Stevens shook. Of course, he knew that cold voice.
As expected, Lee Gun had jumped on top of the stage. Grinning, he looked down on the Leo Saint, leaving him dumbfounded.
In the first round, Lee Gun had faced five champions.
‘All of them were champions from each region.’
The Leo Saint had arenas in each state around the US. These champions had won consecutive tournaments and defended their titles in those arenas.
The five champions had been quickly brought in, and they all had won over ten consecutive tournaments. They were experts on what they did. Of course, all of them were general rank!
‘At the very least, I thought they could tire out Lee Gun!’
No one cared if Stevens was surprised or not. The stadium was abuzz.
“Did… did you see that?”
“Didn’t all the champions attack Lee Gun at the same time?”
“My god!”
They had seen it with their own eyes, but they were still having a hard time believing it.
The ones who had taken the stage against Lee Gun were always betting favorites. People usually bet a lot of money on them. Many fell to their knees and shed tears of blood in front of these champions.
Some fighters had become cripples, and they had to be carried out. They were experts at fighting these arena matches, yet all of them had lost at once!
The commentators shouted as spittle flew from their mouths.
[Did you just see what I saw!!]
Normally, the commentators didn’t even blink an eye while commentating. They were so excited now, however, that they were screaming into their mics.
[It took him three minutes to defeat all four of them! Three minutes!]
[I can’t even make ramen in that time!]
[It was so fast that it counts as a premature ejaculation!]
[He didn’t even use a weapon! He used his bare hands.!]
There was another reason for their excitement.
[Moreover, Lee Gun is fighting with a penalty in the first round, right?]
[Yes! Currently, Lee Gun can use only half of his strength! At the end of the day, he’s a Saint. To make the fights fair, he’s wearing magic suppression bracelets!]
[And yet, he knocked down four of them! Let us see the replay of the fight!]
“Wahhhhhhhhhhhh!”
Along with the cheers, the jumbotron replayed the footage of the fight. It showed how Lee Gun had defeated the four champions.
– Did you just hear that? Lee Gun called out all the champions! His fighting spirit is amazing!
– Ah! The champions have immediately started a discussion amongst themselves! Ah! They have taken the stage! All of them have come out!
-The match has started! All the champions have come out! They are running toward Lee Gun! The one in the front is John! A Taurus disciple, John is the first to strike!
The enormous man roared toward the sky. An enormous monster took form in the sky, overshadowing the arena.
– It’s the Taurus Charge! He’s using that skill right at the start!
– That skill can knock out most awakened beings!
– No one can dodge that skill!
Despite this commentary, the video showed Lee Gun easily dodging the attack. He destroyed his opponent’s jaw bone using the blade of his hand.
Crack!
When one fell over, Lee Gun said something as he wagged his finger. It was as if he was calling for a dog.
This angered the rest of the champions, and they attacked at the same time.
Lee Gun spread his arms wide. Then, he fought a 1v3 battle. In a flash, two men and a woman fell over as they vomited blood.
Boom!
The video ended there. Then, five wins were put on the board. The crowd cheered when they saw this on the jumbotron.
[As expected, it was amazing!]
One of the producers, who was filming everything in excitement, almost dropped his camera.
“Two hours and a half…”
“I don’t think it’ll last that long…”
“Is this a joke?”
It seemed they were shocked. On the other hand, some people jeered.
“That was boring!”
Of course, they weren’t disparaging Lee Gun.
“Even if the match with the Leo Saint is the main event, this isn’t how it should be!”
“How do you call yourself champions? I get the first round is for fun, but you made Lee Gun look too good!”
“That’s right! Lee Gun’s power is being suppressed right now!”
“Right! This is boring! As expected, we have to see the Saints fight each other!”
They started cheering for Stevens, who had been tossed onto the stage.
“Stevens! Stevens!”
Boom! boom!
Even though the crowd was cheering his name, Stevens’s face stiffened. He had told the champions to drag out the fight so that Lee Gun would tire out.
‘How can they not last even ten minutes?’
The “Leo Saint VS Lee Gun” was supposed to happen an hour later. The champions’ incompetence had pulled forward the main event. It was about to start right now.
The crowd started stamping their feet as they anticipated the fight between the two Saints.
“Leo Saint! Send Lee Gun flying with a single punch like before! Do what you did twenty-three years ago!”
“That’s right! Even if Lee Gun has grown in power, he couldn’t have gotten that much stronger!”
“Hey! Don’t look down on Lee Gun! He’ll last at least ten minutes this time!”
The Leo Saint’s lips turned white at the cheers. The reason for his reaction was Lee Gun, who was walking toward him.
Lee Gun let out a cold laugh. “You didn’t listen to me.”
Stevens flinched.
