu's role as the biggest "rise." Bronya, as the link between the two, didn't need to have a particularly exciting match. As long as she could transition smoothly, it would be a victory. So from the very beginning, the draw for tonight's series of matches was not fair, but was predetermined by Scott as the boss backstage.
"Miss Bronya's opponent is the emotionless, flammable, and explosive machine squad! Praise be to Svarog!"
As Dr. Digger's voice fell, two greenish-black automatons that looked like clenched fists and were pieced together like spider legs made "clack clack" sounds and let out steam, expressing their determination to avenge their Traffic Light brother!
But just then, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
—"Disperse with the butterflies, illusion of the past!"
A mysterious girl, as if attacking from the shadows, with a supreme large scythe, instantly killed one of the automaton spiders with a sharp blow!
"BOOM!"
And the explosion from the automaton affected the other automaton spider beside it! In an instant, Bronya's opponents were scattered and turned into a pile of parts and fragments.
The silver-haired Guardian had not yet reacted at all when the tip of the scythe threateningly lifted her chin.
"Drip!"
It was a crisis close to death, and a drop of sweat slowly trickled down Bronya's cheek, shattering on the stage floor.
"Next, your opponent is me!" the black-and-blue-haired girl, appearing like a phantom butterfly, declared.
The stage and the audience were in an uproar.
"Isn't that a member of 'Wildfire,' her name seems to be..."
"Seele!"
"Oh right, Seele!"
At this moment, Seele's mouth twitched. She really wanted to slash all those who called her "Xier" with one scythe and trigger her follow-up attack!
As a host, what kind of situation hadn't Dr. Digger seen? Well, he really hadn't encountered a situation like this before. The man was instantly at a loss. Fortunately, at this moment, Scott sent him a communication, ordering him to go with the flow and promote the battle between Seele and Bronya as the biggest highlight of the second ring match. This was a ready-made hot topic!
Wildfire vs. Silvermane Guards!
If he added some fuel to the fire, he could even use "love triangle" as a topic, fabricating a rumor that Seele and Bronya were fighting over the boy!
Truly a black-hearted merchant, using any means necessary for profit. If possible, he would even sell the rope to hang himself!
"May I... may I ask the audience, are you satisfied with this surprise!" Dr. Digger asked as naturally as possible.
A murmur immediately went through the audience.
"Surprise? Could it be that Seele's appearance was a pre-arranged act by the club?"
"You know, it's really possible!"
"Then tonight's match is really worth the ticket price!"
"More than that, to be able to see a battle between Wildfire and the Silvermane Guards, and a fight between two beautiful girls, it's worth it even if I die!"
...
On the stage, Dr. Digger quickly slipped away, leaving the stage to Bronya and Seele. At this moment, they had long since ignored the clamor of the outside world, only sizing each other up and being determined to win this battle. For identity, for position, and even more so for anger and hatred!
"Raise your rifle, state your name."
"My, Seele's, scythe does not kill the nameless."
"Or... are you scared?"
"Right, when the crisis comes, the Silvermane Guards are just a bunch of rats running away with their tails between their legs!"
Bronya's momentum was indeed suppressed by Seele. But at this moment, hearing her slander her seniors and comrades-in-arms, a burst of anger shot up from the girl's heart. Bronya raised her rifle, aimed at Seele's forehead in the most standard posture, her finger also on the trigger! As if with just a thought, Seele would become a ghost under her gun.
"Shut up! You-you uneducated wild girl!"
"I, Bronya, Captain of the Silvermane Guards, daughter of the Supreme Guardian Cocolia, declare here."
"The Silvermane Guards will not tolerate your slander!"
Provoked by Seele, the girl immediately revealed her entire identity. Hearing this, the flames in Seele's pupils burned even brighter, as if she was happy to see a good hunt.
"Didn't expect... to catch such a big fish~"
She raised her hand, grabbed the girl's rifle barrel, and pressed it against her own forehead, smiling madly.
"Education? Heh, education!"
"How could someone pampered like you understand that for orphans like us, without parents, just staying alive is a luxury..."
"Who has pity on us, who educates us!"
"You? Or your mother!?"
"No, you just talk big, saying pretty words while doing the filthiest things!"
Even though she was the one being pointed at by the gun, Seele kept moving forward, pressing step by step! Bronya, on the other hand, became the one who was threatened and retreated.
"You-you don't force me..." the girl trembled.
"Who is the one who is really cornered?" Seele asked sarcastically.
"Shoot! If you have the guts, shoot!"
"Shoot the Underworlders you were supposed to protect!"
"Come on, kill me! We will still burn!"
"This is—Wildfire!"
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