Chapter 216: Rhain VS Zane
Chapter 216: Rhain VS Zane
The ordinary spectators stared in utter bewilderment.
From their perspective, the match had been completely incomprehensible. Rhain had stood in the center of the arena, surrounded by Elysar’s blinding formation, and then simply punched the empty air.
And then Elysar had been seen violently thrown out of the arena, coughing blood.
"What just happened? Did he attack empty space?"
"Is that some kind of demonic technique? He struck the void and his opponent exploded!"
"I’ve never seen anything like this. He didn’t even look at Elysar when he threw that punch!"
"Could it be a forbidden art? Something that attacks through spatial manipulation?"
The confusion rippled outward through the hundred thousand spectators and into the millions watching through the projection arrays across the city.
Wild theories and baseless speculation multiplied with every passing second.
But as utterly shocked as the ordinary crowd was, their confusion could not even be compared to the psychological earthquake currently devastating High Preceptor Aldren.
Up on the grand stage, the usually impassive Aldren had half-risen from his seat, his deep-set eyes stretched so wide they looked as though they might tear.
As an Array Grandmaster, he knew perfectly well that what Rhain had attacked wasn’t mere void.
It was the weakest point of that formation, the singular core node holding the entire array together.
’But how could he possibly find that weakness?!’ Aldren screamed in his mind, his hands gripping the armrests of his chair.
Elysar’s domain-locking array was a high-tier Epic-Grade. The core node was dynamically shifted and buried beneath hundreds of overlapping runic lines.
Because of its special nature, it was extremely hard for even a Master Rank array expert to find that exact weakness if given an hour to study it!
Yet, Rhain had found it and shattered it within a second.
If not for the fact that the contest was currently being broadcast to the entire Solathane Dynasty, Aldren would have already abandoned his dignity, leaped down onto the arena floor, and demanded the boy answer the burning question in his mind.
Around him, the other dignitaries were in a very similar situation.
Although Patriarch Thorian, Patriarch Caelan, Matriarch Seraphine, and Dean Carmilla were not array masters, with their unfathomable level of Soul Power, they could easily identify the weakness in Elysar’s shattered formation.
They knew exactly what Rhain had done. And knowing it only made it even more frightening.
Whatever Rhain had displayed until now seemed completely incomprehensible.
He was like a bottomless abyss.
No matter how deeply they tried to peek into his depths, they simply could not see the end.
This was the very first time that these legendary Domain Masters had ever harbored this kind of sentience toward a boy of merely nineteen years.
Down at the edge of the arena floor, High Preceptor Octavius gave a deep, complex look to Rhain standing calmly amidst the dissipating runic light.
"Winner: Rhain!" Octavius’s booming voice echoed, "With this, we have reached the grand finals. The final match of the Inner Palace Contest shall be between Rhain Voss, and our reigning Rank 1, Zane!"
Octavius looked at Rhain. "In accordance to academy’s rules, Rhain is allowed to rest for half an hour to recover his essence before fighting Zane!"
"There is no need," Rhain flatly refused, his voice calm and unbothered. "I have barely lost any energy. There is no need to waste time. Let us finish this now."
The casual arrogance of the statement made the crowd suck in a sharp breath of cold air.
He had just fought his way through the most elite geniuses of the academy, and he hadn’t lost any energy?
Octavius stared at him for a moment, then gave a firm nod.
"Very well! Let the final match commence!"
His booming voice rose to its maximum volume as he spoke his next words.
"THE FINAL MATCH OF THE INNER PALACE CONTEST! REIGNING RANK 1, ZANE, VERSUS RHAIN VOSS! STEP INTO THE RING!"
The moment everyone had been waiting for had finally arrived.
As Zane descended from the elite section, his silver spear strapped to his back, the onlookers began whispering frantically among themselves about who would win.
Before today, Zane’s victory had been considered an absolute certainty.
But now, the vast majority of the crowd had an unanimous mind that Rhain would win it.
For no other reason than the fact that he was simply too ambiguous.
Every single time he fought, he revealed a completely different trick that no one was expecting.
Gale Mirage Stride, Thousand Ripple Piercing Lance, Phantasmal Dreamscape, and now instantly dismantling a high-tier array with a wave of his hand.
He countered everything so effortlessly, that no one dared to so for sure that Rhain could not come with a way to even defeat Zane.
Up on the grand stage, Lucius sat straight on his velvet throne, his amber eyes were fixated on Rhain completely.
This guy was an anomaly far bigger than he had ever imagined.
Lucius knew he either had to bind this monster to the royal court, or eliminate him before he grew into a threat that even the throne could not suppress.
High Preceptor Aldren, Octavius, Mordecai, and the remaining Domain Masters watched with the grave attention of men who understood that what they were about to witness would be remembered for decades.
