Chapter 423 - 382: The Final Carnival

Chapter 423: Chapter 382: The Final Carnival

The moment the competition started, several contestants attacked Peter in unison, determined to eliminate the biggest threat first.

A barrage of abilities and items flew his way, but Peter was ready. With a quick rub of his hands, a circular barrier crackling with arcs of electricity materialized around his body, blocking the onslaught.

"Put more power into it! He can’t defend against this many attacks!"

Someone shouted a rally, and while some contestants responded by increasing their Psychic Power output, others held back. A few even faked their attacks, their eyes watching everyone else.

This was a contest where only one person could survive. Everyone was a competitor; there was no scenario in which they could kill Peter together and then expect a peaceful outcome.

Many were conserving their strength, making their combined power insufficient to quickly destroy Peter’s Thunder Barrier. He seized this opportunity to launch a counterattack.

With a flick of his right hand, several thunderbolts erupted. The lightning was fast and powerful. The two contestants closest to him grunted as they were struck. Although defensive items saved them from instant death, they were still injured.

"Dammit, you guys hold him off! I’m just gonna use a—Ugh!!"

One of the injured men was about to pull out one of his Healing Items when a Steel Spear stabbed him from behind, piercing straight through his heart.

The contestant holding the Steel Spear sneered at the man who had fallen to his death. Seeing this, another contestant cursed, "We’re supposed to kill Peter first! He’s the strongest! Why are you starting this infighting?!"

"One less competitor to worry about."

"You!"

"That was a great kill!"

A cheer erupted from the stands. Some audience members stood up, fists clenched, shouting their approval. Others, however, cursed and slammed their food onto the ground in disgust.

"Only one contestant has died. Is all this really necessary?" one confused spectator wondered. A kind person in the seat next to him explained, "Do you even need to ask? It’s obvious they placed bets."

"Bets? You can bet on this?"

"Of course you can. It’s a competition, after all. There are several platforms online. You can bet on who’ll be the champion, who’ll be the first to be killed and eliminated, how long the match will last... you can bet on anything."

"I see!"

The confused spectator had a sudden realization. The ones shouting in excitement must have won their bets, while those throwing things and cursing had naturally lost.

"Speaking of which, I placed a bet myself—on Peter to win it all," the person next to him said, his eyes glued to the arena. "The only thing is, so many people are backing him that the odds are pretty low... Still, if he wins, I should have no problem making a few dozen Sublimation Coins."

Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Double Star Bar, a good two or three hundred Ascenders had gathered to watch the competition’s live broadcast on a giant screen.

Aside from the people of Soloma, it wasn’t easy for foreigners to attend the competition in person, so most watched the live broadcast. And a broadcast like this was always more exciting when watched with a crowd.

Black Star, a middleman who operated on the principle of seizing every opportunity to make money, had used his extensive network to open his own small betting pool right there in the bar.

In a back room of the bar, an Ascender sat with his eyes closed, clutching a Psychic Power Crystal. After a moment, the crystal pulsed with a faint light.

The Ascender opened his eyes. "I can’t infuse any more."

"Then it’s full," Black Star said from the side. "Let’s make the trade."

"Alright!"

The Ascender happily transferred the crystal to Black Star and, in return, received his Sublimation Coins for the Psychic Power he had sold.

"Boss Black Star, if there’s nothing else, can I go watch the competition out front?"

"Nothing else for you. Go on."

As soon as the Ascender left, White Star entered from the main hall.

"Is the collection for today full?"

"It’s full. Just waiting for him to come pick it up."

"Speaking of which, there are a lot of people here to watch the competition today. We’re going to make a nice little profit."

Black Star nodded. "With what we’ve accumulated from past commissions, plus what we earned from him... we’ve almost saved up enough."

White Star fell silent for a moment. "Brother, are you really going to trade all our savings for an uncertain outcome? What if... what if they’re cheating us?"

Black Star, with his usual smile and baby face, normally looked optimistic and cheerful, but his expression now was exceptionally gloomy.

"I don’t know. Even if they are a con artist, we have to try... We have no other way to save Lun. He doesn’t have much time left."

At the mention of Lun’s name, White Star’s expression grew somber. After a moment of silence, she looked up. "Maybe... what if we ask *him* for help?"

