"Looks like a good show is about to begin!"
"One is the mysterious powerhouse from the Twilight Guild, and the other is the Vajra Supreme, who has been undefeated against foes of the same rank for over a century!"
"Who do you think will win?"
"Probably Vajra Supreme, right? The Twilight Guild member hasn't faced anyone particularly strong."
"The Twilight Guild's powerhouse has only achieved crushing victories in battle, but some have analyzed that he did so by unleashing all his power! If his opponent were even slightly stronger, he wouldn't have such an easy time."
"Exactly, this Twilight Guild powerhouse hasn't fought in over a month, so his strength likely hasn't changed much. I'd bet on Vajra Supreme to win."
As the finals commenced, the number of concurrent matches dropped significantly, with almost only Supremes able to take the stage. Thus, every match garnered immense attention, especially from a group of professional gamblers who meticulously gathered data on all the strong competitors to analyze the situation and place their bets.
As soon as Sterl was transported to the battle arena, he was already being watched by thousands of members from the Hall of Valor—
The betting opened!
At that moment, other arenas featured ordinary Supremes battling, but Sterl's match drew extra attention due to the impressive records of both competitors, resulting in higher odds and increased excitement!
Sterl was unaware that his every move was influencing the thoughts of countless spectators outside.
He observed the imposing golden-skinned man who could still the winds and storms with a mere gesture, as he slowly raised his hand to conjure a Flowing Water Blade.
Sterl felt no pressure at all!
The Vajra Supreme slowly opened his eyes.
With a swift motion, a flash of light sparkled within his gaze.
Sterl tilted his head slightly as a section of space behind him tore apart.
The muscular man's attack had missed, yet he remained calm. Sterl couldn't help but think to himself, "It was clearly a sneak attack, but as long as he puts on a righteous expression, he can pretend nothing happened??"
Well, that's a lesson learned!
Sterl maintained a relaxed demeanor.
Meanwhile, the muscular man's golden patterns surged across his body, and a four-armed figure resembling a Buddhist arhat appeared behind him.
Of course, this image of the arhat was slightly different from the Buddhist iconography Sterl was familiar with before his transmigration; it seemed to be a cultural representation rather than a direct reflection.
"Die!"
The man spoke calmly, as if he were merely inviting someone for tea rather than issuing a threatening command.
Then, with all his might, he struck with a palm!
A brilliant golden palm print slammed forward!
The blizzard in the battlefield was torn apart, and the very fabric of space trembled violently in chaos!
That palm print rushed toward Sterl in an instant.
It rapidly expanded to the size of a mountain!
Sterl's expression remained unchanged as he stood his ground.
Mainly because...
After several days of training, Sterl had reached level 150 and completed an additional 20 levels of attribute accumulation.
On top of that, with the constant boost from the Blood of the Holy Spirit, his strength had undergone a complete transformation compared to when he battled Lovic.
The Demon of Terror and Cruelty was not only a hidden Supreme-level combatant; his innate race granted him substantial attribute bonuses and various powerful resistances!
He was also on the verge of entering the divine realm thanks to Destructive Light.
He was the strongest beneath the quasi-divine realm! Even weaker quasi-divines could not compare to him.
At that time, Sterl had been able to suppress him head-on.
He now had the power to dramatically change the tide of battle; if he were to fight again, Sterl could severely injure Lovic with just one cast of Shattered Void! Two casts would be enough to take him down completely!
Therefore...
Sterl was unaware of the high evaluation of the muscular man from the outside perspective; he only sensed that his opponent's aura was strong but still felt he could easily overpower him.
So, he intentionally made no moves, simply standing still...
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Preparing to show off a bit!
"It should look pretty cool from the spectator's perspective."
He nodded to himself.
Sterl's form dissipated, and he directly left the arena, returning to his manor.
...
However, Sterl clearly underestimated the enthusiasm of the watching players.
Their eyes were practically blazing with anger!
"Why? What's going on with this Vajra Supreme? Has he regressed after a century of seclusion?"
"How could he be so weak, taken out in one hit!"
"I bet on this match to go at least 10 minutes, and I ended up losing!"
"I worked hard to accumulate contribution points for this!"
In an instant, the gamblers were in despair.
They found it hard to accept and began to curse Vajra Supreme, calling him garbage.
Only a few who had bet on Sterl's victory were overjoyed; the odds were higher on Sterl's side, and they had won big!
But for most, a chill ran down their spines.
"The Twilight Guild's powerhouse... is that exaggerated."
"I thought he was just an ordinary Supreme-level fighter, but now it seems he can easily crush Vajra Supreme. He must be at least a hidden Supreme-level existence!"
"There's no record of any Supreme in the Hall of Valor who specializes in the Flowing Water Law. This Twilight Guild member has really just emerged recently! How strong must his innate talent be?"
"This is unacceptable; we need to investigate! We must thoroughly uncover the true identity of those behind the Twilight Guild!"
They watched Sterl's strength with extreme unease and astonishment!
Following this battle, hundreds of scouts were dispatched to gather all information about Sterl and the Twilight Guild.
None of this affected Sterl, however. He didn't train that day; instead, he carefully selected equipment for his legendary journey.
Once he gathered everything, he spent some points to enhance his helmet, which could be upgraded two more times.
Then, he used up the remaining 100 points of blood force to elevate the Cursed Law to perfection!
His Arcane Law was already perfected for Shattered Void, so once he brought the Cursed Law to perfection, he would unlock the full potential of Silent Domain.
He only had 7 blood force points left after using most of them earlier to break the Heavenly Reformation Formation.
Previously, Sterl had depleted his reserves of blood force while navigating the last week in the layer of hell.
Due to the influence of Blood of Contamination, all units in the layer of hell had stopped producing blood force, so he had nearly exhausted this precious resource.
...
In the following days of the Valor Combatants Tournament, Sterl faced Supremes of average strength, and he easily dispatched them, fully enhancing his helmet in the process.
On the fourth day, when Sterl participated again, countless spectators focused on him. David from the Twilight Guild, who had only been somewhat known in the Hall of Valor, had skyrocketed to fame after swiftly defeating Vajra Supreme.
Vajra Supreme's evaluation of David circulated widely: "My strength has undoubtedly improved greatly over the last century, but against David, I felt like a child, completely powerless to resist."
Sterl's information was also uncovered, but no one believed he had truly joined the Hall of Valor at third-class strength.
Instead, they concluded he had been concealing his true power!
Such occurrences were not uncommon in the Hall of Valor.
Thus, after Sterl encountered a formidable opponent once more, countless players and NPCs eagerly came to watch.
Suddenly, Sterl found himself attracting such great attention.
He was teleported to a highly modern building.
Brilliant neon lights flickered, making the stars and moon appear dim in comparison.
A bizarre entity, resembling a twisted brain, materialized before him.
Sterl recognized the figure; the previous Vajra Supreme was not listed among the top fighters sorted by Sosia and Sonis in the Hall of Valor, but this brain-like being was documented.
Brand Witte.
A special race, the Heartstealer Demon.
A hidden Supreme-level combatant!