Preceptor Krell’s hands were clenched so tightly on his lap that his knuckles had turned bone-white.
His knew that this was the most important match of Zane’s life.
Although Zane wasn’t his personal disciple, Krell had always treated him just like his own son.
He had seen Zane going through so many hardships in order to reach this level.
It could be wrong for a Preceptor to think so, and he might be called biased, but he still wished that Zane could win this match.
Carmilla had stopped smiling. Her bright, mischievous eyes were now sharp and focused, watching the arena with a solemn look.
Myrielle sat perfectly still, her sapphire eyes fixed on her disciple’s husband with a look that had long since abandoned shock and was now something closer to resigned awe.
Beside Myrielle, Seris sat elegantly, a sweet smile lingering on her lips throughout the match.
Her pale purple eyes reflected unwavering trust.
While the rest of the world was shocked, she remained entirely serene, already knowing that her husband standing in that ring was an invincible existence.
Far across the plaza in the Outer Palace section, Liana held her breath, her hands clasped tightly together.
Her emerald eyes were fixed unblinkingly upon Rhain, and her heart was beating rapidly.
She wasn’t fully aware of the true extent of Rhain’s strength, so like others, she was also nervous whether Rhain could win this match.
Among the ordinary spectators, the debates that had raged all day reached their crescendo.
"Rhain will win. There’s no question anymore."
"He defeated everyone, every single one of them, with a single move. He has tricks that no one can predict."
"But Zane also defeated his opponent with one move! Don’t count him out!"
"You’re comparing apples to oranges! Zane defeated the Rank 6 with one move. Rhain defeated the Rank 2, the Rank 3, the Rank 4, AND the Rank 10 with one move each!"
"Still, Zane has touched the nature of the Law of the Spear! That’s something no other disciple in the Academy has achieved! That alone puts him in a different dimension!"
The debate was fierce, but a vast majority of the onlookers were on Rhain’s side.
After watching Rhain dismantle Elysar’s masterwork formation with a casual punch, the faint hope that Zane might possess some hidden counter had dimmed considerably.
But Zane’s loyal fans clung to their belief with desperate tenacity.
"Zane hasn’t shown his full strength yet! He ended his semifinal in one move to conserve energy for this exact moment! He’s been saving everything for Rhain!"
"That embryonic Law comprehension is his trump card! Raw physical strength can’t overcome the fundamental truth of the universe!"
The arena was now buzzing with anticipation.
"Begin!" Octavius roared, his voice signaling the start of the climax.
But neither Rhain, nor Zane moved.
The two youths stood roughly forty feet apart, the wind rustling their robes.
Zane slowly reached behind his back and drew his silver spear.
He held it firmly in his hand, the metal gleaming under the silver moonlight.
And then, the first line he spoke to Rhain shattered the expectations of every single person present.
"I know that I am going to lose."
The words echoed clearly across the plaza.
A collective gasp of utter disbelief ripped through the crowd.
The undisputed King of the Inner Palace, the reigning Rank 1, was openly admitting his loss even before the fight had started!
Zane’s most fervent supporters had faces crumbled with disbelief and anguish.
"I noted all five of your battles today," Zane continued, his voice steady, carrying no trace of shame or fear. "You weren’t fighting. You were simply playing with your opponents. In every single exchange, it never looked like you had to put forth even the slightest effort to defeat them."
Zane’s grip on his spear tightened.
"This clearly means that your strength is far superior to your opponents. And perhaps... even far superior to me."
As he spoke, Zane’s aura suddenly transformed.
The overwhelming pressure of his Level 7 Spirit Manifestation essence erupted, but it was accompanied by something far more profound.
The embryonic form of the Law of the Spear awakened within him.
His entire presence became impossibly sharp and steady, radiating a piercing intent like a divine spear threatening to puncture the heavens.
"But that doesn’t mean I will admit defeat," Zane declared, his eyes burning with an unyielding resolve.
"I will fight, knowing perfectly well that it could mean a humiliating defeat. I know I could easily end up as a laughingstock for the entire city, just like Navarre, Vanya, and the others."
Zane raised his spear, pointing the gleaming silver tip directly at Rhain’s chest.
""I have trained for four years. Four years of bleeding, breaking, and rebuilding myself. Every single day, every single hour, every single breath has been for this moment. If I stepped down today without fighting, I would be betraying myself, betraying Preceptor Krell, and betraying every drop of blood I have shed."
His voice rose, no longer calm, but blazing with the accumulated fire of four years of penance.
"I want this match to be decided with one move. Just like all the others," Zane declared, "I will use my full strength in one single attack. And I ask that you do the same."
He stared into Rhain’s dark grey eyes.
"Let one attack decide whether my four years of penance wins, or your unfathomable strength."