Chapter: 66. Winning with Strength! (Four Thousand Words)
“Too reckless.”
“Yes, yes, how could the organizer bring such a thing here? It’s obvious they have no bottom line for making money~”
“Uh… isn’t this the wrong time to say that, Xue Fei?”
【Dragon Explosion Purgatory】 belongs to high-level flame magic, and its power is already strong. Moreover, this was unleashed directly by the Fire Dragon Clan itself, elevating its magical coverage to a whole new level.
As a result, the protective magic meant to separate the venue from the audience began to sway.
The barrier continuously expanded and shrank with difficulty, as if the flames would rush into the audience at any moment, causing unexpected casualties.
Even the referee, who had just managed to get outside the barrier, was frantic this time. He extinguished the flames on his tailcoat while shouting loudly!
【Barrier Master! Barrier Master, please reinforce the barrier! Miss Timani, please stop using magic!】
Timani should be the name used by the Fire Dragon Clan during registration.
The referee wouldn’t directly say “it’s dangerous.”
After all, if he did, the chaos of thousands of spectators fleeing could easily lead to stampede injuries.
But the audience isn’t foolish; even if they were a bit slow to react, any keen listener could sense the urgent tone of the referee calling for the barrier master, realizing that the barrier might not hold up!
“Quick… run! We’ll be burned to death!”
“What bad luck…! As expected, high-level races are monsters… monsters!”
The flames collided with the barrier, producing a harsh crackling sound. Several seventh and eighth-level barrier masters gathered their strength to mend and maintain the barrier, but the anxious screams of the audience distracted them from fully concentrating.
Moreover, this Timani from the Fire Dragon Clan hadn’t shown any intention of retracting her magic; instead, she seemed to be increasing the output!
“Hiss… we can’t hold on any longer! What is this Fire Dragon doing? Isn’t this equivalent to an attack? Where is the Kingdom Knight Corps!”
“Someone has already contacted them…! Just hold on for one more minute, just one more minute…! Uh?”
It was as if you were starving without breakfast, feeling anxious.
Then, at a certain moment, hey! Suddenly, you aren’t hungry anymore!
These barrier mages were just like that; one moment they were straining to hold on, and the next, the entire barrier had stabilized completely.
The reason was—those overwhelming high-level flame spells dissipated in an instant into flickering embers, as if they had vanished into thin air.
The barrier mages looked at the perfectly intact barrier, frowning in confusion, only able to conclude that the Fire Dragon Clan must have interrupted the magic release themselves.
But wasn’t that cancelation speed a bit too fast…?
The audience members who had already prepared to evacuate all stopped in their tracks. The host took this opportunity to quickly announce through the amplification crystal that there was no longer any danger; this was just a “program segment.”
After all, the host from the capital city was undoubtedly professional!
Following this, the audience grumbled and returned to their seats.
In reality, the host knew very well that this wasn’t just a “program segment.”
What kind of exaggerated act was this…? This wasn’t a circus performance, but a gladiatorial competition.
Once the flames dissipated, the poor Fire Cat warrior girl lay unconscious on the field, her eyes spinning, completely drained of fighting strength.
The Fire Cat race is naturally heat-resistant, so she wasn’t in serious trouble, but the fish that had been scorched by her side had begun to emit a delicious aroma.
“Ah…! Xiya, look! She really brought fish! I said, how could the Fire Cat race not bring fish with them? They love to eat fish!”
“Is this the time to validate dietary preferences of races?!”
Xiya withdrew her hand, which was about to unsheathe the Holy Sword to destroy 【Dragon Explosion Purgatory】, her brow twitching as she glanced at Xue Fei’s little finger, which had just been raised but was now lowered.
“I say, Xue Fei… that was you, wasn’t it?”
“Ahahaha… was it me? I don’t think so?” Miss Shaya retracted her finger, looking completely innocent, as she averted her gaze. “Just to clarify… I didn’t do anything to disrupt public order.”
“I’m not blaming you… what you did just now was right; otherwise, it would definitely have caused chaos. No, I’m just curious about what you did? The ninth-level magic just disappeared?”
“Not blaming me? Oh, oh! Then I will say it! Xiya, don’t you remember 【Storage Magic, Improved Version】? I told you, it’s clean and efficient, absolutely convenient! Hmph, it’s worthy of being my improved magic!”
“You stored away the ninth-level magic…?”
“Yes.”
Alright.
Xiya facepalmed and shook her head.
But subtly, she seemed to realize an issue.
“But… the storage magical space should be limited, right? Storing 【Dragon Explosion Purgatory】 over such a large area, are there no burnable items in your warehouse?”
“!”
Oh no…
My Xue Fei slightly opened her mouth, her face visibly paling.
Xue Fei quickly closed her eyes and meditated to confirm.
As the confirmation proceeded, her expression grew more sorrowful!
