This time, Howard used pure magic attacks to defeat his opponent with a thunderous force.
It also served as proof that Howard, donning a magus robe, wasn’t using his attire to deceive others or conceal his true class.
Indeed, the earlier battles had led many to believe that Howard was not a magus at all.
Who would have thought that Howard would immediately turn the tables on them?
Howard proved not only that he was a magus, but also one skilled in multiple branches of magical skills.
The combination of different elemental magic skills overwhelmed his enemies, leaving them no opportunity to retaliate.
Thus, when Howard’s statement echoed through the arena, there was a moment of complete silence.
However, the allure of treasure can sway hearts, let alone a Supreme Treasure.
Soon enough, another challenger ascended the platform to face Howard.
Unfortunately for them, facing a level 50+ awakened, Howard had the advantage in attributes.
After all, members of other factions didn’t have access to low-level Supreme Artifacts.
Without equipment on par with Howard’s and lacking his fortunate opportunities, they couldn’t match his attributes.
And in battle, besides combat skills, attributes play a significant role.
The next three challengers who stepped up were also successively defeated.
Having achieved five victories, Howard didn’t return to Rick and the others. Instead, he found a solitary spot to stand.
Previously, no one had explicitly pointed it out, so he had just stayed there.
Now that he had fought in the arena, if he showed closeness to Rick and his group after stepping down, even if he won the Starry River Map fair and square, there might still be accusations of favoritism within the Alliance.
It was essential to maintain appearances.
Time slowly passed by.
Soon, nearly all the awakened in the arena had participated in battles.
However, not everyone could endure five rounds of combat. 𝑖.𝑐ℴ𝑚
In the end, only about sixty individuals managed to advance to the next stage.
Each of these sixty competitors came from notable forces.
White Tiger City, Black Tortoise City, Baron Moss, Solomon Sacred Assembly, Brotherhood, and various other organizations, all just below the four top-tier forces or powerful families from major cities, were represented.
At this point, achieving five consecutive victories became significantly more challenging.
Yet, the rules were already set, and no awakened dared to object.
After all, if they angered Glutton and ended up being devoured by him, to whom could they complain?
Even the powers behind them would likely hesitate to confront a being who was clearly above level 90 for their sake.
If they knew that Glutton and his companions were not only close as brothers but also possessed strengths above level 95, they would be even more deferential.
No one wanted to provoke such a terrifying existence.
The battle continued, but this time the rule allowed those on the arena to personally choose their opponents.
The girl from Black Tortoise City was quickly selected.
In that instant, Howard heard Old Smokey’s voice in his ear: “Keep an eye on Little Yan for me. If she’s in danger of losing, intervene and save her. Don’t let her get hurt! I’ll make it worth your while afterward!”
Hearing this, Howard immediately became alert, setting aside any distractions.
Of course, in his mind, he thought Old Smokey’s worries were a bit excessive.
It was just a duel among youngsters, watched by many, and everyone was aware of the formidable forces backing their opponents.
Nobody would dare to inflict a lethal blow. What was there to worry about?
However, the promise of a reward from Old Smokey was tempting!
So, Howard agreed.
After all, who would refuse benefits that come knocking at the door?
The girl from Black Tortoise City was named Yan Wu, a name format that immediately suggested a lineage connected to Crimson Dragon City.
Howard could only speculate that Crimson Dragon City, Black Tortoise City, and White Tiger City might have been part of the same nation before joining the Alliance and splitting into three separate powers.
Even so, the relationship between these three cities remained quite good.
With this in mind, Howard felt less opposed to protecting Yan Wu.
After all, he was, in a way, the son-in-law of the Chan family from Crimson Dragon City.
Perhaps White Tiger City and Black Tortoise City could become allies in the future!
The fight quickly commenced, and Howard watched intently, his eyes gradually brightening.
It had to be said, Yan Wu was quite strong.
A Turtle Phantom emerged behind her, crushing the attacks of her opponents before they could even reach her.
