Han Qiu’s victory sent the Ascendants of Tianshui Star into a frenzy.
During the halftime break, the major forums had already begun celebrating in advance.
“I never expected Gilal and Han Qiu to win consecutively. That makes up for all the losses earlier!”
“By the looks of it, the final result will be five wins, one draw, and three losses. The two extra victories give us 10%, and winning the overall match gives us another 15%. Added together, that’s a 25% increase to our Mind Power upper limit!”
“A whole quarter more! This is the Fire Thief’s most generous offer in three years!”
“It’s a shame we didn’t win more. If we’d won all nine matches, we’d have gotten a 60% increase to our upper limit. Now that would’ve been amazing, haha.”
Unlike all those celebrating ahead of time, some people thought it was too soon to be talking about the results.
“The last match hasn’t even started yet. Aren’t you celebrating a little too early?”
“Exactly. If Shadow loses, it’ll be four wins and four losses, with no penalty and no reward.”
“Judging by the previous matches, winning really isn’t easy. This Arena in particular is unfair to us. The environment often works against us, and if Shadow gets unlucky, he might not win.”
“Are you kidding? Saying Shadow can’t win? His strength isn’t something a mere environment can affect!”
“I agree. Shadow God is different from the other eight. His abilities are more versatile, so he’s not that easy to counter.”
Amid the discussion, the halftime break soon came to an end, and the spectators returned one after another.
More people came to watch this match than any of the previous eight. Part of the reason was Guan Tong’s fame, and part of it was that this was the final match.
It was also the match that would determine whether humanity’s Ascendants could successfully challenge the rules and claim their reward. It was unquestionably crucial.
“The competition for the Tianshui Star Civilization has reached its final match.”
The human spectators weren’t surprised to hear the commentator say this.
The first eight matches had made it clear enough that this commentator was here specifically to cover all nine matches.
“The Tianshui Star Civilization has achieved a record of four wins, one draw, and three losses so far. For a newly promoted level-1 civilization, this is a very respectable result.”
“However, the final match will decide whether the civilization secures an overall victory, or ends the Meltstar Arena Competition with an equal number of wins and losses.”
“Now, let us generate the arena environment for the final match!”
As the commentator finished speaking, the arena began to change.
The spectators held their breath. No one knew what the final arena would look like, or what kind of civilization and race the strongest Ascendant on their side would face.
When the generation was complete, the scene was not what anyone expected. The arena was incredibly simple: just a vast, open-air city square.
There was no high-voltage electricity or magma, and it was nothing like the impossible or terrifying Weight-Bearing Cavern and Ferry Crossing of the River of the Dead.
It was simply a large square.
Quite a few people inside their Myriad Sense Net Bubbles rubbed their eyes, thinking they must have seen it wrong. How could the final match generate such an unremarkable setting?
Was there some hidden catch?
The commentator’s words immediately dispelled that suspicion.
“The environment generated this time is an ordinary square in a human city.”
It really was just an ordinary square!
The commentator probably also thought the scene was rather plain compared with the previous eight, so he didn’t say much more.
Just then, the teleportation light pillar lit up. When the light faded, Guan Tong appeared in the square.
“Shadow God!”
“How did Shadow become a one-eyed man?”
“Could he be competing while injured?!”
“Whatever happens, you have to secure this victory!”
“Brother Tong, you’re the strongest! Take the other guy down!”
“Brother Guan, good luck!”
“Troupe Leader, we’re counting on you!”
Spectators who knew Guan Tong and those who didn’t all cheered him on.
Guan Tong hadn’t appeared in public for a long time. Many people were startled to see the eyepatch over his left eye, and thought he’d gone blind in one eye.
This naturally made the public even more worried, as they feared it would affect his fighting strength.
Those who had won their earlier matches were also in their respective Myriad Sense Net Bubbles, watching Guan Tong with varied expressions.
“Xiao Tong, you can do this.”
Shi Jingyi trusted Guan Tong and knew what he was capable of, but she couldn’t help worrying that he might face a difficult race or civilization.
Dragon Soul, whose body had recovered somewhat, wore a complicated expression.
