The entire arena was dead silent. Everyone stared blankly at the towering black giant. It was simply colossal, almost too large for the arena to contain. Under this immense pressure, even Emperor Vigley was speechless, only able to gape at the behemoth.
Even Princess Yalan, who had seen Susanoo before, was utterly shocked. This Susanoo was different from what she remembered; not only had its appearance changed, but its size was even more exaggerated. It was clear that Linton's ability had evolved, leaving Princess Yalan even more perplexed.
Of course, the one under the most pressure was Bayar, who stood before Linton. The closer he was, the more he felt the oppressive aura of the giant. Bayar was truly baffled. Having just ascended to Saint-level, his understanding of Dou Qi had deepened, and he could sense that this thing before him was definitely not a product of Dou Qi.
So what was it? Having just experienced Tsukuyomi, Bayar's first thought was that it might be another illusion-type ability. However, judging from the reactions of the people around him, they were seeing the same thing. It couldn't be a mass hallucination, could it? Was it some kind of mirage? An illusion?
That was his line of thinking, and it sounded plausible, especially since this thing didn't emit any Dou Qi fluctuations. But why did his Saint-level instincts scream that this was no mere illusion? Why did he feel such a sense of danger?
Of course, he thought, the truth could be tested. Bayar no longer dared to underestimate Linton. Faced with the unknown, he couldn't panic; perhaps that was Linton's goal. Taking a deep breath, Bayar calmed himself and suddenly leaped towards Susanoo.
His Dou Qi golden body fused with his own, making him appear several times larger. Linton was also observing how the Dou Qi experts in this world used their power. From what he could see, this Dou Qi golden body wasn't like Susanoo, an independent entity. It seemed more like Dou Qi extended to its extreme.
He had seen many people use Dou Qi before, either covering their bodies to increase defense or coating their weapons to extend their attack range. This golden body seemed to be the result of both aspects pushed to the limit, different from his Susanoo, which was like summoning a puppet.
Observation was one thing, but Linton didn't slow down. Bayar's speed after his upgrade was indeed impressive, but Linton had the Sharingan (Rinnegan). Clearly seeing Bayar's movements, Linton directed Susanoo to throw a punch, aiming straight for him.
The speed of the punch startled Bayar. It was simply too fast. Facing the overwhelming pressure, Bayar no longer believed this was an illusion. This was a real, physical attack! In the next moment, Bayar was forced to swing his sword prematurely, slashing at the giant's fist.
A loud "bang" resonated as a cyan sword Qi pierced through Susanoo's arm, nearly severing it. However, on the other side, Bayar was struck by the massive black fist. With a thunderous crash, he was smashed into the ground, bounced up, and then fell again, lying motionless for a moment.
"Oh? Not bad," Linton remarked. He hadn't expected Bayar's attack to actually pierce Susanoo's arm. It seemed he had slightly underestimated the Sword Saint of this world. The power of that slash was unexpectedly strong, even reaching Whitebeard's level. Of course, it was useless. With a bit of magic, Linton could immediately repair Susanoo.
The audience was even more astonished. What had they just witnessed? Bayar, a Sword Saint, had lost in a direct confrontation? How was this possible?
Although they had been intimidated by Susanoo's massive form, they hadn't expected this outcome when Bayar attacked. In their minds, a Saint-level expert was invincible unless facing another Saint. And Linton was clearly not a Saint; his age was proof enough. So, even though his ability looked terrifying, they thought he wouldn't be able to defeat Bayar.
However, the result of the clash left everyone speechless. He actually won? That black giant wasn't just for show; it had genuinely sent a Sword Saint flying. In the next second, they saw Susanoo's arm quickly regenerate, rendering Bayar's slash ineffective. Could they really be witnessing the legendary defeat of a Saint?
"He's too strong. Maybe he really can win!"
"He's Linton Mellower, right? If he wins, wouldn't this become legendary?"