Conversely, whenever Yan Wu approached someone, the Turtle Phantom exerted a pressure on the target, impairing their movement speed, and in some cases, rendering them completely immobile.
This effect was similar to a Gravity spell, but with a broader range and more pronounced impact.
Of course, purely in terms of display, it couldn’t match Howard’s SS-level skill, Wrath of the Earth.
But it’s important to remember that the Turtle Phantom wasn’t just a skill – it was Yan Wu’s innate talent.
Once activated, it could be summoned continuously, only consuming MP.
Seeing this, Howard couldn’t help but mutter, “With the Turtle Phantom’s effect, ordinary awakened stand no chance against her. She doesn’t seem to need my protection at all!”
And indeed, just as Howard had anticipated, in several consecutive battles, Yan Wu used her Turtle Phantom to bulldoze her way through, pressing her enemies until their movements were restricted, and then striking decisively to knock them off the platform.
Although her opponents were resentful, their defeat was irrefutable.
Any further words would just be excuses, and unwilling to witness more, they left the arena in frustration.
However, just as Yan Wu was about to clinch her fifth victory, a plainly dressed man suddenly appeared on the platform.
In that instant, Howard’s pupils contracted sharply – the man was using skills identical to his own!
Moreover, the man was also a magus, brimming with MP.
For some reason, Howard sensed danger and even felt that Yan Wu might lose.
Yan Wu, however, didn’t think she was going to lose.
As the fight began, she once again summoned the Turtle Phantom.
But before she could use the Turtle Phantom to exert pressure on the man, he used a Blink skill to distance himself from her.
The Turtle Phantom’s effect was impressive, but its effective range was somewhat limited.
It had only worked previously because Yan Wu’s movement speed was fast enough to pressurize her opponents.
This time, facing an opponent who could use Blink, her innate ability found no ground to operate on.
Instead, as the man kept his distance, he waved his wand and launched several fireballs.
Turtles are generally associated with Hydro, and water and fire are two elements that counter each other.
When fire is strong, it can evaporate water; when water is strong, it can extinguish fire.
At this moment, the man’s relentless casting of Pyro skills undoubtedly meant that fire had the upper hand.
Before long, the Turtle Phantom was scorched, and its entire figure dissipated.
With the Turtle Phantom broken, Yan Wu was mentally affected.
She couldn’t help but feel a tickle in her throat and spat out a mouthful of blood.
However, the man showed no sign of stopping.
He continued to wave his wand, conjuring a fiery crimson tiger.
With a mighty roar echoing through the woods, the crimson tiger, entirely formed of flames, pounced towards Yan Wu like a tiger descending the mountain.
At that moment, Yan Wu, reeling from the backlash, couldn’t even speak, let alone dodge the skill.
She could only widen her eyes in horror as the fiery beast rapidly approached her.
Despair started to set in her heart.
“No, this is bad!”
Several elders from the Black Tortoise City faction were the first to react, their expressions changing drastically.
They hurried forward, intending to intervene and disrupt the attack against Yan Wu.
However, before they could reach her, Glutton let out a grunt.
A powerful, invisible force swept out, instantly pressing the two elders back to their original positions.
Fortunately, Howard had already received instructions from Old Smokey to protect Yan Wu.
The elders were stopped because Glutton and the others had initially declared that no awakened above level 60 were allowed to intervene – not even to save someone!
Allowing them to act now would set a precedent for other powerful individuals from various factions to intervene in future dangers.
This could lead to complete chaos.
This was precisely why Old Smokey had asked Howard to step in.
Powerful fighters could not break the rules they themselves had set.
As Howard was already a participant under the rules, his intervention was permissible.
With a humming sound, just when Yan Wu thought she was about to be struck by the crimson tiger, a whooshing noise suddenly filled her ears.
In the next moment, she felt herself being swept up in a mid-waist embrace.
A sense of warmth enveloped her, followed by a brilliant azure glow. Dozens of wind blades burst forth, ravaging in multiple directions!
This content is taken from 𝘳.𝑐𝘰