Luo Shi took a deep breath and strode forward. Only a few fighters with bloodshot eyes and desperate determination followed closely behind him. The rest shrank back, believing that hiding in the tunnel would guarantee their safety.
In previous matches, they had escaped disaster by hiding in the tunnel. Now that they had ascended to the elite arena and their spirits had collapsed, they clung even more tightly to the tunnel.
Luo Shi knew only one thing: if they guarded the tunnel, their path of retreat would be cut off, leaving them with only a dead end. Not a single person present was capable of facing the ghoul head-on!
“Naive fools.”
Luo Shi, accompanied by Rixin, LeBron, and a few others, advanced boldly, their spirits burning with reckless courage.
In this deadly fight, only by risking their lives could they hope for a slim chance of survival.
Before Luo Shi and the fighters could fully exit the tunnel, the stands suddenly erupted with cheers—waves of excited shouting surged like a tidal wave, one after another, unceasing.
Luo Shi stood at the tunnel’s entrance, looking out. The unfamiliar, abundant sunlight made him squint, and after a moment, he finally adjusted.
He keenly observed that the cheers from the stands weren’t for the fighters, nor for the ghouls. It seemed some dignitary of high status had arrived at the arena. Judging by the nobles’ grand reaction, the visitor’s rank was definitely not low.
“His Highness Liumiyong, please move to the front seats, where you can enjoy the best view,” said the noble responsible for the arena, respectfully beckoning the white-clad young man wearing a crown to the front row. The nobles seated there, regardless of their stature or size, stood up one after another to offer their seats, eyes filled with longing.
“Lunhui Tianqi,” Liumiyong—the young man in white—arched an eyebrow and commanded. The cloaked girl following him nodded and immediately dropped to her knees, placing her hands on the ground and straightening her back, assuming a prostrate position.
The nobles looked on unwillingly, but Liumiyong calmly and leisurely sat atop the cloaked girl’s back, crossing his legs and swinging them back and forth. He crossed his arms over his chest and gazed with great interest at the vast arena before him.
The nobles knew the identity of the cloaked girl—she was His Highness Liumiyong’s slave girl, the Death-Life Controller, a humanoid killing weapon of the state. Serving as a seat for Liumiyong was not an uncommon indignity for such a weapon.
Seated in the front row, a richly dressed fat noble stole several glances at Liumiyong. Seeing that Liumiyong hadn’t noticed him, he quickly summoned a subordinate and gave a few hurried orders. Before long, while everyone’s attention was focused on the stands, the subordinate dashed toward the arena’s exit at top speed.
“Hurry and inform His Highness Arthur. Tell him His Highness Liumiyong has arrived at the arena. Fast.”
After the subordinate disappeared at the exit, Lunhui Tianqi suddenly spoke in a low voice, “If necessary, I can reveal any words spoken by anyone here at any time. Those nobles underestimate the slave girl too much.”
Liumiyong nodded expressionlessly upon hearing this. “Those are the eyes and ears of my dear brother. Knowing my movements, he will soon arrive here with his own slave girls, watching my every move.”
*****
“Hmph, what on earth is that damn brother of mine planning?” Arthur’s expression was unsettled. He hadn’t expected that when the transport ship neared Amidal, his brother would finally take action instead of staying locked away in the ancient castle, detached from the world.
“Prepare the carriage! To the arena! My daughter and the Shadow Spider will come with me!”
Hearing Arthur’s somewhat impatient orders, the two girls kneeling before the throne bowed deeply and saluted, indicating their willingness to serve their master.
*****
“Hmm?” Liumiyong made a surprised sound. At this moment, all the fighters had emerged from the tunnel. Once outside, they immediately scattered, searching for suitable weapons. Numerous weapons were embedded in grooves on the floor throughout the arena, specially provided for fighters to resist the terrifying monsters—or rather, to desperately struggle for survival.
But usually, fighters emerged with blank expressions, far from so composed. It seemed these people had guidance behind them.
“This batch of fighters’ spirit to resist seems no ordinary matter. After all these days, they still maintain their minds uncorrupted by despair, avoiding becoming slaves to negative emotions and losing their own personalities. Could this be the influence of Bai Ya·Ifeier·Keluolomu?” Liumiyong suddenly asked in a low voice.
Lunhui Tianqi knew he was asking her. After some thought, she answered, “His Highness Liumiyong, if it is her, then accomplishing this is no difficult task.”
“Speaking of which, where is that one now? I haven’t seen her. I heard she has an unavoidable battle here, which is why I deigned to descend upon this place. I also have to endure my dear brother Arthur’s suspicion—he will definitely watch my every move. Having paid such a high price, I very much look forward to her delivering a sufficiently spectacular outcome.”
