Chapter 244: The Earth Elemental Plane

Cassian felt thoroughly refreshed the next morning.

He gathered the Domain’s leading Heroes and troops in its finest private dining room.

"The individual matches start in a few hours. Let’s discuss our tactics."

Nine looked puzzled.

"Didn’t you spend all night discussing them? You still haven’t worked it out?"

Cassian frowned. She could be so quick at times. Why did she have to be so slow about this?

"Nine, Lethria has taken the morning off. Cover her post for her. Be back before noon."

"Oh. All right."

Still looking uncertain, Nine stepped onto the balcony and jumped. A hundred-meter Crystal Dragon swept away toward the Abyss Gate.

Once she was gone, Cassian resumed.

"Strength isn’t the only thing that decides who advances. The arena’s environment matters, as do troop matchups and the opponent we draw."

He looked around the room.

"And the little we learned in school doesn’t tell me how strong our opponents might be."

He could bring his Dawnwings and still draw a map from the Bottomless Abyss, facing Greater Demons on their own ground. With one side weakened and the other strengthened, even his army would have a hard fight.

He knew just how strong he was. That was no reason to be careless.

Before finalizing the lineup, Cassian strengthened Harriet. He bought eight Legendary Troop Souls through the Exchange, consumed them for her advances, and paid the required Battle Essence. His First Marshal rose from Legendary One-Star to Nine-Star, her Level remaining at 70.

Over the course of the morning, Cassian settled on his opening lineup and marked the units he would bring.

At noon, he stood ready, his expression serious.

[Contest of Champions: Individual Contest begins.]

[Matching opponent...]

Three seconds passed.

Cassian was beginning to wonder what was wrong when the next notices appeared.

[You have received a bye in the first round. Please await the next match.]

[You have advanced in the Individual Contest. Reward: 200,000 Aether.]

His mouth fell open.

"Really? Do I have some special constitution for this?"

Lords could not draw opponents of their own race in the early rounds, which made byes more common. Getting one in the very first round was still unusual.

Had the Realm taken one look at his strength and decided to spare someone else?

"I can’t even tell whether that’s good luck or bad. I get paid when people watch my matches."

A rapid series of alerts interrupted his thoughts. He had set the Homeworld Channel to notify him whenever his name appeared, and messages were pouring in.

[Where’s Lord Cassian’s match? I can’t find it.]

[He got a bye!]

[How can anyone be that lucky?]

Many Lords who had not become Champions had gone straight to the arena feeds. Cassian, the Homeworld’s most popular contender, was their first choice. He had opened his early matches to spectators for the viewing income.

Instead of a fight, they found that he had already advanced.

[A bye means no Aether spent in battle, no dead troops, no dead Heroes. Great Sun Mother, why are you favoring Cassian?]

[That is clearly the blessing of our God.]

[Let him draw a truly powerful alien Lord next round. Even if he advances, let it cost him dearly!]

The Crown Lords were delighted. Divine Province’s Champions were especially cheerful. Their own opponents apparently posed so little trouble that they had time to chat.

[He could win on strength alone, but he insists on winning through luck.]

[Or his looks.]

[I wish I had his problems.]

[You can practically taste the bitterness in the Homeworld Channel.]

Cassian smiled.

[Cassian Vale: How are your opponents?]

The replies came quickly. No one was having trouble.

[Cassian Vale: If you meet someone too strong, withdraw at once.]

Unlike the contest for the Governorship, this tournament allowed a Lord to concede at any time. Unless an opponent killed them in a single strike or used mental control to prevent withdrawal, they had a way out.

Forty minutes later, his notices changed.

[Matching opponent...]

[Match found: Azrak Thalor, Lord of the Brahma Realm.]

[Your units have been selected. Transport to the arena will begin.]

[Match duration: 30 minutes. Defeat the enemy Lord by killing them or forcing their withdrawal. If neither side achieves victory within the time limit, neither will advance.]

The world froze.

Then it shattered like glass.

Fragments whirled around Cassian. When they joined together again, the landscape had changed completely.

An ocher glow covered the ground. Even the bodies of his troops were tinted by it.

[Environmental bonus: Crystal Maidens gain +20% to all attributes.]

[Environmental penalty: Dawnwing movement speed reduced by 10%.]

More notices followed.

"An Earth elemental plane," Cassian murmured.

Then another stream of messages began to fill his vision.

[Alfred Denvall, Homeworld Lord, has entered the arena feed. Admission: 10 Aether. Your share: 2 Aether.]

[Zarven, Brahma Lord, has entered the arena feed. Admission: 10 Aether. Your share: 2 Aether.]

[Nessa Fenwick, Homeworld Lord, has entered the arena feed...]

Cassian watched the income climb and nodded in satisfaction.

The Realm kept six parts of every ten. The two competing Lords split the remaining four, giving each of them two Aether per viewer.

"Not much from one person. Put them all together, though..."

As Nessa would have put it, that first-round bye had cost him a hundred million.

His opponent seemed to have plenty of followers too. Cassian wondered how many of them had come hoping to see their own champion lose.

"A Lord from Brahma. I really do keep running into Divines."

He turned his attention to the elegant young man facing him.

The Divine’s eyes blazed as soon as he saw Cassian. He burst into laughter.

"Cassian of the Humans! I’ve been waiting to fight you. To think the day would come so soon. The Holy King favors me!"

Cassian blinked.

"I’m that famous? Even Divines from Brahma have heard of me?"

The spectator chat filled with excited messages.

[Azrak Thalor? Why does that name sound familiar?]

The young Divine saw Cassian’s blank expression, and his delight became fury.

"You’ve forgotten me?"

Cassian frowned.

"Have we met?"

"Damn you!"

Azrak looked as though he had suffered an unforgivable insult.

"You only took first place in the Glory Battlefield because luck let you edge ahead of me. And now you dare dismiss me?"

His body swelled. In moments, a bone-armored giant dozens of meters tall towered over the arena.

Gods’ Stance—the strongest form of an upper Divine.

"Only your blood can wash away this insult!"

Recognition finally crossed Cassian’s face.

Second place. That was where he had seen the name. The Lord he had beaten in the Glory Battlefield rankings was a Divine from Brahma.

The spectator chat erupted.

[So the rumor was true? Lord Azrak really lost to a Human in the Glory Battlefield?]

[Quiet! If he hears you, he might have you made a slave.]

[This Human doesn’t look particularly impressive. Wait. Are those Dawnwings?]

[What of it? Even a Dawnwing Lord could never compare to our great Divine race.]

[My prayers have been answered! Cassian finally drew a powerful alien Lord at his own level.]

[Now that’s an even match. Even if Cassian gets through, he’ll pay for it.]

[Cassian is the strongest!] 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

While the spectators argued, Azrak threw his punch.

"Ancestral Sacred Fist, Third Form—Undying Nirvana!"

Heaven and earth changed color.

The force of that single strike silenced the entire spectator chat.