The Tarrasque saw the group of five people, one of them named Denil, and sighed heavily. There were nearly a hundred people at the Sky Will level among all the candidates, so each group was supposed to have one of them. To give the weaker ones a chance, the others should have a similar level.
At the top of that group, there was a name from the Djinn continent. It wasn’t just anyone; it was someone at the Sacred Will level. He was already placed as the likely winner of the group. Then they added a weakling like Denil, who would be last, and three cultivators at the Sky Will level, who would be the real contenders for the top 300.
To balance things out, all three at the Sky Will level were from the Djinn continent. It was clear to everyone that this continent was several levels above the others, so putting people from other continents to fight against them, even if technically at the same level, might be unfair.
"Kid... I know you’re smart and talented, I don’t want to belittle you. But I think you should burn everything you have in the first fight. That way, you have a chance to win if you catch your opponent by surprise. With a win, there’s a chance you won’t be last in the group, and then you can pray to stay in the top 300. It’ll be completely up to luck, assuming your first opponent loses their other fights, but there is a possibility."
The Tarrasque spoke sincerely, trying to help. He saw in the selection he made, the golem’s control over the laws of the earth; he won all the fights by catching them off guard. Before, there were 39 at the Earthly Will level. But if this golem used all the primordial runes, and with the opponent underestimating him, a miracle might happen.
The Tarrasque’s power was connected to the laws of the earth. But this primordial beast had a more prominent Yin; compared to the Behemoth, which had a balance with the Yang, he was weaker. His advantage was that he could easily use the laws of wind and water at a high level.
"Don’t worry, my goal isn’t to be in the top 300," the round golem said emotionlessly, then turned to the three young people in the group. "Watch closely."
There were 25 arenas, and in each of them, a group would fight, with multiple battles happening at the same time before the audience.
Out of these 25, only one figure was at the Sacred Will level, so his group was chosen to fight in the main arena with the most attention. The first fight of the group was between the Sacred Will level and another from the same continent; but there was no fight, the weaker one forfeited without a fight.
The audience sighed in disappointment, but this was expected. Against the group leaders, there would hardly be any fights in this first phase.
Everyone was at the peak of their cultivation, and every small detail between them made a huge difference. For these people, the difference of one level in assimilating sacred power was insurmountable. So, to avoid injuries that could affect the real fights, they simply accepted defeat.
In a few minutes, all the fights in the other groups ended, and then Denil’s name appeared against exactly the same figure who had forfeited before.
Ruri’s eyes gleamed with anticipation, while everyone else swallowed nervously. Without thinking much, the round golem walked to the center of the main arena.
Someone from the arena pointed out: "Quick, look! It’s the golem from the Tarrasque continent!"
"Tsk tsk, this Dedazi is so lucky to face this guy in the main arena. He can put on quite a show, why can’t I have that luck?" A competitor mocked.
"I’d say he’ll defeat him in three moves… hehehe! The brother hit the jackpot." A female figure from the Djinn continent laughed darkly, "Even if he loses the other fights in the group, at least he’ll enjoy oppressing this golem. He can hurt him pretty badly without killing, so the others won’t get that opportunity."
Immediately, the atmosphere echoed with loud laughter again; everyone would witness a sadistic and fun show before them.
The golem silently climbed onto the arena, staring at his opponent. Meanwhile, Tarrasque and the other three young people in the group had heavy expressions.
’I’m going to stand out today!’ mentally shouted the young man, feeling that his incredible life was starting today!
He was from the Charming Eyes Race, with broad shoulders and a round waist, as well as a robust build. He had a slight sneer at the corner of his mouth, with incessant cruelty gleaming in his eyes.
The young man drew a saber he had taken from the previous fight, then shouted at the golem: "PICK UP A WEAPON! I’m not going to hit an unarmed man!"
Alm and Bruno almost laughed but kept their expressions impassive. "Hm? If I use a weapon, blood should flow…"
It took a while for the people in the audience to compose themselves and understand what he said. Did he just say that Dedazi wasn’t worthy of drawing his weapon!? Suddenly, the entire arena was filled with roaring laughter. Even those watching the other fights stopped and turned to the main arena, eager to have some fun too.
The opponent was surprised by these words, then became furious. He wanted to cut down the one who had belittled him. But, a second later, he wasn’t angry anymore. There was no reason to be mad at a fool. As the saying goes, the wise worry, but fools do not fear. This was even better for him, he could be more sadistic and use this as an excuse if an ’accident’ happened.
The round golem sighed thoughtfully: "Well, don’t get me wrong; I’ll still choose a weapon."
He calmly walked over to the edge of the arenas. Everyone who would fight for the first time picked a weapon from there. There were countless types and sizes, and even things that could hardly be called weapons.
Alm and Bruno analyzed them; these weren’t things made by the God of Forging. They were weapons taken from the battlefield after the war. All Emperor-level ones were gathered and treated almost like trash here.
Every generation, in the queen’s universe, a hero would take some of these "trash" or even lower-level ones, and at the convention, they’d be given as prizes. Everyone from the universe would shed tears of gratitude for such benevolence; a weapon of this level was supreme to them.
The referee of the duel was waiting for the golem to pick a weapon. Then everyone saw him pick something, and his expression changed: "This looks good!"
He picked... a small golden handbell, making everyone watching change their expressions.
’Finally, I’ll show my Geomancer techniques!’ Bruno exclaimed mentally, causing Alm to snort. Once again, he was bringing up those things from Earth games. It had been a long time since they lived in that place, and it was a short time at that; but Bruno always brought this stuff back.
But when he pulled the handbell, he felt something else moving among the weapons, as if it were connected to the handbell. Then he looked at it, confused.
