Book 2: Chapter 247

To the horror and dismay of the sailors, the man appeared in front of their boat in an instant.

Taht-

Fwoosh!

Then, with a soft tap of his foot, he soared tens of meters into the air before settling on the boat as gently as a cloud.

Sssng.

The members of the Crystal Skull Exploration Team drew their weapons as they warily observed this man.

“Who are you?”

The man had golden hair and striking blue eyes. There was also a soft, almost mocking, smile on his thin lips.

“This is a beautiful city, I really like it. It really was worth forcing myself to come here.”

“I said, who are you?”

The man’s smile became brighter.

Suddenly, the members of Crystal Skull felt something rushing up their throats.

“U-, rk. Kuk. wek…”

Then, almost at the same time, they began vomiting. It was bright red blood.

Somehow, seemingly for no reason and without warning, their blood had begun to flow up to their throats.

“Kurk, kuk, gurk, uwek, wek, uwek…”

The blood continued to flow. It flowed without any signs of stopping.

They didn’t want to spit it out, but they didn’t have a choice. None of them were able to swallow the blood that was flowing up.

To make matters worse, they were having trouble breathing because they were constantly vomiting blood.

They struggled and grabbed their necks, but it was all in vain.

Moments later, only one person was standing on the deck that had been repainted with blood.

Dozens of explorers had died without being able to do anything but swing their arms or choke themselves in vain. In the end, they all had the same horrifying appearance of dried corpses that seemed to have lost all of their moisture.

“My name is Nodiesop.”

It was only then that the man, Nodiesop, introduced himself.

He looked down at the sunken city once again.

It really was a beautiful city. Those weren’t empty words. Nodiesop could confidently say that he had never seen such a dazzling sight in any of the universes he’d traveled to before.

In a way, it could be called an inspiration for him.

A very nice plan emerged in his mind.

“If a huge continent like this one was to fall into the ocean, it would definitely create an unprecedented tsunami. Did you know? The ocean is a favored tool of destruction for most Absolutes. It’s a perfect way to wipe out all of the living beings on a planet without actually harming the planet itself.” (TL: Is that his idea of balance?)

No one responded.

Nodiesop, of course, knew that this would be the case, but he still continued in a voice that could barely hide the joy within.

“I want to make this entire world like this city, but… there is something I’ll have to do first.”

He lifted his head, his gaze cutting across the horizon.

There was someone that had to be killed no matter what.

Nodiesop let out a shrill laugh.

* * *

Lirua was selected to be the venue for the Championship Finals.

This was because Lirua’s arena was incredibly large. The Lirua arena could be ranked within the top three of all eight major cities when it came to the size of their arenas.

That wasn’t all. Compared to the others, the Lirua arena was fairly new, and it was considered a humongous artwork because it had been built by some of the best architects in the entirety of the Heavenly Realm. There were no shortages of expressions of shock and admiration from those Fighters and visitors from other cities.

In fact, watching a fight from the floating stands in the air was highly praised by many, which caused even those expensive seats to be completely sold out.

[This Championship was an event that shook the Heavenly Realm for a month! Now, the long journey is approaching its end!]

An amplified voice rang out in the arena.

This was the voice of the host, who was currently standing in the center of the arena.

[Welcome! Everyone who came to watch the finals in person! Thank you! Thank you for your continued interest in the Championship!]

Leo looked around.

‘So this is Combat Island.’

Lirua was one of the largest cities in the Heavenly Realm.

It was shockingly large. He knew that it was a festival period, which meant that the population would be much more than it usually was, but even then, the city didn’t feel cramped or clustered.

After thinking for a while, Leo looked down at the newspaper in his hands.

On it was a brief explanation of everything that had happened in the Championship so far.

…Including the death of Li Hao, no Lee Jong-hak.

According to the article, he had lost and died at the hands of none other than Kran.

It was hard to believe, but if it was true, then their situation might be a bit dangerous.

[Let me introduce you to our first contender! The title dark horse doesn’t seem to suit him anymore. He is a Fighter! He reached this stage with a perfect performance and strength that seemed to have no gaps! The Champion of Kisura! Kraaaaaan!]

Waaaaah!

The roar from the stands was so loud that it shook the arena. At the same time, the eastern door of the arena opened and Kran strode out.

However, Leo was much more concerned about the person he was about to face.

[No one expected this Fighter to be the one to face him! From beginning to end, this Fighter never had an easy battle! Every single match was an amazing battle! Shinz of Babylon, Shambar of Akad! They defeated some of the strongest contenders in the Championship and finally managed to reach this honored position!]

The momentum in the crowd was even hotter than when Kran was introduced.

[The Fighter who had the biggest growth spurt in the Championship, using the worst matchups as the best nutrients! Will they be able to give us a surprise once again?! Introducing the Champion of Herui, Riiiiiin Summersssss-!]

The west door opened following the host’s introduction.

But the space behind it was empty. This was visible even to those watching from the stands.

“What’s going on?”

“Where’s Rin?”

The audience began to murmur.

The host looked at the west door in shock.

[U-, uhh…? Ahem! My apologies! Please wait a moment!]

One of the moderators ran out towards the host. Everyone could see him report something with a serious expression. With every word he said, the host’s face became more and more pale.

After staring blankly for a while, he fixed his expression and spoke in the most professional way he could.

[T-, the Champion of Herui, Rin Summers, has chosen to withdraw!]

“What did he say?”

“Withdraw? From the Championship finals?”

“What the hell is he talking about?”

The commotion in the crowd steadily grew louder.

Perhaps the host also realised this fact, because he suddenly shouted out.

[Rin Summers’ withdrawal gives Kran a bye! A-, another Grand Champion has been born! Everyone, let us put our hands together for the birth of a new hero! Kran of the Kisura Arena!]