Chapter 1083: Chapter 52: The Duel Begins
22:30
The corner clock’s minute hand was perpendicular to the ground.
The highly anticipated Giant Tree Academy event, the duel between Kiluat and Gienegarde, Holy Light Squad and Viper Squad, Son of the Church and Spider God Church, was officially beginning.
Gienegarde suddenly released power, and the Voodoo Fog solidified into a black python, darting from the sleeve of his black robe towards Kiluat.
The rose thorns of the diamond-shaped hand shield pierced into the clenched fingers, with the crimson spreading along the shield’s edge, bracing for the abrupt collision.
The crash of black and red erupted in the Colosseum, Kiluat’s brown hair fluttered, revealing a snow-white forehead as the shattered black python splattered along the edge of the crimson glow.
"Is defending all you can do?"
Gienegarde’s light laugh echoed in the space as he ceased releasing the black python and gently tapped the ground with the wooden staff held in his left hand.
Rustle——
A fine, rubbing sound arose in the dueling arena as the hem of Gienegarde’s black robe suddenly swelled, with countless small snakes composed of Voodoo Fog wriggling, slithering out, and diverging towards Kiluat.
"Ugh... The bloodline power of the Mars Family is always so repulsive." Fudote at the arena’s edge shuddered at the sight of the twisting, writhing black snakes.
Kiluat faced the encircling tide of black snakes calmly, reaching into the stomach pouch to retrieve a potion, biting off the cap, and tossing it to the ground.
Pa—
The glass shattered as the potion, upon contacting the air, emitted a dark yellow mist, practically enveloping Kiluat, shrouding her figure.
The black snakes touched by the mist hissed as they dissolved, yet they relentlessly plunged into the fog, dissipating the power.
The dark yellow mist visibly contracted, gradually revealing Kiluat at its center.
She drank the Guardian Potion before the mist was about to vanish and rushed out of its range—
Kiluat lacked means of attack, reducing the distance.
But Gienegarde would not let her succeed so easily.
As Kiluat charged with the blood-colored shield protecting her front, like a valkyrie, Gienegarde calmly raised his staff, pointing forward.
"Bestow you an entangling dream—"
An obscure force suddenly enveloped the running Kiluat, she felt like she suddenly lost her soul, her powerless body stumbling toward the rough ground.
The still-present black snakes approached to wrap around Kiluat, but the power of the Guardian Potion prevented them from merging into her body.
The audience in the Colosseum stirred in commotion.
Is it over?
Some squads remarked that Gienegarde’s proficiency in using Weird Power is not much less than those in higher grades.
The dense black snakes clung to Kiluat’s body, wrapping her up.
Gienegarde did nothing further, quietly waiting for Kiluat to be declared defeated.
But at that moment, everyone heard the clear and ethereal sound of a bell coming from the humanoid figure wrapped by the black snakes.
Kiluat crawled out from the pile of black snakes, ignoring those scraping against her, continued rushing towards Gienegarde in disarray.
"Awakening Bell? It seems you have mastered my combat style." Gienegarde murmured indifferently. "Then... what about the power beyond this?"
"Terrifying spider shadow, resentful concealment, coming from the crevices!"
Gienegarde’s obscure prayer resonated, distorting some form of cognition, as two shadow-like dark spider shadows, several tens of centimeters high, emerged beside him.
"Please, Divine Guard, eliminate the enemy."
In a respectful whisper, the two spider shadows blocked Kiluat’s charge.
Kiluat threw an offensive Sequence Potion, but it caused no damage to them. Only cult power was suitable to counter cult power.
Unfortunately, the Shallow Believer Kiluat did not master such power.
"If you don’t use that bottle number 19 potion, you’ll have no chance." Gienegarde’s voice echoed in the center of the Colosseum. "Or use that church’s power you’ve been avoiding... if you possess it."
The Shadow-Hiding Potion, Sequence 19. The taker would become ghost-like, capable of briefly traversing the Interlayer of the Inner World.
Black snakes coiled, the spider shadow confronted, with Kiluat still 10 meters away from Gienegarde.
He would make that 10 meters an insurmountable gap for Kiluat.
Kiluat made a decision, taking out a luminescent potion and drinking it, the next moment, her outline disappeared into the void.
Gienegarde seemed to be waiting for this scene, opening a bag and releasing two ghosts with Alchemical Collars around their necks.
"Stop her."
Gienegarde, along with his family and cult, had prepared thoroughly.
The ghosts ventured into the void, initiating an unobservable battle in the Interlayer of the Inner World.
But the outcome was determined— the ghost’s Inner World was the ghosts’ domain, and Kiluat couldn’t wield any power within it—
Invisible forces stirred the void as Kiluat stumbled back from the Interlayer of the Inner World.
She had only advanced less than two meters.
The waiting spider shadows instantly leaped at the emerging Kiluat, passing through her form like piercing through bubbles— Kiluat vanished on the spot once more.
Gienegarde paused for a brief moment, suddenly looking towards the arena’s edge at Lu Li, incredulously murmuring.
"Sequence 9... Substitute Potion."
The audience was stunned as Gienegarde distanced himself from Lu Li’s grand gesture, maintaining composure as he scanned around.
If Kiluat ingested the potion in the Inner World, where would she be now—
Gienegarde abruptly turned, his arm cold and snakelike, wrapping around Gienegarde’s silently appearing neck.
"You lost. Gienegarde gradually tightened the fingers, snake head-like.
"It is you who lost..."
Kiluat’s face gradually flushed red as she clenched her silver teeth, meanwhile, Gienegarde felt slight pain in his chest.
A dagger was pressed against Gienegarde’s chest; if thrust in, the mortal Gienegarde would be severely injured or even die.
"I will not admit it!"
Gienegarde’s demeanor grew increasingly sinister as venomous patterns crawled over the flushed face.
The Gatekeeper Elder silently appeared between the two, his bark-like wrinkled palm touching Gienegarde’s wrist.
The venom slowly retreated from Gienegarde’s hand, forcing Gienegarde to release his grip unwillingly.
In the silent Colosseum, the Gatekeeper Elder declared Kiluat the victor of the cult duel.
Sparse applause gradually arose, as Yege and Naxi rushed into the Colosseum.
"Are you okay!?"
They checked Kiluat’s injuries, glaring at the resentful Gienegarde glaring back.
This outcome was difficult for Gienegarde to accept. He had not yet displayed all his power. The Homogeneous Item given by the family and the power bestowed by the church—
A lion wishes to toy with its prey under its claws but gets its body pierced by the prey’s horns.
"Due to arrogance, the human world was invaded by the weird. Due to the same arrogance, the weird let humans catch a breather. Due to arrogance, you lost to a Kiluat far weaker in power than you."
"Weakness is not the original sin, arrogance is."
Professor Grey entered the arena, gazing at the unwilling Gienegarde. Then, placing his hand over his chest, he nodded towards Lu Li: "Thank you for this lesson."
The protagonist shifted from Kiluat and Gienegarde to Lu Li.
Or rather, Lu Li had always been the center of the vortex.