"Please welcome the duelist with 123 victories, Allen!"
The booming announcement echoed throughout the enormous Giant Axe Arena.
"Allen! Allen! Allen!"
"Allen, I love you!"
The spectators below chanted Allen's name, cheering him on.
"Next, please welcome the rookie duelist, The Boss!"
Hearing his name, Sett strode into the Duel Space in just a few steps.
Someone had already entered from the other side. He was of average height, carried a blade, and had his eyes closed.
The Giant Axe Arena really takes the cake. They've put me up against someone with over a hundred consecutive wins for my first match. Who could handle that? Sett thought.
"The duel will begin in one minute." The booming announcement rang out again.
"Hey, bro, how many moves do you think The Boss can last?"
"I'd say two slashes. Allen's blade is vicious, and The Boss is just a rookie. How could he stand up to it?"
"Yeah, I think Allen's the stronger one too."
"I think The Boss is stronger. Yesterday, he killed an Aodi Beast with one punch, without even bringing a weapon."
"Pfft, what's so impressive about killing an Aodi Beast with one punch? That's just the basics."
"Place your bets, place your bets! Hurry up!"
Sett and Allen stood a hundred meters apart, waiting for the final countdown.
"I can't believe the Giant Axe Arena paired me with a rookie. They must think very little of me." Allen spoke with his eyes closed.
"Oh? I'm surprised too, but beating you shouldn't be a problem." Sett frowned at the man across from him, who hadn't even opened his eyes.
"I hope your skills are as impressive as your mouth. At least then you might die looking a little better." Allen replied, then waited quietly for the final moments.
3...2...1!
The duel began!
The booming announcement rang out again, and the duel officially started.
Whirring, Allen spun his blade a few times, flourishing it in an elegant arc.
"Soul-Severing Blade!" The blade shot forward like a bolt of lightning, slashing at Sett with tremendous force.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
Having never fought a life-or-death battle before, Sett felt nervous, and his heart raced.
Sett's gaze sharpened. Relying on his quick reflexes, he dodged Allen's blade.
"My turn!" Sett clenched both fists. Pummel!
Golden light flared around his fist as it unleashed tremendous force and slammed toward Allen.
"Those fists are fast! Soul-Severing Melody!" Allen refused to back down. This slash carried even more force than the last as he swung it at Sett's fist.
In a flash, Sett's Pummel landed. With a single punch, he sent Allen flying a great distance, his blade knocked from his grasp. It was impossible to tell if he was still alive.
"What a punch!"
"When The Boss first came in, I was wondering where he'd hidden his weapon. Turns out he only needs his fists. What a vicious punch."
The spectators gasped when they saw Allen sent flying by a single punch.
"Allen, can't you stay?" the woman beside Allen asked on a desolate grassland.
"I'm sorry. I'm already the strongest on this planet. I have to get stronger and reach the pinnacle of the universe!" Aike said, his gaze resolute, before leaving the planet under the woman's watchful eyes.
Only after heading into the universe did Allen learn that Planetary Level fighters were barely considered Universe Citizens, and could only scrape by.
Then, when he broke through to Star Level, he had no idea how to progress further. In the end, he sold himself to the Giant Axe Arena as a duelist, hoping to break through in life-or-death battles.
His blade was fast, accurate, and ruthless. He fought as if he had no feelings, swiftly racking up over a hundred consecutive victories.
Am I really going to die here? He only punched me once. No! I won't die. I'm going to reach the pinnacle of the universe!
Allen struggled to his feet after being sent flying, spitting blood as he said, "What a punch!"
As he rose, his gaze changed, as if he could suddenly see through everything.
"One instant between life and death!" Allen's blade became several times faster in an instant. He didn't use any flashy secret technique; he simply slashed straight at Sett.
"What a fast blade!" The incoming slash made Sett's heart lurch, and it began racing even faster.
Haymaker! Sett drew tremendous power into both fists and used his Innate Secret Technique. A massive golden fist gathered in front of him in an instant and blasted toward Allen!
The golden fist collided with Allen's blade, unleashing a tremendous shockwave, but Sett's punch still couldn't stop the blade.
"What?" Pummel!
