Chapter 374 First Challenger!
The sound of horns thundered through the vast stadium, signaling the start of the competition. Grand Elder Jagma Broddy gave a royal salute before his figure flickered, turning into a shadowy figure against the wind and reappearing in the center of the stadium.
Despite his short stature of just four and a half feet, Grand Elder Jagma Broddy towered over the crowd. He had a stocky build with broad shoulders, muscular arms, and sturdy legs, reflecting his laborious lifestyle. His weathered and rough skin had a ruddy complexion, revealing a lifetime spent working in mines and forges. The most striking feature of Grand Elder Jagma Broddy was his long and flowing beard, adorned with gems and silvers, symbolizing his prestige as a wise and experienced leader. He wore a tiger-skin fur coat along with sturdy boots with metal plates to withstand the rocky terrain.
Taking a step forward, he surveyed the crowd and began speaking while playing with his long beard. "Silence!" The clamor immediately ceased to the point of pin-drop silence.
"My good fellows, brothers and sisters of our proud kingdom, and our neighboring kingdoms' guests, I give my sincerest salute to all of you for gathering here to witness the crowning ceremony of our kingdom's Crown Prince," Grand Elder Jagma Broddy announced. "Today, the twelve princes will fight against each other, and the last one standing will be crowned. But before that, we've invited all the outstanding fighters of this generation from the seven kingdoms to challenge the twelve princes. If any of the princes lose to them, they'll be disqualified from the final round of infighting between princes."
"For the first challenge battle, all the challengers from the seven kingdoms can come out and stand before me," he added.
Soon, five hundred and sixty-two youths stood before him, ready to prove themselves in the upcoming battle.
"Hah! Look at those numbers. My princes, get ready to beat them all down. And my sincerest advice: don't exhaust yourself fighting all of them because you still have your brothers to face in the last events," Grand Elder Jagma said, grinning.
The crowd went crazy, shouting in unison, "Beat them all down! Show them the muscle power of our Mountain Smashing kingdom." They began singing hymns in the name of eleven princes, excluding the Seventh Prince.
"Oh, your popularity is soaring high," Damien joked, chuckling.
"Sorry, sir. I'll try using all the techniques Master taught me this week and witness me, I will defeat them all," Prince Zokaka responded seriously.
"Nah, just play around and try your best not to kill any of them. My principle is, if they provoke you inside the ring, take that opportunity and slay them all," Damien said.
"I'll always remember that," Prince Zokaka responded.
Meanwhile, Grand Elder Jagma thundered, "Listen up, we'll arrange twelve arenas for the twelve princes to stand in, and there will be fifteen booths containing tokens with their names. Challengers may draw a token from one booth and fight the prince, whose name is on the token. If a challenger can defeat a prince, we will reward them with one hundred and fifty gold ingots. If they tie, they will receive a consolation prize of ten gold ingots. To make this competition fairer, each prince can only tie five times. A battle will be called a tie if there is no winner after fifteen minutes, meaning each match will last only fifteen minutes."
He announced, "The first twenty-five people in the front row may come forward and draw a token each."
Twenty-five youths from the front line walked out, and each of them drew a token. "You can start by announcing your names along with your affiliated kingdom, and the name written on your token," the Grand Elder instructed.
A bald youth stepped forward and announced, "I am Boobap Billey from the Thunder Dwarf Kingdom. My token reads Laksterva Dunderbun, the Fifth Prince!" The Grand Elder directed him to the fifth arena where Laksterva was currently standing.
The other participants followed suit, shouting their names, kingdom, and the name of their opponents.
"I am Gerald of the Riverine Kingdom, and my opponent is Lasker Dunderbun, the First Prince!"
"I am Cristo Lradrill of the Hobbiton Kingdom, and my token reads Gridlock Dunderbun, the Third Prince."
"John Packer of the Black Hammer Kingdom! I picked Wednesday Dunderbun!"
"I'm a proud subject of the Underworld Shattering Nation, and I'm called Thorr. I also picked Wednesday Dunderbun."
"Name is Nameless from the Shadow Kingdom. Kekeke, Wednesday Dunderbun."
"Caprio De Lavabane of the Lavabane Dwarf Kingdom greets everyone," the youth with the golden locks said. "I drew a token with the name Jagatva Dunderbun, the Fourth Prince!" Hearing his name, the crowd argued as Jagatva shared the same surname as Queen Kudini Lavabane.
"Does bearing the Lavabane surname mean he is a prince of the Lavabane Dwarf Kingdom?" King Ragnar asked the Queen.
"Indeed, the lad is the pride of my big brother," Queen Kudini replied, though her smile quickly faded as she saw the King's attention shift to Prince Zokaka. Full of hatred, she thought to herself, 'Just wait, you bastard! I'll send you to your maker soon.'
"I am Jaguar of the Jackshaw Clan, hailing from the Thunder Dwarf Kingdom. My opponent is Zokaka Dunderbun, the Seventh Prince." The crowd remained silent, as Zokaka was known for his uselessness and poor performance in various fields.
The participants continued to recite their names and opponents.
The Grand Elder then walked up to the fifth arena and announced, "The first match is between challenger Boobap Billey from the Thunder Dwarf Kingdom and Prince Laksterva. Your fight begins now."
Laksterva complained, "Yikes! Disgusting! Grand Elder, is this allowed?"
"Just shut up and fight!" the Grand Elder retorted.
The first match between Boobap Billey and Prince Laksterva was intense. Both combatants exhibited impressive skills and determination. However, in the end, it was Prince Laksterva who emerged victorious, much to the delight of the audience.
The second match between Gerald of the Riverine Kingdom and Lasker Dunderbun, the First Prince, was just as intense. The combatants were evenly matched, and the match was so close that it ended in a tie.
The crowd was amazed by the display of skill and bravery from both combatants. They cheered and clapped loudly.
The rest of the matches went on with no more ties, and the crowd was treated to an exciting display of combat skills from the young warriors. As the matches ended, the Grand Elder stood up to announce the winners.
"Congratulations to all the combatants," he said. "You have all shown exceptional skills and bravery. However, there can only be one winner, and that is Caprio De Lavabane of the Lavabane Dwarf Kingdom!"? The crowd erupted in cheers as Caprio stepped forward to receive his prize. He was beaming with pride and happiness, overwhelmed by the support he received from the crowd.
Finally, it was Zokaka's turn to announce his name and opponent. As he stepped forward, the crowd fell silent and the atmosphere became dull. He was now about to face his first match against Jaguar Jackshaw from the Thunder Dwarf Kingdom.
"Argh, this is more boring than I thought. Anyway, it'll be the easiest one hundred and fifty gold ingots." Jaguar Jackshaw muttered. The next thing he dashed toward his opponent.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