Chapter 52: The Lunaris (14)
"Do you have a death wish, human?" Govic was the one who responded.
"You don’t look any stronger than the last guy I fought... What was his name, Drive Drev? Drever, yes, him and yet he fell to me, and you, an average-looking human, are trying to take on two of us?" Jex added, grinning widely.
"Average-looking..." Marlon quickly responded. "I feel insulted right now, but I can understand. You Lunaris all look the same, so I can see why you can’t tell good-looking from average."
"W-what?!"
The Lunaris stuttered. Even Thira, who had looked very composed earlier, was surprised by the tone in Marlon’s voice and the fact that he had insulted their race indirectly.
Aside from Arden, Lunaris had been to other planets, but none had ever spoken about them in such a manner.
The nobles observing the scandal from their section felt irritated. One of them even wanted to use his power on the talkative human and make him explode, but the other two quickly held him back.
As for the hunters around them, they gasped coldly — even they, who were a hundred times stronger than Marlon, would not dare say such a thing to the Lunaris.
"We’re wasting too much time."
Marlon did not even give the Lunaris enough time to absorb his insult before speaking in a bored manner, tilting his head up toward Gigaman, who was currently staring at him in awe — the same expression plastered on the faces of millions of viewers at home.
He asked, "Would that be allowed?"
Gigaman fell back to reality with his question. He did not have the answer, so he turned to the VIP area.
Norian Sterling stood up from his seat, revealing his face to the entire arena from his section, and announced, "If the Lunaris are fine with the challenge, then we can move on with it."
Behind him, Crimson frowned a little as she wondered what thoughts were going through her big brother’s head. Earlier, he was the one who told her to watch over Marlon and keep him safe. Now he was the one throwing him into danger.
Did he really trust Marlon’s ability to beat the Lunaris that much? she wondered.
Meanwhile, Norian turned to look at the three agitated Lunaris nobles and gave them an answer-demanding look, increasing their agitation further before one of them responded, "Fine, but this time let the competition be even more serious. No holding back. Killing is allowed as long as the fight isn’t over and the opponent hasn’t forfeited."
The cold voice of the Lunaris noble spread across the arena, causing everyone who heard it to inhale deeply, the severity of the competition digging deeper into their flesh.
No one refuted or complained; instead, they turned to look at Marlon and shook their heads in pity — he had brought it upon himself; he must accept it.
"Norian, you seriously can’t accept that." Morgana rose from her seat after thinking for a while. She could not lose her son who had begun to make waves.
"Yes... you can easily tell what their motive is. They want my son dead," Oswald added.
Norian simply glared at the two of them for a few seconds without responding before turning back to the arena.
"Marlon, you heard the condition. Do you accept?" he asked.
This was not only a question to get Marlon’s confirmation, but to see how bold and confident he was about his ability.
"Of course. I was even planning to hold back, but with the words of our beloved nobles I can unleash my full powers," Marlon responded and quickly added, "It would’ve been really stressful to hold back anyway."
Norian watched his expression as he spoke. Not for a single moment did he look uncertain about his words.
A smile tugged at his face before he gave his final verdict, "Since that is settled, let the competition continue."
And then he went back to his seat, the smile still tugging at his face.
"Are you sure about this, brother?" Crimson asked.
"I wasn’t sure earlier," Norian stated. "But now I am more than certain he has some trick up his sleeve that will grant him victory over his opponents."
"Hmm," Crimson hummed, half in thought as she returned her attention to the arena.
The ten young Lunaris were now glaring at Marlon with hatred and an unwavering intent to kill. Their killing intent could be felt by anyone who managed to meet their gaze.
Ashton and Logan were no longer crying at the moment. Just like Lyra and the other trainees around them, they were staring at the back of Marlon that faced them, their gazes serious.
Meanwhile, Marlon took a step forward.
"Who would be the first to receive their beating?" he asked with a grin, cracking his knuckles as he prepared himself.
"Y-you..." Govic gritted his teeth.
He turned to his colleagues and told them his intention to take him on first, and they immediately agreed.
