Chapter 378: Aura Barrier Challenge [2]
Over the next few minutes, Leon, Violet, Celeste and Emilia watched as thousands of players tried to cross the wall of aura, each attempting different methods to break through with various degrees of success.
And after half of the players had tried and failed, only around 50 of them managed to pass, with the rest getting teleported out in disappointment, their hopes dashed.
"Holy shit," even Violet was baffled at the sight, her eyes wide with shock at the low success rate.
Half of the players were eliminated already and only 50 of them managed to pass the wall, a remarkably low success rate that surprised everyone.
Though Leon noticed that most of the strong ones likely were waiting like them, conserving their energy and watching the others fail first to learn from their mistakes.
"20 minutes left," Iris announced with a joyful expression, clearly enjoying the spectacle, "Come on, we don’t have all day!"
Violet finally decided it was her turn to attempt to pass the wall, and unlike the many people beside her who were struggling and straining against the barrier with visible effort, Violet managed to slip through the wall instantly as if it offered no resistance at all to her presence.
It was as if she had walked through water, the aura parting around her like a gentle breeze rather than an impenetrable wall, her body passing through without any visible effort or strain.
Seeing this display of effortless power, many of the people trying to pass felt dejected or even outright gave up, their confidence shattered by the realization of how far behind they truly were.
’Is Combat Power the deciding factor for this wall?’ Leon thought, his mind racing with possibilities, ’Or maybe your talent is, though I doubt that since it seems too simple of a test.’
Leon watched some of the people that had been waiting in the back like them step forward and attempt the barrier with varying degrees of success, some struggling while others passed with ease.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
Around four of them, much like Violet, managed to push through the wall as if it was nothing, their bodies passing through without any visible effort.
’So they’re as strong as Violet?’ Leon wondered, assessing the competition and their capabilities.
Leon believed he and Violet were on equal fighting power overall, though he still had an edge because of his forbidden skills and the versatility they provided in combat situations.
As for the other people who had passed so easily... who knows, he’d have to see later when the event actually began and they faced off against each other.
Though there were very few people who would be able to react to his [Time Stop] ability.
The rest of the players kept trying over and over, some succeeding after multiple attempts while others were simply teleported out in flashes of light, until eventually, only seven people remained behind excluding Leon, Celeste and Emilia.
Four of them seemed to be in a group as they were all close to each other and from the same race, their elegant features and pointed ears marking them clearly as elves.
The other two were from the lizard race, though they looked much more humanoid than the people of the [Imperial Kingdom], with smoother features and less pronounced scales that set them apart.
And finally, there was... an angel, with a golden halo above his white hair and pristine, almost perfect face that seemed to radiate calmness and serenity to those around him.
"5 minutes," Iris gazed at those remaining, "Speed it up or you’ll be unable to participate in the event!"
The four elves all went through the wall without any problems, followed by the two lizards, and then the angel who passed through with an almost ethereal grace.
Just like that, only Celeste, Emilia and Leon remained on the other side, the last ones to attempt the barrier before the time ran out.
"I-I’m nervous," Celeste mumbled, her voice trembling slightly, "What if I can’t pass and get eliminated before the event even starts..."
"Same..." Emilia sighed, her shoulders slumping, "But..." she took a step forward, "I gotta believe in myself and try my best."
Emilia took a step forward and tried to walk through the wall of aura, but unlike all the others who had passed before her, there was a hint of resistance that she had to push against with considerable effort.
’Hm,’ Leon thought, observing her struggle with keen interest and analyzing the situation.
All the people on the other side of the wall observed them, their expressions either neutral or openly mocking as they watched the girl struggle against the barrier.
"Hah, stayed behind all this time just to not even be able to pass?" some of the elves grinned, "What a disgrace to our kind to be so weak."
"I believe it is not right to judge yet," the angel spoke calmly, his voice soothing and measured, "Let us watch and see what they can do before making assumptions."
Emilia kept pushing forward, harder than before, her face contorted with effort and determination, and after a lot of struggle and willpower...
Fwoosh!
Her body managed to pass through, though she seemed exhausted after doing so, breathing heavily from the sheer effort it had taken.
Then after a few seconds, she turned toward Celeste and Leon and gave them a wide smile of triumph, proud of her accomplishment against all odds.
It was Celeste’s turn next, and unlike Emilia, she managed to pass rather easily, only taking a small amount of resistance to do so, her phoenix nature perhaps giving her an advantage over the barrier.
’Soul...’ Leon thought, ’I think I understand how this wall works now, it’s testing something deeper than just combat power...’
"3 minutes," Iris yawned, "Come on, Celestial, time is running out and I don’t want to wait all day."
Leon looked at Iris with murderous intent as soon as she said that, his eyes narrowing dangerously at her casual mention of his ID.
Indeed, the moment they heard the name, every single player who had passed the wall suddenly grew more tense, their postures shifting and their attention focusing on him.
He felt all their gazes on him as they used [Appraisal], his ID appearing before them and confirming his identity to the gathered competitors.
"Holy shit, it actually is Celestial!" someone whispered, their voice filled with recognition.
"Do we wanna get on his good side?!"
"Hell no, lets fuck him over in the event and get the reward instead!"
Leon sighed and walked forward, passing through the barrier without any problem at all, the aura parting around him.
In fact, the barrier itself seemed to shake as Leon passed through, since the power of his soul was stronger than anybody else’s yet, causing ripples in the aura that spread outward.
Perhaps it was because he was a Celestial, since he knew for a fact he didn’t have the highest combat power among those present, so there must be another factor.
"Finally," Iris beamed with joy as she removed the wall and line from the garden, "We can finally start after getting rid of all these people who weren’t worthy of participating."
Iris tapped her staff into the air, and a massive panel appeared before everyone, displaying the participant count.
[Participants: 274]