---
The arena dimmed. Steam hissed from the vents. Thunder rolled across the dome like a dragon's growl.
Spotlights flickered.
And then—
> BOOM—BOOM—BOOM.
Footsteps. Heavy. Measured. Each one like a war drum.
A shadow entered from the east gate. Towering. Clad in dark iron and ceremonial black armor with a blood-red silk sash. His face hidden behind a white Chinese opera mask. A guandao rested on his back—taller than a man.
PANDA.
The arena fell into eerie silence.
> "That's him," Genji whispered. "The one who took down five Spirit Monks in Tibet."
> "Elite Guard of the Heavenly Throne," Kazuya muttered. "Why is he even here?"
---
Mimi Katsura's voice thundered over the silence:
> "STANDING SEVEN-FOOT-THREE, THE UNMOVING WALL, THE DEMON OF MANDATE—THE CELESTIAL ENFORCER… PAAAAAAAANDAAAAAAA!!"
The crowd roared in fear and awe.
---
And then the lights turned gold.
Lightning cracked the air.
The west gate exploded open—not with brute strength, but with speed.
XAO MIN FENG burst forth like a missile.
Her wavy black hair streamed behind her. She wore sleek tiger-pattern shorts and a sleeveless qi-style top, wrapped with yellow bandages. Her fingers sparked—static flickering up her arms.
> "THE BOLT OF BEIJING! THE LETHAL LADY OF LIGHTNING! THE STORM TIGRESS—XAAAAAAAOOOO MIIIIIIIIINNNNNNN FEEEEEEEENG!!"
She didn't wave. She didn't pose. She just stared.
> "If I stop moving, I die," she said flatly.
---
DING!
---
Round One:
Panda moved like a glacier. One step. Then two. He didn't draw his weapon.
Xao Min zipped sideways.
Left. Right. Then straight—
CRACK— a roundhouse to the ribs.
Panda didn't flinch.
He turned—slammed a palm like a falling mountain. The ground shattered.
Xao Min was gone.
ZAP!
She struck from behind—elbow to the nape.
Panda turned—grabbed her ankle mid-air.
Swung her like a ragdoll.
She hit the ground hard.
Blood dripped from her forehead.
> "He's not just a tank," she whispered. "He predicts."
Panda raised his hand—and electricity surged from his mask.
"He's using chi conduction tech?" Chris Navarro narrowed his eyes. "He's absorbing her voltage!"
---
Round Two:
Xao Min switched gears.
> "Fine. You want chaos?"
She blurred—zigzagging at impossible angles. Her form became streaks of light.
"RIPTIDE SEQUENCE: STAGE FOUR!"
Jabs. Kicks. Feints. All laced with taser-like discharge.
Panda reeled, armor chipping. Sparks sprayed.
He finally unslung the guandao.
> "Oh no," Genji muttered.
Panda SLAMMED it down.
A crater formed.
Xao Min leapt—spinning mid-air—
> "THUNDERBIRD KNEE!!"
CLANG—
Her knee struck Panda's mask dead center.
A crack spidered down the porcelain.
---
Round Three:
Both were bleeding.
Panda's mask was fractured. His arm dragged from lightning-burns.
Xao Min's ribs were bruised, nose bleeding, lip torn.
> "It ends here," she hissed.
She took off her gloves.
Her hands glowed blue.
> "What the hell is that?" Blaze gasped.
> "That's her forbidden technique," Chris said grimly. "The Lightning Conductor."
Xao Min blitzed forward—
"GOD FANG!!"
She punched the ground.
Electricity ripped through the stage in a circular eruption.
Panda roared. His armor exploded off his chest.
He swung the guandao in desperation—
But she was already above him.
> "THUNDER DEMON'S DESCENT—!!"
Her entire body crackled—
And then she dropped.
Knee-first into his skull.
BOOM—
Mask shattered.
Panda collapsed. Unmoving.
---
The arena was silent.
Then—
WINNER: XAO MIN FENG
---
She staggered. Almost collapsed.
Chris caught her at the edge of the platform.
> "That was dumb," he said, smirking. "You almost killed yourself."
> "It worked," she breathed, smiling weakly. "Now you owe me boba."
---
Back in the shadows of the private skybox, a man in a golden robe sipped wine.
> "So even Panda falls. Interesting."
Beside him, a cloaked woman whispered, "The Dragon Prince will not like this."
---
To be continued