bioinnovel Chapter 217 is truly a pair of star-crossed lovers.
Chapter 217 is truly a pair of star-crossed lovers.
As halftime ended, the screen switched to the exciting league theme song, which once again resounded throughout the stadium.
【Yūkiin I vs. Raimonin I】
Seeing these two teams facing off, Bao Xiaoxing, the commentator, felt a mix of emotions.
Last year's champions and runners-up, Lei Ying and Man Luo, the two most dazzling heirs of the four marquises in Yue Lanzhou, have now both fallen to the loser's bracket and met on the stage to compete for third and fourth place.
Last year, who would have dared to imagine this?
Last year's finals saw Raimon face off against Yuukiin, with Raimon battling Manro – a match hyped by the media as a "once-in-a-century rivalry."
Who could have predicted that just a year later, these two would be locked in a battle of attrition in the losers' bracket... no, it would be more like they were licking each other's wounds.
"What a tragic couple!"
Bao Xiaoxing sighed inwardly, then quickly deleted the unserious analogy she had seen in the fan-made content from the CP (couple) fandom from her mind.
However, this also shows how high the quality of this year's league is.
Whether it's the sudden emergence of Mutsuki or Yuki Yuuyu, these two monster-level contestants would have been the undisputed champions in previous years, but they just happened to come together this year.
The person who wins the championship will likely dominate Yue Lanzhou for an entire era.
I wonder what Lanzhou will become in the future.
Perhaps in two or three years, one of these two monsters will challenge her for the position of Prison Leader?
Bao Xiaoxing was startled by her own thought and quickly shook her head to clear her mind of those random thoughts.
She took a deep breath and refocused her attention on the upcoming match.
"Welcome back to the Yue Lan League semi-finals, everyone!"
Bao Xiaoxing's voice regained its fullness and infectious energy: "Next up is the loser's bracket final—Yougui Academy versus Leiming Academy! These two teams, last year's champions and runners-up, are now meeting in the loser's bracket. What a twist of fate!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the large screen switched to a live feed of the contestants' passage.
Led by Manro, the five members of the Ghost Institute and the five members of the Thunder Institute, led by Lei Ying, emerged from the contestant passages on either side. Beams of light from the dome followed them, casting long shadows on the ground.
On both sides of the stands, the cheering squads for both sides were already in place. The purple flags of Raimon and the dark flags of Yūkiin waved back and forth in the stands, with shouts rising and falling, neither side willing to lose in terms of momentum.
The fans on both sides are also old rivals.
The two athlete lanes converge in the center of the venue, and there is a stretch of about twenty meters where athletes from both sides need to walk side by side.
Lei Ying walked at the front of the group, staring straight ahead without looking to the side, her steps steady and her expression normal.
But Manro's gaze kept drifting over from the moment the two teams met.
That gaze—how to put it—wasn't exactly harsh, nor was it smug, but it carried an indescribable, mocking undertone. Her lips were slightly curved, and her eyes were half-closed, much like a cat that had witnessed something amusing.
That look seemed to say—
Before the match, you were so confident in lecturing me.
He spouts a bunch of grand theories.
The results of it?
After I took the field, I failed miserably in the most frustrating way.
Lei Ying could feel the warmth of that gaze falling on her cheek.
Once, twice, three times.
Every second was testing what little composure she had left.
She gritted her teeth and held on for ten seconds.
Then--
Lei Ying turned her head abruptly, her already embarrassed expression completely breaking down. She spoke with an air of utter despair, "Are you happy now?"
The voice wasn't loud, but in the noisy venue, every word fell clearly into Manluo's ears.
Manluo was slightly taken aback, then her eyebrows curved into a sweet smile.
"How rude of me."
Her voice was soft and gentle, sounding completely harmless: "I was praying for you the whole time in the lounge, hoping you could beat Lan Zhiyuan and make it to the finals."
"hehe."
Lei Ying rolled her eyes dramatically: "Come on, praying for blessings? You're probably just cursing me."
Manlu shook her head gently, without offering any further explanation.
She genuinely wanted Lei Ying to win against Xue Youyou and cheered her on diligently, but she was accused of cursing her. It was truly heartbreaking.
Manlu sighed softly in her heart, but her smile remained gentle and sweet.
The two contestant lanes began to diverge.
The left side leads to the arena entrance of Thunder Courtyard, and the right side leads to the arena entrance of Ghost Courtyard.
Just as she was about to turn left, Lei Ying suddenly paused.
