[Ummm... I think you would now want to run from here, host. This is bad. Ahhh~] Villey’s voice rang inside Razeal’s head full of warning..
Razeal didn’t reply imdiately.
He just simply stared at the figure in front..
This dude standing before him didn’t feel like an opponent he could take for now... Like It felt like a natural disaster more then an being. Knox’s presence pressed down on the arena like gravity itself had thickened. Every small movent he made displaced water in slow, deliberate waves, as if the environnt needed ti to adjust to him.
There was no aura leaking out. No mana flare.. Well not that he had since looking at his stats. No killing intent.
And that, more than anything else, made Razeal’s skin crawl... Like yeah Razeal had even been in precence of stronger beings then him.. But then again that was in system space where he cant die and this in real.. And also this dude’s precence was kinda unique too . It was as if standing in front of so very very tall mountain..
Honestly, Razeal didn’t even know what to say to Villey. For once, the system wasn’t exaggerating. There was no clever angle, no obvious loophole, no "if I just do this one thing right" solution forming in his mind.
The difference between them wasn’t just a gap.
It was a canyon.
Four... maybe five major ranks apart. And at levels where even one rank was the difference between crushing and being crushed. Even Great Saint to Supre wasn’t a climb.. it was an entirely different sky.. Not to say he wasn’t even a saint king yet..
Knox rolled his massive shoulders again, the movent cracking the arena floor beneath his feet.
"Co on, kid," he rumbled, his voice deep enough to vibrate through Razeal ears. "Let’s finish this fast. I’m bored already."
His brown eyes looked down at Razeal with open disappointnt, not hostility. Like a craftsman annoyed at the quality of materials he’d been handed.
"No participant’s reached for three days," Knox continued, clicking his tongue. "Soft generation. Back in my ti, kids ca from faraway lands just to die by my hands, calling it the honor of their lives."
Arthur leaned closer to Razeal, his voice low..
"See? I told you," he whispered. "This isn’t our class. Even I wouldn’t fight him.. Like seriously you shouldn’t even feel bad about backing down.. he’s an ancient being. Experience like that can’t be matched and there is no sha accepting that."
Arthur’s eyes flicked to Knox, then back to Razeal. "Just stop here. I’ll talk to my father. You’ll still get a reward.. one of the best actually."
Razeal exhaled slowly.
Then he stepped forward.
Arthur blinked. "What..?"
Razeal pushed him back with one hand.. not hard, but firm enough that Arthur stumbled a step away.
"Leave," Razeal said calmly. "Or you’ll get hurt."
Arthur stared at him, stunned. "Are you stupid?"
"And also maybe remind your father," Razeal added, eyes never leaving Knox, "to reinforce that shield or If this turns ugly, the whole colosseum might vanish or sothing."
Arthur’s face drained of color.
Razeal didn’t sound like he was joking.
Knox’s lips twitched almost amused.
"You’re confident," the giant said. "That’s rare."
"You’re going to die," Arthur said sharply, grabbing Razeal’s arm. "Don’t do this. I can tell you’re strong, but this is like smashing your face against a boulder just to see if it breaks. Let’s leave."
"I’m immortal," Razeal replied flatly. "Don’t worry. What’s the worst that could happen?"
Arthur froze.
He stared at Razeal as if he were insane. Immortal? Was this guy still joking at a ti like this?
Razeal looked back at Arthur. "Let go."
"Yeah, sure," Arthur scoffed. "Let’s say you are immortal. What then? What are you going to do when that monster swallows you whole in one bite? Even immortality won’t save you from that."
"Are you letting go," Razeal asked coldly, "or do you want to smash your face in?"
Arthur raised both hands and stepped back. "Fine. Go. I don’t care. I was only being considerate because my sister sent you. Otherwise, who cares?"
He turned and walked away.
[Host... what are you doing?] Villey asked, genuine concern in his voice.
"Why do you care?" Razeal replied silently. "Traitor."
