Survival to Godhood 135 Surprise Strategy

Void Slayer never moved an inch, but a purple blade of energy zipped through the air. The earthling's head was decapitated.

Reiner clenched his fist. He hated losing humans the most. They had a hard enough time to become powerful, and this man just recently celebrated breaking into Core Builder realm.

"Let me fight. I'll take on my second trial," shouted Leo. He got tired of everyone here being treated as a sharpening stone for these lion beasts. He stood up and stared at the massive, Sphinx creature.

A wave of mana blasted Leo backward off his feet. "Wait your turn," a loud voice said in an annoyed tone.

"I don't need a pathetic human take pity on me," said the draconian, "I choose a trial by combat." The draconian walked into the arena and kicked the earthling's body out of bounds.

"Void Slayer face him." The lion beast never left his spot and just stared at the arrogant insect in front of him. "Begin!"

The draconian charged forward executing some lightning movement technique but when he got five feet from him, a purple aura grabbed the dragon-man in mid-air.

"What? What's going on?" asked the draconian in fear.

Slowly the purple aura pressed in on the draconian until he was pushing into a ball. Cracking and blood seeped out from everywhere. Screams of horror echoed the arena. Soon everything went quiet, and the draconian was dead. Void Slayer released his mana and dropped the crushed man.

"Void Slayer wins."

Void Slayer looked indifferent but never moved. Next up would be the last remaining contestant, since he was also a Core Builder, Void Slayer stayed in place.

Keysol looked at the beast and said, "I wish to have a Trial by Knowledge." He knew he couldn't defeat the monster using strength, so he had to gamble on the third trial.

The massive Sphinx beast smiled and told Void Slayer to return to the pack in a mana message. Seeing the lion retreat, Keysol let out a breath of air. He felt relieved seeing this would be different.

"Insect, you only have to answer one question, and you may pass the trial."

Everyone was surprised that the knowledge trial was this easy.

"What is that which has one voice and yet becomes four-footed and two-footed and three-footed?" asked the Sphinx.

"One voice, four feet, two feet, and three feet..." Keysol mumbled to himself.

The Sphinx manifested a sand hourglass mid-air and flipped it over. "You have until the last piece of sand falls to answer the question."

Everyone wondered to themselves what the answer could be and what would Keysol come up with when time ran out. Lucy had a look of worry. Even though they had not known each other for long, she liked Keysol.

Leo felt sorry, as he recovered from being knocked away. He did everything he could, but in the presence of this omniscient being, he couldn't even protect himself from being blasted away.

Keysol smiled as he thought he solved it. "The answer is a Sphinx beast." He decided to go with it as how vain the beast before him acted.

"Wrong!"

A space tear opened behind Keysol, and an invisible mana blast launched him into it. The winged-human disappeared into the portal like all those before him.

Just like that, there were only seven remaining contestants. The massive Sphinx glanced over the seven combatants and questioned if they would survive two more trials. Soon her gaze landed on Leo.

"Human you may now get your chance. Step forward for your next trial. You may choose Trial of Knowledge, Strategy, or Cooperation."

"Cooperation?" The seven asked to themselves. It was a new trial.

Leo thought for a second and then said, "Give me the Trial of Strategy." He didn't know the answer to the riddle from before, and the new trial was a mystery.

The arena transformed into the senet board. The lion, Void Slayer, stepped forward and walked up to the senet board. The two warriors stared at each other when the word "Begin" echoed throughout the area.

Leo looked at his five pawns and tried to feel how each one absorbed mana. Watching the game and participating in one was two different things altogether.

Each pawn felt like an empty vessel, similar to Leo controlling weapons and stones, but each object felt like an endless pit. "How did they move each piece with mana?"

Leo started to infuse, earth mana into the first pawn. He realized by the time it finally swelled up, and he had less than half of his mana remaining. This predicament meant he could at most fill two pieces at most.

Seeing Reiner and the other warriors move the pawns so quickly just gave him how large of power gap there was between him and the higher plane warriors.

Leo's turn was first, and he calmly walked forward. He grabbed his first pawn and physically moved it one space. He had been the first player to do this since the mermanian did in the first attempt.

Everyone looked at him strangely. From his early battle, they could all tell he was powerful enough to move it with mana.

Leo smiled at Void Slayer and returned to his spot at the end of the board. The lion responded with a curious gaze.

"Is he conserving his mana?" Void Slayer asked himself.

Void Slayer channeled space and wind mana into his first piece. He had the pawn move forward two spaces using mana. Since pawn could only attack so many squares away, Leo's senet pieces were out of range.

Leo paused for a long time to observe the board and walked across it again to move his second pawn forward only one space. This positioning continued until finally, Void Slayer moved close enough to have his pawn release a Void Blast to destroy Leo's first pawn.

One by one, Void Slayer attacked each turn, destroying three more pawns. Leo never once defended or attacked. He just moved his pieces one square at a time.

"Make your final move." The lion said angerly to Leo. This battle was a disappointment. The human-lion hybrid failed to meet his expectations and pretty much chose to lose.

Leo walked foward and moved his fifth and final piece, only one square. He made an about-face and headed back to the end of the board.

The beast moved his first pawn forward and before he could even command his piece to attack the arena's square below him transformed into an earth spike and destroyed his pawn. Everyone was surprised as to what just happened.

Only two people clearly understood what was happening. Of course, one was Leo, and the other was the massive Sphinx overwatching the entire thing. She felt terrible that her child below would lose cause they would never even to think to fight that way. This surprise strategy could only come from someone who always struggles as an underdog.

Chapter end