Chapter 767 Extraordinary Training Method
The clamor of the arena suddenly quieted down.
No one had expected that only a few breaths after the start of the fight, Lojia had fallen into a disadvantage. Judging from the muffled sound of that kick, the Fiery Flame Third Princess was definitely injured quite seriously.
Only Ashes knew that her straight kick hadn't been with full force, and the Wolf Girl had already pushed back at full speed the moment she was hit, while also slightly curling her body. Therefore, she hadn't completely taken the blow. Being able to consciously withdraw from the enemy's attack range when her face was taking a heavy hit indicated that even if Lojia hadn't experienced a real life-or-death battle, she had at least put in enough hard work during training.
After the girl fell to the ground and rolled twice, her figure suddenly inflated. The clothes on her body were torn to shreds, and what was revealed was no longer smooth skin, but fluffy light yellow mane.
Hmm... she looks quite different from Maisie, Ashes thought. If the Fat Pigeon used her hair to wrap herself up and transform into a bird, then this was a pure physical transformation. No wonder she chose to fight barefoot before. If one transformation could ruin a pair of shoes, even a large clan would probably have a headache.
In comparison, Maisie was much more economical. Not only would she not damage her clothes, but she could also roll up the package on her body into her hair, which was equivalent to carrying an extra set of luggage most of the time.
"Aooooooo ————————!"
When Lojia stopped rolling, her body had completely transformed into another appearance.
A huge Desert Wolf appeared on the high platform—Ashes had seen these wolf packs with yellow fur on her way back and forth from the Scorching Land. Compared to the snow wolves of the Western Region, their fur was not only short and hard, but their body shape was also thinner. After sunset, their eyes would occasionally emit a chilling green light, always looking like they were not getting enough to eat. Obviously, they lived far less comfortably than their counterparts in the Hidden Forest. Apart from not having abundant food, they also had to constantly face the threat of other ferocious predators.
However, this wolf in front of her was a bit too big.
Even a horse would pale in comparison to her—standing on all fours alone, she was half a head taller than Ashes. If Lojia stood up on her hind legs, she would probably be as tall as two adult men.
And her severely injured nose was also reflected in her transformed body. The bridge of her nose was collapsed in the middle, and what was spewing out of her nostrils besides hot air was also a trace of blood.
Lojia raised her head and howled, arousing a chorus of gasps from the surrounding Sand Folk—not only Ashes, but most of the people present were probably witnessing the complete transformation process of the strongest goddess of the Far South for the first time at such close range. Standing under such a burly wolf body, it was normal to feel great pressure and fear.
Before the sound of inhalation subsided, the Wolf Girl leaped forward and pounced at Ashes once again.
This time, Ashes' expression became much more serious. The opponent's speed was already close to that of a God's Punishment Warrior, and with such a huge body, her strength must not be underestimated.
She dodged Lojia's pounce to the side and immediately noticed something bad.
That was because the Wolf Girl's attack range after transforming was too large—compared to the God's Punishment Army, whose body shape was no different from ordinary people, she often only needed to move one step to complete a dodge, and two or three steps to put herself in a favorable counterattack position. But for a giant beast, this number of steps had to be increased by several times.
Like now, after Ashes barely dodged the pounce, the other party swept her right paw horizontally, smashing towards her like a wall.
"Bang—!"
Unable to avoid it, she had to raise her arms and directly block the opponent's attack.
Although the force of the collision was completely the same for both sides, the advantage of body size was revealed at this moment. Lojia only trembled all over, while Ashes had already flown backwards.
...
Under the high platform, Echo couldn't help but grab Andrea's wrist, "Is Ashes... alright?"
Since transforming into a giant beast, the situation had been reversed. The Fiery Flame Third Princess had been chasing Ashes and attacking her, and the latter had to use most of her energy to defend and dodge, and almost couldn't fight back.
Although both sides were empty-handed, but at this point,
every punch and kick of theirs was no different from an iron hammer or a sharp blade. Several wounds appeared on Ashes' body, and the blood that seeped out gradually dyed her robe red.
"Don't worry, this level of attack won't kill her. She hasn't used her full strength yet." Andrea didn't take it seriously, "Ashes doesn't have many advantages, but her ability to withstand blows is first-class."
"Hasn't used... full strength?" Echo was stunned, "But she's obviously panting very hard, and her expression doesn't look relaxed at all!"
"Do you know the extraordinary training method of the Taqila era?" Andrea asked rhetorically.
"Uh, what's that?"
"A method used to accelerate magic consumption, so that you are in a state of training at all times... according to His Majesty Roland, it is both ancient and inefficient. With this effort, it is better to read more books and study how muscles and bones convert chemical energy into mechanical energy." She chuckled, "But I think Ashes' brain might be particularly suitable for this stupid method—after all, asking her to read is simply making things difficult for her."
"I-is that so?" Echo opened her mouth wide.
"Of course," Andrea gracefully smoothed her hair, "Look, she's about to launch a counterattack."
...
Taking advantage of the opportunity to distance herself from her opponent once again, Ashes reached into her arms and took out a black cloth belt.
"What is that?" Lojia stopped and growled, "A weapon?"
There was also a commotion in the crowd.
The agreement reached before the Sacred Duel was recognized by the Three Gods, and those who betrayed it would be eternally despised. Therefore, even if no one checked, no one would generally violate it.
Ashes smiled and casually threw the cloth belt on the ground. The belt, which looked like a waistband, made a dull impact sound when it landed, as if she had thrown not a soft cloth, but a heavy piece of iron and stone.
The Wolf Girl's pupils suddenly shrank.
However, this was not the only weight.
Then she squatted down and took off the two black cloth straps tied to her ankles as well.
They looked ordinary, but they were made by Soroya herself—if they were replaced by ordinary fabrics, even the most sturdy canvas, they wouldn't last a week. The cloth belt was divided into three layers, the innermost one was empty, and the inside was filled with special iron bars, a short section of which weighed more than ten pounds. The one around her waist was basically equivalent to carrying an adult on her back.
When she stood up again, she felt full of strength all over her body, and the long-lost sense of ease returned to her body again.
"The transcendents practiced with this kind of thing, the faster the magic consumption, the more thorough the strengthening of the body," Ashes remembered Agatha saying at the time, "Even many people brought them to the battlefield. In the most critical moments, people can always explode with unimaginable power. If all goes well, as long as you persist for five to six years, you have a chance to break through the shackles of your body and become a transcendent."
And now, it had just been a year and three months.