Chapter 38: The Imperial Journey, Section 4

What kind of battle counts as exciting?
I’m sure there are a hundred different answers among a hundred people. But one thing is universally agreed upon: it must be thrilling.
Especially in this brutal arena, where the audience is already accustomed to intense battles. Trying to win cheers with courtly performances is nothing but fantasy. Fortunately, neither of the two fighters stepping into the arena was used to performing.
Siget stood two meters tall, his body covered in bulging muscles, his massive frame resembling that of a giant bear. As soon as he entered the arena, cheers erupted. Especially when he took off his coat, his steel-like muscles, forged through years of training, ignited the enthusiasm of the crowd. As regulars of the arena, they could tell that those muscles weren’t the result of indulgence but were developed for combat. Under the bright lights of the arena, they even reflected a steel-like sheen, proving just how tough they were. Siget lived up to expectations—he drew a giant double-handed axe that was five meters long!!
At five meters long, the blade alone accounted for half of that length. The massive head of the axe was even larger than the biggest millstone Blackhair had ever seen. Just this axe weighed at least 500 pounds. It was hard to imagine it could be wielded as easily as a straw. On its sharp blade, traces of blood were visible, and as soon as the axe was drawn, a fierce killing aura spread out from Siget. The audience in the closest seats immediately cried out in shock. Many shuddered.
Without saying a word, Siget swung the axe horizontally. The huge axe spun in his hand like a straw before crashing down before him. The hard rocky ground let out a shrill groan, and a deep crack appeared before everyone’s eyes.
The screams vanished instantly, and the entire arena fell silent. All the audience stared wide-eyed at the massive man in the arena. A strong scent of blood emanated from him, making it hard to look directly at him. They waited, awaiting the terrifying man’s declaration of battle.
“Beck, since this is a contest, I won’t bully you. This axe weighs 736 pounds and is forged from high-purity Skart stone. In my hands, it can easily tear through any armor—even a battleship. Since this is a man’s fight, I won’t hold back. To earn my respect, prove yourself by conquering me!!”

With lofty words, Siget proudly raised his chin. At that moment, he seemed like a completely different person—no longer showing the respect and courtesy from before. Instead, there was a powerful sense of confidence and fighting spirit. Though only two meters tall, in the eyes of everyone present, he appeared taller than ancient giants. Holding that terrifying axe in one hand, it seemed as though he could truly cut through any obstacle.

The silent arena was instantly ignited. The spectators’ wild screams pierced the sky. They shouted frantically, throwing everything in their hands into the air. Even the most reserved noblewomen were no exception. In their bloodshot eyes, there was only that giant-like figure.

Siget, the supreme commander of the empire’s most powerful private fleet, truly possessed endless personal charm. His rough and direct actions turned the entire arena into a powder keg!!

“A man’s battle”—what a great slogan. But hidden beneath it, could there also be the screams of countless souls?

Blackhair smiled faintly as he stepped down from the stands. He was so calm that there wasn’t the slightest change throughout the whole time. It was as if he were just an ordinary person taking a walk after dinner. The extremely noisy spectators didn’t even notice his presence until he entered the arena, when they seemed to finally take notice of him.

Unlike Siget’s wild and rough demeanor, Blackhair exuded silence—absolute silence.

No aggressive actions. No fierce words. Not even the slightest emotional fluctuation. At this moment, Blackhair resembled less a living being and more a machine—a machine created purely for killing. Beneath his calm exterior, his fierce killing intent was hidden almost perfectly. Even Siget, who was right beside him, couldn’t detect it. But when he saw Blackhair’s deep eyes, for some reason, a cold chill suddenly arose in his heart.

It was as if he were looking at a venomous snake.

Under everyone’s gaze, Blackhair stood quietly, slowly raising his hands. Then, in front of Siget, his fingers gradually clenched together, eventually forming a pair of… fists.

