Chapter 42: The White Tiger’s Resurgence and the Shadow Dance Slash

Under the ominous glow of the dark light, all plant life began to wither.

Though the “Withering Orb” inflicted no direct damage, it proved incredibly effective at suppressing the Azure Dragon’s magic, completely nullifying the spell it had just cast.

The reanimated plants, before they could even contribute, all perished, leaving the Shamatte-styled individual entirely unopposed.

****

At that very moment, the “White Tiger” battle pet threw back its head and let out a fierce roar at the Azure Dragon.

A brilliant white light then shot forth from the White Tiger, arcing through the air in a parabolic trajectory.

Immediately afterward, countless white figures descended from the sky, striking the Azure Dragon’s colossal form.

The daytime Azure Dragon possessed no intelligence, rendering it incapable of dodging skills.

Moreover, its sheer, immense size made evasion nearly impossible.

The onlookers stared intently, realizing that these white figures were like spectral echoes of the White Tiger itself.

The instant they made contact with the Azure Dragon, they transformed into streaks of gleaming white blade light.

Being Gold-elemental, the White Tiger naturally countered the Wood-elemental Azure Dragon.

It was unclear whether it was related to the “Withering Orb’s” effect, which might have weakened the Azure Dragon’s defenses, but regardless, after this barrage of blade-light and sword-shadow, the Azure Dragon’s health bar had plummeted to just two-fifths of its total.

“This fellow, it seems he’s put considerable effort into dealing with the Azure Dragon!” Kabasiji exclaimed, a hint of lingering fear in his voice as he watched the Shamatte-styled individual’s overwhelming suppression of the Azure Dragon.

“These items, they’re all specifically designed to counter the Azure Dragon! I truly wonder where he managed to acquire such things.”

“Thank goodness Xue Hu warned us to ambush him here, otherwise, we might have truly met an inexplicable end!”

“His battle pet is the White Tiger, and Xingxing died at the White Tiger’s hands last night,” Xue Hu stated, her gaze fixed sternly on the Shamatte-styled individual, her eyes reflecting an unprecedented seriousness.

“I now suspect that Xingxing’s death is undeniably linked to him.”

“He might still be holding onto some secret weapons, so everyone, please stay vigilant.”

“As for that ‘Dark Orb,’ while it’s relatively difficult to obtain, it’s not entirely impossible; some areas randomly spawn wandering monsters, and perhaps it drops from them.”

****

Just as the onlookers were still filled with surprise and uncertainty regarding the battle’s trajectory, the arena suddenly fell into a brief lull.

Stripped of the assistance from plants and trees, the Azure Dragon was forced to rely solely on its formidable physical body to clash with the Shamatte-styled individual.

Meanwhile, the “White Tiger” battle pet, having unleashed its powerful attack, entered a temporary state of dormancy, leaving only the Shamatte-styled individual, who possessed limited offensive capabilities, to confront the Azure Dragon on the field.

It was as if a pot of water had been brought to a furious boil, only for someone to discover it had been replaced with cold water just as they reached to pour it.

The stark contrast was so immense that the three spectators found it utterly jarring.

The unintelligent Azure Dragon, deprived of its botanical allies, could only ungracefully batter the Shamatte-styled individual with its claws and fangs.

The Shamatte-styled individual, in turn, no longer produced devastating items like the “Peerless Fine Blade” or battle-altering targeted consumables such as the “Withering Orb.”

Instead, he merely continued to repeatedly hurl Gold-elemental orbs while artfully evading the Azure Dragon’s assaults, resorting to consuming healing items to endure any unavoidable blows.

“Damn it, this is incredibly boring! How long is this going to drag on?” Kabasiji grumbled, his voice laced with annoyance and drowsiness as he watched.

“What if we waste all this time and don’t manage to reach level 200?”

“The Azure Dragon’s health bar hasn’t barely moved since the White Tiger went inactive. Does this guy have no more offensive moves?”

“If this keeps up, he might just get worn down and killed by the Azure Dragon in the end. Should we just leave him and go level up ourselves?”

“No, let’s wait a little longer,” Hank interjected, shaking his head and cutting off Kabasiji.

“I have a strong feeling he’s got more tricks up his sleeve than this! Judging by his previous performances, I don’t think this is all he’s capable of.”

“Besides, that battle pet shouldn’t be a one-time use item, right? As long as he can hold out long enough to let the battle pet unleash its ultimate ability twice, he should be able to defeat the Azure Dragon. Who knows what other secret weapons he’s hiding?”

****

Indeed, just as Hank had predicted, the “White Tiger” battle pet did not remain dormant for long.

Presumably, its energy bar had recovered or its cooldown had reset, for it soon reappeared on the battlefield.

At this moment, while the Shamatte-styled individual was at a disadvantage, somewhat pressured by the Azure Dragon’s attacks, he wasn’t in any immediate danger.

The White Tiger battle pet’s re-entry into the fray undeniably shifted the tide back in the Shamatte-styled individual’s favor.

“White Tiger, quickly use ‘White Tiger Roaring Wave’!” the Shamatte-styled individual commanded, once again addressing his “White Tiger” battle pet as if it were a Pokémon.

This time, he didn’t instruct the White Tiger to use its previous move, “White Tiger Suppressing Heavenly Might,” but opted for a different skill entirely, leaving everyone to wonder about his new strategy.

“Roar!” The White Tiger battle pet let out a furious roar, and a shockwave surged forth, hurtling towards the Azure Dragon.

Just as before, the Azure Dragon made no attempt to dodge, allowing the shockwave to crash directly into its body.

However, this time, the damage inflicted by the “White Tiger” battle pet was not as high as its previous attack.

It merely reduced the Azure Dragon’s already diminished health line to one-third of its total.

Yet, before the onlookers could even fully register their relief that this attack was insufficient to instantly fell the Azure Dragon, another astonishing event unfolded!

The “White Tiger” battle pet did not enter dormancy as it had before; instead, it remained actively by the Shamatte-styled individual’s side.

With a grand sweep of his arm, the Shamatte-styled individual called out to the White Tiger battle pet, “Blade, come!”

The “White Tiger” battle pet opened its mouth, and a long white blade extended from within.

The Shamatte-styled individual gripped the hilt and drew it out, after which the “White Tiger” battle pet once again entered dormancy.

“Haha! Take this, my ‘Shadow Dance Slash’!” The Shamatte-styled individual raised the white long blade, once more descending like a god of war, striking the Azure Dragon’s body and, metaphorically, striking fear into the hearts of the onlookers.