Chapter 169: Clash of Monsters!
Unlike races such as the Humans, Velhari, and Keth, which were frequently active in public events, both the Nullborn Race and the Sorath Race maintained an almost mysterious level of secrecy.
They rarely participated in major events hosted by the various races, and even within the Player Association’s archives, the records concerning them amounted to only a handful of pages.
Especially the Nullborn Race. Even today, the vast majority of players on the First Layer still had no idea what they truly looked like.
Every time they appeared, they were wrapped in oversized black cloaks. The heavy robes concealed nearly their entire bodies, with even their hands hidden within wide sleeves.
Beneath their hoods was nothing but an endless abyss of darkness, and no one had ever been able to peer through those shadows to glimpse their true appearance.
Some speculated that they didn’t possess physical bodies at all.
Others believed they simply concealed their identities on purpose.
But regardless of the theory, none had ever been confirmed.
Meanwhile... Although the Sorath Race wasn’t as mysterious as the Nullborns, they likewise rarely appeared before the public.
They were significantly taller than most races. Their gray white skin resembled eternal ice devoid of warmth, while their slender physiques gave them an elegant look. Their pale blue eyes constantly radiated an icy detachment, as though they had been born without the emotions possessed by humans.
At the same time, they were universally acknowledged as one of the best races at manipulating the element of ice on the Ascension Mountain.
Rumor had it that a truly powerful Sorath warrior could freeze an entire landscape of mountains and rivers with a single wave of the hand.
...
At the center of the arena, a figure cloaked in black slowly stepped forward.
The oversized robe swayed gently in the breeze, yet nothing beneath it could be seen. The darkness beneath the hood seemed capable of swallowing even light itself, making the figure appear extraordinarily eerie.
On the opposite side... The Sorath also calmly walked toward the center of the arena.
His footsteps were perfectly steady.
With every step he took, a thin layer of frost formed beneath his feet. The surrounding temperature steadily dropped, and after crossing only a few dozen meters, the entire battlefield had already become coated with a faint layer of white frost.
Several nearby spectators couldn’t help but shiver.
"So cold..."
"Is this the Sorath Race’s ice affinity?"
"He hasn’t even attacked yet, and he’s already affecting the environment."
Within the contestant area, everyone’s expressions gradually became serious.
Lucien’s ever present gentle smile faded slightly, and even Brakka, who had been celebrating his victory moments earlier, had fallen silent. Folding his arms across his chest, he watched the upcoming battle with complete seriousness.
As for Zich... From the instant the two contestants stepped onto the battlefield, his attention had never shifted away.
During the first phase of the tournament, he had never encountered a single member of the Nullborn Race, nor had he fought against anyone from the Sorath Race.
To him, this battle wasn’t merely another match.
It was the perfect opportunity to study the fighting styles of two completely unfamiliar races.
...
The two contestants soon reached the center of the arena.
As the blue energy barrier rose once again, the battlefield became completely sealed.
The brief countdown quickly ended.
"Begin!"
The instant Arthur’s voice rang out, the Sorath attacked without the slightest hesitation.
Raising both hands simultaneously, he drew an overwhelming amount of ice elemental energy from the surrounding air. In the blink of an eye, dozens of razor sharp ice spikes, several meters long, burst violently from the arena floor like a suddenly sprouting frozen forest, surging toward the Nullborn contestant at astonishing speed.
However... At the exact moment those ice spikes were about to strike... Zich’s calm pupils suddenly contracted...
...Because the Nullborn had disappeared.
It was not dodging or moving so quickly that he left behind an afterimage. He had genuinely vanished from where he stood.
Almost simultaneously...
Slash!
A long, razor thin wound suddenly appeared across the Sorath’s shoulder without any warning.
Bright red blood slowly flowed down his gray white skin.
"When..."
For the first time, a ripple appeared in Zich’s eyes.
From the very beginning of the battle, he had observed every single movement with absolute concentration.
He hadn’t overlooked even the smallest detail.
Yet despite that, he still hadn’t seen anything. A cold feeling slowly gathered along his back. If he, as an observer, couldn’t see it, then how... how would it be when he became the opponent?
While he was lost in thought, the battle resumed.
Boom!
The Sorath immediately made his move; Swinging both hands violently, he unleashed an even more terrifying ice storm that instantly swept across the battlefield.
Countless ice spears, frozen walls, and blizzards capable of freezing everything blanketed the entire arena, leaving virtually no space for his opponent to hide.
However, the only response was a streak of black moving at unimaginable speed. Wrong, it couldn’t even be called a streak because it moved so quickly that the naked eye couldn’t follow it continuously.
Every appearance resembled nothing more than a fragment of darkness flashing through space.
Slash!
Another cold flash. A gruesome wound tore open across the Sorath youth’s opposite shoulder.
At that moment... Zich finally fell completely silent.
He couldn’t see it, not at all. He had pushed his concentration to its absolute limit, constantly predicting where his opponent might appear next while analyzing every rhythm of the battle.
But he failed. No matter how carefully he observed, no matter how much he analyzed...
The black robed figure remained far beyond the limits of his perception.
And it wasn’t only Zich. Nearly every contestant in the participant area gradually wore solemn expressions as they realized this battle was fundamentally different from the previous matches.
If the earlier battles had showcased the most direct and overwhelming displays of brute strength...
Then this one represented a confrontation between true masters.
Whether it was the Sorath Race’s precise control over ice or the Nullborn’s utterly incomprehensible movement technique, both had reached a level far beyond what the previous battles had displayed.
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