Lee Gun’s eyes turned sharp. “Didn’t I tell you earlier? I wanted you to bring out the disciples I pointed out.”
These words broke Stevens out of his stupor. “Have you lost your mind? Why would I bring them in front of you?” He would be crazy to lose his precious elite disciples to Lee Gun!
Lee Gun laughed in contempt. “Whatever! I’ll interview them later on my own. Ah! Right now, I’ll…”
He grabbed Stevens’ shoulder. “I’ll have to get rid of you first.”
“…!” Stevens felt a chill run up his back.
Oblivious to the exchange, the audience continued to stamp their feet in excitement.
“Stevens! Stevens! Strongest Stevens!”
“Battle god Stevens!”
The excited commentators were yelling into their mics.
[The first round has come to an end. The second-round match will start right now.]
[The matches in the first round ended too early, but that shouldn’t matter.]
[Correct! The earlier matches were the appetizer. This is the main event.]
The high-rank disciples from other temples, who had come to watch the match, nodded in acknowledgment.
“It would have been embarrassing if the thirteenth Saint couldn’t perform this well.”
“Hurry up and start the main match!”
As if they had been waiting for this moment, the commentators shouted.
[The intensity in the stadium is amazing!!]
[The first round unexpectedly ended quickly, so the deadline has been pulled up significantly!]
[You will be unable to place any more bets for today! We are closing it soon!]
[Three, Two, One!!]
Ddaeng!
[That was the closing bell!]
As soon as the speakers blasted those words, numbers appeared on the jumbotron.
Betting Odds for the Leo Saint VS Lee Gun!
[Amazing! The betting line for Lee Gun is 170/1!]
[That means everyone is betting that the Leo Saint won’t lose, right?]
[That’s correct. It seems the result from that fight twenty-three years ago had a big influence on the figure.]
[In the history of the Arena, the biggest underdog until now was 20/1. It was Chun Yooha’s fight against an S rank.]
[Yes. Anyway, it means you can make 170 times your original bet if Lee Gun wins!!]
[You can walk away with 1,700 dollars on a 10 dollar bet! You can get 170 thousand dollars on a 1000 dollar bet!]
[Will you be able to change your fortune with your luck!]
[You can win more by participating in the prop bets, so please watch until the end!]
Lee Gun heard the full-throated screams of the announcer. It baffled him, but he still laughed. “Really? I’m at 170/1?”
An odd murderous intent escaped out of him.
Cold sweat ran down the Leo Saint’s back. ‘I have no choice now.’ At this point, his participation was a given.
‘I have to make my Zodiac descend.’
It was the only way he could stand a chance against Lee Gun. Also, he had no reason to back off if he was being honest with himself. Why?
“That’s right, Lee Gun. It isn’t as if I’ve been slacking off for the past twenty years.” Firming his resolve, Stevens widened his stand.
Boom!
He had become stronger than before, and he had never called for his Zodiac in a fight. However, it would be different now.
The Leo Saint’s eyes flashed. His eyes changed to that of a beast.
Flash!
[Uh? It has been released! The bracelets suppressing Lee Gun’s magical energy in the first round have been released!]
At that moment, the bell rang.
Ddaeng!
The crowd made the stadium rumble.
[It has started!! The match has started!]
As that announcement rang, everyone could feel an incredible tremor.
The one to make the first move was none other than Stevens! The Leo Saint kicked off the ground! As he surged into the air, the golden light roared toward the sky.
Boom boom boom boom!
Spittle flew from the mouths of the commentators seeing this.
[Yes! Stevens! The Leo Saint! He’s charging forward! He’s charging forward!]
[Lee Gun is moving too!]
[This is great! It’s playing out exactly like the match from twenty-three years ago!]
[Ten meters! Five! One…!!!!]
[Let’s go! Leo Saint! He’s gaining momentum! He is punching! Will this fight end in one blow!]
[They are engaging each other!]
At that moment…
Bbah-gahk!!!!
An incredible sound echoed throughout the stadium. The Leo Saint’s head bent at an odd angle as he received a hit in the face.
“Kuh-huhk…!”
The sound of him choking on blood rang as his body bent too. He was flying through the air.
Hundred milliseconds.
Five hundred milliseconds!
Finally, Stevens fell on top of the large fighting stage.
Boom!
The stadium fell dead silent. No one was breathing. It was as if someone had muted all the sounds. This stayed so until someone finally sneezed.
[Huh… The Leo Saint is down!!]
[My god! He fell when Lee Gun’s fist hit him!]
From the crowd, a fierce roar pierced the sky. The commentators, who had also yelled, laughed at the unexpected development
[As expected of the Leo Saint! He knows an arena fight is all about performance!]
[That’s right! It would have been boring if the fight ended the same way as twenty-three years ago!]
