The Vitality Continent is home to countless races: humans, demi-humans, beastkin, and magical beasts, all in vast numbers.
Humans are not the most numerous, nor the strongest, but they are absolutely the smartest, or rather, the most cunning.
Precisely because of this, humans discriminate against other races. Beast girls, for instance, are fine for fun in bed, but if they get in the way, they're no different from magical beasts.
“Rip!”
Sharp claws tore open the muscular man's chest. Black Iron's raised arms fell, and his eyes began to lose focus.
Shuang Ya withdrew her blood-soaked hands, the viscous blood dripping from her sharp claws, splattering onto her blue combat suit like a demonic blood-red flower.
The air in the arena fell into a brief silence, then immediately erupted into madness again.
“Damn beast, who allowed you to win? You should just die!”
“You hybrid abomination, you made me lose two gold coins, how are you going to compensate me?”
“Get up, Black Iron! Do you think you're on a woman's belly? Is this your sleeping place?”
This was Shuang Ya's first challenge against a third-tier warrior, and the odds were extremely high.
No one believed that a third-tier warrior who had made a name for himself in the underground arena would actually lose to a beastkin.
Listening to the vicious curses, Shuang Ya said nothing, shook the blood from her claws, and hid her bloodthirsty fangs back in her mouth.
Leaving the arena stage, Shuang Ya walked into the dimly lit passage, her figure desolate.
Not long after, a familiar scent reached her nose, and Shuang Ya, who had been looking dejected, suddenly lifted her head.
“Young Master!”
Shuang Ya smiled, her eyes filled with joy. In front of her, Ze Kai, wearing a Shura mask, leaned against the wall, clearly waiting for her arrival.
Though she was a wolf beast girl, she now resembled a puppy seeing its owner, rushing to Ze Kai's front, wagging her tail frantically.
Ze Kai stroked her head and asked with concern, “Shuang Ya, are you alright?”
Shuang Ya didn't want to show her sadness in front of her Young Master, forcing a smile and saying, “Young Master, I'm fine.”
Looking at the wolf-girl in front of him, Ze Kai could vaguely sense her emotional fluctuations.
He didn't offer any words of comfort, but he thought to himself:
I'll be leaving soon. When the time comes, I will establish a kingdom without discrimination.
“Go rest.”
“Mm.”
The wolf-girl nodded vigorously and walked towards the private box.
The tenderness in Ze Kai's eyes faded, replaced by coldness and bloodlust, as he strode towards the exit.
“Ladies and gentlemen, next up is the final match of the day, and the most anticipated main event! Let's welcome the rising genius of recent years, the most mysterious sword master: Shu—ra!”
The host was skilled at building atmosphere. Upon hearing Shura's name, the excitement reached its peak.
If one were to ask who the most popular contestant of recent years was, it would undoubtedly be Shura!
His mysterious origins, astonishing rate of improvement, powerful swordsmanship, and fierce fighting style—every strike hit the nerves of these fervent spectators.
Accompanied by nearly insane roars, Ze Kai appeared at the entrance, wearing a Shura mask and a black cloak, without a trace of Essence Energy leaking out, like an ordinary person.
To the audience, this was a sign of Shura's mastery over Essence Energy reaching perfection. In reality, he had no Essence Energy at all.
“Shura! Shura!”
“If you're willing to take off your mask, I'll offer one hundred gold coins!”
The crowd went wild, with a majority being women. After all, many lonely noblewomen frequented the arena to find strong men to protect them.
Although Shura didn't show his face, this very fact greatly attracted these wealthy women, much like those anonymous streamers on Blue Star.
The clever host did not immediately introduce the opponent, but waited until the atmosphere reached its peak before suddenly speaking.
“Alright, now, let's welcome Shura's opponent, the arena's ace, the undisputed number one in the arena for five years, the Blood-Hand Butcher, fifth-tier warrior: A—tor!”
As the host's words fell, a burly man, nearly two and a half meters tall, bare-chested, revealing his muscular upper body, and carrying a blood-red greatsword, appeared at the entrance of another passage.
Instantly, the crowd, who had been chanting Shura's name, collectively shouted Ator's name.
Shura was strong, but that was in comparison to others. Ator, however, was the undisputed number one in the arena, the master who held the fort!
For five years, countless people had tried to shake his position, but all had fallen beneath that blood-red greatsword.
It was said that, initially, the greatsword was not red; it had turned crimson from slaying too many people.
It was precisely because of this that Ator earned the title of Blood-Hand Butcher. No matter who it was, to him, they were all lambs on a chopping block.
“Although I already knew Shura was challenging Ator, I still don't understand. Is he crazy? How dare he challenge Ator!”
“Who cares? Ator is sure to win anyway. Just wait to collect the money.”
“Hahaha, well said. How long do you bet Shura can last?”
“I bet three minutes, fifty gold coins!”
“Are you an idiot? Those fifty gold coins will be mine very soon. It's definitely a bet for under one minute!”
“Although I also bet under one minute, I think Shura might not even last one strike!”
... The gamblers discussed excitedly. This battle, with such a vast difference in strength, besides simply betting on win or lose, had another way to play: betting on time.
The arena also didn't believe Shura could win; losing was only a matter of time.
In another luxurious private box, several nobly dressed aristocrats were chatting.
“Rosie, how many minutes do you bet Shura will last before falling?”
Bella, the wife of Arthur of the Wilson Family, asked the blonde girl beside her, a smile on her face.
Rosie of the Wilson Family, a girl of only twelve, Arthur's younger sister, the strongest genius of the Wilson Family in a hundred years, had awakened rare wind-element magic and possessed innate full Essence Energy. She had already been taken as a disciple by an eighth-tier wind-element elder of the Magic Association.
Bella knew of Rosie's astonishing talent, and naturally went out of her way to get closer to her.
“I didn't bet on time.”
The blonde girl gazed intently at the not-so-tall figure on the stage, a thoughtful look in her eyes.
She was very passionate about combat and had frequently come to the underground arena to watch matches for a long time, so Shura had left a deep impression on her.
In these four years, Shura had grown 20 centimeters, from his original height of around 1.6 meters to about 1.85 meters now.
It was precisely because of this that she speculated Shura was not very old, probably not yet twenty.
This was a genius, and a very confident one at that.
“Betting on win or lose is fine too. Although you'll earn a little less, it's okay. When your sister-in-law wins, I'll buy you a gift,” Bella said with a smile.
In her opinion, Rosie must have bet on Ator to win.