novelcrest Chapter 296 The Duel That Everyone's Been Waiting For
Chapter 296 The Duel That Everyone's Been Waiting For
Chapter 296 The Duel That Everyone's Been Waiting For
Port of Meren.
Before the vast port city, there was a huge, semi-saline lake, its surface shimmering in the sunlight. But now, the lake was occupied by an incredibly large ship.
It was like a small mountain, blocking out the sky and the sun.
The most striking feature is the "blue wings" that spread out on both sides of the hull, resembling feathers that envelop the entire ship.
The giant ship is named "Lingchuan" and is the largest ship in the world. Its size makes any other ship look up to it. Its official name is "Maritime Academic Institutions Zone"—which people simply call "the Zone".
This giant ship was originally a sea fortress.
In order to establish a foothold for "Leviathan, the King of the Sea," one of the three major commissions from the adventurers, Zeus and Hera's kin used this giant ship to successfully defeat the dragon that ruled the seas.
After completing the commission, the giant ship was severely damaged. After repairs and modifications, it was put back into service and became the tool for the academics to travel the world.
The magnificent blue wings on both sides are part of the external accessories, and the dimmer is made from the blue fins that fell off when the sea overlord Leviathan was defeated.
The Academy faction consists of several clans, such as the Baldr clan and the Poseidon clan. They receive full support from the guild and travel the world to collect talent, teach, alchemize, and conduct scientific research.
More than 10,000 people, including gods, teachers, craftsmen, students, and top talents from all walks of life, live on the giant ship of the "school district".
The return of the "school district" every three years is a rare grand event in Orario, attracting gods, adventurers, and the general public to crowd the area, turning the streets into a bustling metropolis.
The new things brought back by the school district, the latest scientific research results, and the graduating students all attracted the attention of the various clans and gods of Orario.
Putting everything else aside, students graduating from the school district usually reach the LV.2 level, surpassing nearly half of the adventurers in Orario. Moreover, recruiting them is trouble-free; they come from respectable families, have clean backgrounds, and are obedient and well-behaved. Who wouldn't like them?
The triennial talent-grabbing competition is a battle where the various clans compete for supremacy and even face life-or-death situations.
Gods and adventurers also try every means to sneak into the school district, causing a lot of trouble and requiring a large number of people to be on guard each time.
But this year is an exception.
During his three-year world tour, the students he recruited also visited Orario for the first time, and they excitedly leaned on the railings, gazing at the city.
The teachers and students on the giant ship looked around and found that, unlike before, the port of Mellen was very deserted. Autumn winds blew and leaves fell, and there was no welcoming procession in sight. Only a few guild staff members stood alone on the shore.
The deities, teachers, staff, and students in the school district looked at each other, bewildered.
That shouldn't be the case.
Those gods and adventurers, like vicious dogs, have been trying every means to sneak into the school district over the years.
They would rather believe that monsters from the dungeon burst out and destroyed Orario than believe that those incorrigible gods would ever reform.
The giant ship docked, its decks connecting to the land.
Teachers and students from the school district came down one after another, looking around with their senses strained, but they couldn't detect anyone hiding their presence.
The guild's liaisons were handled by Remer, whom Roy had described as a major traitor, and Eina, who came from the school district.
Misha and others believed that having acquaintances made things easier.
"Lord Bader, Teacher Leon, Teacher Malik—it's been a long time!" Eina, Misha, and the others hurriedly greeted the elders of the school district.
Badr, the god who governs "light," is also the principal of the school district and a key figure in the academic faction.
Leon Wadenberg, one of only two LV.7 adventurers in the world, was bestowed the title of "Knight of the Highest" by the gods. He once followed Zeus and Hera's Familia in the battle against Leviathan, the king of the sea.
Malik, an elf, is a level 5 adventurer and a renowned first-class adventurer.
The school district's overall combat strength may not be as good as Freya's Familia, but it's not a problem for them to go toe-to-toe with Loki's Familia, which ranks second in the city.
However, evaluating a school district's value solely based on its combat strength is somewhat insulting.
The most important aspects of the school district are its systematic teaching, research, and other functions, and cultivating powerful adventurers is just one of its many roles.
