Demon King: Hero, don't run away!

A lion-eared youth swayed as he climbed over the wall.

It was rare to encounter the joyous New Year's Day celebration, and many shopkeepers brought out their treasured wines from years past.

Wan Ze certainly wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.

In recent days, he had been drinking heartily with his friends, getting thoroughly drunk each time and only returning home by climbing over the wall at night.

Today, as usual, Wan Ze climbed over his own wall, intending to sleep immediately, but the noisy sounds of fighting and a gust of cold wind slightly tugged his consciousness back.

Opening his drowsy eyes, Wan Ze saw two people engaged in a heated battle in the open space in front of the mansion.

With a figure covered in muscular lion sinew, no matter how many times he looked, Wan Ze would never mistake that figure; it was his father.

As for the other person...

Wan Ze squinted and looked for a long time before he could barely make out that the man fighting his father seemed to be the one who had blocked many of his moves last time.

The colorful-haired masked man, with his exceptionally agile posture, continuously avoided many of his father's moves, and then, like threading a needle, swung his sword blade and struck at his father.

All of a sudden, a jolt seemed to pierce Wan Ze's heart, and he shivered with fright, becoming considerably more awake.

He sat down on the ground silently, watching the intense battlefield.

A fierce claw attack struck, and Yang Yu sidestepped Wan Huawen's attack. Wan Huawen's claw hit the ground heavily, creating a deep pit, from which a crimson red spread through the cracks, then, like a fountain, gushed out.

Yang Yu swiftly located a gap in the red geyser and dodged. Little did he know that Wan Huawen would step on the blood-red and charge aggressively.

The Blood Lion is a sub-human race with formidable strength and commendable speed, but compared to Yang Yu's speed, they seemed insignificant.

Yang Yu's movements were exceptionally delicate, exhibiting no disorder while facing Wan Huawen's fierce attack. Wan Ze thought he was seeing an illusion and rubbed his eyes.

This battle was short, lasting only a few minutes, yet every minute and every second involved multiple exchanges.

Even with his surpassing speed, Yang Yu dared not relax even a bit, maintaining extreme focus.

While Wan Huawen's agility was far inferior to his own, Wan Huawen also exerted every bit of his attribute to its appropriate effect.

Wan Huawen carefully planned each skill's usage, predicting his opponent's next moves. He wouldn't let pain shake him nor let missed moves cause deficiencies but immediately prepared for the next attack and defense.

In battling Wan Huawen, Yang Yu felt as if he were up against another version of himself.

The Blood Lion possesses numerous restrictive skills, and a single oversight might allow Wan Huawen to seize an opportunity, cornering him.

In terms of technique, Wan Huawen wasn't much different from himself.

Now, the contest was to see who relaxed first, who made the first mistake.

Yang Yu was certain that if it came down to pure attribute suppression in a one-on-one situation, he likely wouldn't stand a chance.

Despite being a defensive warrior, he felt he belonged to a team where his true strengths could be utilized. Yet, making himself powerful, defeating more formidable foes, was not a bad thing.

There may be a day when he would face a fight alone.

Pure tanks might be completely treated as sandbags.

Being exceptionally tough while dealing great damage held promise.

It could ensure his and his companions' safety.

A red aura enveloped Wan Huawen; the effect of Fury Blood made Wan Huawen's blood boil, a feeling he hadn't realized for a long time.

"Once again, I see you in a new light. Perhaps I should have begun with my full strength against you."

Even if Wan Huawen seized an opportunity to punch Yang Yu, Yang Yu's strange techniques deflected all subsequent attacks, preventing any follow-up assault.

"If you really exerted full strength, you might've completed the ultimate kill in the moment you restrained me. In battle, a few seconds can decide victory or defeat."

Yang Yu had no intention of being modest; he was stating facts.

Many of the Blood Lion's moves rely on strength suppression as a premise, and the more suppression, the more intense the effect.

If Wan Huawen fought unrestricted, even if Yang Yu gave his all, his chance of victory would be less than ten percent.

Because Wan Huawen imposed restrictions, Yang Yu had ample opportunity to display his abilities, seeing how far he could push his current self.

Then, to become stronger.

If the initial plan were to merely gain experience from the challenge task, Yang Yu could easily arrange for each to take turns for a few hours or request Wan Huawen to restrict his powers.

Just like he did with Sekamens before, he wouldn't attack but only focus on fleeing.

But now, Yang Yu desired more honing.

Earnestly engaging with different individuals, not overlooking each trial, and deriving experience and learning from them.

Even if progress was only minor each time, it was entirely sufficient even if only discovering slight inadequacies each time.

These little pieces will one day converge into a surging ocean.

He amassed them bit by bit, from being a complete novice, to gradually arriving at today's level.

A punch collided with Yang Yu's shield, pushing Yang Yu back several meters, and Wan Huawen's smiled more deeply.

"The time is about up. Since you want to learn this move, let's conclude with it!"

Holding his heavy shield, Yang Yu focused his gaze sharply on Wan Huawen. "Bring it on."

Wan Huawen's mane at the nape of his neck stood up, floating continuously, like a blaze of flames.

Bulging muscles with veins popping out, a red color spread like ink dropped into clear water, expanding outward from Wan Huawen's chest, cloaking him in a red "mantle."

Amidst the red mantle, teal currents appeared mysteriously, dancing upon it. Taking a deep breath, Wan Huawen set himself into position, the red light on his body blazing like flames. His eyes shone brilliantly, emitting an orange glow.

The land beneath Wanzhang Lion cracked visibly, erupting with unimaginable speed and power, instantly closing the gap with Yang Yu.

This time, Yang Yu did not choose to dodge.

By relying on his speed, Yang Yu could dodge, but he did not.

Fury Blood is an exceptionally critical skill, with few in the world mastering it.

He wants to see what the consequence might be when this skill hits someone else, using his own body to try it out.

Remaining in place, Yang Yu activated every skill to enhance his tanking ability, then employed Climbing to grip the ground firmly, lifting his shield and facing Wan Huawen's fist.