[This isn’t about caring.. This is suicidal. There is no win condition here. And if you’re thinking of exploiting his weaker agility, will, or ntality because those of his stats are lower then yours? don’t.. None of it matters. His endurance alone negates everything you have. Your strongest attacks won’t even scratch him.
[And don’t even think about ntal interference, Villey pressed on. His mind is protected by sothing. I can sense it. Nothing normal can penetrate that.. So even if you had such abilities.. which you obviously don’t they wouldn’t have worked.. And not to say this is pure physical combat. You are not on his level. So step back. Don’t risk it]
Razeal though completely ignored Villey’s words echoing inside his head.
He smiled instead.
Not a reckless grin, not the sharp curve of arrogance just a quiet, almost relieved smile, like soone who had finally stepped into a place he’d been walking toward for a long ti without realizing it. Honestly... he wanted this. A mont where he could see how strong he ha’s gotten, Before he never could since he never had strength.. Now when he got chance to stop calculating escape and all.. everything just ends just by throwing a punch..
He had never truly gone all out.
There was always sothing in the way circumstances, limits, consequences. Today, for once.. He doesn’t want anything to mattered.
Let’s see how it goes, he thought. Worst case... I die at most.
He couldn’t die but then even even if he did.. what does it even matter.. Well not that he wants to die.. Its just he doesn’t want himself to hold back with fear of death.. He just wants to enjoy his life now.. And he’ll see.. and if death really would be coming and he doesn’t wanna die.. for whatever reason like left out revenge or sothing.. he can always run.. Well he had enough ways to disappear anyways..
Slowly.. Razeal placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
The motion itself was unhurried, almost casual but the mont his fingers wrapped around the handle, sothing changed.
He drew the blade from its sheath.
The sword erged soundlessly, a piece of pure black star-forged tal that seed to drink in the light around it. There was no glow, no flare of aura, no dramatic pulse of power. And yet, the instant the blade cleared the sheath, the air itself felt heavier.. as if the arena had inhaled and forgotten how to exhale.
Razeal took a single step forward, sword held loosely at his side.
Arthur, who had been just about to walk out of the arena, froze mid-step.
A chill ran through his spine.
He felt it coming from behind him.
Slowly, almost chanically, he turned his head to look back at Razeal. His gaze dropped to his own hand.
They were trembling.
"...Why?" he thought, his eyes narrowing. "Are my hands... shaking?" Confusion flickered through his mind.
Is it because he drew his sword?
No... that alone isn’t enough.
Sothing had changed.. sothing fundantal.
His presence... no.
His montum?
No... it was more than that.
He went serious?
That wasn’t quite right either.
This isn’t killing intent.. Nor is it raw power either?
Then what is this?
His body trembled not from pain, not even from fear exactly but from pressure. A strange, suffocating pressure that seed to press directly on his very existence.
Instinct scread..
Leave.
Get away.
Every fiber of his being urged him to put as much distance between himself and Razeal as possible.
Amd Arthur did not hesitate.. He listened.
In the next instant, he vanished from where he stood only survival guiding his movent.
He did not even realize when he had gone on full guard. His body had done it for him.
He didn’t understand what he had felt.. But he knew one thing with absolute certainty. Staying there would have been a mistake.. Atleast thats what his body told him.
And he was not the only one.
Across the entire colosseum, the sa unseen force pressed down on every living being.
Spectators stiffened in their seats. Conversations died mid-word. Breathing getting uneven.
Weaker viewers even felt their hearts slam against their ribs, muscles locking up as cold sweat broke across their backs. So clutched their chests, others instinctively reached for weapons they hadn’t even realized they were carrying.
A few rose to their feet without knowing why, eyes darting, bodies poised as if an unseen predator had just entered their territory.
Fear.. but not the kind born from thought.
The kind born from instinct.
The sa was true for Neptunia and Maria. They looked at each other as small tremors ran through their bodies, both of them visibly shivering, every hair on their skin standing on end.. Also understand confusion now..
While high above, in the royal chamber also, King Julius leaning forward.
