Chapter 100: Conspiracy in the Arena

The dawn had not yet broken, but the area before the gates of Quarry Fort was already teeming with noise and excitement. The duel between the Saint Priest Vladino and the Sacred Dragon Knight Clins was about to begin.

"Praise the Goddess of Life!" Chu Tian said, impatiently pushing Damar away as they walked toward the city gate. "Old brother, how many times do I have to tell you? Don't worry, I'm fine!" Ever since Chu Tian had issued the challenge, everyone had been stunned. A Saint Priest who could not cast magic dueling a Sacred Dragon Knight? Even with Chu Tian’s many magical pets, no one doubted the outcome.

"Little brother, you have seen Clins's strength. Once he mounts his dragon, even Apache and Kuyata together would be no match for him!" Damar grabbed Chu Tian again, pleading earnestly, "Why not just call off the duel?"

"Absolutely not!" Before Chu Tian could refuse, Macori scolded Damar. "If the duel is canceled, what becomes of the Empire's dignity?" Chu Tian had issued the challenge on the battlefield, and given the status of both parties, this duel represented the struggle between two nations. If Chu Tian backed down, the hundreds of thousands of Caesar cavalry would be humiliated right along with him.

"How about... how about we just admit defeat?" Damar persisted. "Vladino, everyone knows you cannot cast magic. If you concede, it wouldn't be shameful!"

"Boss! We might not lose if we just give it a go!" Apache followed closely behind. "I will handle Clins. As long as NMD and Hummer can protect you from that dragon, I’ll take care of Clins and then finish off the beast!"

"Apache, can you really handle Clins?" Kuyata asked skeptically. Having worked with Apache for some time, he knew his strength well. "Even without his mount, that guy isn't easy to beat!"

Apache was momentarily speechless. He couldn't deny it; as Kuyata said, even on foot, Clins was superior to him. "Hmph! We'll just have to give it our all!"

"Praise the Goddess of Life!" Chu Tian sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Apache, how many times have I told you? Remember, fighting requires brains, not just throwing your life away! Isn't that right, Dior?"

"Yes, Master’s wisdom is invincible!" Dior continued his blind worship. In his eyes, his great teacher could never fail.

"Boss, take this!" Barbosa hurried over and shoved a bottle into Chu Tian's hand. Chu Tian knew exactly what was inside. "I don't need this," he said, handing it back. He had little faith in how effective a virus would be against a Tier 9 powerhouse.

"Marshal, is everything prepared outside?" Chu Tian turned to Macori.

"Everything is ready as you requested," Macori replied, frowning. "Vladino, what is the use of those things? What exactly are you planning?"

"Heh," Chu Tian chuckled. He called over the Tier 8 Bee Demon Arroyo. "Are your kin ready?" Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Chu Tian’s eyes narrowed as he smiled. "Don't worry, Clins is a dead man this time..."

Before Quarry Fort, the sun had not yet risen, but the Caesar and Race armies were already lined up on either side, leaving a vast field for the duel.

In the World of Magic Beasts, dueling was a matter of great honor. Any act that disrupted a duel was seen as a provocation to all intelligent races on the continent. Thus, sides that had been locked in a life-or-death struggle yesterday stood quietly on either side today to watch the duel initiated by Chu Tian.

Chu Tian felt great. Being watched by hundreds of thousands of people like a hero was not something that happened every day!

"Your Excellency Vladino, wait a moment!" Just as Chu Tian was about to enter the arena, Kuyata called out to him. Pointing at Dior, he asked, "Your Excellency, can your student treat my kin as well...?" Kuyata was clearly worried and was already planning for the worst. If Chu Tian were killed, what would happen to his people?

"Master will not be defeated!" Dior’s face turned red with anger. Kuyata’s words implied that he believed Chu Tian would surely die! Dior could not tolerate this.

"Heh, Dior is right, I won't lose!" Chu Tian waved his hand dismissively at Kuyata. He huddled with his pets for a long, whispered consultation before walking calmly into the arena. Aside from Boeing, who was too large, and Xiaobai, who lacked combat strength, all his pets accompanied him into the fray.

"Saint Priest! Saint Priest!..." As Chu Tian entered, thunderous cheers erupted. The young master was used to such scenes and waved his hand casually, signaling for silence.

"Vladino, what is the meaning of this!?" Clins had arrived earlier and was now glaring at the arena, asking angrily, "Why is the arena like this?" The thousand-meter-wide field was scattered with massive blocks of ice, causing the air temperature to plummet!

"Praise the Goddess of Life!" Chu Tian looked innocent. "According to the rules, since I issued the challenge, I get to choose the venue. Is there a problem?"

"Why did you place so much ice here? Don't you know my pet is an Ice Dragon?" Clins was furious. He wouldn't have cared if Chu Tian had chosen a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, but placing ice here—which only boosted his dragon's power—felt like an insult.

"Oh, the ice?" Chu Tian acted as if he had just realized. "Well, I thought that since your pet is an ice type, it might not be able to display its full strength in other environments, so I’m doing you a favor!"

"I don't need your help!" Clins slammed his spear into the ground. His knightly upbringing made him feel deeply humiliated. "I do not accept this arena!"

"Oh, you don't?" Chu Tian nodded. "According to the rules, you cannot refuse. If you do, it counts as a surrender!"

"You..." Clins found it hard to accept the advantage, fearing it would tarnish his victory, but Chu Tian had cornered him. "Vladino, for the sake of fairness, I accept this venue, but I will set the rules!" Since Chu Tian chose the field, Clins took the right to set the rules.

