Chapter 233: Nova vs Liam

"Of course," Bai Chen answered with clear pride. "I’ll let you in on a secret. My junior brother is far stronger than what he has allowed others to see."

Tank did not fully believe him. He knew Nova was powerful, but he had also watched Liam carefully.

The youth still had not shown his full strength, and more importantly, he belonged to the Everhart family. There was no doubt he still had something hidden up his sleeve.

[Ladies and gentlemen, are you excited to witness the Championship Match?]

The audience erupted into thunderous cheers in response to Slickmouth’s words. He continued with even greater energy.

[That’s what I’m talking about! To increase your excitement even further, allow me to remind you of the rewards that await the Champion!]

[The Champion will receive one million platinum coins, one Evolution Stone, and a pass to the secret realm that will open one month from now in the Desolate Lands!]

[In addition, the other four winners will each receive a pass to the secret realm as well. That place holds countless opportunities capable of making a person far stronger and far richer.]

[As for the Evolution Stone — it is one of the priceless treasures we obtained from the secret realm. You can imagine just how extraordinary it is.]

Slickmouth’s words sent another wave of murmurs and cheers through the crowd. By now, nearly everyone already knew about the secret realm and the kinds of priceless treasures and inheritances that could be found within it.

However, those opportunities came with equally great danger. It was a place where death could come easily.

Yet every ten years, when the realm opened, powerhouses still went crazy over the chance to enter. The potential rewards were simply too great, often blinding them to the risks.

Even though most of the audience already knew this information, Slickmouth still used it to heighten the atmosphere.

One million platinum coins alone was an astronomical sum — a fortune that only high-ranking nobles and the wealthiest merchants could normally possess. Royalty, of course, stood on an entirely different level.

The Evolution Stone was even more valuable. It was a priceless treasure capable of raising a person’s potential. For most people in this world, it was an opportunity beyond imagination.

For Nova, however, it held a different meaning. Once he broke through further, his potential would naturally rise from A to S-rank because of his innate skill, Infinite Adaptation Core.

Still, he already had other plans for the stone. There was also the possibility of acquiring more of them inside the secret realm itself, not to mention what he might obtain from the gacha once his luck improved.

In truth, the Evolution Stone was not as critically valuable to him as it was to others. Yet when Nova looked at Liam, he noticed something interesting — the Everhart youth possessed SS-rank potential. That alone explained his rapid growth.

If Liam acquired the Evolution Stone—which was, of course, impossible since he was destined to lose when facing Nova—he would be able to raise his potential to the SSS rank, a level of potential that only a few people in this world possessed.

Nova studied Liam’s arrogant expression and quietly considered how he should approach the fight. Should he simply beat the crap out of him from the start... or play with him for a while first?

Before he could decide, Slickmouth’s voice rang out again.

[Now then — let us begin the Championship Battle we have all been waiting for! The entire continent is watching. We hope our two finalists will give us a match worth remembering!]

The match began the moment Slickmouth gave the signal.

Liam moved first.

There was no probing, no testing of the waters. From the very first second, he went all out.

Brilliant light erupted around his body as he shot forward, his sword already gleaming with sharp, condensed radiance. He had no intention of holding back.

By now, he fully understood that Nova was not someone who could be underestimated.

The pressure he released was clearly stronger than anything he had shown in his previous matches. At the same time, he activated his shadow movement technique, his figure vanishing and reappearing in rapid succession.

To ordinary eyes, his movements were almost impossible to follow. Only the true experts could clearly track him.

Nova’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Better than I expected.

{This guy is arrogant, yet he still has brains. He isn’t holding anything back the way he did against the others... and his light energy is already at the peak of his current limit.}

Liya’s voice echoed in his mind. A faint, almost playful smile appeared on Nova’s face.

With a casual motion, he extended his hand. His sword materialized in his grip. For the sake of appearance, Nova coated the blade with lightning, though he deliberately kept the output low.

Liam’s first strike came down like a streak of pure light. Nova raised his sword and met it head-on.

Clang!

BOOM!

The impact rang across the entire Colosseum. Sparks burst between their blades as a visible ripple of energy exploded outward. The ground beneath their feet cracked under the force of the collision.

Liam’s eyes sharpened.

He had poured everything into that opening strike, yet Nova had not been pushed back even a single step. The power behind the block felt like colliding with a mountain.

What puzzled him even more was that his light energy — which should have been burning into Nova’s body — seemed to have no effect at all.

He pressed forward immediately.

A rapid series of sword strikes followed — sharp, precise, and filled with killing intent. Each slash carried the refined techniques of the Everhart family, further enhanced by Liam’s Light affinity.

Between the attacks, he continuously used his shadow movement, vanishing and reappearing to strike from unexpected angles.

Beams of radiance trailed behind every movement as he tried to overwhelm Nova with pure speed and force.

Nova responded with calm, almost lazy movements.

He did not counter aggressively. Instead, he parried, redirected, and slipped past each attack with minimal effort. His footwork was clean, his sword angles precise, yet he never fully committed to a finishing strike.

Even so, lightning and light continuously collided across the platform, releasing powerful waves of pressure that rolled through the Colosseum.

Many of the other contestants watching from the stands felt their hearts tremble.

Are we really supposed to be on the same level as them? Are they even youths anymore?

Every time Liam thought he had forced an opening, Nova simply tilted his blade and let the attack slide away harmlessly.

To the ordinary audience, it looked as though Nova was completely unbothered. He still made it appear as if he was fighting with serious intent, but figures like Vaorak and the other true powerhouses could see the truth clearly.

Nova was not using any real skills yet.

Liam’s expression darkened.

He increased the intensity of his assault. His sword blurred as he unleashed a continuous flurry of attacks, mixing heavy downward strikes with sudden thrusts aimed at Nova’s vital points.

The platform cracked in several places under the force of their exchanges.

Both figures became streaks of light and shadow, appearing and vanishing across different parts of the arena in rapid succession.

Liam began throwing out different offensive skills one after another, each more powerful than the last. Yet none of them managed to harm Nova in the slightest. He could not even cut through Nova’s clothes.

Nova could easily have made it look as though he was also giving his all, but the true experts would have seen through such a performance immediately.

After a short exchange, Nova finally made a decisive move. He stepped forward and launched a powerful thrust.

The force behind the attack exploded outward. Liam’s eyes widened as an overwhelming impact slammed into him. In the next instant, his body was sent flying backward like a broken kite.

He crashed heavily into the platform, shattering a large section of the ground and sending cracks spreading in every direction.

The entire Colosseum fell into a brief, stunned silence — then erupted into shocked cries. The way Nova had sent Liam flying looked almost effortless.

**

Thanks for reading...