Extraordinary Rise: Starting Contract with the Silver Dragon Countess

The voice that declared the winner slowly faded away.

Martin Sanchez knelt on the ring, his gray-blue pupils dilated from the mental shock, and the veins on his forehead still taut.

"How is this possible... How could my 'Perfect Insight' be wrong?"

"The top student of Holy Radiance Academy... was actually defeated by an unknown contestant named Effie..."

"Principal Fyodor's expectations, the Imperial Noble House's plans—all ruined by my hand!"

Martin's chest heaved violently, the clamor from the audience echoing in his ears.

She suddenly looked up, staring intently at Nephthys's back, a flash of resentment crossing her eyes, which was then replaced by dejection.

VIP area, Central Empire region.

Principal Fyodor gripped the armrests of his chair tightly, his face flushing red and then turning pale.

Heisenberg's face was also extremely gloomy.

Although he didn't have much hope of winning the bronze group championship, being eliminated so early was still a big surprise to him.

Especially noteworthy is that the person who eliminated Martin was an Effie player.

Her Majesty the Empress glanced at the result on the field and then looked in Fyodor's direction.

Fyodor immediately stood up and apologized:

"Your Majesty, we underestimated the enemy and were unprepared."

Shanis's face showed no extra expression, and her voice was gentle:
"There are already many variables in the Bronze Group, and there are still three other groups to compete in. Let's strive for victory."

Fyodor bowed his head and said no more.

After three rounds of competition, only seven players remained in the Bronze Group.

Because each group needs to determine the top eight, which will be used to accumulate points between countries.

Therefore, the six eliminated contestants did not leave immediately, but instead drew lots again to determine the eighth place.

The battle for eighth place was largely a foregone conclusion, with Martin Sanchez ultimately defeating the other five to become the eighth-place finisher in the Bronze Division of this year's Noble Martial Arts Festival.

The fourth round of elimination matches followed immediately, and once again one player received a bye.

However, the bye spots this time were not determined by lottery.

This round of bye means that they will directly enter the semi-finals, and it would be unfair to decide the winner by drawing lots again.

According to the rules, the VIP representatives will vote on the seven players to select the players who will receive a bye.

Simply put, the strongest player is selected to receive a bye, ensuring fairness to the greatest extent possible.

Among the spectators were Ugo Saku, an ancient sea monster from the sea tribe, and Claire, the chieftain of the mermaid tribe.

This includes representatives from the Orcs, Elves, as well as the Temple of Battle, the Church of Prophecy, and the Church of Light.

After a vote by the delegates, the player who received a bye was quickly selected, and it was Nephthys, who had just defeated Martin in the third round.

No one objected to the result; Martin was able to defeat Fury Zorn, the representative of the Eastern Empire, who had also emerged undefeated.

Nephthys's ability to defeat Martin is proof of her strength.

Besides Nephthys, Freya also successfully defeated her opponent from the Northern Empire and advanced to the fourth round.

Similarly, Wolf Smith, considered a strong contender for the "strongest silver" rank, also advanced to the fourth round.

Besides the three women, the other four were all men, and all came from the five great empires.

They are Percival Wayne, the third prince of the Ironforge Royal Court of the Northern Empire.

He is a "Bastion Warrior," with a stocky build, short flaxen hair close to his scalp, and a majestic Iris Shield on his shoulder.

Thorin Weiss, son of the Thorn Duke of the Eastern Empire.

He is a "Dragonfire Warrior". He has short, copper-colored hair, a sharp-featured face, and wears a special metal glove on his right hand that can conduct flames, with his fingertips glowing with a faint blue light.

Alaric Rean, son of the lord of Sky City in the Western Empire.

He works as an "alchemist," and his skin bears various scars, burns, and strange discolored areas left from experiments. His fiery red hair is like a burning flame, and his eyes are a mixture of excitement and a hint of madness.

