Ashes
Caesar pushed his limits, using the last of his strength. Swiftly evading, he maneuvered behind the demon with a sheep's head. With a firm grip, he seized the demon's arms, then delivered a powerful kick to the waist of the goat-headed creature.
The force of Caesar's kick sent the goat-headed demon lurching forward, arms flailing back as it dropped to one knee. Sensing impending danger, the sheep-headed demon whipped its head around, eyes wide with terror. "What are you planning?" it cried out to Caesar.
"I intend to test whether who among us can last longer." Caesar declared resolutely.
Channeling the divine power he had stored, Caesar invoked the might of the sun.
A formidable energy gathered, flames descended from above - Solar Flare. targeting him directly.
The sheep-headed demon struggled against its injuries, unable to break free, forced to join Caesar in bracing against the onslaught of solar power.
Caesar gritted his teeth as the third-tier divine power proved insufficient to shield him completely from the Sun's wrath. His skin flushed crimson under the intense heat, and golden droplets of blood trickled from his wounds.
In an instant, the blood evaporated, leaving Caesar in pain, while the sheep-headed demon fell silent, its voice extinguished like a snuffed candle. Starting with its wings and continuing down to its very core, the demon was gradually consumed by the searing power of the sun until nothing remained but a wisp of black aura, dispersed by the wind.
"Indeed, not even the ashes remain," Caesar remarked solemnly, retracting the solar onslaught. His body bore the marks of his ordeal, cracked and scorched like burnt stone, a testament to his severe injuries. Yet, despite the pain, Caesar stood tall in the arena, raising his battered hands in triumph to acknowledge the Grandmaster.
A hushed silence enveloped the crowd momentarily before erupting into thunderous cheers.
"Champion! Champion!"
"Praise the Sun God!"
Even the typically stoic Scarface fighter couldn't contain his excitement, cheering along with the rest, whether in celebration of the new champion or his newfound riches.
Valina paid her respects to Grandmaster, with a constant wave of her left hand.
Grandmaster, on the other hand, didn't pause, continuing to pour fine wine into his mouth.
"The championship bout just now was so intense, I barely had a chance to take a sip," he remarked.
"If you don't indulge now, you'll miss out on the exquisite Zacate wine later," he advised Valina.
The Grandmaster's attention shifted to Caesar, who greeted him. In a burst of excitement, he leaped up, applauding vigorously while shouting,
"Marvelous! Absolutely marvelous! I'm thrilled to witness the birth of our new champion!"
"Let's get moving," he urged, "We need to commission a portrait of our new champion immediately, and we'll add an extra level to the champion building."
"Contact the Tiffany Group right away," he instructed, "I can't wait to see our champion standing tall!"
With a dance-like motion, the master directed his subordinates. Then, as if remembering something important, he added,
"Send someone quickly to tend to our champion's wounds. We can't have our champion injured after such a victory!"
As Caesar listened to the master's words about the new champion, he felt as if he was being drawn into the heart of the sun.
But instead of scorching heat, it was a gentle warmth, like soaking in a hot spring, instantly washing away his exhaustion.
A faint golden aura emanated from Caesar's body, swiftly traversing his entire being. It was fleeting, yet the sun in the sky seemed to mirror the same subtle glow.
The silent ascension to fourth-order divine power was a testament to Caesar's promotion.
Paramedics rushed onto the field to attend to Caesar's injuries, but he waved them off, shaking his head.
"No need," he assured them.
Using his divine power, Caesar's entire body shed its red dead skin with a piercing screech. Before the discarded skin could even hit the ground, it was incinerated into ashes by the sudden emergence of a subtle golden flame. Thanks to the heightened cell activity and the nourishment from the fourth-order solar power, Caesar's injuries swiftly began to heal.
With the battle concluded, Caesar wasted no time basking in the cheers of the audience. Instead, he swiftly exited the arena, maneuvering through the bustling crowd, and beckoned for Roar to follow him to Valina, where he was to meet the Grandmaster.
While not everyone could easily secure an audience with the Grandmaster, the Champion Warrior was an exception to this rule.
"Why, my finest champion fighter, are you in such a rush to see me that you bypass the honors awaiting you?" The Grandmaster greeted Caesar with an exaggerated smile.
"Didn't you claim last time that the Desert Lord was your top champion fighter?" Topaz couldn't resist revealing the master's falsehood once more.
The Grandmaster awkwardly winked at Caesar, who, lacking both the mood and the time to indulge the Grandmaster's antics, cut straight to the chase. "I need a sturdy spaceship to leave this place. Can you arrange that for me?"
The grandmaster's expression momentarily soured, but he quickly plastered on another exaggerated smile. "Well, my champion, if that's your wish, I see no reason to deny you! After all, I am the most scrupulous adherent to the rules of the game!"
"However, I must ask, why are you in such a hurry to depart Sakado? As champion, you're entitled to savor all the delights this realm has to offer!"
Indeed, the Grandmaster upheld the rules of the game faithfully, ensuring that the champion could safely depart Sakado. But as for remaining in Sakado and continuing his championship reign?
Aside from individuals like the sheep-headed demons who had been banished to this forsaken place, forgotten by the world, and reveled in bloodshed and violence, no one desired to linger in the brutal and chaotic realm of the Time Warp.
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