The One King

After Gaya's elimination round ended, the atmosphere of the tournament was no longer the same.

The name Great Finger of Destruction had spread throughout the arena, and the participants had become far more cautious around anyone belonging to the Supreme Council Clan.

But the elimination rounds continued.

One group after another entered the arena.

The judge announced the names, the battles began, and then dozens of participants were eliminated.

As time passed, the level of competition began to rise.

The battles were no longer merely clashes between ordinary cultivators.

The true geniuses had begun to appear.

The audience eagerly awaited the appearance of the names that had yet to enter the arena.

Among those names...

One name drew more attention than the rest.

Alister.

The strongest genius of the Heavenly Council.

One of the participants who had reached the Peak of Immortal Ascension.

But to Azrael...

Alister was nothing more than a member of the Heavenly Council.

His sworn enemy.

And because of that, there was no admiration in Azrael's eyes.

Only coldness.

Perhaps something even worse.

A quiet hatred that was difficult to notice.

The judge raised his hand.

Then announced loudly:

"The next elimination round!"

New names appeared above the arena.

The formations activated, and nearly a hundred participants appeared inside the arena.

This time, several renowned geniuses were among them.

But only moments later...

The atmosphere of the arena changed.

One of the participants charged toward Alister at tremendous speed.

He raised his sword and unleashed a powerful technique at him.

Alister did not move.

At the very last moment...

He vanished.

He appeared behind his opponent.

One strike.

The participant collapsed to the ground, completely unable to continue fighting.

The audience erupted.

"He's down!"

"With a single strike!"

But that was not all.

Two more participants attacked at the same time.

One from the right.

The other from behind.

Alister turned.

His movements were astonishingly swift.

He evaded the first attack.

Then seized the second man's arm, twisted his body, and threw him out of the arena.

At the same time, he unleashed another strike that knocked the first opponent down.

Three opponents...

In a matter of moments.

The audience began cheering.

"Alister!"

"He's incredibly fast!"

"He didn't even give them a chance to attack!"

One elder said in admiration:

"This is the difference between a genius and an ordinary cultivator."

Another added:

"He doesn't waste a single movement."

Alister moved among his opponents with calm precision.

Every step was calculated.

Every strike was precise.

Every attack ended before his opponent could launch the next one.

Within only a few minutes...

He had eliminated a large number of participants.

The arena around him had become almost empty.

Some participants who witnessed his strength immediately retreated.

"Don't approach him!"

"He's stronger than we expected!"

"We can't fight him directly!"

Alister smiled confidently.

He was not openly arrogant.

But he knew his own abilities very well.

He knew that at this stage...

Very few people could stand against him.

Above the arena...

Azrael watched the scene.

His expression did not change at first.

But when he saw Alister eliminate his opponents one after another with increasing speed...

A smile appeared on his face.

A cold smile.

A sinister smile.

Then he spoke loudly, without bothering to lower his voice:

"The greater his talent becomes..."

His purple eyes remained fixed on Alister.

Then he continued:

"The closer he gets to his grave."

His words spread throughout the arena.

Several whispers immediately stopped.

Everyone turned toward him.

"What did he say?"

"He threatened Alister again!"

"He's speaking as though he's certain Alister is going to die!"

As for Andor...

His expression changed immediately.

His eyes narrowed.

He spoke in a cold voice:

"Azrael."

Azrael did not turn toward him.

He continued watching the arena.

Andor said:

"That was deliberate provocation."

Azrael replied calmly:

"I didn't provoke anyone."

Then he smiled.

"I was merely describing the future."

Andor's expression darkened.

"Do not overstep your boundaries."

Azrael slowly turned toward him.

His eyes were so cold that the air around them seemed to grow heavier.

"My boundaries?"

Silence descended.

Then Azrael said:

"Andor..."

His smile disappeared.

"You know very well that I do not live within boundaries imposed by others."

The atmosphere on the judges' platform grew tense.

But Titania...

Could not stop herself from smiling.

She lightly covered her mouth with one hand and said:

"It seems this tournament has become far more entertaining than I expected."

Andor looked at her.

"And you're enjoying this?"

Titania smiled.

"A little."

She then turned her gaze back toward Azrael.

"But I admit, I'm curious to see whether Alister will be able to survive this man."

Andor said sternly:

"He will not touch him."

Azrael chuckled softly.

"We'll see."

Meanwhile, the battle inside the arena continued.

Alister became even faster.

One participant attempted to attack him from behind.

Alister turned without even looking at him.

