CHAPTER 800: Beating A Child

Han Shuo had a good reason for blocking the view of the audience. The main weapon he would use to defeat Ralph was the seventeen flying swords. If he revealed this trump card to the audience, which consisted of the very observant patriarchs of the three major family clans and the other Divine Guard Chiefs, it wouldn't be long before one of them would realise that the weapon Han Shuo used matched the description of those used against Hushveil City.

There was no telling whether these people would keep their mouths shut. If even one of them leaked the news to the public, once Hofs had stabilised his control over Hushveil City, he would hunt down Han Shuo and his House of Han at any cost.

This was not an outcome Han Shuo wanted to see.

That was why he had used the Banner of Hallucination. It sent out chunks and chunks of mist that formed a huge, white, sight-obstructing barrier. This prevented Wallace and the crowd from seeing what was happening in the battle.

Ralph, who was at the center of the Banner, was on the back foot against Han Shuo. He could not even make a counterattack!

It was only now that Ralph realized just how terribly mistaken he had been! Before entering the arena, Ralph even had a short fantasy of Han Shuo's defeat. But after the fight actually started, he was trapped by streaks of brilliant radiance before he knew what in the world just happened. Thanks to the Banner of Hallucination, Ralph couldn't even tell that the magnificent streaks were Han Shuo's flying swords.

Ralph's domain of divinity was also firmly suppressed. Every ruse he had seemed all so vain and futile against the wild, unstoppable power bombarding him. Trapped in Ceaseless Pain, Ralph felt as though he was a small boat in a tumultuous sea; as though he would be drowned at any moment.

<i >How despicable! When Ralph recalled of Han Shuo's performance back in the City of Shadows and compared it to the terrifying strength that he displayed right now, Ralph couldn't help himself but cursed Han Shuo in his mind.

He thought that it was absolutely despicable for an expert with a strength superior to his opponent to launch a sneak attack from the very beginning of the battle. It was like a well-built adult beating up a child, starting with an unexpected kick to the child's back. That was what Ralph felt.

The brilliant rays swirled around him as if weaving a huge invisible net. The most domineering energy Ralph had ever experienced was swarming towards him from all directions, while intense corrosive power and a chilling aura poured towards him. It chipped away at his divine energy, making his resistance weaker and weaker.

Ralph could not be more depressed and frustrated. In the Ceaseless pain, he could not see where Han Shuo was. Nor could he break out of the dimension the Seventeen Swords trapped him in. He could only try to resist the attack by rapidly consuming the divine energy in his body.

It seemed as if the outcome had been decided from the beginning! Ralph knew that he had been defeated and that it was a crushing defeat!

***

At the centre of the Soaring Cloud Mountain Range, around the sand table, Wallace and the spectators no longer had their eyes fixed on the divine image-reproducing device. They were whispering to each other, discussing what might be happening behind the mist.

A vast expanse of fog shrouded the region they had been most interested in since the beginning of the battle. There was no sign that it would soon drift elsewhere. By now, it was clear to all onlookers that the fog wasn't there by accident, but was man-made. Mists don't just float into the battleground of two Highgods.

Aobashi and Erebus exchanged glances as they realised this. They were both a little worried.

"City Lord, Ralph's actions are unacceptable! He must have created the mist to do something despicable to Bryan!" Rugersey was slightly annoyed.

Wallace glanced at Rugersey and said in an indifferent voice, "Why must it be Ralph?"

"If it wasn't Ralph, it had to be Bryan. It had to be the one with the greater strength who had the energy to create the mists. Given Ralph's great strength, he is the most likely culprit."

All the spectators, except Wallace, agreed with Rugersey. To them, it was only reasonable that the sight-obstructing mist was coming from Ralph.

Aobashi and Erebus were furrowing their brows. These two had a very close friendship with Han Shuo, and they did not want to see anything bad happen to Han Shuo. After a moment of hesitation, Aobashi asked, "The duel between the chiefs should only be a heavy sparring match, not a fight to the death. Could it be that Ralph did this to avenge Bryan's victory three days ago?"

"Just watch to the end!" said Wallace coldly, feeling rather annoyed by the questions.

The party was astounded as they heard the annoyance in Wallace's words. After staring blankly for a moment, the party said not another word. They were rather confused and kept on thinking about what was really going on.

<i >The rules for the dual of Divine Guard Chiefs are set by Wallace himself. Ralph of the Second Corps is absolutely loyal to him and wouldn't disobey a word of his orders. By that reasoning, Ralph wouldn't attempt to break the rules set by Wallace. So everything should be alright? thought the party.

While the spectators were confused, Han Shuo was laughing grimly in his mind for he knew that Ralph's divine energy had mostly been exhausted. It was then that he suddenly shot forward, flew into the Ceaseless Pain and dealt Ralph the final blow. With the fiercest attack, Han Shuo destroyed all remaining defense Ralph had put up.

The seventeen flying swords suddenly stopped attacking. Han Shuo who had broken through layers of defensive barriers in one blow injected several shots of demonic yuan through Ralph's chest, completely incapacitating him.

