The audience cheered and applauded the bloody scene. In this world, it was just another day, especially in a place where things were explosive in many ways. These people had paid exactly for this purpose.
"They're really going all in. A man just died, and they keep laughing. The common pleasure in this world is so different from the one I know," Raiz observed. He wasn't affected by the man's death. The man had clearly wanted to kill Amilios. Was Amilios supposed to just turn his neck and say, "Please don't kill me," in a death arena? Or was he supposed to show mercy to those who were constantly ready to kill him?
To those who thought such sentimental thoughts, Raiz had only one thing to say.Go to Disneyland and stay there. This was a place where stupid, naive actions led to an early death. The worst part was that it wasn't just you who died, but often those closest to you, too.
The Cloud, Moon, simply stared. Showing no emotional influence on the matter. Humans are able to complicate things that were simple to begin with. You tried to kill but instead got killed. It really is that simple.
Moon looked at Skele, who wasn't even fazed by this. "I guess the humans here are used to it."
With the starry, open roof, Moon and Raiz were able to see everything with their bare eyes (though in Moon's case, it was questionable whether he had any).
Down in the arena, fighters were attacking each other. Within ten minutes, all the weaker fighters were eliminated. With such a vast difference in power, it wasn't even a real fight.
Fortunately for those who lost, they weren't necessarily killed. While the arena was a battlefield.For a stronger warrior to kill a much weaker one,was often seen as an admission that they weren't confident enough. This was especially true when there was a whole realm of difference between them.
In that sense, it would bring shame upon a warrior .,to be seen bullying the weak. In officially though , no one could say anything and even at sometimes, fighters were even paid to cause more bloodshed than necessary. This was that kind of arena.
Eighty percent of the fighters were already out within the first hour. Fortunately for Skele, he was being carried extra hard by Amilios. Some warriors saw this and were utterly disgusted.
Skele simply ignored them. Unlike you, I happen to appreciate something called life.He really wanted to say it out loud, but he was maintaining an image of a strong person.He wasn't stupid enough to dispel the misunderstanding they had.
His attention was away for a second on thoughts , in that second a punch came. Skele was lucky enough to swiftly doge but ended up tripping on one of the fainted warriors.To add it all, , an arrow whistled past his head, missing him by mere inches.
How did a simple scout mission turn into this? he wondered, frustration mounting. Tsk, I should've known something was up when they gave me all those gifts. This mess ain't worth the trouble… at all. Skele was truly a hair's width away from crying.
Unaware of the internal crisis Skele was having, Amilios simply stood his ground. His mission was to retrieve Zion,the rest was incidental. He had no intention of hunting these humans. Still, his gaze drifted toward a man in the audience who had tried to assassinate Skele, from the safety of his seat.
Just as he was about to move, he heard a whisper "Let him be." Tracking the sound, he looked up. A normal human would never have been able to see that far, but Amilios recognized that his party had arrived. He decided to remain where he was.
Zion was the opposite of Amilios. He was swiftly knocking out his opponents as fast as he could. It was better to incapacitate them than let them be killed. He dashed toward his next target, moving so quickly he appeared behind the women,ready to strike.
The woman's eyes snapped toward him. She unsheathed her sword to block the attack. Zion retracted his hand, ready to disengage and find someone else, but the woman didn't let him. She moved to block his path, and without giving him time to think, she slashed her sword toward him.
Zion knew he wasn't strong enough to knock everyone out. He had trained, but his growth had been limited in prison. He was just on the cusp of the Myr realm but hadn't fully entered it yet. In this tournament, where there were dozens of fighters at that level, he was simply outmatched.
The woman was in the Myr realm. Zion was simply outpowered. She was armed on top of that, while he was barehanded. Quickly shifting his center of gravity, he dodged her slash and jumped a few steps back. But the woman was relentless as she chased him.
Zion was fighting with all his might, specifically focusing on dodging. He weaved left, right, and avoided a thrust, but she aimed for his legs. Zion jumped, only to see her speed up and land a kick squarely to his stomach.
Sent airborne, Zion was in a very bad spot. Working purely on instinct, he twisted his body in the air like an ice skater to stabilize himself. The woman's speed still outmatched him, but the power of the kick was considerably lower than her sword strikes.
Zion flew through the air and hit the sand with a thud.
"Amilios, buddy. Don't you think it's a good time to help Zion?" Skele urged.
Amilios looked at Skele and gave his first warm smile. "The attack may have looked dangerous, but he already dodged the vital part."
"No, no, dude! I'm not asking whether he dodged or not! That woman is clearly a realm above him. Go help him!"
Skele pointed at the woman. Zion was clearly at a disadvantage. If this continued, he really might lose his life. The mere thought made him shudder.
"Don't worry, he won't die… probably," Amilios said. Since Moon and Raiz are here, it should be fine.
Hearing Amilios speak so casually, Skele couldn't help but think he was being cold. How could he be so dismissive of a comrade caught between life and death? "I am truly disappointed in you," Skele muttered. He would have loved to help Zion himself, but being even weaker, he would only get in the way.
He gritted his fists, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Hang in there! The help is gonna arrive soon!" The hopelessness of the situation made him feel desperate.
Amilios, who saw the guy was almost having a mental breakdown, simply told him, "It's okay. They are here. The support has arrived."
Skele blinked dazedly and looked around, but he still saw no sign of Moon.
"Look up, though you wouldn't be able to see them."
Skele followed the instruction and gazed at the sky. The only thing he saw was a dot, clearly too far away to see clearly. But knowing Amilios wasn't the type to joke, his body finally relaxed,a feeling he hadn't experienced this entire journey.
Zion, you're gonna be fine. With Moon here, your safety is basically guaranteed. If theres something he cant handle, we all doomed anyway.
Zion didn't have the luxury to look around and see Skele grinning to himself like a fool.
The woman clearly had a grudge against him.well, he had tried to knock her out.
"For someone who hasn't even reached my stage, it's quite wondrous that you're still standing. I wonder how long you can keep surprising me," the woman said, caressing her face as if she were truly enjoying herself.
She had come with the intention of just warming up,who knew such an interesting toy would appear? She was genuinely delighted. Without pausing for long, she sprinted toward Zion once more.
She swung her sword with all her might, but Zion managed to evade the blow, his reflexes keeping him just out of reach.
Zion's body was truly pushing his limits with every movement he made. Every muscle strained. Just one slip, and he would be six feet under.
He wasn't worried about dying. The only thought running through his mind was how to survive. He didn't have even a split second to spare to what ifs.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, his breath grew ragged as he jumped back.
Something surprising happened as the woman sheathed her sword. "Truly amazing, to withstand my attacks until now. But it is time for us to say goodbye. I would have loved to continue this, but I have a reputation to keep, you know?"
The woman's beautiful blue hair fluttered in the wind. She once again unsheathed her sword, but this time, instead of her playful emotion, her demeanor was now one of utter seriousness.
"You can be proud of yourself," she said, before lifting her sword high. Mana condensed around the blade, and with a final, decisive motion, she slashed forward, unleashing a cannon like beam of pure energy.
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