After two elimination rounds, the seeded challengers had pretty much cleared away most of the weaker challengers. Roel was also about to face a previously agreed-upon battle.
Selina Bess was one of the competitors Roel had encountered in the preliminary round. The Saint Beast Bloodline she had inherited granted her great power, but at the same time, it condemned her to be in a constant state of bloodthirst.
As someone who was tortured by the problems arising from his bloodline, Roel could personally relate to Selina’s plight, but he opposed the way Selina tried to resolve her problems.
Those who quelled their bloodthirst through indiscriminate combat rarely ended well. They would either become feared slaughterers or end up decimated by a stronger opponent. Overwhelming bloodthirst could also interfere with her ability to gauge her opponent’s strength, making it even more likely for her to die in combat.
It was possible for the Bess to tame their Saint Beast Bloodline, but the impetus for it was different from individual to individual. Some naturally gained the ability to do so as they advanced in age. Some received an epiphany in the midst of an intense battle.
Considering Selina’s extraordinarily powerful bloodline, it was likely that she belonged in the latter category.
With that, Roel had a good idea of what he had to do.
The best way he could help her was to properly defeat her in battle, and this tournament was a good opportunity to do so. Thanks to the substitution magic tool, challengers could go all out against each other, making it no different from a life-and-death battle.
The substitution magic tools used for the elimination rounds had a damage threshold five times greater than the preliminary round. It was not just to ensure the challengers’ safety; it was the winning criterion too. It could be somewhat thought of as a health bar.
In the crowded colosseum, Roel and Selina stood at opposite ends of the field. Between them stood a referee holding onto a crystal ball. As soon as the referee infused his mana into the crystal ball, the scenery reflected on it projected outward and began changing.
The crowd stared at the changing scenery intently, knowing that it could easily make the difference between victory and defeat.
Selina had shown exceptional prowess in jungle warfare and night fights. On the other hand, Roel’s straightforward offensive means made flat and open terrain more advantageous to him.
It was as if the heavens were playing a joke on Roel.
The scenery was still projecting a fairly advantageous hilly terrain in the last few seconds, but at the final moment, it suddenly switched to a dark rainforest.
“14th Field, Forest of Eternal Night. Challengers, prepare yourselves.”
“Ooooooh!”
The crowd roared in a mixture of excitement and delight when the referee announced the result. Selina widened her eyes in surprise, not expecting her luck to be so good. The gamblers quickly moved in to place their bets.
“50 gold coins! I’ll bet on that young miss!”
“Me too! There’s no way she’s going to lose the match now!”
Thanks to the massive contribution by the gamblers, the payout for Roel’s victory swiftly rose.
On the spectator stand, Alicia turned to Chris beside her and asked with a worried frown.
“I remember that Lord Brother has learned the Night Vision Spell. Why is everyone betting on Lord Brother’s loss?”
“The darkness of the Forest of Eternal Night is infused with mana. Normal Night Vision Spells don’t work well against it. Tsk, of all places…” murmured Chris with an annoyed frown.
She instinctively reached for a cigar in her pocket, but when her eyes fell on Alicia, she found herself hesitating for a moment before putting it back down.
On the stage, Roel let out a helpless sigh.
“Looks like today isn’t my day.”
While he was dismayed by the selected terrain, he didn’t lose hope as others expected. On the contrary, he looked confident.
Had it been several months ago, Roel would have surely felt hesitant to fight against Selina in such an environment, but things were different now. The number of ancient gods he had on his side was no longer two but three.
“The terrain has been successfully replicated. The challengers will be teleported into the battlefield now.”
Roel found himself shrouded in brilliant light. By the time he opened his eyes again, he found himself surrounded by darkness.
…
With a quick scan of the battlefield, Roel found that the Forest of Eternal Night’s terrain was worse than he had expected.
The bits of starlight in the sky were the only light source in this dungeon. The surrounding trees were of average height, but there were a lot of bushes and shrubs. It was the ideal environment for wild beasts to hunt in.
He tried infusing his eyes with mana to better perceive his surroundings, but it was to no avail. All he could hear was the occasional ‘scritch scritch’ sounds coming from the beasts prowling the land.
In this unfavorable environment, Roel decided to release the Nine-headed Serpent Staff right away.
It was his philosophy to never recklessly charge into things. The first thing he would always do in a foreign environment was to assess his surroundings.
He had watched Selina’s previous fights, and that had given him a rough idea what her abilities were. She wielded supreme offensive prowess that could penetrate any barriers, such that it was nigh impossible to put up any meaningful defense before her. Both of her opponents were decimated in a single strike.
However, after analyzing the properties of her supreme offensive prowess, he deduced that the Nine-headed Serpent Staff was useful against her.
Both Peytra’s rock shield and his mana barrier were manifestations of mana, which meant that Selina could slice through them as easily as butter. However, the Nine-headed Serpent Staff was made out of the cells of an ancient monster. The Nine-headed Serpent was summoned through its ‘Relentless Regeneration’ ability, so it was not just a manifestation of mana.
Selina’s attacks wouldn’t be able to pierce through it as easily.