Finally, there was Lucien Murphy, the son of the governor of the Northern Falcon Division, one of the twelve administrative divisions of the Central Empire, from the host country.

He was employed as a "Northern Warrior," with a large frame and shoulders nearly twice the width of an average person. He carried two long swords crossed on his back.

With only seven contestants remaining on the arena, it means that the first superhuman to be crowned the strongest in this year's Noble Martial Arts Festival is about to emerge.

All twelve viewing areas were packed to capacity, and even the VIP area, which previously had very low attendance and did not pay much attention to the Bronze Group matches, was filled with representatives from the five empires and other top powers.

It is held once every ten years, and only four people can win the title of strongest in each edition. Without exception, the countries of these four people will receive the favor of the gods and unparalleled opportunities in the following ten years.

The previous "strongest silver" Adel Angelion is a case in point. In just ten years, she not only rose from a silver-level transcendent to become the youngest legendary transcendent on the continent.

As a result, Effie's strength also increased rapidly.

Especially with the continent about to descend into turmoil, the divine favor that this year's Noble Martial Arts Festival can obtain is even more important.

All attention was focused on the last seven people.

After Nephthys received a bye, the remaining six players began the draw.

Not long after, the detailed matchups for the three groups were displayed on the "Mirror of the Sky".

The two characters are Lucien Murphy, the "Northern Warrior" of the Central Empire, versus Freya, the "Machine Sorcerer" of the Kingdom of Ceylon.

Woolf Smith, the "Light Walker" of the Southern Empire, versus Percival Wayne, the "Bastion Warrior" of the Northern Empire.

Thorin Weiss, the "Dragonflame Warrior" of the Eastern Empire, versus Alaric Rean, the "Alchemist" of the Western Empire.

In the final rounds, the gap in strength between the two sides was very small, which meant that every match was bound to be very exciting.

Therefore, starting from the fourth round, the three matches will no longer be played simultaneously, but one match at a time.

We guarantee that every contestant can fully unleash their talent and strength on this highest stage on the entire continent.

This also allows them to maximize their Legendary rank before reaching Legendary rank, laying the foundation for breaking through to Legendary rank in the future.

The first match was Freya versus Lucien Murphy from the Middle Kingdom.

Lucien was born into a military noble family in the Northern Falcon Division of the Empire. Similar to Casimir August, he joined the Northern Army Group after reaching adulthood and participated in the war against the barbarians.

Her father was the governor of the imperial administrative district, wielding great power, and she received the most prestigious education in the empire from a young age.

However, unlike Martin Sanchez, who was eliminated by Nephthys, he was not from the Holy Light Academy, but a proper military person, belonging to Prince Heinz's direct line.

It was also the last remaining surviving member of the Central Empire.

The VIP area was also very lively, with representatives expressing their opinions on the match.

Most people favor Lucien Murphy of the Middle Kingdom.

As a "Northern Warrior," Lucien's extraordinary profession is not particularly special, but his advantage lies in his frequent participation in frontline battles, his skillful techniques, and his rich combat experience.

His strong physique and agile movements gave him a natural advantage when facing warlocks.

Freya's previous matches had been lukewarm at best. Although she could win every time, she mostly relied on traps and mechanisms to drag her opponents out of magic.

It didn't demonstrate anything particularly impressive.

Lucien, on the other hand, was completely different. He won almost every match by crushing his opponents. In the group stage, he lost a match to a participant from the Southern Empire because of his counter-style.

Therefore, all things considered, most people are still optimistic about Lucien.

Prince Quentin of the Eastern Empire had a good personal relationship with Prince Heinz. In addition, Freya was the culprit of the civil war in the Kingdom of Ceylon, which they supported. Therefore, they naturally had some hostility towards Freya.

Looking at Prince Heinz, whose expression was serious and who was focused on the arena, he smiled and said:

"The combat experience of the Northern warriors is enough to crush any fancy mechanical tricks."

