According to the introduction and evaluation in the pamphlet compiled by the Empire's first bard Materazzi, this young Prince named Shevchenko was only of average strength, with nothing particularly remarkable about him, ranking only 32nd among the fifty top fighters in the five war zones.
Under normal circumstances, someone like that would have absolutely no chance of making it into the top four.
Even reaching the top thirteen is incredibly difficult, but who would have thought that this previously unnoticed 'little guy' would, after defeating his first-round opponent, receive byes in three consecutive rounds, effortlessly securing a spot in the top four?
Could it be that someone cheated in the draw and deliberately manipulated the matchups?
Almost everyone shared Sun Fei's question. Even after the initial uproar, the chaotic voices eventually coalesced into a single slogan: aside from the seven top competitors, almost everyone questioned Shevchenko's decision to receive another bye.
Boos and questions erupted both inside and outside the training ground. Amidst the uproar, the temporary Military Department set up there by the Empire had to suspend the competition. The Second Prince, Dominguez, stepped forward to conduct a swift investigation into the drawing process that had just taken place.
Just when many were celebrating, certain that the biggest cheating scandal in the Imperial Martial Combat Competition was about to unfold, the official investigation revealed a surprising result—
The draw for the match was without any doubt, Shevchenko's three consecutive byes were indeed a stroke of luck.
With the conclusion reached, the voices of doubt finally subsided considerably.
People then became curious about Shevchenko.
This person's luck is extraordinary, almost defying the heavens. It's foreseeable that he will secure a place in the new legion in the future. Looking at Shevchenko, who sat high on the podium, leisurely waiting for the other six masters to engage in their duel, there were all sorts of envious, jealous, and hateful glances. The thought that once he entered the top four, there would be no more chances of being bye in the draw made many of his envious friends eagerly anticipate seeing Shevchenko being annihilated by the other masters.
Since there are only three matches, and all of them are intense duels between top players, today's matches will no longer be held simultaneously, but will be conducted sequentially on the Number One Sword-Testing Platform.
The first match is between Elena, the popular and beautiful archer from Chambord City, and Goddess of the Bow, the barbarian expert from the Kingdom of Gudong, and Kanute, the Wind and Thunder Staff user.
Among the seven masters, apart from Shevchenko who steps in dog poop every day, most people, whether experts or just casual observers, agree that [ Wind and Thunder Staff ] Kanute is the weakest. Therefore, judging from their apparent strength, [ Goddess of the Bow ] Elena has drawn a favorable lot.
And as it turns out, this guess was correct.
Elena's magic arrows, whose attack power far surpasses that of Six-Star Class Peak, can pierce through the magic barrier [ Water Curtain Heaven Flower ] protecting the Sword Trial Platform. Kanute, whose strength barely reaches the Six-Star Class Initial Stage, is naturally no match for her.
Although this barbarian expert launched a fierce attack from the start, attempting to close the distance and exploit the archer's weakness in melee combat, Elena, having traversed the life-and-death world of the Diablo World and hunted countless demons and monsters, possessed an incredibly rich combat experience. How could Kanute have so easily infiltrated her?
With just a few quick movements, her figure flashing like a ghost, Elena broke free from her opponent's entanglement.
The power of the arrows fired at high speed did not diminish at all. After several ice arrows were fired, the Number One Sword-Testing Platform was already filled with a chilling atmosphere. Kanute continuously shattered the Ice Arrow with his [ Wind and Thunder Staff ], but the power of the ice silently invaded his body, freezing his body and delaying his reaction nerves, and his speed was greatly reduced.
Bang!
Thirty seconds into the battle, Elena fired an arrow that shattered the staff in Kanute's hand.
He drew his bow again, and instantly three chilling blue arrows appeared on the bowstring, their tips gleaming with a deathly light. They were aimed steadily at Kanute, who had lost his weapon in the distance. This expert from the Kingdom of Gudong felt as if he were being stared at by a terrifying beast, and a chill ran down his spine.
"I concede!" Knowing he was no match, the barbarian expert immediately announced his defeat and jumped off the sword-testing platform.
It's practically an instant kill!
The entire match was one-sided.
After a brief silence, a deafening roar of cheers erupted around the Number One Sword-Testing Platform.
The stunningly beautiful and powerful Elena already enjoyed even greater popularity than Kanute. Seeing their Goddess win in such an overwhelming manner, the men felt their adrenaline surge wildly. Their faces flushed, and they frantically shouted Angela's name. Their enthusiasm was like a raging fire from the ground, engulfing the graceful and ethereal woman on the testing platform.
Elena herself did not show much excitement about winning the match.
