’...Manusia. Kami telah menyegel seluruh arena. Mereka tidak bisa membuka portal atau teleportasi sekarang, baik dari dalam maupun luar. Namun, kami belum menemukan putri Anda dan bajingan pemilik itu.’
’Begitu ya...’ Soren menjawab sambil terus berpura-pura masih bekerja. ’Lalu, apakah kalian sudah memeriksanya? Yakni... bisakah kalian menggunakan mana di dalam?’
’Ya, kami semua sudah mencobanya,’ jawaban itu datang dengan cepat, ’namun, itu tidak berhasil. Bahkan ketika kami membuka domain kami, tidak ada yang berubah. Kami bahkan tidak bisa memanggil binatang sihir atau roh kami. Konstitusi anti-mana miliknya pasti lebih kuat dari yang kami duga.’
’Hmmm... Tidak menyangka bahkan 7th Circle pun akan terpengaruh olehnya.’ Soren menyipitkan mata. ’Itu memang menakutkan.’
Dia berhenti sejenak sebelum menambahkan. ’Sebenarnya, aku pikir aku menemukan sesuatu yang berguna tadi. Mereka berdua memanggil orang ini, Lucent, sebagai tuan muda mereka dan sangat menghormatinya.’ Soren dengan cepat menjelaskan teorinya sebelumnya. ’...Jadi, aku punya usulan. Bagaimana jika kita menangkapnya dan menukarnya dengan sang putri?’
’Begitu ya...’ Suara itu bergumam terkejut. ’...Biarkan aku membagikan info ini kepada yang lain. Aku akan kembali se-’
’Tunggu.’ Soren memotong suara itu. ’Aku punya hal lain untuk disampaikan. Aku bisa berpartisipasi dalam pertempuran, tapi kita butuh seseorang yang bisa bertarung dengan baik tanpa mana dan memiliki tubuh yang kuat. Atau kalau tidak, kalian akan tidak berguna melawan mereka berdua, bahkan jika kalian seorang kaisar.’
’...Ok. Aku akan menyampaikannya juga.’ Suara itu setuju. ’Meskipun aku rasa ksatria manusia itu sangat cocok untuk tugas ini.’
’Ya, aku juga berpikir begitu.’ Soren mengangguk dalam hati. ’Namun, dua orang dari kita mungkin akan kesulitan menyelesaikan tugas ini, jadi semakin banyak petarung yang terampil, semakin baik peluang kita. Sampaikan itu juga kepada mereka.’
’...Dipahami.’
Suara itu menghilang setelahnya, meninggalkan Soren sendirian dengan pikirannya sekali lagi.
’...Untunglah aku menyiapkan rencana cadangan.’
Dia tidak memberi tahu yang lain karena dia takut pemilik tubuh itu bisa mengetahuinya entah bagaimana. Namun, jika rencananya berhasil, peluang mereka untuk menyelamatkan sang putri dan menangkap mereka semua akan meningkat secara eksponensial.
’...Tapi sebelum itu, aku harus menggunakan kesempatan ini untuk mendorong diriku ke batas dan berkembang sebisa mungkin!’ Soren mengepalkan tangannya, pandangannya tertuju pada Hollow Pair. ’Dan kalian... kalian adalah batu asah yang sempurna!’
Bahkan jika dia harus bertarung sampai mati, dia akan tetap melakukannya. Karena itulah satu-satunya cara untuk benar-benar menjadi lebih kuat dan bertahan hidup di dunia yang tidak menunjukkan belas kasihan kepada yang lemah!
’Hoo...’ Soren menghela napas sambil mengendalikan emosinya. Ini belum waktunya untuk terbawa perasaan. ’Hmm... masih ada sepuluh menit lagi...’ Dia melihat hitung mundur dan kemudian kembali ke tiga orang itu. ’Damir dan Lucent akan selesai dalam beberapa menit, tapi...’
Dia berhenti sejenak saat melihat Nuelia. Dia berkeringat karena api dan ketegangan. Lagipula, dia gagal di dua bagian pertama makanannya, dan ini adalah kesempatan terakhirnya. ’...Hei, tenanglah.’
’!’ Nuelia membeku.
’Jangan bereaksi padaku dan dengarkan saja.’ Soren menambahkan. ’Aku akan membimbingmu cara menyelamatkan apa yang kamu punya. Kamu tidak akan bisa menang pada titik ini, tapi setidaknya kamu bisa menyelesaikan makananmu dengan benar.’
Tangan Nuelia sedikit gemetar, tapi dia tidak memberikan tanda lain tentang percakapan rahasia mereka.
’Buang semua pikiran dan emosi yang mengganggu yang kamu miliki,’ saran Soren sambil terus membersihkan mejanya. ’Kegagalan sebelumnya tidak masalah; yang penting adalah apa yang ada di depanmu sekarang. Fokus hanya pada tugas yang ada dan abaikan yang lainnya.’
Nuelia berdiri diam, lalu menutup matanya. Sesaat kemudian, dia menarik napas dalam-dalam dan membuang semuanya.
’...Bagus, sekarang dengarkan baik-baik...’
