King Constantine, also from the Southern War Zone of Kingdom of Byzantium, was not so lucky. He encountered Xindi, the Magic Princess First Goddess the Bulan Kingdom. Although his strength increased greatly after receiving a new Wood-Element Dou Qi manual from Sun Fei, and the destructive power of the Seven Injuries Fist was further enhanced, he was still far from being a match for the First Goddess. He barely managed to withstand three moves before being knocked off the sword-testing platform.
Fortunately, Magic Princess Xindi was always very careful with her subordinates and rarely hurt anyone. Constantine was unharmed, and his journey in the Empire Ranking Competition had to end in this way.
The most regrettable character is Robben, the Berserk Blade.
Because he was stripped of his allegiance by the Tudor Kingdom after the second round of the competition, Robben could no longer represent Tudor Kingdom, which was tantamount to forfeiting and ending his journey in the Empire Ranking Competition.
This fact undoubtedly made some grassroots warriors who sympathized with Robben feel sorry, because many veteran powerhouses and bards had previously predicted that with Robben's swift and powerful Five-Star Class Initial Stage strength, he could have advanced to the top thirteen and obtained a higher rank in the new legion.
However, considering that Robben ultimately benefited from the misfortune and was fortunate enough to join King of Chambord's team, such luck might be even more perfect than advancing to the round of 13.
Apart from that, the names of the other top thirteen players who advanced to the finals were not surprising.
As expected, the previously hot performers, such as [ One Fist Shrouding the Heavens ] King of Chambord, [ One Sword ], the Magic Princess the Bulan Kingdom, [ First Goddess ] Xindi, the barbarian from the Kingdom of Gudong of the East [ Water and Fire Twin Ultimate Staff ], the arrogant [ Silver-Armored Berserker ] who doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth, and [ Bloody Twin Blades ] who inevitably removes the flesh and blood of a master in every battle, turning him into a pure white skeleton, all made a strong advancement to the top thirteen.
What shocked and terrified many was that six of the top thirteen experts from the empire's vassal states were from Chambord City. This was unprecedented in the history of the empire's Martial Combat Competition. This terrifying reality was both expected and frightening to some. Chambord City's rise was far too rapid, exceeding even the most optimistic estimates.
Just as the Empire Ranking Competition reached its climax, news of the victory, Teleport the fast-riding knights that morning, arrived from the capital—
After a day's march, in their first engagement, [ God of War ] Arshavin launched a night raid on the Spartak Empire's vanguard [ Snow-Armored Legion ] camp in the southern Sea Stone Bay, beheading 10,000 enemy soldiers, including 300 Spartak nobles and over 100 mages. The commander of the [ Snow-Armored Legion ], Ludik, hailed as the third greatest general in the Spartak Empire Spartak Empire and one of its ten greatest warriors, was captured alive and will later be escorted back to the capital by skilled warriors.
The news caused a nationwide uproar.
This glorious victory was like a thunderbolt in the dark night, dispelling the gloom that had shrouded the hearts of the Zenit people.
In an instant, even the officials and nobles who had previously advocated peace were now filled with fervor, transforming into fanatical war advocates. Countless voices clamored for a counterattack, to storm into the territory of the Spartak Empire, and to wipe out this evil and bloodthirsty nemesis empire in one fell swoop.
The adoration for the First Prince Arshavin reached its peak in the streets, alleys, and camps. Countless passionate young people, regardless of their status or wealth, became worshippers of the Empire's young " God of War." In comparison, the Second Prince Dominguez became increasingly low-key.
Throughout the empire, calls for a counterattack and invasion of the Spartak Empire grew louder.
Before the Sun had even set, even more shocking news suddenly spread throughout the capital—
The empire is about to launch a massive conscription campaign to counterattack. Despite his serious illness, Emperor Yassin personally issued a conscription order. The contents of this imperial decree drove countless people crazy, because Emperor Yassin actually wanted to conscript 100,000 young and strong men at once to form five new legions to fight a decisive battle against their arch-enemy, the Spartak Empire.
Recruit 100,000 soldiers!
One hundred thousand – this number shocked countless people.
Faced with such a massive conscription order, the largest since the founding of the Zenit Empire, even the most obtuse and slow-witted person could feel the intense intent to kill.
This order was almost a harbinger of a war waged with the full force of the nation. For a time, countless people discussed it, and all sorts of rumors circulated. The most widely accepted theory was that Emperor Yassin, in the final moments of his life, finally decided to launch a full-scale attack to destroy his arch-enemy Spartak Empire.
Everyone knows that Emperor Yassin was a hero throughout his life. His greatest pride was that he used his unparalleled strength to tear apart the Spartak Empire, which was at its peak, and create the Zenit Empire, a first-class empire. Emperor Yassin's greatest wish in his life was to destroy the Later Spartak Empire, which was formed by the remnants of the original Spartak Empire nobles.
Unfortunately, this wish has never been fulfilled.
