Chapter 11 – The Challenge

Book 9, His Fame Shakes the World – Chapter 11, The Challenge Stop fighting? The 80,000 viewers all began to mumble in unison upon hearing these words from the Monolithic Sword Saint, Haydson. Some even began to quietly curse him. Linley and Olivier were definitely two of the most brilliant men in the entirety of the Yulan continent. Many warriors would literally be willing to give up their lives if it meant they could see such a battle between two such genius Saint-level experts. But just as the battle was getting to the most exciting part, the Monolithic Sword Saint, Haydson, had popped out! How could they not be angry? But the person stopping the battle was Haydson, the number one Saint-level in the world! “It’s best if we have this battle come to an end here and now.” Housekeeper Hiri’s forehead was covered in sweat. Not just Housekeeper Hiri. Hillman, Wharton, and the others were all worrying for Linley as well. Olivier’s performance hadn’t been one whit inferior to Linley’s, and that obsidian sword technique seemed to be very strange as well. Linley’s ‘Profound Truths of the Earth’ was powerful, true. But would the attack which Olivier had developed based on his understanding of the Elemental Laws of Darkness necessarily be any weaker than Linley’s ‘Profound Truths of the Earth’? Hadn’t Olivier himself said that he was unable to control the power of the obsidian sword once unleashed? Because the Monolithic Sword Saint Haydson had suddenly interrupted, Linley and Olivier were standing on opposite ends of the Colosseum in mid-air, staring at each other, with Haydson between them. Three Saint-level experts. Two were ultimate geniuses, while the third was reputed to be the most powerful Saint-level expert in the world. “Stop fighting?” Olivier glanced at Haydson. Linley glanced at Haydson as well. “This Haydson’s power really is astonishing. That technique he displayed just now definitely wasn’t just based on pure battle-qi. It should have been some sort of defensive technique developed through his mastery of the Laws of the Earth.” Linley could totally sense that the earth-colored wave Haydson had emitted earlier contained layers of wave-like energy. “However, he wouldn’t necessarily be able to withstand my ‘Profound Truths of the Earth’.” Linley was still extremely confident in the power of his ultimate attack. In truth, when charging against each other just now, both Linley and Olivier had both been in the charge-up phase. At Linley and Olivier’s levels, as peak-stage Saint-level experts, they wouldn’t waste any energy at all. Both the ‘Profound Truths of the Earth’ as well as Olivier’s attack would wait until when the blows landed on the opponent before suddenly allowing their power to erupt! Many of the victims of the ‘Profound Truths of the Earth’, when first struck by the adamantine heavy sword, initially hadn’t sensed any danger at all. But then suddenly… They would sense layers upon layers of vibrational wave attacks transmitting into their internal organs. Just then, Haydson had been able to push aside both Linley and Olivier with one technique, true. But that was because neither Linley nor Olivier had used their ultimate attacks against Haydson. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so easy for Haydson to block them. “Haha, Olivier, Linley.” Emperor Johann stood up now. Under the gaze of 80,000 people, Emperor Johann walked off the judge’s platform and said in a loud voice, “Olivier, Linley, this battle between the two of you has already been an incredible sight, and expanded our horizons. What’s more, neither of you have a serious grudge against each other that can only be resolved in death.” Emperor Johann didn’t wish for either Linley or Olivier to die. If these two geniuses remained alive, then the O’Brien Empire’s influence in the Yulan continent would be even stronger. Linley and Olivier glanced at each other. “Fine.” Olivier nodded, laughing calmly. “When brother Linley had received my ‘Lightshadow Sword’ attack, I already had lost my desire to continue fighting. However, I was partially at fault in this affair as well…” Olivier looked at Linley. “Brother Linley’s power exceeded my expectations. I didn’t expect that the sword techniques he revealed at the beginning were just the surface of his abilities.” Olivier revealed a smile towards Linley. “I admit, brother Linley’s power is no weaker than my own.” Clearly, Olivier was indicating a willingness to be friendly towards Linley. He even addressed him as ‘brother Linley’. The obsidian