Chapter 523 - 406: All Heroes Under Heaven in My Grasp
Chapter 523: Chapter 406: All Heroes Under Heaven in My Grasp
[14: Contestant Lip, a Tier One Knight. His personal combat ability is mediocre, but he is an outstanding Alchemy Potion Master. He excels at using various Potions he brews himself in battle, such as Paralyzing Potions, Corrosive Potions, and Hallucinogenic Potions.]
...
[25: Contestant Evelyn. A female Great Knight from the Western Border Mountains. She is a Half-Elf and possesses the innate, unparalleled talent for the Bow and Arrow inherent to the Elf Race. Her arrows are as fast as Lightning—precise and deadly—capable of piercing a moving coin from over a hundred meters away.]
[26: Contestant Carlos, a Tier Three Earth Knight. He possesses an extremely rare Mimic Talent that allows him to observe and briefly imitate an opponent’s combat techniques and method of Fighting Spirit Circulation. Although the mimicry is only superficial, it is enough to give most of his opponents a headache.]
[27: Contestant Galen, a Tier Three Earth Knight. He hails from an ancient Knight family whose hereditary Fighting Spirit is renowned for its defensive properties. The Fighting Spirit he cultivates can take the form of an "Immovable Barrier," which possesses immense defensive power and can withstand a direct, head-on attack from a Sky Knight.]
[28: Contestant Reza, a Tier Two Great Knight. He is accompanied by a War Bear that never leaves his side. That War Bear is his Contracted Magical Beast and, through special training, can coordinate with him with perfect tactical precision.]
[29: Contestant Brook, a Tier Two Great Knight. He is a skilled Forging Master, and the Armor he wears and the War Axe he wields are both masterpieces he forged himself. Their performance far surpasses that of standard-issue equipment of the same tier.]
[30: Contestant Nord, a Tier One Knight. He was once an ordinary guard at Giant Stone Castle who, by chance, acquired a badge left behind by an ancient "Dragon Blood Knight." The badge contained a faint trace of Dragon Blood Power. During a near-death experience, this Dragon Blood Power was unexpectedly activated, greatly strengthening his physique. He has not yet gained full control of this power.]
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The heavy, stirring sound of war drums echoed over the square, drowning out all other noise.
Everyone fell silent, their gazes turning in unison toward the castle terrace.
Raylo took a deep breath and walked to the very front of the terrace.
"I, Raylo, Lord of Black Stone Territory, welcome you all!"
"Today, we have gathered here for one reason and one reason only: to witness the birth of glory!"
"A Knight’s glory is found on the edge of a sword!"
"A Knight’s worth is proven on the battlefield!"
"And now, I declare the first Black Stone Territory Knight Tournament officially open!"
"ROAR!"
The moment Raylo’s voice fell, the crowd below erupted once again into a tsunami of cheers.
As a Messenger waved his flag, the first round of matches began simultaneously on the three pre-constructed arenas.
The tournament format was a traditional one-on-one elimination.
Two Knights who drew the same number would ascend the corresponding arena to face each other in a duel.
The winner advances; the loser is eliminated.
The rules were simple and brutal.
Raylo did not leave. He remained on the terrace, looking down upon the three battlefields below where fierce clashes were unfolding.
His gaze, like that of a hawk, swept across the crowd, searching for the figures who had piqued his interest.
Soon, his eyes locked onto the arena for the Earth Knights.
In the arena, two burly Knights were engaged in a fierce exchange.
One of them wielded a massive two-handed War Axe, and his every swing carried the force to sunder mountains and crack stone.
His Fighting Spirit was powerful and domineering; he was clearly a seasoned, veteran Earth Knight.
His opponent, however, seemed a bit strange.
He wore a heavy Wolf Hide Cloak and held an equally massive Battle Hammer.
His movements weren’t fast, but every step was steady and powerful.
This was one of the Knights Raylo had noted: Fenrir, possessor of the Frost Giant bloodline.
"Hah!"
The Earth Knight with the War Axe let out a furious roar as the Fighting Spirit around his body erupted. He leaped high into the air, his War Axe descending with the force of a thunderbolt, chopping viciously down at Fenrir’s head.
Faced with this thunderous blow, Fenrir’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.
He simply, slowly, raised his Battle Hammer.
VMMMM!
A visible wave of cold energy suddenly spread out from his body.
The floor of the arena, with him at its center, was rapidly coated in a thick layer of Frost.
The air temperature plummeted.
Even the spectators around the arena felt a bone-chilling cold.
Fenrir let out a low growl.
The body of the War Axe-wielding Earth Knight suddenly stiffened in mid-air.
He felt a bone-deep chill invade his body, causing his Fighting Spirit Circulation to become sluggish.
His speed slowed.
And in that split-second delay, Fenrir moved.
His Ice Crystal Warhammer, radiating a ghastly chill, swung upward to meet the descending War Axe.
CLANG!
A deafening crash.
The violent collision kicked up a brilliant halo of energy.
To everyone’s astonishment, under the force of that terrifying impact, the massive War Axe forged from Refined Iron... shattered piece by piece!
Countless metal fragments, mixed with shards of ice, flew in all directions.
Yet Fenrir’s Ice Crystal Warhammer was completely unscathed.
The Earth Knight who wielded the War Axe was sent flying by the immense recoil. He crashed heavily off the side of the arena, spat out a mouthful of blood, and passed out.
One move!
With just a single move, he had defeated a fellow Earth Knight of the same tier!
The spectators surrounding the Earth Knight arena fell into a deathly silence.
They stared at the figure on the stage—radiating cold and looking like a Demon Deity—their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
Seeing this, Raylo nodded.
This Fenrir was even stronger than he had imagined.
In the Earth Knight arena, Fenrir’s crushing victory was like a giant stone thrown into a lake, stirring up waves of astonishment and discussion among all the spectators.
"What was that Power? Fighting Spirit Transformation? No, that cold aura... it must be some kind of bloodline talent!"
A well-traveled nobleman from the Royal Capital stroked his goatee, his eyes full of inquiry.
"He defeated ’Mad Axe’ Hank in one blow. Hank might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he’s a genuine Middle Tier Earth Knight. This Fenrir is definitely a strong contender for the championship."
Amidst the discussions, Fenrir had already walked off the arena, his face expressionless.
He ignored the reverent gazes from his surroundings, walked straight to an empty corner, and wrapped himself once more in his thick Wolf Hide Cloak, as if the expert who had just stunned the crowd wasn’t him at all.
Raylo’s gaze shifted from Fenrir to another arena.
The Grand Knight Arena.
The battles here were more frequent and more brutal than in the Earth Knight arena.
Over three hundred Great Knights, vying for the limited spots to advance, fought with all their might in nearly every match.
The glow of Fighting Spirit rose and fell, and the clang of colliding weapons was incessant.
Soon, a figure caught Raylo’s attention.
It was a female Knight. She was tall and agile, clad in tight, emerald-green Leather Armor that outlined an astonishing figure.
Her long, golden hair was simply tied back, revealing eyes that were as clear as emeralds, yet held a hint of sharpness.
Her ears were slightly more pointed than a normal person’s—the most distinct feature of a Half-Elf.
It was Evelyn.
Her opponent was a Great Knight as burly as a bear, carrying a massive Tower Shield and a heavy Short-Handled War Axe—a typical heavy-armor, defensive-type Knight.
The bell signaling the start of the match rang.