Chapter 597 The Challenge For Korten Begins
Each match was placed on a different part of the giant clearing, covering each corner and leaving one match in the center.
The Quake Dragon assigned to the unseen fifth combatant waited in the center, already taking the battle seriously as the dragon glared at the ground beneath him. His battlefield was the largest and he was ready to use it fully.
Jin was followed by another Quake Dragon, only Jin's opponent was even larger. Based on the Quake Dragon's rugged appearance, it was safe to assume that he was the strongest mortal Quake Dragon.
Hadurt was followed by the only Magma Dragon in the clearing but the dragon's confidence wasn't any less than the Quake Dragon before Jin.
Phoro would be facing a Storm Dragon. Even if their fight wasn't the most interesting at face value, Torian and the other gods were curious to see a matchup of the fasted bird and the fastest dragon. It was a match that was never given much validity in the past with dragons keeping Minokawas at lower levels. But now that Jack had brought one to the pinnacle of mortality, the world would finally get the fairest match possible between the aerial speedsters of the world.
The final match was the strange, unknown man against the largest mortal Storm Dragon present. It was a bit surprising to see the more powerful storm against the human and not the Minokawa, but it was strategic all the same. Proving the intention of Torian to end that fight the fastest and have that Storm Dragon rush to the other battlefields.
"Give us a moment!" Jack shouted as Guuro and Eedaj both descended to the battlefield.
The legendary gods watched closely as both Eedaj and Guuro landed and retrieved something from their storages. Torian, among the majority of the legendary gods, were shocked by what was taking place.
"What's the meaning of this?!"
"Calm down, Torian. This doesn't change anything about the fight," stated Jack. "All they're doing is using your fallen gods as a catalyst to momentarily revive their lack of divine energy. Now, after they slaughter your men, then they'll be able to gain EXP and eventually ascend given some time. I thought you understood that?"
Torian shut up, as it was already too late to stop it. Guuro and Eedaj had stored the fallen god's body parts and were already on their way back to Jack, so Torian's complaints would be null and void anyway.
Riled up, Torian roared, "Let the battle begin!"
Suddenly, the ground shook as a behemoth beast tore its way out of the ground. The long body of the beast attempted to wrap around the Quake Dragon at the center of the field but narrowly missed. Everyone quickly recognized the Draconic Centipede and Grixor sighed with a frown, disappointed that one of his own quests of old managed to give Jack such a crucial pawn now of all times.
Both earth-focused beasts billowed in each other's faces. As Dragov tried to bind the dragon and tear it apart with his many claws, the Quake Dragon created earthen spikes to increase its defenses while throwing countless spikes into the centipede's natural armor.
It was yet another spectacle of a dominant dragon race facing a rival, non-draconic race for supremacy. And due to the appearance of Jin and Hadurt, neither the strongest mortal Storm Dragon nor the strongest Quake Dragon could defend their bloodline's pride. They had to choose opponents tactfully, not in accordance with their arrogance.
Phoro and his opponent also took off without hesitation. Both streaked to the sky as they raced and chased each other with killing intent. They were waiting for the opportunity to destroy their opponent's wings, as the first to lose their speed would immediately lose.
The fight between Hadurt and the Magma Dragon heated up as well, catching the eyes of many. While lava oozed down the scales of the Magma Dragon, the black flame body around Hadurt was just as terrifying. Though the flame body couldn't grow like Bowzer's, Kori's, or Jack's, Hadurt's flames were still more than hot enough to rival the lava.
Streams of magma clashed with hellish explosions of black flame. When the Magma Dragon attempted to use earth attacks to trap Hadurt or weaken the demon's stance, Hadurt's use of wind and lightning magic kept him untouchable.
Hadurt charged ahead, shouting, "I'm going to win!"
"No, I'll win!"
Startling many, it was Jin that replied from the other corner of the field. The former God of Discipline showed great anticipation as he faced the Quake Dragon head-on.
As the matches began, Grixor's eyes were first on Jin and his Quake Dragon opponent. Witnessing such a match was intriguing for the Earthen God considering his match with Grixor in the recent past. Seeing Jin face a Quake Dragon without a level disadvantage was a dight Grixor was eager to see, and he didn't feel disappointed.
Grixor wanted to applaud both his subordinate dragon and Jin as the dragon instantly took the defensive and Jin wielded twelve katanas, just as Jin had done against Grixor before. The illusory arms seemed just real as the last time the Earthen god witnessed them attributing it to Jin's training, which should've allowed Jin to maintain such a technique despite his massive loss of mana capacity after becoming mortal.
The pummeling blows of Jin's swords scared the earthen shields that the Quake Dragon created time and time again. But despite that, the Quake Dragon didn't show a single cut on his body. With a focus on defense, the Quake Dragon wanted to drag out his fight for as long as possible.
Keeping that same strategy in mind, Grixor finally looked to their ace-in-the-hole. The Earthen God glanced at the powerful Storm Dragon on the other side of the field. He was curious about how many injuries the mysterious human had taken so far. But…
"How…"
"Who is that?" Torian mumbled between himself and Grixor. "This person has never shown themselves before now… So who is he?"
Torian turned his head slightly, barely getting a glimpse of the calm smile on Jack's face.