Chapter 124: Ice God vs. Zevric
Then he turned and looked at Alvoryn. "Well, my plan is to... I have... It is to make Sindra great. I know, and achieve a lot with the party I’m going to form," he said. Alvoryn nodded.
"Now, are you all ready?" the emissary called to the crowd. "So now, for our next contestant, it’s going to be the man known as the Ice God, Asta. And for our second competitor, it’s going to be Zevric."
Then Zevric stood up from his seat and moved past where Tharion was sitting. " buddy, this is going to be a piece of cake for me," Zevric said as he rested his sword on his shoulder and walked out, just like Asta.
"Isn’t that your companion who was with you the first day you came?" Nolan asked. "Yes, it’s him. Did he fight in the last battle? I wasn’t here to watch," Nolan continued. "Yes, he did, and he’s really strong. He’s stronger than me, to be honest," Tharion said.
"Really? What about that monk, the guy wearing the monk beads, huge and muscular, who was also a companion on the first day in the arena during Fenwa?"
"Oh, Fenwa. Fenwa is the strongest. He has insane strength. During his last fight here, he only fought once because he was one of the top fighters. His enemy was a speedster, someone incredibly fast, and the way he defeated him was outstanding. He punched the arena with his bare hand, and the ground cracked and flew up. His opponent was slammed into the ground so hard that they couldn’t stand. Fenwa is powerful. Don’t think he’s closing his eyes; he actually sees what is happening even with his eyes closed," Tharion explained.
"He is actually really strong, and he has an underwhelming presence," Nolan said. "I’m really amazed at how Asta fights. Being able to control ice at that level is really impressive—making a sword of ice and all that. It’s rank S for sure."
"Yeah, even if he isn’t, it’s rank S," Tharion said.
"Then tell me, what do you think is his aim, Freak?"
"Asta has proven to be really strong," Lyra said.
"Well, you’re a beautiful lady, why do you want to know that?"
"Well, I don’t know, but I can tell he’s going to win. And shhh, you’re also Nolan’s companion, since you’re calling him master too," Tharion said.
"Yeah, she’s mine, but she’s not participating," Nolan said.
"Well, does it mean she’s weak? I can tell she’s not strong, but small... she actually looks like she’s 17," Tharion said.
"Hey, you’re lucky she didn’t hear you. If she heard what you just said, I’m sure you’d have lost your life. And not only that, she’s one of the most powerful. If she wanted to destroy the empire, with a single attack, she could," Nolan said.
"What are you trying to say? Is he some kind of god or something? You’re kidding, right?" Tharion said, laughing.
Then Nolan nodded. "Yes, I’m kidding. Oh, crap, I almost told him that Lyra was so powerful. He didn’t believe it," Nolan thought.
Now, it looks like the contestants are ready. "So now, the one you have all been waiting for, our star, the Ice God, step into the arena," the emissary announced.
As Asta walked in, the crowd erupted in cheers. Standing there, everyone knew this was him. He had proven himself countless times and outshone the rest of the fighters.
"Now, for our next contestant, Zevric, step into the arena," the emissary continued. As the gates lit up and Zevric walked in, the crowd cheered once more.
"That’s the guy who fought that big opponent and ended it so quickly!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.
"Yeah, it’s him," another voice added. People were already talking about Zevric.
"When he fought, he put up quite a show," the emissary said.
"Yes, he actually did," someone in the audience agreed.
To me, obviously, I think this is going to be one of the toughest fights. Zevric has proven himself to be outstanding and S-rank. Asta has also proven himself to be very impressive. And some of these fighters are people who absolutely hate losing, the emissary said.
Zevric and Asta stood facing each other, waiting for the emissary to signal the start. The crowd cheered loudly.
"Wow, this is actually going to be a tough match," Nolan said.
"Yes, it is. But I think Asta is impressive," Lyra replied.
"Yeah, he is. But we haven’t watched Zevric fight yet," Nolan added.
"True, we didn’t," Lyra said.
That was when she tapped Nolan.
"Wait, Lyra, since when did you come here? I had completely forgotten. Back home You were crying, yapping about the parfait didn’t remain for you and left you . And now it’s as if you’ve been here the whole time," Nolan said.
"Oh, you didn’t realize? Well, the moment you guys left, I went to take a bath. You guys walked here, but I flew here. I was invisible, so no one saw me," Lyra explained.
"Okay, now for the moment you have all been waiting for. The match begins!" the emissary announced.
Asta and Zevric jumped back, taking their stances. Zevric immediately thrust his sword forward. The sword glowed brilliantly, casting light across the arena. Both fighters locked eyes, staring each other down. The crowd watched in anticipation, waiting for the first move.
The emissary continued, "In case you didn’t know, Zevric is using a sword unlike any other. This is a legendary blade, one that once ended a war between two nations. It is capable of destroying monsters with a single slash, and it can even strike down humans if used at full power. But it is not a sword for just anyone—it chooses its wielder."
"And rumors had it that this sword is alive, that it has its own life," the emissary added.
That was when Asta acted. He summoned a massive pillar of ice that lifted him about thirty feet into the air. Raising both his hands, he held his sword in his left hand while extending his right. From the height, he launched ice in the shape of spears toward Zevric.
Zevric was quick to react, sprinting across the arena as he dodged the incoming ice spears.