When the pack of wolves appeared, the cheers from the audience grew even louder. They seemed eager—almost desperate—to watch the man before them get torn into bloody shreds.
However, as the wolves lunged at him, Duanmu Huai simply stood where he was. Then he drew in a deep breath—
"GET LOST!!!"
The next instant, a roar like thunder exploding across flat earth surged out from his chest, echoing throughout the entire arena. The force of the roar alone sent several wolves at the front crashing to the ground—blood spurting from their noses and mouths as they convulsed violently.
They had been killed—
By a single shout.
The remaining wolves shrank back in terror. Tails tucked between their legs, they scuttled away, trembling violently as they hid in the corners. Their previous savagery was gone—replaced entirely by whimpering fear. Some even collapsed where they stood, their legs giving out as they wet themselves.
The audience erupted in shock and disbelief.
But the organizers clearly weren't done yet.
Another section of the wall opened, and a massive tiger strode out. It lifted its head and unleashed a roar so loud the air seemed to shake. Then, the tiger locked its burning gaze onto Duanmu Huai and slowly stepped toward him—it could sense clearly that the greatest danger in this arena wasn't any wolf.
It was the man.
Yet even with a tiger approaching, Duanmu Huai showed not even a hint of fear. He clenched his fists, his muscles tightening as he glared coldly at the beast. In his eyes, even a tiger was nothing more than prey to be hunted.
The tiger, on the other hand, felt a tremendous threat radiating from him. Its fur bristled, its body crouched low, emitting a deep, warning growl.
For a moment, the two stared each other down.
Then the tiger roared and leapt—
Its paw, larger than a human face, swung violently toward Duanmu Huai's skull.
One hit, and his head would explode like a watermelon.
"Hah!!"
But Duanmu Huai didn't evade. He roared back, driving a fist straight into the tiger's chest at the exact same moment the beast's claws smacked into his face.
The crowd cheered—
Only for their cheers to choke in their throats.
Because the next moment, the tiger toppled over, curling up in agony from the impact.
While Duanmu Huai—
Whose head had just been smashed by a tiger—
Walked forward unharmed.
He straddled the tiger's body and sat down heavily on its back.
Then, grabbing its head—
He started punching.
Hard.
BANG! BANG! BANG!!
Each punch hammered the tiger's skull into the dirt. The tiger writhed wildly, claws scraping furrows into the ground, its tail whipping desperately as it tried to shake off the man atop its back.
But Duanmu Huai sat unmoving—like a mountain.
Then he grabbed a fistful of the tiger's fur, yanked its head up—
And punched it square in the mouth.
"RAWWWL!!"
The tiger's scream echoed through the entire arena as its teeth shattered, scattering like broken porcelain. Pain drove it into even more frantic thrashing—
But Duanmu Huai had already moved.
He shoved both hands into the tiger's jaws, gripping its upper palate.
Then he pulled.
"RIIIIIP!!"
And tore off the upper half of the tiger's skull in one brutal motion.
"OOOOOOOOHHHH!!!!!"
The stadium exploded. People screamed, staggered, stared with wide, trembling eyes.
Even Honoka, standing afar, was completely frozen.
She always knew Duanmu Huai was strong, but—
This?!
He killed a tiger bare-handed.
Tore its skull in half.
Was that even something a human could do?!
After throwing the tiger's skull to the floor, the metal gates around the arena rose back up. Duanmu Huai turned and walked toward Honoka.
As he approached, the announcer resumed speaking:
"Ladies and gentlemen! This contestant has proven his might through sheer strength. Therefore—we welcome him to the Battle God Championship!!"
"OOOOOOHHHHH!!!"
This time, the cheers weren't for the tournament.
They were for him—the terrifyingly powerful man.
Clap clap clap clap.
As Duanmu Huai returned to the passageway, the blond man greeted him with a smile.
"Marvelous, sir. Truly marvelous. I expected you to pass the test—but I did not expect you to pass it like that. Perhaps you truly do have the potential to obtain the Battle God Power and rule this city."
Duanmu Huai ignored the compliment.
"Now can I enter the tournament?"
"Of course. This is your entry form. Ah, one more thing—in this place, real names are not used. Please write the alias you wish to go by."
"Hmm…"
Duanmu Huai took the paper, glanced at it, wrote down a few characters, and handed it back.
The blond man read the alias.
"Let's see here… uh… Pink Little Bunny? Are you sure this is the name you want?"
He stared at the paper, then at Duanmu Huai, looking utterly confused.
Duanmu Huai lifted an eyebrow.
"Got a problem with it?"
"N-no, of course not…"
He quickly turned away.
