With a thud, a body fell to the ground, blood pooling where a head used to be.
At the same time, the Referee appeared beside the body, but it was too late. The head was already rolling into the distance.
Looking at it, the Referee was shocked. Arke had died instantly, his face frozen in the same expression—confident smile and mocking eyes. The moment the Referee realized one of them might die, he had dashed forward to save someone. A fist that could pierce a body and a tree branch that was actually a very sharp weapon flashed in his mind.
But now, staring back at him, he saw Can Deez kneeling on the floor.
He had intended to save Can Deez. Instead, it was Arke who had died.
Recalling the sequence, the slow and seemingly weak Can Deez had suddenly moved with lightning speed, beheading his opponent in a single stroke! All the Referee had thought about was saving the small masked man, never expecting this outcome.
As Can Deez lay on the floor, breathing heavily, the Referee realized it must have been a final burst of strength. In the face of danger, people could reach their full potential for a split second, surpassing their usual limits. Can Deez had likely experienced this.
And sure enough, moments later, Can Deez collapsed completely.
A heavy silence hung in the air before the crowd erupted in excitement!
The Referee, however, wasn't as thrilled. He didn't immediately announce the winner but turned his eyes to the officials on the floating platform.
After a while, he received confirmation that one of them had been bound to die in that final moment. Arke had clearly intended to kill, his murderous intent impossible to miss. That was likely why Can Deez hadn't held back.
The Referee raised his hand and announced the winner.
"Can Deez, the outsider, has won the final test!" he declared.
The audience erupted into cheers. Even with a dead body on the platform, their excitement didn't wane—if anything, it grew even more intense.
"That's a surprise," Elmo chuckled. "I lost."
"D*mn it," Master Popo sighed. "Was that really just a final burst of strength? He got way too fast all of a sudden."
"Even if it wasn't, he did the right thing. Otherwise, he would've died," Elmo said, shaking his head. "Besides, Arke's killing intent was strong. He made it clear what he wanted. In that situation, going all out was the only option to win. Anyway, a loss is a loss.
One Inner Ticket it is."
The two glanced at the Headmaster of the Great Serpent Cultivation School and, seeing the smile on his face, couldn't help but tilt their heads.
"You look too happy. Please don't show it. Even though it's only one ticket, it still stings, you know," Elmo said, smiling bitterly.
"I'm not smiling because I won the bet," Master Axton replied, his eyes focused on the dead body on the platform, as large as two football fields.
Elmo followed his gaze and understood what was on the headmaster's mind.
"Karma came swiftly, didn't it?" Elmo sighed. "But I think he deserved it."
Master Popo nodded. "Bel was such a good girl. I would've taken her as my personal disciple if you two hadn't stopped me!"
As the trio conversed, on the other side of the floating platform, the Mayor stared at the body on the stage. He licked his lips and turned to the butler beside him.
"You know what to do, right?" Klown asked through Thought Transfer. He didn't have cultivation, but he could use it because Holst had allowed him to connect to his mind.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure his body ends up on your plate," Holst replied.
"Seems like he won't be able to complete his mission," Klown remarked, though he didn't sound disappointed at all. Whether the Leone Heir lived or not didn't matter anymore now that their plan was moving in the right direction. Arke's usefulness was long gone. No—he still had one final use: to fill the Mayor's stomach.
Thinking about it, Klown licked his lips again.
As the butler was about to speak, a frown creased his face. He looked up toward the open ceiling of the mountain, squinting, but all he could see was the cold brilliance of the moon.
"What's wrong?" Klown asked, this time not using Thought Transfer.
Holst didn't answer. Instead, he turned toward the Headmasters, and sure enough, they were also looking in the same direction.
"We should retreat," Holst said.
Klown wanted to ask why, but seeing the serious look on Holst's face, he decided to comply. "Alright." He then turned to the Visitors, especially the leader of the convoy.
"Let's go back to the ci—" Klown couldn't finish his sentence. In the next second, a deafening roar came from above. He looked up, his eyes widening in shock.
Back on the platform, Apollo was playing 'unconscious' on the floor. It took all his willpower to resist the urge to scratch his bottom.
When are they going to take me away? Apollo wondered. He was waiting for the white-robed men to remove him from the scene, and that would be his chance to make his escape.
But as he lay there, he suddenly felt a burning sensation on his back.
Apollo frowned as the heat intensified with each passing second. What's happening?!
A sense of foreboding washed over him, his mind racing to figure out what was going on.
Was it… the mark on my back? Apollo was sure of it—there was no other explanation. Don't tell me that monster is already near?! Thinking about it more carefully, he realized that creature had been watching him ever since he left the city. It seemed like the monster couldn't wait any longer.
Suddenly, a notification appeared before him. Even though his eyes were closed, he could still see the translucent screen.
"The Alphadusk Shadowtail has begun its hunt!"
At the same time, a powerful roar echoed from above, causing the Beggar to shiver involuntarily.
Fck! This is not a good time! I still have to pretend!* But unbeknownst to him, even if he didn't pretend, he wouldn't be punished. The Headmasters themselves weren't against his actions in killing Arke.