The ensuing large-scale battle between the armies was also a foregone conclusion.
On the 44th testing platform, the fifty Saint of Chambord City easily drove the armored berserker from the Good Kingdom off the platform with just four leisurely Charge, winning four extremely easy battles.
In the instant of their Charge, the fifty bare-armed Saint, transitioning from a slow, deliberate pace to a full- Charge, resembled fifty heavily armored knights crashing down upon them. Although the massive, heavy black iron shields seemed weightless in their hands, their impact on the ranks of Saint Good Kingdom armored warriors was like a thousand-pound hammer striking frail stalks of wheat. The fifty Good Kingdom armored warriors couldn't withstand the onslaught for even a moment, instantly scattering like snowflakes in a flurry of dust...
Chambord City vs. Good Kingdom: Chambord City wins all ten matches!
The referee's voice from the forty-fourth testing ground was clearly transmitted to everyone's ears through the magic circle, thus announcing the end of the first battle in Chambord City.
This outcome was entirely expected.
However, after all the spectators watched the actual match, they couldn't help but be shocked by the strength of Chambord City. King of Chambord [ One Fist Spanning the Heavens ], who was considered by many to be Chambord City's greatest asset, didn't even have to make a move, yet his experts utterly defeated the Good Kingdom, which was among the top-tier in terms of overall strength among the third-class vassal states.
Six high-level matches and four team battles, all lasting less than an hour, ended in a flash!
As the Chambord Expeditionary Army left the No. 44 Sword Testing Platform to rest and return to the Chambord camp, a thunderous cheer erupted behind them, like a hurricane breaking through the clouds.
"We've done everything we needed to do. They've seen the strength of Chambord City. What happens next is no longer our concern..." The white-haired Good Kingdom shook his head and sighed slightly, gently patting Prince Drenthe's shoulder beside him. A look of relief appeared on his solemn face. "Encountering the Chambord people in the first round is both our misfortune and our fortune. The Chambord people aren't as bloodthirsty as the legends say. Our strength is intact. Let's rest and prepare for the loser's bracket. We still have hope!"
[ Black Wolf ] Drenthe nodded.
The old King was right; the strength of the Chambord people was something that the Good Kingdom could not possibly contend with.
Recalling the moment he faced that blond-haired archer on the stage, the barrage of arrows raining down like a storm carried terrifying destructive power, almost suffocating him. It was a complete suppression. He was already quite famous among the 250 King family experts, but he was utterly powerless against this nobody from Chambord. If the other party had intended to kill him, he might already be a corpse!
"If you want to deal with King of Chambord, then fight him with your own strength! We, the Good people, will never again be your tools!"
Five hours later.
The first day of the ranking competition in the five major war zones of the Martial Combat Competition finally ended before nightfall.
As many had predicted before the competition, Chambord City easily defeated its opponent and advanced to the second round of the ranking matches. It will face off against the other twenty-four winners from the Northern War Zones in the second round of the regional ranking matches on the second day, competing for the ten top players and one team battle spot available in each war zone, with the aim of advancing to the third round of the Empire Ranking Competition.
In the 122 battles fought in just one afternoon, many masters did emerge.
However, Chambord City finished the battle in one hour, which was not the shortest match.
Because in the Northern Theater, the opponents of the four countries—the first-class vassal Kingdom of Meixi, the first-class vassal Kingdom of Kaiser, and the second-class vassal Kingdom of Sanz— all chose to forfeit their matches knowing they had no chance of winning. By conceding defeat, they could enter the loser's bracket, where they still had a chance. Therefore, these four traditionally powerful countries in the Northern Theater entered the second round of the ranking matches without bloodshed.
While the situation in the Northern Theater Command was largely one of victory for the stronger side, which was somewhat expected before the competition, the other four theater commands saw some upsets.
Southern Theater Command.
The sixth-tier vassal state of Byzantium unexpectedly defeated the third-tier vassal state of Krypton. With three wins in six expert matches and three wins in four team battles, they advanced to the winners' bracket with a total of six wins out of ten matches. The young Byzantine King Constantine defeated Prince [Angry Wolf] of Krypton, one of the [Seven Wolves], demonstrating formidable strength. His signature move, the [Seven Wounds Fist], is incredibly powerful and lethal, leading many strong contenders to believe that if he performs well, he could potentially advance to the top ten of the Southern War Zone's expert rankings!
Eastern Theater.
The Barbarian of the Kingdom of Gudong, ridiculed by countless people as an uncivilized nation, have made a name for themselves. Two martial arts prodigies named Hulk and Kanute have risen from this tribe. Relying on two wooden sticks in their hands, the two have defeated six masters from the third-class vassal state of Kingdom of Gabon in succession. Then, they led thirty Barbarian Warrior to win four consecutive team battles and advanced strongly to the second round of the regional ranking competition.