sword’s technique was extremely powerful, but Linley’s adamantine heavy sword technique was also extremely powerful. If these two geniuses really did insist on going all-out today and fight to the point of death, it really would be a waste and not worth it. Since Olivier had already spoken in a conciliatory manner, Linley wouldn’t press things either. After all, he had just entered the O’Brien Empire recently. It was best that he not create too many enemies. “Then let’s have this battle come to an end.” Linley’s calm voice echoed in the Colosseum, and the 80,000 viewers understood that the battle between these two ultimate geniuses wouldn’t continue today. But immediately afterwards… An ear-splitting, thunderous applause filled the entire Colosseum. All of the watchers were cheering at the top of their lungs. Although the duel had come to an end, they were still uncontrollably excited. “Olivier!” “Olivier!” “Olivier!” “Linley!” “Linley!” “Linley!” “Linley!” Those joyous, thunderous waves of sound assaulted each person’s ears. All of them were cheering for their idols. In this moment, they had already forgotten that today’s duel had actually been supposed to be between Wharton and Blumer. Clearly… Although Wharton and Blumer were geniuses, compared to their respective elder brothers, there was still a huge gap between them in every aspect. The astonishing power and might of Linley and Olivier had totally overawed every single person in the Colosseum. Seeing the two end their battle, the Monolithic Sword Saint, Haydson, felt very gratified as well. At this time, Linley immediately flew down towards his own side. The joyous roars of the Colosseum continued unabated. By now, in the eyes of the crowd, Linley had already been vaulted to the same level and status of Olivier. If one factored in Linley’s youth and his mastery of stone sculpting, perhaps Linley was even more worthy than Olivier of the title of ‘Prodigy’. “Big bro…” From his seated position, Wharton saw Linley fly down. He immediately called out to him in an excited voice. “Lord.” Barker and his brothers went to welcome him as well. Jenne, Rebecca, and Leena all let out sighs of relief as they, too, went forward to excitedly welcome him. Linley returned to his normal human form and put on a long robe. “Lord, keep fighting! That Olivier definitely isn’t a match for you, your Lordship! I refuse to believe he’ll be able to withstand your ‘Profound Truths of the Earth’ attack.” Gates said in a quiet, unhappy voice. Barker and the others all knew exactly how powerful Linley’s ‘Profound Truths of the Earth’ was. They all believed Linley was capable of winning. But Linley shook his head and laughed. “Don’t underestimate Olivier. For him to be able to create that special attack, Lightshadow Sword, means that the power of his obsidian sword would definitely be astonishing. You must consider this: I was able to gain insights into certain profound truths, but does that mean others are unable to? The Elemental Laws are as vast and boundless as the ocean, and my insights are but a tiny drop of water in that ocean.” Barker and the others all nodded as though they understood. But right at this moment, a voice rang out from mid-air above the Colosseum. “Mr. Haydson, do you still remember that battle between us six years ago?” Linley immediately turned his head to stare at the sky. The person who spoke those words was the Prodigy Sword Saint, Olivier. Olivier’s eyes were filled with light, and he stared at the Monolithic Sword Saint, Haydson, who was just about to fly downwards. Haydson came to a halt, turning to look at Olivier. Nodding, he said, “Six years ago, on a night with a full moon. Of course I remember that battle. Your speed left a deep impression on me.” Olivier looked at Haydson. Solemnly, he said, “I roamed through many kingdoms and gained victory in all of my battles against the various experts of the other Empires. I lost to you, and only you. Six years…six full years. During these six years, I developed my blackstone sword technique specifically to deal with you.” The Colosseum instantly went silent. It seemed as though there was quite a bit of history between these two Saint-level experts. “Oh, to deal with me?” Haydson laughed calmly. “You believe that your obsidian sword is capable of breaking my defense?” One of the most important reasons why Haydson was known as the ‘Monolithic Sword Saint’ was because he possessed an extremely powerful defense. Many peak-stage Saint-level experts weren’t able to even break through it, much less