Beyonder Fighting Tournament

From the outside, 155 King's Road looked like an aristocratic estate with several large buildings. In reality, those buildings were all similar to indoor arenas.

Simon entered with his pass and, led by a cavalryman, arrived before a building three or four stories tall.

This was the building's side entrance. Carriages carrying aristocrats were arriving at the two main entrances.

They exchanged pleasantries and greetings before entering the spectator stands together.

Simon got out to negotiate, then soon returned to invite Odys out of the carriage. Under an attendant's guidance, they entered the towering building.

Just inside was a room the size of a living room, with seats against the walls on both sides and two empty weapon racks directly ahead.

A man in his forties, dressed like a butler, came forward. "Welcome, gentlemen. Which of you is participating in the match?"

Simon immediately stepped aside, bringing the masked Odys into prominence.

"I believe you already know the rules," the butler said. "This is a match where cold weapons may be used. Of course, for the sake of spectacle, please wait until the bell rings for the first time before using weapons. Otherwise, it will be considered an unjustified forfeit.

"If you are confident, you may also choose not to use weapons throughout the entire match."

Simon was slightly stunned. He had not known about this rule beforehand.

"That's fine," Odys said without much concern.

The butler extended a hand. "Please present your weapon."

Odys took out his sword and temporarily handed his cane to Simon.

After inspecting it and finding no problem, the man returned the weapon. "The match begins in a little over ten minutes. Please prepare yourself."

Odys nodded and sat in a corner to wait.

Meanwhile, Simon followed the butler with a smile and asked him about the details of the match.

A few minutes later, Simon returned. "Sir, once you enter that door, you will be in a simulated street arena. Your opponent will enter from the other direction.

"After you meet, you must fight unarmed for five to ten minutes before the bronze bell is rung and weapons may be used."

Odys smiled, but suddenly brought up something entirely unrelated. "If I had such a large house, I would definitely turn it into a super laboratory."

Simon froze, not knowing how to respond.

Odys did not continue the topic and quietly waited for the match to begin.

A few more minutes passed before the middle-aged man dressed like a butler appeared again. "The match is about to begin. Please follow me."

Odys rose, slung his sword over his back, and came to the entrance gate.

The middle-aged man checked his pocket watch and opened the iron gate at the appointed time.

Odys passed through it and, sure enough, saw unevenly arranged buildings only about two meters tall.

The area was roughly the size of a football field, simulating a rather short street. However, none of the buildings had roofs, so as not to obstruct the aristocrats' view of the match.

The spectator stands were high above, brightly lit. From below, the aristocrats could not be seen, but from above, they had an unobstructed view of the ground.

At the other end of the street, Odys saw his opponent. He was another young man in his twenties, with a saber on his back, charging toward Odys at a quick pace.

Odys smiled faintly, but as if ignoring his opponent's approach, he leaped onto the top of a wall to observe the surroundings.

It was not that he underestimated his opponent. On the contrary, he took him very seriously. But since this was his first time in such an arena, he intended to use the time while his opponent charged at him to quickly assess the environment.

The roofless buildings were roughly divided into two rows by the street running through the middle. Yet there were alleys between every building, extending in all directions without a single dead end.

After seeing Odys's reaction, the young man seemed to understand his intentions. He rushed toward Odys, then nimbly leaped onto the wall. Within just a few seconds, he appeared before Odys with an imposing air.

The momentum of his charge made the young man throw a wide, powerful punch.

Eight Extremes Fist and Tai Chi, the styles Odys favored most, were both particularly suited to dealing with such fierce attacks. Odys reached out to redirect the force, deflecting the attack, then suddenly stepped in and slammed his shoulder into the young man, knocking him into a house.

This move drew an "Ooh~" from many aristocrats and wealthy spectators in the stands. Their voices carried delight and excitement. This was a fighting style they had never seen before.

The young man who had fallen into the house rolled across the floor, then immediately rose to his feet, uninjured.

He had extensive combat experience and realized that the walltop was narrow, while his opponent seemed skilled at close-quarters combat. Fighting atop the wall would put him at a severe disadvantage.

So the young man grabbed a chair beside him and hurled it at Odys as a weapon.

The rules stated that weapons could only be used after the bell rang, but a chair was furniture and could not be considered a weapon.

In these simulated rooms, there were tables, chairs, beds, cabinets, and other furnishings. This was clearly another design intended to make the match more entertaining.

Odys nimbly dodged the chair, seized his chance, and jumped onto a bed inside the house.

The young man swung the chair at him again. Odys reacted with lightning speed, grabbing one of its legs and pulling hard with the other man's force. The young man had no time to let go and stepped forward, delivering his chest right before Odys.

Odys had created precisely this opportunity. He kicked the young man flying, and the man crashed into the wall with a thud, making the entire wall visibly shake.

At that moment, enthusiastic applause erupted from the stands. In the second exchange, Odys had been exceptional in both his responses and reaction speed.

The young man clutched his chest and took a breath, then got to his feet again and dashed out through the door, fleeing onto the street.

He was clearly a Beyonder as well. After taking such a vicious kick from Odys, he could still run.

The young man was not truly fleeing. He was merely avoiding his enemy to recover slightly from his injuries.

Naturally, Odys would not let this chance slip away. He immediately gave chase, but quickly discovered that while he was agile enough, he did not really understand running techniques. The young man weaved left and right, and Odys, despite chasing closely behind, could never land a hit.

After more than ten seconds, the young man felt that the pain was no longer as intense. He suddenly half-crouched and swept a leg at Odys.

Odys used the same tactic again, dodging the attack before suddenly rushing forward and driving his knee toward the young man's face.

The young man's expression changed dramatically, and he hurriedly raised his hands to block.

Thud~

The young man was knocked flying. Although he had blocked Odys's knee with his hands, how could the strength of his hands compare to that of a knee?

After landing, blood still trickled from his nose and the corner of his mouth.

His ability to withstand blows was truly impressive. He rolled again, climbed to his feet, and fled.

However, he staggered as he ran. Odys caught up from behind and kicked him in the backside, sending him sprawling face-first onto the ground.

Clang, clang, clang~

At that moment, the bronze bell rang. If it had not rung soon, there would have been no cold-weapon combat at all.