Chapter 64: Battle Against Bashen

"Little Ba happened to be in Milan to watch Inter's home match on the day of the apocalypse. That dimensional invasion caused the least damage to Milan, so you could say he narrowly escaped with his life," the old Pope said with a smile as he introduced him to the other two. "After that, this kid went on to become a Hunter. His potential was exceptionally high, and through years of training, he has already become my right-hand man."

Ye Yang was completely dumbfounded. Looking at the Black man before him, a wave of excitement surged within his heart—a bizarre kind of excitement. Balotelli wasn't playing football anymore and had become a Hunter? How utterly surreal was that?

The three major dreams of an ordinary loser: First, win the lottery. Second, watch Master Cang's wonderful live performances in person, preferably with a small cameo role. Third, ponder the meaning of the rest of one's life together with Super Mario.

Ye Yang had actually achieved it! He had actually pulled it off. Although Master Cang was out of the question now, the other two goals had been completely fulfilled. Win the lottery? He was currently wealthier than someone who had won the grand prize ten times over, and Super Mario himself was standing right in front of him.

Of course, Super Mario was no longer the eccentric young lad of years past. Nearing fifty, wrinkles had added themselves to his face quite a bit, and he even sported stubble—which was why Ye Yang hadn't recognized him at first. As for that hairstyle, though... it was still as bizarre as ever, shaved into the pattern of a cross.

"Ye Yang? Hello." Balotelli shook hands with Ye Yang with a smile. Surprisingly, he could also speak Chinese, though it was somewhat halting, and it was clear he didn't know many words.

Clutching that dark-skinned hand, Ye Yang was too thrilled to know what to say. He felt this hand was even more endearing than Greer's soft little hands. This was Super Mario himself!! And he was going to spar with him right away!

"By the way? What LV are you? What is your superpower? How much demonic power value do you have?" Ye Yang suddenly thought of a question. Balotelli was the Pope's right-hand man, so his strength must be terrifyingly high, right? Would he... get beaten to death in this sparring match?

The Pope answered instead. He said, "Little Ba, just like Andre, has already reached LV4. His demonic power value isn't top-tier, only around 1,700, but his superpower is flame, which is quite good. Andre's demonic power value is much stronger, approaching 2,000, but it's a pity that his superpower is non-combat-oriented."

"Uh..." Cold sweat poured from Ye Yang like rain. He looked at Balotelli, then back at Andre standing behind him. This old Pope wouldn't want both of these guys to spar with him, would he? He was dead for sure, wasn't he? These two were definitely stronger than Ling Fengyan!

"Well... actually, my demonic power value is only 600 right now, and I don't have any superpowers. I'm barely even at LV3 strength," Ye Yang said with a depressed expression.

The Pope laughed heartily, waving his hand as he said, "You don't need to be afraid. It's just sparring, and my real intention this time is merely to guide you and see what your true strength is like."

"Guide? Really?" Ye Yang was startled. His true strength right now was just like this; his potential hadn't even been unleashed yet.

"Do you know? Your strength is greater than you imagine. You are different from normal human Hunters; your latent demonic power wasn't obtained through evolution, so perhaps you don't need a lengthy period of growth."

"Hmm... Or let me ask you this: Do you believe your latent demonic power... is truly lying dormant? Can it really not be unleashed right now?" The old Pope smiled craftily. "You must know, your demonic power was simply brought by that creature inside your arm. Since it has already brought it to you, why would it still be considered latent demonic power?"

"..." Ye Yang's eyes widened. He suddenly understood the old man's meaning. That's right! His demonic power wasn't mutated bit by bit from evolutionary cells, but was brought by the creature inside his arm. Therefore, it wasn't latent at all! But... why didn't he know how to use it?

The Pope mused, "Two possibilities: First, you don't know how to use it. Second, the freezing caused this demonic power to be temporarily suppressed. So what I want to do this time is to see if we can make this demonic power burst out from the ice!"

"Breaking the ice..." Ye Yang bit his lip. He understood the old man's intent, but...

"What if it's not just demonic power that bursts out from the ice?" Ye Yang said through gritted teeth.

The Pope smiled and continued, "Didn't you say this is a gambling match? Don't you want to know the outcome of this gamble sooner? Of course, demonic power is only part of the gamble; ultimate evolution is the true finale. But don't you want to know whether the creature inside your arm is dead or alive? I can help you accelerate some of the processes of this gamble."

"I want to..." Ye Yang immediately nodded, but instantly regretted it as well. He indeed wanted to know, but he was also somewhat afraid. If the process was accelerated and he failed, then he would...

However, the words were already out, and Ye Yang didn't want to take them back. He suddenly felt that this trip to Milan might turn out completely different from what others experienced. Whether success or failure, he would gain much more than his companions.

Only, Ye Yang wasn't quite sure whether meeting Pope Felix was a good thing or a bad thing. All of this would depend on today's outcome...

"Right, if you need to, you can think more about this matter, or seek opinions from others," the old Pope mused. "Once it's done, you won't have a chance to regret it. No one can manipulate the final outcome."

"No need to ask," Ye Yang said, gritting his teeth. "Just as you said, this is my gambling match. Although doing this is selfish, I don't want my thoughts to be swayed by others. Today's round—I've placed my bet!"

The match was still ongoing, but Ye Yang no longer had any heart to watch it. He exchanged idle chatter with the old Pope and Balotelli, though he didn't even know what they were talking about; his mind was entirely blank.

