Chapter: 28. The Match Is On
Upon returning to the Gladiatorial Arena, the group divided into two paths. Xue Fei transformed back into Shaya’s form and withdrew first.
The Demon King and others continued on as originally planned, arriving at the “temporary” VIP platform of the arena a little later.
Why is it called temporary?
Because besides the two high platforms that King Celtic and the Pope were already using, there was never a third high platform in the Gladiatorial Arena.
Not to mention the sudden arrival of the Demon King and his party; the idea of them wanting to prepare in advance was sheer nonsense.
If the Demon King had arrived and found nowhere to sit, it would have surely turned into an awkward farce, and the Human side might emotionally refuse to prepare a seat for the Demon King.
However, an unexpected situation arose.
After Dizna arrived, he snorted coldly and waved his hand casually. Suddenly, a massive mound of earth rose up from the ground like a city wall!
The Demon King’s control over magic was terrifyingly precise.
The rapidly formed platform was surrounded by black feather patterns, and even the throne made of stone was uniquely crafted. This imposing “temporary platform,” built in an instant, lifted the Demon King, Queen, and Second Princess high above, generating thunderous cheers from the Demon area, filled with pressure.
This scene seemed to convey to everyone present— the Demon King’s throne is portable and does not need to be constrained by the meaningless rules of the Humans. Your insignificant hostility has no value.
In reality, from the moment the Demon King appeared, the scene had fallen into a terrifying silence.
There was fear, hatred, hostility, and forbearance.
The two sides, who had just been clashing on the battlefield, suddenly shook hands and enjoyed the match in this setting— this situation was quite unfathomable.
Until the match was about to resume.
The venue gradually regained some of its originally expected excitement.
The so-called excitement— was merely some Human nobility expressing their dissatisfaction.
“What the hell… The platform the Demon King sits on is clearly higher than His Majesty the King’s, isn’t it?”
“This is downright outrageous… Don’t they realize where this is? This is the capital of Aulus. The Demon Race is already bullying us to our faces, and they’re still holding a match here. It’s absurd…”
“Stop it. Do you really think this is a match today? The height of the seats doesn’t matter; what matters is who can gain some advantage in today’s political game. I feel like the storm hasn’t even come yet… I really don’t know if sitting here today was the right choice.”
The Pope, King, and Demon King simultaneously stood up and waved to each other.
After this simple and perfunctory process was over, the three leaders returned to their thrones.
As rulers, they all maintained their composure and patiently awaited the developments.
Thus, the action of sitting down became a signal proclaiming the resumption of the Gladiatorial Arena match.
The host was quite observant.
He hurried to the center of the arena, holding the instructions passed down from the King, urging the match to continue quickly.
[In the beginning of the friendly exchange event among the three nations, the Aulus Kingdom welcomes His Holiness the Pope and His Majesty the Demon King, joining all to enjoy the banquet together! Just now we have finished the preliminary round and are officially entering the semi-finals. The next round will be unprecedentedly exciting, please have the two contestants of the first round of the semi-finals each go to their respective sides and… take their positions!]
By the end, even this dedicated host stumbled over his words.
His level of nervousness was evident; he simply wanted to finish reciting his lines and then rush off the stage to relieve his anxiety.
Damn it… I’m just a comedic host, how did I suddenly end up in the middle of the three nations reading about national affairs?!
“Getting promoted” without any salary increase— how can such absurd things exist in the world?!
Not just him, everyone on the scene was sweating in their palms.
If any one of the leaders from the three nations made an aggressive move, they would be preparing to escape for their lives.
This was not a safe place.
Only our Miss Shaya had a mindset completely different from theirs.
— Now she was living it up!
While munching on a donut, she bought three cups of concentrated cold fruit juice on the way back, distributing them to Xiya and Xial. Her state was as if she were on vacation.
Xiya glanced at the high platform where the Demon King was seated.
Though they were far apart, it felt to her that Princess Belis on the high platform had been staring at Xue Fei the whole time, as if her neck had stiffened, not turning at all.
Xue Fei could also see it and was not willing to back down. She clicked her tongue and widened her eyes, glaring back across the distance.
“Ugh… That idiot Belis, why is she looking at me? If she exposes my identity, she’ll be in for it!”
“It’s not like she’ll expose you.” Xiya analyzed the direction of the gaze and concluded, “Your sister should know that there are too many people in that direction. Even if she looks this way, she can’t tell who she’s really looking at. More importantly… didn’t you just ask our parents— cough, I mean, didn’t you ask the Demon King and Queen why they suddenly came here?”
