Volume One: Intrigue in the Imperial Capital, Chapter 70: The Final Showdown Above (End)

At that moment, all sound disappeared.

Crimson and silver-white, two strikingly different colors, blended seamlessly at this moment. They dissolved, merged, permeated, condensed, and collapsed—following this collapse to its limit—

Break out!

The SS-18 is the largest active missile on Earth and a next-generation Russian missile technology. In terms of both size and power, it is second to none in the world. Its nearly 9-ton effective payload alone is enough to make all other missiles of the same type pale in comparison.

Of course, the people of Spirit Star couldn't use the power of a missile as a metaphor or unit of measurement—what they saw was crimson and silver colliding in mid-air, holding their positions for a moment before a violent explosion occurred. Red and white light shot hundreds of meters into the sky, and waves of energy spread outwards, constantly impacting the spiritual energy barrier separating the arena from the stands. The highest-level defensive fortifications prepared by the super families trembled violently under the energy impact, as if about to crack!

Snap

Under the continuous erosion, the first crack appeared on the barrier.

Snap, snap, snap...

Immediately afterwards, a second, third, and fourth crack appeared in succession.

"Oh my god! The barrier is about to collapse!" The security personnel, finally regaining their senses, were horrified.

"Hurry! The emergency rescue team and the security department, together, should supply it with spiritual energy!"

"Quickly! Move quickly!"

Dozens of powerful individuals swiftly gathered at the central part of the spiritual energy barrier, manually channeling the spiritual energy from the Spirit Stone Ore into the barrier. Under the frenzied infusion of spiritual energy, the cracks finally stopped spreading, creating a stalemate with the barrier.

"Hold on! Don't let your guard down!"

"Damn it! Are those two women monsters!?"

"I can't take it anymore, I... almost..."

"Persist in!"

At the critical moment, the aftershocks of the explosion finally dissipated, and the barrier was just one step away from completely collapsing. The billowing smoke and dust finally cleared up, and everyone could finally see the situation on the arena.

"Hiss--!" Someone gasped.

"Holy crap..." someone exclaimed in disbelief.

"Is this something a human being would do...?" someone exclaimed.

The entire competition area—the ring, the railings, and the ground outside the arena—had all disappeared, replaced by a huge, deep pit. The pit was filled with white sand, all formed from the crumbled marble.

"Wait... where are the two of them!?" Finally, someone remembered the two people involved.

I—no, it should be "I"—opened my eyes.

Looking around, all that comes into view is a pitch-black sky and a rugged, rocky landscape.

It seems I'm waiting for someone.

Who are we waiting for?

"Good evening, Blood Fiend. I'm so glad you accepted my invitation."

A voice came from behind, hoarse and grating like a broken radio; it was barely discernible that the speaker was male.

"... Stop talking nonsense. Your idea is too dangerous. I object."

I didn't even turn around.

"Oppose? Heh, is that really the case?" The man behind him let out a chilling laugh. "If you really objected to me, you should have reported it to the 'Leader' immediately after reading my message, but you didn't."

"..."

"You agree with me to some extent, don't you?"

You think I would trust you?

"After being partners for so long, you should know better than anyone whether I'm trustworthy or not."

"... tsk."

I smacked my lips, but didn't argue further. Yes, this man was indeed one of the very few people who could gain my trust.

"I'm not asking for an immediate answer. I'll wait a week, or a month if a week isn't enough—of course, if you insist on leaking information to the Leader during this time, there's nothing I can do. But in any case, I hope to hear your reply. Well then, goodbye."

"Wait!" I finally turned around, but the other person had already vanished without a trace.

"... Found her... found her..."

"Hey... be gentle... lift her out..."

In a daze, I heard people shouting.

"How are your injuries...?"

"Tsk tsk... just... this little injury..."

My body felt limp, and I had throbbing pains in several parts of my body. My ears were ringing.

"... In this situation... who exactly wins...?"

"Who knows... a draw?"

"Ugh..." I groaned softly.

"She spoke!" someone shouted immediately. The buzzing in my ears gradually subsided, and I could clearly hear people talking.

"Doctor! Doctor, come quick!"

I struggled to open my eyes, and what came into view were many faces, men and women, who seemed to be pulling me out.

I turned my neck, enduring the pain, and saw that my lower body was buried in fine sand.

Looking further ahead, this... is a huge crater? Where did this crater come from? Where's the arena?

Oh... right, Haoyue and I used our ultimate moves to clash at the end, and this crater is probably our joint creation.

Speaking of which, where is Haoyue?

Squinting into the distance, I could see a group of people gathered on the other side of the pit directly opposite me, and I could vaguely see a girl being lifted up.

It seems we neither of us gained anything in the end. So how should we calculate this? A draw?

"Get out of the way!"

A group of people rushed up to me in a flurry. It was Si Nan Ying, Si Nan Yuan, and several other people who appeared to be doctors.

"Hey... who won?" I managed to say with difficulty.

"It's a draw! Okay, don't say anything yet!" Si Nan Yuan was unusually flustered.

It was a draw after all.

This is probably the best possible outcome.

In the following days, the ultimate showdown between the two beauties became the most talked-about topic. As word spread, the already impressive battle became even more earth-shattering.

Naturally, my name spread throughout the entire capital, and correspondingly, the reputation of Si Nan Ying, the "master," also improved in a positive way. Si Nan Yuan and Elder Hong were naturally overjoyed.

As for my injury, it healed in just a few days. The injury wasn't serious to begin with, and with the aid of the highest-grade Spiritual Medicine, it would have been difficult for it to heal slowly.

The competition rules stipulate that if a tie occurs within a group in the third stage, the opponents will be changed and another match will be played. I even did rehabilitation exercises specifically for this purpose.

"You still want to compete? There's no need. You and Miss Haoyue have both advanced," Si Nan Yuan said to me.

"What!?"

"We just received news this morning that the other two members of your group have withdrawn. At least they know their place."

"(⊙o⊙)..."

I guess they were ashamed of themselves after watching our fight, and decided it was better to give up early than to suffer defeat and humiliation. It was a wise choice and saved me a lot of trouble.

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This is the second update today!