The school district teachers congratulated them, saying, "Eina, Misha, congratulations on joining the guild."
Eina is a super-achiever who studies hard, and Misha is a lucky girl who can pass exams even with her eyes closed. The gods and teachers of the school district have a deep impression of them.
The elven teacher, Malik, asked, "Eina, has something happened in the city?"
Badr, Leon, and the others looked at Eina with a hint of doubt in their eyes.
Eina naturally understood why her elders reacted this way. A wry smile appeared on her gentle and beautiful face. "Teacher Malik, you are unaware of the situation. There is another matter causing a great uproar in the city—a conflict between two major clans—"
With Eina's explanation, the students in the school district gradually understood what had happened and couldn't help but be amazed: the conflict between the Freya Familia and the Astrea Familia, with their first-class adventurers going to duel.
No wonder such a big event as the return of the school district was suppressed. School district returns are common, but duels between first-level adventurers are not. The attention of gods, adventurers, and the public has been drawn to it.
Budding Justice VS Goddess Chariot!
People in the school district have mixed feelings.
There's another aspect that feels strange, like a goddess who's always been adored and basked in the glow of flowers and applause, suddenly being abandoned by everyone and reduced to a nobody on the side of the road, with all eyes now focused on someone else.
But what really captured people's attention was Roy, the "budding of justice," which made him more acceptable to them.
Moreover, it saves them a lot of trouble, as no gods or adventurers will come to cause trouble.
In a sense, it helped them.
"The sprout of justice, Roy, we often hear this name outside," said Baldr, the miraculous boy who broke upgrade records one after another, whose name spread throughout the world after several incidents.
Unfortunately, the school district was traveling the world and missed the other's rise, unable to witness it firsthand.
"However, it seems he hasn't been at LV.5 for very long," the elf teacher Maric mused.
According to the latest information they received, on the eve of the war game with the Ishtar Familia, Roy leveled up to LV.5, while Alan Fromor leveled up to LV.6 after the Great Conflict, a huge difference between the two.
Another teacher asked in surprise, "Level 5 against Level 6, wouldn't they be instantly killed?"
The difference between each level of the Grace system is as huge as an insurmountable chasm. A level 5 adventurer who can withstand ten moves from a level 6 adventurer is considered quite formidable!
Leon gazed towards the city and smiled, "This city is always so lively."
"..——."
Eina remained noncommittal, gently biting her lower lip. Mr. Roy wouldn't lose!
The nearby students pricked up their ears, eavesdropping on the conversation between the gods, teachers, and guild staff. Their eyes lit up when they learned of the duel that was about to take place in the city.
Humans are creatures that crave excitement, especially these vibrant, energetic students.
Out of the corner of her eye, Eina noticed an elven girl beside her. Maintaining a professional smile, she greeted her, "What a lovely elven lady, hello."
"Hello, Senior Eina, I am Lefia Viridis." The elven girl had long, thick golden hair, delicate features, and a sweet and lovely appearance.
Lefia looked at Eina with eyes full of admiration. She had heard that Eina was an extremely famous prodigy who had passed Comprehensive Theology (deciphering sacred texts), a subject with a passing rate of less than 10% during her time in the school district.
Meanwhile, within the city.
Adventurers lavishly spent their hard-earned money in various casinos and taverns, betting heavily on Alan Fourmore.
As you can see, Roy's bets are pitifully small, while Farley's are piled up like a mountain.
If it were "Swift Wind" Ryu Leon who were to fight, people would still think that the Astrea Familia would have a chance to win, after all, they are also LV.6 adventurers.
"hehe!"
The adventurers burst into mocking laughter. It was unclear whether the members of the Astrea Familia had lost their minds, but they had put a LV.5 "Budding Justice" against a LV.6 "Goddess Chariot" Allen Fromo.
Despite the Astrea Familia and Roy himself having created miracles in the past, no one believed that the other could easily overcome this difficulty.
The nickname "the fastest in the city" isn't given lightly.
There are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names. Countless adventurers have witnessed Alan Fromor slaying monsters in dungeons, his moves were swift, decisive, and utterly overwhelming.
Roy's chances of winning are almost zero!