Only after becoming an Awakened One, when his physical abilities had improved dramatically in every way and he had obtained the power of Authority, did he realize just how vast the gap between him and Guan Tong had been.
Back in Sakura Prayer Country, when the two of them had clashed, Guan Tong had unquestionably gone very easy on him.
And after becoming an Awakened One, Dragon Soul could also sense that unique, familiar aura around Guan Tong.
It was a sign of an Awakened One. It also proved that Han Qiu really was a liar, because when he had appeared earlier, Dragon Soul hadn’t sensed that aura from him.
“Win this one, Shadow.” Dragon Soul’s eyes gleamed with eagerness. “Once I’ve fully mastered the power of Authority, we’ll fight again.”
Gilal looked at Guan Tong standing in the square, curiosity filling her eyes.
She had heard Shadow’s name countless times, but had never met him. She rarely left Namelica, and had never had the chance.
It was a good opportunity to watch up close as the powerful man known as the “World’s Number One Ascendant” fought.
Han Qiu watched Guan Tong as he spoke quietly. “What did you say? He has the power of a Demon on him?”
“That’s right, heh... And it belongs to ‘Pain.’ How ironic. That guy hates humanity more than anyone.”
Han Qiu’s thoughts stirred.
After he won the Arena match and was teleported out of the arena, the voice that had entered his mind still hadn’t disappeared.
He didn’t know how that sharp female voice had gotten into his head, or what it was.
It had proposed a deal: it would temporarily “live” inside his body, and in return, it would give him a strange power.
Han Qiu hadn’t decided whether to accept when Guan Tong entered the arena to begin the final match.
As soon as he appeared, the sharp female voice in Han Qiu’s mind became excited, as if it had discovered something new, and said, “So that’s where he is.”
When Han Qiu pressed it for an explanation, it said that Guan Tong had the power of a Demon on him.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, “You say Shadow has the power of a Demon on him, and you can sense that power. So what are you?”
“Hehehe... Haven’t you already guessed? Asking when you know the answer isn’t very nice, you know.”
Han Qiu narrowed his eyes. “You’re a Demon too.”
“Well, do you want to make a deal?” the sharp female voice asked. “You want to defeat the person up there, don’t you? But you’re nowhere near as strong as he is. I can help you.”
Han Qiu wasn’t easily tempted. He knew the risk of letting a Demon with unknown motives live inside his body was simply too great.
Han Qiu asked again, “What exactly do you want?”
“Hehehe, nothing much. I’m just a little bored and want to have some fun. The emotionally rich human world has always been the Demon Race’s greatest playground.”
“...”
Han Qiu glanced at his Terminal Panel.
Dying three times in a row had cost him far too much of his Mind Power upper limit, hundreds of points in all.
He had originally been only one step away from beginning the Awakening Trial and claiming an Authority Fruit. Now he had fallen far behind again.
After the match, the Tianshui Star Joint Government was bound to be established. By then, he would have to come forward to secure a position, and without enough strength, he would be in serious danger.
He had originally planned his timing carefully, intending to break through and become an Awakened One before the Joint Government was established, gaining the power of Authority to protect himself.
Now, with his Mind Power upper limit reduced because of his three deaths in the Arena, there was no way he could meet that goal.
“Don’t be so afraid. The one who wants to live in your body is just one of my thousands of avatars,” the sharp female voice said with a laugh.
After thinking it over several times, Han Qiu nodded slightly. “All right. I’ll let you stay in my body for now. In return, you’ll let me use all your power.”
“Hehehe, don’t be greedy. Even all the humans on your planet couldn’t withstand my full power. You only need a tiny bit.”
All the humans on the planet couldn’t withstand her?
Han Qiu was shaken. He couldn’t help asking, “You said Guan Tong has the power of ‘Pain.’ What kind of Demon are you?”
“Me...” The sharp female voice let out a laugh. “I have thousands upon thousands of names. Every avatar has a different one, but the name I’m most often called is ‘Chaos.’”
The Chaos Demon?
Han Qiu memorized that name.
Just then, another teleportation light pillar lit up on the arena, and Guan Tong’s opponent appeared.
Han Qiu looked over. When the light faded, he was instantly stunned.
Not just him. Every spectator in the arena, and even Guan Tong himself, was stunned.