Chapter 46: Banned or Beaten
Dahlia kept staring at the other seven competitors. Her stance never wavered even once.
The seven shifted uneasily, but their smirks stayed.
In their minds, sooner or later, this arrogant girl from some unknown sect would be humbled.
The announcer, on the other hand, stood stiff and sweated, not knowing what to do or proceed.
Then, suddenly, an officer quickly went to him, leaned in close, and whispered something into his ear.
The announcer’s eyes quickly widened in shock the moment he heard it.
The seven competitors exchanged glances, knowing that this was it.
"Finally, she’ll be stopped."
The announcer stepped forward, raising his hands to silence everybody, giving him a chance to talk.
"Excuse me, everybody. I have just received an order from the higher-ups."
He glanced nervously at the competitors, then back at the crowd.
"Competitor Dahlia’s request to challenge all seven remaining competitors at once... has been accepted."
Gasps echoed through the arena. The competitors’ eyes widened in shock. Murmurs spread through the stands.
The announcer lifted his hand again, continuing his words.
"But there is a catch! If Dahlia loses, then the God Gym will be banned from this tournament... for the next five decades!"
The arena shook even harder from the voice of the crowd.
The seven competitors looked thrilled as they heard the catch.
The staff-wielding girl smirked.
"Perfect. Even if one of us loses, she can’t beat all of us. Her sect is finished!"
The boy in green robes laughed.
"Five decades. That’s her master’s grave mistake for letting her do this challenge."
Another competitor grinned, gripping his weapon.
"She’ll regret this arrogance."
Even the other competitors that were already eliminated just laughed, shaking their heads.
But Dahlia herself... She didn’t even flinch.
She just stayed calm as usual, as she already knew why her master accepted this deal.
If he hadn’t agreed, the elders would never have allowed this challenge, and her master risked it for her.
That was why she had the chance to challenge all the other seven to a fight.
So that’s it, Master. You trust me to win even with everything on the line.
Her eyes were now burning with determination to win this challenge.
This time, there will be no holding back. I’ll finish this with my full power.
The staff girl scoffed, stepping forward.
"We’ll see how long that confidence of yours lasts."
The green-robed boy twirled his sword, mana glowing around its blade.
"Don’t worry. We’ll make it quick."
The announcer raised his arms high, and excitement returned to his face.
"Then it’s decided! This unprecedented battle between Dahlia and seven others..."
In the premium seats, Garion leaned forward, grinning wide.
"Dahlia. Show them all, the true power of our gym path, the path of Gym God."
Serath, beside him, was quite tense, whispering under his breath.
"This will not end well. You know that, right, Garion?"
Garion heard him and chuckled.
"I know, but do you think I’m weak. Just see how I’ll handle it later."
Back on the stage, Dahlia rolled her shoulder once, preparing her body to fight seriously.
The seven spread out in front of her, weapons glowing with mana.
The crowd chanted loud.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!"
The announcer’s hands quickly dropped.
"Begins!"
---
The seven circled Dahlia, raising their weapons and coating them with mana.
The green-robed boy sneered, gripping his sword tight.
"I’ll make you regret this... Tiger Slash!"
He shot forward, slashing his sword in a diagonal arc toward Dahlia’s chest.
At the same time, another competitor rushed from the opposite side, swinging his sword in the same way.
"Wolf Slash!"
It was a pincer attack.
The crowd was thinking that Dahlia was finished now.
But Dahlia’s eyes remained sharpened.
She bent her knees and roared before bursting forward, straight toward the green-robed boy.
Dahlia had trained mainly her lower body, so her balance and speed were top-notch.
The green-robed slash came down fast, but Dahlia slipped under it.
Then she shot her hand up and clamped around his wrist, stopping his sword mid-swing.
The boy’s eyes went wide. "What the?!"
Before he could react, Dahlia twisted her hips and yanked him down.
She dropped her weight, swung her leg over his shoulder, and locked his arm tight against hers.
And in one smooth motion... CRACK!
"AAARRGGHHH!"
The boy screamed in pain as his arm bent the wrong way. He rolled on the floor, clutching it.
The second attacker froze mid-step. He hadn’t even reached her before his partner was down.
The crowd gasped in shock, hands covering their mouths.
"What did she do?!"
"His arm... How can it be bent that way?!"
Dahlia didn’t even look at the fallen boy. She just stood and spun, already targeting the next one.
The staff girl shouted angrily, knowing that she was next. She twirled her weapon, covering it with her mana.
"Crushing Gale!"
The long staff was now aimed at Dahlia’s head from above.
Dahlia sidestepped smoothly, letting the staff hit the stone floor instead, cracking it.
Before the girl could recover, Dahlia moved fast and drove her knee into the girl’s stomach.
THUD!
The girl’s body folded over, gasping. Her mouth was opened, but no sound came out.
Dahlia wasn’t finished as she raised both fists high and hammered down the girl’s back.
The girl hit the floor hard, staff rolling from her hands. She was officially knocked out.
The crowd roared louder.
"Two down already!"
"She’s terrifying!"
Dahlia then straightened her back, glaring at the remaining five like a predator.
"Two loudmouths down. Five to go."
The remaining fighters hesitated after they saw what Dahlia had done.
In their eyes, Dahlia no longer looked like a girl from some unknown sect.
She looked more like a monster in a human form that was ready to hunt them as prey.
Up in the premium seats, all the elders were in disbelief.
"What the hell is this?!"
"How can she be so fast?!"
Garion just laughed hard, hearing them being shocked by the power of his gym path.