The Doctor was right in his assessment. Defeating the Second-Tier Star Beast, the Earth Dragon Lizard, or rather, achieving victory in this final assessment in his own way, was something Tendo had decided from the very beginning.
As for whether this violated the original assessment rules, Tendo simply didn't care. After all, so-called rules were merely shackles prepared for the weak. He, Tendo Simei... only followed the laws of his own heart!
"Tendo!"
In the arena, Tendo heard Caroline's voice behind him and suddenly smiled. He knew very well that Caroline's sudden utterance was a reminder that she had done what Tendo asked. Now, it was Tendo's turn to perform.
Bang!
Tendo unleashed Instant Step at full power, for the first time completely widening the distance between himself and the Earth Dragon Lizard, briefly retreating to a relatively safe position.
"Liuli!"
"Un-understood!"
Receiving Tendo's signal, Liuli, who had been hovering at the edge of the battlefield, immediately flew over to take his place.
"Dre-Dream Contamination!"
Liuli, riding her pillow, swooped down, her swirling jacket inadvertently revealing the little bear pajamas she wore underneath. Instantly, countless dream butterflies surged from her sleeves, briefly blinding the Earth Dragon Lizard. The sudden blindness caused the Earth Dragon Lizard's movements to momentarily halt. More importantly, the dream butterflies surrounding its eyes seemed to carry a special kind of Star Energy, causing the Earth Dragon Lizard to suddenly feel an inexplicable drowsiness, a strong urge to lie down and sleep.
As Tendo watched the Earth Dragon Lizard's actions briefly halt, he immediately seized the opportunity to close his eyes, rapidly receiving crucial data transmitted from Caroline.
[Left front knee, old injury, 0.03-second gap in Star Energy flow.]
Moments later, Tendo's eyes snapped open. His gaze was fixed intently on the Earth Dragon Lizard's left front knee. Or rather, he was staring at a subtle, unnoticeable old injury there.
Tendo raised his hand, and a small, rapidly rotating Star Energy orb slowly gathered between his fingers. The Star Energy orb on his fingertip spun violently, its azure glow reflecting on his defiant profile. Sensing the appearance of this orb, the distant Earth Dragon Lizard suddenly grew restless. The drowsiness in its heart vanished abruptly, as a beast's instinct made it feel the clear threat contained within that orb.
"Roar!"
The Earth Dragon Lizard roared furiously, then swatted away the dream butterflies covering its eyes with a paw, and headbutted Jing Liuli, who was blocking its path, charging directly towards Tendo.
Gazing at the fiercely approaching Earth Dragon Lizard, Tendo calmly spoke.
"Star Energy Art — Azure!"
As his words fell, the rapidly spinning azure orb on Tendo's fingertip launched with astonishing speed. The whistling orb cut a brilliant trajectory through the air, precisely striking a dark gray scale on the Earth Dragon Lizard's left knee joint.
Bang!
Accompanied by a crisp 'crunching' sound, the lizard's proud rock armor fractured like a biscuit. The orb that struck its left knee acted like a continuously rotating, humming drill, completely breaking through its rock scales and burrowing into its flesh.
"Roar!"
Feeling the intense pain in its left knee, the Earth Dragon Lizard let out a pained roar. Its body, which had been rapidly charging, suddenly stumbled and crashed to the ground due to this sudden change.
Boom!
The Earth Dragon Lizard's body slammed onto the arena floor, causing the entire arena to noticeably vibrate.
Outside the arena, a deathly silence reigned. Everyone stared with wide eyes at this incredible scene.
"You've got to be kidding me..." Chen Kong's jaw almost dropped to the ground. "That's a Second-Tier Star Beast..."
Chen Kong had never expected that in just a few breaths, the Earth Dragon Lizard, which he had deemed invincible, would now be kneeling before Tendo. And he wasn't the only one shocked by this sight; Chen Xing beside him, and even the prominent figures in the VIP room, were now all shaken by Tendo's astonishing feat.
Clink—
The canary lady's champagne glass fell to the ground, wine staining her expensive dress, worth millions of Star Coins. But she paid no mind to it, her beautiful eyes fixed on Tendo in the arena, murmuring unconsciously, "Unbelievable, truly unbelievable."
"Three demi-stars, not even First-Tier... actually managed to injure a Second-Tier Star Beast..."
"Talent, courage, strategy, and... composure in the face of danger. These youngsters—no, it should be said, this Tendo fellow, is truly a born leader."
"If he hadn't willingly taken on the vast majority of the risk, then even if this plan were perfectly executed, facing an absolute disparity in strength, they simply wouldn't be able to guarantee everything went according to plan."
"Because if even one step had gone wrong, their plan would not only have gone completely to waste, but Tendo, who bore most of the risk for this plan, would also have faced a potentially fatal crisis."
"Tendo Simei, are you so certain you won't make a mistake? Are you truly not afraid of making mistakes?"
The canary lady looked at Tendo standing in the arena, her eyes filled with disbelief and... admiration. Even having seen the outcome, she still couldn't understand Tendo's reasoning for doing this. In her opinion, Tendo's action was not only extremely risky but also yielded negligible returns, making it very irrational.
By simply following the assessment rules step by step and trying to delay the battle with the Earth Dragon Lizard as much as possible, Tendo, Caroline, and the others would undoubtedly have passed the assessment. But they, or rather, Tendo, disregarded Caroline and Liuli's objections, and resolutely chose a path that caught everyone off guard.
