Cosmic Professional Gladiator
chapter-736

In the arena, Lilu and Havering were already battling.

The towering Lilu suddenly appeared in front of Havering as if he had teleported. His enormous palm slammed down, the size of Havering's entire body. It was like swatting a mosquito, slamming Havering into the ground!

Bang!!!

The palm strike caused the entire arena to tremble. Over 100 million viewers felt it.

What strength, Xu Jingming thought, staring at Havering under the furry palm.

"Turned to meat paste?" Countless audience members watched anxiously.

Lilu's expression changed slightly. He raised his palm and smacked down with the other.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He struck out repeatedly, trying to swat Havering to death.

Havering sprawled on the arena floor, refusing to dodge. Instead, he propped himself up on both hands and rose to his feet with exaggerated slowness, tanking over a hundred strikes.

"Take your best shot." Havering lowered his head and scoffed under his breath. He didn't have a scratch. "Trying to tickle me?"

"Ants do have tough exoskeletons." Lilu stretched out his hands as a menacing aura swelled around him.

Havering sensed the threat and zipped over a thousand meters away in an instant. He hung back at a safe distance, eyeing Lilu warily.

"Your carapace may be tough, Ant. Let's see how you handle a strike from my saber technique." Lilu strode forward and blurred into motion.

Havering dodged, but Lilu's speed gave him the edge. As Lilu closed in, a saber beam sliced through Havering, shearing off a large chunk of exoskeleton and flesh.

Purple blood sprayed.

"Using your palm as a blade?" Havering frowned at the gash in his abdomen but ignored it.

"Perish." Lilu's expression didn't flicker as he attacked again and again, slicing Havering to ribbons with his palm strikes, intent on cutting him down completely.

Yet, Havering's body knitted itself back together at lightning speed. The gashes on his chest sealed up in the blink of an eye. The massive chunks hacked off earlier regrew in under a second.

Huh? Lilu's eyes widened in disbelief. Such fast regeneration?

While the powerhouses of this world did heal rapidly, regrowing nearly 20% of one's body in a single second was unheard of. It stunned even Lilu.

Xu Jingming gaped in shock. Havering's regeneration is dozens of times faster than mine!

The larger a creature, the slower its healing.

For creatures at the same Lv. 70, Dragons over 100 meters long could take days to regrow a lost tail.

Humans might regrow a severed limb in a minute or two.

Ants regrew a missing leg in seconds.

"Lilu of the Xiaos, what new tricks do you have up your sleeve?" Ant Havering studied his opponent warily.

After witnessing the devastating power behind the other's palm strike, he adjusted his strategy. He took the initiative to use his sturdy frame to absorb the blows. Even a grievous wound healed in the blink of an eye.

Lilu continued his silent assault.

He executed his most adept saber technique with his palms, but Havering's body was too tough, and his recuperative ability too swift.

"If you have no new moves, you'll lose." Havering grinned and charged forward aggressively. He used his body to block the palm strike while lashing out repeatedly.

His small palm was like an extremely sharp knife, leaving bloody gashes all over Lilu's body.

The physique of a powerhouse can be a weapon, but this Ant's body is practically a divine weapon, Xu Jingming realized. The Ant's fingertip had sliced across Lilu's body, inflicting a wound.

Lilu was forced to defend. Half his focus was on defense, the other half on finding a way to prevail.

The two combatants fought with reckless abandon. However, it was clear that even if Havering suffered some injuries, he would recover instantly.

The wounds on Lilu's body healed much slower.

In close quarters combat, one of Lilu's eyes was blinded. It would take about a minute for his blind eye to heal.

This window was ample for the Ants to gain several advantages, and Havering seized the opportunity to blind his opponent's other eye.

After six minutes of fighting, with a small hole blasted through his head, Lilu shouted, "I concede."

The match was finally over.

A stunned silence engulfed the venue at first before cheers erupted.

Many diminutive species like the Ants and Bees hopped around in the stands, whooping excitedly.

"Champion!"

"Havering, champion!"

The tiny creatures present were utterly elated. They glimpsed the Ants' hope of victory vaguely. This was the first time the Ants had entered the main competition since the Myriad Species Tournament began, and they even had a shot at clinching the championship. How could they not be thrilled?

I lost. After Lilu conceded defeat, his morale cratered. Having lost this match, the odds of me winning this tournament are nearly nil.

According to his past experiences, champions usually triumphed in every match.

