Chapter 440: Second Round
Before they could interrogate the leader further, he abruptly took his own life, leaving the Sentinels stunned by the abrupt turn of events.
The man seemed to have used a hidden poison to silence himself! The others who were captured noticed what had happened and swiftly killed themselves... It happened so quickly that Teresa and Clare failed to stop them in time.
The room fell silent once again, but the impending danger loomed over them like a dark cloud.
"What a bunch of lunatics..."
"We have to inform the others about this quickly. At least we should let Odessa know..."
Teresa and Clare said as they exchanged a knowing glance.
They understood that time was of the essence, and they needed to prevent the summoning of the three Mysterious Evil Entities before they wreaked havoc within the city.
Without wasting another moment, the Sentinels sprinted toward the locations where the entities were likely to appear.
They weren't merely guessing, but by using their Divine Sense, they could locate the presence of many Dark Arts Practitioners a lot faster than the other Arcanists.
"I've only sensed two gatherings of Dark Magicians..." Clare commented.
"It's fine... Let's just focus on those two. I already informed Odessa about the situation. Let's hurry." Teresa replied.
They could already sense the terrifying presence of the entities. Although the ritual wasn't completed yet, they could feel the malevolence seeping into the very fabric of the city.
As they arrived at the first location, an eerie stillness filled the air. The people were already evacuated by the police officers, and a group of Arcanists from the Order of the Prime Wisemen had also arrived. They were all carrying their unique runic weapons, so it wasn't difficult to identify them.
The two groups nodded at each other. They didn't have the time to exchange pleasantries as the matter was too urgent and pressing.
Thud... Thud... Thud...
Suddenly, the ground quivered, and a massive entity materialized before them, its grotesque form emanating darkness and despair. The Sentinels and Wisemen braced themselves for the imminent battle, their determination unyielding.
They immediately signaled for the police officers to get away as they would just become casualties if they stayed in the area.
Soon, the Sentinels and the Wisemen engaged the four-meter-tall Evil Entity into a fierce battle.
Meanwhile, the second Mysterious Evil Entity emerged in another part of the city, causing panic and chaos among the unsuspecting residents.
However, the reason why Teresa and Clare didn't worry about them was because Odessa was already rushing to help.
***
The crowd in the coliseum buzzed with anticipation as the second round of the duel tournament was about to commence.
Vale Chambers sensed something off in the surroundings once again, but because they were inside the coliseum, protected by numerous Formation Arts, he couldn't tell what was going on outside.
As the first match of the second round began, Vale's attention turned to the duel between Ceres and Avery.
'Ceres will most likely win if Avery only has that Silver-Haired Ape in his Grimoire...' Vale silently thought as he waited for the duel to start.
He was certainly not underestimating the Ape's power, but he knew that Ceres had already thought of a plan to deal with this creature.
As soon as the referee announced the start of the battle, the two students immediately sprang into action.
Ceres radiated an aura of purity as she activated her Rejuvenation Spell.
This Spell doesn't just remove abnormal statuses of the target but also provides regeneration of her stamina, strength, and Holy Energy.
Whom~
She followed it up with Sanctify Spell, creating a protective film of barrier, and Radiance Spell that bathed her in a brilliant glow, enhancing her strength and agility.
Of course, the Radiance Spell could also be thrown to the target, but once it was cast on herself, it created another layer of protection.
Just like that, Ceres used three Spells simultaneously! It appears that she was getting to fight in close combat against Avery.
On the other side of the arena, Avery opened his Grimoire, as he summoned forth his Silver Haired Ape, a massive creature with incredible strength and agility.
Bam!
The stage trembled as the Ape charged toward Ceres, its primal fury unleashed.
The battle unfolded with a flurry of intense exchanges. Ceres moved with grace as she weaved through the attacks of the Silver-Haired Ape.
She doesn't appear to be worried about getting hit, thanks to the Sanctuary she cast that could deflect the Ape's powerful strikes to a certain extent...
'Let's see what you'll do if I kill your Summon...' Ceres thought as she cast her most potent offensive Spell.
With a radiant burst of energy, she unleashed Holy Smite, searing the Ape's flesh and forcing it to retreat momentarily.
However, Avery did not panic... His gaze turned cold as he gave a series of commands to his summon.
The Silver-Haired Ape, wounded but not defeated, charged at the frail woman in front, its primal instincts driving it forward.
It continued attacking Ceres like it was ready to die!
With each clash, the stage shook... Ceres continued to dodge or deflect the desperate attacks of the Ape while the latter chased after her.
However, the Ape started turning illusory after 3 minutes... It was a lot faster than before!
Ceres saw this as an opportunity as she managed to land a devastating blow... It was a palm strike on the Ape's belly!
As the creature fell and shattered into thousands of light particles, Avery took a deep breath before reaching into his Grimoire once more, summoning a white sword...
The blade gleamed with ethereal light as Avery waved it a few times to get a feeling of it.
"So you can summon a weapon like the others..." Ceres commented.
"You have to be careful... I will try not to kill you, but you might receive a few cuts from this sword." Avery warned.
"Ha! Bring it on!" Ceres chucked as she taunted her opponent.
As the duel entered its final phase, Ceres and Avery engaged in intense close combat. Ceres relied on her fist techniques with the power of her Sanctify and Radiance spells, channeling holy energy to enhance her attacks.
However, Avery proved to be a formidable opponent, swiftly countering Ceres' assaults with skillful parries and precise strikes of his sword.