Chapter 229: Sweeping
Chapter 229: Sweeping
Everyone flew up on the floating platform.
"Round 1 is simple, and only fifty of you will pass it. All you have to do is prevent yourself from kneeling," Lilisa said as she floated with her arms crossed. "You are not allowed to use any skills or items. If you do, you'll be out instantly."
Everyone was confused, but suddenly, a powerful pressure bore into them to their knees as if wanting to bend them.
It was as if they were holding a huge boulder.
Aleron stood straight with his arms crossed, his eyes sharp. Looking at Lilisa, he asked, "We can't use skills or items, so does that mean we can use anything aside from those two?"
Lilisa grinned, "Smart. That's right."
'Then it's easy,' Aleron's eyes glinted as they sparked faint blue, accessing his Magic Zone and creating a 5-star Magic Print: Unbent Legs.
But he didn't use it as it wasn't necessary...yet.
The constant pressure was also consuming their stamina, but everyone was fine.
However, a minute later, the pressure increased.
From one big boulder to feeling like they were carrying three big boulders.
A few flinched, but nobody bent. Everyone was fine, though their stamina was consuming.
Due to Aleron's words, people were also using Magilore, Vigor Force, and soul energy in raw form into their bodies to keep themselves straight.
But another minute later, the pressure on them increased doubled. Six big boulders.
*Crack, Crack....*
Cracking sounds popped out here and there, with some knees getting weak, but everyone was still standing.
Luna was fine. She was more proficient in Body Path than the other two, and her physical stats were the highest. Round 1 wasn't going to eliminate her.
A minute later, the pressure increased, but not like before. It increased drastically as if boulders were replaced by a mountain.
Cracking and breaking sounds instantly occurred due to the sudden drastic increase in pressure, making several knees break as they knelt with a thud, groaning in pain.
In just a few seconds, around ten people were eliminated while many were struggling with wobbly legs, trembling yet trying their best.
Aleron heard popping sounds in his legs, feeling the mountainous pressure on his knees. 'I should use Magic Print now. Better to make myself look undaunted till the end.'
He used it in his leg, boosting his legs tremendously with Magic Print's pressure as they became steady like a pair of pillars.
Luna became a bit wobbly as the pressure changed again, but she used her Bloodline essence, becoming as steady as a mountain instantly.
Meanwhile, around twenty more people were eliminated.
After another minute, the remaining people realized that it was going to end soon. The moment pressure increased again, more people would fall, and only 50 would remain, so everyone went out, making them keep as steady and strong as possible.
Time seemed to pass slowly as everyone felt pain and pressure, but the moment pressure increased, knees started breaking and bending swiftly. In just ten seconds, many were eliminated, and only 51 people remained.
One more, and it would be over, but nobody wanted to be that one. Alas, only two seconds extended in this intense clash before someone's knees bent.
The pressure instantly vanished.
"Round 1 is over. Congratulations," Lilisa smiled as she looked at the remaining people and waved her hand, removing all those eliminated from the platform.
"Round 2 is also simple. It's an all-out brawl where you will try to push others away from the platform," Lilisa snapped her finger, creating a tall, semi-transparent blue barrier around the platform. "You can use anything you want on the platform and push people out of the barrier until only 10 of you remain on the platform."
A fancy sparkling countdown appeared above them in large size.
[0:10]
[0:9]
"The round will start once the countdown hits o. Good luck."
Aleron looked at Luna and walked towards her while smiling, his eyes glinted deep within as he began creating a Mystic Skill and a 5-star Magic Print to support it.
[0:05]
"It seems we've won this," Aleron said as he stood in front of her and looked at the girl beside Luna. 'Since she is with Luna, I'll keep her on the platform.'
[Astral: Woohoo, you are cooking an awesome skill for this round, Mastah! Let's do it!]
[0:2]
Naturally, the other people also heard Aleron's words and were triggered.
It was clear the majority was going to target Aleron.
Some people in the audience seat, the elders and branch masters, felt Aleron's words disapproving. Making many enemies at once was going to cost him, was what they thought.
And then the round began.
[0:0]
Everyone was ready, as ten seconds was enough to prepare. Most of them executed their skills aiming to push Aleron while some decided to create a defensive foothold first.
Alas...Aleron snapped his finger, using his new Mystic Skill: Forceful Extraction + 5-Star
Magic Print: Gravity Chaos Wave.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Everyone's energy control was disrupted due to the Gravity Chaos Wave, erasing all chances of them resisting Forceful Extraction.
In the next half a second, everyone was forcefully teleported outside of the platform, and they fell on the floor outside.
Even If the big shots didn't sense Aleron's mastery in Magilore in Round 1, all of them directly witnessed it in Round 2, along with the power of his Mystic Path.
The round had just begun, but only three people remained on the platform, shocking the audience and participants alike while the big shots who sat on the chairs above raised their eyebrows, their eyes flickering with surprise.
"How about I take first rank, Luna second rank, and Kira third," Aleron said with a smile while looking at Lilisa.
'He became so powerful...' Luna thought, shocked as well. 'I knew he was a monster, but I doubt I can't be his opponent as I am right now...'
