First Duel (Seeking Votes)

"Next, let us welcome the duelist with 123 consecutive victories, Allen!"

A resounding voice echoed throughout the massive Giant Axe Arena.

"Allen! Allen! Allen!"

"Allen, I love you!"

The spectators in the stands shouted Allen's name one after another, cheering for him.

"Next, let us welcome the newcomer duelist, The Boss!"

Hearing his name called, Sett took a few strides and stepped into the Duel Space.

He saw that his opponent had already arrived; the man was of average height, armed with a blade, and currently had his eyes closed.

This Giant Axe Arena is really something else, putting me against someone with over a hundred wins in my first match. Who could handle that? Sett thought to himself.

"The duel will officially begin in one minute," the loud voice announced once more.

"Hey, brother, tell me, how many moves do you think The Boss can last?"

"I'd guess two strikes. This Allen's blade is incredibly vicious, and since The Boss is just a newcomer, there's no way he can withstand it."

"Yeah, I think Allen is stronger too."

"I think The Boss is better. He didn't even bring a weapon yesterday and killed an Aodi Beast with a single punch."

"Pfft, what's so special about killing an Aodi Beast with one punch? That's just entry-level stuff."

"Betting is open! Betting is open! Place your bets!"

Sett and Allen stood one hundred meters apart, waiting for the final countdown.

"I didn't expect the Giant Axe Arena to arrange a match against a newcomer for me. They really look down on me," Allen said with his eyes still closed.

"Oh? I'm quite surprised myself, but taking you down shouldn't be a problem," Sett said, frowning as he saw his opponent wouldn't even open his eyes.

"I hope your strength is as impressive as your mouth, so you can at least die looking decent," Allen replied, then waited silently for the final seconds to tick away.

3... 2... 1!

The duel begins!

The booming voice rang out again, and the duel officially commenced.

Hum, hum, hum. Allen spun his blade a few times, performing a flashy flourish.

"Soul-Severing Blade!" The blade moved as fast as thunder, slashing toward Sett with immense power.

Bang! Bang!

Experiencing life-or-death combat for the first time, Sett felt a bit nervous, his heart rate climbing significantly.

Sett's eyes narrowed, and relying on his quick reflexes, he dodged Allen's blade.

"My turn!" Sett clenched his fists. Pummel!

His fists erupted with golden light, unleashing tremendous power as he lunged at Allen.

"Such a fast punch! Soul-Severing Melody!" Allen was not to be outdone. The momentum of this strike was even greater than before as he slashed toward Sett's fist.

In the blink of an eye, Sett landed a single punch using Pummel. Allen was sent flying far away, his body and blade separated, his life or death unknown.

"What a powerful punch!"

"When this The Boss first walked in, I was wondering where he hid his weapon. Who knew he relied solely on his fists? Such a ruthless punch."

The audience erupted in gasps as they saw Allen sent flying by a single blow.

"Allen, can't you stay?" a woman asked in the desolate grasslands.

"I'm sorry. I am already the strongest on this planet. I must improve my strength and reach the pinnacle of the universe!" Aike said with determined eyes, leaving the planet under the woman's gaze.

Only after heading into the universe did Aike realize that being a Planetary Level was barely enough to be considered a citizen of the universe, struggling just to make a living.

With no clue how to break through to the Star Level, he finally went to the Giant Axe Arena to sell his services as a duelist, seeking a breakthrough between life and death.

His blade was fast, accurate, and ruthless, and he himself seemed devoid of emotion, quickly racking up over a hundred consecutive wins.

Am I really going to die here? He only used one punch... No! I won't die! I must reach the pinnacle of the universe!

Allen, who had been sent flying, struggled to get up, spat out blood, and wheezed, "What a powerful punch!"

As he stood up, the look in Allen's eyes changed, as if he could see through everything.

"A moment of life and death!" Allen's blade became several times faster in an instant. Without using any flashy secret techniques, he slashed directly forward.

Such a fast blade! Sett felt a palpitation as he watched the incoming strike, his heart rate spiking even further.

Haymaker! Sett channeled immense power into his fists. Using his Innate Secret Technique, a massive golden fist instantly manifested in front of him, roaring toward Allen!

