Chapter 211: First round 1

She made no move to retreat. Instead, she allowed them to come closer. It would be more efficient to finish them all at once.

Although their levels were in the 1200s — the same as hers — she could already tell from the weak killing intent leaking from their auras that they severely lacked real battle experience.

"Look who we have here?" one of the men commented with a smirk as the group closed in, already deciding on their next move.

"Why don’t you remove that veil of yours and show us your pretty face, woman?" another added with an ugly smile.

Although several of them harbored far worse intentions toward Rieka, they were well aware that the entire continent was watching — and that the Beast-Folk Emperor himself was present.

If they crossed a certain line in public, the consequences would be severe.

So their plan was simple. They would "kill" her within the rules of the match, while creating a few convenient "accidents" along the way to humiliate her.

What they didn’t know was that every one of their filthy intentions had already been exposed to Rieka through her skill.

Rage and disgust filled her chest.

"You made a terrible mistake by making me your target."

"What did—?"

The man never finished his sentence.

Rieka activated Fox Steps.

Her figure blurred with precise, high-speed movement that bordered on complete concealment. In the next instant, two heads were cleanly separated from their bodies before the formation’s light swallowed them and ejected the two contestants from the platform.

"What?!"

"What just happened?!"

The remaining three finally realized they had severely underestimated her. Without hesitation, they charged at her together.

Rieka, however, had no intention of ending them so quickly. She wanted them to feel at least a fraction of the pain.

Though she normally disliked such methods, these men reminded her far too much of the disgusting humans who once sold female members of her tribe as slaves.

Before their attacks could even land, her figure vanished once more.

"Where did she—?!"

"Wait... my han—!"

"Arrgghhhhh!!"

Screams of agony erupted as all three men suddenly found their arms severed. The surrounding contestants who had been watching the fight shuddered in fear.

The beast-folk woman’s methods were ruthless, and more than a few of them silently vowed never to approach her.

Rieka did not stop there.

While they were still screaming, she moved again and cleanly severed their legs as well.

"Did you like that?" she said in a cold yet beautiful voice filled with restrained rage. "This is how others felt when you tortured them."

Seeing that they were on the verge of passing out from the pain, she finally ended it. With three clean strikes, their heads were removed.

No blood spilled — the formation prevented that — but the pain had been completely real. The moment the three were ejected outside the platform, they collapsed unconscious. Medics immediately rushed over to check on them.

With her required kills completed, Rieka calmly returned to her position and stood silently, waiting for the round to end. If anyone else dared to approach her with ill intentions... she would deal with them the same way.

Across the arena, jaws dropped. She had been the first to eliminate opponents of equal level so effortlessly.

High in the VIP section, Jenna clapped her hands with a complicated expression.

"That’s my daughter-in-law... she really is fierce."

She still wasn’t sure how to feel about the brutality of the method, but she was relieved and proud that Rieka was strong enough to protect herself.

"She is really good," Edward agreed with a firm nod.

Velena watched with clear satisfaction.

"Lady Rieka did well. She didn’t even use half of her skills to finish them."

Nyxara’s expression remained calm. She had already witnessed Rieka’s strength during their training and was not surprised in the slightest.

"Leonis!" Vaorak Tigrath suddenly called out. Leonis immediately appeared before him and bowed slightly.

"Yes, Emperor."

Vaorak’s sharp eyes remained fixed on the platform below.

"Who is that girl? If I’m not mistaken... she’s a hybrid. Wolfkin, yet she also carries Fox-kin features."

His tone grew more serious.

"Her fighting skill is quite impressive. I want detailed information on her."

Leonis looked toward Rieka. He didn’t recognize her personally, but he knew that a beast-folk tribe resided within Frostholme under Duke Theodore’s territory. Still, he hadn’t expected someone of such talent to emerge from there.

"I don’t know much about her at the moment, but I will gather whatever information you require, Emperor."

"Good. I’ll be waiting."

Lyra and Draeven were also impressed. At such a young age, the girl already possessed solid battle skills, a sharp killing aura, and refined movement techniques.

What they failed to notice, however, was the rare reaction from the woman seated beside them. Aurora Elwyn’s eyes widened slightly as she muttered under her breath.

"She also has a spirit affinity... yet it’s different from mine. Hers is of only one kind, but it’s extremely strong... and it still feels like it hasn’t fully awakened yet."

On Platform 1...

Asia found herself in a situation similar to Rieka’s.

She was already surrounded by ten people, all of them higher in level than her. Yet there was not the slightest trace of panic on her face. Instead, she spoke in a calm, almost playful tone.

"And you people call yourselves men... surrounding a single woman in such a large group. Not that I’m complaining. I won’t even need to hunt for prey — you’ve already delivered yourselves to me."

Her words immediately ignited the group’s anger. Among them were three women who, though somewhat attractive, stood far below Asia’s level of beauty.

"Who are you calling ’men’?! Can’t you see we’re women?!" one of them snapped.

Asia chuckled lightly beneath her veil.

"Oh, I’m sorry... I genuinely thought you were men. Looking at how little you have to show, it was an easy mistake. Fufufu~"

"You bitch!!"

The three women cursed furiously. Two of them had rather flat chests, while the third was a heavily muscled woman who seemed to possess more strength than brains.

Jealousy burned clearly in their eyes — the reason they had joined the men in surrounding Asia in the first place.

"Kill her!" one of the more refined-looking women ordered coldly. "I’ll reward you handsomely."

Judging by her bearing, she clearly came from a wealthy background.

Hearing the promise of a reward, the remaining men — a mix of mercenaries and adventurers — immediately charged toward Asia.

Asia didn’t even bother drawing the sword her father had given her.

Instead, she simply extended her hand. In the blink of an eye, seven razor-sharp ice spears materialized out of thin air. The charging men instinctively halted for a fraction of a second, startled by the sudden appearance of the weapons.

That brief hesitation was fatal.

A dense, bone-chilling icy aura erupted from Asia’s body. Before any of them could react, the seven spears shot forward and pierced cleanly through their heads, eliminating them in an instant.

"Sigh... what fools," Asia muttered calmly as her gaze shifted toward the three remaining women.

Their jaws hung open in pure horror. High above, Lyra Emberis’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"What dense icy aura... it’s comparable to the intensity of my own flames," she said aloud, clearly surprised.

"What? Really?" Draeven turned toward her in shock.

Vaorak Tigrath also leaned forward with interest.

"Who is she? Which family does she belong to?"

Because this was only the first elimination round, Slickmouth had not yet begun detailed commentary on individual contestants.

For now, everyone was still known only by their numbers. That was the nature of the Proving round — raw strength and survival came first.

Leonis, who was still standing near the higher seats, quickly seized the opportunity. Chances to speak directly with Emperor-level figures were rare, and he had no intention of wasting one.

"She is the daughter of Duke Theodore Frost of my kingdom," he answered respectfully.

**

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