He extended his hand.

A tremendous burst of energy erupted.

BOOM!

The participant was blasted out of the arena.

The audience erupted once again.

"Amazing!"

"He eliminated another one!"

"Alister is dominating this elimination round!"

It was obvious that his strength surpassed that of most of the participants around him.

But while the audience saw a genius building his glory...

One person was looking at him as though he saw something entirely different.

Azrael.

His smile remained.

But it was not a smile of admiration.

It was the smile of someone who had found an interesting target.

Azrael then turned his head toward Gaya and her team.

Gaya was standing with Rex, Sol, Lysandra, and Don outside the arena after qualifying from her own elimination round.

Azrael called:

"Gaya."

She turned toward him.

"Yes?"

He looked at Alister.

Then said simply:

"If you encounter him..."

Gaya paused.

Azrael continued:

"If you can kill him, then kill him."

Silence descended around them.

Rex raised an eyebrow.

Sol smiled faintly.

Lysandra looked slightly surprised.

Don chuckled softly.

But Gaya remained completely calm.

She looked at Azrael.

"You want him dead?"

Azrael replied:

"If it is possible."

Then he added:

"Do not force yourselves to do it."

His tone changed.

"But if the opportunity presents itself..."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Do not let it slip away."

The team understood his meaning.

Azrael was not ordering them to kill Alister at any cost.

But he had made it perfectly clear that if their paths crossed...

He would not mourn if Alister failed to leave the tournament alive.

Azrael's words reached the judges' platform.

Andor's expression changed completely.

He struck the armrest of his chair with his hand.

"Azrael!"

Everyone turned toward him.

Andor said angrily:

"I told you not to overstep your boundaries!"

Azrael raised an eyebrow.

"Did I hear you incorrectly?"

Andor said:

"You are encouraging your followers to kill a member of the Heavenly Council!"

Azrael smiled.

"I never told them to attack him now."

Then he added coldly:

"I merely said that if the opportunity presents itself..."

His eyes fixed on Andor.

"They should not waste it."

Anger burned in Andor's eyes.

As for Titania...

She was barely holding back her laughter.

She said while hiding her smile:

"Andor, I don't think you'll be able to stop him with words."

He glared at her.

"Titania!"

She laughed softly.

"What?"

Then she looked at Azrael.

"He's been causing chaos ever since he arrived, and you know it."

Azrael smiled.

"Chaos is entertaining."

Titania shook her head with a smile.

"I'm beginning to understand that."

Meanwhile...

Alister's battle was nearly over.

Most of his opponents had been eliminated.

He stood almost alone in the center of the arena.

He had suffered nothing more than a few minor scratches.

The judge raised his hand.

"The elimination round is over!"

Cheers erupted.

"Alister!"

"The strongest genius of the Heavenly Council!"

"He practically conquered the entire elimination round by himself!"

Alister raised his head.

A calm confidence appeared on his face.

But amid the cheers...

One voice reached him.

Azrael's voice.

It was not loud this time.

But it was clear.

"Enjoy this feeling."

Alister stopped.

He turned toward the platform.

His eyes met Azrael's.

Azrael's smile had not disappeared.

He said:

"Because it may not happen again."

Silence fell between the two.

Alister said nothing.

But his eyes changed.

He no longer looked at Azrael as merely an arrogant ruler.

He now saw him as an enemy who had openly declared himself.

And Azrael...

Did not care.

If anything, he seemed to enjoy himself more as his opponent's anger grew.

Elsewhere in the arena, Gaya silently watched Alister.

Then she said to Rex:

"He seems strong."

Rex smiled.

"Are you planning to use the Great Finger of Destruction again?"

Gaya looked at him indifferently.

"If the number is suitable."

Sol laughed.

"Please don't tell the judge that."

Lysandra smiled.

As for Don, he said:

"After what happened during your elimination round, I think the judge is already afraid of hearing the name of that technique."

For the first time, a small smile appeared on Gaya's face.

But it quickly disappeared.

She raised her eyes toward Azrael.

He was looking at her.

Their eyes met.

Azrael said to her from a distance, in a calm voice:

"Well done."

Gaya nodded.

Azrael then returned to his throne.

The tournament continued.

And the elimination rounds were far from over.

But something else had already begun.

The enmity between Azrael and Alister.

And the more Alister displayed his talent...

The wider Azrael's smile became.

As though the genius who was building his glory before thousands of spectators...

Was, in Azrael's eyes, merely a man taking one step after another...

toward his grave.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!