Azimuth: The Elden Throne (New Version)

Chapter 286 Ruler VS Challenger Part 2

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—-----------------

/Flash!/

[DING]

[Welcome to the Arena!]

[Envyroment: Summit of the Eternal Skies]

[Right beneath Heaven, those chosen fight to prove themselves and the will of their Patrons]

[Time Limit: N/A]

[Defeat your opponent or have him concede]

[Arms Up! The protective barrier will fade away in 120 seconds]

[119…]

"Phew…"

'This place's a bit cold... And quite... Fantastical.'

There weren't many words Dale could use to explain the Arena he was in right now.

The air was frigid, cold enough for him to see his own breath.

But he could feel the heat of the sun on his skin… Or in his case, through his armor.

This time, the Arena was open, giving him the chance to stare at the world above. There, he saw a twisting vortex of prismatic lights and clouds, like a portal leading somewhere unknown, be it eternal life or a gruesome death.

(Image?)

The ground consisted of black and white sand, dividing the Arena into two completely different zones, in fact, this theme extended far beyond just the ground.

The entire Arena itself was around 2 km wide, and each of its halves had a theme.

On the Dark sand ground where he stood, statues of distorted creatures decorated the space together with murals of atrocities, catastrophes, monsters, plagues, and more.

Demons with their hands towards the skies, grasping at something.

On the other side, above the White sand ground where his opponent would stand, statues of symmetrical creatures decorated all around.

On the walls, murals of peaceful scenarios, happiness, nature, harvest, and similar 'pure' situations adorned the golden seats of the Arena.

Different from the other Statues, the Angels depicted in them had their hands towards the ground, as if welcoming someone or trying to reach for those beneath them.

Dale got a bit grumbled over this, he would've very much preferred to be on the white side over the one he was currently at…[1]

'It's an interesting place… Quite spacious too.'

While Dale enjoyed the world around him, the System went on with its preparations:

[Ding]

[Both participants have been confirmed in the Arena]

/Flash…/

"..."

There, on the other side of the Arena, his opponent manifested.

A knight holding onto a sword while wearing thin but slender metallic armor.

Long blue hair and eyes that weren't cold not sharp, they just were, gazing at him…

But Dale felt them to be hollow… Weak, eyes that couldn't feel anymore, perhaps because they were never given the chance to see.

Elegant to the utmost degree, Dale never thought it was possible for someone to be so… Fairy-like.

It was as if he was looking at a painting, a very life-like representation of a Mythical being.

Who was this girl and how did she come into existence?

(Image?)[2]

/Grasp…/

The hold of his weapon tightened... Because he could feel it…

This girl was strong, ridiculously so.

She was no Princess Knight… No fairy in the lake...

She didn't need to have bulging muscles or act masculine to be strong, just her presence alone told him that.

[Your opponent is: Twilight Moon (HcM) -> Level (Private)]

[Ding]

[Due to the Rank of the fight, your opponent's Level is revealed to you]

[Level 47]

[Solo 1v1 -> 191/0/0]

[Highest Winning Streak: 191]

[Leaderboard Ranking -> 1]

[The Match will begin in 90 seconds…]

The undefeated, the strongest, the one that rules above all.

The King of the Arena.

"..."

'Right… So this is the first Ranker huh…'

'What a gal.' He said with a small smile as his eyes sharpened

Dale started to feel impatient, something within him was telling him to rush ahead and see for himself what made her the number 1.

But he knew those were merely his suppressed thoughts, they had no right in the outside world… For now.

Instead, he breathed in and out, emptying his mind as he relaxed as much as he could.

This wasn't a fight for 'him' to perform, he had to prepare himself, his own body for what was about to come. 

His muscles, mind... Soul, all needed to be on the same wavelength if he wished to tackle this opponent.

Wasn't that the same for her? He desired for that to be the case.

But Dale couldn't tell, her emotionless expression said nothing.

Was it overwhelming confidence or the lack of being able to feel anything else?

He wondered, what was she thinking right now…

…

[Ding]

[Both participants have been confirmed in the Arena]

[Your opponent is: DareDevil (HcM) -> Level (Private)]

[Due to the Rank of the fight, your opponent's Level is revealed to you]

[Level 69]

[Solo 1v1 -> 55/0/0]

[Highest Winning Streak: 55]

[Leaderboard Ranking -> 5]

[The Match will begin in 90 seconds…]

An incomparable log to that of hers, but the girl did not scoff at it, nor did she show any reaction...

