On the day of the competition, the central square was teeming with spectators, including the leaders of the Temple of the Seven Gods and other significant figures who had come to witness the event.

The Sloth and Pride Temples each dispatched eight elite warriors, clad in their distinctive armors, their resolute gazes betraying their readiness to showcase their prowess in the contest.

Before the competition commenced, Enzo stood upon the grand platform and proclaimed the rules to the assembled crowd: “The competition will follow a single-elimination format, with random pairings for each round. The victors will advance, while the defeated shall be eliminated. Ultimately, the champion will possess absolute authority, second only to myself.”

With Enzo’s command, the competition officially began. In the first round, warriors from both the Sloth and Pride Temples ascended the arena, engaging in fervent combat.

The first to take the stage was Leo, the warrior of the Sloth Temple—his formidable physique, muscle-bound and imposing, resembled a moving mountain. Opposing him was Spezia, the swordsman of the Pride Temple, whose graceful form and elegant longsword conveyed an air of disdain.

“Hah! You think you can stand a chance against me with that puny frame?” Leo bellowed, stretching his limbs in preparation for the onslaught.

Spezia smirked, the tip of his sword aimed directly at Leo: “Big man, don’t let your size deceive you. It doesn’t guarantee victory.”

Before his words had fully escaped his lips, Spezia vanished in a blur, appearing beside Leo like a wraith. His sword struck out with the swiftness of lightning, aimed straight for Leo’s vital points. Reacting with remarkable speed, Leo sidestepped just in time, narrowly avoiding the blow.

“Not bad!” Leo roared, launching a powerful fist toward Spezia. Yet, with the lightness of a feather, Spezia evaded Leo’s hefty punch, countering with a swift slash that left a shallow mark upon Leo’s armor.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Leo bellowed in frustration, intensifying his assault. However, Spezia’s agile movements allowed him to evade Leo’s strikes at critical moments, all while seizing opportunities to retaliate.

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After a fierce battle, Spezia finally discovered Leo’s vulnerability. Seizing the moment, she thrust her sword through Leo’s armor, piercing deep into his flesh. With a pained cry, the massive figure of Leo crashed to the ground.

“I have triumphed!” Spezia sheathed her sword, a triumphant smile dancing at the corners of her lips.

Meanwhile, on another corner of the arena, the archer Carly from the Temple of Sloth faced off against the wizard Philip from the Temple of Pride. Carly, wielding her longbow with a keen gaze, was met with Philip, who brandished his staff with a smirk of disdain.

“An archer? Ha! Watch how I shatter your arrows!” Philip jeered, raising his staff to summon a wall of flames before him.

Carly’s expression turned serious. She recognized the wall of fire would obstruct her arrows.

Yet, she remained composed, swiftly observing Philip’s movements. Just as he relished his perceived advantage, Carly drew her bowstring taut and released an arrow.

The projectile flew at an astonishing speed, piercing the wall of flames almost instantaneously, hurtling straight toward Philip.

Startled, Philip hurriedly swung his staff, conjuring a protective barrier in front of him.

However, Carly’s arrow seemed to possess a will of its own, veering at the last moment to slip beneath his arm, tearing through his garments.

“That was close!” Philip’s face drained of color, a sheen of sweat beading on his forehead. He could no longer afford to underestimate Carly, focusing intently on the battle.

Yet Carly offered him no respite, unleashing a relentless barrage of arrows upon Philip. Though he fought valiantly to defend himself, he gradually found himself overwhelmed by Carly’s exquisite marksmanship.

Ultimately, it was a precise shot to Philip’s head that sent him crashing down, incapacitated.

“I have emerged victorious!” Carly tucked away her longbow, a radiant smile illuminating her face.

As the first round of the competition drew to a close, one warrior from the Sloth Temple and one from the Pride Temple were eliminated.

The subsequent second round intensified, with combatants unleashing their full prowess.

In the opening match of the second round, the formidable berserker Brad from the Sloth Temple faced off against Hudson, the shield warrior from the Pride Temple. Brad wielded twin axes with immense strength, while Hudson donned heavy armor and brandished a massive shield, showcasing incredible defensive capabilities.

“Come on, let me see how tough that shield really is!” Brad bellowed, swinging his axes with ferocity toward Hudson.

Steadfast as a mountain, Hudson positioned his shield, effortlessly absorbing Brad’s onslaught. Seizing the moment, he delivered a powerful kick to Brad’s abdomen, sending him staggering backward.

Brad, undeterred, roared in fury and launched a relentless assault. Yet, Hudson’s defenses were impenetrable. No matter how fiercely Brad attacked, he could not breach Hudson’s line. Conversely, as the fierce battle raged on, Brad gradually began to tire.

Ultimately, during a critical misstep, Hudson capitalized on an opening and delivered a devastating blow, sending Brad hurtling out of the arena and eliminating him from the competition.

Meanwhile, in another match, Sarah, the assassin from the Sloth Temple, engaged in a fierce contest against Abigail, the summoner from the Pride Temple.

