Chapter 356: The Race ended without sweating a bit
Chapter 356: The Race ended without sweating a bit
Not even a single soul was able to react as the voice itself carried a hint of arrogance and order..... devoid of any emotion.
"Y-You finally come? W-Where did you run off to?" King Theo shouted, his voice trembling with a mixture of fear and defiance. He struggled against the chains that bound him, desperation evident in his actions, "R-Release me, You Coward!! I won't tolerate you bounding me with these chains," he demanded, his words laced with defiance even in the face of danger.
"..."
However, there was no reply, only an eerie silence that hung heavy in the atmosphere. Even the Vampire Queen furrowed her brow in concern, sensing a shift in Eli's demeanour, 'What happened...? He feels different..' she wondered, her instincts on high alert.
After a few moments, the figure in the sky spoke, its voice cutting through the silence with chilling precision....
"Son of Carter Theo, How do you want to die?"
"....."
A heavy silence descended upon the arena, leaving everyone on edge. Even the Headmaster couldn't help but feel a sense of unease at Eli's ominous question.
"H-hehe..hehehe..." Theo's laughter rang out, forced and strained as he attempted to mask his fear, "Figuring you won't be able to win... So, you finally resort to violence?" he taunted, his bravado wavering in the face of Eli's silent gaze.
But Eli offered no response, his reddish-black eyes fixed unwaveringly on the golden-haired man who was hiding his perplexed face on the upper floor..... There was a calm determination in his gaze, a silent resolve that spoke volumes.
"Violence.... ah..."
With deliberate slowness, Eli descended from the sky, each movement deliberate and calculated. His golden sparks emitted an ethereal glow that filled the arena with a sense of awe and wonder, captivating all who beheld him.
Even the Headmaster, Vampire Queen, and Lucian were taken aback, not just by Eli's powerful aura, but by something else...
"Hey, Look!" Someone from the crowd suddenly exclaimed, pointing towards the.... scoreboard.
"Hmm? What hap--- Wait!! What the fuck!!!"
"99!!!"
"Are you serious?! When did he even start running in the first place?"
"Is the scoreboard broken?"
"Y-Yeah, that has to be.."
"Yes, there's no way he could have run that fast!!!"
The audience erupted into a flurry of chatter, bewildered by the sudden appearance of Eli's score on the scoreboard, a seemingly impossible feat that defied all logic and explanation.
Even the fastest runners left visible trails behind them for example Theo, but Eli... They weren't sure whether it was true or false.
"He is cheating!!!" Carter Theo's voice boomed with fury as he noticed the scoreboard, his anger palpable as he struggled to comprehend the impossible feat displayed before him.
'I-I clearly saw him moving only towards my son... there is no way he could move that much faster... even my eyes couldn't keep up?' Carter Theo reasoned internally, his mind grappling with the discrepancy between what he witnessed and the reality displayed on the scoreboard.
"He is not cheating!" The Vampire Queen interjected sternly, her ruby eyes flashing with intensity as she stared at Eli's sudden action with curiosity.
But Carter Theo was not so easily convinced, his gaze shifting towards the Head Master in search of justice, only to be met with a surprising response.
"He is not cheating..." Lucian muttered in a dreadful voice, his own confusion mirroring that of Carter Theo's, 'W-What the heck happened?' Lucian's thoughts raced as he tried to make sense of the situation. As the grandmaster overseeing the events of the day, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something had gone terribly wrong.
In a moment of frustration, Lucian reached for his communication device, intending to confront his oldest son, who was responsible for overseeing the dirty works.
'Beep, Beep....'
But before he could make a single ring, it was abruptly cut off, leaving Lucian seething with frustration. Veins bulged on his forehead as he realized that something had gone awry, and his son was likely at the centre of it all.
"He messed something up!!" Lucian's inner scream reverberated through his mind, his frustration and anger mounting as he grappled with the unexpected turn of events.
Coming to the Arena,
"L-Let me go!! Bastard!!" King Theo's voice echoed with a mix of fury and desperation as he struggled against the chains, his eyes ablaze with rage. He yearned for freedom, and.... Eli granted it, and with a subtle gesture from Eli, his wish was granted as the chains recoiled into Eli's left hand.