"Him?" Black Star frowned. "You mean ’Shadow’?"

White Star nodded. "He’s incredibly powerful, and he has deep ties to the Governor. He must have connections at North Star, too. Maybe he has a way to save Lun."

"...Let’s wait and see," Black Star said hesitantly. "He may seem easygoing, but based on the intel I’ve gathered from a few sources these past few days... there was a bloodbath in the Capital, and there’s a high probability he was involved."

"You mean the fall of Valery and his group? Judging from the mountain of evidence the Governor released, they deserved it."

"In any case, as middlemen, we must be careful not to get too involved or reveal too much. For now, don’t mention Lun’s situation to anyone else."

"I know."

White Star had barely finished speaking when a wave of shocked cries suddenly erupted from the main hall.

"AHHHHH!!!!"

’What’s going on?!’

Black Star and White Star exchanged a look and rushed out of the back room into the main hall.

They thought a fight had broken out in the main hall, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, they found everyone staring, wide-eyed, at the television screen, as if watching something unbelievable.

They both turned to the large screen. The live broadcast from Soloma now showed the finals venue shrouded in thick smoke. Flames licked across large sections of the stands, and many spectators were sprawled on the ground, their conditions unknown.

Black Star grabbed one of his guys and asked, "What happened?"

"Boss Black Star, you missed it! You were in the back!" The man gulped. "The fight in the arena was just getting intense when the venue suddenly exploded! Someone set off a bomb in the stands, and tons of people are dead!"

A bomb detonated in the stands...

Black Star and White Star looked at each other and said in unison, "A terrorist attack!"

...

The finals venue was in utter chaos.

The air was filled with the incessant sounds of people crying and screaming, punctuated by the wail of countless police and ambulance sirens.

The on-site security personnel tried to maintain order, but with little effect.

In a massive venue capable of seating tens of thousands, and with a full house, the ensuing chaos was far more than a few dozen or even a hundred security guards could hope to control.

After this sudden incident, the competition was immediately halted.

The scions of the rich and powerful in the VIP boxes were the first to be whisked away from the scene under the protection of their bodyguards. The other spectators scrambled for the exits, pushing and shoving, terrified that falling behind would mean facing more attacks.

As for the few contestants still standing in the arena, their battle was also interrupted by the sudden turn of events.

One of them said, "Let’s get out of here!"

"Wait, we’re not finished!"

"Who knows how many bombs are planted here? You want to keep fighting? I’m not sticking around with a madman like you!"

Several contestants left in a hurry. Peter was the last to leave the stage. He glanced silently at the stands, the barest hint of a smile vanishing from the corner of his mouth.

Since the competition was being broadcast globally, the incident immediately became a top headline around the world.

Everyone wanted to know why there was a bomb at the venue, why security hadn’t found it, and who was responsible.

Two hours later, the Soloma Empire government held an emergency press conference, which was broadcast live worldwide.

The spokesperson stated grimly at the conference: "All personnel have now been evacuated from the scene. The preliminary casualty count is over two thousand. The exact figures will be released once a detailed tally is complete."

"As for the preliminary investigation of the explosives: a sweep for hazardous materials was conducted before the competition began. Investigators have determined that after the match started, someone used some form of Teleportation Item to transport the explosives into the audience stands."

"Our nation’s government has officially classified this bombing at the Grand Competition as a terrorist attack. We will find every single person involved in this incident, and no matter who they are, we will make them pay a terrible price."

Before Soloma’s emergency press conference even ended, a video appeared on all the major platforms, its popularity instantly skyrocketing.

The video’s content was directly related to the explosion.

In the video, a group of people wearing black robes marked with a flame insignia stood before the camera. It was the distinct attire of the Fire Worship Cult.

One of them, a middle-aged man with his left eye covered by a black cloth, wore an eye-catching red sash around his waist, marking him as a high-ranking figure within the cult.

The man spoke with a solemn expression. "I am Heath, a Bishop of the Fire Worship Cult, and I claim responsibility for the explosion at the Soloma Grand Competition. This was not a terrorist attack. It was a purification of Heresy. Instead of treating the divine will with reverence, you turned it into a game for your own entertainment... You ignorant and arrogant people of Soloma, this final carnival of yours will be brought to an end by we, the faithful."