Chapter 162: Insane Buff!
Leonardo’s voice boomed across the square, a powerful declaration that echoed the gravity of the moment:
"I understand their mistakes, and I give you my word, we won’t interfere with Queen Lola’s decision." His words hung in the air, a finality that seemed to seal the fate of the accused.
"No! I don’t accept this! These are my family!" Richard’s cry was raw, a desperate bellow that cut through the tension. He whirled, his gaze fixed on Leonardo.
"When she lost her family, you used all our power to give her answers! Now it’s my turn, and you’re simply going to stay quiet?!" His face was contorted with a mix of fury and betrayal, his body trembling with the force of his emotion.
A sharp, exasperated laugh escaped Marie: "Are you stupid?! The second elder’s situation was different! It had nothing to do with any nation!" Her voice was a cutting snap, her disdain for Richard’s outburst palpable.
’Family? Are they talking about my family’s deaths? Did she fight for them?’ His gaze shifted from the furious elders to the unreadable faces of the others. A flicker of an idea, ignited in his eyes.
"Okay..." He stepped forward, his voice calm and deliberate, a stark contrast to the chaos around him:
"I’m not a wicked person. So, I’ll give Sir Richard here a way out."
".....?!"
A collective murmur rippled through the crowd. The elders exchanged surprised glances, their attention now fully on Sunny. Even Richard’s scowl softened into a puzzled frown.
"What way?" he asked, suspicion lacing his words.
"You and Lola will engage in a death battle," Sunny stated, a slow smirk spreading across his face.
"If you kill her, the three will be freed. But if she kills you, they will die, and you will give up your most precious equipment. Agreed?"
The proposal landed like a thunderclap. Lola’s eyes widened in stunned disbelief. The commoners were dumbfounded, their murmurs silenced by the sheer audacity of the offer.
A demigod fighting a Grand Master? It was a laughable mismatch.
Marie leaned closer to Valerie, her voice a low, incredulous whisper. "I thought he was smart. Maybe he has something that made the first elder so polite to him... I don’t know, he just sounds like an ignorant fool."
Valerie, however, saw a deeper game at play. "No... something isn’t right. He knows this girl has no chance against Richard. So why is he asking her to fight?" She paused, her eyes narrowing.
"Whatever his plan is, we will know sooner or later."
Marie simply nodded, her expression grim.
"On one condition!" Sunny added, his voice cutting through the stunned silence.
"No matter the condition, I accept!" Richard roared, his desperation overriding all logic. He took a decisive step forward, his fists clenching.
"Good." Sunny’s smirk widened.
"I have only one condition, which is... both Richard and Lola can use any boost needed to win, even boosts from others. Do you agree?" He stared directly into Richard’s eyes, a challenge in his gaze.
’Boost from others? What else is there? Only grand-class equipment. I also have mine, and the gap is too big. No matter the boost, I will still win.’
The thought bolstered his confidence, and he nodded with conviction. "I accept!"
A quiet sigh escaped Leonardo’s lips: "This fool just dug his own grave."
He took a step back: "Okay then! I will be the witness to this!"
He snapped his fingers, and a wave of force erupted, pushing the commoners back.
BAM!!
A colossal fighting stadium, forged from the very earth, rose before them. It was a marvel of magic and power, holding the Elders, Sunny, Lola, and Jinx within its boundaries.
"Wow! Is the Queen that powerful?" a commoner asked, his voice filled with awe.
"I don’t know! Let’s watch," another replied.
"Can she face a demigod? The gap in their ranks is like day and night," a third worried.
"Is the god wolf helping these criminals?" someone else questioned with a frown.
"You fool! He helped reveal their crimes. Why would he go through that much trouble?" a woman retorted, her voice cold with certainty.
The commoners’ murmurs grew, a mix of confusion and anticipation.
"What are you doing? You know she won’t last even a second!" Jinx whispered, her teeth clenched with anxiety.
"Just sit down and watch the show," Sunny said with a calm smile. He turned to Lola, his expression serious.
"Put on your equipment, each one of them."
