Chapter 37
The cheers from the audience filled the entire North Stadium. The scene when Tugot, who was thought to have progressed to the round of 16 by luck, crushed Damon, the contestant many believed would be the winner, was a huge shock to the audience.
- Something u-u-unexpected had oc— I mean, no, there's been a ridiculous twist! Tugot, who was considered the lucky swordsman, was in fact, a skillful wizard! He is so talented that he was able to corner Damon, the flame wizard! The audience is filled with thrill and excitement!
Lee Shin left the field with loud cheering in the background. And the match schedule appeared on the screen.
[Tugot vs. Kalen]
Kalen was the Dark Wizard who was sent from the Black Star to get the Martyr. Lee Shin could figure this out from the information that May and Warrie had given him. Moreover, Lee Shin knew that there would be an ambush before the quarterfinals began.
* * *
The West Stadium of Gret Ciel had only been used in the preliminary round and was now closed. Still, Lee Shin entered. He sat on the field, his eyes closed.
Clomp— Clomp!
It seemed as if there were other people around Lee Shin. The atmosphere got heavier and made Lee Shin feel uncomfortable.
"Were you waiting for us?” a rough voice asked.
There was a sense of confidence and calm in the low-pitched voice. When he heard the voice, Lee Shin opened his eyes. Before he even knew it, the Dark Wizards had gathered around him.
"You’re a little late," Lee Shin replied.
Lee Shin slowly stood up from his seat. Lee Shin’s confident attitude did not bother the Dark Wizard at all.
"I enjoyed watching your game in the round of 16. You hid your skills. Who are you?" the voice asked.
"Who am I…?" Instead of answering, Lee Shin released his mana from the Enchanted Silver Tree Wand.
"Harpness!" Lee Shin shouted.
The Grim Reaper came out of the black portal in the air and when the Dark Wizard saw that, he was agitated.
"No way… This mana is..." the Dark Wizard muttered.
Lee Shin did not care how they reacted to his mana.
[The Chain of Death]
Harpness’s body dissipated like a mist and disappeared, as if it had been sucked into the dark ground.
Swooosh—
Kwaaack—! Crunch!
Then, chains appeared from the darkness and began to choke the Dark Wizards.
"Keugh!"
"Keuahhh!"
"Keuaaahhh!"
Lee Shin could hear the screams of the Dark Wizards everywhere.
"This element is... keugh!” The Dark Wizard gasped.
The Dark Wizard, who had just been talking to Lee Shin very casually, collapsed on the ground because he could not stop the Chain of Death that approached him.
‘Wait, I can’t stop this?’
Before the Dark Wizard could figure out what the hell was going on, he started hearing strange voices echoing in his ears.
Eaughhhh—
He was hearing the pained cries of the dead. Since the undead had died unjustly, they were considered neither dead nor alive. These feelings of resentment were transferred to the Dark Wizards.
"Heughhh"
"Please help me… What the hell…"
Bound by the Chain of Death, they were helplessly attacked by the undead. And the Dark Wizard, who sat on the floor chained, looked at Lee Shin with bloody eyes.
"... So, are you He Who Knows Death?” the Dark Wizard asked.
"Yes, I am," Lee Shin replied.
The place was filled with death. One could fall into the world of death suddenly, at any time, in any spot. The Dark Wizards were shaking in fear of death. With them, the stadium had become a mess. In the midst of this chaos, the Dark Wizard gritted his teeth and gathered all his mana power.
"I really did not expect He Who Knows Death would be this strong.”
The time limit of the effect of the Chain of Death was up and the Dark Wizard rose from his seat with his teeth clenched.
"My name is Burego. I assume Tugot is not your real name, is it? What’s your actual name?” Burego asked.
"My name is Lee Shin,” Lee Shin replied.
"Well yeah... You’re great. I can't believe you are already this strong at such a young age. As a show of respect, I will give you my best mana. Take a look at this. This is a fifth-level mana.” Burego’s mana power flickered.
His mana seemed to have just one goal.
"This is too simple," Lee Shin muttered. Burego’s confidence quickly faded away.
"What did you say…?" Burego asked.
Burego's mana, which was being engraved in the air, was broken and ruined by the intervention of something else.
"What the hell..." Burego panicked.
"You still don’t understand what black mana is,” Lee Shin explained.
"What do you mean I don't know black mana?" Burego asked.
Burego seemed as if he had heard something ridiculous. At that moment, Lee Shin’s mana gathered over Burego’s hardened face.
"The origin of Black Mana began with bullying the enemy. It is not just any mana that is used to win over the enemy or to show off your power,” Lee Shin explained.
"What the hell are you talking about!" Burego shouted.
After his mana was left helplessly broken, Burego, who vomited blood due to the backflow of mana, shouted in frustration.
