The Hua Xia faction's overwhelming strength led most of the other gangs to withdraw during the chaotic preliminaries, making this challenge match different from those in the past.
As soon as the challenge match began, the European Transcendence Alliance issued a challenge to the Italian Mafia.
The Italian Mafia was considered one of the most formidable among the twelve factions, capable of contending for the top three in previous tournaments.
Having been the last faction to withdraw before the Hua Xia side in the previous free-for-all, they were currently ranked fourth.
The European Transcendence Alliance, seeing no hope of securing a top-three spot, naturally set their sights on the Italian Mafia.
"Pelice, representing the European Transcendence Alliance, challenges the Italian Mafia!" Pelice stepped out from the crowd and declared loudly.
Her voice was clear and her demeanor distinguished, immediately drawing the attention of all sides.
"So cool!"
Zhao Qingqing watched the heroic Pelice, her bright eyes filled with admiration and envy. It turned out women could exude their own charm on the battlefield just like men.
Isabella stood obediently beside Zhang Fan, her pure eyes glancing towards the Italian Mafia side before shaking her head slightly and saying, "Sister Pelice might not be a match for the Mafia's members. She'll likely be at a disadvantage."
This time, she didn't stop Pelice from challenging the Mafia, because she knew that even if they lost, Pelice, true to her nature, would still fight for the honor of the European Transcendence Alliance.
"You little thing, your strength isn't much, but your judgment is quite sharp," Zhang Fan said, ruffling Isabella's small head with a smile.
Hearing Zhang Fan's words, Isabella's face lit up with a proud smile.
Although Pelice was strong, she was the challenger, and she needed to defeat three members of the Mafia consecutively by herself. This was indeed a tough task for her.
Moreover, the Italian Mafia's participants this time were not ordinary.
"This girl has some skill. Who among us will go first?"
The Mafia members were not surprised by the challenge. Given their position, being challenged was a normal occurrence.
However, even when facing the extremely powerful European Transcendence Alliance, none of the Mafia participants showed any signs of seriousness, appearing quite relaxed.
This was not for any other reason than the fact that they had three members, while Pelice had only one.
"I'll go. Even if I can't win, I can at least wear her down a bit," Summers volunteered. While confident, he was prepared for defeat against Pelice.
After all, while Pelice's true strength hadn't been revealed, as the leader of the European Transcendence Alliance's team this time, her abilities could not be underestimated.
"Good," Jedra nodded. As the leader of the Mafia's participants, he had a good understanding of Summers' strength, which was only marginally inferior to his own.
Pelice vs. Summers.
Both were powerhouses who had cultivated to the peak of transcendence. The moment they clashed, intense energy fluctuations whipped up waves several feet high on the sea's surface...
After dozens of exchanges, Summers could no longer hold on and was defeated.
No one seemed surprised by this outcome, as they all knew that Summers was only meant to wear Pelice down, not defeat her.
And now, Summers' objective had been achieved. The fierce battle over dozens of rounds had indeed taken a toll on Pelice.
However, Pelice's expression remained unchanged, appearing extremely composed.
"Your turn," Summers said, returning to the Mafia's gathering spot and addressing Jedra.
"Mm." Jedra nodded, then leaped from the shore, landing steadily on the sea's surface, facing Pelice from a distance.
"Your strength is indeed impressive, but to defeat me, you're still quite far off. Perhaps you should consider conserving your energy for other gangs?"
Jedra exuded an elegant aura, his handsome face adorned with a gentle smile, like a gentleman. He spoke kindly to Pelice.
"Don't play these mind games now. We of the Transcendence Alliance are determined to take fourth place." Pelice said coldly.
Jedra's seemingly kind advice was merely an attempt to weaken her fighting spirit, preventing her from concentrating fully during the battle.
Pelice, having cultivated to her current level, was a seasoned warrior and naturally understood such tactics. Jedra's manipulative words had no effect on her.
"If that's the case, then it's truly a shame," Jedra shook his head.
Both were top-tier powerhouses below the Saint realm, comparable to those in the half-Saint domain of the Hua Xia martial arts world. Their battle was even more ferocious than before.
Watching the fight between these two, the other factions were also contemplating what their most suitable target position should be.
"Sister Pelice is about to unleash her power," Isabella, standing beside Zhang Fan, suddenly spoke as the two sides were locked in a fierce struggle.
As expected, mere seconds after Isabella finished speaking, Pelice unleashed a powerful ultimate move. A surging blue energy gathered on the sea's surface, forming seven rotating energy spheres that enveloped Jedra.
The spheres spun continuously, creating immense tearing forces that left Jedra looking dishevelled.
However, no matter how he attacked, he couldn't break apart these seven rotating energy spheres.
The energy spheres shrank, and the tearing force grew stronger, making Jedra feel a sense of impending death.
He hadn't expected Pelice's strength to be this formidable.
"I surrender!" To save his life, Jedra was forced to utter the word that signified his humiliation.
With a wave of Pelice's hand, the seven spinning blue energy bodies transformed into streaks of energy, which Pelice absorbed into her body. Her slightly pale face regained some of its color.
Clearly, that last move had taken a significant toll on her.
Having defeated two opponents in succession, the morale of the Transcendence Alliance members soared, and they became quite excited.
"From what I know, among the three participants from the Mafia this time, Jedra is the strongest, and Summers is second. Both of them have been defeated by Pelice. The next person likely won't be much of a threat," one of the Transcendence Alliance participants said excitedly.
However, surprisingly, despite two consecutive defeats, the Mafia did not appear disheartened. Instead, they remained remarkably calm.
"Sidler, it seems it's up to you now," Jedra said to a white-haired youth upon returning to the Mafia's gathering spot.
"Alright, I've been patient for long enough. It's time to showcase my true skills." The white-haired youth nodded lightly, but his gaze drifted towards the Hua Xia side.
Clearly, he did not consider Pelice a threat.
...