“Rather than trust my weapons, I trust my fists more. I remember reading a book a long time ago. There was a very unlucky man in it—full of setbacks throughout his life. Though he possessed the greatest power in the world, he couldn’t even protect his own woman. Yet everyone had to admit he was a strong man. That’s why I still remember one thing he said to this day.”
He spoke calmly, his black hair by no means as wild as Xiget’s earlier. But his words carried a soul-stirring power. Even the tempted Xiget grew interested and asked eagerly, “What did he say?”
“A fist is power! A man can’t go a day without money, and a great man can’t go a day without power. I only trust my fists because they have strength. This kind of strength is called fist power!!”
“What’s this about fist power…?” Xiget was completely confused by the black-haired man’s words. Clearly, even if translated, the profound language of Huaguo was beyond his understanding.
Seeing him fumbling, the black-haired man smiled faintly.
“You don’t need to understand. Because you’ll see it soon!!”
He stepped forward. Before his words faded, he had already crossed the ten-meter gap between them. Twisting his waist, he took a step forward and threw a punch!!
A straight punch!!
A simple straight punch, nothing fancy at all. Yet just that one punch turned Xiget’s face pale. Because he clearly heard an explosive roar in the air as the fist appeared—the sound of breaking the sound barrier!! His pupils shrank sharply. Without even a chance to hesitate, Xiget quickly raised his massive double-handed axe in front of him. His keen nerves, honed by years of combat, told him it was extremely dangerous. In an instant, his hair stood on end.
“Bang!!”
To the spectators outside, the loud noise was accompanied only by two figures briefly touching each other. But for Xiget, it was completely different. Amid the deafening roar, he felt as if he had been struck hard by a high-speed hammer. A tremendous force surged along the axe, making it nearly impossible for him to hold on. His arms went numb instantly, and staggering backward like a drunk, Xiget kept retreating.

One step, two steps, three steps. Each step left deep footprints on the hard rocky ground. Siget tried hard to control his body but couldn’t free himself. His eyes were wide as bells—he could hardly believe what he had just encountered.
Power!! It was absolute, unparalleled power!!
Unimaginable—power that could make even someone who revered strength like him tremble, coming from this Borclan man before him. Though he seemed even more muscular than Siget, Siget remembered that the Borclan were known for their cowardice. Their strength wasn’t even enough to kill a mutated chick.
Unforgivable! Truly unforgivable!!
In an instant, fury erupted from Siget’s heart. He couldn’t bear the fact that he had been forced back by these cowardly Borclan. With a loud roar, he thrust his giant axe into the ground, the massive blade sinking deep into the rock. Two opposing forces immediately stabilized his body, but at the cost of severe pain in his arms.
Just one strike. Siget knew his arm muscles must be strained.
But what he didn’t expect was that Blackhair wouldn’t stop there.
Unlike the Moorclan’s deeply ingrained fighting spirit, Blackhair revered blows as fierce as storms. He didn’t care whether he was breaking rules, because his battles had no rules at all. As long as he could knock down his opponent, he was the rule!!
So while Siget struggled to stabilize himself, his figure cut through the almost stagnant air between them, reappearing in front of the bald man. With a light kick from his right foot, it landed precisely on the giant axe embedded in the rock.
To be fair, compared to Blackhair’s earlier punch, this kick’s strength seemed negligible. But unfortunately, at that moment, the giant axe was Siget’s support for stability. Blackhair’s kick hit right on that support. Though the force wasn’t great, it had a miraculous effect—the massive axe was suddenly flung backward by Blackhair’s kick, aimed straight at its owner.
What a Siget—truly a seasoned warrior. The moment Blackhair’s figure wavered, he sensed something was wrong. Seeing his own axe swing toward him, he remained calm, shifting slightly to avoid the sharp blade. At the same time, he applied slight force to the axe handle, using it to spin the giant axe like a windmill. It traced a huge arc before swinging down in a fierce arc at the figure before him!!

“Boom!!” Terrifying power combined with immense inertia. The giant axe was utterly unstoppable. Under the gaze of countless spectators, it broke free from the constraints of time and space and slammed down on the black-haired figure. A deafening explosion echoed, with countless cracks spreading out like a spider web. Massive rocks flew everywhere, and the entire arena was covered in dust.
Outside the arena, Grand Duke Tarot and Miss Veri paled instantly and stood up abruptly.