"This is ridiculous," a student said a day later, as Godfrey gained fifty thousand points, far outranking those below him. Others rose by five thousand or seven thousand at maximum, but without even fighting a single challenger, Godfrey now had a hundred and fifty thousand points!
Seeing Snow, Dale waved at him. "Other top ten rankers have all gone after Godfrey. Defeating him is more lucrative than maintaining their zones. Wonât you go?"
"Why would I go to a bloodbath?" Snow replied coolly.
Dale raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying Godfrey would win?"
"Thatâs not possible," Snow replied. "But it wonât be easy to defeat someone who killed the final boss."
***
Rickâs orange hair danced in the wind as he rode his 8.5 Lord-tier Horned Tiger Horse toward Draculaâs zone. When he got close, his eyes narrowed, and Rick stopped his summon.
It wasnât the dark expanse filled with stakes and corpses upon them that caught his attention, but the translucent shield dome that protected the entire castle and its surroundings.
Within the dome stood heavily armoured knights in an elite array, as though expecting a great battle.
Floating above the castle was Tempest, his long tendrils lighting up the place with a bright golden glow, his massive Double-Bladed Greatsword gripped firmly in one gauntleted hand.
Seeing those powerful tendrils coursing with such immense lightning made Rick squint.
âIs this the summon of one teenager?! It feels like Iâm looking at the army of the actual final boss.â
Rick heard loud sounds that prompted him to turn. His eyes first landed on Tyla, who stood on the head of an eleven-foot-tall Black Widow Spider.
Not too far to its left came Vin, riding a ten-foot-tall Malevolent Dragon Lion, a chimeric creature with the forelimbs of a dragon, a lionâs head, foxâs ears, and a crimson mane.
And to her right was another ten-foot-tall summon, the Yin-Yang Gorilla, a black-and-white beast with four arms and imposing muscle mass.
It walked like a king and stood by Tylaâs right, its huge, muscular arms crossed beneath its chest.
Tylaâs cat-shaped eyes narrowed, and she gasped at the sight of the knights. "If I didnât know any better, Iâd think there was a powerful dungeon boss in there."
The awe in her tone displeased Damien and Vin, who exchanged glances from the corners of their eyes.
"Iâll test the waters," Rick said. He knew that if he defeated Godfrey, he would gain half of the 150,000 points, a good amount of which would still belong to him even if the others interfered.
A twelve-foot-tall projection of his summon appeared and galloped toward the shield dome, its spiral-lined horn aimed forward like a spear.
As it pierced the translucent dome, the barrier cracked and blew outward, launching the projection back. Rick galloped on his summon as the projection faded.
Hundreds of arrows came at him, but all froze mid-air. Even the knights couldnât move, suspended mid-motion.
This was the deadliest ability Rickâs summon possessed, the power to freeze any kinetic force. Once activated, no one could move, as movement itself wasnât allowed. All that kinetic energy would then be absorbed by the Horned Tiger Horse, making it even faster!
It was this talent that made Rick one of the top ten elites in Manhattan, for it had the potential to make him an Invincible.
Rick smirked as he rode past the great number of knights. Once he came within range of anything moving, their movement would stop, even arrows would pause mid-air and fall to the ground after he was long gone.
âI knew my ability countered his, but this was easier than expected. Whatâs the use of an army when they canât harm a single foe?â Rick snickered inwardly, his heart pounding with exhilaration.
Just then, the knight with tendril wings, Tempest, suddenly lifted his Double-Bladed Greatsword and moved like a blur, appearing beside Rick in the next instant and swinging his massive weapon at him.
Rickâs eyes widened. Rows of trees burst from the earth on both sides as the Horned Tiger Horse galloped even faster toward the castle, through a path paved by these rows of trees, an adaptive skill Rick called Tigerâs Path.
âPrepare to use Speed Burst when we get to the castle dooâ!â Rickâs eyes widened as Tempest landed before the castle, striking the earth with his sword. Lightning burst outward, blasting Rick and his summon several meters backward.
He tumbled several times before collapsing. His eyes widened when he felt something behind him. Turning, he saw fifty Heavy Infantry Knights aiming their spears at him, forming a semicircle with some spears pointed slightly upward.
That way, even when he paused motion, he would still be caged in!
âWhat are these things?! How did they form such a tactic so quickly? Did their summoner give the order? I thought he was inside the castle!â
As if that wasnât enough, all around him were arrows, all perfectly aimed to drop down even if he were to move. Such unreal skill and teamwork made Rickâs heart shake.
What was this absurdity?!
He had never felt this helpless against anyone, except when he faced Damien.
"He failed. Letâs move," Damien said, removing his glasses as he saw Godfrey walk out of the castle, his eyes fixed on them.
"I knew youâd all come after my points."
"This tournament isnât just about defeating a strong opponent," Tyla said with a faint smile. "Itâs also about protecting the spoils."
"Weâre here for you. What are you going to do about it?" Vinâs eyes hardened. "You have an army, but Iâll melt them in an instant."
When Tyla saw Godfreyâs still-defiant expression, she raised an eyebrow. "Do you have any surprises for us?"
"Youâd be foolish to think weâre going to attack individually against you, who have the advantage of an army. And since weâre not doing that, itâs unfortunate for someone of your strength, but youâll undoubtedly lose," Damien stated with a placid look.
....
A/N: Todayâs Chapters are coming out much earlier because Iâm about to leave home. I need to take my mother for a spa day.
See ya!