MTLNOVEL Chapter 123
Tian’s sword was as tall and sharp as its owner, capable of slicing through paper with the slightest touch. It was said to be a mastercrafted blade, personally forged and honed by Tian.
Tian himself exuded the aura of a sword master, radiating formidable energy. His S-rank Pure Nature unique ability had yet to be mentioned.
Facing this merciless sword demon would be a delicate and beautiful 15-year-old boy, whose pale skin became even paler due to his aversion to people.
It felt like throwing a small, fragile boy to the fighting dogs in the coliseum. I gripped Akata’s hand tightly.
“Akata, are you sure you’re okay?”
I knew the question was pointless—what could I do if he wasn’t?—but I had to ask.
Akata, instead of answering, took a sip of water from a plastic bottle under his seat. He seemed utterly calm, as if he were going to a local baseball game rather than a coliseum fight.
“I’ll be back.”
He muttered this plainly and turned away with a spirited demeanor, teleporting down to the arena.
Without any basis or certainty, I briefly wondered if Akata might actually come back victorious against Tian.
As an analyst known for basing predictions solely on the character status screens, even I was momentarily swayed.
Akata stood across from the woman without showing any signs of tension. His red hair and slender arms fluttered in the naturally occurring wind.
“Maybe Tian will go easy on him if she feels a bit sympathetic? Look at Akata, his body sways with the wind. He’s so frail.”
Unahar muttered to himself.
I, too, wondered if Tian, no matter how ruthless, might hesitate before such a pretty boy.
However, the moment the screen focused on Tian’s face, I had to abandon all hope.
Her eyes clearly conveyed her intent: “I always give my best in a fight, no matter who my opponent is. Even if they are a C-rank fragile boy.”
That was undoubtedly the look in her eyes.
[When you look at it this way, there’s quite a size difference, isn’t there?]
[Tian is tall, but Akata is especially small! But we can’t be complacent. Akata ranks 6th! Despite his poor basic stats, he secured his rank purely with his unique ability. And here’s a surprising fact: Akata’s unique ability, ‘Output,’ rivals even the current rank 1, Aleon!]
Really? Even I wasn’t sure if Akata could match Aleon, but the system commentators just confirmed it. Noted.
[Will Tian’s lightning surpass Akata’s flames? The third match begins!]
Screeeech-!
Occasionally, in the dead of night, I encounter a small white bird, but this time, a red phoenix emanating a fiery aura emerged.
As soon as the whistle blew, a tingling energy burst from Akata’s body.
The phoenix, made of flames, materialized and even silenced the crowd. It disoriented Tian’s vision and then charged forward fiercely.
Akata, naturally slow, stood his ground to block Tian’s approach, forcing Tian to charge blindly at the boy.
In the midst of falling graphic particles, Tian’s amethyst-colored eyes glinted for a moment.
“…!”
One of the phoenix’s wings was torn apart by a white flash.
The lightning extending from Tian’s hand was so bright, even at a fraction of its real intensity to protect our eyes, that it left our vision blurry for a while.
The clash of these two powerful abilities was so intense that it sent vibrations through the spectator stands. Sharp shockwaves spread throughout the area.
“Huff-!”
Akata gasped sharply, not even from being attacked.
He hunched over in pain. However, this wasn’t good news for Tian; her irises constricted in alarm.
From the boy’s body, two more phoenixes rose.
The three immortal creatures swam through the air, converging on Tian from three directions.
From then on, Tian was forced to evade and was relentlessly pursued by the phoenixes.
She deftly moved her feet several times, narrowly escaping. The wrong inhaled air seemed to burn her lungs, making her groan.
The boy watched indifferently as the creatures he created engulfed Tian.
The overwhelmed crowd fell silent. Next to me, Lilith gasped, and I could hear Unahar and Kanel gulping nervously.
I hoped Tian would surrender at this point.
Bang! Tian, considering the burns she might suffer, launched a surprise attack through the phoenixes.