It's estimated that the Astrea Familia lacks confidence in winning. The most obvious indication of this is that in previous war games, members of the Astrea Familia would run around placing bets in casinos and taverns.
This time, however, none of the girls from the Astrea Familia were to be seen.
The Tower of Babel has thirty stories.
-
"Asteria, what are you thinking about?"
"How could Roy's brother, at level 5, possibly defeat Goddess Chariot, at level 6!"
"It's over, completely over!"
The gods reacted just like the adventurers. Upon learning that Roy was going to fight, the gods in the spacious hall of the divine assembly cried out in near despair.
The true combat strength of Alan Fromo, the Goddess Chariot, is equivalent to half a LV.7. Its maximum firepower can severely injure or kill any adventurer or monster below LV.8. Roy, who is only LV.5, would be killed in an instant!
Even sending someone to their death wouldn't be done like this!
"Hahaha, we've got this in the bag!"
"Yes, Lady Freya!"
"Get out of here, you stinking men!"
Numerous male admirers overwhelmingly supported Freya, while the goddesses' attitudes were completely opposite, resulting in chaos and a bustling marketplace-like atmosphere in the entire Divine Assembly Hall.
Astraea remained calm as ever, a gentle smile gracing her exquisitely beautiful face.
Freya sat opposite Astrea, her eyes narrowing slightly. She thought it was a level 6 elf girl going into battle. What was the other party thinking?
But there's no point in thinking about it anymore, Freya murmured. "It doesn't matter, Allen, crush him!"
Loki, sitting in the back row, slightly opened his narrowed eyes; this was getting interesting.
"Uranus, please allow me to use my divine power!" Hermes, who was ostensibly neutral, said.
"allow!"
A moment later, the deep, powerful voice of the great god Uranus echoed in the void.
With a wave of her hand, Hermes unleashed boundless power, creating divine mirrors throughout Orario.
"They're here!"
"Oooooo!"
When the Mirror of God appeared, cheers erupted throughout Orario, from all the Familias to the streets and alleys.
Countless people stared intently.
The Hall of Twilight.
Finn, Riveria, Grace, Ais, and others sat in the spacious living room, where a divine mirror appeared before them, displaying a scene from thousands of miles away.
Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, Finn smiled wryly and raised his hands in surrender.
"Don't ask me, I don't know this time either."
After several incidents, Finn realized that common sense and his intuition could not be applied to the Astrea Familia, or rather, to Roy.
Although the outside world believed that Roy was doomed to lose, and in reality that was the case, Finn still harbored a slight doubt that Roy could still create a miracle!
Riveria sighed softly.
The Garden of Stars.
"Commander!"
When Liu, Tione, Tiona, Daphne, Cassandra, and the others saw the Divine Mirror appear, they were so shocked that they stood up from the sofa, feeling uneasy.
God knows how they spent that night.
The catgirl Anya clasped her hands together in front of her chest, closed her eyes, and prayed for it.
She was the one with the most complicated feelings.
Anya's not-so-bright brain was about to explode when her older brother and the leader of their clan were about to have a duel. This whole thing was caused by her.
Feelings of guilt and pain surged up wildly.
If she had chosen to commit suicide back then and hadn't joined the Astrea Familia, would none of this have happened? Anya couldn't help but think, tears welling in her eyes.
"Look at you, overthinking again!"
"You must believe that the commander will not lose!"
Ryu, Tione, Tiona, and the others noticed Anya's unusual behavior and tried to comfort her.
Anya was overwhelmed with emotion and deeply moved. If she hadn't joined the Astrea Familia, she wouldn't have met these family-like friends.
Battlefield.
At Freya Familia's stronghold, the four Flame Gold Warriors, Hegni, Hedin, Haici, and a large group of valiant warriors stared at the appearing divine mirror.
Conquering the dungeon isn't something that can be done in a day or two; they occasionally return to the surface.
A cold smile appeared on everyone's lips; no one could defy Lady Freya's will.
The Astrea Familia will be destroyed!
On the giant ship of the school district in Mellenport.
Badr, Leon, Eina, Lefia—more than ten thousand people stopped what they were doing and stared at the divine mirror that appeared in mid-air.
