Beyond the Bloodline-Chapter 278: Unexpected Challenger
[WE HAVE OUR FIRST CHALLENGER LOSS OF THE DAY!]
The Amphitheatre’s vast audience erupted into an electrifying mix of cheers and applause as Flynn’s voice rang out.
Kalari followed up with her own booming declaration, her tone both dramatic and teasing.
[THIS YEAR BEGAN WITH A STREAK! 22 CHALLENGERS AND 22 WINS! TOO BAD THE 23RD DIDN’T MAKE IT!]
As the defeated challenger was carried out of the arena by floating transport platforms, the energy of the crowd remained undiminished.
If anything, their excitement seemed to have mounted.
Over all this, Flynn’s commentary carried on seamlessly.
[IT’S A PITY. WE’VE NOT HAD A 25 CONSECUTIVE CHALLENGER WIN ON THE ETERNAL TRIALS OPENING DAY IN THE PAST FEW MILLION YEARS.]
Kalari chimed in with a chuckle.
[TOO BAD WE COULDN’T BREAK THE RECORD THIS YEAR. BUT HEY, SOME PEOPLE CERTAINLY WON THEIR BETS. A SILVER LINING, RIGHT?]
They spoke in turn, their voices resounding over the loud cheers, shouts and laughs. Without wasting too much time, Flynn revved up the audience for the next bout.
[ALRIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY, LET’S MOVE TO OUR 24TH MATCH OF THE DAY!
THIS ONE’S A REAL BIG SHOT!]
After him, Kalari added details with gusto.
[A VAMPIRE LORD FROM THE TEPES CLAN OF THE VELA GALAXY’S APEX WORLD ESTEA!!]
Then in unison, they exclaimed.
[[LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, GIVE IT UP FOR HIS LORDSHIP, VAMPIRE LORD NOSTRO TEPES!!!]]
The crowd exploded into a thunderous ovation as Nostro Tepes stepped into the arena. He was tall, with pale skin crimson eyes and a face that was both handsome and intimidating.
He tapped the hilt of the sword resting on his hip as he reached the centre of the arena, his other hand waving at the crowd.
The cheers only grew louder, and then, as the Amphitheatre had done countless times before, the air shifted.
Cosmic and creation law energies began to swirl at the centre of the arena, constructing the replica of the next opponent.
Flynn’s voice rose once more, carrying over the loudly cheering audience.
[AND HIS ETERNAL TRIAL OPPONENT, CHOSEN BY THE AMPHITHEATRE ITSELF, WE HAVE ANOTHER BIG SHOT COMING UP!]
The swirling energy condensed, forming the figure of a woman with shoulder-length black hair that fell in artful waves.
She was of average height, yet her presence was anything but.
Her crimson eyes, radiant and mesmerizing, glowed with an intensity that betrayed her vampiric nature.
Kalari’s voice echoed through the Amphitheatre, introducing the woman with dramatic flair.
[HAILING FROM THE VELA GALAXY’S APEX WORLD ESTEA, THIS IS A RECORD OF A PAST ETERNAL TRIAL CHALLENGER.
SHE WAS VICTORIOUS IN HER TIME AND WENT ON TO BECOME A LEGEND WIDELY KNOWN IN THE UNIVERSE TODAY!]
Right after Kalari spoke, Flynn added with enthusiasm.
[WE ARE WITNESSING THE PAST ECHO OF THE ONE NOW KNOWN AS THE BLOOD LIGHTNING QUEEN.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE PRESENT TO YOU, RACE LORD SEREN EVANGELISTA!!]
The crowd erupted once again, their excitement threatening to shake the walls of the Amphitheatre.
◇ ◇ ◇
""Wait, what?!""
David and Davina Evangelista exclaimed in unison, their voices full of shock.
Moments ago, they had been too engrossed in fighting over the last slice of pizza to pay any attention to the commentator’s announcements.
But the moment their grandmother’s name was called, their argument came to an abrupt halt and both turned their stunned gazes toward the arena, completely forgetting the pizza.
Seizing the opportunity, Wanette casually picked up the coveted slice, while the twins were too busy being dumbfounded by their grandmother’s replica.
"Why so surprised? Seren didn’t tell you?"
""She most certainly did NOT!""
The twins answered Jamie in perfect sync, their wide-eyed stares glued to the figure of their grandmother’s replica now facing Nostro Tepes in the arena.
Hearing this response, the man merely raised a brow, not saying another word as he turned his gaze back to the arena with a yawn.
