The sight of Aion's left arm exploding upon absorbing Athea's ultimate attack generated a shocking silence. When the young man used Redirection to seemingly nullify Athea's attack, everybody thought that everything was over for her, but it was clear that even Aion had his limits.
Smiles appeared among the geniuses since Aion's left arm exploding meant that the technique failed, and they were sure the young man would endure a devastating backlash due to it.
However, just as the idea that Athea could emerge victorious in this incredible battle, a voice echoed across the coliseum.
"The energy already reached his stomach!"
Noah's Samsara Eye bled as he pushed it to the limit in order to see Aion's internal energy flow. He could not hide his shock when he saw how Aion's stomach diverged the tremendous energy in Athea's ultimate attack into its raw matter.
"¡Boom!"
"¡Boom!"
"¡Boom!"
"¡Boom!"
Explosion after explosion emerged from inside Aion's body as blood leaked from his eyes, nose, and mouth. Yet, that devastating internal damage did not disturb the calmness in his heart as he directed the energy into his right arm.
Athea's eyes widened as Aion pointed his right hand to her face, and cracks emerged from it as an incredible amount of energy was about to be released.
"BOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!"
Aion's right arm exploded, unleashing an energy cannon that could have made a hole in a High World!
The beam traveled all the way to the arena's edge, crashing against the wall, generating a massive indentation as it melted the cosmic steel that made it.
Aion fell to the ground the next second and puked mouthfuls of blood. He had a hard time breathing, and it was clear to everybody that using Redirection on such a powerful attack forced the young man beyond his limits.
Nevertheless, there was a small smile on his face since there was nothing in front of him. That attack had more than enough power to erase Athea's existence, but the young man knew this one was alive.
Aion raised his eyes and saw Ezequiel holding Athea's unconscious body while sending black-white lightning into her and healing her.
Ezequiel taking Athea out of the arena in order to save her life meant that the battle had reached its end and Aion was the winner, but there was no cheering in the coliseum, only tension.
The Emptiness Thearch stared at Aion with sharp and cold eyes. He did not heal the young man and instead asked a question that was in everybody's mind.
"Who are you?"
Aion's abilities in this battle were at a realm that not even the Nine Sacred Inheritance could match, and those were techniques left behind by the mightiest life form in the known multiverse.
Ezequiel could turn a blind eye to Aion's mysterious background since he believed to have the power to handle anything the young men might be hiding, but things changed.
Not only could Aion talk with the world, allowing him to see everything and hide from unwanted gazes, but he could also display a mastery over external World Strength that surpassed that of someone with the Lord of Emptiness Lineage!
And if that was not enough, he could compel the universal forces to crush anyone whose connection with the world had been severed.
Aion looked around and saw that everybody focused on him, including the Nine Sacred Kings and both Thearchs. That would be enough to crush the spirit of anyone, but the young man was able to remain calm and smiled at the sky as he gave his answer.
"I am a life form from the Daybreak Universe."
Those words generated a response from the Daybreak Universe, and the next second, golden energy covered the arena, surrounding Aion in a protective mantle.
Everybody retracted their auras the instant they saw that golden energy. That was no other than the Universe Will, the embodiment of Zatiel Daybreak's willpower, and there was no one that could defy it!
The fact that the Universe Will would react like that to Aion meant that it not only considered the young man as a member of the Daybreak Universe but saw him as someone that needed to be protected and nurtured.
Ezequiel sighed as he shook his head before opening his palm and sending a blast of black-white lightning toward Aion.
The Neo-Demon with the Human Lineage felt how that lightning mended all his wounds and left him in perfect condition.
"Aion from the Human Lineage is the winner!"
People in the coliseum and around the Daybreak Universe began clapping their hands once they heard those words. There were conflicted feelings as Athea was a young hero in the mind of many, but there was no way to deny Aion's victory.
Aion only smiled as he heard that but did not give it too much importance as he jumped toward the people that would never hesitate before standing by his side, his wife and sons.
Ezequiel waited until Athea regained consciousness before sending her to Numir and starting the next battle. He knew this defeat would significantly impact his daughter's will, but words would do little good right now, so it was better to simply carry on with the fights.
A giant man with a single fiery eye on his face, a massive body, and four demon wings appeared in the arena, along with a bone cocoon covered in Depravita Aura.
"Johan from the Emperyan Inferno Lineage vs. Azazel from the Depravita Race."
The Neo-Demon with the Empyrean Inferno Lineage stared at Azazel with extreme focus. While his bloodline focused on physical might, it still granted some soul defense skills, so he had a chance to achieve victory against the Depravita.
Azazel did not relax either. Even if Johan was slightly weaker than her, a single mistake could be enough to lose everything.
"Fight!"
Johan's eyes burst with soul force and silver flames as he used everything he had to face off the illusion powers of the Depravita.
Azazel also acted the instant the battle started, making all ten of her Dream Eyes burn as she used all her power to push the Neo-Demon's consciousness into an illusion.
An expression of utter pain appeared on Johan's face as he defended himself from the Depravita's illusion spell. Although he was able to resist momentarily, the attack paralyzed the Neo-Demon.
Johan could not move, but that did not mean he could not attack as the next second, waves of incredibly scorching heat emerged from his body and flooded the Depravita.
Azazel could not hide the pain as the heat waves were burning her body alive. She could not use her energy to enhance her defenses since she focused every ounce on pushing the Neo-Demon into her illusion realm.
Both the Depravita and Neo-Demon experience excruciating pain as they push their energy and soul force to the limit. The victor would emerge once Azazel succumbed to the burn wounds or Johan's consciousness fell into the illusion realm.
People held their breaths as they stared at the duo, wondering who would fall first. Every second was like an eternity, but the Neo-Demon's eyes trembled in the end before he fell unconscious on the ground.
Two torrents of black-white lightning fell from the sky in the next second, healing the duo.
"The winner is Azazel of the Depravita Race."
Ezequiel gave a moment for Azazel to heal from her wound and enjoy the glory of victory before sending her and Johan out of the arena.
The Emptiness Thearch then raised his fist with all his strength, generating a pillar of black-white lightning that reached the sky of the Daybreak Sector before morphing into giant words.
[Final Stage Samsara Geniuses:
-Noah of the Neo-Demon Race.
-Sirik of the Neo-Demon Race.
-Beelzebub of the Depravita Race.
-Azazel of the Depravita Race.
-Aion of the Neo-Demon Race]
Those words carried such a powerful intent and force that they duplicated in the sky of every single Sector across the entire Daybreak Universe!
A radiant smile appeared on Venganza, Orgullo, and Codicia when they saw that. Two of the five people that would rise to the Final Stage of the First Samsara Tournament would be Depravitas!
The power of the Depravita Race was unquestionable since they had two Sacred Kings and a Thearch, but the rise of Beelzebub and Azazel meant that the next generation was just as radiant as the old one.
Unlike the leaders of the Depravita Race, the great powerhouses from the Eldar Race felt greatly disheartened when they saw that. Their geniuses were just as mighty as the ones from the two other main races, but they were unfortunate to clash with monsters like Aion and Sirik.
"The five Samsara Geniuses that will pass to the Final Stage had emerged from the trillions of young warriors that took part in the First Samsara Tournament.
The Final Stage will begin tomorrow, where one of you will rise as the greatest genius of the entire Daybreak Universe!"
