A dozen deep azure wind blades erupted, instantly tearing the crimson tiger before Howard into shreds.
With its physical form destroyed, the flames lost their potency and quickly dissipated.
Holding Yan Wu and bathed in the flames, Howard presented a sight that made the hearts of the onlookers tremble.
At that moment, he appeared like a deity!
The wind blades swirling beside him and the fragmented flames nearby enveloped him, casting a divine aura around his figure.
“Excellent technique, an instant Blink skill combined with a swift Multiple Wind Blade. Do you possess equipment that enables instant skill execution?” the man scrutinized Howard and asked abruptly, “Or is it that your understanding of the Multiple Wind Blade is exceptionally profound?”
“Isn’t this just a friendly sparring? Is there a need to go so far?”
Howard, understanding Rick and the others’ intentions, couldn’t help but lightly rebuke the man.
“Sparring? For me, there’s no such thing as mere sparring!” the man retorted, “As long as the opponent isn’t dead, don’t they possess the ability to counterattack? If I held back and ended up being killed, what then?”
He laughed, “Someone from a grand academy like you wouldn’t understand these things.”
Hearing the mockery in the man’s words, Howard’s lips twitched involuntarily, and he chose to remain silent.
He could already anticipate the discontent from Rick, Glutton, and others towards him.
Moreover, he foresaw that the opponents he would face next would also not hold back in their attacks.
However, once this precedent was set, even if he were to be defeated later, it would be difficult for others to stop this aggressive trend.
When it was his turn to step onto the stage, he would have to be extremely cautious.
After stepping down from the arena with Yan Wu in his arms, Howard hadn’t yet spoken when two guards swiftly approached.
Setting Yan Wu down, the guards exhaled in relief and quickly expressed their gratitude: “Many thanks for your assistance, sir!”
“It was nothing,” Howard replied nonchalantly.
Yan Wu, finally coming to her senses, gave Howard a careful look.
A slight blush tinted her cheeks as she spoke, “I am deeply grateful for your help, good sir.”
Howard nodded slightly and then turned his gaze back to the man.
The opponent possessed Blink skills and his Pyro abilities were also formidable; indeed, a worthy adversary.
The man, recognizing Howard as a formidable opponent too, chose to challenge other awakened instead.
A magus’ only weakness is close combat!
With the Blink skill at his disposal, other awakened, even those who were assassins and ostensibly countered mages, found it difficult to defeat him.
In just about a quarter of an hour, the man had secured five victories!
“Who is this guy, really?”
“We’ve never seen him before. And his attire and equipment seem quite modest. Could he be just a commoner?”
“Impossible, right? How could a commoner possess Blink at such a young age? That skill isn’t basic. It’s not sold in regular magic shops and would cost at least a few thousand gold coins at an auction!”
“Maybe he just got lucky and it dropped for him?”
“If he truly is a commoner, even if he did come across such a skill, he’d probably sell it for a wand or gold coins, right? Without enough gold coins, even maintaining daily practice is impossible.”
The multitude of awakened individuals continued to discuss the man’s identity, their hearts filled with doubt and apprehension.
After all, it’s the unknown that’s the most terrifying!
The backgrounds and strengths of most other competitors were well-known, including the factions they belonged to and the skills they possessed, making it easier to strategize against them.
Facing an underdog, however, with no understanding of their potential abilities, could be fatal if caught off guard by an unexpected strike.
In essence, everyone dreaded the prospect of facing this plainly dressed man.
Yet, after his successive challenges and victories, the man in plain clothes didn’t step down.
Instead, he turned to Glutton and suggested with a smile, “Senior, I find all this quite tedious. How about we have a free-for-all battle instead? Whoever stands last can claim the Starry River Map!”
Glutton didn’t reject the idea, responding with a smile, “You might want to ask if the others are willing!”
“No way!”
“Exactly! In a melee, if we get ganged up on, wouldn’t that be unfair?”
As soon as these words were uttered, the majority of the awakened raised their voices in protest.
It was no joke; their classes or skills were not suited for a melee.
If in a one-on-one fight there was a chance to seize the Starry River Map, in a free-for-all, they would likely just be paving the way for someone else’s victory.
