American Horror Story, Starting from Falls Town

Chapter 431 Duel
Looking up, I saw a huge, uniquely designed spaceship landing.

Roy remembered these ships; they belonged to the Predator race.

The trial period must have ended, and the Ironblood Clan came down to pick them up.

Roy quickly transformed back into human form to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.

Because demons don't only operate on Earth; they can also appear on other planets, as can be seen from Asmodeus's actions.

Demons also have a bad reputation in the universe, and many civilizations will fight them if they see them.

It was at this very moment that the Predators who were participating in the trial also crawled out of the tunnel.

However, one of the four Predators is missing, and the remaining three are all wounded, so it seems that the Alien Queen's guards are not easy to deal with.

The Predator spaceship landed successfully, and a group of Predators emerged from it. The leader was a particularly tall man who held a large spear and wore a cloak.

These should be the Ironblood Elders; they are considered high-ranking leaders of the Ironblood Clan.

Because the chiefs of the various tribes of the Ironblood race and the Ironblood Queen generally do not leave their home planet unless an interstellar war occurs.

Therefore, the highest leader of the Ironblood Clan that outsiders can usually see is the Ironblood Elder.

The Ironblood Elder looked at the three Ironblood warriors participating in the trial, and then at Roy.

He mumbled something incoherently.

The captain of the Predator warriors participating in the trial also answered the Predator Elder's question in a string of words.

Then, the Ironblood Elder gave an order to the people around him, and an elite Ironblood warrior walked towards Roy.

The Predator race has a very clear class system, based on hunting ability, starting with the weakest, underage Predators, who are called fledglings.

Then there are the rookies who have just come of age and are undergoing training to prepare for the trials; the seven Predators Roy had previously encountered were all of them.

Predators who pass the trial are called "old birds" and are the most basic combat units of the Predator race. They have all killed at least one Xenomorph on their own.

Above that are the elites. Elite Predators can take on several elite Predators by themselves, or fight the Alien Queen's guards one-on-one. They usually serve as guards for the ruling class, or are responsible for teaching rookie Predators and novice Predators.

Above the elites is the true ruling class of the Ironblood Clan, namely the Ironblood Elders, Ironblood Chieftains, and Ironblood Empress.

At this level, it's not enough to just have the strength to fight; lineage and ability are equally important.

The Predator race also has some less common strata, such as the arbitrators who handle conflicts between various tribes; their combat power is even greater than that of the elite Predators.

And the ancient Predator warriors who were made into popsicles, who would only be revived to fight for the Predator race when the Predator race faced a major crisis.

The elite Predator walked up to Roy, removed the microcomputer from his wrist and the helmet, and handed them to Roy, gesturing for him to wear them.

Roy understood what the Predators meant; they probably wanted to communicate with him directly through their helmets and microcomputers.

The Predators' heads are much larger than humans', so putting on the helmets wasn't too difficult; it's just the smell inside...

In short, Roy held his breath after taking a sniff, determined not to inhale when putting on the helmet. Given his current physical attributes, he could hold his breath for several hours without any problems.

After Roy put on the helmet and installed the microcomputer, the Ironblood Elder spoke, his voice translated into a mechanical voice through the helmet.

"Human, thank you for your help to the Ironblood Clan. The Ironblood Clan admires your courage and strength. These two items are a gift to you as a symbol of our friendship."

Wow! They're even giving away freebies?
That's pretty good.

The microcomputers and the tactical helmets of the Ironbloods are highly technologically advanced; the materials used in the helmets alone are worthy of study.

If Roy could master the technology of both of these things, he could start a tech company.

"I will remember the friendship of the Ironblood Clan."

Roy's words were translated into the language of the Ironblood Clan, and upon hearing Roy's statement, the Ironblood Elder opposite him nodded.

Then, the Ironblood Elder ordered his veteran subordinates to try to move the incapacitated Alien Queen.

Roy wasn't having it, because he hadn't unlocked the runes yet!

"Wait a minute, those are my spoils of war, what do you want with them?"

The Iron-Blooded Elder looked at Roy strangely.

"Human, haven't you already accepted the gift from the Ironblood race?"

