Matthew Atkinson & Natalie Russell
Global Layer of the Supernatural Realm
-Boom
Cull Obsidian suddenly accelerated and delivered a powerful blow with his hammer. He was far faster and stronger than previous champions, and his attack was powerful enough to shatter the ring.
A speed-type supernatural, after taking this blow, lay covered in blood in the ruins of the ring, his body somewhat flattened.
Cull Obsidian won easily.
However, no portal appeared beside the supernatural, and he disappeared along with the ruins on the ring. He was clearly dead.
As long as there was a breath left in the challengers, the supernatural realm would not do such a thing.
Similar examples were occurring across other rings as well.
Cull Obsidian was not only powerful but also fast. Those who were not physically strong enough or didn't have special defensive means, even if they were fifth-rank experts, could not withstand the attack of Cull Obsidian.
In a short time, people started dying one after another in the rings.
It was worth noting that in the first two rounds, against both Spider-Man and Bumblebee, supernatural individuals had the opportunity to surrender in time, so almost no one died.
But Cull Obsidian's attacks were different. Once he attacked, there was really no time to even surrender for those who were weaker than him.
"Ms. Powell, you're right." Professor Holland couldn't help but say, "This round's defending champion is indeed too strong. I plan to withdraw from the competition."
Professor Isabel Grant sighed and said, "I have already withdrawn."
She had just received a prompt saying that it was her turn to enter the ring, and then she immediately withdrew.
Cull Obsidian's power was truly on another level.
Although Professor Isabel Grant was a seasoned fifth-rank expert, she didn't have much of an advantage in the face of such fast and powerful attacks.
The other two professors also indicated that they were prepared to withdraw.
Only Grand Magister Russell was still frowning and thinking.
"Uncle Russell," Matthew said, "You should also withdraw."
Grand Magister Russell scoffed and said, "You should think about yourself first."
But his words had barely left his mouth when Natalie stood up for Matthew: "Just withdraw from the competition."
Grand Magister Russell: "..."
His daughter was no longer on his side.
...
Then, almost everyone on the team chose to withdraw from the competition. Only Aria Powell and Matthew hadn't had their turn yet.
Not only did Professor Isabel Grant and others make this choice, but the vast majority of other fifth-rank experts in the arena also chose to withdraw.
Cull Obsidian's strength had reached the sixth-rank standard. Even the most powerful fifth-rank experts would find it difficult to resist, let alone surpass, him.
It looked like after this round, only the sixth and seventh-ranked powerhouses would be left in the competition.
Soon, it was Aria Powell's turn to go on stage, and she was as fierce as ever.
A laser beam shot out and sliced Cull Obsidian in half at the waist. Even Cull Obsidian's hammer was split in two by her laser beam.
It was still a quick victory.
Matthew could tell from this that the power and heat of her laser beams were quite high.
Most likely, if Aria Powell's laser beams were compared to Matthew's heat rays, Matthew's would be weaker.
But this was quite normal. After all, Aria Powell had reached seventh-rank power with her Laser Eyes as her main ability. Although Matthew considered himself a seventh-rank expert, his abilities were more strength-focused.
Matthew's Heat Rays skill wasn't on par with his physical abilities. Perhaps it gave him a ranged attack option, but Matthew certainly couldn't reach seventh-rank expert level with just Heat Rays' power.
At least not yet.
When Aria Powell returned to her seat, she immediately met with admiring glances from everyone.
"Ms. Powell is really strong." Matthew gave a thumbs-up.
"Yes. Ms. Powell is truly amazing," Professor Isabel Grant exclaimed.
"I think anyone below the seventh rank would be instantly killed if they encountered Ms. Powell," Grand Magister Russell said with a smile.
Faced with everyone's praise, Aria Powell immediately said modestly, "It's just that I have the advantage of my ability. Among seventh-rank experts, I don't have much of an advantage. In fact, even a sixth-rank supernatural can defeat me as long as they can defend against my laser eyes."
This was just a humble remark. And everyone was aware of it.
Since she was able to reach the seventh rank, Aria Powell was definitely more than just a laser-eyed person.
