Sublime Notion frowned at this and pouted. "Brother loving freak, get out here and die under my magnificent barrage!"
"How dare you, you underdeveloped runt!" Bella shrieked in anger at having her 'secret' exposed like this.
She directly came out of stealth behind Sublime Notion and stabbed her back using a chakra-infused kunai knife. At this time, though, Bella felt a premonition of death looming upon her as Sublime turned her face slightly to gaze at her.
The loli's placid face suddenly broke into a crazy smile as he chuckled. "I~ Got! Youuu~"
Sublime slammed the butt of her staff down and used her newest surekill spell that she had acquired by abusing Umbra's power and treasury.
Space Lock!
｢Space Lock – Active Skill
Effect: Bind a target to a fixed point in space in which they are unable to move. If this occurs on a planet with a rotation, this may yield unpredictable effects.
Duration: 5 seconds
Cooldown: 12 hours.｣
The moment Bella felt her body freeze just as she was about to pierce the skull of Sublime, she knew she was finished. This spatial binding skill would have been useless for battle on the main plane, but was godly here.
After all, if a person was locked in a specific point of space, chances are instead of being stunned, they would just be yeeted off in the opposite direction faster than the eye could follow.
Technically, this wasn't a skill for fighting, but for running away. Just that instead of you yourself skedaddling, you would make the opponent leave.
However, this venue was a closed-off space that only had gravity and no axis. As such, the skill worked like a typical stun in this case and since it was of the spatial element, it was unblockable and unavoidable.
For 5 seconds, Bella was Sublime's bitch. And by God did the vile Loli make her understand that.
Sublime lifted her staff in her left hand to call down a Thunderstrike while the one in her right hand struck Bella like a club, beating the poor woman brutally. The Thunderstrike also landed and added a lightning paralysis stun to the ninja, who had already fallen victim to Sublime's torture.
Soon, Bella was turned to pixel light before she reappeared in the stands, her face pale from the beating of the Vice Guildmistress. The lolitician herself had long gone mad, whacking the empty space there as if Bella - or rather Riveting Night who she had been envisioning - was still there.
"Hahaha! Die, die dieeee!! Hahaha!" She screamed with glee.
The crowd was left speechless and with goosebumps appearing on their skin. How could such a cute and lovely girl become so violent? Just what had she been subjected to make her lose her sanity in hatred?
First match winner: Sublime Notion!
Amber coughed and took Sublime off the stage before summoning the next contestants up. This time, the crowd held their breath as two titans walked onto the stage.
On the left was a handsome man with pale bronze skin. He had shoulder-length black hair and sharp grey eyes. He was quite buff, but not quite at the level of Local Lord. He wore a set of armor that was similar to that of a cultivator, brocade robes that were blackish-yellow.
When he climbed onstage, all the fans of China roared out his name, and many females across various countries were a bit smitten by how he carried himself. It was not to the point of madness, just a thought that they would like to know more about him later on.
Ao Potian seemed to enjoy this attention as he smiled widely, embracing the call of the crowd. However, he and the entire stadium went silent when a spinning red halberd landed on the stage, almost splitting it in half.
From the other end of the stage, a calm and unhurried gait slowly revealed a tall and handsome man with sleek reddish dyed black hair and an angular face that was sculpted symmetrically.
He had a deep tan that enhanced his looks since he wore a set of medium armor that was reddish-gold. His glowing amber eyes revealed a sharp gaze that could pierce into the hearts of those they were focused on, despite also looking laid back and generally benevolent.
The moment Essence climbed the stage, the crowd that had been silent a moment ago burst forth in fervor. It was not limited to Mexico, but every country in the world. At this point, everyone had heard of the third strongest player in the world, and the crowd favorite to win the entire competition.
Taking it a step further, they had all watched his fight against the monsters in the tower alone and with his team, and it was obvious why the betting houses had slated Mexico to win. His power was just simply overwhelming, for both the monsters and players he faced.
Many women in the crowd directly screamed out, their eyes showing hearts. Unlike Potian who was just handsome, Essence was a dual Inheritance bearer of the Serpent God and Dark Angel at 35% Bloodline purity.
Even Rosella, a first-generation descendant from Draco had only 45% bloodline purity. Loving Aunt had 25% and Potian had himself 23% of the Pangu Lineage. Essence was a monster that was above everyone else, merely below the Evil Duo.
The moment he stepped on stage, the air between him and Potian solidified as both showed grimaces. They had not noticed it before, but in such close proximity, they could detect the 'special' nature of the other.
Putting aside the bloodline hate, there was a natural disgust they felt towards the other person. Potian snorted coldly and spoke.
"You? Trash like you is at third place? Sigh, the so-called Artificial Intelligence managing this game must be faulty."
Potian shook his head. If such a fellow could really be third place, then he, the Son of Heaven, would be first!
