Chapter 396: Golden Ghost

"Command the Nine Heavens"—find the latest chapter!

*Note: "Yu Jiutian" translates literally to "Commanding the Nine Heavens," a phrase commonly used in Chinese fantasy literature to describe ultimate power or control over the heavens.

Boom! Crunch, crunch, crunch...

With a powerful kick, the thin ice covering the ground shattered into a wide expanse of fragments. The golden figure shot into the air like a cannonball, twisted mid-air, then dove toward Katalev like a meteor.

Boom!

Despite his enormous size, his speed was astonishingly explosive. Katalev's eyes narrowed—within the blink of an eye, the golden "cannonball" had already struck, shattering a large portion of the arena into rubble.

Rumble...

The earth shook violently, sending up clouds of dust and debris. Not only did the audience in the stands stare in shock, even several members of the Londom team stood with mouths agape, clearly on the verge of panic.

This... this is supposed to be slow?! Unbelievable! Who could possibly react in time? Was Katalev just wiped out?

It wasn't only those few Londom members who thought so—Wu Di’s initial burst had been terrifying, as if he started at full power. Now the entire arena fell silent, everyone staring in stunned disbelief at the massive golden figure standing amidst the still-rising dust.

No way—three to zero?!

The Londom fans were completely shocked. What happened to their so-called perfect strategy? Wait…

Among the despairing gazes, one pair suddenly lit up—and then ten, then a hundred.

Through the thick dust, a streak of white light suddenly sliced across.

The Golden Behemoth roared, sensing danger, twisting around and swiping its giant palm through the haze—but found nothing.

The white light had already circled behind him, zipping past like a phantom. This time, it didn’t just pass by—a sharp gleam flashed, followed instantly by a sudden spray of blood.

"It's Katalev! Our fastest ice assassin! Of course he could dodge that attack!"

"Look, that monster is injured!"

"Hahaha, stupid beastman! Transforming like this just to die is perfect! Londom will win!"

The crowd erupted into cheers. They had nearly lost hope—three to zero?! That's what they thought after the last two matches too, but now...

RAAARGH!!! Wu Di roared. In his Golden Behemoth form, his skin was thick and his body incredibly tough, yet still made of flesh and blood. And this was an overdrawn state—the more severe the injury, the longer the recovery after transformation ended.

That bastard was fast!

Only by concentrating intensely did he catch a glimpse of the white light flashing past the edge of his vision. Before his body fully turned, his long, hairy arm lashed out—but the next moment, his strike missed, and the white light vanished again.

Katalev’s lips curled into a smirk.

Wu Di’s speed had startled him at first—hell, it had shocked everyone. But in reality, it was merely an illusion created by Wu Di's explosive start, his overwhelming size, and the intimidation factor he brought.

The "Golden Behemoth" was faster than expected, but once engaged, it became clear that he was nowhere near beyond Katalev’s ability to handle. Moreover, this so-called speed was mostly about straight-line bursts—when it came to agility in tight spaces, that was a completely different story.

Katalev saw right through it all. To him now, Wu Di was simply slow and clumsy.

Streaks of white light danced around Wu Di from all sides, pulling his focus, forcing his movements—every step controlled by Katalev.

Beyond the initial awe-inspiring descent, Wu Di quickly fell into a flustered, unbalanced state. He swung his arms wildly, even flailing all limbs, stirring up fierce gusts of wind. With his terrifying strength, he was certain that even one solid hit would end that annoying mosquito’s life!

But… not a single hit connected.

The white light moved with blinding speed, its nimbleness especially far surpassing Wu Di—leaving him in the dust by eight streets. And this was within frost’s domain, giving the attacker an even greater advantage. The omnipresent chill around them might not have been enough to hinder the vigorous Behemoth's movements entirely, but it inevitably caused stiffness in his limbs and slight delays in his actions. As one waned, the other waxed, widening the gap further.

Katalev’s speed increased rapidly as he hit his stride. Even the spectators could no longer clearly see his figure—only a streak of white light darting around Wu Di, each pass inevitably drawing a gush of blood.

In the blink of an eye, the once seemingly invincible Behemoth was already riddled with wounds!

White light flashed, blood splattered; the earth trembled, and the frenzied beast wailed!

Victory! It's in the bag!

"The Ice Assassin! Londom's future top assassin!"

"White Shadow plays the savage beast, a tiny blade fells the brute! Londom shall prevail!"

"Katalev! Katalev!"

After two matches of frustration, the arena finally erupted again. Everyone cheered and celebrated like a crowd around a campfire watching a chef wield a cleaver over a suckling pig on a roasting rack.

Even the fools in the stands could see what was happening, so of course, the Old Wang Squad members on the sidelines had long been on edge.