“Yes, I understood they are here for a family gathering.”
“Family… gathering?”
Xue Fei leaned on one hand, her expression quite cool.
However, with half a donut stuffed in her mouth puffing out her cheeks, she didn’t seem that cool anymore.
“Yeah, I guess… They want to take this opportunity to get me and Belis to reconcile. Belis has tried to come over several times but hit a wall every time; this time with Father and Mother bringing her along is to help her pave the way.”
“Is that so… So what do you think? Why not take this chance to have a good talk with Belis? Of course, I mean within the family context, try not to cross any other lines, okay?”
“If I crossed the line, would Xiya cry?”
“Of course…! Cough, I mean she wouldn’t really.”
“Pfft… Hahahaha, Xiya, what are you thinking! Belis is my sister, how could I develop any other relationship with her?!”
Shaya laughed so hard she nearly fell off her chair. Thankfully, the chair’s design was reasonable; otherwise, she would have tumbled backward.
Wiping away tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes, Shaya patted her little chest and made this promise.
“Even if I starve, never eat donuts again, or go fishing, I would never cross the line with Belis! Hahaha… Does this need to be guaranteed? That little Belis, does she dare to disrespect her big sister?! Giving her ten times the courage wouldn’t help!”
“Somehow, I feel like your sister can pull off anything…”
“That’s just your impression~ I know her. She may seem fierce on the surface, but when it comes to real matters, she gets weak-kneed. If she wasn’t weak-kneed, she would have learned to fish with me by now.”
“Is that so…”
“Yes!”
Looking at Xue Fei, who was so confident and unafraid.
Xiya didn’t feel she could say much more.
She fiddled with her golden hair falling in front of her, and some vague jealousy brewed in her heart, as if wanting to persuade Xue Fei not to reconcile with the dangerous Belis.
But Xiya wouldn’t really do that.
A harmonious family was very important…
Belis’s previous cold remarks had left an indelible scar on Xue Fei; to untie a knot, one must be the one to tie it. The only person who could mend that scar was Belis herself. Now that she was willing to do something for Xue Fei, Xiya would certainly not stop Xue Fei from making up for her childhood regrets.
Ah…! Hopefully, as Xue Fei said, Princess Belis won’t let her strange thoughts about Xue Fei manifest!
Xue Fei felt that since their parents had come down to intervene and hoped she and Belis could talk, she shouldn’t continue to act recklessly any longer.
They could talk.
But what kind of outcome that would lead to, or whether it might make the situation worse, she couldn’t guarantee.
Regarding another reason for her parents’ arrival— a hidden secret of the Church State, Xue Fei mentioned it to Xiya in the simplest way.
There was no need for details; anyway, Xiya’s silly head couldn’t give any insights apart from being shocked.
You see, she started to be shocked.
“What… The Church State actually has this kind of…!”
“Shh… It’s still too early to say. Just wait; since the Pope is sitting there, he should reveal some of his cards today.”
Xue Fei’s light purple sharp gaze glanced over to the Pope, who sat undisturbed atop the western high platform.
She spread her perception, having sensed a strange aura behind the Pope that was faint yet present since earlier. Through 【Magic Perception】, she could see faint golden light swirling like a dragon around him.
There was no feeling of danger.
But it was clear that it did not belong to the Pope and was definitely linked to his trump cards.
Retracting her magical perception, she lightly tapped Xiya’s head, reminding her not to be shocked.
Only then did Xue Fei notice that Xial, who had just been next to them drinking fruit juice, had disappeared.
“Where’s your Holy Sword? Did it return to the sword? It’s rare to see her so quiet.”
“Huh? Sister Xial went to participate in this round of the match. She mentioned it to you before going on stage and even stood in two positions to catch your attention. I thought you were intentionally ignoring her, but you really didn’t hear her?”
“Ah? How could I be so devilish? If I had heard she was going to compete, I would definitely give her a friendly encouragement!”
“Really?”
“No… what else?”
I think, Xue Fei, your naturally averted gaze has already said it all.
Regarding the previous reaction of Xial being overlooked, let’s not mention it to Xue Fei.
Because… when Xial was first ignored by Xue Fei, she felt a moment of disappointment.
But after being ignored again, a happiness bloomed on her face, and her breathing became heavier, filling her with motivation for the match!