Until the match ended and the crowd in the arena gradually dispersed, Ye Yang remained in a daze.

Although Ye Yang didn't want others to make decisions for him, he still wanted to call Ling Fengyan and Su Yi over. After all, he was brought here by them. However, this proposal was rejected by the old Pope.

"There's no need to tell them about this; they don't know much about your situation anyway. And even if the result turns out as we hope, it's best not to let others know about your situation for the time being," the old Pope said, shaking his head. Seeing Ye Yang's blank expression, he smiled again. "This isn't something I decided; it's the arrangement of Commander Wang Feng from your Chinese Alliance."

"Wang Feng?" Ye Yang suddenly understood something. He had always wondered why the old Pope was helping him so much. It turned out Wang Feng had made arrangements long ago; it seemed the two of them had quite a deep relationship.

That was fine, too. The only ones who fully knew his situation were Lin Tian, Wang Feng, and Yao Jun. Ling Fengyan probably just regarded him as a trainee with immense potential, while Su Yi knew nothing at all.

"Your Holiness the Pope, your strength shouldn't have been eroded by the passage of time, right? If I fail, I hope you will personally put an end to me!" Ye Yang took a deep breath and said.

"Very well!" The old man nodded and said, "However, I hope you understand that confidence is also the key to success or failure. And you must remember what I said during the day: whether you succeed or fail, everything depends entirely on your own decision!"

The football field was quickly cleared, and Andre instructed the staff to leave. Ye Yang's issue was extremely complicated; it was better not to let too many people know about it. Before long, only the four of them were left in the massive stadium.

"Is there no need to arrange guards?" Andre asked the Pope with a frown. Although he didn't fully understand everything, the old Pope had given him a general explanation.

"There is no need," Pope Felix smiled faintly. He looked at Ye Yang and Balotelli on the field, his eyes brimming with vigor. Just as Ye Yang had said, had his strength really been eroded by time? Perhaps not necessarily. At least at this moment, his imposing aura and majesty far surpassed even Wang Feng.

"What should I do?" Ye Yang raised his head and asked. Was it just combat? Could mere sparring really allow his demonic power to break through the ice? If it were that simple, he would have solved it during his internship.

"First, guidance—Little Ba will know what to do. Second, stimulation—forcing your body to unleash this potential through combat. Of course, this process will be somewhat dangerous, and you might sustain some injuries..."

"It doesn't matter!" Ye Yang waved his hand dismissively. As long as he could see the outcome, he didn't care even if his tendons snapped and bones broke. Besides, he was often covered in bruises anyway, and he had discovered that after the freezing, his body's healing speed was exceptionally fast. No matter how severe the injury, as long as he didn't die, he could recover very quickly.

The old Pope nodded and said, "Then let's begin. However, I must remind you that this might be a very difficult and extremely lengthy process. This battle could last for several days!"

"Alright!" Ye Yang nodded again, demonic power rapidly gathering in his right arm. He had to admit, he was truly looking forward to this battle, especially since his opponent was none other than Super Mario!

Balotelli's superpower was the same as Lin Tian's—both possessed flames. The only difference was that the gap between the two was as vast as heaven and earth: Lin Tian's fire could only light a cigarette, whereas Balotelli's...

With a deafening roar that startled Ye Yang, a blazing ball of fire emerged from Balotelli's chest, rapidly spreading until it enveloped his entire body in an instant.

"...Is he trying to commit suicide?" Ye Yang stared in utter foolishness. Balotelli was nowhere to be seen; it was simply a giant fireball. However, when Balotelli's laughter rang out, he became even more dumbfounded.

Amidst a burst of laughter, a dark-skinned arm reached out from the fireball. As it turned out, the fire merely clung to his body without harming him at all, not even burning his clothes.

"Let's begin," Balotelli said with a smile. He took a fierce step forward, and the surging flames caused the air itself to tremble. A pillar of fire materialized out of thin air from his fist and rushed toward him at breakneck speed.

Stunned, Ye Yang didn't react at all. The speed was simply too fast; before he could even see it clearly, he was sent flying with a loud crash.

Bang! Ye Yang hit the ground, lying flat like a dead dog, completely unable to move.

"Little Ba," old Felix smiled and said, "Remember, we are trying to force out his full strength, so... use your real skills."

Puff! Ye Yang spat out a mouthful of blood. Wasn't that considered using his real skills just now? He watched as Balotelli smiled good-naturedly, nodded, and stepped forward once more. The fireball had now expanded to the size of a room; he couldn't get close to it at all! How was he supposed to fight?

"It doesn't matter. Actually, you don't need to consider how to counterattack," Balotelli seemed to notice Ye Yang's confusion and smiled. "Actually... you just need to take the beating."

A second pillar of fire followed closely behind. Ye Yang scrambled away frantically while holding his head, feeling as though he was on the verge of tears. What on earth was going on here? After all that buildup, it turned out he was just here to get beaten up?

Although being beaten by his idol was a rare opportunity, could it... please not hurt this much? After just three punches, his skin felt like it was about to catch fire.

"Damn Wang Feng! This must be that bastard Wang Feng's idea!" Ye Yang roared in fury, suddenly recalling a remark Lin Tian had once made: *He will beat you desperately, beating you half to death, struggling right on the brink of mortality, and your potential will slowly be forced out.*

"Wang Feng! I am irreconcilable with you!!" On the football field beneath the moonlight, Ye Yang pointed at the sky and roared in anger.