The announcer's voice echoed across the grand Royal Arena once more, bringing with it the final details that would govern the battle royale.
"To ensure a fair competition, a barrier will be placed over the arena," he announced, gesturing to the mages standing ready around the periter. With a synchronized movent, they raised their hands, and a shimring, translucent do began to encase the entire arena.
The crowd watched in awe as the barrier solidified, pulsing with faint light. "This barrier will restrict all combatants' power to the Lunar Tier Adept Stage. Additionally, no killing will be permitted. Participants may surrender by stepping to the edge or announcing their withdrawal."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd, the rules adding an elent of caution and balance to the high-stakes combat. Adrian could sense a mixture of relief and tension among the participants—so had clearly been counting on their superior ranks, while others, like him, had co prepared regardless.
The announcer's voice rose in pitch as he gave the final command, "Let the battle royale… begin!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, chaos erupted across the arena. The contestants surged forward, and within monts, Adrian found himself surrounded by a mass of eager challengers, all targeting him. He smirked to himself, half-amused and half-exasperated by the predictability of it all.
'As expected.'
In a graceful, almost casual motion, he sidestepped the first strike, then the next, weaving through the barrage of attacks with effortless finesse. His movents were quick but economical, never more than necessary to dodge or block.
He was as elusive as smoke, every punch, kick, or weapon aid at him slicing through empty air. The crowd who was watching him gasped and murmured as they watched his elegant evasion, each opponent left striking nothing but his shadow.
His hours of rigorous training had honed his reflexes to near-perfection, and it showed. Read the latest on empire
These contestants, though determined, lacked the sheer unpredictability of the dummies he'd trained against. They couldn't keep up with his perception, nor could they find any way to close him in.
Around him, other high-ranking participants faced similar crowds of would-be attackers, each using their own tactics to ward off the weaker contestants who sought to eliminate them.
So opted for aggressive counterattacks, attempting to intimidate their opponents into backing off. Others maintained a strong defensive stance, fending off multiple attacks at once.
But Adrian?
He chose a different approach.
Rather than fight back, he continued evading, slipping out of reach, letting his challengers exhaust themselves. With each dodge and sidestep, he could feel the frustration growing among the would-be attackers, their strikes growing increasingly wild and their movents sloppy as they struggled to land even a single hit on him.
At one point, a particularly impatient contender—a boy with a sturdy build and determined scowl—lunged at him with a forceful swing. Adrian's hand shot out, lightly pushing the boy's arm aside, sending him stumbling forward as his montum carried him off balance.
The boy barely managed to stay on his feet and glared back at Adrian, who simply gave him a subtle nod before fading back into his evasive dance.
Amused by their efforts, Adrian chuckled quietly. "You'll need to try a bit harder than that."
His voice was low, but the taunt struck ho, provoking several more fighters to charge at him. It was a futile effort—he remained as untouchable as ever, each step calculated and smooth, as if he were performing a choreographed set of movents rather than participating in a heated brawl.
More than once, his opponents inadvertently crashed into each other as they attempted to converge on him from multiple angles, only for him to slip out at the last mont.
His passive approach soon began to work in his favor, as the crowd of attackers around him started thinning, either giving up in frustration or becoming preoccupied with defending themselves against other challengers nearby.
Glancing around, Adrian noticed that several other strong contenders were also gradually reducing the number of opponents around them. So had already managed to clear a safe area for themselves, while others, like him, were still handling clusters of attackers with ease.
As the battle royale continued, Adrian's initial wave of opponents dwindled, many realizing that their best option was simply to retreat and avoid wasting energy on soone they couldn't even hit.
A few particularly stubborn challengers remained, however, their eyes glinting with determination as they refused to back down.
Adrian acknowledged their tenacity with a respectful nod before evading a quick succession of jabs from one of the more persistent fighters, a lean girl with impressive speed.
'She's good...'
'But...'
She tried to catch him off-guard with a feint, aiming a kick low while striking high, but he was already moving, stepping just out of her range. She clicked her tongue in irritation as her foot t air, but before she could retreat, another fighter slamd into her side, sending her sprawling.
'Too impatient.' He finished his thought while ntally noting about the girl and one particular young man wandering around him.
With the chaos of the arena continued, Adrian resud his strategy, maintaining his place as a nearly untouchable figure among the younger generation.
So audience mbers, particularly the nobles with sharp eyes, watched with admiration, noting the way he managed to keep himself out of the fray without exerting any unnecessary force and revealing his real strength and cards.
anwhile, across the arena, Adrian could see the princes, Morgan and Cedric, handling their own clusters of attackers, their gazes occasionally flickering over to him with thinly veiled frustration and competitiveness. Both seed determined to clear their areas in a show of force, taking down opponent after opponent with practiced strikes.
Eventually, the number of participants began to drop sharply, as one by one, fighters were either defeated or voluntarily withdrew, leaving only the strongest and most resilient contenders standing.
Adrian, seeing that only around fifty competitors remained, finally decided to adopt a more active stance, gliding forward with smooth, efficient movents as he began to disarm and neutralize the remaining challengers around him.
His strikes were precise and controlled, each one just enough to disable his opponents without causing injury, following the no-kill rule to the letter. Within monts, his last few attackers conceded defeat, leaving him with an open space.
The remaining competitors took a mont to catch their breaths, glancing around the arena to assess their competition. Only thirty were left now, each one having proven their ttle in the chaos of the battle royale.
The announcer's voice rang out once more, signaling the end of the round. "Well done! We finally have our 30 lucky and strongest contestants!"
"Let's announce the next round."
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