Sealed Divine Throne II: Twin Sons of Dragon
Chapter 287 - 142: First Round of the Finals_2

Chapter 287: Chapter 142: First Round of the Finals_2

Ling Menglu’s minor frustrations were instantly invigorated by the praises of her two cousins. She rolled her eyes at them before taking a seat first.

At that moment, a figure emerged quietly in the middle of the vast Grand Arena. His appearance came without warning. He was wholly cloaked in black attire, even his face veiled behind a mask.

Could he be a powerful expert from the Assassin’s Temple?

The man did not exude any aura whatsoever. Yet, the more inconspicuous he appeared, the more oppressive he felt to the many members of the reserve demon hunting team present.

A deep voice sounded from the presiding podium.

"Firstly, on behalf of the six Great Sacred Temples, I’d like to congratulate all the students here. You are now members of the reserve demon hunting team. Today is the first round of the final competition of the demon hunting team selection. The judgment will be presided over by a reserved Sacred Legate from the Assassin’s Temple. We hope the eight students entering the finals can fully demonstrate their strength and set a good start for their journey in the demon hunting team."

Reserve Sacred Legate from Assassin Temple? A 9th Rank powerful expert?

Undoubtedly, these were the referees selected with utmost caution by the six Great Sacred Temples for the final competition. The 9th Rank heroes of the Assassins Temple, with their unrivaled speed, can respond to any changes in the arena timely, preventing any real harm from befalling on these top-notch prodigies.

"Eight to four, the first match. From the Magic Temple, Zisang Liuying, and from the Assassin’s Temple, Chu Yu, come forth."

At the sound of the announcement from the chairman’s podium, Zisang Liuying and Chu Yu both stood up and stepped into the arena from the waiting area.

They, like Long Dangdang, were in the upper half of the bracket. In fact, considering the draw, Long Dangdang was fortunate. With his self-awareness, it would be tough for him to win against either Zisang Liuying or Chu Yu.

Now he only needed to satisfy his curiosity about who was stronger between Zisang Liuying and Chu Yu. By profession, assassins have an edge over mages. However, in such vast grounds and without anything to shield him, an assassin may not stand a chance to get close to a powerful mage like Zisang Liuying. Furthermore, Long Dangdang was deeply impressed by Chu Yu’s single powerful attack against a powerful wraith; he wondered if Chu Yu would use that desperate move in today’s match.

Soon enough, both competitors found their places at either side of the centered judge.

The referee glanced over both players, his voice gruff with a hint of hoarseness, "You may start preparing. Distance, two hundred meters."

Just then, the usually quiet Chu Yu suddenly said, "I surrender."

"What did you say?" The competing Sacred Legate from the Assassin’s Temple was taken aback.

Chu Yu repeated solemnly, "I surrender."

The Sacred Legate’s voice visibly heightened, "Do you realize, by admitting defeat, you can only rank eighth in the competition?"

Chu Yu nodded, "I know." After saying that, he stepped back, respectfully bowed to the Legate referee, then made his way down to the stand.

Zisang Liuying, who had an expressionless face from the start, watched Chu Yu walk away, then turned to look at the referee.

The Sacred Legate seemed to be composing himself, then slowly announced, "Chu Yu from Assassin’s Temple surrenders. Zisang Liuying from the Magic Temple wins."

The audience could certainly sympathize with his sentiment. Among the six Great Sacred Temples, only the Magic Temple and the Warriors Temple had two people among the top eight, whereas the other Sacred Temples had only one representative. Chu Yu, the Cyclical Reincarnation’s prodigy, was the sole representative from the Assassin’s Temple. Now that he had surrendered, it meant that the Assassin’s Temple would come last in this demon hunting team selection competition.

Long Dangdang and the others also paused, stunned. The assassin was conceding the match? They originally wanted to watch a fierce battle between the strongest assassin and the strongest mage, but the competitor readily admitted defeat. It was clearly meant to help Zisang Liuying to proceed while allowing her to maintain her optimum condition.

