Chapter22-The Arena Battle Begins

"Both of you, that's all you've got?"

Above the Tower, in the sky!

Catalina wiped a trace of blood from the corner of her mouth, her sky-blue eyes brimming with battle spirit!

But before her, CartSandra and Leonard were already covered in wounds, their expressions extremely grim.

Everyone knew Catalina was powerful; it was a near-universal consensus. At just over three hundred years old, she had already broken through to the Sage-tier, making her one of the most extraordinary individuals in the world. Yet, Sandra had still miscalculated.

She hadn't expected Catalina to be this strong!

Even with Sandra and Leonard teaming up two-on-one, they hadn't gained a single advantage over Catalina. Instead, they were being forced back step by step, both seriously injured, even their mana cores affected!

And Catalina? She had only suffered superficial injuries that would heal in no time!

"Sandra, I've given you many chances. Now, I'm willing to give you one more. It doesn't matter if you refuse to help me or if you abandon your students. But if you dare to stop me again, you'll face the consequences!

And you, Leonard, you're not young anymore, yet your skills have hardly improved. Isn't it time for you to step down and let someone more capable lead Fenrir Academy's students? At your level, aren't you just holding them back?

If you both continue to oppose me, be prepared to leave your lives here. Otherwise, get out!"

Sandra had nothing to say.

Ganging up on someone was disgraceful enough, but now they had been thoroughly beaten by Catalina. Staying here would only bring them ridicule. Sandra stopped trying to argue, turned around, and tore open a space rift, disappearing into it.

Seeing this, Leonard also retreated quickly, unwilling to remain Catalina's enemy, and vanished in an instant.

Watching them go, Catalina finally let out a breath of relief.

Fighting two Sage-tier opponents on her own was no easy feat. From the start, she had fought with the determination to risk everything, which gave her the upper hand.

If all three of them had gone all out, the outcome would have been uncertain. But Sandra and Leonard couldn't fully trust each other, each holding back some of their strength to guard against the other. This gave Catalina an opening to exploit.

"Still, it seems that a few presences have already entered the Tower. I wonder how Owen is doing..."

As she spoke, Catalina waved her hand. The pendant on her chest began to expand until it transformed into a staff, floating before her. Catalina's red lips parted, uttering a series of obscure notes. When her chant ended, the magic circle burst into a dazzling light, and a beam shot skyward, forcibly sealing the ever-expanding space vortex!

"Owen, the rest is up to you. Please, return safely..."

...

"Winner, Kris."

"Oh, ho! Three wins in a row, Kris, nice!"

"Of course, who do you think I am? I'm the strongest... uh, second strongest genius in Ascended Dimension history!"

"Come on, it's only because the opponents were weak that you got those three wins. Weren't you supposed to give up quickly so I could have some fun?"

Kris smugly raised his chin, slamming his greatsword onto the arena floor, and arrogantly declared, "Next! Who's coming next to challenge me?"

Compared to Kris's high spirits, Owen's side felt a bit gloomy.

In the last three matches, they had barely gained any advantage. In the first battle, Andrew and Kris fought fiercely for nearly fifty rounds, but Kris eventually found an opening and kicked Andrew out of the ring.

The next two participants didn't even last ten rounds before Kris easily kicked them out.

The difference in levels was indeed a difficult gap to bridge!

Noticing Owen's expression, Farms sighed and grumbled, "What are you all doing? Moping around? We lost, so what? We still have our leader, don't we?

Have you forgotten our goal? Do everything you can to weaken their strength. As long as we achieve that, what does it matter if we lose? The level difference is real, no shame in that!

I'll go next! Andrew, brother, let me avenge you!"

"Farms..."

Hearing this, Andrew felt even more ashamed.

This was his plan, yet after losing so decisively, Andrew felt a deep sense of frustration.

"I'm sorry, I let you down."

"Nothing to be sorry about. I'm still here. Just do your best."

Owen patted Andrew on the shoulder, then handed the staff, [Perlina's Tears of the Water Dragon], to Farms, saying solemnly, "No pressure."

"Don't worry, Chief. I'm not feeling any pressure. Whether I win or not, I'll make sure to tear a chunk out of him first!"

Farms grinned, transforming into a mist as he flew to the arena. He tapped the staff in his hand, a gleam of affection in his eyes.

"State your name, challenger."

"You don't deserve to know my name. Just remember that I'm here to defeat you, and that's all you need to know!"

"Hahaha! I like your attitude! Bring it on!"

Kris let out a loud shout, drawing his greatsword and swinging it forcefully. Intense flames instantly ignited on the blade!

[Formation Breaker·Flame Breath!]

[Sighing Water Prison!]

With a roar, Kris charged forward, dragging the greatsword behind him. But Farms remained unflustered, slamming his staff down as the surrounding mist condensed into a water sphere, enveloping Kris and extinguishing the flames on his sword!

Immediately after, Farms continued chanting, and behind him, a massive wave suddenly rose, forming a dragon that rushed toward Kris!

Seeing this, Kris's eyes lit up, his fighting spirit surging!

[Limit Release·Flame Burst!]

Boom!

A muffled explosion echoed as the water prison shattered. The armor on Kris's body was scorched red by the flames, his red hair seeming to truly catch fire, whipping wildly in the wind.

[Overlimit·Burn!]

Kris plunged his greatsword into the ground, his mana surging. Flames erupted from beneath his feet, growing fiercer and fiercer, like a storm, colliding with the water dragon!

The resulting steam explosion scattered in all directions, obscuring the view of the spectators. Owen closed his eyes slowly, exhaling deeply.

"The outcome is decided."

Indeed, the outcome was decided.

The steam explosion's impact sent Kris and Farms flying hundreds of meters away. Kris was knocked out of the arena, while Farms, using his [Misting] skill, managed to stay on the platform!

"Winner, Farms!"

"Hahaha! Using such a method, that was incredibly clever!"

Even though he was knocked out, Kris wasn't discouraged. He sat on the ground, clapping in admiration for Farms' strategy.

"Causing a steam explosion to knock me out while using Misting to stay on the platform—your strength may be lacking, but your mind is sharp! I lost, damn, I thought I could win another match."

Kris shrugged, removed a flame-shaped badge from his chest, and tossed it to Farms with a smile, "My name is Kris, Kris Tark. It was a pleasure fighting you."

"Farms, just Farms."

"This badge is yours, a token of your victory. I hope we can fight again someday."

"Next time, I won't hold back."

Farms reached out, catching the badge in his hand, and smiled. "Next!"

"Hahaha! Finally, my turn! Here I come!"

No sooner had Farms spoken than a figure emerged from Farms' shadow. Seeing this, Farms narrowed his eyes, his expression unchanged, though he felt troubled inside.

You could say that those who specialized in shadow magic were nearly Farms' nemesis!

These rats hiding in the shadows were nearly impossible to deal any significant damage to, no matter what methods you used. The only magic that countered shadow magic was probably blood magic, a type of demotion magic that didn't affect the environment but directly targeted the opponent's body. Once hit, no matter where you hid, the effects couldn't be mitigated.

Unfortunately, Farms wasn't a blood mage.

"Hello Farms, I'm Thomson. It's a pleasure to fight you!"

"Save those words for after you've been defeated."

"Hahaha! Are you always this straightforward? I bet you and Kris would get along great! But... I won't go easy on you like Kris did!"