Chapter: Third Round, 16 Battles Total. After Night Witch's victory, with her current arena points, advancing to the fifth round was already a foregone conclusion.
The second match was between Hugh and the Feather Clan's Young Miss, Mourning Moon. Although Mourning Moon's elder brother, Spring Feather, had long since reached an agreement with Hugh, what Mourning Moon didn't know was that her brother had left her a surprise.
As soon as the battle began, Hugh gathered a massive amount of fire elements. Strangely, he didn't restrict these elements; instead, through elemental resonance, he shaped them into various forms.
A rain of fire and meteors fell from the sky, like a natural disaster descending upon the world. Mourning Moon was stunned. Wasn't it agreed they'd forfeit in five minutes? Why had he suddenly gotten serious?
In reality, Hugh wasn't even trying. He hadn't even used the black flames that could burn souls.
When the five-minute limit arrived, the arena was scorching red, the flames blindingly bright. Mourning Moon lay sprawled on the ground, her consciousness on the verge of collapse.
Just as Hugh and Mourning Moon's battle ended, Gemini took the stage. His opponent was a contractor from Sanctuary Paradise, a man dressed like a priest, exuding an aura of a divine stick.
Unfortunately, one minute into the battle, the divine stick from Sanctuary Paradise was crushed to pieces by Gemini's invisible force field. From then on, only one participant from Sanctuary Paradise remained.
Battle after battle ensued. Over two hours later, the 15th match concluded. The reason for such speed wasn't just due to forfeits, but also the order of the draw.
With 32 people drawing lots, Su Xiao noticed that after the second round, the top 16 in arena points hadn't been matched against each other. The draw seemed to divide the participants into two groups: the top 16 as one group, and ranks 16 to 32 as the second group, with opponents matched across the groups.
This was a very reasonable method. Reaching the top 16 in arena points already proved one's strength. In the first three rounds of the Strongest Warrior Tournament, luck sometimes played a role, but by the fourth round, it was all about power.
Su Xiao recalled that Reincarnation Paradise had previously indicated the fourth round was a points elimination battle. Now it seemed this opponent matching method was one of the rules of that elimination battle.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I know you all share my sentiment that this grand event is far from over, but the next match is the final one!"
The announcer, Hark, was not only passionate but also sounded relaxed. He was about to clock out and enjoy a six-month vacation. Coupled with his earnings from hosting the fourth round of the Strongest Warrior Tournament, how could he not be delighted?
Su Xiao walked through the contestant passage. As soon as he stepped onto the arena, a prompt from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[You have obtained Sandglass of Light +13.]
As this prompt appeared, the mustached man walking ahead cleared his throat, signaling, "Brother, you know the deal."
Su Xiao stepped onto the battlefield. The metal floor beneath his feet wasn't smooth; the brown coating on top provided anti-slip properties. The smell of scorching hung in the air, a remnant of Hugh's battle.
Boom!
The Sword of Barrow clashed against the Divine Shield, and both dissipated. The battle had begun.
Although he had accepted the bribe, Su Xiao didn't let his guard down. As he drew his blade, the Banishment on his sleeve detached.
Banishment pierced through a layer of air, shooting straight towards the mustached man. The mustached man extended a single hand forward, and a shimmering green light barrier appeared.
Bang! Banishment pierced through the light barrier, flying past the mustached man's ear.
"Holy... shit!"
The muscles on the mustached man's face twitched. Although he hadn't been serious, this light barrier was among his top three defensive abilities. He was now experiencing firsthand what it felt like to fight a Law Destroyer.
Pale blue electric arcs flickered in the air. Banishment flew back in front of Su Xiao. To be safe, he activated the 'Energy Interruption' ability, just in case the mustached man suddenly erupted.
Cyan Steel Shadow Energy External Form: Energy Interruption (Active): Covers the enemy's body with Cyan Steel Shadow Energy for 10 minutes. When the enemy uses an energy-based skill, there is a chance to interrupt it and cause the enemy to enter a paralyzed state.
Tip: If this ability is used against a magic-type enemy, there is a 50% chance to forcibly interrupt their spellcasting, causing them to enter a non-judgmental paralyzed state lasting 0.7 to 3 seconds, and dealing True Damage equal to 0.8 times the enemy's consumed mana.
"Close call."
The mustached man was even more satisfied with their previous deal. He had already judged that fighting Su Xiao was almost certain death.
With his worries eased, the mustached man prepared to put on a decent show. A full five minutes couldn't just be spent staring at each other; that would be too fake. Even with a backroom deal, it couldn't look too obvious.
The mustached man clasped his hands together. This gesture was actually a signal to Su Xiao that he was about to attack, telling him to be careful.
The mustached man's aura suddenly surged. A cyan bubble appeared beside him, followed by a second. It seemed a third was about to form. He was lucky; the 50% chance of Energy Interruption only triggered after three spellcasting attempts.
Crackle...
Pale blue electric arcs appeared on the mustached man's body. His eyes bulged, and his body stiffened, becoming as straight as a pillar. Then, he toppled rigidly to the side. Laughter erupted from the audience. Though a bit unkind, they couldn't help it. The mustached man was so stiff he looked like a wooden log.
Thud!
The mustached man's skull hit the metal floor. The sound alone was painful to hear.
In the audience, the spellcasters from Arcane Eternal Star witnessed this scene. Most of their expressions remained unchanged, but Mage Sage Seraphilia sighed. She knew that feeling.
The Fierce Wind King gently touched his forehead. The first time he was hit by Energy Interruption a thousand years ago, he looked exactly like that young man down there. The only difference was that his head had hit a rock.
The scene was a bit awkward. Su Xiao hesitated, wondering if he should go in for a finishing blow. According to their agreement, as long as the guy didn't die, it was fine.
"The battle is exceptionally intense! What's wrong with contestant number 16? Has he been restricted by the enemy's ability? Although contestant number 78 has fallen, he has used his own ability to restrict contestant number 16. Danger lurks at every turn! This is a silent game of wits!"
Announcer Hark was incredibly effective. If you only listened to his commentary, the battle below seemed very intense.
Five minutes later.
Bam!
The mustached man crashed to the ground, rolling several times before stopping. A dozen meters away from him, Dragon-Slaying Flash was embedded in the floor. Su Xiao stood with one foot on the hilt of Dragon-Slaying Flash, both forearms wrapped in a crystal layer.
Cyan liquid surged around them. Contact with this liquid caused a feeling of weakness. To be fair, the mustached man's strength wasn't weak.
"I... I forfeit."
The mustached man climbed to his feet, coughing dryly. In the past five minutes, his enemy had barely used his blade, teaching him a lesson with just his fists until he was practically autistic. After all, he basically didn't dare to cast spells. The experience at the start of the battle had been too painful.
The mustached man memorized Su Xiao's face. He would remember today's events. The other party had the ability to kill him but kept his promise. He wouldn't forget this debt of gratitude. Compared to dying on the field, getting beaten up was nothing.
The cyan liquid on the ground dissipated. Su Xiao jumped down and pulled Dragon-Slaying Flash from the floor.
For Su Xiao, the fourth round wasn't too difficult. The truly troublesome part was the fifth round. Hugh, Gemini, Spring Feather, Night Witch, Monde, and others had all advanced to the fifth round. Not a single one among them was easy to deal with. It would inevitably be a series of grueling battles.