The rules did not forbid one from admitting defeat, but undoubtedly, this was not satisfactory for the Assassins Temple. However, they evidently had no idea how to deal with this prodigy of cyclical reincarnation.

There was a moment of silence from the judges’ stage, while Zisang Liuying returned to her spot in the waiting area. She did not leave, but simply sat down back at her previous position.

A few minutes later, a voice emerged from atop the judges’ stage, "Proceeding from eight to four, second round. Knight’s Temple representative, Long Dangdang versus Warriors’ Temple representative, Wang Changxin. Both competitors, please prepare for battle."

Long Dangdang rose to his feet and so did Wang Changxin from afar. They looked towards each other; Long Dangdang nodded at her, and Changxin reciprocated with a bow of her head. They entered the battlefield one after another.

Long Dangdang took a deep breath, trying his best to keep calm. He had witnessed Changxin’s strength firsthand, and how she defeated Long Kongkong. Winning this battle was by no means an easy task for him. But he had to give it his all. If he couldn’t even make it into the top four, how could he face his cousin’s sacrifices? If it hadn’t been for him and Kongkong, his cousin and Zisang Liuying would have formed a team long ago.

The two stood facing each other before the arbitrator from the Assassin’s Temple and greeted each other.

"Space yourselves by a hundred meters: Prepare yourselves," the arbitrator, regaining his composure, commanded.

"Arbitrator, please hold on," Long Dangdang abruptly said.

The arbitrator suddenly looked at him and inquired gravely, "Are you conceding too?" His tone hinted at the displeasure he held towards Chu Yu’s earlier concession.

Long Dangdang shook his head, saying, "No, I’m not conceding. I merely want to ask whether the starting distance can be adjusted as I am a knight, but also a mage."

The arbitrator visibly paused. It was his first time encountering such a situation, even as a 9th rank expert. A knight who is also a mage? What is this about?

Instinctively, he turned his head to look at the judges’ stage.

Wang Changxin looked at Long Dangdang, her ordinarily calm and firm gaze filled with a touch of confusion.

The judges’ stage finally responded after a full minute, "Starting distance for both competitors, 150 meters."

Long Dangdang subtly nodded at Wang Changxin, then turned and walked away. Wang Changxin, her eyes narrowed, followed suit.

The two stood at a distance of 150 meters apart, Long Dangdang fixated on his far-off opponent, his mind gradually calming. The reason for his request for a longer distance was because he knew his opponent’s strength well. In a head-on clash, he was no match for Wang Changxin. Though, he didn’t understand why she possessed such formidable strength. However, she lacked in mid-to-long range attacks, which was his own advantage as he isn’t just a knight but also a mage. Only by exploiting their strengths and weaknesses, will there be a chance of victory in this match.

"Let the match begin!"

As the arbitrator announced the commencement of the fight, both parties’ momentum skyrocketed almost simultaneously.

Wang Changxin’s eyes instantly lit up. The Changxin on the battlefield and the gentle Changxin in daily life seemed to be two completely different people. In an instant, her eyes shone brightly, and her aura surged wildly. The moment her toes pushed off the ground, she sped forward. Her large sledgehammer was yet to be released, but the moment her left foot touched the ground, a booming sound was produced. Soon after, she was like a cannonball from a magic cannon, charging towards Long Dangdang, as if she was gliding along the ground.

Long Dangdang stood unmoving. Yet with the brightening of his eyes, three identical figures appeared beside him. Each one was him, but their eyes shimmered with different shades of light: wind, fire, water, and the light from his own body. These four Long Dangdangs, standing in a line, rooted firm and steady.

If during the previous battles, these separated "Long Dangdangs" might have been considered as use of clone skills, now, as all four started to chant the spell in sync, whether it was the judges’ stage or the waiting area, for a moment, everything seemed to freeze. Zisang Liuying even abruptly stood up.