Lucien's record in the Northern Army Group was no joke; Freya's defensive mechanisms couldn't withstand Lucien's twin swords.

Prince Heinz withdrew his gaze, glanced at Her Majesty the Empress not far away, and did not respond.

Having learned his lesson from Martin Sanchez, Fyodor, the headmaster of the Holy Radiance Academy, now appeared much more conservative and spoke up:
"We still can't underestimate her. Although Freya's traps lack explosive power."

However, her perfect record in the group stage demonstrates that her traps are meticulously planned; if Lucien acts rashly, she will be bogged down in a war of attrition.

Claire's eyes flickered slightly, and she let out a silvery laugh, saying:

"I think Freya will bring surprises."

Her calm and collected demeanor seemed more like a deliberate attempt to conceal her true intentions.

Don't forget, she has the full support of a prophetic child behind her, so getting her a few high-level mechanisms wouldn't be difficult.

But from the start of the competition until now, she's only been using some standard mechanisms.

Claire, as the most beautiful woman of the sea race and a legendary-level transcendent being, also enjoys high renown in human kingdoms.

When Claire, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, many people echoed her sentiments.

There was a lot of discussion in the VIP area, and the other spectator areas were naturally also very lively.

Especially the region where the Kingdom of Ceylon is located.

Because of the previous incident where the Ceylon Kingdom's contestants attempted to collude with demons to harm Freya, the Ceylon delegation had already slunk away from the scene.

However, besides the Ceylon delegation, many Ceylon nobles and citizens who came at their own expense remained in the spectator area.

They didn't harbor the same deep hatred for Freya as the Ceylon royal family, after all, they were all Ceylonians.

Moreover, Freya made it into the top eight, competing against representatives from the five great empires.

Besides those at the stadium, many people in Ceylon who remained in the country were also watching the match.

No matter what the official propaganda says, it cannot affect the most basic values ​​of the people.

The story of a lost princess struggling alone in a foreign land for the glory of her country is enough to resonate with and garner support from many.

In particular, winning this match would allow them to advance to the semifinals.

This is the best result ever achieved by the Kingdom of Ceylon since participating in the Noble Martial Arts Festival.

With a loud bang from the bronze golem, the competition officially began.

Lucien slowly walked onto the arena, his gaze calm and cold, his two swords crossed behind his back, his eyes locked on Freya like a hawk.

The opponent's stunningly beautiful appearance caused a slight ripple in his resolute heart, but this ripple was quickly suppressed by the mission he bore.

As the representative sent by the Imperial military, if he can turn the tide and win the title of "Strongest Bronze" when the representative of the House of Nobles is eliminated early.

Its value is several times higher than winning the championship under normal circumstances, especially in dealing a greater blow to the prestige of Heisenberg's lineage. The moment the opening signal sounded, Lucien charged forward like a storm.

For all extraordinary beings, the best way to defeat a sorcerer is to engage in close combat, denying the opponent the space and time to cast spells.

The two swords on his back were drawn simultaneously the moment Lucien took flight, and he held them in his hands.

The two swords crossed, unleashing a fierce Northern Cross Slash that tore through the air, heading straight for Freya.

Lucien moved quickly, and in just two seconds, he had already closed the distance to Freya to within halfway.

Kofreya was even faster than him.

The instant Lucien drew his sword, Freya had already formed a complex and profound hand gesture, silently chanting an incantation, and the elements in the air rapidly gathered towards a center.

Immediately afterwards, there was no earth-shattering explosion, no dazzling burst of light.

The ground of the arena instantly "came to life".

Centered on the area beneath Lucien's feet, countless streams of dark blue energy suddenly burst forth from the ground.

They are not simple beams of light, but rather like liquid blue crystals with life, rapidly condensing, stretching, and intertwining.

In the blink of an eye, a huge energy spider web with a diameter of nearly five meters suddenly appeared at Lucien's feet.