Ant Havering grew even more confident. As I expected, when our might is comparable, the Ants will definitely prevail in a frontal assault.

In the contestant's room,

Xu Jingming watched Lilu leave the arena from afar. Lilu was blind in both eyes, relying on his senses to fight in the later stages, and his skull had been blasted open. If that had been me, would I have won?

He wasn't confident!

The Demon Dragonborn, Cloudhunter, and the Gray Elf, Tribulation Subduer, who were also in the contestants' rooms, had grim expressions. His body is indestructible, and he recovers extremely quickly. His claws are terrifyingly sharp. How can I defeat him?

The Ants' hands were covered in a black carapace, with sharp thorns at their fingertips—natural weapons.

…

Seconds turned to minutes as the ultimate round-robin matches intensified. Xu Jingming, Havering, Lilu, Cloudhunter, and Tribulation Subduer went all out, holding nothing back.

Ant Havering. Xu Jingming paid closest attention to Havering.

In the fourth match, Havering versus Tribulation Subduer,

Havering dominated easily.

Tribulation Subduer's attacks were too weak to leave a scratch. There was no suspense—Havering won handily.

In the seventh match, Havering versus Cloudhunter.

Cloudhunter had just defeated Lilu; he was clearly formidable. Over five meters tall, the strongest and fastest in the round-robin, and his fighting style savage, Cloudhunter's ferocity met its match in Havering. Cloudhunter's fierce attacks did little more than nick Havering.

Finally, Havering punched straight through Cloudhunter's chest, piercing his heart. Cloudhunter conceded defeat.

"The seventh final round-robin match ends! Ant Havering wins!" Panqiu entered the arena, excited. "Ant Havering has now fought three matches and won all three!"

"Human Jing Ming has also fought two and won both."

"Demon Dragonborn Cloudhunter fought three, winning one but losing two."

"Xiao Lilu fought three, winning one but losing two."

"Gray Elf Tribulation Subduer fought three and lost all three."

Panqiu's voice rose. "Cloudhunter, Lilu, and Tribulation Subduer have no chance of winning first place. They can't match Ant Havering's wins."

"Therefore, the eighth match is also the tournament's last. Human Jing Ming versus Ant Havering!"

"Whoever wins becomes this tournament's champion!"

Panqiu's voice echoed through the Myriad Species World livestream.

…

In the Myriad Species World, the Humans and Ants were beside themselves with excitement.

Uncountable Ants were ecstatic, bumping heads and jumping around in jubilation, their attention fixed on their mightiest warrior—Havering.

The jubilation of Humans was no less than that of the Ants.

"Our Lord Jing Ming is gunning to be champion!"

"In the ultimate round-robin matches, our Lord won both bouts. Once he defeats the Ant, the title is his!"

"We Humans have a shot at becoming champions of the Myriad Species Tournament?"

The audience from the seven human countries couldn't believe their eyes. This was surreal—a dream come true!

"Just entering the main competition satisfied us, but Lord Jing Ming reached the finals as a Human warrior. If he wins this last match… Lord Jing Ming will reign supreme above all species!"

"Impossible. Simply impossible."

Countless human viewers were on the edge of their seats as they streamed the final match live. A nervous energy filled them with anticipation for what was to come.

…

"Lord Jing Ming has finally made it to the end." In the audience, Yu Yangwei, Shadow, and the portly Fengke struggled with mixed feelings. Against all odds, they had witnessed their friend reach the finals.

"Take this chance. Win, and you're out of here."

"Jing Ming, we have no hope left. You have to seize this opportunity," Yu Yangwei and the others thought desperately.

At this moment, the millions of higher-dimensional lifeforms watching the tournament were also conflicted. Envy and resentment warred within them.

After all, either Xu Jingming or Havering would be leaving for good, and most had long given up hope of escape.

…

The tournament host, Panqiu, was also watching the two finalists keenly. After confirming Ant Havering had fully recovered, he announced excitedly, "Competitors, enter for the final match of the tournament!"

The crowd roared in euphoria.

Amid the anticipation of innumerable lifeforms in the Myriad Species World, two figures emerged in the arena.

Xu Jingming and Havering faced each other from a distance.

There's only one battle left. I have to win this. Havering steeled himself.

Xu Jingming scrutinized his opponent. I must seize this chance. If the tournaments drag on, the super small-species will gain the upper hand. The longer this takes, the more uncertain the outcome! This is when I have the best odds!

Their gazes locked, and their minds and wills clashed. They sensed the other's indomitable determination.