69novels Chapter 293 -293-Caution Taken to the Extreme, Pursuit of the Pinnacle
Chapter 293 -293-Caution Taken to the Extreme, Pursuit of the Pinnacle
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The remaining eight contestants descended onto their respective battle arenas.
Daniel sat in the spectator stands, silently observing the unfolding matches.
The Oracle-grade Budelica proclaimed in a resonant voice, "The second round of matches begins now!"
...
Arena Two.
Standing opposite James in the arena was Flora.
And Flora was the contestant who had attracted the most attention after Faustus!
Of course, James, who ranked second on the Combat Power Rankings, was hardly an easy opponent either.
Flora’s silvery-white hair drifted gently in the breeze, resembling frost and snow.
Her lips parted slightly as she whispered, "Choice of Judgment—"
A slender finger pointed toward James from afar.
"Receive the Grim Reaper’s Scythe!"
In the spectator stands, countless pairs of eyes locked firmly onto the arena.
It was the Law of Judgment again!
Would James die?
Thud!
In the very next instant, James’s body collapsed limply to the ground like a pile of mud.
Immediately afterward, a puppet crawled out from the sleeve of James’s dead body. Its form expanded out of thin air before transforming into another James.
Even the folds in his robes were identical down to the smallest detail!
He winked at Flora, the corner of his mouth rising slightly.
"Go on. Do it again."
Flora’s expression instantly darkened like the bottom of a pot.
Boom!
The spectator stands erupted into an uproar, waves of noise surging like a roaring tide.
"James has really taken playing it safe to the absolute extreme!"
"Is that the Path of Puppetry? Tsk, tsk... He’s practically Flora’s natural nemesis!"
"It’s over. Flora, one of my top three favorites, probably won’t be able to escape elimination now."
Daniel gazed at the arena and could not help smiling.
Even he had no idea where James’s true body was hidden.
What Flora faced was nothing more than one of his duplicates.
Even if she killed this one, she would only be met by another ten thousand, another million duplicates. The one thing she would never be able to touch was his actual body.
After all, that fellow had carved his fear of death into his very bones.
"Those two are both rather interesting."
A sharp gleam flickered in Dustin’s eyes.
The law Flora controlled was actually the Grand Judgment Law. Her words became reality; with a single utterance, she could determine life and death.
As for the path James followed as a Puppet Master, especially that secret technique of turning puppets into human replicas, it was nothing short of extraordinary.
"Judging solely by their strength beneath Divine-grade, either of them would be capable of ranking among the top ten even in the Chaosverse," Dustin commented.
Flora gritted her teeth. She wanted to continue attacking, but she had no way to break through James’s puppet technique.
The Grand Judgment Art was powerful, but its consumption was equally immense. She could not afford to keep using it endlessly.
Once she understood how this match would ultimately end, Flora unwillingly said, "I concede!"
James smiled, seemingly unsurprised.
In truth, aside from James himself, no one knew just how many trump cards he possessed.
Flora had made a wise decision.
The Oracle-grade powerhouse of Samuel Starfield also looked rather helpless.
Flora’s strengths and weaknesses were both equally obvious. James was indeed the one opponent she could not defeat.
Had she faced any powerful contestant other than James, she would never have been rendered so powerless.
"Luck simply didn’t fall on our side!"
The Oracle-grade powerhouse of Samuel Starfield let out a sigh.
"Damn it!"
Elysi glared maliciously at James before turning a dissatisfied gaze toward Flora as she stepped down from the arena.
Useless trash!
She had actually allowed Canaan Starfield to win the very first match!
...
Among the four matches, however, James had not been the first to claim victory.
Udi had been the first.
His opponent, Marcus, possessed only eight-star strength.
The instant the battle began, Udi kicked Marcus straight out of the arena. The entire fight was clean, swift, and completely without suspense.
"Winner of Arena Five—Udi!"
"Winner of Arena Two—James!"
The Oracle-grade Budelica announced the conclusions of the two matches.