"You need pure malice or hostility. You need tenacity to torment the opponent and bring the other person to despair at all costs. That is what real Black Mana is," Lee Shin explained.
The Black Mana that appeared from the tip of Lee Shin’s wand crushed the space.
"Can you hear them? Can you hear the cries and screams of your colleagues?” Lee Shin asked.
Keuaaahhh!
Save me!
Please!
"What on earth is this…” the Dark Wizard muttered.
The intense fear and horror that spread throughout the stadium was adding strength to Lee Shin's mana power.
"This is real Black Mana,” Lee Shin said.
Boom—
Crr— Craaack—
A black thunderbolt fell from the sky.
"Keu...ugh…" Burego gasped.
.
Burego collapsed because he had been burned all over by it. His soul slowly crept up over his burnt body. The soul quickly became filled with anger, then became a ghost, and soon, turned into a demon.
"Come to me," Lee Shin demanded.
Lee Shin's strong Dominance had controlled Burego, who turned into a demon.
"Now, tell me. Where is your main body?"
* * *
- Finally, we will begin the quarterfinals! We have the contestant you have been waiting for! He is the man of twists! He is not a man of luck, but a talented man who has been hiding his power. Let me introduce Tugot!
Whoa—!
Go Tugot! Go Tugot! Go Tugot! Go Tugot!?
- And a contestant against him, we have Kalen! The wizard who knows death!
Whoa—!
Go Kalen! Go Kalen!
As Kalen got on the field, he observed Lee Shin with his eyes gleaming. Kalen had lost contact with all members of the Black Star, who had gone to attack Tugot.
Kalen could not even find their dead bodies. There were dozens of people who went to kill Tugot, and among them there were Xenon and Burego.
Kalen had thought Tugot was just a talented man with hidden skills, up until the point when he had lost contact with Xenon. However, it was a whole different story when he had lost contact with Burego.
Burego was a talented man who could use the fifth-level mana. A man with this level of skill could not be easily found in the Black Star. Kalen could never imagine losing contact with Burego. He wondered if Tugot was that talented after all.
"You are very quiet, unlike the others,” Lee Shin muttered.
Kalen's confidence at the beginning of the tournament had disappeared. He seemed to be on full alert. There was a sudden flicker of mana. A type of mana, something that resembled death but was lesser than that, shot out from the tip of Kalen's wand.
"Die!" Kalen shouted.
Kalen's mana, the [Hand of Death] unfolded. Hundreds of black hands appeared and attacked Lee Shin. It seemed as if one would not be able to avoid the hands no matter where they were in the stadium.
"This is a poor imitation of... This is similar to Burego’s… No wait, is this a little better?" Lee Shin spoke quietly.
When the name Burego was brought up by Lee Shin, Kalen was sure that Burego had been killed by Lee Shin.
Whooong— Boom!
Kalen's black hands pressed against Lee Shin, but none of them hit the mark.
"This mana... Is it coming from his wand…?" Lee Shin wondered.
The [Black Mana] was Gene's unique ability. This type of mana power with the attribute of death was something that Lee Shin had never seen before in his previous life while he was climbing the tower. However, Kalen’s mana was definitely related to death somehow.
"Be quiet!" Kalen yelled.
Babam—!
The stadium floor started to break and debris scattered. Lee Shin, who had been quiet the whole time, started to unleash his mana.
[Dark Thunder]
Baaamm—!
A thin black bolt of thunder and lightning struck Kalen. And Kalen could not even respond because it happened so quickly. Kalen stared blankly at the invocation of defensive artifacts in his body. When the black thunderbolt and the black shield collided in the air, the shield disappeared, and the black thunderbolt split into several branches and disappeared.
- What kind of mana is this! Tugot, who was thought to be an ice wizard, used mana with dark and lightning elements this time! He is a wizard who can deal with three attributes! Plus, the mana we just saw had a combination of two attributes! The audience is cheering so loud that I can't even hear my voice!
‘Wait, was that mana with the dark element? No way, that’s…!'
Kalen was shocked to see the mana used by Lee Shin, and so he could not process what was happening for a moment. The best artifact of the Black Star was [Gondala's wand], and the attributes of death engraved in it could be felt from Lee Shin’s mana.
"What are you doing, Kalen! Are you just having fun staring at him?”
"What was that black thunderbolt? How can someone combine two attributes together?”
"This is crazy! Look over there! The ground is becoming black because of the dark element!"
"Yes, Tugot! I knew you could do it!”
The audience was in chaos. People loved heroes, especially those who had overcome adversity and hardship. Tugot was pretending to have gone through adversity and hardships, but such things did not matter to him. He was already deeply embedded in people’s minds.