Lilisa wryly smiled but felt astonishment as well. 'This brat...he can use 5-star Magic Prints, meaning he is already at level 5 Magilore?! What kind of Arcane aptitude is that?' "Alright, with how things turned out, you three will get the top three ranks, but we still need to determine seven others who will join Prosper Path Alliance's Special Paragon Class." Aleron, Luna, and Kira left the platform and arrived at the audience seat area opposite where the elders and other branch managers sat.
Shelby stood behind Aleron, smiling as she looked at the duo, 'Way to go, Master.'
The other 47 participants went up on the platform again and started the all-out brawl.
"It seems the people there don't like us very much," Aleron felt sharp gazes on him from elders and branch masters, but it was understandable. All of them had arrived here bringing
the talents they scouted.
But Aleron defeated all of them.
"Sister Luna, will you really become his wife now?" Kira asked with a blink. She looked at
Aleron curiously, feeling awe as well.
'So he wasn't bragging. He is so powerful!'
"Well, we can start living together now," Aleron smiled as he grabbed her hand, "so I can
fulfill your other requirements."
Luna's cheeks were slightly painted red. She already liked Aleron and his spirit when they first met, but now meeting him again, she also desired someone like him as her partner.
But was he serious or just acting to save her now?
'Aleron...I don't oppose the idea of becoming your life partner, but are you truly serious, or this is just a play to get us together in front of Prosper Path Alliance.' Aleron rubbed his thumbs on the back of her hands and smiled, "I feel attracted to you, I
desire you, therefore I love you, Luna. If you feel the same, then I want you as my life
partner."
Afterward, he honestly told her in telepathy, 'But I have more wives, and I am going bring them to me under the guise of having more wives by going out later after becoming a promising recruit for the Prosper Path Alliance. Now that I know they are the culprit, I want to
bring them down.'
Luna's hands moved as her fingers intertwined with Aleron, a smile blossoming on her face, "Then I'll be in your care, husband."
'As for more wives, I already expected that,' Luna chuckled and said, 'It's not strange for a
man of your caliber to have a harem if you wish so, but even among them, I can feel you love everyone equally and dearly, not just collect women for pleasure. I only feel blessed to be your
partner...'
'I would want you to meet my parents, but...' Luna's eyes slightly teared up, but the resolve in her was still as steeled as before. 'They would've been proud of me to have won your heart. Proper Path Alliance destroyed my clan because they opposed them. I couldn't meet them...' 'Tell me everything you know,' Aleron stood beside her while holding her hand and looked at the platform. He felt intense rage toward this organization that had destroyed countless lives and was going to do something more sinister, according to Cane.
Luna composed herself and directly shared her memories with Aleron, giving him all the
information.
'Shelby, you should also take a look.'
Shelby also joined and Luna also learned about her as soon as Aleron told her.
Afterward, Shelby and Aleron started looking at the memories.
Learning many things, Aleron's grip holding her hand slightly tightened as he felt sorrowful.
Luna was a little girl, just three years old when her parents sent her to Radrata Cosmos to keep her safe due to their ongoing conflict. It was the time when Prosper Path Alliance was beginning to form as the top nine forces were gathering promising clans to join them. Luna had just turned twenty-two and it was finally time to meet them in the upper cosmos as she was going to ascend in a few months when Proper Path Alliance's people enslaved Cane
and ruined everything.
Luna didn't know the situation of her family yet, but when Cane sent her and others to
Chaosverse to keep them alive, she got her parents' dying words the moment she arrived on
the Chaosverse as her parents had used some kind of Bloodline power to convey the message even after their death upon her arrival on any Upper Cosmos or Chaosverse.
The message brought her the sad news and truth of Propser Path Alliance. Their ongoing
conflict was because they were opposing Proper Path Alliance's idea and also gathering more top forces to resist them.
There were many powerful clans with high innate aptitude rivaling people of the top nine
forces. The problem was that the top nine forces had way more people of such high caliber of
talent and power than the rest.
But if another strong force consisting of such top clans formed from the rest of the 991 Cosmos and Chaosverse, it could become a big obstacle to their plans.
That was why Prosper Path Alliance didn't leave anyone alive. Those who opposed them were
swiftly annihilated, even using dreadful powers to completely eliminate their Bloodline and the chance of revival.
Winterbell Clan was the strongest opposing force and had managed to contact multiple clans
of other upper cosmoses. Alas, Proper Path Alliance nipped the bud before it could bloom to
obstruct them.
Luna's world was crumbling as she got the message and learned of the whole matter, but then she was unfortunately caught by a group of Proper Path Alliance that called themselves a part of Renegade Hunters and became a slave, but due to her talent, she was given a chance to
become a part of Prosper Path Alliance.
They didn't know about Luna's background, but Luna knew and she also didn't have any other choice, but to become a part of this force and find out more for her revenge.
'It seems fate wanted us to be together, which was why we met in this place where we will successfully put our foot into this hateful organization,' Aleron said as his eyes glinted coldly. 'We will bring them down, but they are too big of a force now that I learned more about them
from you.' 'But,' Aleron's fist clenched, 'We will bring them down and for that, we'll have to work hard.' Luna's eyes turned fiery and her grip on Aleron's hand also tightened, 'We will bring them
down!'