At the same time, fierce battles were still raging in the remaining arenas. Blades flashed, sword shadows danced, and killing intent permeated the air.
...
Arena Three: Mosi versus Eris!
Mosi’s opponent was Eris.
"This is so infuriating! I didn’t even want to come to this competition in the first place! Being forced to participate was bad enough, and now I have to fight you too!"
Eris’s Divine Domain erupted outward with a boom. Wisps of bitter grievance spread through the entire space like fine threads.
Mosi’s ears became filled with sorrowful murmurs, soft sobs and plaintive whispers that seemed to lament endlessly.
Yet Mosi remained unmoved.
He resembled a block of eternal ice, frozen for countless ages and incapable of melting.
"You’re ignoring me!?"
Eris raised an eyebrow. Her voice suddenly transformed into an enraged roar, brimming with fury.
"I’m going to tear you into pieces!"
Mosi remained expressionless. The saber in his hand was still gathering momentum. His saber intent surged like the tide, compressed until it was nearly at the point of shattering apart!
"Mosi, would you like to find somewhere quiet with me and talk about our ideals?"
Eris’s demeanor changed once more, becoming as gentle and tender as flowing water.
The sight left many spectators completely baffled, while some powerful experts who understood the situation felt their hearts tighten.
The illusion-type law controlled by Eris was invisible and untraceable. One careless moment, and her opponent would sink helplessly into it!
"Hehe... You really are interesting. Are you made of stone? Come on, say something!"
Eris’s personality shifted like a revolving lantern, changing endlessly in the blink of an eye.
And at that exact moment—
Mosi moved!
The saber momentum he had been nurturing had already reached its absolute limit, like an arrow drawn back upon a fully stretched bowstring. It had to be released.
"...Demon Severance!"
Slash!
A flash of saber light erupted, resembling a bolt of white silk sweeping across the heavens and tearing the sky apart.
That incomparably sharp saber qi carved countless spiderweb-like cracks through the void itself.
Eris’s pupils abruptly contracted.
Blood sprayed across the arena as a figure crashed to the ground like a kite with its strings severed.
"Winner of Arena Three—Mosi!"
One slash, one kill.
Clean and decisive!
An uproar surged through the spectator stands like an incoming tide.
"That Mosi is terrifyingly powerful!"
"This is unbelievable! Eris could clearly manipulate her opponent’s seven emotions and six desires as though controlling a puppet on strings... Could Mosi truly be a stone spirit given human form?"
"From beginning to end, he didn’t even furrow his brow once. Is there truly someone in this world entirely immune to emotional disturbance?"
James could no longer hold back his amusement and burst into laughter.
"This draw must have been deliberately arranged by the God of Fate! Mosi is practically Eris’s destined nemesis! Hahahaha..."
"Mosi is not devoid of emotion."
Daniel also smiled and shook his head, his gaze profound and distant.
"His emotions were all sacrificed to that endless conviction the moment he set foot upon the road of the strong. He forged every ounce of passion and obsession within him into the edge of the saber in his hand."
"His saber will cut down everything that obstructs his ascent to the summit. It will never look back."
James repeatedly nodded at Daniel’s words.
Even Mosi, who had always maintained an icy expression, had a faint, almost imperceptible gleam flash through his eyes.
In the spectator stands, many powerful experts fell silent upon hearing those words.
...
Arena Four: Harris versus Julian.
"Now only Harris and Julian remain."
James turned his gaze toward Arena Four.
Daniel looked over as well.
Between Harris and Julian, who was stronger?
Once the two of you determine a winner, it will be my turn to enter the arena.
Three winners had already emerged from the second batch of advancement matches: James, Mosi, and Udi.
They had eliminated Flora, Eris, and Marcus respectively.
At this moment, only one battlefield remained locked in confrontation—the fourth-ranked Harris against the sixth-ranked Julian.
The two stood silently opposite one another.
Neither made the slightest reckless move!