Chapter 38: The Empire Journey, Section 5

Xigait’s power is comparable to that of a mammoth—such a fierce strike. Will Beck die?
Although they had long admitted Beck’s strength, neither the Grand Duke of Tarot nor Miss Veri could help but think of him as that humble and polite merchant. In the face of Xigait’s brutal attack, could their merchant still rely on his invincible luck to survive as before?
No one knew. Yet amidst the chaos, the blond youth and the assassin girl both let out a soft exclamation, a glint appearing in their eyes.
The dust raised by the axe quickly dissipated, clearing the air. Only then did everyone realize that there was no trace of the person in the huge crater left by the axe.
Had he been shattered? That seemingly powerful Pole?
Chatter arose among the crowd as spectators whispered among themselves, but none could spot that figure. In the vast arena, it seemed as though the Pole had completely disappeared.
Only Xigait remained motionless, like a stone statue.
It wasn’t that he chose to stay still. As his dark-haired opponent, he felt something entirely different from the spectators outside. To them, it might have seemed strange, but he sensed danger—extreme danger that made his hair stand on end.
That mighty axe swing might have seemed thrilling to outsiders, but he knew it hadn’t hit him at all. He didn’t feel the blade piercing flesh; instead, he sensed only the vibration of rocks breaking apart. Yet the oppressive pressure from that damned Pole hadn’t diminished in the slightest.
There was no one around, but Xigait was certain the Pole was lurking somewhere, waiting for him to show a flaw so he could kill him with those terrifyingly powerful fists.
This was no longer a fight. As the atmosphere grew tense, Xigait realized it was more dangerous than any battle he had ever faced. That seemingly harmless Pole was like a venomous snake, filling him with dread. He dared not relax his guard for even a moment. The growing pressure nearly drove him mad.
An invisible enemy was the most dangerous of all. Xigait understood this well. That’s why he couldn’t move—any movement would reveal a flaw, any movement could invite a devastating strike. Though his current posture was exhausting and awkward, he had no choice but to hold on.

Yet Siget was confident in his endurance. He believed he could hold on until Beck lost patience. After all, he had once stayed motionless in the snow for five days and nights just to catch a sly snow fox. And during organized raids, it was “all too common” to wait ten days or even half a month for prey.

Time passed slowly, and the low murmurs gradually turned into arguments, which then evolved into protests. The spectators outside finally lost patience and began shouting angrily. These voices merged together, growing louder and louder, until they formed a unified roar.

Duke Taro gave Veri a wry smile. “It seems I can’t rely on that Venus. As long as Siget doesn’t embarrass me too much.”

“He won’t disappoint you, Father,” replied Miss Veri.

The situation changed the moment those words were spoken.

In the field littered with debris, Siget, who had seemed like a stone statue, suddenly moved. With a thunderous roar, the muscles in his right arm tensed. The heavy axe, as if given life, leaped out of the stone pit and swung toward Siget’s back without a second glance. The fierce wind generated by the massive axe blade was as sharp as a blade itself, lifting rocks over dozens of meters in radius. Visibly, a bright white crescent appeared behind Siget.

“Right here!! Kid, take this axe!”

With a wild roar, Siget’s crescent strike was incredibly sharp, seemingly unstoppable. The bald man was confident—using such a strike, he had split a complete self-propelled armor in two. That boy from the Bor tribe would likely not be any tougher than the armor.

Just as he expected, as the crescent advanced, the ground behind him suddenly erupted, and a figure leaped out. Wasn’t it black hair? Unfortunately, right in front of the leaping figure, the sharp crescent was heading straight for it. Before anyone could see his face, a shrill cracking sound filled the air. His thin figure seemed to be pulled apart by two invisible giants, splitting into two in an instant!!

“Great!!!” Cheers erupted from the audience!!

“Not good!!” That was Duke Taro and Miss Veri’s voices. But their voices were too faint amid the roaring crowd; no one else besides the two of them could hear them. Unnoticed, the blond youth and the assassin girl exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of concern in each other’s eyes.

