Femi's laugh reverberated through the arena as his fists crashed into Dyon again and again.
"Come on! Get up! Weren't you the real number one?! What's going on!?" Femi laughed, a rage permeating through his voice.
Anyone could tell that he was more angry about the slight against his name that he was about his sister dying. There was no question.
Blood flew from Dyon's face and body, coating Femi's fists. But, he didn't seem intent on stopped.
King Belmont and King Aumen watched from the air. Dyon had accepted this battle, so King Belmont didn't see it fit for him to intervene and King Aumen could hardly care about this battle any longer. What true great existence would accept such a pathetic disciple?
Tau Aumen was maybe the most pissed. Not because Dyon was losing, but because his losing so easily meant that he had wasted his time planning all of this. What was the use in his effort if Femi would have just won the battle anyway? Everything seemed completely useless now and he had lost two wives out of it.
It wasn't as though he loved either, but who wouldn't want a member of the six beauties as a wife? And Ode may have not been at that level, but she was only a step below. She would have done nicely when he was bored of Eboni.
And yet, he had lost them both because of this Dyon who couldn't even beat the worst among the top ten. People liked to say they were all in the same tier of strength, but Tau found that to be ridiculous. If that was the case, their rankings would fluctuate more than they had.
Over the past two or so decades, with the exception of Saru Shruti and Zabia Jafari who had come out of nowhere, their rankings stayed practically the same. It was only this campaign that Lionel had passed Tau, and from what Tau had heard, that was because Lionel had found a legacy temple – something that garnered bonus points. After all, campaigns were all about contribution, and what could contribute more than the power boost provided by a legacy?
The fact that Femi had consistently been at the bottom of the top ten wasn't a coincidence. Maybe if they only had a one-year sample size, it would make sense to say such a thing. But, over decades, with at least one attempt a year, weren't they pretty much set in stone?
That said, there were some in the top ten that were decidedly younger than the rest… Lionel was barely over 20. And Saru and Zabia were just approaching 30. That was how you really told the difference between them.
Femi's fists finally stopped, his breathing was labored as he turned a sinister eye to Ri and Madeleine. "King Aumen, would you allow me to execute them as well?"
King Aumen turned a nonchalant eye toward Dyon's tower. "Do whatever you'd like."
Suddenly a steady and unlabored voice rang out that froze Femi's advance. "Your punches could hardly scratch an itch. Is this your so-called tyrannical strength?"
Femi sneered. "And here I thought this little mouse was already dead. Did you like getting beaten up so much that you stayed silent? Let me accompany you then!"
Femi's fist flew downward again, pouring all of his power into a single strike.
"More of the same?"
All this time, in all of Femi's excitement, he had missed a single glaring thing. Not once had Dyon closed his eyes.
Through the beatings, the flurry of fists and the pain, he had watched it all happen.
Dyon's hand shot forward as a red-black aura began to drip from him. Crystal covered scales sprouted along his body as his height expanded again and again.
BOOM!
Femi's momentum was stifled in an instant.
Shock.
Complete and unbridled shock.
Dyon stood leisurely, spitting blood away from his lips. Now, he was even a meter taller than Femi himself, towering over him.
His skin was permeated with robust black scales and his eyes were a blood red. Veins of gold pumped even more vigorously as Dyon's hand clenched Femi's hand even tighter.
Dyon wasn't a masochist. But, he wasn't entirely rational either. He had been dead set on crushing Femi with his body, to the point where he had refused to use his soul or energy cultivation. Even when he was losing, his eyes flared with an anger that never ceased.
So, he used Femi and broke through to a new realm in an instant.
Demon Emperor's Will was divided into three acts with three stages each. The first act was a power amplification of two, then four, then eight. With Dyon's peak Essence Gathering level body, anyone could see how formidable that was.
But, the second act was fundamentally different. Although it too started with a power amplification of sixteen, there was an aspect of will comprehension needed to reach it and it required intent level demonic will!
This was why Dyon had allowed himself to be beat. He was relishing in the anger. He was delving into his fury. He was embodying was it meant to be a demon as he allowed his killing intent to build to a nearly unbearable level.
Although he had yet to reach the perfection stage of this act, it was more than enough. He would slowly come to understand that Act Two of Demon Emperor's Will was much more than a power amplification. But for now, all he wanted to do was brawl.
Femi roared in agony as his hand was crushed under Dyon's palm, but the worst was yet to come.
In one swift motion, Dyon ripped his arm out of its socket. "You had a great time thinking you had won, hm?"
Dyon's music intent laced taunts made Femi's roars of agony amplify. It was as though a demon had climbed into his body and begun to violently quake all of his inner organs.
Blood gushed from his shoulder, but he didn't even have the proper consciousness to realize such a thing. The pain was too much and all at once, all at the same time. He didn't know what he was feeling, where. He just knew despair.
Dyon's massive fist flew toward his other shoulder. The sickening sound of crushed bone and ripping flesh resounded through the arena.
Femi's tyrannical body meant nothing in front of Dyon! A mere much had ripped a hole so large in his shoulder that his beating heart shone through his side.
How Femi managed to remain standing, no one knew. But the breath of the crowd had been taken away. Was this Femi really within the top ten? Was it really so easy to beat someone on that level? Just what was going on?!
"Stay your hand! This was meant to be an execution, not an opportunity for you to gain freedom!" King Aumen's voice boomed through the stadium as celestial energy descended upon Dyon.
"I'd advise you not act against my citizens," King Belmont waved his hand, dispelling King Aumen's efforts.
"You dare?!" King Aumen roared. Everything here was nothing less than a slap to his face. This was exactly what he didn't want and something his very own son had been plotting to stop! A spot in the top 10 was too important for their planet to lose, they had already had two other members of the former top 10 booted out by Saru Shruti and Zabia Jafari, they couldn't afford to lose anymore! The award for this tournament was too important!
Dyon turned a demonic gaze toward King Aumen. "Shut your mouth you shit King!"
A surge of soul pressure the likes of which few had ever felt before covered the arena.
King Aumen felt his soul shake and threaten to shatter! He quickly protected himself, flying backward tens of miles at a time, completely forgetting that had he just attacked Dyon's soul in that instant, despite their soul strength difference, he would have severely injured Dyon. All he cared about in that moment was preserving himself, of saving his own life. In that instant, he had felt the shadow of death creep onto his shoulders and whisper into his ear...
He was simply too shocked to think about something like that. No one had soul strength so powerful to even dare to outright attack with it! It was the reason why the soul was so vulnerable, it was too fragile even if it was powerful. And yet, Dyon had nearly shattered the soul of a celestial level expert with a mere shout.
The silence in the was palpable even as Dyon's fists rained holes into Femi. Dyon seemed oblivious to the commotion he had caused and the truth was that his state of mind was too clouded. He would never have risked such a thing if his demonic will wasn't slowly taking over.
Did he just make King Aumen run away?... What was going on?...
Dyon's entire body became layered in Femi's blood. In fact, Femi had long since died, unable to sustain his life force with so many holes running through him, and yet Dyon kept punching. His anger just wouldn't dissipate.
Dyon roared into the skies.
His voice was so powerful, so laced with hatred and anger and some of the audience directly died.
There were no protective arrays. Why would there be? The arenas were so far from the crowd and the contestants were mere essence gatherers at most, how could their attacks have a chance at reaching so far?
But Dyon's had. And they paid for it with their lives.