Essence rubbed his chin with a confused smile. "I don't get it… what gives you the balls to bark when you aren't even in the top 50? Like, no offense to them, but even Wee Cunt, Panty King, and Loli King are ranked higher than you."
Many spectators grimaced at that, feeling second-hand embarrassment for Potian. The members of Umbra around the stage, especially core members, burst into mocking laughter so shrill that it would make even a rock cry.
Potian's eyes reddened in shame and hatred, wishing he could kill the fellow before him.
"Referee, start the match! I want to put this trash in the bin where it belongs." He roared with anger.
Amber, who had been enjoying the trash talk before the show, first glanced to Essence. Even she was careful with how she dealt with this fellow as he could be said to be the representative of Draco when the Evil Duo were not around.
Essence nodded and folded his arms behind his back.
Amber took this signal to declare the start of the match and Potian wasted no time shooting forth before striking where Essence stood. Immediately, the crowd was shocked as a crater formed in the arena.
What crazy strength! Just how could he do something like that at a mere Rank 3 with just his arms??
In truth, Potian was also a double Inheritance bearer, of the Primal God and Undying King Inheritance. The Primal God gave him strength proportionate to his bloodline purity, and the Undying King allowed him to regenerate from any ailment as if he had an immortal body.
At 23%, he was nowhere near as overpowered and broken as Local Lord, who even Draco hadn't entirely dared to fight head-on. One punch from that fellow might even cause Superman to turn into bloodmist.
However, that was Local Lord. As for Potian, he was only stronger than a superhuman, and faster too. He could regenerate from many fatal wounds, but if you cut him in half, he would die before he could regenerate.
This was his confidence, knowing that his defense was solid and his offense was unmatched. As such, he never really bothered to use the skills of the Fighter class he had received, especially since it was a Common class.
He, unlike Local Lord who had been a gamer to deal with some of the stress as the supposed future Clan Head, didn't care for such things and had solely focused on his bloodline to do everything in Boundless. He was a typical example of a bloodline descendant who could not adapt outside of their bloodline and relied on it for pretty much everything.
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As such, the fate of this kind of person was to be brutalized at the hands of an opponent who knew the limits of their bloodline as well as its weaknesses and had no qualms utilizing the benefits the system blessed him with.
"Haha, trash! One hit and you're dead!" Potian laughed gleefully, seeing as Essence had not bothered to dodge his attack. He had simply stood there with his arms folded and his lips curled slightly upwards, like a person watching an idiot disgrace himself in public.
Once the dust cleared, Potian's face scrunched up in horror. He realized his hand fully punched through the body of his enemy, but… he couldn't feel anything!
Even as he stood, his hand was poking through Essence's torso as if the other was a hologram. Essence gazed at the hand through his stomach, then at Potian. Realizing it was his cue he suddenly reacted.
"ARRGHH!" Essence cried out as he spat a mouthful of blood and staggered back, playing the role of someone fatally wounded. He clutched his perfectly intact torso that was dislodged from the hand of Potian and writhed on the ground while howling.
The spectators covered their faces, feeling bad for Potian who could only stand there and look on with red eyes at Essence's performance. The members of Umbra burst into uproarious laughter and jeers sounded out by the stage.
Loving Aunt nodded her head with pride over these antics. With each day, he was truly living up to his heritage, making every member of the Lucifer Lineage proud.
Potian lost his temper and jumped upward, aiming a strike towards Essence on the ground. He focused his mind on the body of his target, prepared to change his target at the slightest sign of seeing him make any part of his body intangible.
Essence grinned and simply disappeared from the spot. When Potian struck the ground and caused another small crater, he turned to look at Essence who was seated on the shaft of his halberd that was still stuck in the center of the arena.
"Come on dude, you have to be stronger than that for sure. Go all out and I might actually consider using a weapon, otherwise this will be boring for me." Essence taunted with a soft smile.
Potian took a deep breath and calmed himself down. This was an international stage, he couldn't afford to lose his temper and act uncouth. Otherwise, he would be playing into this fellow's hands and make himself a laughingstock.
As such, Potian simply bellowed as he puffed his chest out. Immediately, his body's size grew twofold, turning insanely buff, with veins pressing against his skin like wiggly worms crawling about.
He clapped his hands together tightly, forming a light shockwave that blew through where Essence sat without doing anything. This made Essence display a loom of interest, wondering what this idiot was up to.
Potian seemed to confirm something when the shockwave his Essence and did nothing, then grinned as he charged forward. His speed was so great at this time, that many eyes widened in shock and horror.
Essence himself frowned at the sudden change in the fellow's aura. He didn't react much to the charge, but noticed that Potian made a strike through his body. Right after, the fellow stomped the ground, which cracked the space under Essence's feet.
Potian's eyes narrowed when he noticed that his idea didn't work, which had been to unbalance Essence by affecting the environment around him. However, Essence seemed to be fixed in the point of space in which he was standing, so he was hovering above the crater seemingly levitating.