Seeing the widespread refusal, the plainly dressed man pouted, “Waiting like this is just too boring. How about this: I’ll just stand here on the stage and take on challenges from everyone, one after the other!”
“That could work,” Glutton laughed, “I too would like to speed things up!”
With Glutton’s consent, the man in plain clothes boldly remained on the stage.
A sly smile played on his lips as he continued to challenge other awakened.
This action instantly ignited anger among the awakened.
How dare he challenge so many of them without taking a break?
It was a clear sign of not taking them seriously!
Especially those selected by the plainly dressed man felt a burning rage, almost wishing they could exert 200% of their strength in retaliation.
Unfortunately, individual capabilities vary greatly.
While some can unleash 10000% of their power in extreme anger, capable of slaying fierce beasts with bare hands, others, under the same emotional state, end up being severely beaten.
Without exception, even the long-renowned awakened fell one after the other to the plainly dressed man.
Even Sword Seven was defeated.
Of course, Sword Seven and the others managed to force the plainly dressed man to reveal many of his techniques.
Regrettably, he had an arsenal of methods at his disposal. Besides the Blink skill, he also possessed a Duplication Skill.
Each time he was approached closely, he relied on Duplication Skill and Blink to create distance, wearing down his opponent’s abilities before bombarding them from afar.
Moreover, although the plainly dressed man didn’t have as diverse a skill set as Howard, nor were his skill levels as high, he was adept at using them flexibly.
He even managed to combine two completely different elemental skills in one attack.
The interaction of these elements merged together, unleashing an unbelievable force.
Even Sword Seven, wielding a giant sword, couldn’t withstand it. He was sent flying, ultimately meeting his defeat.
The plainly dressed man demonstrated a profound understanding of how to secure victory in the arena.
If he saw a chance to injure his opponent, he struck decisively.
If not, he would simply force them to retreat.
Victory was his as long as he could knock his opponent off the platform.
Leveraging this strategy, the plainly dressed man successively defeated over fifty awakened.
His terrifying combat prowess thoroughly intimidated the remaining few competitors.
Of course, Howard was not among those frightened.
He had almost completely figured out the plainly dressed man’s tactics.
The man had equipment that continuously restored his MP, likely a robe, as it emitted a blue glow each time his MP was replenished.
Furthermore, the plainly dressed man mastered four types of elemental skills: Pyro, Geo, Anemo, and Hydro.
The synergy between these elements, in his hands, gave rise to a multitude of impressive skill effects.
However, Howard did not step up to challenge him.
He would rather have the plainly dressed man eliminate the other awakened, allowing himself to reap the benefits, much like a fisherman watching the net.
Fortunately for Howard, having witnessed his instantaneous magic skill, the plainly dressed man was unsure of Howard’s full strength and did not challenge him. Instead, he continued his frenzied string of challenges against the others.
As the plainly dressed man continued his challenges, time slowly ticked away, and soon night fell. 𝑖𝘦𝑎.𝗇t
Meanwhile, on the stone platform, apart from Howard, only the woman with the eight-eyed devil mask remained unchallenged.
All other awakened had been defeated, leaving their faces, and those of the powerhouses behind them, ashen with a mix of shock and anger.
They were shocked at how a previously unknown commoner could possess such formidable strength.
The anger stemmed from their collective defeat, which felt like a disgrace to their respective factions.
Furthermore, the chance of obtaining the Starry River Map had slipped through their fingers.
Many powerful individuals contemplated a desperate last stand, but upon glancing at Rick and his companions, they promptly abandoned any unrealistic notions.
The plainly dressed man weighed his options between Howard and the woman with the eight-eyed devil mask, feeling an indescribable pressure from both.
Eventually, with a steely gaze, he decided on the woman in the mask, saying with a smile, “I’ve long heard of the extraordinary strength of the Holy Maiden from the Solomon Sacred Assembly. Today, I shall learn a few tricks from you!”
“Giggle, giggle!”
The woman with the eight-eyed devil mask let out a playful laugh, “Well then, let’s see how much of my power you can bring out!”
Updated from .𝘤𝘰