Chapter Fifty-Four: The Champion Who Defies Convention

Chapter 54: The Champion Who Plays by No One’s Rules

As soon as these words were spoken, every gaze in the vicinity converged on Shen Ce. He remained unmoved by the attention, calmly strolling forward and ascending the dueling platform at a measured pace.

“A heretic priest dares to challenge?” Shen Ce overheard the murmurings around him, tinged with unmistakable disdain. In truth, heretic priests from the Shadowlands possessed far stronger offensive capabilities than their counterparts from the Brightlands, yet compared to mages, they still occupied an awkward middle ground. The reigning contender, Yun Poyue, had already achieved six consecutive victories—a warrior whose prowess could make even mages lament their fate.

Standing three or four meters away, Yun Poyue folded her arms and offered Shen Ce a smile. He returned it with a polite and courteous nod, his gaze steady and respectful. He never underestimated an opponent, and believed she would do the same.

The referee, stationed on the western side of the arena, scanned the two of them before announcing, “Begin!”

Yun Poyue moved in an instant! Her graceful figure closed in, yet Shen Ce’s vision remained clear and unshaken. He pressed his lips together, raised his staff, and immediately a swirl of gray-black malevolence surged from its tip. In a heartbeat, Shen Ce’s previously composed demeanor transformed—he became like a freshly unsheathed blade, exuding an overwhelming aura of menace.

His pale violet eyes blazed with light, luminous as the finest jade. His long, jet-black hair billowed around him, though there was no wind. In that moment, Yun Poyue’s advance came to an abrupt halt.

As their eyes met, a suffocating malice enveloped Yun Poyue. A torrent of dark images flashed through her mind, her face paling as she coughed up blood.

“Eyes of Despair!” Gripping her scythe for support, her face ghastly white, she gasped, “So you’re a shadow priest—I was careless.” Had she known his true class, she would never have risked meeting his gaze. Shadow priests were masters of mental domination, able to shatter an opponent’s spirit with terrifying ease.

At the mention of shadow priests, the gathered players erupted into a boiling commotion. The class was rare, and witnessing one in action was a novelty that drew many curious eyes.

Despite Yun Poyue’s admission of carelessness, Shen Ce did not consider himself victorious yet. Indeed, in the very next moment she leapt high into the air, her nearly man-sized scythe whipping out in pursuit of him, set to cleave his skull in the blink of an eye!

“Shadow Light Shield!”

Prepared for such a move, Shen Ce chanted the incantation, conjuring a shield of dark light that blocked the deadly scythe.

Realizing her weapon couldn’t break through, Yun Poyue’s heart sank. She steadied herself and summoned her scythe back with a thought.

Just as she breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to counter, she sensed a faint, inescapable force locking onto her. Startled, she looked up to see countless bolts of dark energy hurtling toward her.

Cold sweat broke out across her brow—she had never seen a priest chain spells so seamlessly, as though he’d already anticipated her every move. Such precision was terrifying, suppressing her with almost mechanical efficiency.

Knowing she was outmatched, Yun Poyue ceased resisting, letting the barrage of energy strike her. The audience was baffled by her abrupt surrender, but she simply signaled defeat to the referee, downed two healing potions, and left the platform.

The astonishment wasn’t limited to the spectators—the referee himself was left at a loss by Yun Poyue’s easy concession. Shadow priest might be a hidden class, but surely not so overwhelming as to force immediate surrender?

Amid the murmuring crowd, Shen Ce’s gaze swept over to Syros, who, as if expecting his glance, returned a warm and approving smile. Shen Ce nodded almost imperceptibly, promising not to disappoint.

“Since Yun Poyue has conceded, the winner is the priest on the field. Who wishes to challenge next?” the referee called, scanning the crowd. He had thought Yun Poyue would be tonight’s champion, never expecting Shen Ce to emerge as a dark horse.

“Hahaha! I’ve been curious about shadow priests for ages—no one take this from me!”

A hearty laugh rang out. Shen Ce looked up to see a portly figure stepping forward, and was startled to recognize him: unless he was mistaken, this was the recently famous Killing Intent Like the Wind, the reigning champion of the Battle of Glory!