The four of them were seated in a private booth in the Amphitheatre, its tinted glass ensuring their anonymity while providing an unrestricted view of the spectacle below.
For added convenience, there were personal hologram generators embedded into the seats, ready to magnify the action for those whose vision couldn’t bridge the vast distance to the arena.
Jamie’s presence here was a secret no one but Lapis was aware of, and he very much liked to keep it that way.
He was slowly waiting for the time to come when he could execute his plan to get into the Amphitheatre’s archives.
For now, though, he had been content to nap through the first 23 battles.
If anyone were to scan Jamie’s body right now, they would detect a massive well of power swirling around within it and surging into his energy core.
However, despite how great this power was, it only seemed to be small drops in the buckets that were his energy cores.
Yes, Jamie had more than one energy core. Multiple energy cores weren’t that rare anyway.
While the three teenagers focused on the unfolding battle between Replica Seren and Nostro, Jamie’s eyelids closed once again.
Lowering his body’s processes to the bare minimum, he slipped back into his slumber, accelerating the absorption of the energy within.
In the meantime, the battle unfolded, a dazzling display of power.
Nostro revealed himself to possess an Ultimate Skill, unleashing waves of energy that turned the floating asteroids and small planets to dust in seconds.
However, Seren countered with lightning-fast movements and electrifying attacks, her eyes glowing crimson as she used her own Ultimate Skill to fight his.
The terrain shifted again, morphing continuously and Nostro took advantage of the ever-changing landscape, weaving between the terrain and launching devastating attacks, only for Seren to turn that same environment against him.
She overwhelmed him with a series of precise, high-speed attacks, ultimately bringing him to his knees.
Jamie’s sleep lasted through the battle’s conclusion, rousing just in time to see Seren victorious.
His eyes opened to see the scene of Nostro’s unconscious body being carried out of the Arena.
’Almost Time.’
With his plan set to unfold soon, he figured he might as well watch the 25th match, particularly since it was the final battle of the day.
Sitting up, his eyes fixed on Flynn, who zipped around on the hovering platform, rousing the crowd with enthusiasm for the day’s final battle.
[AND NOW, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, OUR FINAL CHALLENGER FOR THE DAY IS! IS?? is...??...]
Flynn’s voice started strong, brimming with its usual energy, but as he reached the announcement’s climax, it faltered, tapering off to an uncharacteristic quiet.
[Is...?]
The words hung in the air, confusion creeping into his tone. His confident demeanour wavered as he glanced down at his terminal, then back up at Kalari.
[Wait... what?]
The crowd’s buzzing excitement began to reduce as Flynn’s hesitation grew, a stark contrast to the usual energy he brought to the announcements.
Beside him, Kalari floated over, her expression puzzled as she questioned.
[What’s wrong? Call out the next challenger.]
Flynn’s face had gone pale, his eyes darting nervously around the Amphitheatre before landing on the Creator Society’s leader. His voice quivered as he muttered.
[I...I think there may be some sort of m-mistake...]
The crowd’s murmurs of confusion rippled through the arena, their collective energy dimming as uncertainty took hold.
Sensing the shift, the Creator Society’s leader frowned and he grabbed a nearby microphone and spoke in a reprimanding voice.
[All challengers for the day have been checked and verified. There’s no mistake anywhere. Proceed as planned.]
Flynn swallowed hard, wanting to object, but the leader’s steely glare silenced him.
Kalari, still unsure what was going on, quickly opened her terminal. The instant she saw the name of the next challenger, her expression mirrored Flynn’s unease.
Despite their trepidation, they had no choice but to move forward. Still, it was hard for them to put as much enthusiasm into their voices as before.
[Ladies and gentlemen, it seems we’re about to witness a spectacle destined to be spoken of for millions of years.
I don’t think the Eternal Trials have ever had a challenger like this before. Heck, I’m not even sure the Amphitheatre itself can handle this guy.]
Kalari, her voice less exuberant than usual, chimed in.
[This will truly be a battle to remember.]
As confused expressions filled the faces of the trillions watching, Flynn dabbed at the sweat on his brow, taking a deep breath before speaking again.
[Challenger Number 25. The last challenger of the day. Today, we seem to have a Living Myth in our presence.]
He paused, the air thick with anticipation.
[Hailing from the Vela Galaxy’s Apex World Estea, ladies and gentlemen, our day’s final challenger—of the Six Estean Hybrids—the Amber Sword, John Cathedral.]
The moment the name echoed through the Amphitheatre, the roaring cheers, shouts, and murmurs fell silent.
For the first time that day, the arena was consumed by a deafening stillness.
