Chapter 350
Chapter 350: A True Man Born Between Heaven and Earth—Why Grovel Beneath Another Forever!
When those scattered flames burned across the entire Royal City, no one could have anticipated that this sudden downpour would save the whole city.
In the hearts of the countless nobles present, that same thought arose in silent unison.
The shattered golden walls were washed by the rain, dust and water mingling into diluted mud that seeped slowly from the cracks in the walls.
The water soaked into the earth, filling every fissure and groove as it rolled and curled toward the center of the auction venue.
The Demi-humans bearing all manner of animal ears crowded together, their fur pressed flat against their bodies.
They felt the cold rain, eyes wide open, reaching out their hands and letting the droplets crash into their palms.
Countless Lords, surrounded by the ring of Demi-humans, raised their heads and looked at Viktor—his entire body wrapped in fluorescent blue—their eyes full of reverence and gratitude.
In that moment, Viktor's return was like that of a savior.
The female Tiger-folk stared at Viktor with absolute seriousness.
The instant he appeared on that shattered auction stage, she had already taken notice of him.
The more powerful the existence, the more clearly it understood itself.
The female Tiger-folk could feel exactly that.
She was no match for the human before her. Not even close.
Then, Viktor turned to face the female Tiger-folk and extended one hand.
The moment Tiger Boss spotted Viktor's movement, his tiger pupils contracted sharply, and he roared out:
"Tiger Second, get away from there!"
The female tiger heard Tiger Boss's warning. Her tiger pupils snapped tight, the muscles in her legs coiling taut.
But before she could move, the very next second, her entire body locked completely rigid where she stood.
Then Viktor's hand pressed downward.
Thud!
The female Tiger-folk's legs could no longer bear the crushing weight. They buckled involuntarily, and she dropped hard onto her knees.
Yet she continued to resist.
"Impressive willpower."
"But a cat ought to look like a cat."
Smack!
The female Tiger-folk could no longer withstand that explosive surge of Magic Power. All four limbs gave way, and she was forced flat against the ground.
Water splashed up, and the rain pooling on the floor soaked her fur nearly through.
Countless nobles stared with wide, disbelieving eyes.
Just moments ago, that female Tiger-folk had killed their Count Anderson with a single punch.
That was a 4th-Tier warrior.
And yet now, just as quickly—in one single exchange—the female Tiger-folk who had just displayed such overwhelming might was effortlessly subdued by Viktor's Magic.
Only Viktor's eyes still flickered with faint blue light.
The Demi-humans were shaken to their core. Even the Eagle-folk circling in the sky no longer dared to move.
At that moment, the Eagle-folk in the sky thought with grave solemnity:
The strongest Mage in the entire kingdom should only be Festan Balo.
No—the age doesn't match.
Who exactly was this person?
Even the Tiger-folk they were so proud of was no match for this Mage?
At that moment, the all-orange Tiger Boss slowly turned around.
Rain ran down through his fur, but the ease he had carried before was gone from his face.
The muscles of his face twisted together. His fangs bared. Fury erupted from his eyes and drove straight toward Viktor.
Anyone who had witnessed those suspended raindrops would not believe the man in the black Coat was an ordinary Mage.
Freely controlling the weather?
Was that even possible?
And controlling the weather aside—just seeing that torrential downpour pour down wasn't particularly shocking in itself.
But—those countless raindrops suspended motionless in mid-air. What in the world was that?
Though no Mage had ever appeared among the Demi-humans, that didn't mean they had never seen a Mage before.
Could this even be called a Mage?
Auréliane sat calmly in her seat, that same relaxed and pleasant smile still on her face.
The Half-beastkin was right beside her. With the Tiger-folk's raw explosive power, he could snap her neck in an instant.
Even so, Auréliane felt not a shred of fear. She turned to Tiger Boss with perfect composure and said:
"Now do you feel the gap?"
"Gap?"
Tiger Boss glanced down at Auréliane, then the muscles across his body began to rise subtly, his veins bulging and prominent.
He reached out one broad tiger paw and gripped the railing tight—the metal nearly warped and caved under the crushing force.
His other paw planted itself on the guardrail. With a slight push, the entire metal fence buckled into ruin, reduced to a pile of scrap.
The muscles of his face clenched and compressed, as though pulling into a smile, and from those furious eyes erupted an extreme and unbridled excitement:
"No. I only feel excited."
"Finally—someone worth fighting."
He stepped over the metal wreckage, swung his body, and landed on the massive golden pillar beside him.
His legs detonated with terrifying force. That orange, massive frame transformed once again into a blazing torrent of flame that lunged to consume Viktor whole.
The great golden pillar, subjected to such force, was stomped with a deep, sunken crater.
The towering golden pillar began to sway, as though the entire dome might come crashing down.
The nobles throughout the venue were instantly seized with dread.