The easy warmth that usually lived in his expression was gone, replaced by a deep, furrowed frown. As his eyes were locked on Razeal, sharp and unblinking.
"...Your son," he said slowly, his voice no longer casual or amused. "What... is he exactly?"
His hand tightened around the arm of his throne.
For the first ti in a very long while, his fingers were trembled even when he was trying to control them.. not to.
risa didn’t answer.
Not because she didn’t want to but because she couldn’t.
Her gaze was fixed on Razeal, her expression unreadable, but her body told a different story. Her back was straight, muscles taut, her instincts fully awake.
She could feel it too.
That pressure.
Not mana. Not aura. Not bloodline dominance.
Ordinary people might not have understood what this feeling was. But they were powerhouses. They could clearly recognize it and that was precisely why Julius wore such a shocked, unsettled expression, and why risa’s confusion ran so deep. She simply could not understand how sothing like this was even happening..?
While down in the arena
Knox also lowered his gaze.. to his own hand.
It was shaking.
Not violently. Or even enough that an ordinary being would notice. But Knox definitely could notice. He had lived for too long to not notice the smallest betrayal of his own body.
His thick fingers slowly curled, then loosened again. The fine hairs along his massive forearm stood on end, every single one of them raised as if brushed by an unseen current. His chest rose and fell, heavier than before, his breath deeper.. asured, but no longer effortless.
His heart was pounding.
Not from exertion.
From instinct.
It was as if he was standing before a terrifying apex predator.
"...Who are you?" He asked his heavy voice full of confusion.
"This feeling..." Knox continued, his brow tightening as his eyes narrowed, studying Razeal not as a contestant, not even as an opponent but as an existence. "This is... existential pressure."
His lips parted slightly as the realization settled deeper.
"Pressure at the level of life itself."
Knox.. currently the oldest being present, far older than even the king himself understood imdiately what this feeling was obviously..
This trembling and pressure only ans one thing.. That a being of pure, superior lineage currently stood before him.
A higher life-form.
So much higher than himself that his body trembled and reacted this way.. as if to remind him in whose presence he was standing before So warning him to be careful or stay away.. Clear insticts
But that should be Impossible.
After all, he himself was an ancient and highly evolved being.. one of the highest predators in the life cycle of the world’s oceans or even in whole world itself.. And yet... to feel like this? His instincts were flaring, screaming in warning.
That should not have been possible.
He had felt this way only once in his entire existence of four thousand years ago.
Knox stared seriously at the child standing before him. The boy’s raw strength was clearly inferior to his own. But strength was not the issue. Existential pressure was sothing far beyond physical power. It was a phenonon found only among the highest-tier beings.
Like such as Dragons.
And not just ordinary dragons but only those of true lineage.. Like so rare Noble dragons or direct Royal dragons.
Even then, such pressure should not have been strong enough to instill fear in an ancient being such as himself.
Yet it was.
The weight of this presence bore down on him.
Knox looked down at the child, his unease deepening, before finally opening his mouth.
"Of what god are you?" Knox asked, his voice low as he stared at Razeal, who had now drawn his sword.
Knox had felt this kind of presence only once before .. And that was when he had encountered a god four thousand years ago.
"A god?"
Razeal paused mid-step, blinking in surprise, clearly taken aback by the question. The truth was, he had not even noticed what was happening around him or what others were feeling because of him.
But now that his attention shifted, he saw it.
Knox’s body was trembling.
He was staring at Razeal.
"What is happening?" Razeal wondered silently, confusion filling his mind..
Vampire Progenitor: Hahahaha... Look at these inferior lifeforms so utterly confused. They cannot even comprehend that they are standing in the presence of a progenitor. A pure vampire progenitor. To mistake one such being for a god?... how truly oblivious. Still Ahahahaha! How entertaining this is. To watch them struggle to understand... It seems this world holds no knowledge of vampires at all, not even enough to recognize one when it stares directly at him. Gaze upon him. I am going to enjoy this imnsely. Ahahahaha... This is far too amusing. Show them what a vampire truly is. Show them. Let every being in existence bear witness to the pride and terror of our exalted race.
