BXBX NOVEL Chapter 297: 199 You Are the Challenger_1
Infinite Purgatory: Raging Purgatory.
This is a land of never-changing warfare.
All souls that fall here transform into bloodthirsty demons who have nearly forgotten their past, constantly engaged in battle every moment.
Even if they are reduced to dust, they will rise again to join the next fight.
Even those who die outside Infinite Purgatory will be reborn in Raging Purgatory, albeit much weakened in strength.
At this moment, creatures like the Dark Hell Minotaur are reborn in Purgatory.
Feeling their weakened power, they harbor no anger in their hearts, only ecstasy—
To die at the hands of the mighty, to briefly feel that force, even if it means being instantly killed, is the ultimate pleasure for these bloodthirsty demons!
Unfortunately, only the powerful demons of Infinite Purgatory receive invitations to the Endless Deathmatch Arena.
Once they die there, they must go through numerous battles and secure enough victories to re-enter.
“It’s such a pity that one can only be killed by the mighty once…”
“I have already touched that realm, just another hundred fights… no, fifty!”
“Then I will grasp the power of legend!”
One Rakshasa Evil Demon felt immense regret in his heart.
The Legendary Overlords in the Raging Purgatory, those terrifying Asuras, do not deign to battle with the weak or impart any techniques.
The skills of the endless hundred demons must all be honed and understood by oneself.
Therefore, to battle against a mecha pilot possessing the [Extreme Battle Spirit] trait is something the endless hundred demons dream of.
It’s a pity there’s only one chance…
However, the Rakshasa Evil Demon, the Dark Hell Minotaur, and other demons are only a few among the endless hundred.
When they return to Raging Purgatory,
news of “an 8th Rank mecha pilot with the Extreme Battle Spirit trait participating in the Infinite challenges” spread rapidly.
All the Asuras in Raging Purgatory took notice, their interest greatly piqued—
Legendary Traits come in two types, one is the Legendary Trait Slot, and the other is self-cultivated.
Once a mecha pilot surpasses the 10th Rank, regardless of their natural talent, they can use the [Weapons Master] trait and through the Legendary Trait Slot, elevate it to [Extreme Battle Spirit].
This method of obtaining a Legendary Trait is also a powerful ability.
It’s the mecha pilots’ exclusive ability, the core force against the Abyss Calamity.
At most, the creatures of the abyss might curse it as disgusting, but don’t really harbor any contemptuous thoughts.
However…
If compared to those who have awakened it on their own.
Asuras naturally respect the latter more, considering them worthy adversaries of the same talent.
An 8th Rank mecha pilot without a “Legendary Trait Slot” naturally belongs to the latter category.
Therefore, after learning of the situation in the Endless Deathmatch Arena,
many Asuras, previously uninterested in challenges, are filled with a strong desire to fight.
“This guy is worth fighting!”
With this thought, numerous Asuras quickly accepted the invitation to the Endless Deathmatch Arena.
At the same time, many ordinary overlords who are not of the legendary class, also holding aspirations for the strong, accept the invitation and rush to the Endless Deathmatch Arena—
Even if they can’t participate, to witness the battle of the mighty is still supreme pleasure!
…
Purgatory level, Endless Deathmatch Arena.
Challenges: Sixteen.
After fifteen victories, the power of the Abyss Overlord’s attributes had risen from a starting point of 2 billion to a staggering 17 billion.
It was not only in attributes that the increase was immense.
The sixteenth Abyss Overlord to appear even possessed the finely honed trait of a [Weapon Grandmaster].
It was almost on the same level as Jiang Chen who had long mastered his martial skills and was only half a step away from a Legendary Trait!
However—
This half step was as vast as the difference between the heavens and the earth.
No matter how powerful or perfect the Weapon Grandmaster’s training was, it still remained within the realm of skill and technique.
Jiang Chen had already reached the stage of the soul, easily seeing through all its moves and countering every one of them.
He could even instantly assimilate them into his existing arsenal.
Therefore, Jiang Chen activated Time Acceleration, increasing his speed fourfold.
He then brandished a peak 8th Rank supreme weapon.
Using less than 5% of his strength, he easily defeated this Abyss Overlord—
“The gap between the legendary and the non-legendary is simply too big.”
“The real increase in combat power is far more than fourfold.”
“Without the power of a legend, to break skill with sheer force, one would need an attribute difference of several dozen times…”
Jiang Chen couldn’t help but remark.
If not for the time when the 7th Rank Purgatory Asura Fang Hai had not used his full strength, but instead sparred with him, feeding him moves and guiding him to quickly awaken the power of the [Extreme Battle Spirit]…
Had it been a direct fight, he might not have been able to defeat him.
Of course, the Purgatory Asura couldn’t have defeated Jiang Chen either.
The advantage of skill lies in overcoming the strong with the weak, and slower with faster.
But if the speed difference is truly great, even if they are evenly matched in a head-on fight, the opponent could easily leave without being stopped.
[You have achieved victory in the Endless Challenge, current consecutive wins: 16 (Consecutive victories are tallied at the end of the Endless Challenge).]
The sixteenth battle concluded.
The nearly destroyed arena automatically restored itself.
Jiang Chen lightly landed and looked around at the surrounding amphitheater—
On the “spectator seats,” the number of endless hundred demons seemed to have increased?
After so many battles, the size of the Deathmatch Arena had been continuously expanding on its own, and it was now dozens of times larger than it originally was.
The height of the surrounding circular mountains had also been raised by dozens of times.
However, the number of spectating demons had not decreased but instead seemed more crowded.
Whenever an abyssal creature was blown to pieces, their excitement was so intense, they cheered more fervently than Jiang Chen, their cheers piercing the heavens.
“If someone didn’t know better, they’d think I was the abyssal monster who just blew up a mecha pilot…”
Jiang Chen thought to himself, speaking out loud.
“Next.”
As soon as the words left his lips, a meteor streaked from the spectator seats and fell into the center of the arena, transforming into a tiger-head monster.
It stood over twenty meters tall, bare-chested, its bulging muscles covered in tiger-striped wounds.
It bared its fanged maw wide, revealing a grotesque grin.
“It’s my turn now.”
“…”
Jiang Chen’s eyes sparkled slightly.
He could clearly sense something special about this tiger-head monster.
Its spirit was contained, full and flawless; every gesture exuded an essence of vitality.
This is…
“Extreme Battle Spirit?”
“Correct.”
The tiger-head monster nodded and said with a smile,
“I am Tiger Slash Asura.”
“I heard you are undertaking the Endless Challenge and have come specially to battle with you.”
With his words,
the aura emanating from the Abyss Rune condensed into text before my eyes.
[Encountered Legendary Overlord: Tiger Slash Asura]
[Basic Attribute Strength: 18.6 billion.]
[End Challenge?]
[If the challenge is continued, a maximum rest period of thirty seconds is permitted.]
Is the legendary battle starting as early as the seventeenth round?
Keep in mind, a Legendary Overlord with an Attribute Strength of 18.6 billion (9th Rank) should actually have a combat power close to the 10th Rank!
How many rounds can an ordinary mecha pilot fight at this difficulty?
Jiang Chen sighed inwardly, yet he was not shocked but rather pleased.
He undertook the Endless Challenge not only to assimilate the Mythical Life Primordial Blood but also to challenge strong opponents and test his current level of combat power.
Always bullying ordinary overlords has no sense of achievement at all.
Legendary?
What he aimed to challenge was the legendary!
Jiang Chen didn’t even need rest, immediately making his choice.
[Challenge Begins]
“Good, I knew you want to challenge the strong!”
Tiger Slash Asura felt the binding force of rules dissipating rapidly and was overjoyed.
As he looked at Jiang Chen standing before him, his grin turned increasingly fierce.
“I am the strong one!”
As his voice resounded, Tiger Slash Asura’s figure vanished.
He appeared before Jiang Chen with speed almost like teleportation, raising his tiger paw high and forcefully slamming it down!
Time seemed to slow down countless times.
Jiang Chen sensed the trajectory of his tiger paw, covering all areas available for evasion, and so he stepped back into the void.
Using another dimension to execute a phase dodge.
Retreating into the void, however, one could see that Tiger Slash Asura’s tiger paw carried a number of afterimages with it.
One of these afterimages astonishingly penetrated the Void Dimension, as if knowing in advance, crossing space towards him!
Jiang Chen had already anticipated this attack, yet still entered the void, brandishing his weapon in hand, thrusting towards the afterimage of the tiger paw…
It was reminiscent of Jiang Chen’s initial confrontation with a 7th Rank Purgatory Asura.
Both wielded Extreme Battle Spirits, both able to see through each other’s every move, and responding accordingly.
The combat became exceedingly complex and mutually nullified, making a return to simplicity—
In an instant, Jiang Chen and Tiger Slash Asura underwent thousands of unperceived exchanges.
In the end, he still lost the evasive ability that could be called the utmost.
Confront it head-on.
Bang!!!
The two were fighting at the center of the Deathmatch Arena.
Violent energy and earth-shattering sounds, however, erupted from the southwest corner of the Deathmatch Arena.
The ground cracked, and to everyone’s astonishment, Jiang Chen was directly knocked into the ground from afar!
“Wow…”
A wave of exclamation swept over the surrounding mountains.
Is this the power of a legend?
Previously, as an 8th Rank fighting a 9th Rank, even if the opponent was a half-step from legendary, he could kill easily.
But now, facing a 9th Rank Legendary Overlord, the situation collapsed instantly!
If we were to describe it in numerical terms…
Jiang Chen could exert 88 billion power with just 22 billion strength.
Tiger Slash Asura, possessing 186 billion strength, naturally could exert a staggering 744 billion power!
Under his utilization of Extreme Battle Spirit to counteract the predictive evasion, forcing Jiang Chen to confront him head-on, it was virtually an overwhelming force!
At this moment,
the endless hundred demons on the surrounding mountains finally truly felt,
what is the meaning of “legendary.”
However, after Tiger Slash Asura succeeded with his strike, he didn’t pursue the victory.
He stood where he was, his expression not so much triumphant as serious. Looking towards the shattered ground and dissipating dust, his gaze was solemn.
“Feel the strength of my power…”
“Are you finally willing to bring out your hidden strength?”
“…A part of it, at least.”
A muffled voice that was starkly different from before sounded, dispersing the dust,
From the shattered pit, a giant emerged, his stature comparable to Tiger Slash Asura, stepping out.
His bare torso was covered with muscles, and four equally muscular arms sprouted from his back, making him look like a demon god who had walked out of ancient times, commanding and terrifying.
Not only that—
It seems because of the most recent attack, his muscles are covered with scars, many so deep the bone was showing.
However, within these wounds, countless tiny illusory flames appeared, growing many minute flesh buds at an extremely fast pace, intertwining.
In a very short amount of time, these injuries were all healed as if nothing had happened!
At the same time, many things that had seemed like rock-like black keratin on his skin surfaced, rapidly solidifying into a hard keratinous armor.
He stretched his six arms, feeling the rapid integration of the Star Phoenix Primordial Blood into his cells, his expression utterly enraptured as he grinned.
“If I bring out my full strength, there will be no thrill to this battle.”
“So if you want to see me at my peak, you must try even harder.”
“Oh?”
Tiger Slash Asura saw this fierce stance and felt the surging power within it.
His will to battle also uncontrollably began to boil.
He bared his teeth and responded,
“So, for the sake of excitement, you’re unwilling to use your full strength?”
“But you seem to have forgotten one thing…”
“You are the challenger.”
As the two Asuras conversed,
Many demons watching this mecha pilot reveal his new form were astounded, their eyes wide open.
“Is this… Lord Asura?!”