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Chapter 66: Radiant Twin Swords

The scantily clad woman looked at the contestant Ashura had singled out, the one called Valay.

The scantily clad woman gave a wicked smile and said, “You’d better think twice; although his credits place him last among the Grand Martial Masters, that doesn’t mean he’s the weakest, it only means he has entered fewer bouts, so be sure of your choice!”

Ashura stared at the woman, unsure which of her words were true, then gritted his teeth and said, “Him it is; I don’t know any of them anyway, and if I really can’t beat him I’ll just hand over all my credits and beg him to spare my life!”

Hearing his defeatist remark, the woman laughed so hard her whole body shook, and the sight made Ashura a little dizzy.

After finally catching her breath she said, “Once you’re on the stage, life or death is entirely up to you; plenty beg for mercy there, but few survive!”

“Even if your opponent is willing to spare you, the gamblers who bet on your victory will demand your death, so your fate may hinge on a single thought… think carefully!”

After hearing this, Ashura felt the busty woman’s words were actually reasonable; if he did not possess 1st-stage Grand Martial Master power, he would never stake his life.

Pretending to be nonchalant, Ashura said, “Relax, I won’t die that easily… sign me up.”

The woman nodded with a smile, and just as Ashura turned to leave, a thought struck him and he stopped.

He asked the puzzled woman, “Now that I hold a copper badge, can I exchange credits here for equipment?”

Thinking he had some serious request, she countered, “What do you want?”

Ashura said bluntly, “With my current credits, what grade of twin swords can I afford?”

She brushed the hair from her chest and shouted toward the rear, “Bring me that pair of Radiant Twin Swords!” A shadow flickered in the darkness behind her and vanished.

Moments later a minion draped in a black robe handed the scantily clad woman a pair of twin swords glowing with golden light.

Casually lifting the blades, she said, “This pair is called Radiance; its former owner was a magic warrior who died in mutual destruction on the stage, leaving these swords behind; if you like them, I’ll let you have them for 100 credits!”

Ashura took the golden-gleaming blades and, truth be told, the gaudy shine clashed with his low-key style.

Yet the instant he felt their weight he sensed that these twin swords were extraordinary.

He ran through a few moves of the Tower Ascension Sword Art and found them perfectly balanced, a bit longer than the pair he had used before.

When he channeled his blood-energy into his techniques, the swords emitted a blinding golden glare that kept opponents from meeting his gaze… no wonder they were called Radiance!

Without hesitation Ashura produced his badge and handed it over, feeling he had scored a bargain.

The woman unceremoniously docked 100 credits and gave the badge back, then said, “Ghostbane, you’ll probably go on in the third match, so get ready.”

Ashura nodded, took the twin swords to a nearby lounge, and began practicing the Tower Ascension Sword Art to familiarize himself with them.

While he was engrossed in practice, an attendant knocked to tell him it was time to enter.

He steadied himself, stowed the swords in his utility belt, and followed the attendant down the competitors’ tunnel.

When Ashura’s demon mask appeared at center stage, two kinds of voices filled the pit: curses from gamblers who hated him and a smaller but clear cheer squad backing him.

Clearly some spectators had come to respect his earlier display of strength.

Ashura even saw Hughes waving betting slips and cheering hard for him; with Hughes’s shrewdness he must have recognized Ghostbane.

Ashura studied his opponent: the burly Valay stood with arms folded, seemingly calm, his eyes on Ashura filled with contempt.

A chill ran through Ashura; sensing danger, he quietly released one seal of Caban’s Prison and drew the Radiant Twin Swords.

Valay smirked disdainfully when he saw Ashura pull his blades.

He thought, “The kid is cautious all right, yet he dares fight above his rank; I’ve only fought a few death matches here and I’m about to break into 2nd-stage Grand Martial Master… today I’ll show him the gap between tiers!”

Valay wasted no words; once the announcer introduced them and started the match, he dashed in and hammered a fist at Ashura’s face.

Valay specialized in brute strength, and all his moves were wide-open, lethal techniques of savage power.

Ashura dared not treat the punch lightly; he crossed his swords to cut at it, yet the impact jolted him back two steps before he could steady himself.

Startled, he noticed Valay’s fists encased in nearly transparent silver gauntlets whose arcane lines flickered like tattoos.

Valay chuckled scornfully and said, “Feel it now? You thought beating a few peers qualified you to move up? Dying by my hand is fair… next life, steer clear of the wrong people!”

With that he charged, swinging both fists; without even using a battle art he traded blows with Ashura on the strength of those silver gauntlets.

Hammered blow after blow, Ashura staggered back in peril, clenching his teeth to endure.

At first the spectators were ecstatic watching Valay pummel the tottering Ghostbane.

It was rare to see someone fight above his level, and a rookie like Ghostbane doing so was seen as suicide and easy money.

Yet after they shouted themselves hoarse, the fight was still one-sided.

Even so, Valay could not finish Ashura, and the crowd grew impatient and booed.

Valay too sensed the youth’s peculiarity; never mind power, this sheer stamina was beyond Martial Master level.

With a roar he unleashed his blue-grade Shattering Gold Fists.

His punch rhythm turned brutally fierce, and the shock almost tore the twin swords from Ashura’s hands.

Before Valay could grin in triumph, Ashura, who had seemed about to lose, caught the barrage and started counter-slashing one stroke at a time.

Valay couldn’t believe the reversal; Ashura’s sword Art surged like a tide and forced him onto the defensive.

After the ninth slash Valay even felt pain where the blades struck his fists, and his hair bristled… ordinary 1st-stage Grand Martial Masters could never breach his gauntlets!

Fear sprouted in his heart and he fell further behind; the audience gaped, unable to see how their earlier favorite was now being chopped like a log.

In fact, Ashura had opened the second seal of Caban’s Prison, restoring 90% of his strength, and coupled with his dual mage-warrior gifts he could now crush anyone in his tier.

When the fourteenth stroke of Tower Ascension swept out, a cry of agony and a spray of blood burst forth as Ashura sliced Valay’s right arm clean off at the shoulder.

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