Ruler's Awakening: Inheritor of the SSS-Rank Dimensional Talent

Chapter 83 Dark Legion Intruder

"Are you afraid they will find out your identity?" Misa asked.

Aaron sighed deeply. He sat back down, following the others. There was nothing for him to fear. As long as he wore this half-face mask, he'd be safe.

"No. I'm preparing for the worst."

The Guild Office Leader stood tall. He stepped forward and greeted the thousands gathered in the Arena of Gallant. The spectacular view filled Ernest—the Guild Office Leader—with pride.

"Thank you all for coming to watch our fighters. This has become a Guild tradition to test each adventurer's skills and give them a chance to grow further."

The crowd cheered and applauded, eager to watch the fighters clash, showing their best abilities. Aaron remained silent, his gaze fixed on the main stage.

"The rules are simple: the stronger ones will win this tournament. So, give it everything you've got!" Ernest declared firmly.

"The three leaders of the major groups will allow you to join them, and the Grand Elder also needs new members for the White Templar. The opportunity is wide open for you!"

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"So, let's begin the tournament!"

Applause erupted, and people threw various types of flowers forward as encouragement for the fighters about to perform. Aaron smiled, feeling the crowd's excitement for the tournament.

Ernest returned to his seat, and the five leaders focused their gaze on the upcoming battles. Among them, only the Sky Sword leader sat relaxed, seemingly uninterested, resting his head on his hand.

Harry, the leader of Dimension Justice, noticed Andrew's demeanor. He leaned over to find out what was on his mind.

"Nothing. Sky Sword isn't looking for new members. I might fall asleep in this tournament," Andrew replied.

"Maybe one of the fighters will catch your attention. Try to watch each match."

"Thank you. I'll let my aide look at them; her judgment is never wrong."

The tournament's referee appeared in the center of the arena, dressed like guild staff. He announced that registration had closed and the guild had selected 100 participants to compete.

In total, there were 70 men and 30 women fighting for main prizes. This time, Harry had donated a vial of blood from a legendary mythical race—the Black Dragon race.

"The Black Dragon race?"

"Aren't they a powerful mythic race? If the tournament winner gets it, they could acquire a servant from a strong mythical race."

"If only I had been chosen for this tournament, I'd definitely win."

Aaron smiled wryly, folding his arms as he watched the fighters enter the field. Misa glanced to the side, seeing no sign of interest on Aaron's face regarding the prize Harry offered.

"Are you not interested in the prize?"

"No. I have a servant far superior to any mythic race."

'A Soul Servant? Does he really have one? That's incredibly powerful. No wonder he dares to oppose the three major groups,' Misa thought, stunned.

The battle began. They exchanged attacks using their talent abilities. Guild staff moved around collecting betting money, and one approached Aaron. But, Aaron declined to bet.

From the way they attacked and defended, Aaron smiled—not because the fight was interesting, but because of how weak they were compared to him. Still, Aaron had to stay humble, hoping they wouldn't find out about him.

"Their abilities are decent. The one in red is dominating the fight."

"To me, this is just a meaningless street fight," Aaron replied.

In his opinion, the fight between Annie and Jasper was far more interesting than these low-grade talent attacks. The damage dealt barely reached 5,000, proving how weak they were.

"I didn't expect you'd come to watch this tournament, Lewis."

A woman in guild staff attire approached. Aaron turned and saw it was Liscia. She sat near Aaron, her eyes fixed ahead, enjoying the tournament's first match.

Liscia noticed Misa still beside Aaron, indicating that he hadn't sold her off to the slave market. This was a relief; at least the White Templar wouldn't disturb Aaron's life.

"Why didn't you sign up as a fighter? I could have recommended you," said Liscia.

"I'm not interested in fighting."

The woman beside Aaron cleared her throat in response with what he said. The first match ended, with the challenger in the red uniform claiming victory. Aaron chuckled; if such weak strength could win a match, what would his own power do?

Liscia excused herself, as she needed to continue collecting bets for the second match. Aaron and Misa let her go.

Match after match went by, and the tournament's first rounds ended with many fighters showcasing their abilities.

