[ “Sovereign Will II” ]
Sovereign Will II was the stronger version of Sovereign Will. Sovereign Will might have increased his strength to be equal to that of Hiro’s current strength, however, Sovereign Will II would be able to make Zion surpass Hiro’s power.
Although the side effect was also several times more severe than Sovereign Will. If his body was not strong enough, it might even be possible that this skill would have destroyed his body.
However, to defeat his rival he was willing to take any risk. He was determined to see how he would really fare against Hiro who had ascended to Rank-B.
[ “Imperial Spear Style: Celestial Burst” ]
The attack was a massive burst of energy that surged toward Hiro with incredible force. Hiro was caught off guard by the sudden surge of power and was thrown back by the impact.
[ “Imperial Spear Style; Swift Strike” ]
Zion continued his attack. Zion launched his lightning-fast attack with an increase in energy.
Hiro was taken by surprise by the sudden attack and was unable to defend himself in time. He was hit by the attack and was thrown back, his sword clattering to the ground.
-BANG!
The crowd gasped as they saw Hiro struggle to stand up. This was also the first time that Hiro had fallen down in this entire tournament. Hiro, who many thought was invincible, was on the verge of losing.
Zion approached him slowly, with his spear at the ready. Hiro knew that he couldn’t let his guard down even for a moment. Zion’s strength is completely different from what it was a moment ago.
Hiro smiled. It was not that he was confident or anything like that but he was satisfied with what Zion had shown him. To him, Zion was a real talent who could become the strongest person in the world.
If not for the System, he would not get the chance to compete with Zion which would have been regrettable. He was thankful to System as well as his rival who was pushing him to the limit.
[ “StarShaterrer Style: Starfall Fracture” ]
Hiro used his most powerful attack. And it was even more powerful than the time when he used it against Landon and others.
[ “Imperial Spear Style: Imperial Strike” ]
However, Zion also launched an attack of his own. And it was even more powerful than Hiro’s.
-BOOM!
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When the two attacks collided, a big explosion was created. And Hiro found himself blown away due to his attack being weaker than Zion’s attack.
*****
Outside the battle, people had been stunned by both Zion and Hiro. The level of battle that they were fighting was completely beyond what is to be expected of a student.
The last attacks were something that might even be able to hurt a Rank-A Explorer. It was evident as the ring was once again destroyed. In order to withstand attacks from Rank-B, the ring had been repaired and made with material that had been resistant to the attack of Rank-B.
This showed that their attacks had power that had surpassed Rank-A. Even if they go back to a hundred years ago when there had been the Golden Generation, none of them would be as strong as Zion and Hiro.
The Guild recruitment teams in the stadium were also stunned. They had a clear idea of how strong a student should be. Zion and Hiro’s power had reached that of a full-fledged Explorer, no, they had surpassed them.
They were just second-year students with one more year to go. However, they were certain that in terms of power and fighting techniques, they were already better than most of the Explorers. The term talented and genius might be an understatement to the two of them.
*****
-THRUST! -THRUST! -CLANK!
In the ring, Zion with his newfound power was dominating the fight. Hiro had suffered many major injuries and was bleeding profusely.
Zion was not in a better state as he felt pain as never before. However, with victory before his eyes, he totally ignored the pain and continued attacking Hiro.
( Looks like I have got myself into trouble! )
Hiro thought. He regretted a bit that he didn’t stop Zion from activating his skill. But at the same time, there was excitement in his heart that wants to compete with Zion.
[ “Devoted Star: Limit release” ]
Hiro immediately unleashed his skills and used Limit Release. He was also no longer holding back. He was not powerful enough to defeat Zion without resorting to this trump card. He never thought that he would need to use this in order to fight someone on the same rank as him, much less someone whose rank is below him.
Zion stood there smiling. He had finally managed to make Hiro use his trump card. He felt his bones trembling, however, at the moment he only felt excited and everything else was forgotten.
-THRUST! -CLANG! -SLASH! -CLANG!
Once more they got into a fight. Hiro, more powerful than ever, attacked Zion. Zion was also not much weaker than Hiro as he dodged the attacks and counterattacks. Their bodies were becoming more and more injured as they progressed.
[ “Starfall Fracture” ]
Hiro again launched his powerful attack skill. However, this time the attack was many times stronger. This was not on the same level as before.
Zion was ready to respond to the attack. He could feel that his Imperial Strike would not be able to compete with Starfall Fracture. He decided to unleash his final strike which would also be his strongest.
[ “Imperial Spear Style: Celestial Piercing Strike” ]
Zion knew that he had to push himself to his limits to stand a chance against Hiro, and he decided to unleash all of his power. He unleashed massive mana from his spear that threatened to destroy everything in its path, including Hiro.
Zion gritted his teeth and unleashed the skill, feeling his muscles and nerves scream in pain. His body could not handle such power, not at the moment when his body was already at its limit from using Sovereign Will II.
However, after enduring all the pain, he unleashed the power of his ultimate ability. He was betting everything on this attack as he used every mana that he had.
-BOOOOOM!
A huge explosion surpassing that of the previous one ensured. In addition, the barrier protecting the audience had also shattered because of the force of the explosion. It caused chaos in the audience as they thought that the attack might reach them.
However, The Authority agents immediately went and created a stronger barrier before the force reached the audience. They stayed and maintained the barrier to make sure that Zion and Hiro do not break the barrier again. While they were maintaining the barrier, they also looked in the direction of the battle.
They were eager to find out who was the winner between Zion and Hiro. The same thing happened to the crowd, as they also brought their focus back from the barrier to the battle.
The two combatants were locked in a fierce struggle, each pushing themselves to their limits. However, the force of the explosion was too overwhelming for Zion to withstand, and he was blown away, tumbling backward through the air.
Zion was pushed out of the ring and was unconscious. While Hiro was still standing in the ring.
-CHEERS!
The winner of this fight was Hiro. He had made it to the next round.