[Moreover, he’s loyal to his comrades. He probably let his colleague get one shot in, in this fight.]
[Yes! This will be the golden opportunity where he’ll be able to show off the Leo’s skills!]
[That’s correct! He should be getting up soon. What kind of performance will he show…]
However…
[Uh?]
Turmoil erupted within the stadium.
[Leo Saint-nim?]
Everyone’s face suddenly turned serious.
[Uh uh? Something is wrong. The medics are rushing in!]
Surprised, the commentators looked at each other. Then, they stood up to their feet as if they had seen something unbelievable.
[My god! Down! He’s down for the count!]
“What?!”
A large commotion occurred when it was determined that the Leo Saint was knocked out. Such a buzz t had never been heard within the stadium before.
Hugo, who had been watching the fight, pinched the bridge of his nose as if he had known this was going to happen. “That idiot Leo Saint…!”
At the very least, he should have called forth his Zodiac faster.
“Phew! This is why he always loses to Gun, then becomes obsessed with him.”
Of course, the Leo Saint was strong. However, Lee Gun was much more powerful. In terms of pure strength, the Leo Saint was powerful in his own right. However, a critical difference separated him from Lee Gun. Lee Gun possessed a god-given battle sense and intuition.
It was the reason Stevens could never catch up to Lee Gun, no matter how much he tried. ‘It’s also why he became so obsessed with Gun’s holy items.’
Stevens wanted to be Lee Gun. Therefore, he would always call Hugo before and after Lee Gun’s death. Hugo used to work as a support to Lee Gun.
It seemed Stevens was under the misconception that he would gain the same power as Lee Gun if he had Hugo as a supporter. Therefore, he would call Hugo from time to time and make a big fuss about Hugo becoming his supporter.
‘It was also the reason he kidnapped Yooha.’
Well, if Hugo were being truthful, Yooha put herself in the Leo Saint’s care, but Hugo considered it an abduction. Stevens got what he deserved.
At the fighting stage…
[Uh? Lee Gun is doing something!]
[He is wagging his finger?]
“!”
Lee Gun was crooking his finger toward the Leo Saint as though he was telling the Leo Saint to get up.
[Ah! The Leo Saint! He’s getting up! He’s getting up!]
[I guess our earlier analysis was a mistake!]
[Of course! This is how it should be! It was a performance!]
Stevens barely got up using all his limbs. Although he managed to stand on his feet, his legs were shaking. Still, he had gotten up.
The Leo disciples cringed as they shouted at their Saint.
“Saint-nim! Are you ok! Your head is bleeding!”
“Haha! Saint-nim! You’re doing too much fan service for the people!”
Stevens looked like he was about to fall over as he wiped at his face. His nose was broken, and his jaw was dislocated. However, that wasn’t important right now.
‘Semi-Divine state!’
A light erupted from his body. Then, he charged forward. “Lee Gun! This time I will—”
Bbah-gahk!!!
Lee Gun kicked Stevens in the face. Sent flying like a bullet, the Leo Saint hit a pillar, then fell to the floor.
Boom!
“Saint-nim!”
While everyone was shocked, Lee Gun just snorted. “Idiot! Are you some kind of magical girl? Who the hell would wait until you finish your transformation?”
Cheers erupted within the stadium.
[KO! It’s a complete knockdown! It is a knockdown!]
[The Leo Saint! He didn’t even get to hit Lee Gun before Lee Gun put him down!]
It seemed they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
[My god! Lee Gun just needed a single blow to knock out the Leo Saint!]
[In fact, it seems as if Lee Gun was holding back on the first exchange. Is that the feeling you get?]
[Ah! Wait a moment. What happened in the match twenty-three years ago?]
[I’m… I’m not sure. Did Lee Gun grow that much in power? Or maybe…]
[Anyway, the thirteenth Saint is no joke! You can also watch today’s broadcast on YouTube and the N channel. If you were unable to catch the fight, please check those channels.]
Another round of cheers erupted in the stadium.
“Saint-nim!”
The Leo disciples finally reached their Saint with a stretcher.
At this point, the reporters the Leo Saint had called were flabbergasted. They were in a state of confusion.
“What the hell happened? Didn’t he say the legend would repeat itself?”
“Does this mean the Leo Saint is not as strong as advertised?”
This angered the Leo disciples.
Kwahng!
However, they soon jumped in surprise.
Lee Gun stood in front of the Leo disciples who had come to retrieve Stevens. The disciples raised their guards, but for some reason, Lee Gun was closely looking at each disciple.
With a menacing laugh, he said, “I’ll ask one question”
“What?”
“Who wants to become my disciple amongst you guys?”
Lee Gun had an expression that looked like he wanted to kill them if they didn’t all raise their hands.
