Chapter 2: Arena Battle.
The arena was a massive, circular stone platform, its surface scarred and stained from countless battles. Around it, tiered seating rose high into the air, packed with spectators whose roars and cheers created a deafening cacophony. Banners of various factions fluttered in the wind, each representing a different power within the Reincarnation Paradise.
Su Xiao stood at the edge of the platform, his expression calm and unreadable. Across from him, his opponent was already in position — a burly man clad in heavy armor, wielding a massive greatsword that gleamed with a faint, magical light. The man's muscles bulged with each movement, and his eyes burned with battle lust.
"Begin!" The referee's voice boomed across the arena, amplified by some unseen mechanism.
The armored warrior didn't hesitate. He charged forward, his heavy footsteps shaking the stone beneath him. The greatsword arced through the air, aimed directly at Su Xiao's head. It was a straightforward, powerful strike — the kind meant to overwhelm an opponent through sheer force.
Su Xiao sidestepped, his movements fluid and precise. The greatsword cleaved through empty air, and before the warrior could recover, Su Xiao closed the distance. His right hand shot out, fingers curled into a claw, and struck the warrior's wrist. A sickening crack echoed as the warrior's grip faltered, the greatsword clattering to the ground.
The crowd gasped, then erupted into louder cheers. This was the kind of action they had come to see.
The warrior grunted in pain, but he was no novice. He swung his other arm, a spiked gauntlet aimed at Su Xiao's face. Su Xiao ducked under the blow, his body twisting like a serpent. In the same motion, he drove his knee into the warrior's midsection. The impact was brutal, forcing the air from the warrior's lungs in a choked gasp.
Before the warrior could fall, Su Xiao grabbed him by the collar and hurled him across the arena. The warrior crashed into the stone barrier, cracks spider-webbing from the point of impact. He slumped to the ground, unconscious.
The referee raised his hand. "Winner: Kukulin Bai Ye!"
The crowd's roar intensified. Some threw coins and trinkets onto the platform, a traditional show of appreciation for a good fight. Su Xiao paid them no mind. He turned and walked toward the exit, his footsteps steady and unhurried.
As he passed through the tunnel leading back to the preparation area, a figure stepped out of the shadows. It was a woman with silver hair and sharp, calculating eyes — Mage Sage Seraphilia.
"Impressive," she said, her voice smooth as silk. "Your technique has improved since our last encounter."
Su Xiao stopped, his gaze meeting hers. "You've been watching."
"Of course. I always keep an eye on promising talents." Seraphilia smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "The Second Era: Alchemical Civilization is stirring. The Hunt List: Blood Pact has been updated. You're on it."
Su Xiao's expression didn't change. "That's nothing new."
"No, but this time, the Transcendent Primordial World is involved. The Void Tree Reputation is at stake." She stepped closer, her presence oppressive. "You've made enemies, Kukulin Bai Ye. Powerful ones. The Archbishop of the Abyss has taken an interest in you."
Su Xiao's hand drifted to the hilt of his blade, the Dragon-Slaying Flash. "Let him come."
Seraphilia laughed, a cold, melodic sound. "Bold words. But you'll need more than courage to survive what's coming." She turned and disappeared into the shadows, her voice lingering. "The arena is just the beginning. The real battle is yet to come."
Su Xiao stood there for a moment, his mind already analyzing the information. The Archbishop of the Abyss. The Hunt List. The Transcendent Primordial World. It was all connected, and he was at the center of it.
He resumed walking, his resolve hardening. Whatever came, he would face it head-on. That was the way of the Law Destroyer.