The wyvern glared at him with savage eyes, tilting its head as it studied the human for a moment. It seemed to find him more tempting than the fresh meat. A low growl rumbled from its throat.
Athena's heart tightened, and she was about to rush forward when the wyvern slowly lowered its head again. It hesitated, then approached the large piece of meat and took a bite. Chen Rui's hand was completely unharmed. The entire arena, which had been holding its breath, erupted into cheers.
Chen Rui had been a little scared himself. Through his Analytical Eye, he kept reminding Kegu in his mind to bite carefully. Now that the performance had succeeded, he secretly felt relieved. Demons respected brave warriors above all else, and the arena's atmosphere reached a new peak.
Though Allen was jealous of the support the human had received, he ultimately didn't dare risk losing a hand by feeding the strange, fearsome beast the way Chen Rui had.
Chen Rui seized the moment and climbed onto the wyvern's back. The wyvern let out a shrill cry, beat its wings, and soared into the sky. Allen wasn't about to let himself be outdone, so he summoned his courage and climbed onto the other one. The two of them rose higher and higher, and at last the third match officially began.
Allen pushed his Beast Taming Technique to its limits, struggling to control the flying beast beneath him as he climbed to an effective altitude. He faced the rival he hated most—at least, in Allen's eyes, the human was his greatest rival in love.
"I've been waiting for this day for a long time." Just thinking that his rival was about to die at his hands made Allen's pent-up frustration from the past few days pour out in a rush. "I'm going to turn you into a bloody pulp right in front of Athena!"
Chen Rui couldn't be bothered to reply. This guy clearly never studied romance. What's going on in his head? Does he think Athena will like him if he kills one of her close friends? No wonder she can't stand him.
Wyverns were indeed difficult to control. Once the two were airborne, the beasts began letting out agitated cries, resisting their riders. If they hadn't been trained, they would have bitten both riders' heads off by now.
Even Allen was shaken by the violent jolting. The power he had secretly built up was already triggered, and a pale red glow shimmered around him. He struggled to keep his balance while suppressing the wyvern's movements. The two wyverns were still young; if they grew to the level of High-Rank Demons, Allen's strength wouldn't be enough to hold them down.
Chen Rui was in even worse shape. Humans weren't very strong, so all he could do was cling desperately to the wyvern's neck and struggle to keep from falling. He let out a frightened cry now and then.
Earlier, when Chen Rui had bravely fed the beast and ridden a wyvern into the sky, Joseph had still been somewhat doubtful. Now, seeing him in this state, Joseph's brow gradually relaxed, and a look of scorn flickered in his eyes.
Alice and the others grew anxious. Flames began to flicker faintly around Athena, and she stood ready to catch Chen Rui as quickly as possible.
To the spectators, the two seemed like novices who had just started taming beasts, awkwardly bobbing and swaying in the air, unable to attack. But no one laughed at them. They were riding the most powerful aerial beasts, wyverns, without any equipment to help them!
Chen Rui looked nervous on the outside, but in his mind, he and Kegu were chanting a rhythm together: Three circles to the left, three to the right...
After a long struggle, the effect of the antidote Allen had taken wore off. He felt the wyvern's poison gradually eating through the power protecting him. In desperation, he punched the beast beneath him several times. The wyvern let out an angry cry, and the one across from it answered with a cry of its own.
Then, to Allen's surprise, his wyvern obediently flew toward Chen Rui. Allen hadn't expected his attempt to work, and delight spread across his face. Though the antidote had worn off, his strength could still hold back the poison long enough for him to kill the human.
Seeing this, Chen Rui desperately urged his wyvern to flee, but it didn't budge. The spectators below grew tense.
Joseph's smile took on a hint of bloodlust, as if he could already see the human's mangled corpse.
Just as Allen's wyvern drew near, something strange happened. Allen's wyvern, Mengda, had been charging straight at Chen Rui, but it suddenly slowed, turned sideways, and exposed Allen on its back to its companion. Kegu didn't hesitate to snap at him. The change happened so abruptly that Allen was caught off guard and hurriedly dodged, but Kegu ripped the leather armor off his right shoulder.
The two wyverns worked together to launch a fierce attack on Allen. The spectators below stared in stunned silence at this completely unexpected turn of events. Nothing like it had ever happened in the history of the Aerial Competition.
"That idiot!" Joseph's smile froze. He could no longer sit still and leaped to his feet. As unbelievable as it was, he had seen everything clearly: the human apprentice hadn't done anything at all. He had simply clung to the wyvern's neck in fear. Allen had plainly been too eager for a quick victory, angered the wyvern beneath him, and made it summon its companion to take revenge.
Red flames flared around Allen as he struggled to hold out, but Mengda's violent bucking was too much for him, and he fell from the sky. As a Greater Devil, he vanished in a flash while still in midair, using a secret technique, then reappeared on the ground.
