Arena! The Beginning of the Trial

The fighting inside the arena had already begun, and the waves of boisterous cheering sounded exceptionally clear in the night. This was only with less than thirty percent of the audience present; one could only imagine the scene during its heyday.

Chen Rui walked to the entrance and was stopped by two Horned Demon guards.

"Where is your betting ticket?"

It turned out the betting ticket served as the admission ticket. Chen Rui thought for a moment and asked, "May I ask, how does one sign up to compete?"

One Horned Demon looked Chen Rui up and down, sensing no power from him, and sneered, "A coward like you wants to come to the arena to throw your life away?"

Chen Rui didn't speak. He simply stepped forward and gripped the iron hammer the guard was holding, causing several finger indentations to appear on the metal instantly.

This display stunned both Horned Demons. Most of those who participated in the arena were desperate men; if one were to provoke such a person, the consequences would be dire. One of them immediately said, "If you want to sign up, go straight in, then turn left and go upstairs to the room."

Chen Rui nodded and walked straight inside. He found the room the Horned Demon had mentioned. It was a large, rather ornately decorated hall. A table blocked the entrance, and a Servant Demon was sitting behind it.

"Is this where I sign up for the arena?"

The Servant Demon lazily pointed to a wooden sign by the door. Chen Rui looked and saw that the information was written clearly. Arena combat matches were divided into three tiers based on rank: Low-tier, Mid-tier, and High-tier. The higher the tier, the higher the prize money. Winning streaks or challenging a winning streak would also increase the prize money. According to the rules, there was also a distinction between unarmed and armed combat. At the very bottom, it was specifically noted: Life and death are at your own risk.

The Servant Demon waited for him to finish reading and said, "If you are certain you want to participate, report your name and power level to me now. Generally, your match will be arranged within three days. You can check your match schedule on the bulletin board outside the arena. If you dare to lie about your strength or flee out of cowardice, you will face severe punishment from Lord Alaux."

"I am certain I want to sign up." Chen Rui nodded. Since the match wouldn't be arranged for three days, it was the perfect time to observe the situation in the arena. Furthermore, he had just used an Aurora Blast during his negotiations, and combined with the one from his special training with the Poison Dragon last night, his two shots within twenty-four hours were exhausted; he would need three hours to recover.

"Mid-tier Demon, initial stage." Chen Rui thought for a moment and deactivated his "Breath Concealment" trait.

"Mid-tier?" The Servant Demon looked at this "Devil Race" member, who was wearing a cloak and wasn't particularly tall, and finally perked up a bit. He nodded, "Initial-stage matches lack excitement, and there are too few participants for the high-tier. Mid-tier matches are the most frequent, but today is already fully booked; the next one is the final match. Also, your name."

"Agulie."

"Agulie... I feel like I've heard that somewhere," the Servant Demon recalled, but couldn't place it. He handed an iron plate to Chen Rui: "It doesn't matter what you call yourself. Unless you can survive more than three matches, a name has no meaning for you. No one remembers the name of a corpse. From now on, you are Number 64. Remember to keep an eye on the bulletin board outside the arena. Notifications are usually posted two days in advance, and matches always start at night. Don't miss your time."

Chen Rui took the plate engraved with the number "64." His gaze inadvertently swept over an artistic sculpture emitting a faint, eerie glow beside the sofa opposite him, and it immediately froze. The statue was nearly 1.3 meters tall, exquisitely crafted, and depicted a female Greater Devil holding a strange double-headed scythe.

What Chen Rui was looking at wasn't the artistic value of the statue, but its material: Fluorescent Shadow Stone! Such a large piece of Fluorescent Shadow Stone!

"Is that... a statue made of Fluorescent Shadow Stone?"

The Servant Demon looked back and said boastfully, "This is one of Lord Alaux's favorite art pieces. It was carved from a single piece of top-quality Fluorescent Shadow Stone. It changes color every hour. Right now, the Lord is watching the matches; otherwise, he usually loves to sit here and drink."

Chen Rui hadn't expected such a harvest from coming to the arena. It was truly a case of finding something without even looking for it—top-quality Fluorescent Shadow Stone! A piece of this size was worth at least several thousand, if not ten thousand, units of spiritual energy. He had to figure out a way to get his hands on it. However, there were other rooms in this hall; he hoped Alaux didn't live here. If he did, things would be tricky.

Just then, a Lesser Devil ran over in a panic and said, "This is bad, Lord Qidun! Number 52, who was supposed to fight 'Blood Hand' Langke in the next match, has disappeared."

"What!" Qidun was shocked: "Did this guy flee out of fear of Blood Hand Langke's reputation? Does Lord Alaux know?"

The Lesser Devil replied anxiously, "Lord Alaux has already gone to hunt down Number 52, but the final match is about to start. What should we do?"

The final match was usually the main event, and it drew the most bets. If the match were canceled, the arena would suffer a huge loss, and its reputation would decline.

"Lord Alaux never leaves anyone alive," Qidun said with a troubled expression. His eyes darted around and landed on Chen Rui, who had just signed up. He said, "Number 64, your opportunity has arrived. There is a match that is currently missing a person. If you win, you can get double the prize money!"