“Oh no! The gold coins inside are still intact!”
“Why are you upset if the gold coins are still fine?!”
“But a few big fish inside were burned to a crisp… turned to charcoal! I was saving them to eat slowly later!”
“Could it be…?”
Xiya turned her head to the nearby roasted big fish, still steaming after the Fire Cat girl was taken away by the medics.
Xiya gradually understood everything.
“So, the Fire Cat race ultimately didn’t bring fish with them; that big fish fell out from your storage magic, Xue Fei.”
Xue Fei stared at the big fish she had just laughed at…
Now she wanted to cry but had no tears.
Wuwu, that was my big fish!
Damn the Fire Dragon Clan…! Why do you participate in competitions and then set the field on fire for no reason!
Miss Shaya clenched her small fist, looking indignantly at the tall, red-haired Fire Dragon standing to the side.
—But she found that the golden red eyes representing the dragon race were also glaring at her.
Oh! This girl is quite perceptive; she knows that the one using magic just now was from my side?
Not afraid of her glare, Xiya maintained her protective gaze on Xue Fei, matching her glare with the dragon girl until the latter fell into a disadvantage.
The red-haired Fire Dragon girl named Timani clicked her tongue and muttered something quietly before turning gracefully with heavy steps toward the exit.
She was too far away to have heard what she specifically said.
But from her lip movements, it seemed she had said…
—Mind your own business.
Damn the Fire Lizard! You were the one who disrupted and set the field on fire first, who’s being unreasonable here!
If Miss Shaya hadn’t been a spectator today, she definitely would have gone up and kicked her tail!
As Timani left without looking back, the completely dazed host, prompted by the referee, hurriedly picked up the amplification crystal to announce the competition results.
At the same time, the Kingdom Knight Corps, drawn by the chaos, had already surrounded the gladiatorial arena.
【It’s… it’s the victory of Fire Dragon Clan’s Miss Timani! However, unfortunately, this Fire Dragon’s friend is only a guest participant for this round, and our… our match will continue shortly, please take a brief rest!】
After saying this, the host quickly went offstage to report the situation to the responsible knight of the Kingdom Knight Corps, and the match entered a slightly paused state.
Because that Fire Dragon girl had given Xue Fei a glare, Xiya didn’t have a good impression of her.
“Really… Xue Fei, you shouldn’t have helped her; helping her resolve the crisis and getting no thanks? That personality is a bit excessive.”
“I helped her resolve crises…?”
“Yes, I suspect her magic intensity is strong, but her control over it is lacking. That flame magic just now should have been something she couldn’t retract. You helped her retract the magic without causing actual damage; thus, the Kingdom Knight Corps couldn’t hold her accountable, which is equivalent to helping her out.”
“Hiss… somehow I feel angrier now; it’d better that I not encounter her again! Otherwise… hum, no fish, taking it with me!”
“You probably won’t run into her again…”
Didn’t the referee say it just now?
She would only participate in one round—this was likely a decision made on the fly.
Seeing the dangerous extent of the Fire Dragon’s participation, the organizers couldn’t allow her to enter the next round. That magic just now had nearly caused casualties, and if that happened, the organizers would incur massive losses just in compensation.
However, the Fire Dragon wouldn’t be held liable; not causing losses, for the sake of preserving the dignity of high-level races, the Kingdom Knight Corps still had to offer respect, as the stability of the Kingdom relied on the balance struck by high-level races against the Demon Race.
Xue Fei looked at the table of delicious food in front of her.
Well… she figured it might be best not to mention that she had subconsciously stored the flame magic to protect the food from being burned to ash.
Um, let’s not say it.
Otherwise, it would seem like she was too greedy.
The audience’s discussions had reached a peak, and the competition process had become entirely chaotic.
The semifinal top four should have already emerged, but now, except for the Second Prince Mi Erhe Olus waiting in the contest area, the other slots were less clear.
The Fire Dragon girl had won, but the dragon had run away, leaving one semifinal slot vacant.
Originally meant to face the Second Prince, the opponent had simply chosen to forfeit; after all, appearing on stage to act along with the prince was less practical than taking the money and running.
The last slot for the top four, according to Kingdom tradition, would go directly to the champion from the previous gladiatorial tournament.
If everyone remembered correctly, the previous champion was a mysterious seventh-level kingdom mage with immense power.
With two contestants gone, the semifinals could of course be run as the finals, as the organizers clearly understood the prince must be the victor in the end.
However… it was still too early to hold the finals.
Many activities couldn’t unfold as they did not match the timing stated on the admission tickets, making it difficult for the organizers to recoup their coins.
Thus, during the pause in the match, the organizers devised an emergency plan and urged the host to announce it.
With all that had happened today, the host was already sweating nervously.
But his professionalism compelled him to return to the center of the gladiatorial arena.
Reading out what he thought was an unreasonable plan.
