“N-No, that won’t be necessary! I’ll withdraw on my own!” Serena said hurriedly.

Since maintaining good relations with both the Hayes family and Helios would do no harm, Mo Ying decided to be merciful.

“Anything else you’d like to say? Perhaps another advertisement or something,” she said.

Dmitri’s eyes clearly conveyed the message: Just send him out already.

“No, I’ll leave directly. A clean exit will leave the audience with a better impression.”

Noticing a new drone flying over, Serena immediately pressed the withdraw button on her watch screen and was teleported away.

Mo Ying pressed the button on Dmitri’s watch, then walked toward Brent.

“I have a question,” she said. “Your coat is still resting perfectly on your shoulders even now. Is that because you’ve been controlling gravity?”

Only after Mo Ying said that did everyone realize that despite all the jumping and violent movement earlier, Brent’s loosely draped coat still hadn’t fallen off.

“No... actually, I secretly sewed buttons onto it,” Brent admitted.

“So you even put effort into something like that just to look cool.”

Mo Ying glanced at his shoulders. Sure enough, buttons were fastening the coat in place.

“Aren’t you the same? You’re wearing a mask too,” Brent said.

That wasn’t really the reason.

Mo Ying touched her mask, but saw no need to deny it.

“Then let’s say goodbye for now.”

She sent Brent out as well.

After that, Mo Ying looked at her watch. It had vibrated earlier—someone had probably tried to contact her.

“Mo Ying, did you run into trouble? You didn’t answer just now.”

It was Davis.

“That’s right. But I’ve already dealt with it.”

“Figured as much. If you can still answer the call, that explains enough. Want to meet up?” Davis asked.

“No. I’ll move on my own.”

“What a spectacular match! Contestant Mo Ying has achieved victory in a one-versus-three battle! So far, the abilities she has shown are control over black-and-gold flames—which is clearly a War Affinity ability—as well as the mysterious power that caused contestant Dmitri to fall. Hmm, Lu Lin, what do you think that ability is?” Nine-Nine asked.

“No idea. We don’t know what contestant Dmitri experienced. All we know is that he fell after contestant Mo Ying looked at him once.” Lu Lin shook his head.

“A powerful and mysterious contestant indeed. Also, there’s no need to worry about drones being caught in the battle—we prepared ten backup units. Now, let us turn our focus to another fight.”

Another drone appeared in a narrow alley.

Yan Yining stood there with her arms crossed, looking at Reon and Hima, who had cornered her in a dead end.

“Stop running. Why do you bolt the moment you see someone?” Reon said.

“It’s two against one. Should I stay and get eliminated?” Yan Yining replied.

“Since when did the Yan family become so cautious? Or is it because your whole team got wiped out too early ten years ago?”

Reon knew the results of that tournament.

Ratatatatat!

Without warning, Yan Yining conjured a shotgun and opened fire.

Reon and Hima instinctively used their abilities to block the attack, but they were still injured.

“How do you know I didn’t lure you here on purpose?” Yan Yining said.

Hima and Reon moved backward. Their thoughts were the same—first get out of this alley.

“Don’t think you’re getting away.”

From above, Yan You’an took aim at the two of them.

Bang!

The first shot missed, but it halted their retreat and made them turn to locate the enemy.

Then the second shot targeted Reon’s shoulder.

Bang!

That shot missed as well, but it successfully forced the two back.

During the time Yan Youan fired those two shots, Yan Yining jumped, kicked off the wall, and landed in front of Reon and Hima—right at the mouth of the alley.

Now Yan Yining and Yan You’an held the advantage.

“Tch. Hima, looks like we’ll have to take this woman down first,” Reon said.

“What do you mean “this woman”? My name is Yan Yining.”

Yan Yining stated her name.

“Yan Yining? I think I’ve heard that name before,” Reon said. “I’m Haruwa Reon.”

“Haruwa Hima,” Hima said.

Since a sniper shouldn’t expose their position, Yan Yining answered on Yan You’an’s behalf.

“The other one is Yan Youan.”

“The routine name-introduction segment. These contestants are all so polite this time,” Nine-Nine commented.

“The first battle between the Yan family and the Haruwa family—let’s see how it develops.”

Hima first healed both his own and Reon’s wounds.

Naturally, Yan Yining and Yan You’an weren’t going to just stand there and watch them recover.

A huge wave of bullets came pouring toward them.

Reon swiftly erected a wall of roses and thorns in front of the two, firmly blocking all of Yan Yining’s attacks.

That wall is sturdy. Pretty impressive.

Yan Yining increased the bullets’ penetration power.

The wall began to take damage, but Reon summoned more thorns. However much the wall was damaged, she repaired it just as quickly.

“Right side!”

Hima noticed the sound of Yan Youan moving.

Bang!

Yan Youan fired a shot.

Vines and thorns wove together into a wall on the right, but the bullet’s penetration power was immense. It blasted a hole straight through.

Fortunately, Reon had guessed a sniper rifle’s penetration would be even stronger, so she had erected a second wall behind the first.

After piercing through both walls, the bullet slowed enough that Reon raised a hand wrapped in vines and caught it.

“The sniper rifle’s penetration really is strong.”

Reon tossed the bullet aside.

“So they found my position.”

Yan Youan glanced at the drone.

“Sigh... I’m going to get scolded later.”

“The first wave of attacks from contestants Yan Yining and Yan Youan has been defended! Meanwhile, the two contestants of the Haruwa family have also healed their injuries. Will they begin their counterattack next?” Lu Lin reported.

He was right.

In the next instant, Vines took the place of the thorns in defense, while roses and thorns spread wildly outward.

In a moment, they covered a huge area. The surrounding walls and even the ground became overgrown with thorns.

Yan Youan was on the third floor. Watching the thorns rapidly climb upward, he fired another shot, then quickly retreated in silence and concealed himself.

Bullets lost speed when passing through the plant walls, so Hima narrowly dodged the shot in time.

Looking at the building to his left with a hole blasted through it, he let out a breath.

“What terrifying penetration power.”