Chapter 30 The Fall of the Champion
Chapter 30 The Fall of the Champion
The Colosseum of Empyrium fell into an uncomfortable, absolute silence.
For several agonizing seconds, fifty thousand spectators sat frozen in their stone seats, their eyes widened in total disbelief. Nobody cheered. Nobody shouted. The only sound lingering in the vast arena was the fading, metallic vibration of that singular, impossible impact.
"E-Eh?" a spectator in the upper rows muttered, blinking in confusion. "Why... why didn't his head fall off?"
"What was that ringing sound?" another noble whispered, leaning over the balcony railing. "It sounded like steel striking a solid diamond pillar!"
High above the sand, on her floating brass platform, the blonde commentator stood paralyzed. Her golden hair blew softly in the wind as she gripped her magical crystal microphone with trembling fingers. She squinted her eyes, leaning so far over the edge of her platform that she nearly lost her balance.
"I... it can't be..." she stuttered, her voice echoing weakly across the silent arena. She rubbed her eyes, forcing herself to stare at the center ring once more. "Unbelievable... Champion Renji's lethal quick-draw strike... has been blocked!"
Gasps rippled through the stadium like a sudden gust of wind.
"B-Blocked?!" the commentator gasped again, her voice cracking in shock. "By... BY HIS BARE FINGERNAIL?!"
A collective roar of disbelief erupted from the noble balconies. Dukes, barons, and wealthy guildmasters stood up from their velvet cushions, pointing down at the sand in sheer outrage and confusion. A mortal blade, infused with centuries of refined sword technique and dark energy, had been stopped dead in its tracks by a single, fingernail.
Down on the blood-stained sand, Vhal’zhar looked down at Renji with a lazy, pitying gaze.
"Fifteen years of absolute waste," Vhal’zhar murmured, his voice cold and dry. "What a utter disappointment."
Renji’s eyes were stuttering, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinpricks. His mind completely refused to process the visual reality before him. The black katana, forged from rare cursed steel, could not cut through the man’s skin. It couldn't even scratch his nail.
What... WHAT IS THIS?! Renji screeched internally.
Cold sweat poured down Renji’s forehead, soaking his high collar. Panicking, he violently wrenched his katana backward, leaping three paces away onto the red dirt. Chest heaving, sweat dripping from his chin, Renji forced a tense, awkward smile onto his trembling lips.
"Ha... Hahaha!" Renji forced a hollow laugh, trying desperately to regain his composure in front of fifty thousand watching eyes. "You're... you're certainly much sturdier than you look! Very well! Now I know I don't need to hold back. I can finally use my true techniques on you!"
Without waiting for a response, Renji lunged forward again.
THRANG! TRING! TRANG! TRING!
A blinding storm of steel erupted in the center ring. Renji moved like a dark phantom, his katana blurring into dozens of lethal arcs targeting Vhal’zhar’s neck, heart, eyes, and joints. Every single slash carried enough force to cleave an armored warhorse in half.
Yet Vhal’zhar didn't even draw a breath. He didn't shift his feet, nor did he raise his hands in defense. He simply casually flicked his index finger back and forth, casually deflecting every single high-speed slash with effortless precision.
THRANG! TRING!
Ten agonizing minutes passed.
Renji was drenched in sweat, his lungs burning like molten iron, his arm muscles screaming in sheer exhaustion. Yet after hundreds of desperate strikes, Vhal’zhar hadn't taken a single step back.
Up on the high VIP balcony, Saint Solenne sat in complete awe, her pale hands pressed against her chest. She had known Vhal’zhar was a terrifyingly powerful entity, but seeing him dominate an elite swordsman without using a single drop of mana was completely beyond her comprehension.
Cautiously, remembering to keep Rael’s true identity protected, Solenne channeled a subtle thread of thought, sending a private telepathic message directly to Rael.
[Mister Rael...] Solenne’s sweet voice echoed softly in Rael’s mind. [Is Mister Vhal’zhar truly this powerful... even completely stripped of his magical spells?]
Rael glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, noticing her careful discretion. A faint, amused smile touched his lips as he sent a reply back into her mind.
[Well... Vhal’zhar’s true specialty is indeed high-tier spellcasting,] Rael explained calmly. [His physical attributes are merely a baseline. But because his opponent is so exceptionally weak... it simply makes him look like an absolute master of both physical combat and magic.]
Saint Solenne let out a soft, breathless laugh, her heart easing. To call the undefeated champion of Empyrium "exceptionally weak" was something only Rael could do with a completely straight face.
Meanwhile, sitting beside them, Mayor Rigid looked as if he had swallowed a bucket of poison.
His fat cheeks had gone completely pale, sweat drenching his embroidered silk robes. His small piggish eyes bulged as he watched Vhal’zhar effortlessly deflect Renji’s every move. The Mayor felt a sudden, icy terror gripping his heart, he realized, with sickening clarity, that he had accidentally stepped on the tail of an ancient dragon.
The only thread keeping Mayor Rigid from utter ruin was Renji. But looking down at his exhausted bodyguard, the Mayor knew the end was near. He desperately wanted to signal his hidden guards to activate a trap or disrupt the fight, but he couldn't. The anti-magic barrier surrounding the arena was absolute, and with thousands of high nobles watching from the balconies, any open attempt at cheating would destroy his political standing forever.
"Kggh...!" Mayor Rigid slammed his jeweled fist onto the wooden armrest of his chair, cracking the polished timber in sheer rage and helplessness.
Down in the ring, Vhal’zhar raised a hand to his mouth and let out a long, dramatic yawn.
Renji staggered backward, gasping violently for air, using his katana as a temporary cane to keep his knees from buckling. His arms were numb, vibrating from the sheer kinetic shock of hitting Vhal’zhar’s unyielding body.
"What?" Vhal’zhar asked, tilting his head with an amused grin. "Tired already?"
Seeing their beloved champion panting and struggling on the sand, the crowd finally broke their silence. Thousands of Renji’s fanatical followers began stomping their feet against the stone bleachers, screaming at the top of their lungs to lift his spirit.
"RENJI! RENJI! RENJI!"
"DONT GIVE UP, CHAMPION!"
"SHOW THAT NOBLE WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF!"
Vhal’zhar glanced up toward the roaring crowd, a look of genuine confusion crossing his dark face. "Weird... the gap in our strength is as wide as the ocean, yet those insects up there still haven't realized it."
Seeing Vhal’zhar turn his head away to look at the crowd, lowering his defense entirely, Renji’s eyes flared with a desperate, treacherous spark.
NOW!
Abandoning every concept of warrior honor, Renji lunged forward like a striking viper, driving his black blade straight toward the side of Vhal’zhar’s unguarded neck!
THRANG!!!
The blade stopped cold. Vhal’zhar hadn't even turned his head back. He had simply raised his single fingernail sideways, catching the full force of the sneak attack without glancing at Renji once.
Renji’s jaw trembled. His knees shook violently. Looking at the side of Vhal’zhar’s calm, unbothered face, a single, terrified word escaped Renji’s lips before he could stop himself:
"...Monster."
High above, the blonde commentator panicked. As an employee on Mayor Rigid’s payroll, she desperately searched for a way to save the Mayor’s pride and reverse the embarrassing situation.
"I-Is... is he cheating?!" the commentator suddenly shouted into her magic microphone, her voice echoing over the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen... could this noble challenger be using a hidden magical artifact beneath his clothes to block Master Renji's sword?!"
The audience instantly burst into loud murmurs and angry shouts.
"What?!" "Cheating?!" "I knew it! No human can block steel with a finger!" "Disqualify him!"
Hearing the crowd's outrage, Renji’s face flushed with deep, burning humiliation. He was a proud swordsman. To have his absolute defeat passed off as his opponent "cheating" was a permanent stain on his pride that he could not bear.
"NO!!" Renji screamed at the top of his lungs, his raw voice ringing clearly across the arena. "THIS MAN IS NOT CHEATING!! HE IS A TRUE WARRIOR WHO IS FIGHTING ME FAIR AND SQUARE!!"
The crowd fell silent once more, startled by Renji’s desperate outburst.
Renji slowly drew his katana back, sliding the dark steel back into its scabbard with a heavy clack. He took three steps backward, lowered his head, and bowed deeply toward Vhal’zhar.
"I AM RENJI!" he declared loudly, his voice echoing toward the VIP balconies, trying desperately to preserve whatever dignity he had left. "AND I FULLY ACKNOWLEDGE VHAL'ZHAR'S OVERWHELMING STRENGTH!"
Hearing their champion humbly admit his defeat with such noble sportsmanship, the crowd gasped in admiration. Slowly, a wave of warm applause began to ripple through the stands. Spectators stood up, clapping and cheering for Renji’s honor, believing the thrilling match had come to a peaceful, heroic conclusion.
Renji let out a long, quiet sigh of relief under his breath. He had lost his unbroken streak, yes, but by conceding gracefully in front of fifty thousand witnesses, he had saved his life and preserved his legendary reputation.
However... that wholesome, clapping atmosphere was instantly shattered by a cold, gravelly voice.
"Impressive," Vhal’zhar said smoothly, his eyes narrowing into two dangerous slits as he stepped closer to Renji. "You really know how to entertain your little fans, don't you? Admitting defeat to save your precious pride..."
Renji froze, his heart dropping into his stomach.
Vhal’zhar paused right in front of him, leaning down slightly so only Renji could hear his low, suffocating whisper.
"But tell me, mortal... after all that pathetic display... you still haven't tasted a single attack from me, have you?" Vhal’zhar let out a dark, terrifying chuckle. "Did you forget? I wasn't the one who made the wager. Your greedy master was. And according to the contract signed in blood... once we stepped onto this sand, there are only two outcomes."
Vhal’zhar smiled, revealing a row of razor-sharp teeth.
"Either you die... or you die. I never agreed to spare your life."
Renji’s face drained of every drop of color. He had truly believed that by bowing down and praising Vhal’zhar in front of the world, the man would spare him out of mercy.
"W... W-Wait..." Renji stammered, his body trembling uncontrollably as his cold, emotionless mask completely shattered into pure, unadulterated horror. "P-Please... wait-"
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