Om-!
A strange, energetic buzzing sound drowned out all the noise.

Spider webs have intricate and complex structures, with light flowing within them, containing astonishing binding force and a chilling coldness.

The spider web is not made of fine threads or metal, but is formed by the condensation of countless jumping, shimmering rhomboid energy blocks.

Like the open mouthparts of a predator, it generates a powerful field of attraction the moment it appears.

Lucien's charge suddenly stalled, as if he had crashed into an invisible quagmire.

His thick, iron-like legs were the first to be entangled.

The azure energy threads, as if alive, quickly wrapped around his ankles and calves.

The cool sensation seeped into the skin, followed by a strong numbing sensation and a burning sting.

It wasn't the high temperature of flames, but pure energy eroding and solidifying his joints.

Lucien's pupils contracted slightly in utter astonishment; his extensive combat experience allowed him to quickly discern what the trap entangled beneath his feet was—

Tier 4 Trap: Spider Web Mine!
Lucien couldn’t understand how a Bronze-rank “mechanical sorcerer” could set up the most intricate and complex fourth-rank trap in just a few seconds.

Magic traps are created by embedding trap rune points in various parts of space to form a resonant magic circle.

Even among the fourth-order traps, the spider web mine is the most cumbersome and complex.

With the soul power of a bronze-level mechanical sorcerer, it would be far too difficult to set up such a complex trap in such a short time.

Lucien was unaware that Freya had undergone special training from Cohen before the competition.

Soul power generally follows the level of a transcendent being, but for players, they will naturally try every means to fight against opponents of higher levels.

The forum had detailed guides on how to improve soul power, and Cohen chose the gentlest one to give Freya special training.

This ensures that she can not only master silver-tier mechanisms, but also quickly set up silver-tier magical traps.

Lucien was not going to be stopped by a fourth-order trap. As the representative sent out by the Imperial military, he naturally had his own trump card.

As Lucien felt his lower body becoming increasingly numb, he suddenly roared in anger.

An overwhelming and unparalleled magical power erupted from his body like a volcano, regardless of the cost.

The originally dark blue spider web was instantly dyed a raging golden-red.

The terrifying energy collision exploded on the arena, creating a visible ring-shaped shockwave.

"Crack...knock..."

A chilling cracking sound rang out.

Under Lucien's near-self-destructive energy burst, the diamond-shaped energy blocks that formed the spider web began to show fine cracks.

The pale blue light threads were gradually stretched and stretched, emitting a series of piercing screams before finally scattering in all directions!
A Bronze-rank "Mechanist" deployed a Tier 4 trap, "Spider Web Mine," within five seconds.

A bronze-tier "Northern Warrior" managed to break free from a fourth-tier trap.

Less than a minute into the match, the performances of the two players had already drawn gasps of amazement from the crowd in the stands.

Having broken free of his restraints, Lucien's eyes burned with a chilling golden flame, and the ground beneath his feet was covered in spiderweb-like radial cracks, charred black.

A heavy, bellows-like panting sound squeezed out from deep in his throat, and the breath he exhaled from his mouth and nose was so hot that it distorted the air slightly.

On his massive, mountain-like body, bulging blood vessels, like red-hot irons, twisted and writhed beneath his skin.

Even more unbelievable is that the scorching aura emanating from Lucien has now reached the Silver Rank level!
Secret technique: Burning blood and opening meridians!

This was originally his trump card, which he intended to reveal in the finals, but unexpectedly, the quarterfinals forced him to use it.

He had no choice; facing a "mechanical sorcerer" who could quickly set up a fourth-order trap, he couldn't give the opponent any time.

He must break free from the trap as soon as possible.

Lucien took a deep breath, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins and rage.

There's a price to pay for breaking through the meridians. He only has five minutes. After five minutes, he will suffer a strong backlash, and he will lose without even having to fight.

