The Hero of the South
As all the heroes entered the arena, a total of 672 heroes participated, each being the most outstanding hero from their respective towns.
The competition adopts an elimination system. The first match is a ruthless free-for-all, where only 100 out of 672 warriors can advance. The defeated warriors will only receive a consolation prize, which is a set of exquisite equipment, as a reward for traveling a long way to the Royal Capital to participate in the competition.
As soon as the match began, Aura was already perched on Li Yan's lap, watching intently. If it were a fight between weak humans, she might not have been interested, but if it were a battle between powerful, warrior-level humans, who wouldn't enjoy a fight between strong individuals?
Li Yan gazed at the vast competition arena with great interest, gently stroking Aura, who was lying on his lap. It must be said that Aura had already developed the self-awareness of a pet; sometimes, if Li Yan casually beckoned, Aura would understand and come over.
Perhaps it's just a habit, but Aura has become accustomed to having Li Yan by her side. She can't beat him in a fight, her body is out of control, and with the Subjugation Collar, she can't do anything bad even if she wants to.
"So many heroes! I wonder who the strongest hero is."
Solitär blinked her beautiful emerald green eyes, a smile of interest on her face. She crossed her arms and looked at the group of human heroes on the field, her head gently resting on Li Yan's arm.
"I feel they're about the same."
Frieren looked at the group of heroes on the field, several of whom possessed abundant Mana, and she couldn't make up her mind.
"Macht is the referee; I think he should be able to tell who the strongest warrior is before we do."
Li Yan gently stroked Aura's head, picked up a bottle of Noble wine from the table and began to enjoy it. He watched the Brave Warriors' Brawl while sipping the wine and petting the adorable kitten, enjoying a truly blissful life.
As the Brave Warriors' Melee began, a young man wielding two swords was the first to attack. While most of the warriors on the field had formed temporary teams, he fought against five opponents single-handedly.
His conspicuous performance drew Li Yan's attention from among the many heroes. His unwavering stance and resolute gaze made Li Yan recognize him at a glance: the Hero of the South!
In the manga's storyline, he single-handedly fought against all Seven Sages of Destruction of the Fallen, including Schlacht. Even so, the Hero of the South still managed to kill three of the Seven Sages of Destruction in that battle and perished together with the All-Knowing Schlacht.
It's important to know that Macht instantly killed Frieren, was also involved in that battle. The Hero of the South was practically a war god, able to withstand Macht's Diagoldze and prevent the Foresee the Future Schlacht from doing so. If the Hero of the South had been wielding the Holy Sword, the Demons race would no longer exist.
The young version of the Hero of the South, currently in the Heroes' Brawl, is practically a gold-tier Warrior. If he were to be recruited, then the Demon King and the All-Knowing Schlacht would be utterly insignificant.
I've made up my mind!
A look of fervor appeared on Li Yan's face. He hadn't taken on any disciples in a long time, and the Hero of the South before him made him unable to contain his excitement. However, his years of Noble etiquette and demeanor made him suppress his enthusiasm.
Li Yan's voice drew the attention of everyone in the private room.
Seemingly realizing his recklessness, Li Yan coughed a few times. Looking at the Hero of the South who had already defeated the other five warriors, Li Yan gently snapped his fingers, and the invisible spiders on the ceiling instantly lost their invisibility and landed on the ground.
"Go and instruct the current Lionheart King that I have taken a liking to that young man, and that he must ensure he keeps him here."
The Mechanical Spiders looked towards the arena and locked onto the Hero of the South, who was fighting against all the team warriors single-handedly. After recording Li Yan's words, they crawled out through the door of the private room to report Li Yan's words.
Is that guy really that good?
Aura, who was lying on Li Yan's lap looking bored, yawned. This was supposed to be her afternoon nap time.
"Hmm, he could kill all Seven Sages of Destruction combined, unless you add the All-Knowing Schlacht, who has the power to counter his abilities."
Li Yan spoke softly, her eyes filled with seriousness.
"That's incredibly powerful. Those are all Seven Sages of Destruction, including Macht and Schlacht, the strongest beings below the Demon King."
Solitär looked surprised. She knew very well the significance of Macht and Schlacht, two of the strongest among the Demons.
"Indeed, I could feel the immense Mana emanating from him."
Frieren silently watched the arena. The Hero of the South had single-handedly disrupted the entire arena, and dozens of heroes were now targeting him.
"I've mimicked the flow of Mana in his body. In this state, I'm powerful enough to kill ten of my past selves."
Line spoke calmly, noting that her opponent's combat skills had reached a terrifying level.
The referee Macht, looked at the direction of the Hero of the South with some surprise. He had identified the true strongest player in the competition, and there was no need for the match to continue. The strongest player stands out in a free-for-all. With all the heroes forming teams, only the Hero of the South was a lone wolf, fighting the entire field alone.
The other heroes on the field had already noticed the strength of the Hero of the South were all crowding around him. To win the championship, they first had to push out the strongest one who didn't fit in.
"Let's all attack together!"
Noticing the movements of all the heroes, the Hero of the South swung his blade, which cut through the air. His twin swords trembled slightly, as if echoing Hero of the South words.
The situation on the field became one-sided, with all the heroes attacking the Hero of the South simultaneously. The audience watched with bated breath, their blood boiling. They had never seen such an amazing and exciting scene before, with one person actually challenging all the heroes present.
"Remember my name, the one who will defeat you is the Hero of the South!"
"Referee Macht, there are only one hundred players left on the field. Should we stop the game?"
A staff member asked Macht in a panic, knowing that this first competition was only to select one hundred people.
"Need not!"
Macht whispered, "This nationwide battle of heroes was originally meant to select the strongest one to defeat the Demon King. Now that the Hero of the South is fighting the entire field alone, there's no need for a second round. With all the heroes attacking the Hero of the South alone, the championship is already decided."
The audience keenly noticed that the number of people on the field was decreasing one by one. The Hero of the South was fighting against the group of heroes alone, and the number of other heroes had dropped to more than eighty, but the referee still did not stop the match.