Just then, a voice suddenly sounded behind them: "Ms. Powell is indeed very capable, but unfortunately, a team cannot achieve good results by relying on just one person."
When they heard these words, everyone's mood soured.
This was clearly a provocative statement intended to stir up animosity between them.
But what they said was true, and even if people wanted to refute it, they couldn't find a reason to do so.
In this champion challenge format, all team members must advance together to earn enough competition points. Only in this way could they compete for a place in the rankings.
No matter how strong an individual was, even if they kept advancing, one person could never match the strength of other teams of experts.
Because the point gap between them would gradually widen as the rounds progressed.
Upon hearing this, Matthew immediately turned to the guy he had bet with.
"Hey, you absolutely mustn't withdraw in this round. If you withdraw, you'll have to kneel in front of me and beg for forgiveness. On the other hand, perhaps this way you'll learn when to open your mouth and when not to."
Although Matthew was saying this to the person he had bet with, he was also subtly insulting the person who had spoken earlier.
Matthew's implication was clear: if you have something to prove, do it with your actions, not your words. And until then, keep your mouth shut.
Upon this, the members of the other team glared angrily at Matthew.
The young man especially seemed to wish he could kill Matthew right now. His power was only at the fifth rank. He joined this team entirely through connections, purely to earn rewards.
Seeing how powerful the defending champion, Cull Obsidian, was, he became intimidated and prepared to withdraw.
Now, with Matthew's reminder of the bet, he was in a bit of a dilemma.
Of course, he could refuse to fulfill the terms of the bet they had made. After all, once they get out of here, nobody would remember this.
But doing that would make him lose face on the spot. So, he didn't want to deny the bet.
Then he could have gotten into the ring. But Cull Obsidian was so terrifying. As a fifth-rank expert, he would be in mortal danger if he went onto the ring.
Just when the young man was in a dilemma, his teammate next to him suddenly spoke up, "Jordan, don't worry, maybe this kid will go first to the ring. According to your bet, whoever is eliminated first loses. If he goes up and surrenders, he loses. If he doesn't surrender and gets beaten to death in the ring, you still win."
The young man, referred to as "Jordan," perked up upon hearing this and said, "Alright, Matthew, let's see who's unlucky enough to go on the ring first."
Upon hearing this, Matthew simply smiled faintly.
...
It was afternoon when Matthew suddenly stood up and said, "It's my turn."
Upon hearing this, the teammates' expressions all changed.
"Matthew, surrender." X3
Professor Isabel Grant, Professor Holland, and Grand Magister Russell all spoke at the same time.
They didn't tell him to withdraw because Matthew's standing up meant he had already accepted the challenge.
However, if he surrendered as soon as he stepped onto the field, he still had a good chance of coming back alive.
Cull Obsidian didn't usually launch a sudden, fast, and powerful attack against weaker opponents. Generally, he only unleashed his strong moves at the beginning when he felt his opponent was formidable.
Because of this, some fifth-rank expert had the opportunity to use their special abilities to knock Cull Obsidian off the stage.
If the challenger or champion fell out of the ring, they would be judged as a loser by the Supernatural Realm.
But… These things had nothing to do with Matthew.
Just… No one believed that Matthew possessed any means to defeat Cull Obsidian.
"You absolutely mustn't surrender." Jordan, behind him, laughed loudly, "If you surrender, you'll lose the bet, hehe."
That tone of his was so gloating.
In response, Matthew only smiled and stepped into the portal.
The next moment, he was in the ring and facing Cull Obsidian.
The defending champion, Cull Obsidian, also had red pupils like Bumblebee, which made him scarier than normal.
Upon seeing a challenger appear, Cull Obsidian immediately moved closer to Matthew.
Cull Obsidian's strength was indeed quite good. But for Matthew, the difference between them was simply too great now.
So much so that Matthew had no interest in fighting Cull Obsidian.
He threw a punch directly from a distance and launched the "Fist Impact" again. He just used slightly more power than he had against Bumblebee.
-Bang
The hurricane raged fiercely, tearing Cull Obsidian, who was rushing towards it, into pieces.