Lola’s heart pounded. Nioh had told her Sunny was the most trustworthy person he had ever met. She had to believe in him now. She nodded, her hand trembling as she began to activate her gear.
"This stage will hold back their energies so it won’t affect anyone else. Only those who are on this stage will feel the effects," Leonardo explained, his voice projecting across the arena.
Sunny nodded and jumped down from the stage with Jinx.
"Down," Leonardo instructed, and he and the other elders followed, leaving Richard and Lola alone on the grand stage.
Richard swaggered forward, his confidence radiating: "Hey, child, it seems he doesn’t like you. Okay then, I will use only 5% of my strength, and I won’t use any equipment. I’m being fair here."
A condescending smile played on his lips.
Lola’s jaw tightened. "Oh... I didn’t know you liked me that much. Don’t regret it later." She snapped her fingers, and her golden armor materialized around her, a brilliant sheath of light that left no inch of her body exposed.
"Impressive! All grand-class equipment! If your opponent were someone else, that person would be scared shitless!" Richard sneered, gesturing for her to attack.
"Come on, I’ll give you five strike chances... then I will act."
"What are you doing?! She’ll die there!" Jinx’s whisper was a desperate plea.
"I said, watch." Sunny’s eyes were fixed on his system, as he pulled up the combatants’ stats.
{Name: Richard Ajax.}
{Bloodline: Enraged Bull - Epic rank.}
{Rank: Demigod rank. Stage 5.}
{Strength: 600,000.}
{Agility: 400,000.}
{Stamina: 800,000.}
{Defense: 800,000.}
{Attack: 550,000.}
{Spirit energy: 300,000/400,000.}
{Note: Stats will change when Target puts on armor.}
’He already restored so much celestial energy, that’s fast,’ Sunny thought, then checked Lola’s profile.
{Name: Lola Hewson.}
{Bloodline: Triple Goddess - Legendary class.}
{Rank: Grandmaster Rank. Stage 5.}
{Strength: 5,000 (+10,000).}
{Agility: 7,000 (+5,000).}
{Stamina: 10,000 (+5,000).}
{Defense: 4,000 (+10,000).}
{Attack: 10,000.}
{Spirit energy: 1,000 (5,000).}
{Relationship: Sixth Subordinate - Loyalty: 80%.}
"The gap is too high... Let’s set it right."
Sunny took a deep breath and let out a series of howls, each one a deep, resonant sound that vibrated through the air.
"HOWLLLL!!!!"
"HOWLLLL!!!!"
"HOWLLLL!!!!"
"HOWLLLL!!!!"
"HOWLLLL!!!!"
The crowd’s confusion was immediate. Even the elders stared at him, baffled by the strange display. Jinx froze, a powerful surge of energy coursing through her body.
’What the hell?!’ she screamed inwardly.
{Skill: Howl of nightmare used!}
{Skill was used five times.}
{Note: Each time used will decrease the duration of the buff.}
{Note: Once duration is exhausted, Subordinates will be drained of energy.}
’Huh? Why didn’t you say that from the start?!’ Sunny was stunned by the system’s warning.
{All subordinates’ stats will multiply by 1,000 for one minute.}
’If I go any higher, the duration will reduce to seconds... System... show me her stats,’ Sunny requested, his heart pounding.
{Name: Lola Hewson.}
{Bloodline: Triple Goddess - Legendary class.}
{Rank: Demigod rank. Stage 5.}
{Strength: 5,000,000 (+10,000,000).}
{Agility: 7,000,000 (+5,000,000).}
{Stamina: 10,000,000 (+5,000,000).}
{Defense: 4,000,000 (+1,000,000).}
{Attack: 10,000,000.}
{Spirit energy: 1,000,000 (5,000,000).}
Sunny’s mind went blank. He was so stunned, he froze in place, a silent gasp escaping his lips.
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{Howl of Nightmare description: Release a loud howl which multiply the strength, defense, and stamina of all your subordinates by 200 for 30 minutes... Grand class skill, (No celestial energy needed to use.).}