Jade Skeleton

Black Mountain God could not detect the power that resided within that Jade Skeleton. Still, he knew he had to be cautious because it was the number one geno core he was dealing with.

Black Mountain God cast Heart Wheel to further break the tattered remains of the egg and the skeleton within. Strangely, the searing light seemed to have no effect on it anymore.

Instead, it just imbued the skeleton with what looked like a radiant coat of gold paint. It almost made the thing look holy.

Something flickered in the Jade Skeleton's empty sockets, and they lit up like the slow rev of an old CRT television warming up. The skeleton then possessed a pair of eyes, ones that seemed to have been wrought with ice.

Katcha! Katcha!

The skeleton began to move, with a number of xylophonic sounds singing from its creaking joints.

The skeleton was small, like a little pigmy. But it seemed so alive, like a genuine creature of its own. There were subtleties to its movement, and there was detail to its physique.

Beneath that light, the skeleton began to skitter across the heated sand dunes towards Black Mountain God.

The Jade Skeleton was rushing, with its little legs hastily leaving a small ant-like trail across the sand.

Black Mountain God recalled the Heart Wheel and watched the pigmy approach. He had no idea what to expect from the little skeletal being, but he knew he'd rather risk breaking his Heart Wheel than risk himself being killed.

Pang!

Han Sen watched the pigmy hit the Heart Wheel.

The Heart Wheel did not break, and after the strike, the pigmy simply pulled its fist back. Then, the eyes of the hollow being turned dim and eerie.

"Is that it?" Black Mountain God cackled, thinking he had seen all the ominous egg had to offer.

He wanted to use his Heart Wheel to attack next, but he suddenly realized he had lost all control.

He looked to the far end of the Heart Wheel, where the pigmy had touched, and noticed it turning to ice. The biting cold quickly webbed its way across the weapon until the entire thing was layered with solid and unbreakable ice.

The Heart Wheel then lost all of its power and dropped into the sand below.

Blergh! Black Mountain God spat out some blood and felt a pain in his chest as if a scalpel had just been slashed across his heart. Black Mountain God knew this feeling, for it had once occurred in the past, the last time his Heart Wheel was destroyed.

But the Heart Wheel was still present, and the fact that he was feeling this damage confused him.

In battle, if a geno core was destroyed, the fight would automatically end. There was a systematic, forced retreat put upon the combatants. But since Black Mountain God was still there, that meant the core was still there, too. It had just been rendered out-of-service.

Suddenly, the pigmy's master appeared before Black Mountain God.

Han Sen swung his fist towards the bewildered creature, for a being such as that was sure to want revenge one day. He couldn't be allowed to live.

Han Sen was not going to hold back, and he wasn't going to show any mercy. He'd never show it to any being who pledged allegiance to Sacred Shelter. He was going to Super Spank him.

Black Mountain God could forfeit the fight and bail whenever he wished to, but Han Sen had taken advantage of its confusion. And now, he had one chance to end things—one little chance he could not let escape.

"If you touch me, Sacred will hunt you down," Black Mountain God said. He realized it was too late for him to escape, so pleading a few words was the only thing he could do.

"Let them come. I relish the challenge." After that, Han Sen let fly his fist.

Black Mountain God threw his own fist to strike back, but when the two connected, the wretch was given a shock.

The winged felon felt as if it was now composed of one long, winding thread. And now, that thread was coming undone. One string, one thread, began to unravel his entire existence.

Before he could even let out a scream, he shattered and became one with the sand of the arena.

Super Spank was far too cruel. Even though Black Mountain God was incredibly strong, he did not have the necessary power to repel the mighty strike that had become a hallmark of Han Sen.

"Super Creature Baby Black Mountain God killed. No beast soul gained, and the bronze geno core Heart Wheel has been sealed. This creature is unavailable for consumption."

Han Sen heard the announcement play, and although it was a super creature, he only just realized it was a baby. He hoped he hadn't infuriated its mother.

After Han Sen killed the fiend, the Jade Skeleton unleashed a strange smoke. Then, it turned into an egg just like it had come from earlier. Han Sen returned the Crystal Core and then moved over to pick up the Heart Wheel that was resting on the sand.

God King and the others were all eagerly anticipating the result of the fight. They couldn't watch it unfold, and they did not yet know who had been chosen to challenge the Crystal Core. All they could do was keep their eyes peeled on the leaderboard.

Suddenly, the Heart Wheel at rank four disappeared. The Crystal Core ranking remained where it was.

Everyone was taken aback, for they all knew what it meant.

In the conclusion of a geno core fight, the rank usually remained the same. Good sportsmanship was highly valued, and competitors often had much respect for each other. Death was not a very common occurrence.

If the rank had been wiped, though, it meant the owner of the geno core had been killed. It was not a very good day for those in the top ten.