Being a Saint since the age of myth

"On the contrary, without that hope, everyone would face Hades with a sense of pessimism. You can imagine what would happen then!"

Tenma's expression immediately changed at those words.

Though he was young, he had trained in Sanctuary for so many years that he knew very well just what hope meant to everyone.

It was precisely because hope existed that everyone fought desperately and faced Hades bravely.

"But... I'm not him, after all... For me, that myth... is a lie..." Tenma lowered his head, somewhat dejected.

Of course he wanted to bring everyone hope, but he really could not convince himself to shamelessly admit that he was the Tenma Constellation from the myth.

After all, he was merely a lowly Bronze Saint now.

"Then work toward that myth! Turn yourself into a myth of the present age! Then it won't be a lie!" Wuxin continued to counsel him.

"Th-that..."

Tenma was astonished. He had never expected Wuxin to give him such an answer.

"Working toward the myth and becoming a myth yourself-isn't that what your teacher Dohko expects of you? What everyone expects of you? What, are you scared?" Wuxin provoked him further.

"I... How could I be scared! I definitely won't let everyone down!" Tenma's expression grew considerably firmer.

Wuxin could not help laughing inwardly at the sight. He really was a child. Just a little prodding had fired up his fighting spirit.

"By the way, was there something important you came to see me about?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, I almost forgot!"

Tenma slapped his forehead and chuckled awkwardly. "I heard a newcomer arrived in Sanctuary today, a powerful Saint Candidate at that, so I wanted to come and spar!"

"Aren't there plenty of other Saints in Sanctuary? Why insist on finding me?" Wuxin asked curiously.

Tenma scratched his head and said awkwardly, "Apart from the Gold Saints up above, I've challenged almost everyone else."

"So I wanted to spar with the new Saint Candidate and experience something new!"

"Well, are you willing to accept my challenge?"

He gave a sincere smile.

"Sure!"

Wuxin did not refuse.

He was also curious about exactly how strong the current Tenma Constellation was.

The two then headed to Sanctuary's arena, one following the other.

When they heard that the Tenma Constellation was challenging a Saint Candidate, the others were initially uninterested.

For Saints, there was a vast difference between having a Cloth and not having one.

However, after hearing from Canes Venatici and Ursa Major that the new Saint Candidate possessed Silver Level strength, everyone changed their minds.

A Silver Level Saint Candidate against an official Bronze Saint did have some appeal.

Still, they were more interested in seeing exactly what kind of strength this new Saint Candidate possessed.

After all, every Saint Candidate was a potential competitor for a Cloth.

Chapter 33: Arena match (part one)

"Before we duel, please allow me to apologize!"

Tenma bowed slightly and said earnestly, "Since you've already reached Silver Level, senior, I must wear my Cloth to qualify to fight you."

"Please forgive my dishonorable conduct!"

Generally speaking, sparring matches like this were conducted under roughly fair conditions for both sides.

If Cloths were involved, either both sides wore them or neither did.

But between Wuxin and Tenma, one had a Cloth and the other did not.

Under normal circumstances, it would only be fair for both to spar without Cloths, but Tenma's strength was only at Bronze Level. Without his Cloth, he could not possibly fight the Silver Level Wuxin.

Strictly speaking, however, even with his Cloth, he was still unlikely to be Wuxin's match.

That was because he was currently only at roughly thirty thousand times the speed of sound.

He counted as an expert among those at Bronze Level, but there was still a huge gap between him and Silver Level.

"It's fine! I understand!"

Wuxin waved his hand, unbothered, then added, "I'll keep my speed at about the same level as yours. I won't bully you with speed!"

It might not have sounded pleasant, but that was the truth.

Within the realm of the Sixth Sense, the differences in speed were enormous.

When someone of a lower rank faced someone of a higher rank, never mind exchanging blows, they might not even be able to touch the slightest edge of their opponent. That was the absolute suppression speed brought.

Especially after his battle with Red, Wuxin had gained new insights, his mental power had increased greatly, and the power of Cosmo he could control had grown stronger as well. He had now nearly reached two hundred thousand times the speed of sound.

