Ultragene Warlord

Chapter 298: Defeat in One Strike

Zhang Lie didn't care what the team leaders were thinking; he just wanted to test his limits against an opponent that could withstand his attacks.
This was the first time that he had met an opponent who could counter his [Hundred Dragons Soaring] head-on, which made his excitement spike.

“Impressive technique! Now, take this!” A violet shortsword materialized in Zhang Lie's right hand, and water-attuned genetic energy gathered in a torrent about the tip of the blade.
“[First Form: Parting the River]!”

A sword strike split the skies. 

Immense pressure struck the gathered team leaders.
Zhang Lie's [Hundred Dragons Soaring] had been an annoying technique for the team leaders to deal with, but this sword strike posed a lethal threat.
It was evident to them that, if they didn't defend against this blow, they might well lose their lives.

“Implode the formation!” Ye Tianlang called out decisively, and the other team leaders all nodded in agreement.

The rainbow hoop stopped spinning and began to swell.
As the sword strike landed, the hoop exploded, marking an end to the strongest formation of the special forces of Qi.
The explosion of the rainbow hoop was sufficient to deter Zhang Lie's strike for a brief moment, but it ultimately was unable to sap much of its momentum.

As the blade continued to fall, the team leaders each activated their soulshards and surged genetic energy through their bodies in an attempt to defend against the blow, but the fact that even sacrificing their formation had done so little indicated that their struggle now was futile.

Only then did they truly realize how Zhang Lie had managed to become the deputy leader of the special forces immediately upon his arrival to the second realm: he was strong, far stronger than they were, at least as strong as the governor of Qi himself!

With such strength, the governor would easily hand him the position of the troop leader if that was what he wanted—after all, in the dimensional world, strength was might.

The team leaders felt as though they had been narrow-minded fools, so confident in their own strength that they didn't recognize Zhang Lie's! From the overwhelming pressure they felt, it became apparent to them all that, if this attack were to land, none of the five of them would survive.

The force from exploding the rainbow hoop had turned the drill grounds into a pitted mess, with dust and smoke rising into the air, so while the spectators could sense how ferocious this attack was, they were unaware of just how the five team leaders were faring.

They were barely able to force themselves to stand, to resist the might of Zhang Lie's attack.

Only Zhou Ming and Zhou Liao sensed the team leaders' struggles.
However, Zhang Lie's attack was so swift that they couldn't get a word out by the time it was about to land.
The two of them began to panic: surely the team leaders wouldn't be able to survive this blow.

However, as they watched on, they witnessed an unusual sight.
Despite the strength of the blow, it didn't seem to leave a lasting impact on the arena, and the five team leaders' genetic fluctuations hadn't changed one bit. 

The strike that seemed as though it had split the very skies vanished like an illusion as Zhang Lie reined in his genetic energy at the very last moment.
After all, he had no intention of taking the lives of these team leaders, all of whom would be under his command in the future.

The five team leaders' eyes widened in relief and shock.
The reason they had struggled so hard was because the attack was of such awesome strength that they didn't think Zhang Lie would be able to cancel it partway through, but in the end, they had underestimated Zhang Lie once more.
From the ease with which he retracted his genetic energy, he obviously possessed superlative control over it.

The five team leaders, just like Zhou Ming, had all been won over by his strength.

Zhang Lie clapped, then said, “Your formation is surprisingly strong.
It looks like we won't be able to determine a victor; since we're going to remain teammates in the future, why don't we just call it a tie?”

A…tie?! The team leaders flushed red with embarrassment.
Not only had they been soundly defeated in a five-to-one match, Zhang Lie had had to rein in his attack to spare their lives—and now he was sparing their dignity as well!

Even Zhou Ming and Zhou Liao, watching the match from beside the arena, were red-faced.

This wasn't something that Xia Na could accept.
She was just about to clarify that they had lost when Su Nan, who understood her well, tugged her arm.
“At this point, we'd better accept his goodwill, don't you think?”