The golden fist collided with Allen's blade, creating a massive shockwave, yet Sett's fist did not stop Allen's blade.

"What?" Pummel!

Sett hurriedly used both fists, releasing his Domain of Space and Domain of Metal.

A full five layers of the Domain of Metal and two layers of the Domain of Space instantly increased Sett's control over this space by countless times.

Combined with the terrifying momentum of Haymaker, he struck toward the blade.

"What? He actually comprehended two types of domains?"

"Am I seeing this right? This is a Planetary Level duel, not a Star Level one!"

"Even if a Star Level warrior could comprehend two domains, that would be considered extremely genius."

Bang! Bang!

The two fists, like colliding trains, slammed into the incoming blade. For a moment, the entire Duel Space felt as if a massive explosion had occurred.

"No! Break for me!" Allen shouted, his blade moving even faster.

Bang! The two were knocked back by the massive shockwave.

"Again!" Sett was boiling with hot-blooded excitement and full of fighting spirit, throwing his fists toward Allen.

Those fists were like a charging beast, carrying immense power as they slammed forward.

Aike's blade could no longer hold up, and his body flew far away like a kite with a broken string.

"No! I shouldn't stop here." But Allen's vision went black, and he completely lost all signs of life.

"Congratulations to The Boss for achieving his first victory. Please keep up the good work!"

"This Allen was so strong; I almost lost."

Sett then exited the Duel Space, waiting for the next duel. He had a total of three duels today, and this was the first.

"What an amazing Allen, what an amazing The Boss."

"Today's matches are too exciting, so satisfying!"

"The Boss! The Boss!"

"The Boss! My superman!"

"Sett, not bad strength you've got there." Seeing Sett enter the lounge, Qingyu, who had been waiting, patted him on the shoulder.

"Uh, I feel like I underestimated the strength of the duelists in the arena. I didn't expect the first match to be this difficult," Sett said.

When dueling in the Killing Field, it hadn't been this hard. With two domains, Sett was incredibly powerful at the ninth rank of the Planetary Level; he hadn't expected to almost lose the very first match.

"Actually, it's fine. This Allen had enough talent; he found that feeling between life and death and comprehended a sliver of the origin laws," Qingyu said.

"It's just that even an Allen who comprehended the origin laws was no match for you. If he hadn't met you, he would have easily obtained the title of Giant Axe Warrior, but he didn't expect to run into a monster like you."

To be able to comprehend a sliver of the laws at the Planetary Level was a talent seen once in ten thousand years. And the massive potential unleashed by a person between life and death had allowed Allen to directly comprehend that sliver of law.

This was the charm of life-and-death training; although dangerous, the improvement in strength was immense.

But The Boss was even more formidable. With two Innate Secret Techniques and two types of domains, he had killed Allen despite not having comprehended any laws.

That strike from Allen, which carried the power of the laws, was directly neutralized by Sett's Haymaker and two strikes of Pummel, before he was finally killed by a single punch.

"So that's how it is. I almost doubted my own strength," Sett exhaled a long breath.

Even in the Killing Field duel spaces, he had never encountered a Planetary Level warrior who had comprehended the origin laws.

To encounter such a powerhouse in his first duel at the Giant Axe Arena, he didn't know whether to call it luck or misfortune.

"Keep it up, clear your mind, and believe in yourself. Your strength is fine," Qingyu cheered him on from the side.

"Yeah!" Sett nodded, preparing to use the remaining time to rest well and adjust his state.

Although he had killed opponents thousands of times in the Virtual Universe, this was his first time killing someone in the real world, which made Sett feel somewhat uneasy.

He had to adjust his state quickly, or it would affect the upcoming duels.

In battles of this level, a single moment could decide victory or defeat. If his state wasn't right, it would be even more dangerous.

Even with a winning streak of over a thousand matches in the Virtual Universe, there were no second lives in the real world. No matter how weak the opponent, he had to give it his all.

"Hm? My space domain has broken through! I now have a third-layer space domain. It seems my strength has increased by another large margin!" Sett suddenly felt his space domain improve by another level.

It seems life-and-death battles really make it easy to improve one's strength, Sett thought to himself, preparing to fight well in the future. There were still nine hundred and ninety-nine duels waiting for him, so he had to keep going.