"I challenge Marcus Shelby of the First Rank!"
The audiences sighed at the repeated things they heard. Normally, they would be excited for the unexpected outcome, and the thrill each match gave them. However, the last five matches they had witnessed had been nothing but lunacy.
Killing wasn't forbidden in the tournament. However, it was a choice, not an obligation. What they had witnessed had been nothing more than two people aiming at taking each other's lives. Even worse, none of them wanted to back down.
[Rank 7 is challenging Rank 1. Marcus Shelby, will you accept the challenge?]
Marcus clicked his tongue in annoyance. He knew it would come to this. Sighing to himself, he straightened his posture before replying.
"I accept the challenge."
[May you enter the Arena.]
The Rank 7, or to be precisely Wei Xiu Li, stepped into the arena. He had stayed quite for all this time, however he couldn't stand it anymore. The matches he had seen had no qualification to be called a match. They were nothing more than carnage. He needed to stop it!
The participant seemed to forget that they were here to compete not to kill each other. Xiu Li could see it plainly. None of them were interested in winning the tournament. All of them were engrossed in the act of killing the others.
"Are you the same too, Brother?"
"Huh, what are you saying?"
"Are you the same too? What is your aim?"
"Are you high? Of course, it is to win this tournament."
"Very well. Can I assume you value your life more over winning the tournament?"
Marcus stayed silent. He stared at Xiu Li in curiosity. He was puzzled by Xiu Li's question. The boy in front of him didn't have the face or the stature suitable for joining the tournament.
He looked like someone who suited to be those wretched noble women's play thing instead. However, he had witnessed how ferocious Xiu Li could be. Thus, he was curious toward the purpose of Xiu Li's question.
Still, he didn't forget to answer, "Of course, I value my own life. Winning is not important if it cost my life."
He observed Xiu Li's reaction toward his response, however he didn't find much of it. Xiu Li merely smiled, and threw his head at the referee.
At the exact moment, the referee spoke, "The same rules as before. Learn from the other's mistake. Know your limit." Even at this point, the referee was a little bit uneasy.
The tournament went off the track and he didn't know the cause of it. Still, he should mind his job only. Raising his hand, he swung it down while uttering the sacred word, "Begin!"
Whoosh!
Xiu Li quickly distanced himself from Marcus. He was a Spellcaster. Facing Marcus who was a Battle Mage in close range would be suicide. Swiftly materializing his Grimoire, Xiu Li quickly chanted a Spell.
"[Master Of The Land]!"
As its name suggested, at that moment, Xiu Li became the master of the land. The land in radius of 3 meters around him surged upward, following his every command. Without wasting any time, he chanted another Spell.
Boom!
This time, his Magic Circles were fully on display. A heavy pressure descended upon the arena, and the audiences gulped unconsciously. Would they watch another gruesome death? They couldn't know. However, they were anticipating the outcome of this match.
"[Inferno]!"
Burst!
As the name was uttered, the land in Xiu Li's possession was set ablaze. The heat of the flame produced by his Spell was so hot that the ground burned in red. Looking at this, the audiences went crazy.
"What?! [Inferno]?!! How the hell?!"
"Unbelievable! Just how could this be possible?"
"A Third Circle Mage is using a Spell that can only be learned by Fourth Circle Mages..."
"When he said he was a prodigy, he really meant it, huh?"
"This is highly baffling as he is not even a native. On top of his brilliance in comprehending Magic, he is blessed with a natural talent too. What a lucky individual."
No one had expected that there was really a prodigy of Xiu Li's caliber in a County. Most of the people like him that they knew were from the Capital, and children of highly renowned Mages.
The even more baffling thing was his origin. It was unbelievable that a foreigner's talent could compete with the prodigious youths from Braxtein Kingdom.
"You are going all out, aren't you?" Marcus asked in a sure tone. In response, Xiu Li merely said, "Who knows?" Extending his hand forward, Xiu Li created a ball of burning earth that distorted the atmosphere with its heat.
"I will make you forfeit."
"Bloody hell!"
The burning earthen ball was sent toward Marcus, and he could only curse, before dashing away from its trajectory. Still, he was aware he couldn't get that far.
He couldn't even fend it, and he was very sure about that. Thus, he decided to do one thing. Readying his twin swords, he infused his Mana, before utilizing the most basic Battle Mage Art.
"Killing Art: [Drill]!"
Wind surrounded his entire body, before spinning him like a gale. Moving his spinning body toward the incoming burning earthen ball, he was fully intending on destroying it to pieces.
When running away is not an option, destroy your problem!
With that thought in mind, he spun his body even faster, and sharpen his move even further. Finally, the anticipated clash came.
Boom!
There was a bit of resistance at first, however Marcus still managed to destroy it. Pieces of earth were scattered due to it destruction. Sadly, Marcus forgot one crucial thing. Wind makes fire stronger.
Burst!
"Bloody hell! This fire is trying to fry me!"
As he was still covered with the wind produced by his Art, he was quickly engulfed with the remnants of the fire from Xiu Li's attack. Luckily, Marcus was quick to deactivate his Art. Therefore, the fire quickly dispersed.
Sadly, Xiu Li's attack didn't stop there.
"Another one?!"
Boom!
If Marcus hadn't dodged in time, he would be vanquished from the mortal world. That freak, Xiu Li, still could produce another weird arse fireballs! Although they were considerably smaller, the lethality was no less than the previous one.
