https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-319-Lanchi-s-Hatred-Reaches-its-Peak-Even-as-a-Spectator/12584464/
Chapter 318: Cardinal Lanchi's Masterful Training Camp
Chapter 318: Cardinal Lanchi's Masterful Training Camp
As Xia walked out of the shadows, his presence gradually calming the raucous arena, an eerie and wild aura clung to him, leaving onlookers questioning if he was the same person they knew.
"He was supposed to awaken a courageous spirit akin to a lion..."
If one had to describe the first impression of Xia's current state, it would be that of a corrupt and fallen leader of a special killing squad from the Demon Tribe.
His dark, double-layered leather armor was stained with blood, the inner layer fitting snugly and the outer layer hanging loosely with wide sleeves and a scarf-like collar that obscured his mouth and chin.
He held the transparent umbrella casually on his shoulder with his left hand, while his right sleeve concealed several willow-leaf blades that peeked out between his fingers.
For a moment, the only sound in the arena was the gulping of saliva as the spectators seemed to awaken to a primal fear. There was something about Xia that even the demons, who had caused panic in the north, seemed to lack.
"Xia!"
Levine Chester, Viscount of Kingston, stood up, holding onto the armrest for support. In his slightly bloodshot eyes, the entire arena seemed to have its colors inverted, becoming a silent void with only faint murmurs hinting at the passing of time.
But.
The deep red figure seemed deaf to the call, or perhaps he heard but couldn't turn back, his heart already set in stone, determined to move forward.
Viscount Levine Chester could only stare blankly at Xia's unfamiliar back, growing farther and farther away as he stepped onto the competition stage.
Beneath the unshakeable bloodlust and murderous intent was a daring sin. The once clear-eyed and brave young man now stood in a murky pool of blood.
Only God knew how many lives Xia had taken to cultivate such a tangible aura of ferocity. This wasn't something that could be achieved through careful training but only by constantly walking the line between life and death, forged through taking lives! Viscount Levine Chester, a veteran of many battles, understood this all too well.
On the ground.
On the other side of the stage, Dean, the young master of the Viscount of Born, waited on the bright white marble tiles, his eyes narrowing slightly before he snorted in disdain.
"Heh, are you a young lady? If you put on a skirt, you might actually look quite pretty."
Dean's smile was filled with pity.
If intimidation alone was enough, the Royal Magic Academy of Protoss would have welcomed Xia with open arms. A second-tier fallen assassin stood no chance against a warrior who had undergone proper training.
This was the irreconcilable gap between those who benefited from family power and resources, receiving a formal education, and those who took the path less traveled.
"..."
Xia slowly climbed the stage, his mouth curled in a flat line, his eyes seeing nothing but a pig waiting to be butchered.
He paid no heed to Dean, standing like a well-trained soldier, silently awaiting the command to begin the slaughter.
Dean's gaze turned icy, and he cracked his knuckles.
Although the rules of this spar stated that they couldn't harm each other's lives.
But in case of an accident, Viscount Chester couldn't do much to him.
After all, Xia wasn't truly a part of the Chester family, and his father had already given his word that he would take care of any fallout if they went for the kill.
On the contrary, Xia couldn't afford to make a lethal move. If he injured Dean, Viscount Born wouldn't let him off the hook today!
There were only a few seconds left until the match began.
A cloud that had drifted over the arena suddenly moved with the wind, revealing the bright winter sun once more. The light and shadow played on the faces of the spectators, and their voices and vitality returned.
They didn't understand the reason for Xia's transformation or what it truly represented.
But perhaps it was this unexpected direction of enhancement that made this match all the more intriguing!
High above in the VIP seats, Lilys' eyes remained fixed on Xia as he stood silent on the competition stage.
Not far away, Viscount Levine Chester glanced in the direction of his daughter before turning back to Xia. For some reason, the back of his head throbbed, reminding him of the news from the past two days—
Numerous Ghost Party strongholds outside the city-state had been brutally eradicated, and their members had been ruthlessly slaughtered, as if to set an example.
Strangely, the fourth-tier members and above were mostly killed with a single strike, while those below the fourth-tier had met much more gruesome fates, sparking panic within the Ghost Party.
