Chapter 114: The Duels II
Chapter 114: The Duels II
For a few seconds after Lucas made his choice, a strange silence covered the entire stadium.
Then suddenly, an explosion of voices began, the noise of the crowd rose like a huge wave from every direction.
"Has he gone crazy?!"
"That’s Seris Pendragon!"
"Why would he choose an opponent like that?"
"He could have easily gone to the next round!"
"He’s destroying himself!"
Tens of thousands of people were talking at the same time, even many of the foreign guests could not hide their surprise.
Lucas Vorhelm was one of the stars of the younger generation of the family.
A monster who had gained a great reputation over the past two years.
Because he was neither a direct child of the Patriarch nor a member of the main branch, but came from one of the side branches, his rise had attracted a lot of attention both inside and outside the family.
But now, everyone was sure that he had made the wrong decision.
The problem was that his opponent was Seris Pendragon.
A girl whose name had spread among the younger generation like a living legend.
In the elders’ section, many looks were exchanged between the family members.
Some were frowning, some were surprised, and some looked completely unhappy, it was clear that this was not an order they had given Lucas.
Celestia only stared at the arena.
Her face looked calm, but behind that calmness, clear dissatisfaction was hidden.
On the other side, Damian looked at the arena with an amused expression.
"This kid has really lost his mind."
But unlike his words, a small smile could be seen at the corner of his lips.
Nearby, Diana was also looking at the arena with worry.
She had heard about Seris’s strength, but hearing about it and seeing it were two different things.
Until now, most of the winners had been young members of the Vorhelm family, and Lucas was a great talent.
They were worried that if he lost, it would affect the family’s reputation.
Among everyone present, the calmest person was Lian.
He only looked at Seris, and he knew that this choice...was a very big mistake.
Everyone waited for Seris’s reaction.
Seris slowly stood up.
She turned her neck left and right, the quiet sound of her joints could be heard in the silence around her.
Then without the smallest change in her expression, she said,
"So someone finally showed up."
Even the crowd forgot to speak for a few moments.
Lucas was standing in the arena.
One of the strongest fighters of the younger generation of the Vorhelm family.
But in Seris’s eyes...he looked like nothing more than an ordinary opponent.
A few seconds later, Seris entered the arena.
Her steps were calm.
She was not in a hurry, and she was not excited.
There was not even the smallest sign of tension in her body.
She walked with her usual calmness to the center of the arena.
Many Awakened of the older generation unconsciously stared at her.
There was something strange about this girl.
Not her mana, not the pressure of her presence, but her calmness.
It was as if she had not entered a battlefield, it was as if she had entered the yard of her own home.
If they knew this girl’s personality, they would understand why they felt that way.
"Looks like everyone thinks I’m going to lose."
Lucas looked at her and said with sarcasm.
"I guess."
Seris shrugged, clearly not caring.
"Today I’ll prove they’re wrong, I’ll prove that I deserve it more than all of the Patriarch’s children, and I’ll prove that I have enough talent to lead the family!"
He continued in an arrogant tone.
"Can we just start?"
Seris did not care about his nonsense.
The veins on Lucas’s forehead bulged.
This was the first time he had met someone who looked down on him like this.
He had to make sure to teach her a good lesson.
"Begin!"
As soon as the referee announced it, Lucas moved immediately.
Despite his rough appearance, his speed was extremely high.
The ground under his feet cracked.
The distance between them disappeared almost in the blink of an eye.
His huge fist flew toward Seris with a sound like exploding air.
The crowd held their breath.
But Seris only took half a step back.
The fist passed beside her face.
Lucas continued.
Second punch.
Third punch.
Fourth punch.
Every one of them could have shattered concrete walls.
But none of them hit their target.
Seris only dodged.
Calmly and accurately, without even a single unnecessary movement.
A few minutes passed.
Lucas kept attacking.
But he still could not touch her even once.
Slowly, the smiles returned to the crowd.
"Maybe he actually has a chance."
"At least he’s holding on."
"Lucas still isn’t serious."
But Lian only shook his head.
They were wrong.
Completely wrong.
Suddenly, Seris stopped.
For the first time, she did not step back anymore.
She did not dodge anymore.
Lucas smiled.
He thought he had finally found his chance.
He clenched his fist, and every muscle in his body tightened.
Then he threw his final punch.
At that exact moment...Seris moved.
Only one step.
Only one strike.
The sound of the collision echoed across the entire arena.
An explosion of air shook the area around them.
Then...Lucas’s body was thrown backward like a fired bullet.
Three meters.
Five meters.
Eight meters.
Finally, he crashed onto the ground with great force.
The sound of breaking bones could be heard clearly.
Lucas’s face twisted in pain.
Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
For the first time...his smile disappeared.
In the audience, many people had stood up.
Their eyes were wide with disbelief.
"What...?"
"It was only one strike!"
"That’s impossible!"
Even some of the family elders were shocked.
But Lian only looked at the arena calmly.
He knew the truth better than anyone.
Seris had not even become serious yet.
This was not even close to her real strength.
She had deliberately limited herself.
Inside the Ruined Realm, Lian had seen a version of this girl who could cut down deadly monsters like weeds.
What everyone was seeing in the arena now...was only a shadow of that power.
After that strike, the battle was practically over.
Lucas stood up again.
He tried to attack.
But this time, the difference in strength was completely clear.
Every attack was stopped.
Every movement was read.
Every attempt was useless.
A few minutes later...he fell to the ground for the third time.
This time, he could not stand up anymore.
"The winner...Seris Pendragon!"
The referee announced immediately.
No one cheered.
No one shouted.
Everyone only stared.
They had expected an amazing battle.
They knew Seris would win, but not this easily.
A tense fight.
But what they had seen...was a one-sided slaughter.
A complete defeat.
A complete humiliation.
"How boring, I thought the Vorhelms had good fighters...maybe Lian is an exception?"
Without the smallest change in her expression, Seris left the arena.
It was as if nothing special had happened.
She returned to her seat.
She sat down.
She quietly looked at the arena.
That was all.
But the Vorhelm family did not have that calmness.
They had been humiliated.
Right in front of tens of thousands of spectators.
The first round continued.
But now the situation had changed.
The remaining members of the Vorhelm family no longer chose strong opponents.
One after another, each of them chose the weakest opponent possible.
Easy victories.
Short battles.
Battles with no excitement.
Because of that, the crowd began to mock them.
"So this is the great family?"
"They got scared after Seris?"
"None of them dares to fight a real opponent."
"And the Heavenly Treasury is for them?"
The faces of many family elders became uglier and uglier.
It was not that they chose weak opponents because they were afraid.
They simply had no choice...because the Matriarch had ordered all the weak opponents to be eliminated.
During these battles, two more members of the family were also defeated.
Three people won.
Slowly...the number of participants became smaller and smaller.
Until finally...only one name remained.
One of the family elders stood up and the stadium became quiet, everyone’s eyes turned toward him.
The old man looked at the list, then he announced in a loud voice,
"It is now...Lian Vorhelm’s turn."
A heavy silence covered the entire stadium.
Thousands of eyes...all focused on one person at the same time.
Lian.