"Ahh! Screw this!" Channeling his Mana to his entire body, Marcus activated the Art his master had forbidden him to use, "[Boiling Rage]!" It was the incomplete Art that harmed the user's body.
"Hm? Why are Battle Mages so suicidal?"
Xiu Li clicked his tongue at the familiar scene. He had fought an opponent that used the same Art as Marcus in the Selection Stage. Not only was it troublesome to face, but also irritating.
The Art forced the user's Mana went berserk, and it slowly burned away the user's lifespan. Although they got a significant power boost, the consequence didn't worth it.
Roar!
As expected, Marcus went berserk too, like the other person. His Mana was in disarray, and he used it recklessly. Infusing Mana to his twin swords, he sent those condensed Mana at the burning earthen balls Xiu Li sent.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
He didn't even care about his charred clothes. All he cared about was advancing forward and destroying every attacks coming at him.
"Execution Art: [Space Cutter]!"
Strangely enough, in the midst of his berserk stage, he could still activate another Art. An extreme amount of Mana condensed around his sword. Gazing at Xiu Li with his burning red eyes, he grinned savagely.
"Kuhahaha! Receive my mighty Art, Plebeian!"
Even his laughter no longer sounded human. Still, at least, he could still utter words that belonged to human.
Xiu Li observed the berserk Marcus calmly. He could feel the impending doom Marcus' sword was exuding. Therefore, he had decided to reveal one of his cards. Sighing lightly to himself, he uttered, "This is the reason why I failed Daoism."
Still, a smile adorned his face. When Marcus swung his sword horizontally from afar, Xiu Li also casted his Spell.
Screech!
The sheer friction Marcus' swords caused with the air made a loud sound that hurt everyone's ears. A heavy pressure was constantly exuded by the swords, and they could feel the atmosphere turned heavier.
Boom!
The attack finally landed upon Xiu Li. A huge amount of Mana filled the entire arena, even to the point of suffocating some of the weaker audiences. A blinding light covered the arena and everyone's ear was ringing due to the explosion.
It wasn't only after some time had past that the scene in the arena was revealed. The ground was dented deeply and cratered badly. Dust rise to the air, and the ground was steaming due to the attack. Marcus looked at the scene with a savage grin on his face.
However, it didn't last long. Looking at his prey, puzzlement filled his head. His prey was encased with some black dense blocks in the middle of the dented ground. He was extremely confused as he couldn't identify what it was.
Surely, it was only the case with the berserk Marcus. The audiences knew about it, and they couldn't give a particular reaction. They were doubting their eyes.
"I-is that what I think it is?"
"W-well.. I guess?"
"A Grand Circle, incredible Magic comprehension, and now, this...?"
"Sub Element: Iron. He is truly a son favored by the heavens."
"That is called cheating since birth. Why are you talking like an old man from the East?!"
In the arena, the blocks of iron that covered Xiu Li retracted themselves before fully revealing him. Looking at the berserk Marcus, he shook his head bitterly. He knew suppression wouldn't work on Marcus, therefore he steeled his heart.
"I know it will be anticlimactic, and maybe insulting to you," he said while extending his hand. A spike of iron with pointy end rose upon his gesture and he pointed it toward Marcus. He continued, "However, this is the only I could think of to save your life."
Clenching his opened palm, the spike shot forward. Even in his berserk state, Marcus' instinct was still active. Therefore, he readied himself to stop the attack. However, Xiu Li didn't aim to deal a heavy damage on him.
The spike Xiu Li had aimed at Marcus earlier turned into a thin needle. Marcus who wasn't expecting it didn't know how to react. The speed of the needle was too fast for him to even react.
Sting!
He felt a prick on his solar plexus. When he looked down, he could see the thin and long needle was half embedded into his solar plexus. Frowning his forehead, he tried to grab the needle out of his body.
However, his body went sluggish in the next moment, and power was leaving his body. It didn't take long for his entire body to slump to the ground, and he lost his consciousness. Looking at Marcus from afar, Xiu Li sighed to himself.
"The only thing I am good at my country is Acupuncture. Well, at least I can finally integrate it with Magic, and it worked splendidly."
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Someone's hand clapping attracted the attention of the bewildered audiences and Xiu Li. Quickly turning his eyes at the perpetrator, his eyes widened in surprise.
"Brilliant," the person said briefly, before sitting back down.
One word. It was only one word. However, he couldn't wipe the grin off of his face. How could he not? The brightest star of the tournament, the most unpredictable, and the most overbearing person in the tournament, Basil Pacifer had praised him.
Surely, Xiu Li wasn't the only one who was surprised. The people who knew Basil were too!
"What the hell? Is that even Basil?"
"THAT Basil just praised someone?"
"I think we are getting bewitched. My student, Basil, will never do that."
"What are you guys talking about? We are just too hungry that we are seeing things."
They were so unwilling to believe the reality that they doubted their superior senses. They couldn't help it, the action was unprecedented. Therefore, seeing it happening in front of their eyes were too surreal to believe.
"Victor, Wei Xiu Li!"
Finally, the referee announced the victor. Basil, who was in the middle of everyone's attention didn't care a least bit about it. He was merely observing the person who had attracted his interest.
[The next challenge is ready to be proceeded.]
At that moment, someone stood up from his seat.. Basil smirked to himself faintly before muttering, "Found you."