The difference in their speed was almost sevenfold. Under these conditions, if he fought at full speed, Tenma would only see his afterimages.

Such a fight would be meaningless.

"Then I won't hold back!"

Tenma laughed and accelerated toward Wuxin.

He threw a probing punch, but Wuxin dodged it with ease.

Though Wuxin had suppressed his speed to roughly Tenma's level, his mental awareness was far stronger, and his reactions were faster. Naturally, dodging Tenma's fist was easy.

"Courage is one condition for winning a battle, but sometimes it can also make you reckless and cause you to overlook possible dangers!" Wuxin smiled slightly, taking the opportunity to drive a punch up from below into Tenma's torso.

With Wuxin's faster reactions, Tenma naturally could not dodge this counterattack.

Thud!

His fist landed squarely on Tenma's abdomen. With a cry of pain, Tenma was sent flying by the punch.

Wuxin did not let the opportunity slip. He pushed off the ground and chased after him.

However, Tenma's reactions were not slow either.

After suffering that minor setback, he immediately adjusted his mindset. As he struck the protective wall behind him, he kicked off it and leaped high into the air.

Boom!

Wuxin's punch missed, merely brushing the hem of his opponent's clothes before blasting a washbasin-sized hole in the protective wall.

"Let me show you the ultimate technique I'm most proud of!"

"Pegasus Ryusei Ken!"

Tenma shouted from midair, immediately mustering all his Cosmo to unleash his ultimate technique.

In an instant, countless gleaming silver fist lights fell like a meteor shower, enveloping Wuxin with powerful fluctuations.

I can't dodge this!

Judging that he had no time to evade, Wuxin immediately raised both arms to block and gathered his Cosmo over his body to strengthen his defenses.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Silver meteors fell one after another, blasting Wuxin straight underground.

"It's over already?" a spectating Bronze Saint exclaimed.

"It's not that simple! I heard he's a Silver Level Saint Candidate!" Another Bronze Saint beside him shook his head.

Tenma was strong among their Bronze Saints, but he still fell considerably short of Silver Level.

Sure enough, the instant Tenma finished his technique and landed, the ground exploded, and Wuxin charged out once more.

"To be honest, the power of that move is far too scattered!"

"If you could concentrate all those fist lights and strike the same spot repeatedly, I think its destructive power would definitely rise another level!"

"What a pity!"

As he spoke, he unleashed a fierce punch, striking Tenma in the chest again before he could defend himself.

Boom!

With another dull impact, Tenma screamed and was sent flying once more.

This time, Wuxin made no further attempt to pursue him in close combat. Instead, he gathered his Cosmo on the spot.

"Sekishiki Meikai Ha!"

He pointed a finger from afar at the landing Tenma. Three streams of silver energy flew from his fingertip and immediately shot toward their target.

The many Saints in the stands were astonished at the sight of this move.

"Isn't that Lord Cancer Manigoldo's ultimate technique?"

"How does he know it too?"

Everyone could not help speculating about Wuxin's origins.

Soon, they learned something new from Canes Venatici.

Wuxin was the disciple of Lord Altar Hakurei, an elder of the previous generation, and Cancer Manigoldo's junior fellow disciple.

Such a background truly stunned the many spectators.

At the same time, they confirmed that a powerful contender for Sanctuary's unclaimed Cloths had arrived.

"Sekishiki?"

Having just gotten up, Tenma immediately recognized those silver streams of energy and likewise knew their terrifying power.

He did not dare block them at all, rapidly retreating to dodge.

However, Wuxin's Sekishiki was not a technique that simply fired in straight lines. It could be controlled to change its trajectory.

He sent one stream of Sekishiki straight at Tenma, while the other two split in different directions to flank him from the left and right.

For a time, Tenma was forced to leap and scramble about, fleeing and dodging through the arena in utter disarray.

But the arena's space was limited, and Wuxin's control over Sekishiki was highly flexible. Before long, he forced Tenma into a corner, leaving him no room to retreat or evade.