The school district officials and teachers were quite interested in the lively event that just happened upon their return, while the students were trembling with excitement.
The duel between world-renowned first-class adventurers has been extremely rare over the past millennium.
Compared to the destruction caused by a first-level adventurer's all-out battle, Roy's previous one-on-one fight with the LV.3 Hyacinthus was no different from playing house.
The duel cannot take place within a city.
The guild chose the Orb Mountains as their battlefield, the same place where the Astrea Familia previously played war games with the Ishtar Familia.
Since it has already been ravaged once, let's just treat it as waste and let them destroy it as they please.
Several months ago, on the ruins where they fought against the Heavenly Bull, two figures faced each other as if by fate.
It was Roy and Alan Fourmore.
Allen stood tall and straight like a javelin, and the silver spear, which shimmered with a cold, mercury-like light, seemed to come alive in his hands, its tip slightly lowered.
Unconsciously, the cat-man's eyes radiated a chilling killing intent, as if they had transformed into sharp swords locking onto all of Roy's vital points. The immense aura of the LV.6 peak was like an invisible mountain, heavily pressing down on this barren land, causing the air to stagnate!
The cat-man said coldly, "Without that she-fox's magic this time, you bug, you're dead!"
"Who knows?"
Roy replied, refusing to engage in meaningless banter. He adjusted his muscles and mental state, holding the elven holy sword in his hand. The sword was ancient and slender, radiating a warm and resilient emerald green aura, shining brightly.
The duel was only on the second day, and there wasn't much time for him to improve his stats. It was clear that Freya wanted to end this farce as soon as possible.
However, if you can't upgrade, even increasing your stats by several hundred points won't make a decisive difference.
"Let's begin!" Roy's eyes were sharp as an eagle's, locking onto the cat-man's every subtle movement.
The words had barely left his mouth.
The cat-man moved, its figure vanishing from the spot like a ghost, leaving only a faint afterimage!
The next instant, he appeared in front of Roy, a piercing shriek tearing through the air. The silver spear transformed into a silver dragon piercing through the void, its tip condensing a chilling glint of light, carrying an absolute sharpness that could pierce through everything, and without any fancy moves, it stabbed straight at Roy's throat!
The space seemed to be forcibly stretched by this shot, leaving a straight, pale crack. Pure speed and power constituted the most deadly killing move!
Intuitive!
Roy's pupils contracted sharply. In that split second between life and death, the trajectory of the silver spear flashed through his mind. His muscles tensed, like a fully drawn bow!
He shifted his body to the side, and the silver spear grazed his throat almost touching him, its cold gleam sending chills down his spine.
The cat-man looked disdainful and forcibly stopped in his tracks. The second shot followed immediately, aimed at Roy's heart.
"drink!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Roy activated the Elven Holy Sword. The complex and profound runes burst forth with dazzling light, and the sword trembled gently, as if countless ancient whispers were flowing along its blade.
Clang!
The holy sword clashed with the cold light, producing a crisp sound of metal colliding. The terrifying power of the two exploded instantly, and the incredibly hard ground beneath their feet cracked open with spiderweb-like fissures that stretched for dozens of meters.
A tremendous force came from the silver spear. Even though Roy used the most exquisite angle to deflect the force, the absolute power that was beyond one level still caused his hand to split open, and blood instantly stained the hilt of the sword!
Roy frowned, placed his other hand on the holy sword, and poured all his power into it.
"snort!"
The cat-man snorted coldly, his eyes revealing undisguised contempt as he pressed down hard.
Roy was suppressed by the opponent's strength, his body staggering backward uncontrollably, his two arm bones seeming to groan under the strain, a simulated adventure!
Roy mentally simulated a sense of crisis and activated his "Adventure" ability, boosting all his abilities, including all his hidden attributes. He then shattered the ground with his right foot as he retreated, managing to withstand the cat-man's power.
"Hmm?" Allen raised an eyebrow, his movements pausing.
Roy was completely focused and dared not be careless in the slightest.
In fact, to challenge opponents of a higher level, setting aside skills and magic, one's basic stats must reach at least SS, meaning breaking through the limits of that level, in order to contend with adventurers of a higher level.