Freed from his restraints, King Theo shot a venomous glare at Eli, his anger palpable in every word he spat, "You bastard!! You come out of nowhere and use your ugly low-level techniques to cheat o---" His tirade was abruptly cut short by a sudden impact.
'Thud'
Theo's upper body jerked forward in shock, a surge of pain coursing through him. Confusion clouded his mind as he realized he could no longer feel his legs. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he cast his eyes downward, only to be met with a horrifying sight...
His once-majestic legs, adorned with elegant winged shoes, lay severed on the ground, blood pooling around them in a macabre display.
His mind slowly began to grasp the horrifying reality unfolding before him as his gaze fell upon his severed legs, blood gushing forth like a relentless torrent from the raw, gaping wounds. The sight sent a wave of nausea coursing through him....
"AARRRRRRRRHHHHH!!!!"
"Took you long enough..." Eli's voice cut through the chaos, a hint of pity in his tone as he regarded Theo's plight.
"W-Wah.. When?" Theo clutched at his maimed limbs, his eyes wide with horror as he stared up at Eli.
"Do you want to know?" Eli's smirk sent a shiver down Theo's spine as he crouched down before him, a predatory gleam in his eyes.
A demon coming towards him!!!
Eli then softly muttered, his tone dripping with sarcasm, "Thank you for calling that cute girl... Ugly. Really man, You did a wonderful job for once in your life." With a sardonic smile, Eli nodded a few times, his words laced with a hint of mockery and contempt.
Eli's words hung in the air, a cutting reminder of Theo's callousness towards Arlyne. Yet, Theo couldn't grasp their significance, lost in a haze of confusion and denial. 'Ugly? Who...' His thoughts trailed off as if he had already forgotten about Arlyne's heartfelt confession, or perhaps he simply refused to acknowledge it.
"For that, I will let you live... for now, that is," Eli stated calmly, a small smile playing on his lips as he patted Theo's cheeks patronizingly, like a parent indulging a misbehaving child.
Theo's face flushed bright red with shame and rage, his indignation boiling over as he attempted to lash out at Eli as he took out the crystal that his father gave him, "You damn bastard!! How dare you h--" Before he could finish his sentence, however, Experience tales at mvl
"Children should listen to their elders otherwise...." Eli's voice cut through the tension like a knife as he silenced Theo with a single wave of his hand.
"SPLASHHHH!!"
Theo's mouth split open, a torrent of blood gushing forth like a breached dam. His horrified expression spoke volumes as he struggled to contain the flow, his efforts futile against the relentless onslaught.
"Trrrkkkkk"
The crystal meant to counteract Eli's attack shattered into fragments, its power nullified before it could be unleashed.... That showed how much Eli changed with in hours.... to them of course!!
Eli paid little heed to the chaos he had caused, his focus unwavering as he continued his steady advance towards the finish line. Let's be real, It wasn't out of mercy for Theo because of Arlyne, but rather a compilation; killing him would have disqualified Eli from the race, a risk he couldn't afford to take.
With each heavy step, Eli drew closer to the end, his progress relentless and determined.
'Step, Step, Step...'
Onlookers watched in horror, their faces twisted in disbelief at the gruesome scene unfolding before them. Meanwhile, Theo's supporters prayed fervently for their fallen hero, hoping against hope that he would somehow defy the odds and stage a miraculous comeback....
but to their dismay, Instead, they witnessed their hero's desperate struggle to stay conscious, his strength waning with each passing moment.
As Eli neared the finish line, he came to a sudden halt, he asked a single question,
"Does Sentinals appear if their King dies?"
"..."
A heavy silence enveloped the arena, thick with tension and uncertainty. Many struggled to comprehend the implications of Eli's inquiry, while nobles and influencers who knew details alike froze in shock, their minds racing with fear and dread.
".... Yes," Adriana, the Vampire Queen, replied with chilling indifference.
"Too bad.." Eli muttered as he stepped on the line. A white light emerged from the ground, travelling towards Eli, indicating the game's winner.
"The Winner is--" Just as the Head Master was about to announce the victor, a sudden flurry of sparks filled the air.
"Spark, Spark"
In an instant, Eli vanished from the arena, reappearing inside the upper floor where Lucian Dwan and Carter Theo stood.
"Let's play a game...." His voice, laced with a hint of menace, hung in the air, setting the stage for a new confrontation.