“His Highness Liumiyong, I may be able to answer this. The one you speak of is not far from us, in fact…” Lunhui Tianqi raised her gaze slightly; her voice grew quieter and finally fell silent.
“Thinking about it carefully, once the final debugging is complete, the last ten percent chance of victory will be within reach. Honestly, it’s my first time using something like this. Lack of confidence is natural. Well, take it one step at a time. But I’m starving, with no strength left. This is very troublesome. What to do…”
Liumiyong, expressionless, slowly turned his head, locking eyes with the armored guard who was lightly biting her finger and muttering to herself.
Her entire body was wrapped in coarse, unsightly iron armor, her true face hidden beneath the helmet, only her mouth exposed. No iron sword hung at her waist. This kind of guard was probably a lowly foot soldier, at most cannon fodder.
From her voice, it was clear the armored guard was a girl.
“Do you have any food?”
“Yes…”
“Great! I’m starving right now!”
“I heard that, but I won’t give you any…”
Liumiyong felt an indescribable irritation at this guard who had somehow slipped beside him without his notice.
“Heh, how did you get here? Answer me.” Liumiyong let out a rare cold laugh.
“Hm? About that, your status is Prince His Highness, so I claimed to be your guard, and it was that simple to sneak in.” The armored guard tilted her head as she explained.
“I can’t possibly have such a shabby guard. You look too suspicious like this. Then why didn’t anyone doubt you? Answer me.” Liumiyong glanced coldly at the rust-stained armor.
“Digging deep, huh? Not a bad habit. You’re smart, worthy of praise.” The armored guard gave Liumiyong a thumbs-up, the corners of her mouth beneath the helmet curling up slowly.
“…”
“The answer is simple. Because I had Lunhui Tianqi explain my identity to them. She is your slave girl; her actions are your will. How many here dare defy you, Prince His Highness? So I passed through unimpeded.”
“Hmph, remember this: your life now belongs to me, Liumiyong Amidal. You dare speak to me like that? Don’t you understand manners? Not even the most basic respect…”
“I will never forget your great kindness. If one day you have nowhere to retreat, even if everyone is your enemy, I will firmly stand by your side. That is my promise.”
The armored guard interrupted Liumiyong, folding her arms with a serious tone.
“As for obeying your orders, spare me that. I just don’t want to be a slave.”
Playfully sticking out her tongue, the armored guard moved her arms stiffly and sighed occasionally.
After a long silence, Liumiyong suddenly spoke: “It’s not that easy. You’re already my pawn. How can I allow you to escape my control?”
“Who knows? That’s not for you to decide.”
With that, the armored guard quickly strode to the railing and performed a splendid flip down from the stands, tracing an arc through the air before crashing heavily into the arena. The weight of the iron armor smashed the bricks at her landing spot, shaking the ground with a thunderous roar.
After a long moment, the armored guard twitched, pressed one hand to her helmet, and staggered to her feet. Fortunately, the height difference between the stands and the arena was within her tolerance. It was a blessing she hadn’t lost her fighting capability.
This sudden turn startled the nobles in the stands and the fighters in the arena. All eyes instantly focused on the armored guard. She dragged her body forward like a zombie just risen from the grave.
Once steady on her feet, the armored guard took slow, deliberate steps toward the fighters. This mysterious figure, whose face remained hidden, struck fear into some of the fighters, who hastily retreated several paces to put distance between themselves and the armored guard, hoping to diminish their anxiety and terror.
Calming himself, Luo Shi raised a hand, signaling Rixin and LeBron to hold their fire for now. His thumb pressed against the hilt of a longsword pulled from the arena floor, ready to strike down the guard at the slightest provocation.
“Your Highness, your guard she…”
“Ignore her. This is my attitude. Let her fend for herself.”
The nobles watched the scene in some confusion. But seeing Liumiyong rare smile and a look of interest, they let the armored guard roam freely within the arena.
If His Highness Liumiyong wished to spare this guard, one word from him and they would immediately imprison the ghouls and escort the guard out unharmed. With such preparations, the nobles were not worried at all.
If Liumiyong did not speak, even if the guard died in the upcoming gladiatorial battle, no one would blame or be angry.
“Please stop here. Who exactly are you, and what is your purpose?”
The armored guard finally halted before a towering figure whose shadow completely enveloped her—Semo Tabu, the strongest fighter!
The armored guard slowly lifted her head, looking up at Tabu’s scarred, battle-ready face, momentarily at a loss for words, falling silent.
Everyone watched the exchange between Tabu and the mysterious guard. After a long pause, Tabu unclenched his massive, cauldron-sized fist and sighed softly, stepping aside.
No matter who this person was, the absence of malice was undeniable. Having been on the battlefield himself, he wouldn’t misjudge.
The guard nodded to Tabu, swiftly picked up a spear from the groove in the floor, then turned, exposing her back to him.
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