His current stats, except for Agility which is at SS level, are between D and B, but he has pushed all his previous stats to the limit.
Although the power provided by the earlier levels is far less than that of LV.5, it is still enough to push his stats to the ceiling that gods and adventurers talk about.
In its normal state, it has a full S-level panel with 999.
With the addition of the simulated adventure, he broke through to SS level, and his agility reached SSS level, shining brightly.
A powerful force surged within him, and Roy's eyes seemed to burn with intense flames.
Crack! Crack!
With a thought, Roy unleashed a torrent of golden lightning that surged forth from his body, forming a protective armor of lightning that made him appear like a god of thunder.
Contact with this lightning would cause a paralyzing effect, and a normal person would choose to keep their distance, but this cat-person is the Goddess Chariot.
Having fought countless battles in dungeons, if you're afraid of getting hurt, you're not a first-class adventurer!
A cold smile curled at the corner of Allen's lips.
With a nimble swing, the silver spear traced a trajectory resembling a gazelle's horns, its shaft striking Roy with deadly force.
boom!
Roy raised his elven holy sword to parry, but the instant they made contact, he was blasted away by the terrifying force, crashing heavily into the rock wall behind him, sending shards of rock flying.
The cracks in the rock wall spread in all directions.
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!
When the silver spear touched Roy, the blinding lightning compressed and condensed, turning into countless ferocious electric snakes that crawled up the spear shaft onto the cat-man's body.
Electric snakes tore at the cat-man's body, and a faint smell of burning filled the air.
"That's all?"
The cat-man gritted his teeth, with a hint of contempt as he looked down on ants. This pain was not even enough to fill a gap between his teeth. In the more than fifty floors of the dungeon, he had experienced countless purgatory experiences, and fought desperately with people like Ota and Hedin on the battlefield!
A mere LV.5 adventurer who has conquered the 44th floor is nothing in front of him!
He raised his silver spear once more.
The tip of the gun trembled slightly, locking onto Roy, like a venomous snake raising its deadly head once more!
Bang!
Roy turned his head away, the cold gleam of his silver spear piercing through the rock wall behind him. The slight tremor caused the entire rock wall to crack, the cracks spreading deeper into the rock.
"Incantationless magic!"
The gods, professors, and students of the school district were astonished and full of praise when they saw the scene presented in the magic mirror. Although they had heard of Roy's magic before, seeing it with their own eyes was a completely different matter.
In the blink of an eye, his entire body was covered in lightning—a truly excellent tactic. Unfortunately, he was facing Goddess Chariot, who adopted a strategy of trading blows for blows.
In terms of durability, the Seed of Justice can't compare to the Goddess Chariot with its high-level (LV.6) abilities.
The Tower of Babel has thirty stories.
Apart from Freya's sycophants, the other gods sighed repeatedly. They had witnessed Roy's rapid rise to power at an astonishing pace and had no doubt that Roy would surpass Goddess Chariot in the future.
But it's still too much of a stretch to contend with Alan Fourmore, who's almost a Level 7!
The gods who were on good terms with the Astrea Familia watched the battle in the divine mirror. Loki, Hermes, and Hephaestus—each with a different expression.
The Garden of Stars.
"Commander!"
Seeing Roy at a disadvantage, the clan girls were extremely anxious, their faces filled with worry, their palms sweating, and they couldn't sit still at all.
"Ryu, what do we do? The captain is going to lose." Tione grabbed the elf girl and shook her frantically.
Why?
Liu had no time to pay attention to them. Her sky-blue eyes were fixed on Roy in the mirror, and she wondered what he was thinking.
Roy did not accept the Synchro Contract!
She fought on her own, without stacking her LV.6 stats, development abilities, and skills.
Ryu realized a possibility, and her pupils widened.
Did Roy intend to defeat Goddess Chariot with his LV.5 stats? Ryu pursed her lips, but—
Having a Synchro Contract, she knows everything about Roy better than anyone else, including his abilities.
Even if Roy gains maximum ability value through "adventure", he can at most contend with LV.6 adventurers with mid-to-low ability values. However, Alan Fromo is clearly not in this category. All of his ability values are high-end, and his agility has reached LV.7, the ceiling of the city!
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