"You… are… He… Who Knows… Death…? Please forgive m—” Kalen was dying.
"Do you want me to save you? Even after impersonating me?" Tugot asked.
The audience began to make a fuss again at Tugot's words.
- Oh! What is going on? What does he mean by Kalen impersonating him? No way...!
The pitch-black mana was released from the fingertips of Tugot. It was the type of mana that gave people goosebumps just by looking at it.
"I am He Who Knows Death," Lee Shin declared.
A black portal had been created under Kalen. And the game ended with a black mist enveloping Kalen.
* * *
- Oh, my gosh! This happened once again! Tugot, also called He Who Knows Death, has won the game again! He defeated Derek, a strong contestant for the tournament, who is a descendant of Dragon Slayer! Tugot will be advancing to the final match!
Starting from the semifinals, the battles took place on the main stage in the South Stadium. The southern stadium was larger than all the stadiums in the east, west and north combined. And at the same time, the background of the stadium changed randomly from match to match.
The battle with Derek took place on a battlefield that was filled with cliffs all around. As a descendant of Dragon Slayer, Derek had been confident in his mid-air combat. After a long fierce battle, Lee Shin beat him and advanced to the final match.
- There had been a series of unexpected events in Gret Ciel during this episode. Was there any other episode that was filled with this much excitement? The competition is heating up especially because the prize is Martyr this time. The two people who are the talk of the town are now ready on the field!
"Tugot... He Who Knows Death.” Dexter looked at Tugot.
That nonchalant look he first wore in the finals was now long gone.
"You are amazing. I guess the rumors were not false,” Dexter muttered.
"Black Star," said Lee Shin.
Dexter seemed shocked for a split second when he heard Lee Shin say the words Black Star.
"I killed them all, including Xenon, Burego, and Kalen," Lee Shin said.
"I have no idea what you are talking about,” Dexter replied.
That momentary panic in his eyes vanished as if it had never happened. And it would not have been caught if his opponent was not Lee Shin.
- The game is about to begin. This stadium... Oh, my God! This next match will be done in the World of the Night, Obscarit! It is a world of darkness, where the only source of light is the moonlight! Although it is a randomly chosen setting, this is just too favorable for Dexter!
Boo— Boo— Boo—
As soon as the background was unveiled, there was an outpouring of jeers from the audience.
Considering the abilities that Dexter had shown so far, it was a battlefield in Dexter's favor. The audience wanted to see the winner after a fierce battle, not a one-sided game that would end without resistance.
"How can Tugot beat him in this setting!"
"You guys planned it out, didn’t you?”
"No way! This doesn’t make sense! How can they get Obscarit? Do it again!"
- Let’s calm down a little bit. Don't you all know that we, Gret Ciel, never manipulate things? This is pure luck! Luck is also a skill! You guys all know that, right? The game had started. And the two contestants are entering the arena!
Whopping—
When the two came out of the portal, darkness enveloped them.
It was a quiet world. Their eyes which had been adapted to light were in pain because of the sudden darkness.
Swoosh—! Crack!
There was a horrific explosive sound near Lee Shin. It was the sound of something sharp and thick crunching through something and crushing it. Lee Shin could not see anything, but it was not difficult for Lee Shin to find signs that revealed the surrounding creatures. There were monsters living in this completely dark world. The monsters could pop out and attack anytime.
[Light]
A sphere of light that extended from Lee Shin’s fingertip lit up his surroundings. However, the darkness of the night repelled the light strongly. The light could not extend to the ends of the field, only illuminating Lee Shin’s surroundings.
"Ugh, this is annoying,” Lee Shin muttered.
There were monsters waiting for a chance to defeat Lee Shin even though there was light. They knew instinctively that they could not attack and kill Lee Shin easily. However, they still roamed around him.
"May, Warrie," Lee Shin called out.
Lee Shin’s shadow was connected to the darkness. May and Warrie, who appeared in the darkness, stood in front of Lee Shin.
"Did you call us?"
"We are here, master.”
"Kill them all," Lee Shin ordered.
"Yes, sir."
"I'll take care of them right away!"
May and Warrie immediately began to brutally slaughter the guys that were hiding around Lee Shin.
Swoosh— Crack— Chop—
Lee Shin did not have to look around, but he could tell their presence by the sound of Shadow Monsters being slashed in the surroundings.
Lee Shin had his eyes fixed on one spot.
"Shouldn’t you be having a fight with me?” Lee Shin smirked.
Lee Shin stretched out his index finger and gathered all his mana. The black arrow made at the tip of the index finger pierced the dark ground.
Ting!
A shadow that protruded from the ground blocked Lee Shin’s Dark Arrow and turned into a human figure.
"How did you know I was here?" The shadow that had turned into Dexter glared at Lee Shin.
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