Chapter 253: Si Zi
“Thirty minutes, that’s enough.”
'Explosive' Grandez Rong showed a ferocious smile. The two rapidly spinning 'shields' on his arms finally stopped, emitting a wave of scorching heat. He dismissively nodded at Noys, then left the Arena without looking back, never once glancing at his fervent supporters.
But his rather aloof and cool act only drew a louder cheer, most of which came from female supporters. A young Orc sorceress even tried to tear open a Demon Gate to teleport herself next to Grand. However, she was inexplicably hung on a crystal pillar in the dome. Clearly, the Tianzhushan Grand Arena was very, very formal; at least they knew to protect areas outside the stands, such as the Arena itself.
Intelligent beings subconsciously worship and aspire to the strong, but if one is handsome enough, it actually doesn't matter if they are not that strong. For example, 'Explosive' Grand was indeed quite handsome…
“Ah, actually, it’s nothing special.” Noys patted the non-existent dust from his robe, then gracefully floated up again, his impassioned voice echoing throughout the entire Arena: “Ladies and gentlemen~ Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to announce a very important piece of news here. 'Explosive' Grand, who just achieved '200 consecutive victories', is about to challenge one of the High-Rank Arena Masters of our Level 5 Arena, a powerful, humble, and diligent staff member. As far as I know, since the lovely '0803' Wesley Xiongan left Tian Zhu Mountain to inherit his village, no warrior has achieved 200 consecutive victories in the Level 5 Arena for a full eighty years! Many people have also forgotten that supreme glory. As long as one can last forty-five minutes against a Level 5 Arena Master, he can be permanently inscribed on the Pillar of Heroes outside. I remember there should still be two spots~”
Dense waves of sound came from all directions. Within a few short seconds, almost everyone had completely fallen into excited discussions. Everyone knew about the twelve Pillars of Heroes in the Arena's ground floor hall, and even knew many deeds of the heroes carved on those large iron pillars. However, few knew how they were specifically chosen, and what Nois Hua Shao just said was undoubtedly a bombshell. He not only told these people how to qualify for the challenge but also announced that Grand was about to challenge a Level 5 Arena Master. So… this place became as lively as a social gathering after the college entrance examination, bustling beyond description.
“Well then, we’ll see you later, friends.”
Noys bowed several times to the surroundings, then suddenly disappeared from the Arena.
The audience waited anxiously, but found that the passage of time had suddenly slowed down. This was an extremely difficult illusion to bear, especially since they didn't know a single mysterious, profound, recondite, and extremely difficult-to-master time magic spell, which was…
【【Thirty Minutes Later】】
Grand arrived in the Arena through the contestant's passage under everyone's gaze. The Level 5 Arena did not have a teleportation mechanism for entry, which seemed a bit primitive compared to the beginner Arenas. But everyone liked to watch their favored warrior slowly walk out from both ends of the Arena, as long as they weren't carried out when they left…
In short, thirty minutes later, 'Explosive' Grandez Rong, having recovered to his best condition, returned here!
“Grand will last forty-five minutes! Yes, he will do his utmost to secure a spot for himself on the Pillar of Heroes! If he lasts for more than an hour, he will receive an additional reward from Tian Zhu Mountain. Believe me, it will not disappoint!” Noys also reappeared above the Arena, fluttering around like a colorful butterfly, trembling with excitement: “Alright, now please welcome one of the Level 5 Arena Masters, the low-key, silent, and introverted—Si Zi!!!”
Completely different from Grand’s entrance, only some polite, ethereal cheers, and a few harsh boos appeared in the stands. It seemed many people felt it was an insult to make their Grand 'last forty-five minutes' against some unknown opponent.
The next second… or half a second… or perhaps a tenth of a second, even the sharpest-eyed people in the stands and Grand, who was in the center of the Arena, didn’t see it clearly. A man in a purple cloak simply appeared.
This person seemed to be under twenty years old, with short black hair. His rather delicate face was slightly lowered. He wore a purple, unknown-material, one-piece light armor, adorned with white patterns and a dozen emeralds.
“Hello, Grand.”
The 'youth' named Si Zi quietly greeted his opponent, his tone seemingly a bit lacking in confidence. He didn't raise his head; his dark eyes were full of gloom, perhaps even a hint of timidity, at least that’s what 'Explosive' Grand thought.
“He’s my opponent?” Grand looked incredulously at Noys, who was floating above the two, his fighting intent gradually turning into irritation and fury. He rudely pointed at the young man in front of him and roared: “Last forty-five minutes in front of him? Are you sure the purpose of this challenge isn't to test how I restrain myself from blowing him to pieces within forty-five minutes?!”
Noys playfully blinked: “I think we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. I need to remind you, my dear Grand, since the day the Grand Arena was built, only nine people have been able to last forty-five minutes or more against a Level 5 Arena Master, and only one person has won. Do you understand what I mean?”
Grand pouted. Perhaps because of Noys’s words, or perhaps because of the hint of mischief in the latter’s eyes, he didn't say anything more. He just silently activated the round shields on his forearms, making them spin rapidly.
“Alright, if both of you are ready, then…”
Noys clapped his hands hard, then quickly shot into the sky and shouted: “Let the match begin!”
Boom!!!!
A burst of Fireball suddenly lit up in Grand’s palm, immediately igniting the air between him and Si Zi, blasting the platinum-sand-paved ground beneath their feet into a sky full of dust. Although it was just a casual strike, like a greeting, and not large in scale, its destructive power was at least equivalent to two barrels of 【Anti-Personnel Fragmentation Tea Eggs】!