Roel infused his mana into the Nine-headed Serpent Staff, causing it to glow faintly. Nine terrifying serpent heads gushed out from the staff and coiled around him, reminiscent of royal guards protecting their king.
Following that, he emanated pale yellow mana and formed a rock dome at the outermost perimeter.
It was only when his defenses were up that he closed his eyes and started perceiving his surroundings.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the forest, Selina started to channel her mana too.
She was taking this battle dead serious. Her beastlike instincts were telling her that Roel was the strongest enemy she had encountered thus far, and she could lose her life if she were to take it lightly.
Part of the reason why Selina had been seeking out strong opponents was due to the side effects from her Saint Beast Bloodline, but more than that, she also knew that she needed the stimulation from combat in order to find the impetus required for her to grasp control of her bloodline… as well as her life.
Others thought of her as a deranged berserker out for blood, but the truth was that she was seeking defeat. She was looking for a person who had the power to thoroughly crush her.
It hadn’t been long since they met, but Roel was one of the rare few whom she had been able to talk to with a calm mind. She was glad when Roel understood her thoughts and promised to fight her with all he got. What was even rarer was that this terrain was practically made for her.
Regardless of whether she overcame the odds and triumphed over Roel, the strongest enemy she had encountered thus far, or fell in defeat despite her advantageous position, there was no question that this was a rare opportunity for her.
She had to make full use of it and give it her all.
In resonation with her determination, her heartbeat hastened and she could feel her blood swiftly pumping to every corner of her body. Popping sounds echoed as beast ears and tail grew out of her body. Her eyes shone brightly like a wild beast, and her mind started to be filled with all sorts of dissonant noises.
Her bloodthirsty nature urged her to hunt down her prey and tear him into pieces, but holding onto a rare sliver of rationality, she did something that she rarely did—assessing her enemy.
Selina knew that it would be hard for Roel to go on the offense on this battlefield, so she deduced that Roel would employ defensive mechanisms right away. So, she devised a countermeasure to that beforehand.
“Grar!”
She let loose a deafening beast roar that echoed loudly in the dark forest.
Through the domineering aura of a saint beast, she forced the demonic beasts into submission. She swiftly organized the frenzied demonic beasts into an army and sent them charging at Roel’s defenses.
After all was done, she quietly hid in the shadows, patiently biding her time for Roel to expose an opening.
“T-that is…”
“That woman is able to control demonic beasts?”
“This is insane! The match is already set then!”
In the colosseum, the crowd was awed by the image of Selina commanding an army of over a hundred demonic beasts. Excited cheers and shocked gasps could be heard all over the spectator stand. Even the distinguished guests sitting at the VIP stand were stunned too.
“It’s no wonder why she’s known as the prodigy of the Bess House. Who could have thought that she could exert dominance over so many demonic beasts within such a short period of time?”
“That young lad from the Ascart House is in trouble.”
Most of the judges thought that Roel was in a highly disadvantageous position here.
On the highest seat of the VIP stand, Antonio watched the fight between Roel and Selina with a brilliant gleam in his eyes. The comments made by those sitting beneath him brought a faint smile to his lips, and he remarked.
“You’ll be surprised.”
…
Roel could tell that Selina was already onto him even without opening his eyes. The furious roars of the demonic beasts and the siege on Peytra’s rock dome told him as much.
Knowing that he was surrounded by a huge number of demonic beasts, he ordered the Nine-headed Serpent to scatter its venom. A cacophony of miserable cries ensued.
Roel eyed the frenzied beasts all around with a frown, but he decided not to make a move in the end. As a result, the duel seemed to have reduced to a fight between beasts. The Nine-headed Serpent kept scattering its venom around while the demonic beasts tried their best to withstand the venom and charge ahead.
It looked like both sides were equally matched, but the scales were slowly tipping toward one side.
When the aerial demonic beasts made a move too, the Nine-headed Dragon Serpent found itself unable to ward off all of its enemies anymore. Roel was left with no choice but to make a move.
Pale yellow glow shone from his body, and it was swiftly followed by an outburst of aura from the Queen of Saint Beasts. It compelled all of the surrounding demonic beasts to halt their charge out of fear.
However, this was also the opportunity Selina was waiting for.
She knew that sending a horde of demonic beasts was meaningless against someone who was contracted with the Queen of Saint Beasts. From the start, her goal wasn’t to bring Roel down through this. It was merely a distraction to create an opening for her to strike.
The poor visibility in this forest meant that the only way for Roel to sense Selina’s presence was through sensing her mana pulsations, which she was bound to emanate if she attempted an attack.
However, it just so happened that Selina shared a similar aura to Peytra due to them coming from a common origin. Roel opted for the less efficient way of having the Nine-headed Serpent spray its venom because he knew that Peytra’s aura would conceal Selina’s mana pulsation, making it hard for him to sense her.
That was why she went through the additional trouble of heaping demonic beasts on Roel, forcing him to utilize Peytra’s power.
The moment Peytra released her aura, Selina channeled her bloodline to its full prowess, resulting in an explosion of strength within her. Pushing her body to its very limits, she covered the hundred-meter distance between them within moments, appearing in the aerial space right above Roel.