Cull Obsidian's defense was extremely strong. He had a physique that was hard to damage. And many of its wounds could heal quickly thanks to its regenerative properties.
But even with its powerful defenses and healing abilities, Cull Obsidian was powerless after being torn to pieces by the wind blades.
So, Matthew won easily once again.
...
When Matthew returned to his seat, he noticed that everyone was silent and staring at him in surprise.
The surroundings were also completely silent.
Even Aria Powell and the seventh-rank expert on the team behind them looked at Matthew with suspicion and uncertainty in their eyes.
Faced with the incredulous gazes of the crowd, Matthew couldn't help but ask, "Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"What's wrong with you, kid?" Professor Holland snapped out of his daze and immediately questioned, "You can even kill a sixth-rank expert in an instant! You definitely didn't use the Fist Impact skill. What kind of special ability is that? Is it some hidden skill of your Kryptonian Bloodline?"
Matthew nodded helplessly, "If you want to think that way."
"What do you mean by 'if you want to think that way'?" Professor Holland frowned. "Tell the truth."
Matthew shrugged, "I told you the truth a while ago, but you guys didn't believe me."
Seeing that Professor Holland was still determined to get to the bottom of things, Matthew quickly waved his hand to stop him. "I'll talk about my abilities later tonight. Now is not the time."
He turned around, looked at Jordan in the row behind him, and said with a smile, "Now, it's time for someone to fulfill their bet."
Jordan was completely numb at the moment. He couldn't understand why a freshman would have such strong abilities.
Could he even instantly kill a sixth-rank champion?
In fact, not only he, but everyone else was equally shocked by Matthew's performance.
The strength of the defending champion, Cull Obsidian, was evident to all. He can almost crush all the fifth-rank supernatural individuals. And it wasn't clear whether even sixth-rank supernatural individuals could triumph over Cull Obsidian.
This champion was definitely a sixth-rank powerhouse.
The fact that Cull Obsidian was killed was definitely not something that could be explained by luck.
Either Matthew's abilities were truly astonishing, or Matthew's abilities were bugged.
"You cheated." Jordan shouted immediately, "You definitely cheated. You have some special abilities..."
"Enough with the nonsense." Matthew interrupted, "A bet's a bet, so kneel and beg for forgiveness."
How could Jordan possibly do that?
So, he immediately said, "It's not my turn yet. Maybe I can advance next round, too."
Just now, some fifth-rank supernatural individuals did succeed in advancing after all. However, those were all fifth-rank experts with special abilities and special skills.
For example, some fifth-rank supernatural individuals with healing abilities advanced to the next round.
Once someone reached the fifth rank with self-healing ability, they became very difficult to kill. Even Cull Obsidian's hammer attacks have no good way to deal with their ability.
With the addition of some supernatural skills, they made a comeback and defeated Cull Obsidian. However, they were exceptions.
Every fifth-rank expert who defeated Cull Obsidian was undoubtedly one of the best among supernatural individuals. They were geniuses with immense talent and boundless potential.
Jordan was clearly not among them. He was just stalling for time by saying that.
Matthew smiled coldly, "Fine, let's see how long you can stall."
...
The next day. Afternoon.
By the end of the third round of challenges, Jordan had not participated in a single fight.
Clearly, the other side had already quietly withdrawn.
Faced with the choice between begging for forgiveness and losing his life, he chose to beg for forgiveness.
Or he chose to go back on his word.
Matthew, of course, wouldn't let him off the hook and immediately turned around to ask, "Now, what else do you have to say?"
Jordan pretended to be dead and didn't respond.
"Are you trying to go back on your word?" Matthew laughed. "I thought you were something special because of the way you speak. It turns out you're just another spineless piece of trash. Now that you understand your own worth, don't open your mouth again, okay?"
That was some really awful language.
Jordan's face immediately turned ashen, and he stared intently at Matthew, unable to utter a word because the surrounding teams all knew about the bet between them.
At that moment, those contemptuous looks made Jordan feel utterly ashamed.
Jordan was, after all, a fifth-rank supernatural being, and he had his pride, too.
