Chapter 216: Limit-Breaking Round

Passing the first round was already a significant achievement — they now stood as the one hundred strongest youths of the human continent.

Yet none of them could afford to celebrate for long. The second round still awaited them, and one thing was already clear...

The competition would only grow far more difficult from here.

Soon after, the Colosseum began to empty. Everyone already knew the tournament would last several days, so most of the people of other kingdoms had arranged their accommodations in advance.

The Beast-Folk Emperor, along with the other high-level figures — including Lady Aurora, the kings of the neighboring kingdoms, and their royal families — would naturally stay at the King’s castle.

It was the only place in the Kingdom of Aureth large and prestigious enough to properly host them.

After leaving the arena, Nova returned to the Frost Mansion with everyone. And Bai Chen had returned to the Twilight Order’s barracks.

That evening, they shared a pleasant dinner. Asia and Rieka took turns recounting everything that had happened during the first round from their perspectives.

Nova also shared a few things he had observed about the other strong contestants in the tournament. Surprisingly, none of them had encountered those top talents during the first round.

With that, the night passed.

....

The second day of the Empire’s Grand Youth Tournament arrived.

Once again, the Colosseum was packed to the brim, looking just as lively as the day before. The important guests arrived quickly, and the contestants had already gathered in the arena.

Across the entire continent, people were ready to watch the continuation of the tournament as cheers filled the air.

Leonis approached the Beast-Folk Emperor Vaorak and spoke respectfully."Emperor, I have gathered the information you requested about that girl."

"Hm... go on," Vaorak replied, his eyes already looking toward Rieka, who was standing in the arena beside Asia and the others.

Interestingly, the black-haired young man was also standing right next to the two talented girls.

"Her name is Rieka Vargirth. She comes from a small tribe located in Frostholme, within Duke Theodore Frost’s territory."

"Oh? Isn’t that rather coincidental... the same place the Frost girl is from?"

"It is exactly as you think, Emperor. I also found out that Asia Frost and Rieka Vargirth share a very intimate relationship with that black-haired young man. His name is Nova Valencrest."

"Ohh?"

Vaorak and the three figures beside him looked clearly amused by the information.

"Isn’t he quite the man?" Vaorak said with a laugh.

"Indeed," Draeven agreed.

Lyra and Aurora both glanced at Nova. They had previously found him interesting... but now they simply regarded him as another playboy.

"What’s his background to have a relationship with a duke’s daughter?" Draeven asked.

"He’s actually a commoner. His father is the Vice-Commander of the Night Order under Duke Theodore."

"That’s quite unexpected. For such talent to be born into a commoner family without any support is truly rare," Vaorak remarked.

Still, they didn’t think much of Nova. They had yet to witness the entire tournament, and in their eyes, he was simply a talented young man.

If they knew what Nova was truly capable of, however, their current understanding of him would not have remained the same.

Vaorak then continued in a more serious tone.

"Alright. I want to speak with that girl after the tournament. Arrange it for me. If she manages to secure a place in the top five... I’ll give her a special offer."

Leonis looked at him in mild surprise. Was the Beast-Folk Emperor seriously considering that? Still, he quickly nodded.

"Absolutely, Emperor."

With that, Leonis returned to his seat and sat down on his throne, casting a rather arrogant glance toward the other two kings.

Both of them looked visibly annoyed. Watching Leonis grow closer to Emperor-level figures left a bitter taste in their mouths.

They were also irritated by the fact that no Emperor-level powerhouse had attended the tournaments held in their own kingdoms. It felt truly unfair.

Just then, Slickmouth’s voice rang out once more. He wore the same yellow outfit as before, his red, spiky hair shining brightly under the daylight as he spoke in a loud voice.

[WELCOME BACK, EVERYONE, TO THE EMPIRE’S GRAND YOUTH TOURNAMENT!]

[This is the second day of the tournament, and today we will begin the second round... I hope all of you are excited!]

The audience immediately erupted into loud cheers, clearly showing just how eager they were to witness the continuation of the competition.

[Alright, alright, I can see how excited you all are... so without wasting any more time, let me explain what the second round will be about!]

The one hundred remaining contestants looked up at Slickmouth with mixed expressions, quietly waiting to hear the rules of the next round.

[The second round is called the ’Limit-Breaking Round’. In this round, you must break through your current limits to prove that you are true geniuses among all the youths of the human continent!]

[In this round... luck will become the biggest factor. Why am I saying that? It’s better to simply show you.]

At that moment, all one hundred contestants were already standing along the sides of the massive arena. As Slickmouth spoke, both the participants and the audience turned their eyes toward the center.

In the next instant, one hundred long and enormous lanes appeared across the arena floor. Each lane was separated by high, translucent walls formed from intricate mana formations.

The barriers looked almost like solid walls of light, cleanly dividing one path from another.

Every single lane connected to one large gate at the far end of the Colosseum. Above that gate floated twenty small platforms, each just large enough for a single contestant to stand on.

Although all the lanes led toward the same gate, their entrances were closed off. In front of them lay a wide gathering area. It was like you are getting a chance after coming out of the big gate which lane you want to go in.

The audience stared in surprise at the massive and complex setup. Whispers quickly spread through the stands as everyone began wondering what kind of trial the second round would truly be.

[I understand you are all quite confused. Don’t worry... everything will become clear soon enough.]

[As you can all see, there are one hundred lanes prepared for each of the top one hundred contestants. Every lane leads toward the large gate of the Colosseum, and the ends of the lanes are currently sealed.]

[The contestants will enter their designated lanes. You are free to choose whichever lane you prefer.]

[Each lane is separated by sturdy peak King-level translucent mana formations —and aslo other same type of formation used during the first round.]

The one hundred contestants exchanged glances. Even Nova still looked slightly confused, though a rough idea of what this setup implied had already formed in his mind.

[Yes... you are thinking correctly. Since the same formation from the first round is being used... there is a real chance that you could die.]

The contestants immediately grew nervous again. Some even cursed Slickmouth and whoever had designed the tournament, calling it far too deadly this time.

What most of them failed to notice, however, was that the overall power level of the contestants this time was also extremely high. Whoever had arranged the rounds had clearly taken that factor into consideration.

Slickmouth’s voice rang out once more.

[Now, look at the large gate at the end of the lanes.]

The moment his words fell, the massive gate at the far end of the lanes slowly opened.

In the next instant, hundreds of ferocious four-legged demonic beasts poured out like a flood. Their eyes burned with bloodlust as they howled and roared, slamming their bodies against the sealed barriers of each lane one after another.

Every single demonic beast ranged form level 1000 and 1500.

**

Thanks for reading...