These two Barbarian youths were fierce and brutal in their fighting style, possessing immense strength. They were no match for the wooden clubs, and even several Four-Star Class experts from Kingdom of Gabon couldn't withstand a single move from them before being sent flying off the sword-testing platform...
The Kingdom of Gudong became the biggest dark horse in the Eastern Theater.
Hulk and Kanute have also become representatives of emerging masters and are considered dark horses.
Western Theater Command.
The first-class vassal state of Kingdom of Metz, where the super master [ One Sword ] resides, was unlucky. In the first round, it encountered another first-class vassal state, Kingdom of Dick. The battle between the two strong forces was extremely fierce, but in the end, Kingdom of Metz won. Unfortunately, the much-anticipated [ One Sword ] did not make a move in the competition, which greatly disappointed many fans who were looking forward to seeing [ One Sword ]'s divine skills.
However, this only fueled speculation about [ One Sword's ] strength.
Many veteran experts believe that among all the masters from the vassal states, only [ One Sword ] is the only one who can compete with [ One Fist Spanning the Heavens ] King of Chambord for the top spot in the final stage of the Empire Ranking Competition Tournament.
Central Theater Command.
The central part of the empire is home to four of the ten first-class vassal states, and also has the largest number of other second-class and third-class vassal states. Its overall strength surpasses that of the five war zones, and the fighting there is the most intense, reaching a fever pitch from day one.
However, the four first-class vassal states all advanced to the second round smoothly, and there were no particularly big dark horses. The only surprise was that Kingdom of Ghana, which was originally only a fourth-class vassal state, actually defeated a second-class vassal state in a hard-fought battle and entered the winners' group of the central theater.
After the first day of competition ended, the Twenty Mile Subordinate State-Owned District became incredibly noisy.
The empire had completely lifted the curfew and the strict militarized control over the military camps of its vassal states. In addition, since the start of the tournament, countless merchants and peddlers, wandering warriors trying their luck, mercenary groups recruiting talent, prostitutes and brothels soliciting business, weapon dealers, blacksmiths selling armor, doctors selling healing potions, down-on-their-luck mages and fallen nobles, slave traders, and scouts and lobbyists from the powerful figures in the capital had crowded the camps with all sorts of people.
Within a short period of time, the number of people in the entire camp increased by more than double.
If someone were standing on the distant Moro Mountains and looking down, they would see countless firelight dotting the twenty-mile-long dark plain, like stars in the night sky, displaying an indescribable magnificence and splendor.
Night fell, ending a day's battle; some were happy, some were sad.
The samurai, whose nerves had been on edge all day, could finally sit in twos and threes around the campfire during the lulls in the fighting. The aroma of roasted meat and ale filled the cold night air. The samurai's rough shouts and the women's laughter and curses mingled together, filling the air with a primal and untamed energy.
They might throw punches at each other over a disagreement, or stumble drunkenly beside a fire.
This scene plays out all the time.
Perhaps stepping onto the testing ground the next day would be the end of their lives. This is the fate of samurai. Walking amidst the flashing swords, their destinies are always strikingly consistent and similar—dying violently on the battlefield or in the arena. So, some indulge in wine, meat, and women, while others silently adjust their state in the darkness, preparing for the next day's competition, striving for one more day of survival.
Inside the Chambord camp.
The people of Chambord were also celebrating their victory wildly. At this moment, the victory celebration was in full swing, with the most intense aroma of wine and the most delicious smell of meat mingling with the laughter and songs of the people, filling the entire camp with their fragrance.
The roaring bonfire cast a dim yellow light, making everyone's smiling faces flicker. The warriors, half-armored and naked, displayed their wild, powerful bodies. Before the two flames shot up more than ten meters into the bonfire, the women's graceful figures, illuminated by the firelight, exuded a primal allure.
Outside the Chambord camp, many people peered through the camp's fence with envious and jealous eyes, watching the Chambord people's celebration.
Envious and jealous glances were fixed on the women dancing and flaunting their allure around the campfire.
These women were all fair-skinned and delicate, their skin as white and smooth as milk, and their waists more supple than the newly sprouted orchids on the barren plains in March. Compared to these alluring and seductive women, the prostitutes in their camp, dressed in rough linen skirts, adorned with cheap perfume and rouge, and laughing crudely as they flaunted their charms to attract customers, were simply like sows in a pigsty.
These women are the most expensive and seductive ladies in the capital's most exclusive dens of iniquity.
After the battle ended today, King of Chambord used some tactics to bring them to the main camp.
Second update.
I was typing this in my Little Black Room today, and my hand was shaking so I set the word count too high. I'm a little late coming out, sorry.
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