Chapter 57: Erupt
The arena was filled with anticipation as the short break ended and everyone gathered once more to witness the last rounds of the competition between their planet and the Lunaris.
Chattering spread across the coliseum. A large portion of the crowd doubted Marlon’s ability to win in the current situation, while the rest couldn’t wait to see him beat the Lunaris again just like he did with his previous opponents.
"I trust Marlon. Those Lunaris brats have nothing on him!" Ashton said with a grin.
"Of course. Why are the others so worried about him losing? It’s not like only the Lunaris representatives will be getting support. Marlon is probably already receiving his by now, so if their fighting power increases, so will his," Logan added.
Behind them, Lyra wanted to speak and correct them about how terrifying the Lunaris technology truly was, but she chose to keep quiet. Her eyes stayed on the empty arena, waiting for the representatives of both sides to arrive.
Her heart still beat quickly as she recalled her recent encounter with Marlon. She had been so embarrassed that she wanted the ground to swallow her whole. Thankfully, the two nerds in front of her had arrived just in time to divert his attention, and using her stealth, she vanished out of his sight.
Minutes passed, and finally the five remaining representatives of the Lunaris stepped into the limelight.
Each of them now had a new set of gear. Two wore thicker black armor that glimmered under the sun. Thira held a small wand with a glowing blue orb at its tip, and the remaining two had upgraded their weapons to even stronger versions.
Seeing them, the onlookers could not help but gasp.
One look at their new gear was enough to tell everyone everything they needed to know, and a wave of concern rippled through the crowd.
Questions began to rise as they all wondered what kind of support Marlon would receive.
But just as those questions filled the air, the star of the competition casually strolled into view.
All eyes immediately turned to him, each person eager to see what kind of gear he had obtained. Then, realization struck.
"What..." Ashton and Logan were the first to react after seeing their friend.
The others around them had the same shocked expression as they watched Marlon walk into the center of the arena without a single piece of equipment on him.
"Has he gone insane?" Jonathan, sitting among his peers, shouted. "He told his opponent to get support but he got nothing? Does he want to die?"
"This is unbelievable."
"What is he scheming?"
Voices rang out across the arena.
Ashton and Logan, who had been excited a few moments ago, now stared at him with dumbfounded expressions, and even Lyra grew more speechless as the worry in her heart deepened.
Marlon registered the reactions from both the crowd and his remaining five opponents with a scheming smile. It was exactly as he expected.
The five Lunaris looked at him with different expressions. Thira’s face showed slight confusion, while the other four wore gloating smiles filled with malice.
"My armor has been upgraded. Its current defense is now stronger than your attacks, and seeing as you did not get any new gear, I will beat you easily," one of them said proudly.
"You asked for all of us to power up and we did. Now you will face our wrath for what you did to our teammates," another added coldly.
The one who appeared to be their leader grinned with pride and hostility as he observed Marlon.
But Marlon’s smile did not fade. "Come on, why are we wasting time talking? Pick your fighter and send him out already. I am getting bored," he replied calmly.
Without waiting for a response, he turned toward Gigaman and gave him a signal to resume the competition.
Gigaman nodded attentively, then floated higher as he addressed the crowd before announcing the start of the next match.
The Lunaris who had bragged about his armor was the one sent out first.
Now standing in front of Marlon, he revealed a grin filled with confidence, his eyes shining with an intent to kill.
"My name is Tarza," he introduced himself.
Marlon studied his opponent with a faint smile as he activated the new skill he had obtained telepathically.
TARZA - LUNARIS
Threat Level: E
Health: 100%
’E-rank, not bad,’ Marlon thought.
The observation skill book the hunters had managed to find on short notice was only an F-rank one, so it did not reveal much detail. Still, it was enough. All he needed was his opponent’s level and health, just enough to control his strength and avoid killing him.
Seeing that Tarza was only an E-rank, he realized he would have to hold back even more than he planned.
He turned to Tarza with a confident smile.
"You already know my name. Then let the fight begin," Marlon said coolly.
Gigaman’s voice announced the start of the fight, and Tarza immediately made his move.
A thick purple misty aura erupted from his body as he closed the distance between them in a few seconds.
But Marlon was not standing idle either as he sprinted toward him.
The purple mist around Tarza formed a solid-looking gauntlet around his fist that brimming with energy, and without hesitation, he struck.
His fist flew through the air with dangerous precision and speed. Most of the onlookers could not even follow it, but Marlon saw it clearly.
"Interesting... a colorful but weak punch," he mocked with a grin. "Can’t believe you were so loud earlier with such baby-level attacks."
Just before the punch connected, Marlon sidestepped smoothly, his movement sharp and effortless. His hand shot out, gripping Tarza’s wrist in a crushing hold.
Tarza lost control of his misty aura instantly. The purple energy scattered apart like smoke caught in the wind and vanished.
Before he could react, the world spun around him as pain flooded his body. Before he even realized what had happened, his face was already buried in the dirt.
The cheers of the humans echoed loudly, and realization struck him. He had lost again.
All the Lunaris, from nobles to soldiers, stood up in disbelief.
"T-this... those bastards cheated!" one of the nobles roared.
A violent aura exploded from him, and the entire coliseum began to tremble.
The cheers stopped instantly as an overwhelming silence spread through the arena.
The pressure was immense, engulfing the vast space, and within seconds all the younglings present, including Selena and the others, fell unconscious.
"S-shit... is it starting now?"
Marlon gritted his teeth as pain swept through his body.
He dropped to his knee as gravity seemed to multiply, pressing down on him, trying to drill him into the ground.