After deeply bowing to Xue Fei to express her gratitude, Xial dashed up to the preparatory passage for the match.
With the experience from the last match, the Little Holy Sword was already well-acquainted with winning prizes!
Now, the match situation is…
As Xiya and Xue Fei both turned their heads to the Gladiatorial Arena at the same time.
The host’s high-pitched declaration and the audience’s gasps resonated!
[Unbelievable! Last match’s champion, contestant Xila, ended the semi-finals with a single strike! This is incredible… She faced an opponent who was a highly anticipated Sixth Stage genius magician, Claven! Unquestionably, Xila is the biggest dark horse of this match!]
Xial casually tossed the golden Magic Sword Blade in her hand, which turned into light spots dispersing with the wind.
She ignored her opponent, who had been knocked out before even casting a spell, and disregarded the audience’s cheers and astonishment. All she wanted now was to return to her mother’s embrace and seek praise~
Yay, yay~ Stepping a step closer to the goal of reuniting with Lady Xue Fei in the finals, this journey has indeed been challenging!
— “Challenging.”
Up on the high platform, the Pope widened his eyes slightly.
But it was just a moment of shock; he leaned back against his chair and fell into thought.
From dozens of meters away on the high platform, the Demon King quietly remarked.
“Wow, that was clean and swift. Her control over magic is excellent. This little one, the Humans’ Holy Sword really has some skill, don’t you think, Herlith?”
“Well… setting aside the strength of the Holy Sword, why is Xue Fei so close to it…? We’re clearly the Demon Race…”
From afar, the “Holy Sword Girl” nestled in Shaya’s arms looked just like a child seeking affection from her mother.
Only that “mother” seemed to reject her, even kicking her away with her foot, showing no traces of maternal love.
Herlith had initially felt a bit concerned.
But she soon smiled and shook her head, having come to terms with it.
“Haah… Well, Xue Fei has always liked to surprise people… I should be used to it by now.”
“Hahahah! That’s my character! Refreshing!”
Belis watched the blue-haired little girl in Shaya’s embrace from a distance, her gaze cold as an ice cave.
But Belis remained rational and, while calm, had also heard her parents’ earlier discussion.
They had just said…
The Holy… Holy Sword?
Are you saying that little girl is the embodiment of the Holy Sword, Xial?
No, how did you figure that out?
Though she didn’t understand the truth… Belis had faced Xial while disguising her identity in the last match.
After a few brief exchanges, Belis had sensed that this little girl was no ordinary opponent, moving so quickly that she could hardly keep up with her. Her strength was extraordinary, and more importantly, she hadn’t even used her full power.
If her identity is the embodiment of the Holy Sword… that would explain everything.
Damn Hero…
Is it not enough that you tangled with the Queen Sister? You even had to unleash your Holy Sword to mix things up. Truly ruthless…
Someone ground their teeth, but the match continued.
Just as everyone was still debating how the previous match had ended so abruptly.
The host’s shocked voice rang out once more.
[This…! The second round of the semi-finals ended up with the same result!! The Fire Dragon Clan contestant Timani, just like Xila, also defeated her opponent with a single strike! This is unbelievable… The progression of this match has completely exceeded our expectations!]
Today, Timani was not draped in a brown robe.
She wore a bright red dress, exhaling a breath of scorching air, with dragon horns encircled by flames, casting a disdainful glance at the half-orc warrior who looked like he had been roasted to the ground.
He was most likely not dead.
Timani was controlling the intensity; this 【Dragon Flame】 wasn’t a high-tier magic, and even Timani could manage it effortlessly.
With a noble and elegant flick of her crimson hair, Timani turned away from the arena and prepared for the next round.
Regardless, today she had a reason she couldn’t afford to lose.
The time she spent in this round was possibly shorter than Xial’s in the last round.
After two rounds of unexpectedly quick matches, the audience was left dumbfounded, unsure of what to say.
They had initially thought it would be an evenly matched competition… Only to have it turn out to be a complete slaughter?
However, what truly captured their attention.
Was the host’s next statement.
Even the host, upon receiving the arrangement for the next match, furrowed his brows.
His tone had shifted, now laced with caution, completely devoid of the previous entertaining exuberance.
At this moment, rather than acting as a host, he resembled an official conveying a message.
“The next match… will feature the First Princess of the Demon Race, Xue Fei Haerder. Please… please remain quiet and await the contestants’ entrance.”