Aaron enjoyed it a bit, especially as the competition advanced to the quarterfinals and semifinals.

Two fighters who had previously won their matches faced off in the semifinals. They fought intensely, each trying to reveal their trump card to defeat the other.

Aaron nodded, saying that the semifinals were starting to interest him. The people on the main stage applauded, with three leaders expressing interest in recruiting these two fighters for their groups.

The semifinal match was won by a woman named Froze, who used her ice manipulation talent. Her opponent lost after being trapped in a large, powerful ice mountain.

Froze would face another fighter with light manipulation talent, Bright, in the final.

The referee announced that the final match was about to begin, and people started betting on Froze and Bright. Aaron still refused to put any money on them.

Once the bets were collected and the fighters finished resting, the tournament's final match began. The two fighters entered the arena, activating their magic auras, which drew even louder cheers from the crowd.

"Let's see what they're capable of," Aaron thought.

As soon as the referee started the match, Froze boldly thrust her hand forward, sending a barrage of frozen ice at Bright. Bright swiftly dodged using his light talent.

The impact of their powerful energy could be felt even in the stands. Misa looked worried, but Aaron reassured her that everything would be fine.

Bright floated into the sky with two wings of light, a product of his talent manipulation. Aaron sensed a large flow of energy directed at Bright, a signal that he was about to unleash his ultimate sub-talent.

Froze reacted quickly, realizing that Bright intended to finish the match swiftly. She didn't hesitate to release her own ultimate ability to counter Bright's power.

An ice mountain formed behind Froze and transformed into an ice dragon. Meanwhile, Bright summoned a giant light sword from a dimensional portal, aiming it at Froze.

A strong wind blew, but it didn't interfere with the battle. This time, they were set to end the tournament's final match with an explosive finish.

The ice dragon and light sword shot forward, each targeting their opponent. The clash of magical energies created a fusion of gold and blue colors, with the energy fluctuations pushing the spectators back and cracking parts of the arena.

Aaron stood and extended his hand, using his dark magic to contain the energy's flow. Misa was shielded and thanked Aaron.

"An impressive ultimate sub-talent, but it's still not enough to match my abilities."

Froze was flung backward, crashing hard into the arena wall, leaving a hole. Froze's backup HP was depleted, while Bright still had half of his remaining HP. The arena floor was damaged, with broken tiles scattered around.

Harry and the others on the main stage applauded, remarking that the previous match was a thrilling conclusion. Bright was entitled to the promised prize.

The arena began to settle, and people returned to their seats. Aaron deactivated his protective spell as the energy fluctuations from the clash subsided.

"It looks like Bright will win this tournament."

Bright walked toward the referee, who quickly crowned him the tournament champion. The crowd cheered and applauded, thrilled that their favorite had won.

Aaron stood and clapped along, showing his respect for Bright's skill.

"Congratulations to Mr. Bright for winning the tournament. You can claim all the promised prizes," announced Ernest as loud applause echoed around him.

"Thank you, Mr. Ernest. I accept all of these prizes."

"But…."

BURST!

Suddenly, six red light pillars stretched outside the Arena of Gallant. Harry and Andrew stood up, both looking shocked. They moved to the main stage railing, staring at the red pillars suspiciously.

"These red pillars and this strange energy fluctuation… It's exactly like—"

"Dark Legion!" Harry interrupted Andrew.

"How could a Dark Legion member get past our security?"

"There's only one possibility."

Harry looked to the side, closely observing all the leaders and people in the stands. "There's a traitor among us."

The red pillars reached high, forming a powerful magical barrier, trapping everyone inside. Aaron realized these red pillars were not part of the tournament, and Misa looked on with concern.

"What's really happening?" Aaron asked, gazing at the sky now enclosed by the barrier.

Harry and the others descended to the arena, standing before Bright as they explained the situation.

Bright laughed sinisterly, admitting that he hadn't expected to become the tournament champion—especially as a Dark Legion member.

"What do you want?" Andrew demanded.

"Hand over the Flag of Authority to me, and I'll let everyone go unharmed!"