Chapter 35 - A Show of Strength II

Andrei looked at the confident face of the man in front of him as a swirling mass of winds were coming and another red lightning bolt was crushing down.

He wanted this man who had taken something that should have been his to die as quickly as possible, but his power seemed to be greater than anticipated. He wouldn't back down though, as his father was watching this fight. He had to prove to himself and to his father that he deserved the title of rank A. He deserved to join those standing at the peak, he just needed to take the skill back from this man!

The rage inside him calmed a bit when he thought back to the lessons from his past and acted, casting [Regal Armament] right away.

The skills struck him, and he only felt a stinging pain on his skin as they disappeared. This was the power of rank A skills, something no normal hunter would be able to get their hands on. Andrei came out unharmed and moved quickly before the timer of the skill ran out

He barely had half of his mana remaining, which might be enough to cast the next rank A skill that would obliterate the confident hunter in front of him into nothing once or twice. He raised his staff, and [Frigid Impermanence] was aimed towards the area with the hunter at its center

BOOM!!!

An explosion of ice erupted out from the location where Noah was, utterly destroying one-fourth of the arena floor and sending nearby spectators screaming from the impact and shock waves thereafter. This was the terror of rank A skills, their damage was unmatched.

Andrei breathed heavily as he looked at the epicenter of the explosion where the hunter was nowhere to be seen. Had he done it? Had he finally grabbed the chance to reach the peak?

He looked for the hunter's body before he sensed danger and looked up, seeing the man floating in the air. There was some blood gushing out from his right thigh that was rapidly closing up at high speed

Seeing the man was still alive, Andrei moved to cast the rank A skill one last time before Noah recollected his wits. He only had a few seconds remaining with [Regal Armament], and already felt another two red lightning bolts smash into his skin seconds after he saw Noah floating in the air

'Just how many of these can you cast?!'

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Andrei was trying to get the position of the man that was rapidly moving in the air as more lightning bolts crashed down on him, not giving him a moment of rest as the stinging pain gradually became unbearable

Feeling that he had only a few seconds left before the skill's time ran out, he cast [Wind Escape] once more, moving his body to another location where he got the chance to aim at Noah again and cast the skill once more using all his remaining mana

[Frigid Impermanence]!

BOOM!

Another resounding explosion filled with ice elements rang out causing the screams of those who were near and the cheers of those that were far. The blast this time occurred in the air, sending shock waves that damaged the eardrums of hundreds of people in the audience

Andrei rapidly moved his eyes while roughly breathing and holding onto his staff as support. Was he finally dead?!

Despair slowly filled his face as he saw the same man back down in the arena floor. His armor tattered, and it seemed like he received minor cuts that were already healing.

'How? How?! I'm sure the skill hit you head on!'

He was rapidly thinking about what to do now that all his energy reserves were gone and the golden skin he had on was rapidly fading. He looked to the man with the same confident face that was now flying towards him as he finally became scared for his life and unwillingly looked towards a certain area in the audience stands

"Father!"

His voice rang out loud and clear, as if it was his last resort.

A booming voice then rang out that drowned the cheers of the audience

"Spare him."

The voice was calm, and yet resounded in the ears of every single person in the Coliseum. A red streak of lightning had already formed and was heading down towards Andrei when it stopped. He breathed out a sigh of relief as he saw Noah come to a stop and look towards where his father was

He sighed in relief and disappointment at not being able to take this hunter down, but at least his father was here to make sure he won't lose his life. He wanted to get up and go, but still felt the bolt of lightning not too far from him still hanging in the air

The voice from the stands rang out again. "The match is over."

A heavily built man with a low fade had risen up from the stadium, staring down at Noah who was holding his hand in the air, as if that was the only thing keeping the red lightning from striking down

Andrei regained his calm as he saw the figure of his dad coming out and rose up, he would be...WHAT!

A deep sense of dread and fear arose in him as he felt his scalp tingling and then began burning. The red streak of lightning had struck down!

BOOM!

...

Silence.

There was a shock to all the people that were watching the match, whether it be in the arena or those watching a home. Because they knew the figure of the man that had risen up. That was Admiral Chekhov. Why was he in Star City? What just happened? The hunter Noah finished the Death Match, but what made him so bold to defy the words of an Admiral? What...would happen now?

The silence remained as the body of Vice Admiral Magnar began shining and he began to move. Noah looked towards the location where a pile of burnt flesh lay and flew in, reaching for the glowing skill book that appeared and the staff that was in the hands of the dead Andrei Nikolaev

A bubbling power was rising in the stands that made people begin to scream and rush out of their seats for the exit.

Those watching at home were shocked at the turn of events and appearance of an Admiral that should not be in Star City. He was normally stationed in the capital of the Empire, and rarely came back to visit his home town.

The powerhouses that were coincidentally watching quickly began making calls to people that were near the city. A catastrophe was about to break out.

Vice Admiral Magnar was still looking towards the clear sky as he looked for something that wasn't yet there and shook his head, preparing to see if talking would work. He wasn't able to get near the arena before a pained scream rang out as mad power exploded from the stands

"YOU BEAST!!!'