Now, even heroes grow old. Even a man of Zongheng talent and brilliance like Emperor Yassin is nearing the end of his life. Seeing that his lifelong ambitions are unlikely to be realized, he, gravely ill, is about to embark on one last act of madness.
Alongside these rumors, a steady stream of fast horses continued to arrive from the southern war zone, bringing news of their victories.
Since the victory in the first battle, from the arrival of the first wave of messengers in Saint Petersburg, the messengers delivering the news have never stopped. The thunderous sound of hooves and the shouts of "Good news!" from the night until dawn never ceased.
Even Sun Fei began to suspect that the " God of War " Arshavin had already annihilated all the enemy forces that had invaded the three southern provinces, and that the messengers' speed in spreading news of victory couldn't keep up with the number of victories achieved by the frontline troops?
The next day, as dawn broke, the messengers who had rushed from the distant Moro Pass to Teleport the good news finally began to stop.
That night, the Twenty Mile Subordinate State-Owned District and the Imperial Capital Saint Petersburg were brightly lit. Countless people sat up by lamplight, fully clothed, unable to sleep. The events that had occurred in such a short time left many bewildered by the current state of the empire, and layers of dark clouds hung over the hearts of some.
The good news from the front spurred the citizens of the empire, and the next day, the Imperial Ranking Tournament attracted more than 100,000 spectators. As the crimson sunrise shone brightly over the majestic Moro Mountains, the south gate of the capital opened wide, and the crowd surged like a tide towards the training ground in the twenty-mile-long affiliated state-run area, waiting to watch the birth of the top seven in the upcoming Empire Ranking Competition.
Despite the changing situation, with the eldest prince Arshavin soaring due to his winning streak, the second prince Dominguez still attended the draw at the training ground with a smile on his face, acting on behalf of Emperor Yassin.
The successive victories reported from the southern front have fueled the interest of the people in the capital in the final stage of the ongoing Martial Combat Competition, the Empire Ranking Competition. They are also fascinated by the Bloody battles and the warriors, and a strong Dou Qi is permeating the entire empire.
Amidst the eager anticipation of countless people, twenty-five masters stood loyally in the training ground, drawing lots to determine their opponents under the supervision and witness of the Second Prince of the Empire, Dominguez.
As time passed, the suspense surrounding the matchups of the top thirteen on the giant ice magic screen atop the Loyal General's Platform in the training ground was finally resolved.
The result of the match was like a boulder thrown into a relatively calm pond, creating huge ripples.
"Hahaha, now Chambord City will be fighting amongst themselves..."
" The Magic Princess actually encountered that pervert? This is really dangerous..."
"[ The Son of the Wind ] is facing off against the top favorite? Chambord City's luck seems to be running out!"
"This is so dramatic! This is going to be a great match."
"..."
A murmur of discussion arose from the crowd.
Sun Fei's luck wasn't great.
Because his opponent was one of his own – [ White-Haired Swift Sword ] Paul Pierce.
This kind of match means that regardless of the outcome, one player from Chambord City will be eliminated in the top seven.
Of course, no one believed that King of Chambord [ One Fist Spanning the Heavens ], would lose to his own subject.
"Your Majesty, should I jump down directly, or should I pretend for a while before jumping?" Pierce Earth Inquiry with a sullen face and a sly grin.
"Boom..."
Sun Fei immediately attacked, throwing a punch.
The match begins.
The final outcome confirmed people's guesses: Pierce only lasted ten moves on the Number One Sword-Testing Platform before being knocked away. This was obviously because Sun Fei held back; otherwise, the burly man wouldn't have been able to withstand even one move.
The other member of the [ Heng and Ha Generals ], [ Black-Haired Berserk Fist ] Didier Drogba, was also unlucky.
His opponent was Kanute [ Wind and Thunder Staff ] from the Kingdom of Gudong in the Eastern War Zone.
Both fighters employed a style of fierce and direct confrontation, engaging in a fierce battle for over a hundred rounds. Drogba, relying on his Summon Taurus Star Cloth, directly clashed with Kanute's Wind and Thunder Staff. In an instant, the entire arena was filled with rolling winds and thunder, and sand and stones filled the air. The entire No. 4 Sword Testing Platform was almost destroyed, creating an extremely shocking scene that made the surrounding spectators cheer and roar with excitement.
"Hahaha, come on, take another punch from me!"
"Alright, let's see if your fists are harder, or my Wind and Thunder Staff?"
Bang bang bang bang!!
Boom boom boom boom boom!!
This is a true duel between men.
The fist collided with the giant club, without any fancy moves, just a direct impact of force.
By the end, tens of thousands of onlookers were holding their breath.
Everyone waited with unwavering focus.
The final result came amidst a violent crash— Drogba was outmatched and ultimately couldn't withstand Kanute's deadly [ Wind and Thunder Staff Wind and Thunder Strike ], spitting blood from his mouth and nose, dislodging his internal organs, and collapsing unconscious on the testing platform.
Third update.