It must have been a desperate move. Exhausted, she sent lightning shooting in dozens of directions from her hand.
Akata couldn’t dodge. He ultimately allowed Tian to get close.
A sword strike was delivered. Tian’s body passed Akata’s, their gazes briefly crossing.
“…”
Sweat droplets flew from Tian’s forehead as she straightened up and swung her sword to clear it.
A breathless moment of less than a second.
Sssssht-!
The upper body of the frozen Akata split open along a red line. A diagonal slash across his heart.
Amid the scattering blood, Akata’s eyes bulged, then closed weakly.
The delicate boy hit the ground with the back of his head, and as a pool of blood quickly formed, Akata’s figure vanished.
[Unbelievable! After relentless resistance, Tian’s surprise attack succeeded! Tian wins!]
I might have heard Runehan cheering, but I didn’t pay attention.
Typically, after death, members naturally return to the guild, but today, their bodies were automatically healed and summoned before me.
Without thinking, I supported Akata’s limp body that appeared before me.
I might have seen my pale face reflected on the screen, but I didn’t care.
[Did you know that the results of these dueling matches directly affect personal rankings?]
[Tian’s rank is sure to skyrocket! Meanwhile, Akata’s ranking is now uncertain.]
[Today’s Tian was undoubtedly on par with Zeus, the god of lightning!]
[However, Akata’s fire abilities were remarkable, yet Tian’s additional weapon, her godlike swordsmanship, ultimately brought the sixth rank to its knees!]
I glared coldly at the commentary booth.
Gio was compared to Hades, the buried god, and Tian to Zeus, the king of gods…
Though Tian’s unique ability fell short of Akata’s, the victor writes the narrative.
Having turned a boy who fluttered like a flower in the wind into a bloody mess, Tian treated her burns without a shred of guilt.
It was infuriating. In the recent bout, Tian was the protagonist, and Akata was the villain.
That Akata was merely used to elevate Tian’s prominence…
“Gio.”
Gio, still dumbfounded by Tian’s prowess, wore a dazed expression. I tapped his shoulder and whispered in his ear.
“She might be the opponent you need to overcome before facing Aleon. Remember her features well.”
Turning back to Akata, I brushed off the emotions staining my face and gave him a warm smile.
Noticing me, Akata recalled the moments before he fainted, his delicate eyes narrowing.
Though the game had been updated from survival to guild matches, protecting characters’ minds from trauma upon death, the pain of the moment must have been felt.
I patted Akata’s head. Soon, I realized his labored breathing wasn’t from the painful memory.
“Relax your face. You’ll ruin it. I never asked you to win.”
Viewers might think Akata’s loss was a disgraceful defeat.
But you know what? Until recently, no one expected you to engage in ‘battle’ at all.
Tian is nearly complete, whereas you, Akata, have just begun.
“You did a great job in that battle. I’m proud of you.”
A bit of color returned to Akata’s pale cheeks, which had gone white from the shock.
“Was I really cool?”
“Absolutely. You were really cool.”
Objectively, you were impressive. No one expected you to perform this well.
Even though I was the previous contender with a similar fire ability, you overshadowed me.
Usually, I get annoyed when someone gets more attention than me, but I don’t mind if it’s one of our guild members.
It’s fine if Akata becomes a better player than me.
“I’m happy, but I’m not satisfied with just your words.”
“Huh?”
“I marked Tian just now. I will definitely pay her back.”
Akata’s eyes darkened as he declared this, clenching his fists.
The gentle and elegant boy had turned into an avatar of revenge overnight—perhaps influenced by me.
“What about our dueling match? We need one more win…”
“We’ll have to rely on Unahar.”
At that, Akata turned expectantly towards Unahar.
The once passive boy had become so aligned with me, showing a genuine desire to win.
Receiving the unintentional but sparkling gaze from the determined boy, Unahar quickly turned his head away.
[Fourth Match]
Garam vs. Unahar
As luck would have it, the next contestant was Unahar.