Chapter 719: The King’s Crown (II)
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Cedric wanted to say that the organizers were doing this on purpose, but he had no proof.
Because really, what are the odds that, out of so many places one of the King’s Crowns could land, it’d land right on his lap? This was like a sign or a message that the organizers were throwing him directly onto the fire.
And it wasn’t just him who thought the same. The audience saw the moment the crowns appeared. Those who got them are being highlighted on the display screen, and Cedric showed up early because he got it early. They even saw how the crown literally landed on his lap.
Boom!
Obviously, since the leaderboard was visible for everybody, the participants also knew that Cedric had a crown and that he secured it early.
The one guy from the seeded participants who didn’t have the crown was now making his way towards Cedric. Obviously, with the intent of snatching the crown from him.
In his mind, him being the only one of the seeded participants to not secure a crown was a great humiliation to his status and strength. It would’ve been fine if it was another seeded participant that was competing with him, but it’s not. It’s just a lucky commoner.
And as a self-proclaimed superior of his, he thought that it was his duty to put this lucky commoner into his place and remind him exactly why it’s not wise to touch something that’s not rightfully his.
He found where Dawnbringer was located, or his last known position, that is. It’s a cave in the middle of nowhere. He knew this because every Seeded Participant saw Dawnbringer coming here before the second stage began.
And fortunately for him, it seems that Dawnbringer was still here. He could feel his presence, which is either on purpose or a careless mistake.
He didn’t give a damn, though. As soon as he confirmed that lucky commoner was here, he instantly bombarded the place, intent on burying Dawnbringer alive and taking the crown off his corpse.
As for the no-killing rule? He didn’t give a damn about it either. That only applies to commoners. The worst that could happen was disqualification, nothing more. A genius like him, whom the elders of the ancient sects invested too much in, wouldn’t face any real consequences for his actions. He’d be reprimanded, but that’s about it.
And from that one attack he did, it was made clear why he became one of the seeded participants.
His attack was controlled so it only destroyed a huge chunk of the land. If he truly went careless, he could’ve destroyed an entire continent with that.
Although that doesn’t sound like much, do remember that they’re in the Altus Sky Solar System. The concept laws here were firmer and harder to influence. Any destruction the participants could do outside of this place is minimized here. The finalists of the preliminaries noticed this too, and that’s why they’re having a difficult time dealing with the seeded participants.
...
After his attack just now, the earth in front of him was sundered and charred. The cave where Dawnbringer stayed was reduced to rubble. Heat radiated from the ground, causing a foul smoke to rise above.
None of that concerned the seeded participant, though. His focus was on Dawnbringer, who didn’t die from that.
And like salt on the injury, not only did he not die, but he’s also still asleep. He’s isolated by a thin and seemingly flimsy barrier that prevented any harm from reaching him.
The King’s Crown sat firmly on his head, a perfect fit. As he lay down there, a sense of peace and serenity surrounded him. It’s as if even if the world around him were destroyed, his peaceful sleep wouldn’t be interrupted.
The man didn’t believe that this guy was seriously asleep right now. No, he refused to believe it. He’s sure that this guy was doing this on purpose to piss everybody off. There’s no way he could sleep in the middle of this event. That’s just impossible.
Growling at this blatant provocation. The man raised his weapon again, this time, he added an extra oomph into it. He was determined to break that thin curtain of a barrier Dawnbringer had and teach him a painful lesson.
BOOM!
Another wave of ferocious and intense attack was unleashed. This time, the man saw his attack hitting the barrier squarely; he even felt the satisfying impact of the hit himself.
A trace of glee erupted on his face. This time, he’s more convinced that, at the very least, he shook the barrier and that should’ve woken Dawnbringer up. Of course, he’d be happier if this petulant commoner died in that attack, but that’d be less satisfying because he wanted to do more.
Alas, he’s bound to be disappointed.
Because once the smoke clears and the scene was visible again, he saw that Dawnbringer was still sound asleep. The barrier stayed strong; not even a crack or a graze could be seen in its surface. It shone with a weak yet resolute brilliance that just refused to fade.
Seeing this, the man’s expression twisted. His teeth ached with how hard he was grinding it.
’Shameless! How fucking shameless! ’He roared within himself.
In his righteous anger, he then proceeded to bombard the barrier some more. This time, he’s done holding back. He stopped caring about the rules. Since this guy was determined to court death, he shouldn’t mind dying, for real.
And because of that, the skies above darkened considerably as if responding to the gloomy mood of the man. Lightning hissed and thunder roared. The man raised his hand, and with a crazed look on his face, he summoned a catastrophic heavenly tribulation upon Dawnbringer.
Yes, it was indeed a heavenly tribulation. The same kind that strikes down upon a Life Evolver as they reach higher stages of their evolution.
This man could just casually wield its power, and it answers to him.
Normally, this shouldn’t have been possible. He’s not a local of this realm or this planet. He wasn’t recognized by it either. Therefore, he shouldn’t have been able to do this.
However, it’s because of this that he’d become a seeded participant. It’s because of this gift that he’d been sought out by one of the Ancient Sects during his youth.
So what if he wasn’t recognized by this realm’s consciousness or concept laws? His gift didn’t give a damn about this opinion. The heavenly tribulation was his birthright, one that he could use at will. It’s because of his talent that he’s one of the very few people who didn’t have to be afraid of breakthroughs, because unless he allowed it to, the Heavenly Tribulation wouldn’t dare to touch him.
As thick bolts of lighting rained down on Dawnbringer’s barrier, the man’s twisted expression became more and more wretched.
’Die. Die. Die! ’He madly chanted inwardly.
He wore this manic grin that could traumatize children. He was scary and terrifying. And even though it’s clear that he’s showing signs of mental instability and vivid intent of killing a participant, the organizers hadn’t done anything to stop him, which caused an uproar from the audience.
As for the man himself? He didn’t give a shit about what others thought. He wanted that crown, and he wanted it yesterday. Not even a shred of mercy or patience was left in him right now.
So long as he gets the crown, the rest doesn’t matter. Even if he had to pry it off Dawnbringer’s charred corpse, he’d do it.
"Hnnn!"
The man heard a sound of discomfort coming from Dawnbringer, and to him, that sounded like he hit the jackpot. Could it be that he’s finally hurt? If so, then it won’t take long now; he’d have that crown very soon!
Alas, he’s bound to be disappointed again.
Swoosh!
As if somebody were blowing out birthday candles, a breeze of air swept to the area. That breeze cleared all the smoke and fire; it also got rid of the dark clouds above and restored the peaceful silence around them.
The man froze as if time around him stopped, but it really didn’t; he’s just stunned at what happened.
His control over the heavenly tribulation was cut off. He tried calling for it, but it’s not answering him anymore.
Then, under his dumbstruck gaze, he saw Dawnbringer waking up. He sat up from the smoothened rock he used as a bed and had a big stretch. His bones let out some satisfying cracks, and he groaned in comfort.
The scene was unbelievable and quite comical, no matter who you asked. He’s really selling out a great performance right now. Some were even already convinced that he actually fell asleep.
Once he was done, he looked around him while scratching his face.
"Hm? What happened?"
It looked as if his mind still hadn’t synched to the real world just yet. He yawned and reached out to his back to scratch it, his eyes still crinkled and not fully awake yet.
This took a solid minute or so before it finally dawned on him.
"Wait, where am I?"
"Where did my cave go?"