"Impossible... Could he really defeat a Sword Saint?"
"Wait, look! Sword Saint Bayar is getting up!"
Indeed, Bayar, who had been sent flying, stood up again. However, when everyone saw his state, they couldn't help but worry. Bayar looked battered. His once magnificent armor was now damaged in many places, the rest covered in a mixture of blood and dirt. His helmet had fallen off, and his long hair hung over his grimy face. Although he was standing, everyone could sense that he was struggling.
"Just one punch caused such damage?" Emperor Vigley murmured on the high platform, looking at Linton with a thoughtful expression.
On the stage, Linton took a couple of steps forward, approaching Bayar. Looking at the disheveled Sword Saint, Linton asked, "Hey, still want to continue?"
Bayar didn't answer, perhaps lacking the strength to do so. However, his actions gave Linton the answer. He raised his sword towards Linton, clearly intending to keep fighting.
"What a shame. If you had fallen just now, I could have changed my nickname to 'One-Punch Bayar,'" Linton said.
Bayar nearly spat out blood. What kind of grudge did this guy have against him, even wanting to make him into a nickname?
"Anyway, time's almost up. You can admit defeat now," Linton said, waving his hand. Susanoo behind him threw another punch towards Bayar.
Bayar knew his own condition. The previous punch had disrupted his Dou Qi. He could probably dodge this attack if he forcefully gathered his energy, but what good would that do? Just run around and lose in the end?
Instead of that, he might as well make one last stand. With a roar, Bayar spat out a mouthful of blood, and his body erupted with an intense cyan light. He was forcefully unleashing his Dou Qi, condensing his Dou Qi golden body once more.
Facing Susanoo's incoming punch, Bayar raised both hands, extending his sword forward. The blade lengthened several times, and Dou Qi visibly condensed around it. He stepped forward with his right foot, lowered his body, and then thrust upwards.
"Demon Slayer!"
A cyan beam of light pierced through Susanoo's body. At the same time, Susanoo's fist slammed heavily into the ground. The entire arena seemed to shake. Fortunately, the flying debris was blocked by the surrounding magic barrier and didn't reach the audience. Even so, they could feel the immense power of that punch.
When the dust settled, what they saw was a giant fist-shaped crater in the ground. Lying in the center of the crater was Bayar. He was almost completely embedded in the ground, while Linton still stood before him. The victor was clear.
However, everyone looked at the black giant. Its body had also suffered severe damage. A large part of it had been obliterated by Bayar's final attack, showing the sheer power of that blow.
Linton was also surprised. Bayar's last attack was truly fearsome. Fortunately, he didn't seem to realize he could attack Linton directly and only targeted Susanoo. If that attack had landed on Linton himself, it might have actually killed him. It seemed the Saint-level experts in this world weren't to be trifled with.
He had managed to end the fight with two punches today mainly because Bayar had just ascended and probably wasn't very proficient in using Saint-level power. However, Linton was also holding back. The power of his abilities was a bit too much for this arena; any random attack could cause an explosion. So even if he encountered other Saints, Linton wouldn't be worried.
In any case, Linton had won today's trial by combat. However, no one had announced the result yet. Linton looked around. The host and referee had disappeared, probably scared off earlier. This was a bit awkward.
While he was wondering what to do, Emperor Vigley stood up on the high platform. "I declare the match over! The victor is Linton Mellower!"
"Oh! He actually won!" Hearing Emperor Vigley's personal announcement, the audience erupted in cheers. Before this, no one had expected that the winner would be Linton, a complete unknown.
"This was truly an eye-opener," Princess Flora exclaimed, finally snapping out of her daze. She had been staring blankly at Susanoo since it appeared. Looking at Princess Yalan beside her, Flora couldn't help but say, "Now I understand why you like this young man so much. He... is truly special."
"Special to the point of being a headache," Princess Yalan said, rubbing her forehead.
(End of Chapter)