───────
’...Human. We have sealed the entire arena. They can’t open portals or teleport now, from either inside or outside. However, we have yet to locate your princess and the bastard possessor.’
’I see...’ Soren replied as he continued to act like he was still working. ’Then did you check it yet? That is... can you use mana inside?’
’Yes, we all tried it,’ the response came immediately, ’however, it didn’t work. Even when we opened our domains, nothing changed. We couldn’t even summon our magic beasts or spirits. His anti-mana constitution must be more powerful than we expected.’
’Hmmm... To think even 7th Circles would be affected by it.’ Soren squinted. ’That is indeed frightening.’
He paused for a few moments before adding. ’Actually, I think I uncovered something useful earlier. The two of them called this Lucent guy their young master and were quite respectful too.’ Soren quickly explained his earlier theory. ’...So, I have a proposal. What if we capture him and then trade him to the princess?’
’Is that so...’ The voice muttered back in surprise. ’...Let me share the info with the others then. I will come back as-’
’Wait.’ Soren cut the voice off. ’I have something else to say. I can participate in the battle, but we need someone who can fight well without their mana and has a strong body. Or else, you will be useless against those two, even if you are an emperor.’
’...Ok. I will share it too.’ The voice agreed. ’Though I think the human knight suits perfectly for the job.’
’Yeah, I had the same thought.’ Soren nodded inwardly. ’However, two of us might struggle to finish the task, so the more skillful fighters we have, the better our chances. Tell that to them too.’
’...Understood.’
The voice disappeared right after, leaving Soren alone with his own thoughts once again.
’...Good thing I prepared a backup plan.’
He hadn’t told the others because he feared that the possessor guy might learn about it somehow. However, if his plan worked, their chances of rescuing the princess and capturing them all would rise exponentially.
’...But before that, I have to use this chance to push myself to the limit and improve as much as I can!’ Soren tightened his fists, his gaze falling on the Hollow Pair. ’And you... you guys are the perfect whetstones!’
Even if he had to fight till death, he would still do it. Because that was the only way to truly grow stronger and survive in a world that showed no mercy to the weak!
’Hoo...’ Soren exhaled as he took control of his emotions. It was not the time to get worked up just yet. ’Hmm... there are ten minutes left...’ He looked at the countdown and then back at those three. ’Damir and Lucent will finish in a few minutes, but...’
He paused as he looked at Nuelia. She was sweating from both the fire and the tension. After all, she failed the first two portions of her meal, and this was her last chance. ’...Hey, calm down.’
’!’ Nuelia froze.
’Don’t react to me and just listen.’ Soren added. ’I will guide you on how to salvage what you have. You won’t be able to win at this point, but you can at least finish your meal properly.’
Nuelia’s hands trembled slightly, but she gave no other signs of their secret conversation.
’Throw away any distracting thoughts and emotions you have,’ Soren advised as he continued to clean his station. ’The previous failures don’t matter; what matters is what’s in front of you right now. Focus only on the task at hand and ignore everything else.’
Nuelia stood still, then closed her eyes. A moment later, she took a deep breath and let it all out.
’...Good, now listen carefully...’
───────
"...3, 2, 1!"
[00:00:00]
"BOOOM!"
Fireworks exploded across the sky in a dazzling array of colors, painting the arena in a brilliant light. The applause audio was played once again. However, it seemed like the crowd had gathered outside the arena, as faint cheers could be heard coming from that direction too.
"Time’s up!" Faris’s excited voice echoed through the arena. "All contestants, step away from your stations!"
They did as they were told.
"Now then, let me explain the judging process." Faris continued. "Actually, it’s not that different from the semi-final. Judges will give their points, and contestants will also judge each other. However... we will also pick two random viewers from the chat to join us!"
Faris grinned as he looked at the cameras.
"That’s right, everyone! As long as you’re in Bagdad City and are watching the competition live, you have a chance to become one of the chosen ones! All you have to do is type ’I want to taste!’ in the chat. We will check your eligibility and add you to the random draw. Hurry up! You only have one minute!"
Another countdown appeared on the main screen and the livestream.
"Meanwhile, we will prepare and start with the judges’ evaluations!"
As soon as he announced it, the nearby staff started moving on their own toward the stations.
’...They’ve been taken over.’ Soren could tell it at a glance. First, it was the guards; now it is the staff. ’...What about the judges then?’
He couldn’t tell how powerful the possessor guy was anymore, since all the guards surrounding the stage were at the 6th circle or were A- and S-rank Hunters. ’I have a feeling we will end up fighting with them later too...’
He regretted his decision to advise the City Lord about this yesterday. But there was no point dwelling on the past now. What mattered was that they had kept up appearances and, in doing so, gained valuable info. They knew the possessor could control anyone below the 7th circle without much effort. The only exceptions seemed to be people like Soren or Ethea, whose mental power and defenses were strong enough to resist.
’As for the reason... he probably realized it too... that there will be an inevitable confrontation. He will try to overwhelm us with numbers.’
’It’s a good thing that I kept my real strength hidden and appeared as weak as possible. Since he thinks I’m not a threat because I can’t fight without my magic beast, I can catch them off guard when the time comes...’
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