Due to the excessive cruelty and bloodshed, the truth was being withheld from the public by several lords of the Snowfield Province until they could get to the bottom of it, fearing that the residents would also fall into a panic.
"It can't be... It just can't."
Levine Chester, Viscount of Kingston, muttered to himself, his ears ringing with the voices of the crowd.
"It is said that the most famous family legacy magic of the renowned Candys family of the Empire back then was a spiritual motility magic that blended human and elven magic scripts, manifesting the mental image of the head of the family. Xia's mental image is an umbrella, and I believe that if it can transform into another form of weapon along with his awakening, it will be his key to victory!"
"Yes, that's usually how the storybooks describe it. It's about to get exciting! Even if he temporarily falls into darkness, he will gain a whole new power!"
In the winter afternoon sun, the hour hand on the clock tower was also gradually turning towards the hour.
Although Xia's demeanor carried a strange sense of eeriness, it was perhaps just a style of expression he had chosen.
After all, as the relatively weaker party in terms of strength, presenting a more suspenseful and unknown aspect to the audience would undoubtedly be more captivating.
Clang... Clang.
As the clock tower's hour hand pointed towards the sky, the deep, resonant bell rang out.
Each deep and rhythmic strike of the bell signaled the imminent start of the intense competition.
Amid the reverberation of the bells, the shouts and expectations of the spectators in the arena also formed a lively uproar.
When the last bell tolled, the match began, and the victor and the vanquished, the honored and the regretful, would be decided in the upcoming moments!
At this moment, on either side of the center of the arena, Xia Candy and Dean Born stood facing each other, an indescribable sense of oppression hanging in the air between them.
It seemed that the slightest move from either party would spark a tempestuous battle.
"Begin the match!"
The cry of the referee, the captain of the Kingston City Knights, pierced through the brief silence, and with that signal, the battle was unleashed!
Xia, who was expected to adopt a hit-and-run strategy, completely disregarded his assassin's role and charged straight ahead like a starving beast, his breath exhaling white mist from the corners of his mouth as if filled with a deep longing for slaughter!
Dean, who faced him, hesitated for a moment, taken aback by Xia's aggressive approach, but soon a smirk curved his lips as he realized that a lower-ranked assassin dared to engage him, a warrior, head-on, making the battle much simpler.
And so, in the blink of an eye, the clash of weapons erupted at the center of the stage, sending out concentric circles of buzzing sound waves that caused the hair of the spectators in the distant stands to stir slightly as they widened their eyes, tense and captivated by the unexpected ferocity of the fight.
Driven by some primitive force, the two young men began a brutal duel, neither willing to yield!
For Dean, it was more like a brawl.
But for Xia, it was a slaughter.
The clearly weaker Xia, as if devoid of pain receptors, wore a manic grin on his lips as he sought to tear into Dean's flesh. This battle, for him, held no fear, only pure, unadulterated enjoyment!
Dean was taken aback by Xia's ferocity, as if he had completely disregarded the rules of the match and only sought to take his life from the very beginning!
And unlike Dean's malicious intent to kill, Xia's bloodlust was a hundredfold purer, standing there as if born to fight, relentless until death.
"Don't get too cocky!"
Dean couldn't help but roar in anger, gritting his teeth as he swung his sword again, his momentum momentarily suppressed, filling him with rage.
He was the stronger one, and if this continued, it would be Xia who would soon taste defeat.
This match was bloodier than the spectators had imagined. Before long, the pristine white marble floor was quickly stained red with blood, becoming mottled and unsightly, a far cry from the expected splendor, replaced instead by sheer terror.
This cruel display of overcoming the odds, disregarding death, was like a manifestation of the will of the Demon Army.
Only those who had experienced that cruel Holy War of yesteryear would be left with such a bone-deep impression.
"There's an ancient saying in the Demon World... 'Only by crossing the threshold of life and death can one become a true Demon World warrior...'"
"Could it be that the members of the Demon Army's special killing squads in those images lacked a bit of madness...?"
Such voices could be heard from the stands.
Even if one couldn't fathom why thoughts of the Demon Race would suddenly arise at this moment.
But now.
Watching Xia's silhouette.
This memory, buried beneath history and bloodlines, began to stir once more...
(End of Chapter)
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