Chen Rui couldn't use his Aurora Blast right now. Judging by the fact that Number 52 had fled and that winning would yield double the prize money, this Blood Hand Langke was definitely formidable. He wasn't stupid enough to go head-to-head with such a terrifying opponent on his very first attempt at real combat.

Chen Rui was about to refuse when a thought suddenly flashed through his mind. He pointed at the hall and said, "I don't want double the prize money. I want that."

Qidun followed the direction of his finger and saw it was Lord Alaux's favorite statue. He shook his head quickly and was about to speak when a strange voice rang out from behind him: "Accepted! As long as you can defeat Blood Hand Langke!"

Upon hearing this voice, Qidun immediately stood up respectfully: "Lord Alaux!" Before Chen Rui could turn around, a burly figure had instantly appeared in the room, holding a bloody head in his hand. He tossed it at the Lesser Devil: "Hang this out there as a warning to those who dare to flee before a fight next time."

The head belonged to the runaway Number 52. Just as Qidun had said, Alaux left no one alive. The Lesser Devil tremblingly picked up the head and retreated. Qidun immediately began cleaning the blood off the floor with nimble movements.

"If you dare to sign up for arena combat, you must have the resolve to die." Alaux was a Greater Devil with a fierce appearance, exuding an undisguised sharpness. His voice was also peculiar, sounding like clashing metal: "I despise those weaklings the most!"

Chen Rui's mind immediately brought up the description of Alaux he had obtained from Shea. Alaux, one of Joseph's three main assistants, estimated strength at the stable stage of a High-tier Demon, brave and combative, cruel and cold-blooded...

"You hiding coward, if you want this sculpture, bring me Langke's head in exchange! If you don't dare, get out of the arena now!" The Greater Devil's sharp gaze landed on Chen Rui's face. Fortunately, Chen Rui had put on a metal mask during his negotiations earlier that day as a precaution, concealing his true face.

Chen Rui's thoughts raced, and he finally made up his mind: "When does it start?"

Seeing that the cloaked figure did not flinch, Alaux nodded with satisfaction: "Immediately!"

In the arena, the boisterous noise rose and fell, because Blood Hand Langke was already on the stage, but his opponent, Number 52, had not appeared.

At this moment, a scantily clad Succubus swayed her hips onto the stage and used a magic amplifier to say: "Everyone! We have just received news that Number 52 has been personally executed by Lord Alaux for fleeing out of cowardice. However, the exciting match has not been canceled! A mysterious Number 64 will replace Number 52 to challenge the four-time winner, 'Blood Hand' Langke! All original bets remain valid!"

The audience, having seen the Lesser Devil hang a bloody head on a high pole, had already guessed Number 52's fate. Upon hearing that the match would continue, their excitement surged again.

Judging by the cheers, the vast majority of the audience favored Blood Hand Langke, who had already won three consecutive matches in previous bouts. When Number 64 appeared on the stage, his relatively thin frame caused even more of the audience to lean toward Langke. Only a small portion of those who had originally bet on Number 52 held onto a glimmer of hope for this mysterious masked figure.

"Blood Hand" Langke was a sturdy Horned Demon with a ferocious appearance. Judging by his three-win streak, he was definitely an experienced veteran. When the two stood face-to-face on the stage, Langke grinned, revealing white, jagged fangs: "Kid, wearing a mask to act mysterious? Don't worry, I don't care what you look like. What I care about is how to torture you. I usually like to break the enemy's limbs first, then dig out their heart, and finally crush their head. Are you ready?"

Cruelty and violence had always been the theme of the arena. For the Demon Realm, which worshipped power, the more intense and bloody the battle, the more it stirred the audience's desires. These words made even more people shout Langke's name.

Chen Rui ignored Langke. Scenes from his past special training with the Poison Dragon flashed through his mind. Although the Poison Dragon fought fiercely, he always held back during training. Now, however, it was different—this was a true life-and-death struggle. But he did not regret it. It was going to happen sooner or later; he had to face real combat eventually. A fledgling eagle only learns to fly after being pushed off a cliff by its parent time and time again. What Chen Rui was doing was nothing more than pushing himself off the cliff.

This match was not only his first in the arena but also his first true battle since being reborn into the Demon Realm.

"Number 64, do you have any combat declaration?" The seductive female Succubus brought the magic amplifier close to Chen Rui.

"What are my odds?"

Chen Rui's question stunned the female Succubus, but she replied professionally: "Because you are replacing Number 52, and almost no one bet on Number 52 to win, your odds are currently one to one hundred and twenty."

"The odds are that high? Does that mean if I bet on myself, I can win back one hundred and twenty times?" Chen Rui untied his cloak, threw it on the ground, and tossed a Black Crystal Coin to the female Succubus: "I am betting one Black Crystal Coin now, on myself to win."

The female Succubus hadn't expected this mysterious Number 64 to do such a thing. She took the Black Crystal Coin, momentarily at a loss for what to do. At that moment, a metallic voice rang out: "Accept the bet!"

"It's Lord Alaux!" The audience looked toward the Greater Devil who had appeared in the VIP box, their eyes filled with awe.

Number 64's actions were undoubtedly a provocation and a show of defiance toward Langke, but almost no one believed that this cloaked figure could defeat the four-time winner, Blood Hand. ps: This is just the beginning of the story, please let it grow before you "slaughter" it, and don't forget to recommend and add to your favorites, thank you^^.