Sett hurriedly threw both fists forward, unleashing his Domain of Space and Domain of Metal.
With five layers of the Domain of Metal and two layers of the Domain of Space, Sett's control over the surrounding space increased countless times over.
Combined with the terrifying force of Haymaker, he drove his fists toward the blade.
"What? He's comprehended two domains?"
"Am I seeing things? This is a Planetary Level duel, not Star Level!"
"Even for a Star Level fighter, comprehending two domains would make them a remarkable genius."
Boom! Boom!
His two fists crashed into the incoming blade like colliding trains. For a moment, the entire Duel Space seemed to erupt in a massive explosion.
"No! Break!" Allen shouted, swinging his blade even faster.
Boom! The tremendous shockwave sent both of them staggering backward.
"Again!" The fight had Sett's blood boiling and his fighting spirit soaring. He threw his fists at Allen.
His fists came at Allen like charging beasts, carrying tremendous force.
Aike's blade could hold out no longer. His body flew a great distance like a broken kite.
"No! I can't stop here." But Allen's vision went black, and he fell silent forever.
"Congratulations to The Boss on his first victory! Keep up the good work!"
"Allen was so strong. I almost couldn't beat him."
Then Sett left the Duel Space and waited for his next match. He had three duels scheduled today, and this had been the first.
"Allen was amazing! The Boss was amazing!"
"Today's matches were incredible. What a thrill!"
"The Boss! The Boss!"
"The Boss! My hero!"
"Not bad, Sett." Qingyu had been waiting in the lounge. He patted Sett on the shoulder as he entered.
"Uh, I think I underestimated the duelists here. I didn't expect my very first match to be so tough," Sett said.
His duels in the Killing Field hadn't been this difficult. With two domains, Sett had been exceptionally strong at the ninth level of Planetary Level. He hadn't expected to nearly lose his first match.
"Actually, it wasn't that surprising. Allen was talented enough to find that feeling in the midst of a life-or-death struggle, and comprehend a tiny sliver of the Origin Law," Qingyu said.
"But you're another story. Even after comprehending the Origin Law, Allen still couldn't beat you. If he hadn't met you, he could've easily earned the title of Giant Axe Warrior. He just didn't expect to run into a monster like you."
A Planetary Level fighter who could comprehend even a tiny sliver of the law was a once-in-ten-thousand-years genius. The immense potential a person could unleash in a life-or-death situation had allowed Allen to comprehend a tiny sliver of the law.
That was the allure of life-or-death training. It was dangerous, but it could greatly increase one's strength.
But The Boss was even stronger. With two Innate Secret Techniques and two domains, he had killed Allen despite not comprehending the law.
Allen's strike, infused with the law, had been stopped by Sett's Haymaker and two Pummel punches. In the end, Allen had been killed with a single punch.
"So that's what happened. I was starting to doubt my own strength," Sett said, letting out a long breath.
Even in the Killing Field's Duel Space, he'd never encountered a Planetary Level Martial Artist who had comprehended the Origin Law.
For his first duel in the Giant Axe Arena, he'd encountered an opponent like that. He couldn't tell whether it was lucky or unlucky.
"Keep it up. Clear your mind and believe in yourself. Your strength is more than enough." Qingyu stood among the others and encouraged him.
"Yeah!" Sett nodded. He planned to use the time he had left to rest and get himself back into shape.
Although he'd killed more than a thousand opponents in the Virtual Universe, this was his first time killing someone in the real world, and it didn't sit well with him.
He had to get himself together quickly, or it would affect his upcoming duels.
At this level of combat, a single instant could decide the outcome. If he wasn't in good shape, he'd be in even greater danger.
Although he'd racked up over a thousand consecutive victories in the Virtual Universe, there were no second lives in the real world. No matter how weak his opponent was, he still had to give it everything he had.
"Hm? My Domain of Space broke through! I have three layers now. Looks like my strength has improved by quite a bit!" Sett suddenly felt his Domain of Space advance by one layer.
Looks like life-or-death combat really does make it easy to improve. Sett quietly thought it over, preparing to fight well in the upcoming matches. He still had 999 duels ahead of him, so he'd better keep at it.
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