Chapter 144: Avenging Humiliation (Part 2)


    Han Ming withdrew the dagger from Huang Ying''s neck and took several steps back.


    When the distance between them reached ten meters, Han Ming stopped.


    "How''s this distance? Is it enough? Should I step back further?" Han Ming asked calmly.


    Huang Ying''s eyes bulged, and he burst into maniacal laughter. His face twisted into a grotesque mask of rage, joy, and humiliation.


    "You brought this upon yourself, kid! You overestimated your abilities! Don''t blame me now!!"


    Han Ming watched the nearly deranged Huang Ying with a faint smile. "Are you angry? Does it sting to be defeated by someone you consider trash? I must be the kind of person you never even noticed, right? Do you feel ashamed?"


    "You won''t have the chance to gloat anymore," Huang Ying snarled, his hands moving rapidly as wind-based combat energy surged around him. A massive tornado enveloped his body, and as his hands clapped together, the tornado funneled downward, condensing into his palms.


    "Scatter!!" Huang Ying roared.


    The excessive use of magic took its toll on his body. Small cracks appeared on his skin, and blood oozed from the wounds.


    Three enormous wind wheels materialized, even larger than before.


    "This is bad! What is Han Ming thinking? Why would he give Huang Ying this chance? Now he''s in serious danger. Huang Ying is pushing himself to the brink to unleash this magic. Han Ming might not survive," Quirk muttered anxiously, unable to comprehend Han Ming''s earlier decision.


    "Die! Just die!" Huang Ying cackled madly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He didn''t care. His eyes were fixed on the "trash" he had once trampled underfoot. He had crushed this garbage before, and he would do it again today.


    "You''re beyond saving. Have you ever considered how the people you humiliated felt? Did you ever think that everyone has dignity? When you trampled others into the dirt, did you ever wonder what they were thinking? Your anger—I don''t know where it comes from. Do you truly believe you''re destined to be the one who steps on others, that no matter how much you oppress them, they should just accept it? And now that someone has surpassed you, you''re driven to madness."


    Han Ming sighed softly, facing the three massive wind wheels without a trace of fear.


    He spread his hands slightly, and two streams of pale blue magical energy flowed from his palms.


    The energy streams accelerated rapidly, intertwining to form a massive shield of blue ice, nearly ten meters tall, firmly positioned in front of Han Ming.


    "An ice shield? Hahaha! An ice shield? You''re using an ice shield to block my wind wheels? You''re out of your mind! Ice isn''t even as hard as copper or iron, and you think it can stop me?"


    Huang Ying doubled over in laughter, clutching his stomach as if he had just witnessed the most ridiculous performance.


    Han Ming, however, maintained his calm smile.


    Among the spectators were many skilled fighters, including some of the top 16 competitors who had come to observe the match. There were also those who had been eliminated but couldn''t bring themselves to leave, wanting to witness the tournament''s conclusion and see who would emerge victorious from the thousands of participants.


    Naturally, there were many mages in the audience, including a number of water mages who hadn''t even dared to compete.


    "This kid is too arrogant."


    "Yeah, it''s one thing for a water mage to use warrior skills in a match, but to insist on using water magic now? He''s just a fool with no sense of strategy."


    The water mages who overheard these comments seethed with anger. Though they also doubted Han Ming''s chances, he was the first water mage to reach the top 16 in the Tri-Nation Tournament. Sharing the same undervalued element and the same scorn from others, they saw Han Ming as one of their own.


    Hearing others belittle him, they felt a surge of indignation but dared not speak up.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    One water mage clenched his fists, his teeth gritted and eyes moist. He didn''t dare speak loudly, fearing further ridicule, but he whispered under his breath, "Go, Han Ming! Go!! You have to win! Show them what water mages can do!!"


    All of this happened in a matter of seconds.


    The three wind wheels collided violently with the massive ice shield.


    Just as everyone expected the shield to shatter into pieces, they were stunned to see it hold firm against the onslaught.


    The wind wheels roared and churned, reducing the arena floor to rubble, but the ice shield remained intact, without a single crack.


    The weakness of water mages was common knowledge throughout the realm.


    But what they were witnessing defied all expectations.


    A collective gasp echoed through the audience.


    In a stadium of 200,000 people, the only sound was the relentless howling of the three wind wheels. Not a single voice could be heard.


    "H-how is this possible?" A man chewing on a chicken leg froze, the meat falling onto his lap and staining his pants with grease. He didn''t even notice.


    The wind wheels continued to roar, but the crowd was silent.


    "So, how do you like my water magic? Does it meet your lofty standards?" Han Ming asked, his voice calm as he watched Huang Ying''s horrified expression.


    "Do you know why I fought you with warrior skills? Because you weren''t worthy of my magic. But since we have history, I''ll show you what real water magic looks like!"


    Han Ming''s voice grew louder, almost a roar.