There was no other choice…
The coins offered by the organizers had to be honored!
【Hahaha… dear audience, we have a special procedure for this competition! As Miss Timani of the Fire Dragon Clan has won and left the arena, we now have an open slot! Fellow audience members! If anyone wants to participate in the competition, feel free to sign up! Don’t you want to experience the chance to ascend the highest combat arena in the capital? This is a direct path to the top four, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!】
As expected, the discussions and exclamations in the entire gladiatorial arena reached a peak.
And the host now wanted to finish his shift as soon as possible.
Ah… just look at those eliminated contestants; it was clear they wanted to tear him apart with their expressions.
After competing for so long, getting eliminated and injured, and now random audience members could sign up for the semifinals?
If they had known it would turn out like this, why would they have fought through rounds at all?! They could have just waited to sign up in the audience!
Especially the Lizardman, who had nearly been roasted; their tears flowed freely!
These strong contestants thought like this, but that didn’t represent the audience and nobles’ perspective.
The common people lacked strength; even if they signed up for the semifinals, wouldn’t they just go up to get beaten and then come back down?
Nobles were even more so.
Knowing full well they couldn’t win, why would they go on stage and embarrass themselves?
The host was feeling quite distressed standing there, and even though he was a professional, he was completely at a loss for how to handle the situation.
The organizers insisted on having someone compete… just anyone would do.
The problem was, anyone with a bit of intelligence would know better than to participate!
As the host looked around in confusion,
In the VIP seats closest to the arena’s edge…
A small hand was slowly raised.
Ah… there really is a fool!
The host almost felt like he saw a savior! Tears nearly welled up!
Fool… no, you are a hero! A hero!
With the host’s hurried signal, the personnel in charge of participant registration rushed from the other side of the arena toward Count Shaya’s direction.
In this process, Xiya was really trying to push her little hand down, but was unsuccessful!
“Xue Fei…?! Didn’t you say you wouldn’t attract attention? What does going up to compete mean? The competition will definitely use magic, and using magic risks exposing your identity! Remember to conceal!”
“Ah?” Xue Fei blinked, the phrase ‘bad idea’ was nearly written all over her face, “Xiya, a fool wouldn’t take money, look, the gold coins are right there, it’s practically for us! If we don’t take them, wouldn’t it be a disgrace to our souls?”
“But…!”
“Don’t worry~ I didn’t say I was going to compete.”
“I can’t compete either? The hero’s identity…”
“I know, I never said it was you. We have someone more suitable here than us; don’t you see?”
“?”
………………………………
A fresh top four contestant stepped into the western passage.
She stood still, and the audience’s looks of pity and grief already flickered unsteadily, and some even stood up to denounce the organizers for their lack of bottom line!
Wuwu… organizers, have you gone mad for money?
How could you let such a small girl participate in such brutal combat…!
Yes.
Standing there foolishly was none other than the Little Holy Sword, Xial.
“Eh…? Where are we? Strange.”
She wore a cute long skirt in deep blue and had wavy blue hair cascading over her shoulders, resembling a fragile loli who could crush her little arm just by lifting a stone.
【Let us welcome Lady Count Shaya’s recommended contestant, Xial! Don’t be fooled by her young age; I’ve heard that contestant Xial has a certain combat ability! Let’s look forward to… hey, let’s look forward to it!】
It’s clear from the sigh that the host had no expectations at all.
Xial turned to look at the VIP seats.
Lady Xue Fei was enthusiastically waving her arms to cheer herself on.
At the same time, Xue Fei was pointing towards the podium, signaling Xial to go take it!
Xial looked toward that direction.
On that podium—was an enormous, gleaming golden trophy!
Xial was momentarily stunned.
But gradually, the determination filled her starry eyes, now shimmering with tears.
Wuwu… Lady Xue Fei, I understand!
You were worried that my life was too monotonous and wanted me to regain the honor that belongs to me in the form of a human, right!
Thank you… with a mother like you, Xial is willing to face fire and water, with bravery!
It’s a pity that Xial overlooked the bag of even shinier gold coins lying next to the trophy.
Originally, Xial’s opponent in this round was meant to be the previous champion, who was a seventh-level mage.
However…
The previously confirmed Second Prince, who had been given a bye to the finals, suddenly slapped his knee and stood up from backstage.
He boldly picked up his sword and coolly made a battle declaration using the amplification crystals along the way.
“It is unreasonable for the royal family to advance without battle. As a member of the royal family, I must give my all against any opponent. One step at a time, to the end, I will challenge this round!”
“……”
His Highness the Second Prince was originally set to be arranged directly to the finals.
But upon seeing a frail little girl opposite him, he changed his mind.
Having made it through several rounds, why directly advance and give the impression that I won through unworthy means?
No need to say more.
This guy must be an opponent I can defeat with strength!