"Follow me. It's time for the drawing of lots."
Duanmu Huai and Honoka followed him into a large hall, already filled with people.
When the others saw Duanmu Huai enter, many turned hostile gazes toward him.
They had likely watched his test battle on the large screens.
And now knew this man would be one of the most terrifying opponents in the tournament.
These weren't ordinary people—each radiated murderous intent.
Honoka hid behind Duanmu Huai, shaking.
But Duanmu Huai simply crossed his arms and glared back.
To him, all of them were nothing more than lambs waiting for slaughter.
And honestly—they were.
And come to think of it… there were quite a few familiar faces.
Duanmu Huai scanned the hall, spotting NPCs he recognized from the game.
So THAT'S where you all disappeared to—you ran here instead of the Duel Tournament.
Some he knew only by reputation… but then—
Hmm?
His gaze stopped on one figure.
Nearly every contestant was paired with a partner—
Only a few competitors were alone, meaning they were women entering solo.
But—
That one?
That one was definitely a man!
Carrying a sword, with short red hair and sharp, handsome features, the "woman" stood alone.
Duanmu Huai's eye twitched.
He knew exactly who this was—
"Godslayer" Celica.
A powerful swordsman cursed to share a body with a goddess.
When mana was plentiful: male.
When mana was depleted: female.
This… headache-inducing being.
Seriously, how did the organizers let this gender-chimera sign up?!
But he held back from commenting.
This was, after all, a secret setting only uncovered by unfortunate players after being tricked by Celica.
One poor guy had even tried to romance "her," only to discover the truth later.
Tragic.
As for the organizers… they probably just saw "a woman" and accepted it.
Well, Celica was likely here for the Battle God Power too.
As long as they weren't matched together, Duanmu Huai didn't care.
Whoever ended up facing him would just be unlucky.
And not his problem.
"Duanmu-san!!"
Honoka tugged his sleeve urgently.
"Over there—Mary! Mary's over there!"
"Oh?"
Following her direction, Duanmu Huai spotted Mary Rose.
She wore a black-and-white maid uniform that fit her surprisingly well.
But she was lifeless—eyes empty, head bowed, expression blank.
Beside her stood a tall, thin man with a buzz cut and sunglasses—indoors.
He looked extremely plain.
"What do we do, Duanmu-san?"
"No rush. We'll see how things play out."
To avoid drawing suspicion, Duanmu Huai only glanced briefly before looking away.
"All right then, everyone!"
The blond man clapped loudly, drawing attention.
"Now that all contestants are gathered, we'll proceed with the lottery to determine matchups. Please step forward one at a time and draw a number."
One by one, contestants approached to draw.
Duanmu Huai didn't bother—he waited until the end and simply took the last number remaining.
"Tomorrow's first match: Number 19 versus Number 3!"
Number 3 was Duanmu Huai.
Number 19 was…
"Hahaha!! Watch closely! This will be the first step toward my domination of this city!!!"
The obnoxious laugh caught Duanmu Huai's attention.
He turned to see a tall (but shorter than Duanmu Huai) man with bushy sideburns and messy spiky hair, wearing a black jacket and white pants.
He pointed dramatically at Duanmu Huai.
"You hear me, Number 3?! Tomorrow, I'll show you my greatness!"
"That's fine, but…"
Rather than looking at the loud idiot, Duanmu Huai stared at the person beside him.
"Your partner… that's an elementary school kid. How is that allowed?"
The girl beside him had white twin-tailed hair, wore a sailor uniform, and looked maybe twelve at best.
This was a crime.
A very blatant crime.
"Who are you calling an elementary schooler?"
The white-haired girl glared back.
"I'm already thirteen!"
"That's barely any different!!"
Couldn't the organizers at least enforce an age minimum?
What next—old grandmothers joining the tournament?
"That's none of your concern."
The bushy-haired man swung his arm arrogantly.
"Because tomorrow, victory will be mine! Your woman will become MY trophy! And not just her—once I gain the Battle God Power, every woman in Duel City will be MINE! Hahahaha!! I'll be the strongest king this city has ever seen!! And YOU—will be the first stepping stone beneath my feet!! WAHAHAHAHA!!!"
"..."
Nope.
There was no point talking to idiots.
Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes and turned away.
"We're going."
"Ah—yes…"
Honoka quickly followed.
From a shadowed corner, Mary Rose slowly lifted her head.
Her eyes trembled when she saw their backs.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
The sunglasses man beside her lowered his head to ask.
Mary quickly shook her own.
"N-Nothing."
But inside—
Her heart was in turmoil.
Why… why are they here?!
(End of Chapter)