The battle, brutal to watch, lasted more than three hours.
To the outside world, that was not very long.
But to Asta, who had spent the entire time being beaten senseless by Bang, it felt long, agonizing, and painful.
"It's over, kid. You've already done very well."
Bang keenly caught the flaw in Asta's movements.
His figure flashed, and he closed in, avoiding the incoming black slash.
His right hand turned into a precise hand blade wrapped in a deep-blue current, cutting cleanly into the back of his opponent's neck.
[Thud!]
A heavy impact rang out.
The unwillingness on Asta's face froze in an instant.
The scarlet cross-star pupils in his eyes gradually lost focus.
The demon armor on his body turned into wisps of Black Mist and dissipated into the air.
"Mada."
His lips moved slightly, as if he still wanted to shout that catchphrase.
But his body, having accumulated too many injuries, could no longer hold on.
In the end, his heavy body fell straight forward, and he passed out.
With that, he stopped at eighth place.
"Phew—what a troublesome kid. If it had been the old me..."
Seeing this, Bang immediately let out a breath of relief.
[Whoooosh—]
The next second, Hundreds of thousands of spectators throughout the venue all rose to their feet of their own accord.
Thunderous applause and deafening cheers converged into a tidal wave of sound.
Although Asta had lost, his display of "never giving up" had still won everyone's respect.
"Heh heh~"
After the Zhongyuan Soul Return ended, Imu had returned from Spirit Capital to Duel City and was seated inside the Golden Cloud Box at the very top.
Watching yet another "protagonist" be defeated before his eyes, he could not help letting out a soft laugh.
Then his attention shifted to