She didn't turn around, but just tilted her head slightly, her voice low but carrying an almost solemn tone.
"I will absolutely not be careless this time; I will definitely beat you!"
Manluo stopped and turned around to look at Lei Ying's receding figure. The lights on both sides of the corridor outlined a neat silhouette of that slender figure, her ponytail swaying gently behind her shoulder, her steps firm and decisive.
She smiled and said softly, "I'm looking forward to it, Lei Ying."
After saying that, she turned and walked towards the entrance to her own arena.
The image on the big screen switched to a panoramic view of the arena.
The five members of the Ghost House and the five members of the Thunder House passed through the barrier from opposite ends of the arena.
[Map selection begins!]
On the large screen, the map list began to scroll rapidly.
The cheers from the audience gradually subsided, replaced by a breathless silence.
The random map results are: Thunder Canyon, Bone Plains, Twilight City.
Ghost House destroyed Thunder Canyon.
Leimingyuan destroyed Twilight City.
The final battle map is: Bone Plains.
[Please select your battle pets.]
The lineups on both sides were displayed one by one on the big screen.
【Yūkiin I, Manro - Ultimate Level, Cursed Species, Dragon of the Other Shore】
【Ghost Courtyard I, Yu Guiwan - Complete Form·Cursed Species·Soul Burial Coffin】
【Ghost Courtyard I, Cen Muxue - Complete Form·Cursed Species·Blood Tear Doll】
【Ghost Courtyard I, Luo Zhaoyan - Complete Form Cursed Species Dream Eater】
【Ghost Courtyard I, Cloud Dream Farewell - Complete Form·Cursed Species·Thousand-Eyed Eclipse】
【VS】
【Thunder Courtyard I, Lei Ying – Complete Form, Elemental Species, Lightning Princess】
【Thunder Courtyard I, Su Yingxue - Complete Form · Biological Species · Frost Lightning Snow Sable Fairy】
[Thunderous Courtyard I, Lu Xiyao - Complete Form · Biological Species · Five Thunder Heavenly Tiger]
【Thunder Courtyard I, Lin Jinglei – Complete Form, Species, Thundercloud Sky Sparrow】
【Thunder Courtyard I, Nightingale - Ultimate Level · Biological Species · Thunder Horned Dragon King】
A flash of light, and the environment around both sides underwent a dramatic change.
The charred mud replaced the arena's floor tiles, and all that could be seen were withered bones.
Countless enormous animal bones lay scattered haphazardly on the ground, some half-buried in the soil, others piled up into small mountains. A faint smell of decay permeated the air. The sky was leaden gray, devoid of sun and clouds, only a suffocatingly oppressive gray-white.
Barren Bone Plains.
There are neutral maps that offer no significant advantages to either side, nor do they provide any clear countermeasures.
The countdown has not yet reached zero, and both sides are making final tactical confirmations.
In her match against Manluo, Lei Ying did not choose the blitzkrieg tactic that she had used many times in the competition.
This trick won't work on Manro.
Manro's Illusory Mist Sand Flower, after evolving into its ultimate form, is named the Other Shore Crossing Dragon—the Nether Dragon born in the Underworld.
Its talent is called "Death Flower," and its effect is incredibly despicable: when it dies, the source of the damage that caused its death also perishes.
The mechanism of this talent is so straightforward that it doesn't make sense.
Because the Beastmaster and their companion pet are essentially one, even if you bypass the Other Shore Dragon and kill Manro herself, the Other Shore Dragon, as her companion pet, will also die. Furthermore, the source of the damage that indirectly caused its death will also be taken away by the Death Flower's talent.
Therefore, the ambush on Manluo did not occur.
Even if the sneak attack succeeds, Princess Lightning, Lei Ying, will die.
One for one, then both are eliminated, handing the game over to their remaining teammates.
The most boring way to do it.
Moreover, for Princess Lightning Lei Ying, this is a tactic that can only be used in virtual battles and is absolutely unusable in real-world combat.
Because Princess Lightning, Lei Ying, is a being wholly human and pet.
She's dead, truly dead.
Unlike other beast tamers who might sacrifice a pet to trade one for one with Manluo, as long as the beast tamer is alive, the contracted pet can always be resurrected slowly.
This talent mechanism is practically her natural counter.
With the pride of Princess Lei Ying, she would never use tactics that can only be used in virtual battles. Even if she won, she would not consider it a real victory and it would be meaningless.
The victory she seeks must be a beautiful victory that can be replicated in real-world combat.