"You can’t use that," the referee shook his head, "This isn’t exactly a weapon; it’s a kind of extraordinary formation. In the past, it could control all the natural laws at once to attack. This handbell must be used with this little statue; together, they form a single ’weapon’. The statue is of a sinful God who’s already dead. Even if you know the formation, this dead God can’t help you for obvious reasons. Your power wouldn’t even be 1% of what it should be."
Bruno then picked up the little statue with his other hand. It was made of almost shapeless celestial blue rock, vaguely resembling a humanoid figure.
A handbell of metal in one hand, and a statue small enough to fit in the palm of the other. What kind of weapon was this? Cultivators sometimes made such strange and nonsensical things... However, it seemed to be a way to channel faith power into an attack, which intrigued Bruno.
"I understand, it looks interesting," the golem murmured to the referee, though none of it made sense to the spectators.
What was this story about the power of a God or a formation? In the end, it was just chunks of metal and rock, but... made of an insanely hard material. Would they kill? Sure, just hit someone in the head.
"I’ll use this," he stated flatly, turning on his heel and returning to the arena.
The crowd erupted in mocking shouts. Was this a circus show or a serious competition? Was he deliberately trying to make them laugh? He was succeeding; he might be weak, but he knew how to entertain.
"Start!" the referee shouted, already impatient, as soon as the golem stepped into the arena.
Everyone’s eyes turned to the stage. No one wanted to miss the "great" battle that was about to unfold.
But at that moment, the opponent stopped laughing. Sure, the golem looked like a complete fool, but he wanted to take the chance to humiliate him in a glorious way!
The opponent activated part of his cultivation, not even considering using the primordial runes or the Djinn cloak’s power. Why? He was fast enough.
Moving like a blur, the audience gasped as they saw him glide like lightning. His saber danced, slicing the air with sharp energy and violet hues, putting on a spectacle worthy of applause.
He didn’t attack right away, just... danced in the arena? Was this supposed to be a fight?
"What the hell is this?" Ruri couldn’t help but comment at such ridiculousness.
"Look at that! Mental power! He learned it on his own. What a terrifying talent!" someone praised from the stands.
Compliments rained down as his vanity inflated. Now, he was the star of the show. ’It’s my time to shine!’ he thought, staring at the golem. Only then did he strike.
However, the golem’s eyes said something else: pure disdain, as if he were watching a circus monkey doing tricks... a monkey with golden wings, which was indeed peculiar.
Furious, the young man lunged forward, striking from above. Violet winds followed the blade, creating a visual spectacle. But then, the golem’s figure disappeared.
"What?!" The audience stirred.
The more experienced ones recognized it: "High-level earth laws?!"
The winged monkey felt a chill down his spine. He instinctively jumped back. When he turned around, it was already too late.
The scene shocked the audience! All they saw was the golem raising his hand and hitting him with... the handbell on the back of his neck!
*DING!*
The metallic, shrill sound echoed through the arena. The bell did ring, and everyone could hear its melody... but in a different way, directly hitting the enemy’s head.
"But this was used to control the laws, not a hammer!" someone screamed in disbelief.
Poor Dedazi tried to turn his head, but felt his neck tremble. It was as if he had been hit by a heavy hammer. With that, the world spun. He became dizzy and started seeing stars... literally and figuratively.
But the golem didn’t care. He swung the bell again with terrifying precision.
*DING!*
Dedazi now staggered in the arena, as if he were making even more elaborate moves than before. From a mere posture, it seemed he had broken the bottleneck and advanced huge steps in his techniques.
"Wow!" Ruri said in joyful admiration, while everyone in the arena was silent with wide eyes.
A few seconds later, he stabilized. Then he turned to the golem... and saw him watching and nodding approvingly. "You have talent, young one. I only gave a few tips... but now I’m impressed by your refined steps..."
"Go to hell!" the young man roared.
Dedazi’s face turned purple from rage. Then all his cultivation exploded at once, mercilessly. His blade slashed toward the golem in a frenzy. He no longer cared about killing him.
Everyone in the audience sighed heavily. This battle wasn’t going to end well. But... the slash passed through the air as if he had attacked the wind.
Dedazi stumbled after missing, but didn’t get a break. He turned around in alarm. Then he saw the little statue approaching him. It was like a divine hammer. That celestial blue rock seemed to advance as if a deity were trying to punish him.
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"Let the heavens judge you for this attack!" the golem shouted.
*BANG!*
The sound of bones breaking was clear, and Dedazi flew five meters, landing on the ground with a dull thud.
"What... the hell was that..." someone in the audience murmured, stunned.
But he was a peak cultivator. That didn’t seem like much, and he tried to get up quickly by instinct. But taking such a heavy blow made his mental processes slower. He couldn’t react to much as his body swayed while he tried to rise.
Turning his head with great difficulty, his vision became distorted. Then he saw the golem’s figure walking in front of him, like a ghost.
The golem now raised the statue in his other hand. Sinisterly, he swung it down. But... in the other hand, he clearly hadn’t forgotten to swing the handbell, which was dripping blood.
*Ding, Ding, Ding!*
The sound of the bell echoed throughout the arena like an omen... and then:
*BANG!!*
The statue hit Dedazi’s forehead with the force of a meteor. The sound was like a melon being crushed, so clear that everyone in the arena felt a chill run down their spines.
Poor Dedazi barely had time to see the golem before his vision darkened. His body was thrown like a ragdoll, flying several meters before landing heavily on the ground.
He was a peak cultivator! This couldn’t be a big deal!
But... everyone saw him struggle. After a bit of fighting, his body went completely limp on the floor. Foam dripped from his mouth as his limbs convulsed. Blood poured from his head, quickly forming a pool around him.