“Igniting highly compressed fire elements…”
Si Zi, enveloped in a cloud of smoke and dust, suffered no harm. He simply turned around listlessly and nodded at Grand in front of him: “A very clever method. Not only does it maximize power, but it also fully utilizes your fire-affinity physique, minimizing indiscriminate damage that doesn't distinguish between friend and foe. And that shield that can absorb and reuse overflowing fire elements, you must have made it yourself, a very ingenious idea.”
Grand stood in front of him, his hands raised high, and a highly unstable ball of fire was contracting where his palms met. He seemed to have just been preparing to use the smoke and dust for a flanking surprise attack, but…
“Oh, sorry, you can continue.” Si Zi nodded. The air around Grand twisted slightly, and several layers of green curtains, imperceptible to the naked eye, simply disappeared. No one knew what the former had just done, including Grand, who had appeared behind him only to be crushed by an invisible force.
“I apologize.”
Grand, now free again, did not immediately detonate the glass-marble-sized fire element aggregate in his hand. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, nodded at the Arena Master named Si Zi in front of him, and smirked: “I underestimated you just now. My apologies.”
Si Zi shook his head and reached up to pull his collar higher: “I don’t mind…”
“So now I’m getting serious!” Grand roared, quickly slapping the aggregate onto the shield on his right arm, then aimed it sharply at the opponent’s chest, grinning: “BOOM!”
An even more terrifying explosion occurred. The air in front of Grand rapidly expanded at an unimaginable speed, engulfing both of them in a white blaze!
“Here it comes~ Grand’s proud ultimate move, instantly igniting fire elements equivalent to two High-Rank fire magic spells. Although its explosion range is much higher than its effective range, its power is extraordinary!”
Noys deftly dodged several scorching air currents and flying debris, explaining loudly in the air.
Grand was thrown high by the explosion he caused, but being naturally fire-affinity, he didn't suffer much damage. He quickly cast a High-Rank spell, 【Constant Temperature Perception】, on himself, and through the smoke and dust, saw his opponent still standing steadily at the center of the explosion. He immediately showed a satisfied smile: “Excellent, this is what I want, but why don’t you…”
He waved the shields on his arms, creating two small explosions behind him, and with terrifying impact, swooped down from mid-air. As he neared Si Zi’s head, he steadily extended his hands and brought them together: “—retaliate?!”
Boom!!!!
A blinding flash exploded less than half a meter above Si Zi, with strong light, lightning, and flames erupting simultaneously. Most of the spectators were too dazzled to open their eyes, only hearing Noys’s powerful tenor echoing in the Arena…
“A beautiful strike! Grand used a new move we’ve never seen before, an explosion of light elements, lightning elements, and ten times more fire elements than both combined, uh, perhaps a bit of wind elements too. This strike is grand in scale, but its attack power seems slightly insufficient. Si Zi still appears completely unaffected, but… oh! That’s right, Grand used that dazzling explosion to halt his descent and cleverly appeared behind Si Zi… uh, somewhere nearby. What a perfect tactic!! Most people would have their eyes burned at that distance. I wonder if Si Zi noticed, oh my god, what is that thing in Grand’s hand!? I think I should fly higher. Alright, we see Grand, who at some point cast 【Light Concealment】 on himself, has already charged over. In his hand is an unprecedented elemental aggregate. I suspect the concentration of fire elements inside is enough to cast a standard Forbidden Spell! Oh!!!”
Following their vision, the hearing of most spectators was also deprived by the almost ear-splitting sound from below. It was like hundreds of barrels exploding simultaneously. A basketball-sized dark red sphere was slammed fiercely into Si Zi's back, then expanded dozens of times in the blink of an eye, eventually transforming into an enormous mushroom cloud, roaring as it engulfed both its master and enemy.
The passionately commentating Noys was violently thrown back. He was flung between two crystal pillars by an explosion that almost engulfed a third of the Arena, getting stuck there.
At the same time, 'Explosive' Grand’s figure also slammed against the edge of the Arena. He had just unleashed the strongest attack he could muster, an ultimate explosion almost comparable to a single target Forbidden Spell. The two shields on his arms were completely Waste due to elemental overload, and were slowly melting. Grand himself also suffered a huge impact. Although he had a fire-affinity physique, the impact from that explosion was enough to match the full power strike of a High-Rank Berserker. His Monk level was only 'Master' grade, and despite trying his best to dissipate the impact, he still sustained serious injuries, but…
“Hmm, exhilarating, truly exhilarating.” Grand actually laughed heartily while spitting blood. He struggled to his feet, looking at the figure not far away that remained completely still. The burning fighting intent in his eyes finally receded, replaced by a trace of respect and solemnity: “I always wanted to find someone much stronger than me to help me complete this move. Thank you.”
A gust of wind swept through, and Si Zi’s unharmed figure reappeared in everyone’s sight after the smoke and dust cleared. Beneath him was a bottomless, semi-circular crater, and the surrounding air twisted anxiously under the high temperature. This Level 5 Arena Master floated in mid-air, and upon hearing the words, looked up at Grand, smiling somewhat dejectedly: “It’s alright.”
In front of him was a barrier, composed of countless polygons, entirely emerald green, and over ten meters high. There was not a single trace on it, as if blocking a Forbidden Spell-level explosion was no different from blocking a Fireball.
The entire Arena was silent. Those with stronger abilities, who quickly recovered their sight and hearing or were simply unaffected, looked at Si Zi as if he were a monster, as if they had seen a ghost.
“Although it’s not impossible for me to surrender now.” Grand gave a defiant smile, baring his teeth at Si Zi: “But can you show me your methods other than defense?”
“I can.”
Si Zi nodded faintly, raising one hand…
“Anyway, I originally just came here to vent.”
Chapter 250: End