"..."

But as she looked at the notifications, her eyes momentarily stopped.

/… Unsheath/

At that moment, she took out her blade, a thin rapier, getting in a relaxed stance as she waited for the fight to start.

For Dale, her actions meant little, it was just the standard preparation before a duel, but was that really the case?

The King did not unsheath his weapon until he defined his opponent to be worthy of such.

Without him knowing, Dale had been deemed an opponent and not just someone on the other side of the Arena.

He wasn't like the other hundred opponents she had beaten, he was the one that threatened her the most.

Maybe that was why her face grew even colder...

…

[The Match will begin in 60 seconds…]

When the counter reached the half mark, dozens of flashes suddenly took over the stands of the Arena like fireworks in the sky.

Dozens… Hundreds of people, for a moment, all of them illuminated the arena like the sun in the sky, blinding Dale as he squinted his eyes.

Even the King seemed annoyed by their presence, as she momentarily turned her head to the side, looking at the ground as she closed her eyes.

Elegant but bothered.

"..."

'Who are these people?'

Dale knew people could spectate a fight live if both sides agreed to it, they could even bet on it, but there was no such notification asking for permission.

From their looks, they all seemed to be players as well, could it be the number 1 fight was free for all to enter?

Or maybe she had the ability to bypass his permission, allowing anyone to spectate them?

However, Dale never heard of such a feature…

'Hum?'

Looking over the Stands, Dale's attention went towards a group of three individuals, two girls, and one boy, their hands up high as they tried to get his attention at all costs.

It was obvious who those were, Ermin and the sisters!

/Chuckle…/

He gave them a light wave before he focused on his opponent again.

'I told them I would be fighting for number 1 but I didn't expect this to happen at all.'

[Ding]

"Hm?"

[You received a message from player Jelly Donuts without Sugar]

'Huh?'

[LET'S GOOOO!!! I'M BETTING EVERYTHING I HAVE ON YOU!]

"..."

Dale had a slightly twisted smile on his face right now as he read the message.

'I'm a bit embarrassed to have people seeing me like this, it's different from streaming it…'

'But if they're here…'

Dale quickly scanned through the seats as more and more players manifested all around, and eventually, he found who he was looking for.

Sitting quietly at the edge of the arena, a girl hid herself within the shadows of a pillar, or at least tried as she was easily visible.

Instead of hidden, it was best to describe her as being inconspicuous...

She seemed to have noticed his gaze as she slowly looked away, as if uninterested in him.

But he knew that couldn't be the case.

"Heh…"

'Maybe I thought too much before…'

Thinking of stupid things again, Dale shook his head as he stopped looking around.

He planned on activating his Skill around ten to five seconds before the fight started, to give 'himself' time to prepare against this opponent.

Even now, Dale moved Mana and Prime Source around his body, warming up to the fight ahead.

With his senses, he could also tell the girl was doing the same, albeit she was so smooth with it that she may as well be breathing.

Comparing the two, the girl's control was akin to a normal person's breathing, it had become second nature.

While Dale's was like a toddler trying to pedal a bicycle...

/Step…/

His ears perked up at the faint sound of a step echoing throughout the Arena.

It was faint but continuous as if trying to get his attention.

"Huh?"

He had been relatively focused, until his attention was drawn toward the Auditorium in the First Tier of Seats, the place reserved for nobility and the highest authority.

The thing is, since this is but a scenery for their fight, such seats were nothing but decorations, part of the theme of their Arena…

But right now, he could see a group of people standing there, watching them, and he was sure that they weren't players.

Had he been wrong this entire time? If so, who were those people?

A tall and strong man with full red hair and a beard, wearing a glorious red cape that surrounded his body, he seemed mighty and proud, being both elegant and confident, someone who had the aura of a ruler.

Next to him, was a young woman with golden hair who wore a black tunic around her body, she was beautiful and concise, her eyes gentle but firm, there was no weakness within them, those were the judgmental eyes of someone who tested thousands.

Next to them were two men in black and white clothes, he couldn't see their appearance but they had an indescribable aura around them.

(Image?)

Who were these people and where did they come from?!

[Ding]

The man sat with his partner on a pair of seats prepared solely for them while their guards remained standing next to them.

And when he did so, he looked down, directly at Dale.

[Ruler of the Red Court gazes at you]

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Notes

[1] Bruh...

[2] I actually have the image but can't post it due to Webnovel issues