XiaÆs eyes narrowed Undoubtedly he is being overly generous IÆve seen our side fight and compared to her even with my rather abysmal Perception I could tell So maybe only Huang Li
What about the Squads They lost to her Badly It took some time but that could be attributed to the difference in numbers Xia said simply
That silenced Yazhu for several seconds they are not weak In terms of power The Third no they likely could match the Second Blessed Brigade
Xia felt her tongue go dry these Squads were groups Eighty through Sixty one Are you saying that these men who are being picked apart by that woman are enough to fight against our Second Brigade But that would mean
Our Zone is undoubtedly the most powerful Yazhu said bringing a hand to his heart But this his face creased into a frown yet we cannot deny that our Path to greatness has seen us take some shortcuts Our industry was the main focus in terms of power we only invested in Sir Huang and his subordinates Concentrating power and advancing quickly has costs
They connected to New Earth more quickly Yazhu In terms of speed were we not fourth Xia said quietly
Yazhu had no answer for several seconds When he finally spoke he said thatÆs just how it is It will do us no good to deny the truth of the situation Is that not why you insisted on coming in person To witness the strength of Randidly Ghosthound and of Donnyton
Xia grinned in spite of herself It was an awkward grin from what little I could tell he was just as fearsome as promised Although having him as a looming figure is dangerous everyone is watching this challenge It will be good for Donnyton to take a few punches in the eyes of the surrounding Zones
But both of them knew that this was an oversimplification if Donnyton lost now it would show a hint of weakness in their impenetrable armor sure It would therefore be easier to push for Zone Seven to serve as the capital of the New Earth They could push for more economic concessions as they slowly seized control of the economy
Yet a weakness now would be shored up later Donnyton being struck down from its throne of strongest could only happen once If they wanted to seize the weakness again they would need to target the Ghosthound himself
Which was difficult just because he was a single individual who often moved around and even disappeared But also
The image of that terrible phantom appeared in XiaÆs mind It towered above the bleeding bodies howling toward the sky Whereas the woman Helen had methodically weakened the Squads until she could overpower them Randidly himself had simply broken their spirit in ten seconds
Two hundred people were forced to give up after only ten seconds of fighting against a single individual It was the difference between heaven and Earth One individual who could slowly wear down the strength of an army was a genius A man who could shatter the spirit of two hundred with a single action is a force of nature
The weight of the word Ghosthound was not an empty thing Especially not here in Donnyton the seat of his power
Well anyway letÆs get lunch Xia finally said What intimidated her the most was that this was just the appetizer The main course of the challenge was rapidly approaching Soon they would get to see the core strength of Donnyton
Yazhu bowed hurriedly Right this way Madam Xia It is a quaint place but there is a cafe in Donnyton that has become very popular recently Even I am swayed by its relaxing mood and palatable fare If you would just follow me
Chapter 921
Randidly stood after the one hour break Helen was still slowly applying bandages to her wounds Her body was crisscrossed with small little cuts that oozed blood Although she was able to suppress the strength of DonnytonÆs Squads she sustained significant wounds while doing so
And it was clear from her periodic twitches that she was deeply humiliated by this fact
You did well Randidly said lightly They were not weak And considering how difficult it is to transition through my Domain
You donÆt need to comfort me Helen grumbled I won LetÆs not dwell on the irrelevant details
Chuckling Randidly nodded Then he looked up at the crowds that were slowly drifting back to their seats after the break Only a few minutes remaining now
Compared to the noise they were making when the challenge started the people of Donnyton were much more reserved They moved quietly muttering to each other as they shifted into their seats They had full stomachs and heavy hearts slowly processing what they had witnessed in the earlier two rungs of the HoundÆs Ladder
RandidlyÆs eyes moved to the arena Once more it had been repaired but they hadnÆt thought to wash away the bloodstains that sprinkled the ground Most of it was trampled away but wide splotches of rust colored dried blood had begun to stain the arena
This place had been marked It would never be the same
Which was the point Truth was always a difficult weight to bear Facing the proof of your own weakness was doubly difficult to swallow More and more images slithered through the air to join with RandidlyÆs Crown of Upheaval and Gloom Slowly the weight that he was forced to bear was growing as he relieved the people of Donnyton of their feelings of security
Randidly closed his eyes Although he walked down a path that was similar to the SpearmanÆs Randidly did not fear it I will not be the monster that he became I do not think that IÆm any more perfect than these people No my opinions might be even more suspect With the Creature and my time on Tellus I have been warped
When RandidlyÆs eyes sprung open his emerald gaze was clear But they need to watch This time of building has softened their edge The people of Donnyton need to remember how desperate our position truly is The Calamities will not die as conveniently as we wish
Better I take that fear onto myself now than they need to learn it the hard way from a being who was designed to kill
IÆll be ready in time for the next challenge Helen finally said
Randidly waved a hand DonÆt worry about it You felt it right ItÆs easy to grow while struggling like this alone Sit out this one and we will work together on the next one
IÆm not a child Helen hissed I donÆt need you to baby me
The corner of RandidlyÆs mouth quirked up This was the Helen that he knew She had been altogether too accepting of his orders since he had agreed she could participate in the challenge It was good to see that dutiful glow was wearing off It was much easier to count on the vicious Helen than the quiet one
ItÆs not about babying You felt it too right That fight was close to your limit Randidly said calmly Take this time to refine your image Otherwise will you be able to help me against the later rungs
Well when they donÆt fucking come two hundred at a time Helen muttered darkly But she sat back down and began to meditate Very quickly the air around Helen began to swirl with dark currents Energy from the bloody arena flowed toward her pooling above her sitting form
With those raw materials Helen could begin to create for herself an even more dangerous and detailed image It wasnÆt as though the only benefit of the challenge was to protect Donnyton Randidly had no doubt that he and Helen would grow a significant amount from these perspectives
Randidly cracked his knuckles It was time for him to get prepared as well The Squads Sixty through Forty one were forming up into eight groups A quick scan with RandidlyÆs Aether Detection Skill made it obvious that these fighters were at a whole different level The air of competence around them was palpable
Smiling quietly Randidly stood before them stretching his hands and flexing his fingers The Tinglesilk Gloves draped across his hands leaving a familiar tingle as they brushed against his skin Honestly the constant feeling of numbness was relatively exhilarating It certainly meant that Randidly would never forget that he was on a battlefield