Chapter 1258: Challenger

[Contestant Falken versus Contestant Ran Al Venin]

Rui glanced at another figure in the room.

She met his gaze briefly, before closing her eyes. She too was a masked contestant like he was, it appeared that he was not the only one who found the fame and attention to his identity troubling.

But unlike him, she did not go to great lengths to conceal her identity by procuring a Master-level mask that could hamper even the senses of Martial Masters. He was able to sense her appearance through it.

But it wasn't her identity or appearance that he was concerned about. He quickly studied her Martial Body.

Powerful lower body. He immediately noted.

That alone allowed him to rule out many possibilities.

He definitely did not get the sense that she was an ordinary Martial Artist as far as her Martial Path was concerned.

There definitely were clues that she most likely was not a simple offensive, defensive, or maneuvering-oriented Martial Artist.

He recalled that she had been quite close to being eliminated by the abyssfeeder creature. That did not give him a good impression of her, but he didn't necessarily underestimate her because of that.

He didn't even bother considering the other match-ups at the moment, the tournament would soon begin, and he was going to have to face her in combat, he did not have the luxury to care about other people's match-ups.

"...And with that, it is finally time to begin! We now call upon Contestant Falken, the dark horse of the Martial Contest! A man who came out of nowhere, participating in the contest for the very first time, and reaching the top eight out of nowhere! Will he be able to overcome his opponent, a dangerously powerful warrior, and veteran of the Martial Contest known as the Unearthing Dancer?!"

The crowd cheered.

The two of them headed out toward the colosseum together.

The tension was palatable.

So much so that one may very well have been able to cut it with a knife. He could feel her wariness tingling on his skin.

It couldn't be helped. His performance in the previous round was domineering. He was the only one who defeated the abyssfeeder. He was also the first one to break out of Master Carian's technique.

Her muscles were taut with tension.

Her eyes were sharp.

She couldn't even hide her gritted teeth from him.

Rui, on the other hand, was a lot more nonchalant.

This couldn't be helped either.

Even though he was a newcomer to the Martial Contest while she was allegedly a veteran, neither of them had any doubts about the power dynamics of their fight.

She was the challenger.

It was up to her to prove that her comparatively lackluster performance against the abyssfeeder was not an accurate measure of her formidability. The abyssfeeder was an oppressive challenge that made many Martial Artists look weaker than they actually were.

She was not the only one who was determined to show the world what she was made up of.

Barring Rui and Squire Meera, each of them had something to prove in their upcoming matches.

"I look forward to a good fight," She abruptly broke the silence.

"Likewise," A small smile broke on his face.

"But I will win."

Her declaration was as strong as her tone. Rui could even feel the conviction in her voice.

He didn't even bother responding.

They had arrived at the entrance of the colosseum.

Words no longer mattered.

"Wooooo!"

"Go Falken!"

"Kick his ass girl!"

The crowd erupted in cheers as the two of them entered the colosseum heading toward the center.

By the time they had arrived, the colosseum was already prepared for the battle. The podium and the boards were all gone. Even the announcer and commentator was gone.

A single Martial Senior awaited them at the center.

"I am Senior Priest Deril," The man informed them. "I will be serving as the arbiter of the tournament."

The two of them bowed to him, expressing the deference that a Martial Senior was worthy of.

"Repeat after me... 'As a contestant of the Virodhabhasa Contest, I solemnly swear not to ..."

Each of them was made several oaths regarding fair play and abide by the few rules that there were.

"It's time," The man informed them. "Take a distance from the center of your pleasing, and take your stances."

She chose to take a close-range distance, clearly indicating that she was a close-range Martial Artist.

All eyes were on Rui. People expected him to take a long-range distance given the long-range prowess that he demonstrated in the previous round.

Yet Rui merely smiled, walking towards her, and standing right in front of her.

This sent a wave of murmurs across the crowd even as Squire Ran narrowed her eyes.

"Underestimate me at your peril," She coldly remarked.

"I consider myself proficient at not underestimating," Rui replied.

She replied by taking a strange stance. She stood on her toes, like a ballet dancer, before lifting one folded knee up, like a Muay Thai stance. Her hands balled into fists, propped before her.

She did not so much as shift a millimeter despite balancing on the edge of a single toe.

Her balance is abnormal. Rui noted

He closed his eyes, honing his mind. "Fuuuu..."

He propped his arms with equal weight towards offense and defense with an evenly distributed weight open to maneuvering or planting himself at any time.

It was a simple and flexible stance, the most common stance there was.

Yet, what was abnormal was the peril that Rui radiated.

The very air seemed to curl as Rui honed his focus on her.

The land beneath them seemed to rumble beneath his weight.

A maelstrom of pressure crashed into her, threatening to crush her.

Yet she gritted her teeth, as her eyes flashed with determination.

"Begin!"

She immediately lashed out at him violently. "RARGH!"

She threw a spinning kick at him, an attack empowered by immense torque generated by the entire body crashed into him.

BAM!

Rui narrowed his eyes as he applied Flux Earther to dispel the impact.

BAM BAM BAM!

She continued to blast him with spinning attacks one after the other.

BOOM!

She pushed him back a bit with a charged kick, drawing the cheers of the crowd.

"That's right, beat him up!"

"He can't even do anything!"

Yet she wasn't pleased. "Tsk."

He was unharmed.

He simply stared at her.

He didn't utter a word or so much as twitch, yet she understood what he was saying.

Show me what you have.

Her eyes flared with indignation. Careful what you wish for.