Did they really have to tear this entire venue apart before any of this would end?!
Roooaarrr—!!
Suddenly, a savage tiger's roar erupted without warning, and a terrifying wave of intimidation instantly coiled around every noble present.
Their body hair stood on end, their hearts shuddering.
Even knowing they were not the target, they were still consumed with fear.
The roar pierced through the dome, as though it could send the suspended rain back up into the sky in reverse.
The immense aura it kicked up scattered every droplet of rain in the surrounding area.
At the same time, the moment Tiger Boss leapt away, all the muscles in Auguste's body went limp at once.
He slumped helplessly into his seat, gasping for air in great heaves.
Just moments ago, that wave of oppressive pressure had surpassed every threatening aura he had ever felt before.
That presence was drenched in killing intent, as though it would crush him completely flat.
If that Tiger-folk had wished it,
in the blink of an eye, he would have been torn to shreds.
For the first time, he felt how close death truly was.
He drew a couple of steadying breaths, then looked with disbelief toward Auréliane's direction.
Gwen had stowed her weapon. It was as if that powerful kick moments ago had not affected her in the slightest.
Auréliane looked perfectly calm—even a little expectant—as she watched where the Tiger-folk had gone.
Only Xiangyilan pressed a hand over her chest, feeling her heart hammering away, still recovering from the shock while also feeling a little thrilled.
Auguste could not comprehend it.
They had all faced the same Tiger-folk.
So why could they remain so composed?
Were they not afraid at all?
Suddenly, every noble present cried out in shock.
The wave of gasps seemed to rattle the already tottering dome even more violently. Dust and debris rained down.
Some of it struck the suspended raindrops in the sky, landing on the ground with a chorus of sharp spattering sounds.
But none of it could mask the collective shock of the crowd.
Following the sound, Auguste's gaze snapped quickly forward.
Under the eyes of everyone present, Tiger Boss sprinted forward on all fours at full speed.
The surrounding air shattered and burst with each movement, accompanied by the sound of concussive shocks.
Every two steps, the ground seemed pulverized beneath his sharp claws, leaving deep gouged furrows.
The solid lines of his muscles seemed to dance in motion, weaving between the suspended raindrops—not a single drop managed to touch his skin.
He was like a true wild tiger, lunging straight for Viktor's completely undefended back.
The air around him split from his ferocious momentum, and even the raindrops he passed through appeared faintly distorted.
The crowd watched in stunned horror. Some had already shut their eyes, as though they could already picture Viktor's gruesome end.
The next second, the Tiger-folk's razor claws tore through Viktor's body.
The tremendous force even pierced through Viktor entirely, ripping a deep gouged crack into the nearby golden wall behind him.
And yet—
Splash—
The Viktor that had been torn through burst apart into a cascade of water.
Together with the frozen raindrops suspended in the sky, it fell back into the puddles below, sending white waves splashing outward.
The crowd gaped in disbelief.
Tiger Boss straightened his body—one foot suspended in the air, one arm still raised, both claws clenched tight and twisted against one another.
【Martial Stance—Defense】
The next second, Viktor slowly emerged from one of the puddles nearby.
The standing water ran off him in slow streams until he was entirely clean and dry.
He was standing once again on the completely ruined auction stage.
As if becoming aware of something, his gaze drifted to the surroundings.
The beautiful auctioneer was still curled in a corner, having long since been terrified into a full-body tremor by the masses of Demi-humans, her legs too weak to hold her up.
The heavy rain had completely soaked her gown, her full figure made even more prominent beneath the red fabric, glimpses of white faintly visible.
Taking note of this, Viktor casually waved a hand through the air.
A wide, thick garment materialized from the air and drifted down, draping itself over the auctioneer.
The auctioneer blinked in surprise, feeling a warmth rise through her body. A sense of safety instantly enveloped her.
She pulled the garment tightly around herself, and the trembling in her body eased somewhat.
Then Viktor's cool, indifferent voice reached her ear:
"Make sure the items I bid on earlier are all intact. If even one is missing, I'll hold you accountable."
"Also—your Commerce Guild owes me a batch of Demi-humans."
With that, Viktor's gaze shifted back to the male Tiger-folk and the large group of auctioned Demi-humans behind him.
"Perhaps you haven't heard of me before."
Viktor's hands were in his pockets. His expression was cold and sharp. The Coat at his back was threaded with azure-blue stripes,
winding and curving like flowing water climbing a mountain, drifting slowly around him.
The next second, Viktor snapped his fingers.
The rain seemed to receive its command and fell once more.
White droplets splashed against the fractured golden ground, flowing into the cracks in the broken stone.
Beneath that torrential downpour falling anew, Viktor stood like a commander of the rain itself—his authority only more pronounced, his presence only more imposing:
"Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Viktor Clavena."
"The one who just purchased you—"
"Your Master."