It seems that Grand Duke Tarot and Miss Veri are both very concerned about that Baker. Yet they still want to gain Baker’s loyalty under such circumstances. Is the big boss behind them a bit delusional?

As for whether Baker is dead—come on. They’re not that old fool Grand Duke Tarot, nor that innocent girl Veri. If they can’t even tell the difference between a real person and a puppet, it’s better for them to just go hit a wall.

Indeed, that figure split in half by the crescent moon was actually just a piece of clothing.

The battle situation changed rapidly, and Siget, who was in the midst of it, clearly noticed this anomaly. But the strength required to swing the crescent moon was enormous; even though he knew he had missed his target, he couldn’t bring back that massive axe filled with inertia! He could only watch helplessly as the two pieces of black cloth flew farther and farther away, while feeling the terrifying killing intent erupting beneath his feet!

“Boom!!”

A deafening explosion erupted around Siget, with the rocky ground within dozens of meters bursting apart. Rock fragments the size of fists flew everywhere. Amidst the smoke, an iron fist suddenly shot up from the ground and slammed into Siget’s sole. Siget felt as if he had been hit by a warship, losing all control of his balance. The terrifying force from below sent him soaring into the air. As he tumbled around, Siget saw that figure crawling out from beneath him.

Baker!!

You actually managed to hide right beneath my feet!! His eyes widened in disbelief. The arena’s ground was made of rock—blackstone, the strongest material in the universe, so hard that even self-propelled armor could hardly damage it. How could this guy hide so easily? And was his method of knocking him away just that raised left fist?

His mind raced, but Siget couldn’t stabilize himself. The sudden surge of power beneath his feet made his usually agile body stiffen. All he could do was grip tightly onto his massive axe and take one last look at the figure below.

Hm? A slight curl of his lips, white teeth—was he mocking me?

His raised left fist still hadn’t come down, and his black hair was now in disarray. Not only was it covered in grayish stone dust, but he had also discarded his clothes to lure the enemy. Now, wearing only shorts, his appearance was pitiful. Yet the smile on his face made everyone who could see it shudder with fear.

That was clearly the gaze only the cruelest gladiators, accustomed to seeing blood, could possess.
“I only trust my fists because they have power. That power is called fist strength!!”
Muttering to himself, the black-haired man suddenly crouched down. In the next moment, his suddenly tensed muscles provided him with tremendous strength. With a fierce push off the ground, he leaped over five meters high like a rocket, catching up to the bald man in mid-air in the blink of an eye.
What a Siget—still not giving up despite such unfavorable circumstances. Facing the suddenly appearing figure, he didn’t panic but instead calmed down. Placing both hands on the axe handle, he took advantage of another opportunity to roll and suddenly let out a loud roar. That brilliant crescent shape reappeared before everyone’s eyes.
“Beautiful!!!” Cheers erupted from the audience. Almost all of them praised Siget’s reaction. Despite being at such a disadvantage, he still remembered to fight back. His tenacious performance had won the respect of all the spectators. In their eyes, this fight was truly a real gladiatorial battle—where victory and death, success and failure, were indistinguishable.
Even in the black-haired man’s eyes, a hint of admiration flashed by.
The crescent formed by the massive axe blade was incredibly sharp. The black-haired man didn’t think his body could withstand it. But he was no longer the same as before. After being completely freed from the constraints on his heart, what had he gained was far more than just strength.
“I possess something unique!!” It was as if he were declaring his pride. Suddenly, the black-haired man did something no one could believe. He raised his left hand and, ignoring the razor-sharp crescent, swung it fiercely. With a shrill clash of metal, his thin body engaged in direct combat with the crescent. Though still pushed back by it, he didn’t fall from the air as expected. Instead, he performed a high-speed spin, his thin body tracing a strange arc through the air before suddenly appearing behind Siget!!
“Wait… what are you doing??”
Siget finally showed a look of shock. But before he could react, a pair of arms—not particularly thick but extremely strong—reached out from behind him and firmly wrapped around his waist. Then, a tremendous force twisted him around, sending him headfirst toward the ground…
“Damn it… it’s wrestling!? Spiral pile-driving!??”

These were Siget’s last thoughts before falling into a coma.