Good grief, so the microcomputer and tactical helmet were used to trade for the Alien Queen with Roy!
That won't do. The Alien Queen is a legendary creature. Roy would rather not have a microcomputer and a tactical helmet than unlock new runes for the Leviathan Axe.

After all, that mimicry rune was just too useful.

"This is my spoils! I can do without the gift, but the spoils must be mine!"

"Humans, this creature is extremely dangerous and beyond your capabilities. It would be better to leave it to the Ironblood Clan."

The Iron-Blooded Elder's voice revealed a hint of dissatisfaction.

It is obvious that the Ironbloods have a condescending attitude towards humans, much like how a celestial empire treats a primitive tribe.

If the Celestial Empire gives you a gift, accept it. Don't be ungrateful. Obediently hand over the tribute, and the big boss will protect you in the future.

However, this is still better than the attitude of Western civilization towards primitive tribes. Pirates usually just robbed, and if they couldn't rob, they would cheat.

Consider the fates of Africans and Native Americans.

"Whether I can handle it or not is not up to you! Since I was able to defeat it, I can certainly handle it too!"

No one cares what the alien queen, lying pitifully on the ground, feels like; she's just a fish on a chopping board.

The Predator Elder seemed to be getting angry, but the Predator Captain walked up to him and whispered something in his ear.

The Iron-Blooded Elder's attitude changed quickly.

“Human, Hark told me that your power is immense. In that case, how about we settle this dispute according to the traditions of the Ironbloods?”

"What tradition?"

"One-on-one duel!"

Roy looked at the Predator captain, Hack, with surprise; the idea of ​​a duel must have come from him.

This guy witnessed Roy beating up the Alien Queen inside the pyramid, so he should know his strength, yet he still suggested a duel.

According to Roy's assessment, the rookie Predator's physical attributes should average around 30 points, with some higher and some lower, but roughly the same.

For experienced players, the score might be around 40, while for elite players it might exceed 50.

Further up, it's harder to judge those special Predators, but they should at least be above 60.

Such physical abilities might allow him to defeat the Alien Queen with weapons, but it would be impossible for him to do it as easily as Roy did; Hack couldn't possibly have missed it.

It seems like Hack is setting a trap for the Ironblood Elders, but Roy has no evidence.

"I agree!"

The Predator Elder gestured for the elite Predator who had just handed Roy the tactical helmet and microcomputer to step forward.

This elite Predator was a dual-wielder, carrying two curved swords on his back. After drawing his swords, he first performed a set of sword techniques that looked flashy.

Roy removed his tactical helmet and microcomputer.

While the tactical helmet was advanced, it severely impaired Roy's senses, and he wasn't yet comfortable fighting with it on. Roy and the elite Predators formed a battle formation; he didn't even take out his weapons, precisely because he didn't want the Predators to think he relied on the strength of his weapons.

The elite Predator gestured for Roy to take his weapon, but Roy refused.

"I'll use my bare hands, no weapons."

These words seemed to enrage the elite Predator.

Since the Ironblood Clan's culture reveres the strong and values ​​honor, it also means that this nation as a whole is very arrogant.

The elite Predator pushed off the ground with one foot, leaving a small crater in the snow, and its sprint speed almost reached the speed of sound.

With just that explosive power, this Predator truly deserves the title of elite.

But it was all for naught. Roy instantly activated bullet time, and in his eyes, the speed of the elite Predator was not much different from that of a tortoise.

Then, Roy delivered a clean and swift roundhouse kick to the chest of the elite Predator, sending him flying and crashing to the ground, spitting blood.

The chest, clad in armor, was caved in, a truly horrifying sight.

"Sorry, I think I used too much force."

The injury looks frightening, but given the Predator's physical capabilities and the Predator's technology, it's actually not that serious.

If he gets treated on the spaceship, he'll probably be lively and energetic again in a few hours.

Immediately, veteran Predators carried the fallen elite back to the spaceship.

The Iron-Blooded Elder looked at Roy and suddenly pointed a finger.

"What do you mean?"

Roy put on his tactical helmet, wanting to hear what the Ironblood Elder had to say.

"I also challenge you to a duel!"

It seems that the Ironblood Elder is eager to fight Roy as well.

But Roy wasn't interested. In his opinion, the Ironbloods were nothing special. Since they couldn't kill them to loot the treasure chests, what was the point of fighting?
"I have no interest. I won the duel, so this guy should be mine, right?"