What he wanted was never to delay, nor to simply pass the assessment step by step. What he wanted was to counterattack, to shatter everyone's preconceived notions, and to show them the existence of miracles. And now, this miracle, which only existed in theory... was truly laid before everyone.
Tendo Simei, do you have no regard for so-called rules in your eyes?
"Roar!"
In the arena, the Earth Dragon Lizard angrily rose, its beast eyes no longer holding their initial ease and playfulness. Instead, there was a heart-stopping ferocity. Clearly, while Tendo's strike had injured it, this minor wound meant nothing to it. Instead, it ignited the ferocity in its heart and made it determined to get serious and teach those three who offended it a good lesson.
But when the Earth Dragon Lizard saw the position of Tendo and the others, a human-like look of surprise immediately appeared in its bloodshot beast eyes.
Tendo was now standing outside the arena, having put his ridiculously mocking sunglasses back on, waving at it with a smiling face. Not only that, but Tendo also said something incredibly infuriating: "Yo, big guy, still sulking over there? The assessment's already over!"
"Roar!!!"
Hearing this, the Earth Dragon Lizard in the arena immediately roared furiously at the sky. Its roar made the barrier hum. This feeling of wanting revenge but being powerless to act made it vent its fury on the empty arena, continuously slamming the ground with force. It was as if only this could erase the humiliation Tendo had inflicted upon it.
Seeing its reaction, Tendo immediately pointed at it and said cheekily to the people beside him, "It's angry, this guy's really angry."
"For a Second-Tier Star Beast, it sure gets mad easily."
Caroline's cat ears twitched, and she said calmly, "Tendo, you're going to get the people in the next assessment killed."
Hearing this, Tendo shrugged indifferently. "What's it to me? My assessment's over anyway."
At Tendo's words, the faces of the other Children of the Stars around him turned green. They looked at the Earth Dragon Lizard in the arena, whose eyes were cold and whose nostrils were puffing white smoke, and timidly shrank back. After all, only an idiot would go out there at this moment to face that monster's full fury.
But just then, Chen Xing unexpectedly walked towards the arena, her crimson eyes flickering with obvious fighting intent. Seeing Chen Xing actively approaching the arena, Chen Kong immediately rushed forward in worry and pulled forcefully at her sleeve.
"Sis... don't go yet, it's still angry..."
Facing Chen Kong's good intentions, Chen Xing replied without turning her head, "Let go."
If it were normal circumstances, Chen Kong would have obediently released his grip. But looking at the Earth Dragon Lizard in the arena, with its cold eyes and white smoke puffing from its nostrils, Chen Kong ultimately chose to defy Chen Xing's words. He walked in front of Chen Xing and held out his hands, blocking her.
"Sis, wait a little longer, just a little longer. Right now..."
Clink!
Before Chen Kong could finish speaking, a faintly red demonic blade was drawn by Chen Xing, its cold edge resting against Chen Kong's throat. This sudden scene not only surprised Chen Kong but also everyone else.
Looking at Chen Kong, whose body had instantly stiffened, Chen Xing said calmly, "Kong, do you know why I've always looked down on you?"
Chen Xing's words were cold, but her gaze was even colder. And facing Chen Xing's dominance, the timid Chen Kong, as expected, cowered once more. He slowly lowered his hands, unable to utter a single word for a long time. Seeing this, Chen Xing's gaze towards him grew even more disappointed.
She retracted the demonic blade from his neck and, with a tone of despair, revealed the true reason she had always targeted Chen Kong.
"Hide, Kong, just try to hide your whole life."
"Your cowardice and timidity will one day make you lose everything you cherish."
"But you can hide; I cannot. Because if even I hide, then where can you, the weak one... hide?"
"Therefore, even if I know the next step is the abyss, I must walk into it without hesitation, because who made it so that there's no one in front of me?"
"So, get out of the way, coward, don't block the path."
With that, Chen Xing no longer paid attention to the distraught Chen Kong and walked directly towards the arena. However, just as she was about to pass through the Star Energy barrier guarding the arena, a voice called out to her.
"Hey, Chen Xing!"
A candy arced through the air and was instinctively caught by Chen Xing. She looked at the candy in her palm, her pupils slightly constricted.
"What do you mean 'no one in front of you'? Aren't you underestimating me a bit too much?"
"Remember, you're only second, and I... am the apex of Stars."
Tendo adjusted his sunglasses, the lenses reflecting an annoyingly smug gleam. Looking at Tendo at this moment, Chen Xing's red lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something. But in the end, her pride led her to respond to Tendo's claim of being the apex with a cold snort.
Then, she stepped onto the arena without hesitation, directly facing the now serious Earth Dragon Lizard. Feeling the immense pressure from the Earth Dragon Lizard, Chen Xing took a deep breath, then unwrapped the candy in her hand and bit into it fiercely. The force with which she bit made it seem as if she wasn't biting a candy at all, but Tendo himself.
'But... this candy... it's quite sweet...'
Meanwhile, outside the arena, Tendo wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead. Phew, that was close, almost let that guy steal the show. "No one in front of me"... no, apex of Stars, how on earth did you come up with such cool and dramatic words? If I didn't do something, once this episode aired, wouldn't all my previous efforts be for nothing? Good thing I'm clever; I not only immediately followed up with my own 'act,' but then naturally displayed the 'light' of my humanity. Otherwise, you would have stolen all the limelight. But then again...
Tendo looked at the heroic, crimson figure in the arena and suddenly smiled.
What you just said was indeed very cool.