Freya remained as calm and terrifying as an ice lotus in a secluded valley; the terrifying burst of power that had just torn apart a fourth-order trap did not shake her mind.

There was no fear in her eyes, only focused calculation and analysis.

She clearly understood Lucien's state of mind—

The pinnacle of a peak is also the beginning of decline.

That overwhelming fourth-order power cannot last forever; it will dissipate sooner or later. When that time comes, Lucien will suffer from the emptiness and physical stiffness that follow the dissipation of the power, without Lucien having to lift a finger.

All we need to do is stall for time!
Lucien naturally wouldn't give Freya that time.

"Roar--!"

A deafening sound rang out on the arena.

It was no longer a simple roar, but a battle cry that burned with the power of life.

This is the glory of the empire, and it shall not be challenged!

Martin is like that, and so is he.

Even if it costs him his life, he must uphold the dignity of humanity's strongest empire!

Lucien completely abandoned his defensive stance, and his golden-red magic surged wildly towards his right fist.

The skin on his entire arm cracked due to the forceful compression of energy, releasing wisps of scorching steam.

Instead of charging forward, he slammed his foot into the ground with unparalleled ferocity.

boom!
A fluctuation that did not belong to the Bronze rank appeared beneath my feet.

With this burst of pure, extreme power, his massive body, like a boulder launched from a catapult, tore through the air, carrying a suffocating sense of oppression and a resolute determination to perish together, and crashed directly into Freya, who was several meters away.

This is the most direct, violent, and time-saving way to attack—covering the area and using brute force to overcome skill!

They attempted to crush space with absolute force, giving no chance to dodge or maneuver.

Five meters, three meters, one meter...

It's about to hit!
Freya seemed to be stunned, standing there motionless.

A flash of understanding crossed Lucien's eyes.

Having set up a magical trap beyond one's own level in a short time, the opponent must not have any extra magic power left.

Although they revealed their hand, they ultimately won.

Lucien did not stop. Even the most intense battle between two Bronze-level Transcendent beings was nothing more than child's play to a true powerhouse.

Both the bronze golems on either side of the arena and the patrolling referees could save Freya at any time.

However, in the VIP area, unlike Lucien's joy, everyone from the Central Empire showed astonishment and disappointment.

Prince Heinz sighed softly and said:

"Miss Claire's eye is much better than ours, the old folks."

Chief Heisenberg frowned and said in a deep voice:
"A fourth-order mechanism?"
Not only can they quickly set up fourth-order traps, but they can also master fourth-order mechanisms, and the most mysterious of all: the 'Mirror Maze'.

Lucien's loss was not unjust.

As Chief Heisenberg finished speaking, Lucien's fist landed on Freya's face.

To his shock, however, his sure-fire punch missed completely.

The strong body staggered forward due to the enormous inertia and instantly lost its balance.

Lucien forced himself to steady himself and looked into the distance. Freya was still standing there motionless.

Did I misjudge the distance?

Lucien shook his head, channeled his magic, and launched the projectile forward again.

It hit nothing but air again.

Time slipped away second by second, like cold water dripping onto a burning heart.

The gasps and murmurs from the audience had been shut out of Lucien's senses.

He could only hear his own heavy, bellows-like breathing, the dripping sound of blood, and... the increasingly rapid countdown to death in his mind.

Five minutes were almost up, and Lucien kept swinging his fists, but still couldn't land a single hit.

Mirror maze, fourth-order mechanism.

By creating an infinite corridor through magical mirrors, enemies will lose their way between the mirror images and suffer from mental interference.

The entire maze lasts for five minutes.

Five minutes were up, and with a crack, the mirror maze shattered. Lucien then realized that he had unknowingly fallen into the opponent's trap.

The intense pain from the backlash and the brief emptiness after the release of power caused his ability to control his body to plummet instantly.

Before Lucien fainted, he heard the bronze golem's cold voice:

"Central Empire's Lucien Murphy is eliminated!" (End of Chapter)