The Iron-Blooded Elder seemed determined to press the matter further.

"Let's fight one more time. If you lose, the Alien Queen is ours; if I lose, this spear is yours!"

The Iron-Blooded Elder pressed a button, and a blinding flash of electricity appeared at the tip of the spear.

This is actually a weapon that can generate electricity!

Roy immediately became interested.

The Iron-Blooded Elder's weapon is definitely not just for show; it looks to be quite technologically advanced. Even if Roy doesn't use it himself, he can give it to the women around him.

"I agreed."

The Iron-Blooded Elder took off his cloak and walked towards Roy, the two maintaining a 50-meter distance and assuming a fighting stance.

Now that the Iron-Blooded Elder knew Roy's strength, he did not attack after taking a stance, but instead carefully observed Roy.

However, Roy just stood there casually, not at all like someone in a fight.

"Hey, aren't you going to make a move?"

The Iron-Blooded Elder shook his head.

"Then I'll have to make my move!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Roy unleashed the explosive power of his Ghost Wolf form, appearing before the Iron-Blooded Elder and delivering a powerful punch.

This punch was like a cannonball; Elder Ironblood could even feel the air pressure compressed to its limit.

Then, the Iron-Blooded Elder dodged Roy's punch with incredible speed, like a willow leaf, and then rolled away to create distance between them.

Roy was very surprised. Although he hadn't used his full strength in that punch, he still had a strength attribute of seventy or eighty, yet he hadn't hit the Iron-Blooded Elder.

As expected, this Predator's strength was extraordinary to have become an elder; the difference between him and an elite Predator was like that between an adult and a child.

"Interesting! I didn't use my full strength in that last punch, but I'm going to use it with all my might this time. You'd better be prepared!"

The Iron-Blooded Elder nodded; he was ready to witness Roy's true power.

Royza steadied himself and then threw a punch with incredible speed.

The punch was so fast it was almost invisible, and it made a loud cracking sound, clearly breaking the sound barrier.

The speed and power of this punch, even if it misses the target, can create an air cannon that affects the enemy.

The Iron-Blooded Elder still wanted to use the same dodging technique as before to avoid Roy's punch, and he succeeded halfway.

Roy did not hit the Ironblood Elder directly, but the air cannon generated by the punch caught his braid.

Yes, the Predator race has many features similar to those of Black people, such as their thick dreadlocks.

These dreadlocks are clearly unsuitable for combat; they're purely decorative, and now they've become the Iron-Blooded Elder's death warrant.

The Iron-Blooded Elder was pulled away by the air cannon, and half of his dreadlocks were torn off, making him look extremely disheveled.

At this point, Roy threw his second punch, but did not follow up.

The Iron-Blooded Elder knelt on the ground, using his spear as a support. He had realized that Roy's strength far surpassed his own, but he did not choose to back down.

As a warrior, you can only improve yourself by fighting against those who are stronger than you.

This iron-blooded elder's strength has reached a bottleneck, so he wants to challenge Roy to break through.

Roy roughly understood the Iron-Blooded Elder's intentions, so he didn't go for the kill. Instead, he used the maximum attack the elder could withstand to help him break through his bottleneck.

This battle captivated the other warriors, and a nation that reveres combat naturally recognized its significance.

Although the Ironblood Elder was clearly at a disadvantage, almost being whipped around like a top by Roy, his responses were noticeably getting better and better.

Roy realized that the Ironblood Elder was about to break through, so he prepared to use one last attack to force the opponent to completely break through the bottleneck.

"Are you ready? I'm getting serious!"

The Iron-Blooded Elder nodded.

Roy started stacking buffs on himself, first Blood Rage, then Fear Incarnation, and then War Domain.

With three buff skills stacked on top of each other, Roy's aura almost materialized, forcing the Predators in the distance to retreat several steps.

The Iron-Blooded Elder, who was targeted by Roy, could barely stand and almost collapsed to his knees.

In that moment, Roy rushed up to the Ironblood Elder and punched him in the side of the head.

This punch shattered the Iron-Blooded Elder's helmet on the spot, and a terrifying air cannon shot straight into the sky, dispelling the dark clouds.

"ended."

(End of this chapter)