Sarah moved with an ethereal grace, almost ghost-like in her elusiveness. Abigail, on the other hand, commanded powerful creatures to fight on her behalf.

“Aha, watch how I ensnare you!”

Sarah scoffed, vanishing from sight in an instant. However, Abigail had anticipated this move, summoning a colossal fire element to shield herself.

Sarah darted from behind the fire element, her dagger aimed at Abigail’s vital points.

Yet Abigail merely smiled, conjuring an ice wall to block her path. Sarah’s dagger struck the ice, producing a sharp sound but failing to penetrate.

At that moment, Abigail summoned a fierce lion to pounce on Sarah.

Although Sarah was agile and swift, she found herself compelled to momentarily evade the onslaught of such a ferocious beast.

After a fierce struggle, Sarah, despite coming close to victory several times, ultimately fell prey to Abigail, who seized the opportunity to bind her in place with a restraining spell.

Subsequently, summoned creatures surged forth, eliminating her from the competition.

As the second round concluded, both the Sloth and Pride temples saw two of their warriors eliminated.

The remaining fighters were the crème de la crème, ensuring that the upcoming matches would undeniably be even more intense and thrilling.

Enzo observed the warriors on the field, pondering to himself, “These fighters are not to be underestimated. The subsequent battles will surely be even more captivating.”

At that moment, Matilda approached Enzo and whispered, “Enzo, don’t you think these two rounds have been quite exhilarating?”

Enzo nodded, “Indeed, they have been exceptionally intense, but this is merely the beginning. The true contest lies ahead.”

Patricia chimed in, “Yes, the upcoming battles are bound to be even more spectacular.”

Flora smiled gently, “Regardless of the outcome, as long as everyone gives their utmost effort, that is what truly matters.”

As the crowd buzzed with discussion, the bell for the third round rang, and new warriors stepped onto the stage, ready to embark on the next phase of competition.

In the first match of the third round, the warrior from the Sloth temple was an agile fighter named Hurricane, renowned for his prowess with dual daggers. His opponent was a heavily-armored warrior from the Pride temple, named Ernest.

Hurricane moved with grace, his twin blades dancing in his hands with a life of their own. In contrast, Ernest stood firm as a rock, his heavy armor appearing nearly impervious to attack.

“Hmph, you think your light armor can withstand my assault?” Hurricane scoffed, as he accelerated, launching a flurry of strikes towards Ernest.

Ernest did not flinch. A soft glow emanated from his armor, as though it could repel all assaults.

The dual blades of Hurricane struck against the heavy armor, producing a cascade of sparks, yet failing to inflict even a scratch on Ernest.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Ernest scoffed, suddenly launching a counterattack with a powerful fist aimed at Hurricane. The latter deftly evaded, but Ernest’s mighty blow left a deep imprint in the ground, a testament to his immense strength.

Hurricane, wary and unrelenting, intensified his assault with his blades, seeking to expose any weakness in Ernest’s defense. Yet, no matter how ferociously he attacked, he could not breach the impenetrable wall of Ernest’s guard.

At that moment, Hurricane abruptly altered his strategy—eschewing direct confrontation, he began to dart around, harassing Ernest to find an opening. Finally, when Ernest unwittingly revealed a vulnerability, Hurricane seized the chance, his blade slicing through Ernest’s heavy armor, blood seeping forth in an instant.

Hurricane stated coldly,”You’ve lost.”

Ernest glanced at the wound on his chest, his countenance pallid, and shook his head in resignation. “I concede.”

Meanwhile, on another platform, a fierce clash unfolded between Bevan, the mage of the Pride Temple, and Herbert, the shadow assassin from the Sloth Temple.

With a flourish of his hands, Bevan unleashed a barrage of flames towards Herbert. However, Herbert, moving like a wraith, navigated effortlessly through the inferno, unharmed.

“Hmph, mere parlor tricks.” Herbert mocked, vanishing from sight only to reappear behind Bevan, his dagger poised for a lethal strike.

Bevan, quick to react, summoned a fiery shield that materialized just in time to deflect Herbert’s assault. Concurrently, he formed an incantation, launching a much larger fireball towards the assassin.

Herbert, unwilling to take the hit, vanished again. Yet Bevan had anticipated this. Flaming chains surged from all directions to ensnare Herbert. Although swift and agile, Herbert began to find himself increasingly beleaguered by the relentless pursuit of the fiery shackles.

At that moment, Herbert suddenly unleashed his ultimate move—Shadow Assault, his form accelerating instantaneously, transforming into a streak of Umbra as he charged at Bevan. Though Bevan reacted in time, erecting a flame shield to fend off Herbert’s onslaught, he was nonetheless pushed back several steps by the sheer force of the attack.

“Such an impressive Shadow Assault!” Bevan exclaimed in admiration. Yet, undeterred, he launched another assault, engaging Herbert in a fierce duel of spells and shadows.

After a grueling battle, Bevan, harnessing his formidable fire magic, steadily forced Herbert into retreat. In a moment of oversight, Herbert fell prey to Bevan’s keen opportunity, a powerful burst of flame sending him crashing to the ground.

Herbert gasped,”I concede.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep