Devouring Dragon Heir

Klaus moved through the forest, his current target was a massive, fallen golem-like monster. He stood over its dissipating form and then his hand extended as he absorbed its skill.

The creature dissolved into pixels, and Klaus felt the familiar sensation that he used to feel when absorbing skills.

"Ugh, it sucks I can't use elements," Klaus sighed in a disappointed tone. "Otherwise, this tournament would have been over in a few hours." he sighed as he finally accepted the limitations imposed by the mysterious guy.

Without his elemental skills, he had only two major offensive options. Stellar Sword Descent and Poison Body, which he could use to infuse poison into his attacks.

He considered his options. He could hypothetically just spread his poison in the air, using the Poison Body to create a wide-area effect and eliminate most of the participants and lower-ranked monsters.

But that would consume too much of his mana, even with his vast mana capacity.

He wanted to conserve his reserves as his target was to kill the EX-rank monster in this battle, a challenge he was looking forward to.

So, he held back from an all-out poison assault. He decided that first, he would find the EX-ranked monster with his Omniscient Tracking skill and then hunt it down before moving on. He had to ensure his victory in this competition.

With that thought in mind, Klaus began sprinting diagonally across the map. This systematic movement allowed him to scan and track most of the area as quickly as possible.

He activated his omniscient tracking skill and Apex Velocity and immediately his body became a blur. He started running on his prefixed path.

His surroundings blurred into streaks of green and brown as he flashed his way through the forest's landscape.

Along the route, any monster or participant that came his way was decimated instantly.

He didn't waste time on elaborate attacks, he just slashed every obstacle lightly with his sword, Lost Echo, which he now laced with his own poison.

The coating of SSS ranked poison on his blade ensured a quick, efficient kill with minimal effort, conserving his strength.

Sprinting relentlessly through the forest, he finally saw a prominent hill in the distance, rising above the treelined area.

Without waiting, his speed accelerated as he climbed his way to the top of the mountain. As soon as he appeared on the summit, his Omniscient Tracking skill immediately registered multiple bright dots on his holographic map display.

Two of them were familiar: Arthur and Elara. He had marked them earlier at the banquet. There were several other dots concentrated near them, indicating a group of participants.

However, since this group was not on his intended way to the other side of the map, his current target for reaching the EX-rank monster, he decided to ignore them.

He focused solely on his primary objective finding the EX-ranked monster first and foremost and then killing it swiftly, it was going to be his first time and he was not sure that his S rank strength would be able to face the EX ranked monster that too in suppressed form.

Klaus adjusted his course, moving again, his target direction set firmly to the west, towards an area of the map that he had not yet touched.

Coincidentally, the mysterious mute girl from the banquet whose name he had not bothered too inquire, was also located on the west side of the map and would soon cross his path.

A few minutes earlier, in another part of the virtual map, Arthur had just defeated ten people effortlessly.

His silver sword shone with lightning, and he stood amidst the dissipating forms of his opponents. He had fought effortlessly defeated his opponents and now his points had soared.

From a distance, Elara ran towards him, her form a blur of concern.

"Arthur!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with relief, as she reached him and took his hands in hers. A tender moment, a couple's reunion, was created for the global viewers watching the live broadcast.

Some of them booed, seeing the sentimental display during a battle royale. Meanwhile, some cheered for the duo, appreciating the rare moment.

Flora Duskbane, having been with Elara was standing at a distance, observing the scene with neutral expression.

then suddenly..

Clap... clap... clap...

The sound of slow, mocking applause cut through the air.

Michael Helios appeared from hiding behind a massive virtual tree, his gear gleaming, a smirk was etched on his face.

With him were other scions, familiar faces that belonged to James Ravenstein, who had clearly, as well as Leo. They had regrouped, their sheer numbers were a visible show of force.

"You know, I have been hearing a lot about you," Michael said, his voice laced with disdain, his sneer deepening.

"What was your name? Ahh, Arthur, I guess, right?" His words were designed to be dismissive, to undermine Arthur's identity.

"And your family name?" Michael pressed, his eyes narrowing in contempt.

"Hehe, he doesn't have one!" another young scion behind Michael stated in a mocking tone.

"Well, the amount of chaos you make around, and the way you stick like a dog to Ellara the whole time, it will not be surprising if I call you a son of a bitch," Michael Helios said, his voice dripping with disdain.

He then laughed loudly, a cruel, mocking sound. Along with him, all the other scions joined in the laughter, their voices a chorus of derision, aimed directly at Arthur.

BOOM!

Suddenly, a massive cloud of dust and debris formed in the area, erupting from the ground directly between Arthur and Michael's group.

The ground trembled with the impact of Arthur's swift strike.

As the dust settled, the audience saw the confrontation, Arthur's silver sword was now locked in a stand-still position, its blade having impacted directly against an earthen shield that had miraculously manifested just in front of Michael.

The sheer waves of energy released from the clash caused the nearby trees to bend and snap, throwing spectators off balance.

The dust settled completely, and the nearby participants, who had been drawn by the earlier commotion, were shocked by the sheer waves of energy both sides had released.

They watched, transfixed.

Several thunderbolts crackled around Arthur, arcing from his body and dancing around his sword he looked like a thunder god.

"Watch your tongue, Michael," Arthur warned, his voice low, filled with rage.

"I may be an orphan, but I don't hear bullshit about my parents." His eyes blazed

"Hmph! What will you do, coward?" Michael retorted, his voice still laced with arrogance, though a flicker of surprise crossed his face at Arthur's anger.

"Your sword just now was aimed at my hands rather than my head. You are nothing but a coward who can't even kill an ant.

You hesitate to kill me even when facing a clear threat!" Michael's insult was a direct jab at Arthur's morality and control over his situation.

listening to him Arthur chose to ignore and continued the attack.

Arthur's silver sword, again charged with crackling thunder as it pushed against Michael's earthen shield.

As the dust settled, Arthur immediately took a step back as he wanted to create some distance between himself and Michael.

His eyes were fixed on his opponent, analyzing the strength of that last block.

"He is strong," Arthur thought. He had seen Michael's earthen shield appear from nowhere, perfectly blocking his thunder-infused sword strike.

Michael had not even flinched from the impact. This meant Michael possessed a level of power that matched Arthur.

"Tsk, how can he match my strength?" Michael thought. His face showed a sneer, but he felt a strange numbness in his hands after blocking Arthur's previous strike.

Arthur's strength was unexpected for him. Michael was too used to dominating his opponents, not matching them.

A long, ornate spear, its tip glimmering with raw earth elemental energy, materialized in Michael's hands.

He immediately attacked Arthur, thrusting the spear forward. The spear's shaft was solid, infused with the earth element, making it heavy and capable of powerful, blunt force strikes.

Arthur also started counter-attacking. Lightning crackled around his body and his sword.

He moved with incredible speed, his body appeared as a blur as he met Michael's spear.

Before anyone else watching the live broadcast could even fully register the start of their renewed confrontation, Arthur and Michael had already exchanged hundreds of strikes.

Arthur's sword and Michael's earthen spear clashed again and again, creating huge, impactful waves of energy that disrupted the surroundings.

The ground around them began to crack and splinter. Trees groaned and split apart from the force. The very air vibrated with the continuous impacts. Their battle was spectacular for the viewers.

Before they knew it, a few hundred participants, drawn by the immense energy waves and the sounds of their fierce battle, had already surrounded them.

These participants did not interfere. They watched the spectacle from a safe distance, their faces showed a mixture of awe while they also schemed internally.

They also saw countless strong monsters in the area which were now approaching from far away attracted by the commotion from the battle.

Elara and Flora stood silently near the outer edge of the gathering crowd, their expressions grim. Elara's usual confidence was replaced by visible concern. Flora also showed a serious demeanor.

"There are rumors that this Michael is an SSS-rank hunter," Flora stated, her voice low, a grim tone. She had picked up on these during a general gathering of various ladies of influential families.

A gasp escaped Elara's voice. Her eyes widened in alarm. "Oh no! Arthur is only at SS-rank right now!" she spoke, her tone filled with worry.

"I hope he gets through this." She gripped her hands tightly, watching the exchange of blows. Arthur was powerful, but an SSS-rank opponent was a different category entirely.