Under normal circumstances, the Hammer Brothers wouldn't have been that difficult to handle in a regular fight.
But this was an arena battle — a confined space. No matter how it happened, as long as one side was blasted out of the ring, the other side won.
Both brothers were Power-Type Soul Masters, wielding identical martial souls and soul skills. When they unleashed their strength together, the explosive force was enough to knock an opponent of the same level clean off the stage.
Facing such a brute-force duo, Yan's strategy from the start had been simple — finish it fast.
In the short time since the match began, Huo Wu had already used her third and second soul skills in succession, while Yan had unleashed his fourth, third, and first soul skills. Both of them were already running low on soul power.
Staring at the swirling black vortex before him, Yan knew immediately that the brothers were preparing something big — probably a Martial Soul Fusion Technique. Since they possessed identical martial souls and a high degree of synchronization, the chances were high.
If that was the case, then the next attack would be far more powerful than anything they'd unleashed before — and in their current condition, he and Huo Wu wouldn't be able to withstand it.
Yan turned to look at Huo Wu beside him.
Although she was clearly exhausted, her eyes still burned with defiance. Soul power was already gathering between her hands — she was preparing a final counterattack.
Yan instantly understood what she intended — she wanted to use her Fusion Ring Skill, pouring all of her remaining soul power into one last, all-or-nothing strike.
"Huo Wu, wait!"
Yan shouted urgently, trying to stop her.
The Fusion Ring Skill was indeed powerful, but once used, it would completely drain her soul power and leave her severely weakened.
And if she started channeling it before the Hammer Brothers completed their Martial Soul Fusion, it would be far too risky.
Huo Wu looked at Yan, confused. She didn't understand why he was stopping her.
"Huo Wu — get off the stage, now."
"What about you?"
"Don't worry. I've got a way to deal with them. There's no way we're losing this match!"
No sooner had Yan finished speaking than the black vortex stopped spinning. The figures of the Hammer Brothers slowly emerged.
Standing back to back, they both wore sharp, confident grins.
The audience gasped.
The black hammers in their hands had merged into one colossal weapon — nearly four meters long, with a hammerhead two meters high.
Black ripples pulsed across its surface, radiating a terrifying and concentrated power.
"Kid, time to taste the might of our Martial Soul Fusion Technique!"
"This match is over! Hahaha!"
The Hammer Brothers laughed triumphantly as they raised the massive black hammer together and swung it down.
A violent wave of black energy erupted outward like a tsunami, shaking the entire arena.
"Watch out!"
Huo Wu hadn't had time to retreat.
At that critical instant, Yan unleashed his Second Soul Skill — Granite Crush!
A massive block of granite materialized in front of Huo Wu like a solid iron shield.
Boom!
The black energy slammed into it with a deafening explosion. The entire slab shattered to pieces on impact.
Huo Wu was blown backward by the immense shockwave.
Fortunately, at the very moment her body was sent flying, several other rocks formed around her, encasing her in a protective cocoon. The rotating stones absorbed the force of impact and gently carried her off the stage.
The entire sequence happened so fast that Huo Wu was left completely stunned.
She realized she'd been knocked out of the arena — but according to tournament rules, as long as one member of a team remained on the stage, the match wasn't over.
When she looked back toward the ring, she froze.
So did everyone else in the audience.
Hovering above the stage were dozens of floating rock fragments — and standing calmly on one of them, twenty meters above the arena floor, was Yan.
During his half-year of special training, Yan had gradually mastered this technique — using rocks as footholds to fight in midair.
However, with his current soul power, unless he activated his Blazing Flame Wings, he could only maintain this ability within a twenty-meter range above ground.
Seeing Yan suspended above the arena left the Hammer Brothers dumbfounded.
They had never imagined that their opponent could also control rock!
Watching from the sidelines, Shui Bing'er finally let out a long breath of relief.
She knew that the Hammer Brothers' Martial Soul Fusion Technique possessed destructive power comparable to an attack from a Soul Emperor.
But that overwhelming strike had consumed almost all of their soul power — they wouldn't be able to use it again anytime soon. In fact, they barely had enough strength left to activate even basic soul skills.
Meanwhile, Yan floated overhead, perfectly composed — as if everything was unfolding exactly as he had planned.
Bing Lan sighed softly beside Shui Bing'er.
"It seems I underestimated him. He's not just a fire-type soul master — he can command rock as well. Could it be... his martial soul is the Flame Lord?"
"The Flame Lord?" Shui Bing'er repeated.
"Mm. I've only heard of it from senior soul masters — never seen it myself. It's said to be a top-tier ancient beast martial soul, possessing both fire and earth attributes."
"That sounds incredible…" Shui Bing'er murmured — then suddenly, her pupils contracted.
An astonishing sight unfolded before everyone's eyes.
Yan's dark red hair instantly turned a blazing, fiery red. His eyes, once crimson, now gleamed with golden-red light. Fiery patterns spread across his body, glowing like molten lava, as streams of flame rippled over his skin.
By now, Huo Wushuang had rushed to his sister's side.
The two siblings looked up together at the figure floating above the arena, their faces full of shock.
"Brother… what's happening to him?"
"I don't know. But those traits — they're the same as that fire-type soul master from Spirit Hall."
While everyone stared in disbelief, Yan suddenly moved.
Twin currents of soul power pulsed in his hands — one searing hot, the other steady and dense. Without warning, a torrent of blazing flames erupted forth, merging the floating stones around him into the inferno.
In an instant, they fused into a massive Flaming Sandstorm Vortex, which roared downward, engulfing the Hammer Brothers completely.
The fiery vortex tightened, transforming into a blazing Flame Prison that sealed them inside.
Watching from the stands, Shui Bing'er frowned slightly.
"Sister Lan, what's happening? He didn't even release his soul rings — how can he use a skill like that?"
"If I'm not mistaken," Bing Lan said slowly, "that's a self-created soul skill. He's managed to perfectly merge both of his attributes into one — truly a genius."
Inside the fiery prison, the Hammer Brothers' Fusion Technique had already dissolved. Each held a hammer again, desperately swinging in an attempt to break free.
But after exhausting nearly all their energy, they no longer had enough soul power to protect themselves.
Very soon, the scorching heat began to sear
their bodies.
Agonized screams echoed through the arena.
"Ahhh! It burns!"
"We surrender! We surrender!"
"Referee — help us! Please!"