The first rays of dawn appeared.
Astera Arena.
The massive arena was already buzzing with the clamor of a bustling crowd.
Hunters from Schrade Village and Astera had gathered together, their discussions rising and falling like waves.
On the high central platform.
The Commander's gaze was sharp as a hawk, with the Sword Master and several high-ranking officials of Astera seated to his left and right, the atmosphere solemn.
Several representatives from Schrade Village sat behind them, each one burly and exceptionally muscular.
The Commander announced in a heavy voice, "The objective for this arena challenge—slay an Anjanath! The one with the shortest time wins!"
As soon as the words were spoken.
The massive iron gates within the arena swung open with a resounding crash.
An Anjanath roared as it charged out, its violent aura instantly sweeping across the entire grounds!
The hunters in the audience stands all held their breath in anticipation.
"An Anjanath again?" Leon said while in the preparation area, changing into the standardized armor.
According to the earlier draw, the first to step out was—Retos.
Leon stood in the preparation area, quietly observing.
Both were wearing standardized Chainmail Sets, and their weapons were limited to basic Bone Blades and Bone Axes.
Retos was somewhat surprised that Leon had switched to Dual Blades. After all, changing one's primary weapon on such short notice, just three days before, was hardly a wise move.
However, the two did not exchange any further words before Retos entered the arena.
The Anjanath quickly locked onto its target.
Retos let out a great roar, hoisted his Great Sword, and charged at the Anjanath like a gale, the earth trembling beneath his stride.
The stands erupted with cheers and chatter.
"Heh heh! Watch closely, everyone. He's the genius of Schrade Village! See for yourself how a three-time champion hunts!"
"In an arena challenge, the Great Sword definitely has an advantage..."
"Exactly! As long as you can read the monster's attack patterns, a Charged Slash can deal massive damage in one go, especially with Retos's monstrous strength."
Roar!!
The Anjanath bellowed as it lunged at Retos, its maw wide and fangs bared.
Seeing this, Retos came to a sudden halt.
He stood his ground, expression grave, then swung the Great Sword behind him, aiming for the Anjanath's head!
In the next moment, a massive impact exploded in the center of the arena. The Anjanath let out a heaven-shaking roar as a deep, bloody gash was carved into its head.
Aiming for the Anjanath's head was a sound tactical choice that any melee hunter would make, as the head's soft tissue made it easier to wound.
A smile tugged at the corner of Retos's mouth because he could feel the blade bite several inches deep into the Anjanath's flesh.
This strike was incredibly precise. Had it been any other Great Sword, it might have knocked the Anjanath flat on its back.
The sudden frontal blow made the Anjanath stumble, but it was not incapacitated.
Retos felt no regret, for regardless, the Anjanath had been severely wounded.
With a shout, he wrenched the Great Sword from the Anjanath's head, followed through with a wide sweep, and after a quick adjustment, hoisted the blade back onto his shoulder, entering a charging stance once more.
Retos intended to land another Charged Slash on that mangled wound, but little did he know...
The Anjanath opened its mouth and unleashed a blast of flame!
This move clearly caught Retos off guard; a normal Anjanath should have used a forward lunge or a tail sweep.
A lunge could have been met with a Charged Slash, and a tail sweep could be blocked with the massive blade, but against a point-blank fire breath, Retos had no choice but to abandon his charge and roll away.
Dodging the flames.
Retos sheathed his Great Sword and sprinted behind the Anjanath, intending to sever that troublesome tail first.
Once many monsters' tails are severed, it easily throws them off balance, creating even more openings.
Level one—level two—level three—
True Charged Slash!
Retos's second major attack was a True Charged Slash, which also successfully struck the Anjanath's tail. Unfortunately, due to the weapon's limitations, it failed to sever the tail in one hit.
A Great Sword's primary damage comes from Charged Slashes.
These consist of the level one Charged Slash, the level two Strong Charged Slash, and the level three True Charged Slash.
The devastating power of a True Charged Slash is on an entirely different level compared to a standard Charged Slash, potentially dealing more than double the damage.
Retos frowned, feeling his arms go slightly numb. Even with the True Charged Slash landing, the Anjanath remained agile and was far from being on its last legs.
"Dammit... the weapon's quality is too low!"
With eyes like a wolf, Retos growled low, adjusted his breathing, and raised his Great Sword again.
The Anjanath spat fire once more!
Retos's gaze sharpened as he charged forward to meet it.
Just as the flames were about to erupt, Retos dodged sideways, grazing past the tongue of fire and barely avoiding the scorching blast to close the distance to the Anjanath's body.
"Roar—!!"
Infuriated, the Anjanath slammed its hardened nasal bone forward!
Retos planted his feet and dropped his center of gravity, using his Great Sword like a massive steel shield to tank the blow.
Boom!!!
The sheer force made Retos's hands go numb and his feet sink into the ground, but he gritted his teeth and remained unmoved.
The Anjanath hopped back to create distance, and with a roar, the fins on its back flared out in a show of intimidation.
Retos didn't stop. He used his Clutch Claw to hook onto the Anjanath's head.
He quickly reeled himself in, planting his feet firmly on the Anjanath's cheek, and delivered a powerful horizontal slash!
The Anjanath instantly lost its balance and was knocked to the ground.
Seeing the opening, Retos leaped back to the ground and moved swiftly to the Anjanath's tail.
He raised his Great Sword high, his presence surging with a faint red glow, as if he were gathering all the power of heaven and earth.
Level one Charged Slash!
Level two Strong Charged Slash!
Level three—True Charged Slash!
The three-hit combo landed solidly on the Anjanath's tail.
—Boom!!
With a sharp crack, the tough tail was severed, and the Anjanath collapsed to the ground again.
"Now's my chance!" Retos's breathing was heavy and his face pale, but his eyes burned with intensity.
He gave the Anjanath no room to breathe, raising the Great Sword above his head.
—The final blow!
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Retos's Great Sword, charged to its limit, came crashing down like divine judgment!
"Haaaah—!!"
The blade cut deep into the Anjanath's neck. Its massive body convulsed, blood gushed out, quickly staining the arena red, until the Anjanath's struggles finally ceased.
A half-second of silence.
Then, the entire stadium erupted in a mountain-shaking roar of cheers!
"It's dead!!!"
"That was brutal! This guy is a monster!"
Panting heavily, Retos held his Great Sword high with one hand, a weary but proud smile touching his lips.
Then, the Commander announced, "Retos's time: five minutes and twenty-eight seconds!"
Seated in the audience, Flora said worriedly, "Five minutes and twenty-eight seconds? He's over thirty seconds faster than when he won the last championship... Leon, you'd better do your best..."
By this time, Leon was already standing at the entrance.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+40 chapters) patre0n.c0m/Royal_ink]