Chapter 189: The Right One
The fight had taken an unprecedented turn. One moment, it had seemed as though Humanity was about to claim victory, but the very next, the mysterious Nullborn had once again gained the upper hand, leaving Zich with a bloodied face.
FWOOOSh!
This time, Nameless did not give Zich any time to recover, but instead crossed the distance between them in an instant as though his entire body had merged into the shadows, while the black trajectory that was no longer as completely impossible to capture as it had been at the beginning pointed directly toward Zich’s throat.
"Is it over?!"
Mithrash suddenly leaned forward.
However, at the instant the black edge was about to pierce through Zich’s throat, Zich, who had been lying upon the ground, suddenly opened his eyes and raised the Death Bone Flute that had already been clenched within his palm to his lips without hesitation, causing a deep, hoarse flute sound that seemed to emerge from the depths of a graveyard to instantly echo throughout the entire arena.
Wooo—!
The countless skeletal remains scattered across the battlefield began trembling violently at the same time.
Dozens of pale bone spikes suddenly burst from beneath the ground, and rather than directly attacking Nameless as he moved at high speed, they instantly crossed around Zich and formed a completely sealed bone cage, trapping both the black figure that had already approached and Zich himself inside.
"He trapped himself inside too!"
Cries of alarm immediately erupted throughout the spectator stands.
Beneath the heavy clothing, Nameless frowned as he looked at the bones, perhaps wondering how this was possible in the first place.
Little did he know that during his time of preparation, Zich had learned to use his summons far more creatively, especially the undead, which were extremely flexible and could be shaped into whatever he wanted with a single thought.
The black edge in Nameless’ hand was already less than half a meter away from Zich’s throat, yet at the instant he prepared to continue forward, two bone spikes simultaneously thrust from both sides and forced him to stop for the first time, while Zich used that nearly negligible opening to suddenly roll to his feet, firmly seizing Nameless’ weapon holding hand with his left hand before driving his right knee, carrying the force of his strengthened body, violently into his opponent’s abdomen.
Bang!
The dull impact echoed inside the bone cage.
Nameless’ body bent slightly, but he immediately raised his other hand as black energy began gathering once again.
However, this was precisely the moment Zich had been waiting for.
"Slimey!"
Boop—!
Slimey, which had remained hidden among the white smoke and rubble, suddenly dropped from above the bone cage, its soft body instantly expanding like a massive adhesive net that completely covered Nameless’ head, while the large quantity of deadly venom stored within its body erupted at the same time and rapidly seeped through the damaged black robe.
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle—!
Piercing sounds of corrosion rang out wildly.
The black energy that had just gathered within Nameless immediately began trembling violently. Before he could blast Slimey away, the Blood Leech that had previously been sent flying lunged from the side once again, its sharp mosquito like mouth biting fiercely into his other leg as it began desperately devouring the remaining blood and energy within his body.
"Now!"
Zich suddenly released Nameless’ wrist and retreated half a step before taking out two Spirit Bombs, and rather than throwing them or attempting to create distance, he directly pressed them against the area of Nameless’ chest where the Spirit Flame had still not been extinguished.
Nameless raised his head for the first time.
Within the darkness beneath his damaged hood, it seemed as though an icy gaze collided directly with Zich’s.
The next instant, Zich grinned like a madman.
[Shadow Blink!]
Whoosh—!
His figure disappeared instantly.
The two Spirit Bombs that had already been completely activated exploded simultaneously inside the bone cage.
Rumble—!!!
The deafening explosion seemed to make the entire Central Arena tremble violently, while ghostly blue soul flames and dark green poisonous mist completely lost all space to spread within the narrow bone cage, causing every trace of power to repeatedly strike Nameless, who remained trapped at the very center.
Even the cage created using his enhanced skeletons shattered inch by inch beneath the explosion and transformed into countless fragments of bone that swept across the entire battlefield.
Dust surged into the sky.
The entire arena descended into deathly silence.
Everyone stared fixedly at the center of the explosion, and even breathing seemed extraordinarily difficult.
Several seconds later, the smoke slowly dispersed.
Nameless was still standing.
However, the black robe covering his body had been completely destroyed, the black energy surrounding him had almost entirely disappeared, and his body swayed slightly as though it might collapse at any moment.
Still, despite all this, the Nullborn had not completely given up yet. He raised his hand.
Faint strands of black energy once again began gathering around Nameless’ raised hand. Although the aura was only a fraction of what it had once been, it still carried enough oppressive power to make countless spectators instinctively hold their breath. Even after enduring everything Zich had thrown at him, the mysterious Nullborn was still attempting one final attack.
However, before that hand could be completely lifted, a white haired figure had already charged out from the smoke.
Zich did not use any skill. Nor did he have much mana remaining. He merely clenched his fist and gathered every final trace of strength within his body into his right arm before, beneath the gazes of countless people whose hearts had almost stopped beating, smashing his fist heavily into Nameless’ chest.
Bang—!
Nameless finally lost his balance completely, his entire body flying backward for more than ten meters before crashing heavily into the ground.
BOOM!
Several seconds passed, and the Nullborn did not seem as though he would stand up.
Because nobody wanted to jinx it, none of them made a sound and simply held their breath. Some of them still struggled to believe what they were seeing, and it was only when they heard the final announcement that they finally relaxed.
Arthur’s gaze remained firmly locked upon the center of the battlefield, and after confirming that Nameless had completely lost the ability to continue fighting, he finally slowly raised his arm, while the calm and dignified voice he had maintained throughout the competition spread across the entire Central Arena amid the breathless anticipation of countless people.
"Nullborn contestant Nameless has lost the ability to continue fighting."
"The winner is Humanity’s Zich Grave!"
After a brief silence.
Boom—!!!
The entire Central Arena completely exploded.
Countless Human spectators leaped from their seats simultaneously as deafening cheers swept wildly throughout the entire arena like a physical tsunami, with some people waving Humanity’s flags with all their strength, others excitedly embracing complete strangers beside them, and still others roaring at the top of their lungs.
The emotions they had suppressed for so long were finally released, because this did not merely mean that Zich had won a match, but also that the myth of the Nullborn Race, which had always loomed above the heads of every contestant as though it could never be defeated, had finally been shattered by the hands of a human.
The major viewing centers throughout the real world similarly descended into unprecedented madness as countless players rushed toward the enormous projection screens while shouting Zich’s name.
Leon, standing at the center of the crowd, had already become so excited that his voice was completely hoarse, his eyes red as he waved his fists and repeatedly shouted toward everyone around him,
"That’s my son! Did you see that?! The first person to defeat a Nullborn is my son!"
Inside the luxurious VIP suite in the arena, the woman’s eyes glistened.
"Well, it seems coming down here wasn’t a waste."
The maid looked at her for a moment before speaking.
"So does that mean..."
"Yes, I’ve found the right one," the woman declared with glittering eyes that refused to leave Zich, who was barely standing.