Frankly, a speed-type assassin paired with an indestructible dagger was truly a perfect counter to Wu Di. The opponent had clearly studied the Old Wang Squad well.

Winnie and the others couldn’t help but worry, stealing glances at Wang Feng’s expression, only to find that he didn’t seem inclined to call off the match.

"Old Wang, this guy hard counters Wu Di. Let’s just call it."

Wang Feng shook his head. "Don’t rush. Wu Di can still hang on a bit longer."

Wu Di was also growing anxious. Since his awakening, he had dominated with absolute strength, overpowering even Fan Te Xi during sparring sessions. But now, every attack only earned him another wound, one after another, while his opponent seemed to be mocking him.

Calm down, calm down. The captain had warned him about this weakness, and the opponent would surely exploit it. What he needed now was to stay composed!

Katalev, a minor lackey by the prince’s side—and a rather plain-looking one at that—rarely enjoyed such cheers. In fact, on this battlefield, he was often just “that guy next to the prince” or “what’s-his-name.” But now, due to various reasons, the glory that should have belonged to the prince had fallen upon him. Those people were actually chanting his name!

The Golden Behemoth’s eyes were nearly bloodshot with rage, turning crimson as it charged toward his position with earth-shaking fury. A cold smirk curled on Katalev’s lips—the more it struggled, the more it bled, and the quicker it would die.

Boom...

The giant Wu Di pounced again, only to find Katalev gone. The entire arena erupted because Katalev was now standing atop Wu Di’s head, even placing a hand on his crotch in a mocking gesture.

The crowd roared with laughter, all their earlier frustrations released in an instant. Filthy beastmen are nothing but livestock!

Down below, Winnie’s eyes burned crimson. "Ah Xi, Kela, hold her back!"

Wang Feng watched the scene coldly. Winnie was nearly mad with rage. "Wang Feng, you damn bastard! Let me go up there and kill that guy!"

Though Kela restrained Winnie, she too was seething. "Captain, forfeit. Let Wu Di come down—"

"Shut up, all of you!" Wang Feng suddenly roared. The group fell silent instantly—because they had never seen Wang Feng lose his temper before.

Ignoring them, Wang Feng turned his gaze back to Wu Di on the stage. It wasn’t over yet. Not yet. Ever since Wu Di’s awakening, he had warned him about this scenario—it was bound to happen. Wu Di hadn’t given up. All they needed to do was believe in him!

Wu Di swung upward, but Katalev effortlessly backflipped away, not only dodging the attack but also delivering a graceful slash with his Yakray dagger mid-air.

The silvery arc curved from the Behemoth’s forehead all the way down to its heel. The cut was vicious, intersecting with many previous horizontal wounds and triggering a hemorrhage-like effect.

Even without looking back, Katalev could hear the torrent of blood gushing behind him. With such a massive wound, the match was as good as decided. And as the one who led Londom’s counterattack after the Ice Prince’s fall, turning defeat into victory, what rewards would he receive from the Winter Holy Sanctuary and the Yakray Duchy?

Wu Di felt the blood pouring out, his strength draining. He tried to stay calm, but beastmen only knew madness—the extreme of madness was supposed to be calm, but he couldn’t grasp it.

Katalev, standing over ten meters away, didn't need to make another move. If his opponent refused to yield, he would bleed to death. Watching Wu Di's miserable state, the entire arena erupted in a frenzy. But the roars that reached Wu Di's ears brought not calm, only fury. His body trembled to the core—his bones quaking with rage at its limit. He saw Winnie and Kela below, frantically arguing with the captain...

Somehow, in an instant, all emotions vanished. Power surged through him.

BOOM—

Katalev's eyes abruptly froze. He saw Wu Di's leg muscles tense explosively. Instinctively, he braced to dodge—but in that very moment, Wu Di suddenly disappeared!

Where'd he go?!

As an assassin, Katalev knew damn well: when facing a vanished opponent, the best response was to immediately abandon your original position.

Yet the thought had barely formed, his figure just beginning to shift, when suddenly the very air around him locked solid. Space itself seemed to stiffen, trapping him completely immobile.

Then, like a ghost, Wu Di abruptly materialized just a meter from Katalev. His massive frame wrapped in golden energy. And the moment he appeared, the previously frozen space violently convulsed. A shockwave of air erupted upward from beneath, as if trying to blast everything—including the air itself—skyward.

BOOM!

The sky and earth split apart.

Wu Di came down like a mountain collapsing, slamming like an avalanche.

CRASH—BOOM—

The arena exploded, collapsing…

The crowd went dead silent… What just happened?

Where was Katalev???

He dodged, right? He had to!

Slowly, Wu Di lifted his foot, revealing a half-dead figure underneath.

ROOOAR—