"Remember this. From now on, keep your mouth shut and stop babbling. When a piece of trash like you opens your mouth, it makes the place smell terrible."
Matthew unleashed his full power, blasting Jordan so hard he couldn't even lift his head.
Anyway, he was young, and what he said was just youthful arrogance. No one would think Matthew was "behaving improperly."
As for Jordan, he was already the one in the wrong, so if he dared to curse Matthew back at this point, he would be acting like a person with no shame.
Surrounded by supernatural individuals and people of status, if he dared to do this, he would only lose face.
"And you are too." Matthew not only criticized Jordan, but also Jordan's teammates, "To be able to team up with such a spineless garbage, you guys are probably all birds of a feather. From now on, shut your mouths. Your breath stinks, you know?"
Jordan's team had quite a few sixth-ranked experts, and even one of them was seventh-ranked.
It was truly shameful that a freshman like Matthew would insult them in their faces.
And yet, they were unable to refute it. Jordan was their teammate; that's an indisputable fact.
Everyone around was stunned.
Even Natalie was impressed by Matthew. She probably never expected that her man could not only fight but also scold.
Then a smile appeared on Natalie's lips. She found Matthew very cool and was very satisfied with him.
Natalie herself wasn't exactly good at dealing with such things. After all, the environment she grew up in had nothing to do with concepts like trash talk.
Perhaps another girl might have thought Matthew was incompatible with her, that they were from different worlds.
But Natalie thought the opposite. Because she hadn't grown up in such an environment, she usually preferred to remain silent and ignore someone who engaged in such verbal sparring, not knowing what to say.
That's why she found Matthew's ability to simply put the other people in their place with just his words cool. After all, if someone engaged in verbal sparring with her in the future, she wouldn't have to stay silent anymore.
She could open her mouth and ask Matthew to put them in their place.
Though if Matthew were there, he would most likely put them in their place before she even said anything.
And she really liked Matthew's protective nature.
Professor Isabel Grant, Professor Holland, and even Aria Powell were absolutely thrilled to hear Matthew's emotional damage attacks. They felt incredibly refreshed, even more so than drinking an ice-cold beer on a hot June day.
Aria Powell even burst out laughing.
Finally, in Jordan's team, the seventh-ranked expert couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Jordan, you have to accept the consequences of your bet. This will be an educational experience for you."
Upon hearing this, Jordan's expression changed.
"I…" He started, but then he was met with the captain's cold gaze.
Jordan gritted his teeth, knelt in front of Matthew, and shouted, "I was wrong. I'm sorry. Please forgive me."
Actually, he didn't have to do it; after all, everyone would eventually lose their memory anyway.
But he didn't dare.
If their team won the championship, and one of his teammates chose to keep their memory, then he would finish.
The probability was low, but Jordan had no intention of taking that risk.
Everyone around was surprised when Jordan knelt and begged for forgiveness.
Then, Jordan's team captain looked at Matthew and spoke. "This young man is quite sharp-tongued," he said. "His strength is also astonishing. It seems that the Kryptonian Bloodline is not useless, as everyone thought."
After he finished speaking, he turned to Aria Powell and said, "Ms. Powell, I regret it a little. If I had known that the person you were going to bring was so capable, I would definitely have agreed."
As expected by a seventh-rank powerhouse, he brushed the matter aside with ease.
Matthew just insulted him as well, but he wasn't angry at all. On the contrary, he admired Matthew's abilities.
Truly, powerhouses that reached truly high ranks, like the seventh rank, had life experiences on another level.
People like Matthew and even Aria Powell, who reached this level of power at a young age, were just a few exceptions after all.
"Director Hart, I didn't know he had such abilities." Aria Powell spoke while glancing at Matthew.
This was what she truly felt. After all, Matthew's performance surprised even her a bit.
Matthew did not look back at Aria Powell.
His gaze was fixed on Director Hart. Matthew felt that something was off about this man's behavior.
---------------
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.177: The Fourth Champion – Steppenwolf
Ch.178: Matthew Unleashes a Part of His True Power
Ch.179: Secret of the Kryptonian Bloodline