    "Vier, and you, my teacher, who dedicated your life to pursuing the pinnacle of water magic—can you see this? Today, we water mages stand tall!!"


    Han Ming''s eyes widened as he shouted with all his might, "Vier, look! Watch as I use water magic to crush this man! Second Brother, look! See how I defeat the person who once trampled us like dogs!"


    Han Ming roared, his hands coming together and then spreading apart. The ice shield split into two, opening like a pair of doors.


    The three wind wheels seized the opportunity, rushing past the shield toward Han Ming.


    "Freeze!!!!!!" Han Ming bellowed, his hands moving rapidly as dozens of blue water serpents surged forth, dividing into three groups and lunging at the wind wheels.


    The arena was instantly engulfed in an unimaginable cold. The ruined floor was coated in a layer of pale blue ice.


    The air condensed into a strange liquid due to the extreme cold, falling like rain.


    Even from a distance, Huang Ying exhaled a breath that instantly turned to frost, the next breath forming tiny ice crystals that drifted to the ground.


    Huang Ying felt a bone-chilling cold invade his body, slowing his thoughts to a crawl.


    The water serpents entwined with the wind wheels, emitting a harsh, grating sound. Just as everyone expected the serpents to disintegrate, they held firm, their bodies wrapping around the spinning wheels in a desperate struggle.


    "Han Ming... go for it..." a water mage whispered nervously.


    "Han Ming, go!!"


    Like a spark igniting gunpowder, thousands of water mages erupted in unison.


    Thousands stood, their voices hoarse as they shouted.


    "Han Ming, go! Water mages, go!!"


    The stadium was swept up in the unprecedented spectacle. All 200,000 spectators rose to their feet, their cheers like a tidal wave.


    The water serpents, under the extreme cold, slowed the wind wheels until they began to crystallize, forming tiny shards of ice.


    After a short while, three massive ice wheels stood on the arena.


    "Frozen... frozen!"


    "They''re frozen!"


    "My god!! The wind wheels are frozen!!"


    Water mages embraced each other, weeping and cheering for this historic achievement.


    "How... how is this possible?" Huang Ying laughed bitterly. "You''re just a water mage..."


    Han Ming stepped toward Huang Ying, one deliberate step at a time.


    "You..." Huang Ying stared in terror at Han Ming''s resolute face. The weakling he had once humiliated now seemed like a stranger, someone he no longer recognized.


    Han Ming stood over Huang Ying and suddenly roared, "Kneel!!"


    "Kneel!!!"


    "Kneel!!!"


    "Kneel!!!"


    Thousands of water mages in the stadium shouted in unison, their voices like a deafening bell hammering into Huang Ying''s chest.


    "Kneel!!"


    "Kneel!!"


    The water mages screamed until their voices broke.


    Huang Ying collapsed to his knees before Han Ming.


    "This is the price you pay for your past actions! This is the price for trampling on others'' dignity! This is the price for looking down on the weak!"


    Han Ming extended his right index finger, drawing a thin line of water in the air. The line drifted onto Huang Ying''s left arm, freezing it into a blue crystalline mass.


    The stadium erupted in cheers.


    Water mages wept and celebrated.


    Today would be recorded in history!


    This was the day water mages rose in the world!


    This was the day water mages were redefined in everyone''s eyes!


    And the creator of this miracle, Han Ming, would be remembered for generations, leaving an indelible mark in the annals of history!


    "I declare!" The referee, who had been keeping his distance, hurried onto the arena. He raised Han Ming''s right hand, his voice trembling with excitement.


    "I declare! The water mage... wins!!"


    This moment was too significant, too monumental. In his excitement, the referee didn''t even announce Han Ming''s name, simply proclaiming the victory of the water mage.


    "Woooo!!!"


    "The water mage wins!!!"


    Kulo smiled as he watched Han Ming, surrounded by adoring fans, standing tall and proud on the stage like a mighty pine.


    "This kid really has charisma," Kulo chuckled.


    "Sniff..."


    Kulo turned at the sound of crying.


    Quirk, the burly man, was wiping his tears with his sleeve, sobbing, "It''s so moving! So moving!"


    In another corner of the stands, Shang Que''s face darkened. He snorted coldly, turned, and left.


    Han Ming''s gaze drifted to Shang Que''s retreating figure. "You''re next," he said quietly. "You and your kind forced my brother and me to risk our lives in dangerous places. Now, my second brother Li Chengfeng is missing, and it''s all because of you. I''ll settle this debt with you, piece by piece. Huang Ying has fallen. Next is you, the natural enemy of water mages—the fire mage, third-tier fire magus, Shang Que!"


    Meanwhile, Fei''er watched the young man she had once dismissed as beneath her now being celebrated by 200,000 people.


    All their cheers were for one person.


    This water mage.


    Han Ming!