"Rules? That works!" Chu Tian smiled. Knightly virtues were truly useful! He thought for a moment and said, "By the way, you don't mind if I have more pets than you, do you?"

"Hmph! Of course not!" Clins sneered inwardly. What good were pets? Aside from Apache, who could compare to his dragon?

"Good! There is only one rule for this duel!" Chu Tian raised Dracula's Fury. "The duel cannot end until someone is dead..."

"Wait!" Chu Tian shouted as Clins began to charge. "What's the rush? One more thing: I want the duel recorded! You don't mind, do you?"

"Fine!" Clins was growing annoyed. At Chu Tian’s signal, the Tier 8 Bee Demon Arroyo and his swarming kin flew into the sky, carrying a magical recording stone. There were so many of them that they even blocked out the rising sun.

"The duel begins!" Chu Tian roared, put away Dracula's Fury, and climbed onto the back of the beauty spider AK. AK quickly dashed under the belly of Hummer, and then NMD began circling around Hummer.

"You..." Clins was stunned. He had fought countless duels, but he had never seen anyone hide themselves so thoroughly before the fight had even begun.

"Damn it, Clins, why are you standing there like an idiot? I'm waiting for you!" Apache said with a cocky air, as if Clins owed him gold coins. "If you have the guts, come over here! If you can't hit me, you're not a man!"

"By the War God!" Clins was trembling with rage. Ignoring Chu Tian for the moment, he mounted his dragon and charged at Apache.

The duel had begun, and the hundreds of thousands of watching troops were whipped into a frenzy, cheering wildly for their respective champions. But the situation on the field shifted so rapidly that, within a blink, the spectators didn't know who to cheer for anymore.

When Clins lunged, Apache suddenly shifted back into his Thunder Hawk form, flying at blinding speeds just above the ground. While his magical attacks weren't impressive, the mutated Thunder Hawk’s flight speed was so fast that even a dragon struggled to keep up. Moreover, the dragon’s magic and Clins’s battle qi were easily avoided by Apache. When it came to fleeing, no one on the continent could outmatch him!

And so, in a chase that lasted the entire day...

Under Chu Tian's additional rules, both sides chose to rest for the night. The next day, when the sun had not yet risen, Arroyo and his kin returned to the sky. Chu Tian remained tucked away under layers of protection. This time, Clins grew smarter; he gave up on chasing Apache and focused entirely on attacking Chu Tian.

Under the onslaught of the Sacred Dragon Knight, NMD’s body began to struggle, but Clins was also left physically and mentally exhausted by Apache’s constant harassment. In desperation, Clins separated from his dragon—Clins continued to attack Chu Tian, while the dragon chased Apache.

In the end, the dragon failed to catch Apache, and Clins alone could not break through NMD’s defense. Thus, the second day passed...

The third day...

Half a month later, Macori and Zaplan could no longer sit still. The brutal war had been halted for half a month because of this duel, and the duel itself had turned into a farce! Did Vladino intend to exhaust Clins to death? Everyone shared this thought.

Today was even worse. Chu Tian had brought Xiaobai into the arena. One man and one dog sat on AK’s back, drinking premium Vuster wine and watching Clins struggle outside.

"Vladino! Do you have any honor left as a powerhouse?" Clins glared at Chu Tian, teeth gritted, but he was powerless. "Come out and fight me!" Over the past half month, Clins’s patience had worn thin, and his dragon had been lying limply on the ground since the tenth day, refusing to chase Apache any longer.

"Praise the Goddess of Life!" Chu Tian picked up Xiaobai and asked in feigned surprise, "Clins, aren't we dueling right now?"

"Woo!" Xiaobai nodded solemnly, pointing at Clins and then at the ground. Even without Chu Tian’s translation, Clins could see the creature's contempt. "Vladino, I have no interest in playing these boring games with you!" Clins sheathed his spear.

"Knight Clins, don't forget, the duel cannot end until someone is dead!" Chu Tian’s eyes narrowed. His plan was about to succeed; he couldn't let Clins leave now. "If you step out of this arena, you lose!"

"Hmph!" Clins snorted and raised his spear again. "Vladino, what exactly do you want?" He roared, "Tell me! What have you been doing for the past half month!?" Clins refused to believe Chu Tian would do something so pointless; there had to be a conspiracy!

But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't figure it out. The Caesar cavalry were all watching from the fort, and the enemy’s key generals were present, so they couldn't be launching a surprise attack. But what else could Vladino be doing? Was he really trying to exhaust him to death?

"Half a month already?" At Clins’s prompt, Chu Tian seemed to finally recall the time. He looked up at the sky, where Arroyo and his kin still blotted out the sun. "Well, half a month should be just about enough!"

"Apache!" Chu Tian suddenly rode AK out from under Hummer and shouted, "You can start now!" He narrowed his eyes, put on a sanctimonious expression, and smiled sincerely at Clins. "Knight Clins, now, the duel officially begins!"

"Ha!" Clins laughed, pointing his spear at Chu Tian and calling to the dragon behind him, "My mount and brother, rise! Let us kill Vladino together!"

"Woo..." A faint sound echoed, so quiet that everyone thought it was Xiaobai whimpering. But Chu Tian knew his plan had succeeded. "Apache! This dragon is yours!" Ever since Frodo had shattered all his bones, Apache had harbored a deep hatred for the dragon race, so Chu Tian had gifted this kill to him.

Thud... Just as Clins prepared to strike, a massive sound came from behind him. He turned to look, and a heart-wrenching pain struck his heart—the dragon he treated as a brother would never stand up again...