Chapter 718: Volume 21: Path of Darkness - 4: The Ultimate Showdown (2)
Compared to the spectacular grand duel between Kaiserlon and Solonberg, the other two gladiatorial battles on the second day turned out to be even more brutal and bloodstained. Klinger, a secret master from the Great Mysterium Sect, finally revealed his ferocious side in front of the Corinth swordsman, his Mo Blade technique combined with the Flame Thunder Fighting Qi literally forced the top swordsman of the Corinth City-State to surrender his sword in submission. Though the surging and explosive Flame Thunder Fighting Qi seemed slightly inferior to the strength of Solonberg and Vladimir Koff in Komer’s eyes, it still greatly surprised him. After all, finding such a Martial Arts Expert who excelled in Flame Thunder Fighting Qi within a Sect mainly focused on Dark Magic was quite remarkable.
The contest between Vladimir Koff and Prince Slupig of the Kingdom of Sparta began with intense murderous intent. Whether it was Vladimir Koff, fueled by the ordeal of his close friend Solonberg, or Prince Slupig, motivated by the fate of his fellow disciple Kaiserlon, both had no surplus words when they entered the field, choosing instead to prove their resolve with the weapons in their hands.
Prince Slupig proved the irresistible power of his sect, the Martial Saints, with his unparalleled Star Vault Sword Qi, which dominated the competition stage from the beginning until the end of the fight. Even though Vladimir Koff’s Dark Fighting Qi was at its peak, he found no escape from the omnipresent Star Vault Sword Qi, and painfully realized that his Knight Spear was embarrassingly inadequate against the opponent’s effortlessly magnificent sword technique, feeling like a kid playing with a spear. Regardless of his intricate spear skills, they were fragile in the face of absolute power; the opponent’s Star Vault Sword Qi seemed to have been swirling around him from start to finish, rendering all his efforts to avoid defeat futile.
In the end, Vladimir Koff swapped his injury and the illusion of puppets for an outburst of composite armor. With seven deep wounds, he was carried off the competition stage, but the great cost was not without reward. A Diamond Arrow, not too heavy nor too light, cracked Prince Slupig’s unbreakable Sacred Fighting Qi, and that very Diamond Arrow caused the Spartain hope of defending their immortal glory in the Gladiator Competition to fade away.
Bursting into the living room with excitement, Mr. Newman exclaimed, "It’s confirmed now, the Spartains have officially announced their withdrawal from the third round of the repechage! They didn’t explain why Prince Slupig gave up. Athens City is now in chaos, and a large number of nobles have surged towards the Palace, demanding a clear explanation from the kingdom as to why Prince Slupig has abandoned the third round. Heh, those arrogant Spartains, finally, they got to witness the skills of me, Newman!"
The design and craftsmanship of the Diamond Arrow were indeed Newman’s creation. The trigger-style composite reactive armor required very high sensitivity for detonation; too low, and external forces couldn’t trigger it, too high, and it might detonate on its own from a slight mishap, losing the opportunity or even potentially harming oneself. So the manufacturing was quite exquisite, and it was undeniable Newman had devoted much effort to it.
"Newman, we all know your capabilities, no need to show off here. Do whatever you’re supposed to do, okay? Don’t you always admire the Magic Equipment Market in Athens City? There is a variety of semi-finished products, why don’t you go and take a good look? You might make a great find," Mihailovich’s words barely contained any affection for his close friend. In his eyes, apart from his friend’s notable talent in designing Magic Mechanisms, his intelligence was lacking in other areas. Without anyone to appreciate his genius in mechanism crafting, he probably would have starved to death.
"Um, Mr. Mihailovich, please don’t be jealous of my talent, okay? I understand you’re upset because your Illusory Puppet didn’t play much of a role in actual combat, right? I also have a question for Sir. What kind of additional magic did you use on the Diamond Arrow that made someone like Prince Slupig give up his repechage qualification after being hit by it? I don’t think the Diamond Arrow I designed has the power to make him quit the competition. His Sacred Fighting Qi is the highest I’ve ever seen. I even doubt whether my Diamond Arrow truly broke through his Fighting Qi and entered his body. Sir, could you give me a proper explanation? Since the end of the match, I’ve been almost driven mad by this question haunting my mind!" Newman glanced at his close friend without responding, turning his attention instead to Komer.