Dragging his doomhammer with the chains clattering behind him, he walked casually into the arena, standing only a few meters away from Marlon while shooting him a gaze laced with malice and bloodlust.
"Marlon Ashleigh..." Marlon introduced himself. "You’re Govic, the one who wounded my teammate Fierra. It’s nice that you’re my first opponent. I was already planning to beat you no matter what."
Marlon’s words spread to his teammates. Fionna felt a subtle warmth bloom in her heart after hearing that he was planning to avenge her sister.
Even though she had been among those certain he was going to lose, she quickly changed her mind and silently prayed that he would at least beat the crap out of Govic for her.
"Y-you..." Govic gritted his sharp teeth as he responded coldly. "You really talk so much for someone who is about to be pounded to death."
"Pounded to death..." Marlon inhaled, feigning a scared expression. "Never knew Lunaris were into me—"
"Let the fifth round begin."
Gigaman did not allow Marlon to finish his joke. He was certain it would only enrage Govic further and make him want nothing more than to kill Marlon afterward.
But it was already too late as immediately his announcement faded—
Govic’s figure blurred as he sprinted toward his opponent.
Marlon, on the other hand, remained fixed in his spot, following his opponent’s movements with a calm expression.
He noticed the moment Govic closed the distance and flung his doomhammer toward him. A smirk appeared on Marlon’s face just before he moved at the last second, vanishing from his position as the heavy hammer crashed into the ground, causing the arena to tremble slightly from the force.
Govic gritted his teeth in rage and lifted the hammer once more and then swung again without noticing Marlon’s new position.
The sound of the heavy weapon whistling through the air was terrifying.
Spectators who saw this swallowed hard. Lyra and some others could not bear to watch and quickly shut their eyes.
"Ahhh!" Govic cried out in unfiltered rage as his attack clashed with empty air once again.
This time, he did not attack immediately, instead, he began scanning the area for Marlon. His eyes narrowed as he tilted his head, looking carefully around.
He found Marlon standing unscathed, staring at him with a gentle smile. Govic’s rage surged, and he lunged again, but Marlon evaded the attack as before.
Govic began flinging his weapon wildly in frustration, missing repeatedly.
Finally, he stopped once again to observe, chest heaving as he caught his breath.
"Does bigger muscle come with smaller brains in your world?" Marlon teased, letting his heated breath brush against Govic’s ear, signaling his closeness.
Govic’s eyes widened, and he swung the weapon behind him, but once more, he missed.
His rage intensified further, and his composure completely shattered, all he sought now was to kill Marlon for mocking him.
His screams carried the raw fury he felt.
The crowd fell silent.
Everyone, including Lunaris and humans, paid close attention to the battle. Even at home, no one left their screens. A few legendary beings even brought their phones to the restroom to keep watching.
"Ahhh... come out and fight me like a man! Coward! Hiding and running is all you humans can do!" Govic’s voice tore through the silence, thick with rage and killing intent.
"Alright, you asked for this..."
Marlon said with a grin, stopping just behind the enraged Govic.
Before Govic could turn, Marlon flexed his fist, activated his basic skill, Steel Punch, and delivered his strike without mercy.
His punch cut through the air like a blade, striking Govic’s solar plexus with extreme precision.
Pain unlike anything he had ever felt shot through the young Lunaris’ nerves—white-hot and blinding. His eyes widened in shock, and before he could react, his feet left the ground as he was hurled backward like a ragdoll caught in a storm.
He crashed onto the rough arena floor, tumbling continuously.
The force of the punch was so strong that even after dozens of tumbles, his momentum did not falter. He flew straight toward his other ten opponents, who were far away from the arena.
Govic’s colleagues had no choice but to move aside; with his current speed and force, they were not confident they could stop him without hurting themselves.
Marlon did not hold back. He remembered how Govic had kicked Fierra mid-crash and decided to return the favor.
Using all his agility, he moved toward Govic and arrived ahead of him.
He watched Govic tumble toward him before delivering a powerful kick, sending him into another violent crash.
Witnessing this, the entire arena and viewers at home fell silent.