injure him. Olivier thought back to their battle six years ago. That was an utter humiliation! No matter how he attacked Haydson, he couldn’t scratch Haydson at all. Instead, he was lightly wounded by the impact of each blow. What’s more, Haydson hadn’t been slower than him at all. Domination! Although Olivier was also a peak-stage Saint-level, compared to Haydson, he had been utterly dominated. It was as though they were on totally different levels. His reputation as the number one Saint-level expert was definitely not unearned. “We’ll know whether or not I can break your defense if we give it a test, right? Mr. Haydson, today at the Colosseum, I formally issue you a challenge. If you accept, then in three months, we’ll duel outside the city.” Olivier said. Olivier had consumed a large amount of his battle-qi today, in his battle against Linley. He was no longer in peak shape. “Challenge?” Haydson furrowed his forehead, but a hint of a smile was on his face. The Colosseum immediately began to be filled with roars of excitement. The Prodigy Sword Saint, Olivier, had openly challenged the Monolithic Sword Saint, Haydson. Many people were so excited that their faces were turning red. Everyone turned to look at the Monolithic Sword Saint, Haydson. “Fine. I accept.” Haydson smiled and nodded. “Three months from now, I will definitely sample the power of the obsidian sword technique which you developed over these past six years.” “It definitely will not disappoint you.” Olivier’s face was filled with the utmost confidence. The smile on Haydson’s face became even brighter. Six years ago, having been dominated to the point where he had no fighting spirit left, Olivier had learned how powerful Haydson’s defense was. But Olivier was still this confident. Olivier was no fool. Clearly, he must really have something he felt he could count on. “Won’t disappoint me? I truly hope it will be as you say.” Haydson was filled with some anticipation. It had been a long time since he had encountered an opponent who could pose a threat to him. In three short steps, the Monolithic Sword Saint, Haydson, somehow once more appeared at the judge’s platform. As for Olivier, he flew to the side of his little brother. The entire Colosseum was filled with the sound of murmuring discussions. Linley had suddenly taken to the field of battle and easily defeated Kenyon, and then had fought Olivier to a standstill. And now, Olivier had challenge the Monolithic Sword Saint, Haydson, to a battle. This chain of events had truly excited them no end. “Everyone.” At this moment, the silver-haired old man returned to the dueling platform. “Just now, I was about to announce the results of the duel. But I didn’t expect that Lord Olivier would arrive.” The silver-haired old man’s face was covered in smiles. “That made me extremely excited. This was the most exciting day in my long life. Lord Olivier’s battle against Lord Linley is something I trust none of you will ever forget for the rest of your lives. Just look at the dueling platform, and then look at those flagpoles.” The battle just now had caused the already-cracked dueling platform to be riddled with gaping holes. Most of the flagpoles around the dueling platform had been snapped in half, and many peoples’ clothes had been blown to different corners of the Colosseum. It was a disaster scene. But this disaster scene made the 80,000 people begin to laugh. “Haha, enough talk. Everyone already knows the results of the earlier duel between Wharton and Blumer. Blumer managed to squeak out a victory by a narrow margin.” The silver-haired old man laughed towards Emperor Johann. “His Imperial Majesty has a few words he wishes to say. I hope everyone will listen closely.” After speaking, the silver-haired old man left the platform. Emperor Johann now rose to his feet. Some people in the Colosseum looked towards Emperor Johann, while the others looked at Linley, Olivier, and Haydson, the Saint-level experts. “Today has been the most exciting day in Our life. Whether it was the duel between Wharton and Blumer, or their brothers, Linley and Olivier, what We witnessed was extremely thrilling.” Emperor Johann revealed a hint of a smile on his face. “Everyone knows that both Wharton and Blumer have asked for the hand of Our daughter, the Seventh Princess, in marriage. After seeing both of these brilliant young men in action today, We have already made our decision. We have decided that on March 15th, at the Martial Palace, We shall openly announce who will be the one to wed Our Seventh Princess.”