She put away her magic bow, her expression blank and lacking any excitement, as if she had just slain a demonic monster in the world of Diablo. She leaped off the testing platform and into the contestants' area.
Ironically, her supporters loved this cold and aloof demeanor, and seeing this scene only fueled their frenzy.
After this battle, Chambord City has secured one of the four semi-final spots.
Half an hour later.
On the same Number One Sword-Testing Platform, after the royal magicians re-examined and reinforced the magical runes and magical barriers, the second round of matches officially began.
This is a duel between [ One Sword ] and [ Silver-Armored Berserker ].
In this match, most people favored [ One Sword ], who used to be the undisputed number one fighter in the vassal state. Although the recent rise of [ One Fist Spanning the Heavens ] King of Chambord has raised questions about whether he will remain the number one fighter, no one can deny the strength of [ One Sword ].
In his entire life, he has only drawn One Sword against his enemies.
What an arrogant and outrageous statement, yet it stirred the blood of the samurai!
This statement perfectly encapsulates the essence of this seemingly ordinary Prince.
In comparison, [ Silver-Armored Berserker ] is a rising star in this Martial Combat Competition competition. Although he made it into the top seven with some close calls, he didn't One Sword as deep an impression as Yi Jian. Many people even remember that in the round of 13 to 7, [ Silver-Armored Berserker ] fought a fierce battle with [ One Finger Shatters Heaven ] Petr Čech, a master from Chambord City, and ultimately won with that inexplicable move.
How could someone who was evenly matched with a samurai like Čech, who had already been eliminated, be a match for [ One Sword ]?
The only question is, just how powerful is the [ Silver-Armored Berserker's ] ultimate move, 'A flash of white light, and the opponent falls to the ground'? This is the [ Silver-Armored Berserker's ] only reliance.
Finally, amidst the anticipation of everyone, this fierce battle began.
"Hahaha, I could kill [ One Sword ] with one hand. He's really unlucky to have run into me..."
With a loud and arrogant voice, a fresh and gorgeous silver armor, and a white cloak that fluttered like a young girl's gauze skirt, under the gaze of everyone, the [ Silver-Armored Berserker ] couldn't wait to show off his strength with a gorgeous and freehand pose as he floated onto the sword-testing platform.
Judging from his appearance, this self-proclaimed "most arrogant contestant in history" has a fair complexion, no beard, sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, thin lips, a wasp waist, broad shoulders, and a tall and muscular physique. He can indeed be considered a majestic and handsome man.
Furthermore, as the Prince of the first-class vassal state of the Eastern War Zone, the Kingdom of Diboluo, and having broken into the top seven of the Imperial Empire Ranking Competition, demonstrating considerable strength, he indeed garnered a large following and considerable popularity, especially among women. Most of these women were fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen-year-old girls with unrealistic fantasies about Prince, and they had a particularly obsessive fascination with the [ Silver-Armored Berserker ]. In their eyes, the so-called young and handsome, heroic, and fearless man perfectly embodied the [ Silver-Armored Berserker ].
So as soon as the [ Silver-Armored Berserker ] stepped onto the stage, a chorus of ear-piercing screams erupted around the Number One Sword-Testing Platform.
In contrast, [ One Sword ], with his long hair and hempen clothes, walked step by step onto the testing platform with a rusty sword in his hand. He seemed more like a passerby unrelated to the competition, calm and collected, without causing much of a ripple among the dark mass of people around him.
This swordsman, who was always low-key, calm, and even a bit cold, was just like his sword, rusty and flawed in one way or another, utterly ordinary.
Only when a rusty sword kills, and when One Sword sword is drawn, can people truly witness the terrifying power and magnificence of One Sword man and his sword.
"Hahaha, you actually dare to accept the challenge? You're no match for me, you might as well admit defeat."
[ Silver-Armored Berserker ] stroked his chin with one hand, tossing his long, smooth hair like a waterfall, so that his image would be perfect from every angle in the eyes of his crazy female admirers. His starry eyes shone with a carefree and cynical smile, showing no fear of [ One Sword ], who struck fear into the hearts of countless competitors.
"Draw your sword." [ One Sword ] slightly raised his eyebrows.
"Hey? Are you really going to fight? There are over 70,000 people watching this match. If you lose, how embarrassing will it be for you? Why don't you just admit defeat?" [ Silver-Armored Berserker ] earnestly advised [ One Sword ] to be sensible.
His voice traveled clearly through the magic circle on the testing platform to everyone's ears.
Many people nearly foamed at the mouth and fainted at that moment. This arrogant guy was really a clown, daring to speak to [ One Sword ] so shamelessly.
Clang!
[ One Sword ]'s response was a wisp of sword light.
This is the first update. Please forgive the slight delay today.