Allen looked utterly miserable. His body was covered in ghastly wounds, the flames had long since vanished, and his armor had been torn to shreds. He was nothing like the imposing figure he usually was. He staggered forward a few steps, but then the poison in his wounds began to take effect. Finally, he could hold on no longer and collapsed.
After the wyverns landed, Chen Rui could no longer keep his balance on Kegu's back and tumbled to the ground. He looked as though he had been badly frightened, his face pale and his legs weak. He couldn't get up for a moment, and Athena and the others hurried over.
The wyverns still weren't satisfied and tried to attack Allen again. The Servant Demons hurried to stop them. Under the demons' soothing, the flying beasts finally calmed down and obediently returned to their iron cages. Seeing this, Joseph became even more certain that Allen had mishandled the two newly tamed wyverns and angered them. He was so furious at the idiot for ruining his grand plan that he could barely contain himself. A draw had been all but guaranteed, and now they had actually lost!
Allen had the backing of the Kalon Family, one of Heiyao's powerful ministers. Joseph couldn't simply abandon him, so he gritted his teeth and ordered his men to carry Allen away for treatment.
"I'm fine..." With Athena and Alice supporting him, Chen Rui managed to get to his feet. As he lowered his head, a triumphant glint flickered through his eyes, unseen by anyone. He had only planned to have Mengda jolt Allen off, but he hadn't expected Allen to cooperate so well and anger Mengda. He had taken the opportunity to make Allen suffer badly. What a miserable fate for the poor guy!
After making sure Chen Rui was settled, Alice went to the center of the arena and excitedly announced over the loudspeaker, "We've won the Aerial Competition again! The final victory belongs to the Darkmoon Territory!"
The home team's victory sent the crowd's excitement soaring. The blacksmith Zack turned to a demon beside him and exclaimed, "Did you know? That human is my friend!"
If Zack had said that before the competition, everyone would have looked down on him. Now, though, many nodded in agreement. Chen Rui had won through luck, but his courage had been admirable. He had secured an important victory for Dark Moon and earned the approval of most of the demons.
Alice declared brightly, "Joseph! As agreed, in addition to the original wager, these two wyverns now belong to me. And don't forget the one hundred highest-quality Vine Stones. Make sure they're delivered to the palace soon!"
"First, congratulations to Dark Moon on its victory. The competition is just a formality; its purpose is to witness the friendship between our two territories. Chiyou and Dark Moon are as close as brothers..." Joseph was a good sport about it. "As for the wager, please rest assured, Your Highness. The Alvin Family values its promises above all else. We simply have a limited supply of the highest-quality Vine Stones in storage, but I guarantee they'll all be delivered to the palace within a month."
Joseph's gracious attitude won him plenty of goodwill. In truth, the treasurer's heart was bleeding. Two wyverns! One hundred highest-quality Vine Stones! Even the wealth of the Chiyou Territory couldn't shrug off such a loss. He had suffered no defeat like this in years. Lord Zhuo Qie, his father, would surely be furious, but for now, he had no choice but to accept it.
The Chiyou Territory's special envoy, who had traveled all this way, looked furious. He refused old Gauss's invitation, walked up to Joseph, snorted, and turned to leave. A cold glint flashed in Joseph's eyes, but he said nothing more.
Alice couldn't be bothered to listen to Joseph's pleasantries. She immediately ordered the guards to wheel away the iron cages containing the wyverns, then left with Athena and the others amid deafening cheers.
As they left the arena, Alice suggested celebrating with hot pot in the laboratory. Just then, old Gauss stepped forward and quietly said a few words to the little princess.
Alice nodded in surprise and said to Chen Rui, "My sister wants to see the two of us. We'll have to hold the celebration later."
Summoned again? Chen Rui hadn't seen Shea since that frightening incident in the garden last time. Hearing that the Eldest Princess wanted to see him again made him feel uneasy.
Old Gauss led Alice and Chen Rui through the palace and into the Council Hall, then took his leave. As soon as Alice saw Shea, she excitedly bragged about their victory. Shea nodded, and a hint of warmth showed in her cold eyes.
"Chen Rui deserves most of the credit for this victory." Alice pointed at Chen Rui. "I've already promised him fifty Vine Stones, so you don't need to give him anything extra, Sister."
"He only won in the end because he was lucky. Besides, he isn't a mage, so Vine Stones are useless to him." Shea shook her head, casually crushing the human's hopes. "Alice, you did very well today. You won a lot of Black Crystal Coins, and you also got the wyverns and the Vine Stones. Keep ten Vine Stones and five hundred Black Crystal Coins for yourself. Everything else must be turned over to the palace treasury."
Chen Rui was furious. That's daylight robbery! What a tyrant! She's taking ninety percent of the wager in one go! Was all that effort for nothing? What hurt most was the Vine Stones that should have been his. They contained so much spiritual energy!
Before you continue