Fortunately, Shen Ce’s composure held. Even if he was surprised, he showed no sign. He had watched Killing Intent Like the Wind’s third-round demo and had long wanted to face this unpredictable summoner. Now, on his very first visit to the Demon Domain, the opportunity had come to him unbidden.

Yun Poyue, who had just forfeited, felt a surge of relief seeing Killing Intent Like the Wind appear. She had worried she might lose her top-three spot, but with these two titans clashing, no one else would dare try. Her entry badge was safe.

The arena fell silent; no one expected Killing Intent Like the Wind to step up. “Why would he challenge here? He’s a regular in the underground market,” someone muttered.

“Exactly, he’s just wasting one of the top three spots!”

“Is shadow priest really that impressive? Worth the champion’s attention?”

“Who cares? We’re just here for the spectacle.”

The round, honest-faced Killing Intent Like the Wind grinned at Shen Ce. “Brother, first time here, isn’t it? Don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

Shen Ce replied with calm indifference, “That’s right.”

The referee, ignoring their conversation, raised his little flag and announced, “Begin!”

Shen Ce kept his eyes fixed on Killing Intent Like the Wind, refraining from attacking as he layered himself with defensive spells. He was waiting for the infamous Fire Lion King—a creature whose shocking entrances he had seen in many demos.

Shadow priest’s protective spells were inferior to those of light priests—similar in strength, but shorter in duration and with backlash effects. Ordinarily, Shen Ce wouldn’t have risked using them, but against such a formidable opponent, he was willing to take the cost.

As he finished layering defenses, Shen Ce saw the champion’s honest face break into a silly grin. Shen Ce’s lips tightened—he knew from the demos that when Killing Intent Like the Wind wore that look, the opponent was in for trouble.

In the next instant, Killing Intent Like the Wind gave Shen Ce his answer through action. To Shen Ce’s surprise, instead of summoning the Fire Lion King, the champion leapt high into the air and paused mid-flight, apparently opting for close combat.

Shen Ce’s gaze chilled; he immediately unleashed the shadow priest’s strongest single-target spell, “Howl of Darkness.” Bloody gashes erupted across the champion’s hands, yet despite his bulk, he moved with surprising agility, evading most of the attack.

With lips pressed into a thin line, Shen Ce unleashed a barrage of area spells, starlight and magic sweeping the arena—let’s see how you dodge this!

Killing Intent Like the Wind screeched and bolted like a meteor to the far end of the platform, but the surging magical energies caught up, wrapping him in their glow.

At that moment, a blazing red lion plummeted from above. It was far chubbier than Shen Ce had seen in any demo. As it pounced, Shen Ce did not retreat, slashing at it with a blade of shadow.

Struck, the Fire Lion King let out a mournful cry and instantly shrank to a fraction of its size. Yet it remained undeterred, rolling toward Shen Ce like a fiery ball—a comical image sprang to his mind.

The miniaturized lion launched itself at his chest. Shen Ce frowned, trying to fling it off, but to his astonishment, the little creature’s teeth—though not sharp—did not aim for his throat, but latched onto his clothing!

As the fiery creature clambered over him, Shen Ce found himself unable to catch or cast spells at it. When it nearly tore his trousers in half, his face turned ashen.

He looked at Killing Intent Like the Wind, who, though disheveled, still wore that guileless smile. With a dark expression, Shen Ce signaled surrender to the referee, and the tiny Fire Lion King finally stopped gnawing his clothes. The audience, meanwhile, erupted in laughter at the farcical scene.

After conceding, Shen Ce quickly left the arena. Since the top three would receive entry badges, and with a figure like Killing Intent Like the Wind dominating the field, no one else would likely step forward. Shen Ce was confident he would still qualify.

“Is there anyone else who wishes to challenge?” the referee asked, still surprised by the champion’s shameless victory and quickly composing himself.

“I do.” The words floated out of nowhere, deep and resonant, impossible to ignore.

Shen Ce, adjusting his robe, stiffened in alarm. He turned to see Syros speaking and instinctively shook his head, signaling that there was no need to stir up further trouble on his behalf.

Yet the crowd courteously parted to let Syros through. In an instant, hundreds of eyes fixed on the silver-masked assassin.

Author’s note: Updating 10,000 words a day really is just a dream... a dream...