Crack—crack—
"W-what is this?"
"How is this possible?!"
Several breaths later, the city guards atop Buckley's walls finally realized that the chill they felt was not merely psychological.
Their bodies themselves were being seized by an overwhelming cold.
Lowering their heads, they discovered that ice had already begun forming from their feet upward.
And the frost was spreading across their bodies at a speed visible to the naked eye!
It wasn't just them.
Even the captain of the city guard—and even Lord Buckley himself—had frost crystals forming on their bodies.
"Lord Buckley—!"
Bang!
Divine power erupted from Buckley's body, instantly shattering the ice encasing him.
At this moment, a trace of fear flashed through Buckley's eyes.
What kind of existence was this?
Just a single sentence had nearly frozen him—from soul to body.
If they were to truly fight…
Taking a deep breath, Buckley cupped his hands toward Locke's direction.
"I am Buckley, City Lord of Buckley City. May I ask which esteemed lord I am addressing?"
"You're talking to me?"
A massive amount of water essence gathered before Buckley, condensing into Locke's figure as he stepped forward.
Locke did not particularly value Buckley.
Judging from his life aura, Buckley was not a special lifeform.
Which meant his strength was no more than that of an ordinary Highgod.
However, from the speed at which he reacted and shattered the ice earlier, it was clear that Buckley had some attainments in soul cultivation—
Or else, Buckley was a divine beast possessing innate divine abilities.
As a divine beast, his physical strength would be far superior to that of ordinary beings, even if inferior to special lifeforms.
And possessing innate divine abilities meant he had powerful trump cards.
All things considered, Buckley possessed at least four-star Fiend level strength—sufficient to rule a city.
But even if Buckley truly had four-star or even five-star Fiend strength, before Locke, it still wouldn't be enough.
"Esteemed lord—"
Locke's icy tone made Buckley shudder, his expression changing drastically.
"No matter what, I am still the City Lord of Buckley City, entrusted by the Sovereign's to uphold city order—"
"City Lord of Buckley City?"
"I'm very sorry, but you won't be for much longer."
"Spread the word. I—Five-Star Fiend of the Fiend Castle—have come to challenge the City Lord of Buckley City. I request that Lord Buckley respond as soon as possible."
"Of course, if Lord Buckley wishes to delay until the ten-thousand-year limit, that is also acceptable."
"However, I hope that by then, Lord Buckley plans to remain inside the city for the rest of his life."
"Otherwise, it wouldn't be surprising if you left the city in the morning and saw your divine spark hanging in the Violet Thorn Castle auction by afternoon."
Threat.
A naked, undisguised threat.
"Y-you…!"
Buckley was furious—but before Locke, he dared not speak recklessly.
"Hmph!"
"Fine. I accept your challenge."
"The duel will take place three days from now."
"I will await your arrival at the Duel Arena."
His face alternating between red and pale, Buckley struggled for several minutes before finally throwing down those words. He then turned and flew toward the City Lord's residence without another glance.
Looking at the city's divine barrier, Locke said calmly to the city guard captain:
"Since it has already been confirmed that we are not attacking bandits, remove the barrier."
"Wastefulness is not a good habit."
"Especially when I can already sense that what you are wasting… belongs to me."
"Y-yes, sir! We'll deactivate the formation immediately!"
The guard captain shuddered and hastily ordered the soldiers to dismantle the city array.
Those who had witnessed the exchange most directly already understood—
Buckley City's throne was about to change hands.
This Lord Locke was clearly far stronger than Buckley.
It wouldn't be surprising if Buckley died on the Duel Arena three days later.
Only a fool would offend the future City Lord now.
Once the divine barrier dispersed, Locke nodded slightly at the guards and dissolved into water essence, vanishing.
"Lord Locke, are we entering the city now?"
After seeing the problem resolved, Little White returned to the Fiend formation and asked.
"Why would we enter the city now?"
"Didn't you hear Buckley say he was increasing our entry fees a hundredfold?"
"But…" Little White hesitated. "Didn't you already force him to retreat?"
"True. I forced him back by challenging him for the city lordship."
"But Little White, he is still the City Lord of Buckley City."
"If he states such rules, then entering the city means we must obey them."
"That is a right granted to city lords by the Sovereigns."
"However—"
Locke glanced at the Fiends behind him and smiled.
"What are we?"
"We are the elite among countless gods—the Fiends."
"In Rockpeak City, we enjoy the privilege of entering freely, without queuing or paying fees."
"In other cities, we must naturally enjoy the same privilege."
"So, tell me—"
"Do you wish to enter now by paying a hundredfold entry fee?"
"Or wait three days, then enter openly, proudly, without lining up or paying anything?"
"Hahaha! Lord Locke, is that even a question?"
"We are Fiends of the Fiend Castle!"
"Exactly! Lord Locke, three days is nothing—we can wait!"
The Fiends erupted in excitement.
They were elites among god-level experts—the strongest of their rank.
How could they tolerate entering a city so disgracefully?
"Good. Fiends must possess such pride."
"Then I order—set up camp here."
"In three days, we will enter the city openly and honorably."
"Yes, Lord Locke!"
There was never anything truly new under the sun.
The news that a powerful expert would challenge Buckley City's lord spread rapidly throughout the city.
Along with it came rumors of the brief confrontation at the city gates.
Some curious individuals ventured out of the city to see what kind of force had arrived.
But upon seeing two hundred Gods and five hundred Demigods, they quietly returned, not daring to investigate further.
At this time, even Buckley City's guard force likely didn't possess so many Gods.
The newcomers were clearly dangerous.
And any force capable of sending such numbers to expand into a small city was certainly not a simple faction.
Perhaps, after three days, Buckley City's entire power structure would be reshuffled.
As anxiety spread, three days passed in a flash.
On the third day, Locke arrived early at the Duel Arena, arms folded, eyes closed.
A mere four-star Fiend Highgod—even a divine beast with innate abilities—was not worth much concern.
Unless Buckley happened to be a Devouring Rat.
But unfortunately, even after more than a thousand eras, only Beirut and Bebe existed.
Meanwhile, all major forces within Buckley City were paying close attention to the challenge.
Before Locke arrived, the stands around the Duel Arena were already packed.
Yet to everyone's disappointment, even when the appointed time arrived, Buckley never appeared.
"Uh… could it be that Lord Buckley fled in fear?"
A God muttered this aloud, instantly igniting an uproar.
In the Coiling Dragon universe, once a being reached Saint level, they gained endless lifespan.
For god-level experts—especially Highgods—reputation and dignity were paramount.
A Highgod who lost face would be scorned even by Saints.
If Buckley fled after accepting a challenge, he would be utterly disgraced.
Worse still, his followers would be mocked as well.
Soon, a crowd surged toward the City Lord's residence.
Not long after, news returned.
It was said that Buckley had left the city the previous night to cultivate an extremely dangerous technique in preparation for the duel.
If he failed to return, it would mean the cultivation had gone wrong—and his attendants were instructed to concede on his behalf.
The revelation stunned everyone.
You say he didn't flee—but why cultivate such a technique the night before the duel?
Why not years ago? Or days earlier?
The explanation left everyone feeling utterly disgusted, unsure whether to swallow it or spit it out.
"The challenge time has arrived. Lord Buckley is absent."
"According to Duel Arena rules, Lord Locke is declared the victor!"
(End of Chapter)
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