Chapter 49: No One Can Stop Him
Breaking through from 260 participants to reach the top 20—this was Su Xiao's initial small goal.
The Void Arena used an elimination system. After receiving the number plates, the first round of drawing lots began. Since the number of participants was an integer, there were no byes in the first round.
Su Xiao examined the number plate in his hand. It was about the size of a playing card, with "106" written on one side. The other side featured three emblems. At the top was a hexagonal diamond pattern, representing a certain faction. In the center was a crown—a design he had seen once before in the ancient castle, likely symbolizing Alice's faction. At the bottom was a circle, resembling some form of currency from the Void. These three emblems represented three different factions.
Su Xiao did not see the emblem he most hoped for—the demonic goat head. If that emblem had been on the plate, things would have been much easier.
After the Notary Office conducted a random draw, the order for the first round was determined. The number on Su Xiao's plate changed, adding another digit: 51. This was the number of his first-round opponent.
Before stepping onto the field, Su Xiao had little chance of knowing who contestant No. 51 was. All 260 participants would do their utmost to conceal their numbers before the first round of combat began.
On a screen at the Notary Office, a ladder-shaped chart appeared. All participants were currently at the bottom tier. The victors would ascend the ladder, while the losers would lose their chance. As for things like a loser's bracket—there was no such rule.
The Void Arena was extremely dangerous. The probability of death after a loss was very high. Even if one survived, they would be severely injured. Therefore, there was no need for a loser's bracket, nor could one be held.
Su Xiao would need to go through several matches to reach the top 20, as follows:
- First match: 260 entrants down to 130.
- Second match: 130 entrants down to 65.
- Third match: 65 entrants down to 33.
- Fourth match: 33 entrants down to 17.
The rest time between each match was considerable, as there was only one arena. In the early stages, the rest period was ample, but it became tighter in the later rounds.
The rules of the Void Arena were few—or rather, there were almost no rules at all. Even high-powered explosives, if one could obtain them, could be used inside the arena. Mechs and the like were commonplace.
Because of the lack of rules, the mortality rate among participants was extremely high. Someone had once calculated the death rate of the Void Arena, estimating it to be around 40% to 50%.
In other words, out of ten people who entered, at most one or two would walk out completely unscathed. The remaining survivors might be missing limbs, and four or five would be carried out horizontally.
Despite such horrifying casualty rates, so many still participated in the Void Arena, a testament to how tempting the rewards were.
Moreover, this was also a golden opportunity to rise in prominence. If one achieved a high ranking, some participants would forfeit the competition around the top 20 and then accept recruitment from major factions.
The existence of this arena was not merely for watching matches. Compared to ticket sales, the "sponsorship fees" from major factions were even more substantial. After paying these fees, those factions earned the right to recruit talent from the Void Arena.
Sand, blood, adrenaline-fueled battles, the honor of being first, opportunities everywhere, mouthwatering rewards, and a reputation built over centuries—these were the main reasons the Void Arena had flourished to this day.
Su Xiao followed the contestant passage toward the central arena. Other participants were nearby, all maintaining vigilance toward one another. No one knew who their opponent was. The Void Arena was fair—this was evident from how Alice could only use flyers to set Su Xiao up.
Alice likely couldn't rig the matches, as the arena was co-hosted by two other factions. Thus, she could only use legitimate means, like exposing Su Xiao's identity as a Law Destroyer to make him enemies, rather than sabotaging the matches.
Once the match began, it would be an absolutely fair competition. If Alice tried any underhanded tricks, the other two major factions would not stand idly by. The arena's reputation had been hard-earned, and they wouldn't let Alice's personal grudges ruin it.
Passing through the contestant passage, Su Xiao arrived at the central arena. He was in the contestant viewing area, located below the regular audience seats and closest to the sandy field in the center.
"Whoosh!!!"
A tidal wave of cheers came crashing in, so loud it was deafening. The roar of millions of beings from various races was as grand as one could imagine.
Su Xiao had not yet stepped onto the stage, but just hearing the cheers made him feel the blood surging within him.
The audience seats were a chaotic mess. Races Su Xiao had never seen before were everywhere. For example, a two-headed creature resembling a troll was oddly hilarious. It held snacks in its hands, stuffing them into each mouth with both hands, and the two heads would argue over certain disagreements. Clearly, the two heads had different thoughts—one body, two heads, two minds.
Compared to the two-headed troll, some races had completely lost their humanoid form. For instance, an octopus lying on the audience seats.
This octopus held a massive tankard with one of its tentacles, as large as a water vat, seemingly filled with beer.
After gulping down several mouthfuls of beer, it let out a burp, then drunkenly raised a tentacle and shouted.
"Kill her~~~"
Brother Octopus spoke with a trembling voice, his whole body swaying from time to time due to intoxication, occasionally letting out a silly laugh.
An octopus drinking beer was already bizarre enough, but don't rush—there were even stranger ones.
"Wahahaha, all of you, get the hell away from me!"
A loud laugh came from the front of the audience seats. It was a rat-man, holding a bottle of strong liquor in one hand and cuddling a cute girl from the "Lalata Star" in the other. The Lalata Star people were almost identical to humans, with only a few animal features. This planet was most famous for the beauty of its women. The exhibition match had invited over a dozen cute girls from Lalata Star.
And now, this rat-man was embracing one of those cute girls. He wasn't a spectator but one of the performers originally on the field.
The rat-man was practically provoking the organizers, yet no one stepped forward.
It wasn't that they didn't want to; they didn't dare. This rat-man was called Rat Lord. Not only was he extremely powerful, but the existence behind him was terrifying. That being had many titles: Planet Destroyer, War Calamity, Source of Life's Disaster, Void Sword Hero, Strongest Lunatic of the Void, Drunken Madman—dozens of such titles.
That being's presence in the Void was such that saying it made children cry at night was an understatement. Whenever that being was near any planet, all defense facilities on those planets would be immediately deactivated. This wasn't a welcome; it was sheer submission. The consequences of resistance were too dire—genocide in an instant.
According to statistics from major factions, the number of beings directly or indirectly killed by that being was in the billions. As for the exact number, it was impossible to calculate.
Because of this, no one dared to stop Rat Lord's rampage in the arena. It wasn't that they didn't want to; they simply didn't dare. Even if Alice had ten times the courage, she wouldn't dare provoke Rat Lord. Although the being behind Rat Lord had not appeared for many years, rumored to have disappeared into the deepest part of the Black Abyss.
Who knew if that being had died? If not, rashly provoking Rat Lord would lead to unimaginable consequences. That being was famously protective. Years ago, a certain race besieged Rat Lord, and not long after, that race vanished from the Void—not a single one left.
Even without that being, Rat Lord's own forces were not to be underestimated. They were an army of killers who laughed maniacally in battle. Waging war against them would come at an unbearable cost.