The crowd couldn't help but wonder what Ryu was smiling about. Of all the emotions they thought they'd see – distress, anxiousness, worry – they expected happiness the least.
Due to the fact the attackers were allowed to see how Ryu planned out his defenses, the crowd was obviously able to do so as well. This aside, since the Immortal role wasn't allowed to see exactly where the Core was hidden, the Princes wouldn't be able to see these images until after they chose their role. This was another reason why they were sent back to their respective corners.
Ryu took a single leap upward. The Core was taller than even the city walls, yet Ryu cleared the distance with ease, leisurely sitting atop the core with a relaxed expression. Obviously, with his control over the Northern Heavenly Wind, this and similar feats for him were quite easy.
"Ready." Ryu's voice projected outward, stunning those spectating once more.
Yaana, who had been hoping all this time that Ryu had some trick he had yet to bring out suddenly felt her world plunge into darkness. How could anyone expect Ryu to succeed when he was alone? In just a few minutes, he would be facing hundreds of opponents! At the very least, shouldn't he try to move the Core into the forest? Give himself some extra room to maneuver? Although the Core weighed an obscene amount, it was still in the shape of a ball.
However, many also understood Ryu's actions as well. Wasn't it already hopeless? Why put in so much effort? Plus, attempting to move such a heavy and fragile object alone was practically asking for trouble. Wouldn't it be too embarrassing if Ryu's Core shattered before the trial even began?
"This…" Headmaster Leopold felt uncomfortable. But, in the end, he sighed. What more could Ryu do at this point? Maybe his approach was already the best. "First Prince Tor, choose your attacking role."
Amory's eyes flashed. "Immortal."
He spoke without hesitation. Anyone who understood him knew exactly why he chose this role. With twenty Qi Refinement experts at his disposal, who cared about a mere three hour difference?
Even more importantly, choosing Immortal now basically locked the other Princes into this role as well just in case he failed. This put Opes Kingdom at a major disadvantage because everyone knew they only had ten Qi Refinement experts in total. In addition, there weren't many Princes other than him who could bring out this number of experts. Aside from the Dragon Corps and Jedrek's personal troops, the other Princes would be hard pressed.
Knowing this, why would Amory pick the Mortal role that restricted him to five Qi Refinement experts?
In the next moments, the Dragon Corps began to gather, each sitting upon a royal war horse. This time around, Amory didn't call out a specific squadron or division, he directly amassed his entire force.
Three hundred men, twenty of whom were of the Qi Refinement Realm, eighty who were Pulse Opening Realm experts, and two hundred who were within the Awakening Realm. This was a frightening lineup that could shake even a Kingdom's elites to their core.
Their red armor shone a bloody crimson light under the high sun even as their battle intent soared. The crowds of people couldn't help but feel stifled. They were just normal mortals, how often could they see such a line up?
Amory didn't position his army in any sort of clever fashion. They all stood in a perfect formation, split into three groups of one hundred that were further divided into ten groups of ten. Without fail, they sat as straight as javelins, looking forward toward the Northern Gate and awaiting Amory's command.
Not long after, Amory strode forward on a war horse matted in red fur. It was ten percent larger than the finest breeds one could imagine, its body seemingly carved from precious stone. Amory had ditched his scholarly robes for a beautiful set of red-gold armor, a bloody sword attached to his hip.
When he saw that Ryu hadn't even bothered to close the gates after he was escorted in, his eyes narrowed, but he had long since regained his composure. He had been waiting almost two years for this day. It was this that would decide whether or not the Tor Clan fell.
If others heard Amory's thoughts, they would be confused beyond belief. How could these events decide something like that? However, Amory knew better. Ryu would definitely not come here for something as petty as proving he was their betters. To Ryu, even the skies above his head were too low. Did he really have to come here to show off? Anyone who thought such a thing didn't understand Ryu at all!
Ryu wanted to find his wife. He wanted to see his parents and grandparents again. He wanted to slaughter those who dared lay their hands upon the Tatsuya Clan and his Shrine Plane. Did he care for the petty squabbles of this Higher Mortal Plane? He had said it once before, if it wasn't for Granny Miriam's death, he wouldn't have even bothered to seek revenge for him!
This looming worry lingered at the back of Amory's mind. No matter how much he shook it off, he couldn't ignore the feeling that not only had Ryu's accomplished much of his purpose already, if he was allowed to take the final step, the Tor Clan was finished! All of Amory's nerves were screaming at him with everything they had… He couldn't allow Ryu to win!
"Charge!" Amory roared when his emotions reached their peak. Everything he was feeling bellowed out from his chest, rumbling through the arena with a fiery passion.
The Dragon Corps was awoken. They could feel the conviction and unbridled purpose behind their Commander's voice. Their blood boiled, roaring in response. The very arena below their feet shook as they set off behind Amory's war horse, charging directly toward the central Palace.
At that moment, Ryu sat quietly. He could feel the rumbling of the ground, the emotions of his elder brother, even the coursing blood of his enemies. But he remained calm, his hands gliding over the smooth surface of the Breaking Ore as the rumbling grew louder.
The crowd watched with bated breath as Amory closed the distance. Five hundred meters… four hundred meters… three hundred meters… two hundred meters… one hundred meters…
Ryu was within Amory's field of vision. In the next moment, he raised his arm causing fifty archers to nock their bows. Despite the speed of their war horses, they seemed completely unaffected.
Spectators watched in shock. If Amory really did this, wouldn't Ryu die? Would this be the first death of these Coronation Games? As though oblivious to their thoughts, Amory's arm fell.
Fifty arrows blotted out the skies, descending Ryu into an endless night.