With one thought, the Banner of Hallucination flew back to Han Shuo while the Demonslayer Edge flew out from his arm. He pressed the tip of the blade against Ralph's throat.

"The fog is dissipating!" cried Camilla suddenly. The eyes of the party were once more on the sand table.

The sound of people chattering in low voices abruptly ceased and was replaced by a pin-drop silence. The Great Patriarchs and Divine Guard Chiefs were all stunned. They stared at the sand table with their jaws dropped to the floor. They could not believe what they were seeing through the projection.

On the sand table, Ralph looked pale and weak. He had collapsed and was lying on the floor like a cripple and seemed to have no energy. His eyes were wide open and filled with fear as he stared at the dark, sharp and cold longsword pointed at him. The spectators had no doubt that if Han Shuo were to lightly thrust the oddly shaped hilt of the longsword forward, Ralph would lose his life on the spot.

Han Shuo still had the same old faint smile on his face. To the spectators, however, that usually warm smile seemed rather cold at this moment. The Great Patriarchs suddenly felt a chill run through their hearts. They felt as if the Han Shuo they had just been chatting with was a demon under a mask.

"Ralph has lost!" announced Wallace with a blank face. He turned his eyes to Rugersey and said, "The mist must be made by the one who has the upper hand. Now you should know where the fog comes from, shouldn't you?"

Under Wallace's gaze, Rugersey made an awkward and embarrassed face. He forced a smile and said, "I really did not expect Bryan to turn out to be such a fearsome expert that he could defeat Ralph."

"Not just defeat, but a crushing defeat. Ralph seemed too weak to even move. But Bryan looked pretty much the same as when he first entered the arena. It was as if he had expended no energy at all! Aobashi had a solemn face as she remarked, "This is an overwhelming victory. Even when I fought Ralph, it was never as effortless as Bryan. Perhaps even I will have to hand over my title as the most powerful Divine Guard Chief.

Upon hearing those words, the spectators again focused their attention on the sand table and looked carefully. They immediately realized that Aobashi's words were true.

One seemed completely unharmed, while the other was utterly crushed. It was a battle between experts with an overwhelming disparity in strengths!

After a moment of silence, the party turned boisterous. Some would discuss the battle by whispering to each other's ears, some were still in shock, while some cheered and praised Han Shuo for his achievement.

The patriarch of the House of Kinson, Caspar, couldn't help but turned to look at his daughter Jiya who was in high spirits. He thought, <i >If I can get such a powerful

son-in-law in exchange for Jiya, that will be the most profitable trade ever!

Caspar had sensed the overwhelming might of Han Shuo's. It was only by taking action now that Caspar could avoid some unnecessary disputes in the future. If things went really well, the House of Kinson might even get a firmer position in the City of Shadows. By then, even the House of Sainte might have to pay more attention to the House of Kinson.

In Caspar's grand plan, the happiness of his daughter, Jiya, was of no concern. He decided that he would have to discuss this plan with his wife afterwards, so that she could persuade their daughter to 'take action'.

Caspar wasn't the only one with this thought. While he was scheming, Wallace suddenly remembered Andre's proposal. He realised how important Andre's proposal could be for the future of the House of Sainte. Wallace too couldn't help but turned to look at his daughter Carmelita. He saw Carmelita laughing and cheering with Erebus, shouting "Bryan!

Wallace suddenly recalled how close Carmelita, Aobashi, and Erebus were to Han Shuo and bunched his brows. He wanted to do as Andre proposed a moment ago. But now, Wallace was unsure. He thought, <i >they are growing too close. This isn't good.

***

Han Shuo stared straight into Ralph's eyes as he slowly pulled the Demonslayer Edge. He coldly announced, "You have lost!"

Ralph stared fixedly at Han Shuo, heavily panting but without a word.

"I will not kill you today," said Han Shuo. He turned away and continued in an indifferent voice, "But if you dare play any kind of dirty tricks against me in secret, I promise, you will die very horribly!" Han Shuo started leaving the arena upon finishing those words.

Ralph stared at Han Shuo's back. All sorts of emotions were welling up in his heart. He would think about seeking revenge while the other half of his brain was advising himself endure the humiliation. He seemed to be at a loss.

"Bryan, why was there fog in the arena just now?" asked Andre. He already knew how the battle was going to end.

With no one else around, Han Shuo explained, "There are too many spectators. Since I had to use my full strength, they might realise that the weapons and martial arts I used were similar to those used in the Hushveil City incident. There are just too many mouths, and I don't want to risk any of them spreading the news. Otherwise it will be bad for me and for the City of Shadows.

Andre thought for a moment in silence and nodded understandingly. He said, "I see. My older brother was just asking about it. I will explain it to him later."

"Thank you," Han Shuo said and left the arena.

A moment later, Ralph had also come out of the arena. The normally bold and tough face was now pale and colourless. He was like a terminally ill patient. Even walking seemed exhausting. After watching for a while, Andre couldn't help but ask, "Ralph, would you like me to carry you instead?"