Degenerated Bastard: What the hell happened to this guy now?
Ancestor Xue: Ignore him for now. What’s happening in the chat is far more entertaining. Look at those two fighting like rabid dogs. This is more entertaining if you ask .
Lucifer: "Did everyone hear what that woman just said? That she’s the strongest one in here? That I am nothing more than a frog trapped at the bottom of a well? And when soone asked what she gifted that kid, she said stars.. actual stars? I truly have never heard such blatant nonsense in my entire existence. I once believed there was no being more arrogant than myself. But look at her spouting lies so shalessly, daring to look down on . On Lucifer? King of Hell? The one who waged war upon the Heavens. The one who stood shoulder to shoulder with Father himself. And she expects anyone to believe her ridiculous claims? Hah. What an absurd woman.
Tongue: What insignificant existence... How could your primitive thinking, narrow mindlessness, and ignorance ever understand the great ? To dare call a liar? If not for the fact that my words are not working on this screen, you would not be alive to speak in this tone to .
Lucifer: No. It should be you who’s thankful for this stupid screen. Or for your luck that you aren’t here. If not, I would have shown you exactly who I am. Who The king of hell is!!.
Lily: Lucifer damn this Tongue woman just called you a pig’s asshole. I’d never take that kind of disrespect. First she calls you a weak frog, now this? Nah. This shouldn’t be forgiven.
Lucifer: ARGGHHHH I’M GONNA KILL HERRRRR HOWWWW DAREEEE SHEEEE
The rage poured out of him in broken text, the words barely coherent, as if even typing couldn’t keep up with his fury.
Tongue: Co on, you insignificant little insect. I would grind you beneath my feet, make paste out of you... then revive you only to feed you that sa paste. Tell then what will you rember?
Lucifer: You... you
Lily: Ahhhh man this is so fun.
Zara: Why are you creating a fight between them? Tongue didn’t even say half the words you’re always claiming she did. You’re just pouring oil on the fire.
Lily: I an... yeah. But look at him. It’s hilarious. This Lucifer dude losing his mind, and he’s believing every word even though he can literally see the chat as i am. And now it’s like he can’t see us anymore at all. He’s too busy proving he’s the strongest and that she’s lying. And didn’t you notice? He went crazy the mont her ssages showed special effects and his didn’t. He’s jealous. He just won’t admit it.. And look we’re talking right now, but believe , he wouldn’t even see this ssage where we literally just talked about lying about everything.
Zara: Whatever. I’m ignoring everyone.
Lucifer: Make paste of ?? Are you even that strong? You lying woman. You’re all show. I’d kill you with one finger.
Tongue: I am strong. And to kill you.. I wouldn’t even need one finger.
Lucifer: Then prove it. I don’t believe you. Co kill if you can.
Tongue: I would.. if I could. Be thankful I cannot, for now.
Lucifer: Haha. Weak.. Just admit it. See? You can’t do it.. All talk.. What a liar.
Tongue’s patience visibly thinned.
Tongue: Oii, kid.. Can you see ? Hello?
Tongue: Kid? Co here.
Lucifer: HAHAHA getting ignored by a kid. So much for soone "stronger than ."
Tongue: Hmmm... I am definitely not letting you go insignificant creature. There must be a way. Yes... there must be.. Just you wait. Let see
The chat continued tearing itself apart.
And through all of it
Razeal saw none of it.
His attention was still locked on Knox. On the weight of those words. On the question that had no business being asked so right now.
A god?
He was still standing there, sword in hand, trying to understand what Knox had seen in him to say that.. As while rubbing his chin with other hand.. And when suddenly a new notification blood into existence in front of his vision.
Brighter than the rest actually.. Even very shiny..
Ding!
[Congratulations, Host. You have received a gift from Tongue (EX Rank Villain – The Overruler) via Stream Gift Function.]
(Super Chat: I want to beat this small shit Lucifer. Do you have any way to.. So i can?)
[Do you wish to open it?]
[Yes / No]
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