She furiously swung her blade downward with overwhelming mana channeled into it, determined to end the battle in a single blow.
In order to protect Roel, the Nine-headed Serpent quickly charged backward, only to be sliced right through. Its venomous blood splattered all over Selina, inflicting excruciating pain on her. The durability of her substitution magic tool was also reduced by a third.
Nevertheless, Selina ignored all of these distractions through her sheer willpower. Her eyes were focused on a single target.
Her body descended like a comet, slicing through another two more serpent heads along the way. She was like a warrior charging through an army of soldiers to claim the head of their commander.
It was also at this point that Roel seemed to finally sense the threat approaching him and raised his head.
It’s my victory!
The surprised look of the black-haired man beneath her blade convinced Selina that victory was within her grasp. Yet, what happened next completely caught her off guard.
Her blade passed right through Roel without the slightest resistance. What she had just sliced wasn’t Roel but a mere mirage of him. A white-haired woman stood next to the mirage, looking at her with a merry smile.
A series of loud rumbles echoed from the ground, and a crimson skeleton giant instantaneously manifested around the real Roel. Like a demonic god that had risen from the abyss, he charged forth and hurled his massive fist toward Selina.
“Shit!”
Selina knew right away that she had fallen into Roel’s trap, but it was too late for her to retreat. The combined assault from the witch and the Nine-headed Serpent had already sealed off all paths of retreat.
Knowing that it was a do-or-die situation, Selina’s eyes hardened tenaciously as she directed her blade toward Roel, intending to face him straight-on.
“I haven’t lost yet!”
With a furious roar, Selina infused all of her mana into her blade, cloaking it with a dark aura as dense as storm clouds. She pushed her bloodline to its very limit, enhancing her physical prowess to the highest possible level. Vaguely, one could hear the roars of ancient beasts coming from her body.
On the other hand, Grandar’s fist crackled with crimson lightning. Roel gazed at Selina with golden eyes that gleamed like candlelight in the darkness.
It was a head-to-head clash. Both forces collided with astounding momentum, producing shockwaves that rattled the entire dungeon. The surroundings were devoured by blinding light and deafening noises.
Boom!
Dawn descended upon the Forest of Eternal Night. The nocturnal animals cried in agony at the sudden onslaught of light, and the spectators in the colosseum gasped in shock.
Thick clouds of dust veiled the surroundings, disallowing others from determining the result of that epic clash. The crowd anxiously waited for the outcome.
The night breeze swept away the cloud of dust, revealing a collapsed orange-haired woman on the ground. Standing beside her was an uninjured black-haired man, though his substitution magic tool was already on the verge of shattering.
“Is this for real?”
“Lord Brother won!”
An uproar broke out in the spectator stand. Alicia cheered happily at the outcome.
The referee quickly confirmed the situation before finally announcing his verdict through the projection.
《Victor: Roel Ascart》
“Wooooo!”
The crowd finally recovered from the astounding clash and cheered in agitation. The applause was thunderous. The distinguished guests coming from various countries began excitedly discussing the fight with one another. At the highest level of the VIP stand, Antonio was still smiling as per usual.
Meanwhile, in the Forest of Eternal Night, Roel looked at the collapsed woman before him and asked for her thoughts.
“Are you satisfied?”
“… Satisfied? Haa, you really are a monster. I’m guessing that the final clash only happened because you allowed it to?”
“Mm. There were safer ways for me to deal with you after you have fallen into my trap, but I thought that you would be able to accept the result much better if I defeated you in a frontal clash. At least you wouldn’t have any regrets that way,” replied Roel with a calm tone.
Selina laughed upon hearing those words.
She was first outwitted in terms of battle plan before being utterly crushed in a clash of strength. She was supposed to have the advantage in this battle, only to end in thorough defeat. Yet, for some reason, she didn’t feel averse to it.
She assessed her own body and noticed that her Saint Beast Bloodline had entered a rare lull period after her earlier outburst. She was devoid of strength now, but her heart managed to find composure.
“I feel like I’ve just stuffed myself. I don’t feel like fighting anymore.”
“Those words sound odd coming from you. Did you experience any epiphany during our clash?”
“Yeah, somewhat.”
That instant before her substitution magic tool was destroyed, Selina felt like she had managed to grab hold of something important, though it had happened too fast for her to really determine what it was.
Before she could check on it, light suddenly shrouded both of their bodies. When the light receded, the two of them found themselves back in the colosseum.
They were immediately welcomed by deafening applause and loud cheering from the excited crowd. Several medics quickly marched in and transferred Selina onto a stretcher.
In accordance with the rules, Roel had to undergo a quick medical check too.
He exhaled deeply, relieved that it was all finally over. He could hear the crowd chanting his name, so he reciprocated by waving at them. It further hyped up the crowd. Students from Saint Freya Academy enthusiastically roared at him, and the members of the Bluerose Faction passionately waved their faction flag.
I’ve managed to fulfill the promise.
With such a thought in mind, Roel glanced at Selina and smiled. Unexpectedly, he suddenly received a notification from the System at this moment.