Essence smiled as he comprehended what Potian had attempted. This fellow might be from that trash lineage, but it seemed he had received extensive training since his childhood. His combat abilities were not subpar and his usage of his bloodline was almost as good as Local Lord.
Potian then stood before Essence, not retreating. Instead, he stretched his hands out to either side of his body. He stretched his body so far that everyone could see his muscles stretching and hear his bones creaking.
Then, he smirked menacingly at Essence before bringing his hands together with all his force, creating an explosive clap that caused a shockwave so powerful it blew those at the side away.
The core members had to use various means to protect themselves while Amber waved her hand and erected a shield for the spectators, who were looking on in shock and horror. This kind of shockwave had felt as if a massive eruption had occurred.
When the wave subsided, one could see that Potian was breathing roughly within the now destroyed arena. His two hands were smoking greatly, the palms red like lava as he breathed roughly.
It was clear that he couldn't even feel his hands with how badly they were shaking and the way they were stuck together. However, the crowd was horrified to see that his hands rapidly cooled down and separated as if nothing had occurred.
Potian even clapped them lightly again, making smaller thunderclaps as he inspected his palms. The members of Umbra were not too surprised by this, as they had fought beside Local Lord before.
Seeing that fellow's survivability and learning the beef between him and Draco's family made them aware that he was no simple character. Still, to see him recover so fast made each of them solemn.
They couldn't help but feel grateful, that it was Essence who was paired with him during the first round. Their Legendary Classes would make them certainly beat him up good, but that kind of recovery would be a headache.
Just picturing the fellow with a Legendary Class fitting his lineage made their blood run cold. Essence though, was not bothered. Even if some God had blessed him with a Divine Class, he would never match him for one simple reason.
He was simply a superior form of life.
Case in point, Essence exited a small portal and hovered in the air behind Potian. He then tapped the fellow on the shoulder as if he was going to politely ask his friend a question.
"Ay buddy, did you think before you acted? I have already put the tab on my cousin Draco, but you weren't included. Can you really afford to pay for this?" Essence asked with a concerned tone.
Potian heart quaked. He couldn't believe that the fellow was still alive after that. From his point of view, the fellow had the ability to manipulate space, which was fine, but space wasn't infallible.
Any great disturbance in terms of energy or force could destabilize space, which was why he had performed that titanic clap earlier. In his mind, Essence must have been smashed to death, regardless of wherever he had chosen to hide.
Truthfully, this wasn't a wrong strategy. This was a perfect way to deal with someone who used and abused space, just like it would be easy to defeat Silent Walker by destroying all obstacles so there would be nothing to create shadows.
However, as they always said, in the face of ultimate power, all manner of trickery was useless.
"Ah, I see you don't understand. It's simple really. You must have misunderstood my actions for manipulating the conventional space that makes up our world, but that's wrong." Essence began explaining benevolently.
"Have you watched that old anime with the blonde guy who I always chasing after the purple-haired edgelord with ninjas and crap? In that, there was a spatial ability called Kamu… kam… ka-something that allowed them to transport things to a personal space."
Essence shrugged. "Mine is the same. You see me now, but you and I are not even in the same world. I am high above, and you are beneath my feet in the dust. That is why I can stand here and watch you flail about without bothering to fight back."
"Even if I gave you a hundred years and infinite energy, you would not be able to make me uncomfortable, much less be able to harm me."
Essence sighed and patted Potian on the shoulder lightly, but for Potian, it was like being struck by a hammer with each pat. He felt intense spatial force seep into his body and ravage him internally, but to onlookers, Essence looked like a benevolent person.
Potian wanted to scream, to shout his defiance, but his knees wobbled as he began to panic. Then his worst nightmare occurred. The weight of Essence's power crushed the superior strength that his bloodline gave him, forcing him to his knees.
Essence walked around him and stood at his front, like a benevolent lord taking in the beginning kowtow of a foolish servant who had overstepped his bounds. The scene was so powerful that the crowd held their breath in shock, waiting for the conclusion.
Essence looked down on Potian, and Potian struggled to raise his head to look at Essence. When their eyes met, Potian gasped slightly. He finally understood why he had lost.
Those eyes… weren't looking at a fellow human… but looking down upon an ant. It didn't matter what Lineage he came from or what Potian thought he could do, Essence had a million and one ways to kill him before he would even realize he had died.
This epiphany struck Potian so hard that his usually indomitable will inherited from the Pangu Lineage evaporated, leaving him in the shadow of Essence forever.
Potian hung his head low, his heart dead as ashes.
"I admit defeat."
Essence patted his head gently, knocking him out so as to spare him the shame. "Rest. Enemies we may be, but I will not mistreat someone who understands the gap in power between a Dragon and a mouse."
Second match winner: Essence Stalker!