The Third Prince Of Darkness

Chapter 139: Inner spirit

After my first match, I returned to my place and lay down on the bed in the waiting room to rest. But I still had to play six more matches to become first.

It seemed that today was going to be a very long day, but fortunately, each match in this round was limited to a maximum of five minutes, and if neither of the two contestants won by the end of the five minutes, the winner would be determined by the referee's decision.

Another important aspect of this tournament was the prize, or prizes awarded to the winner. The prize given each year varied, but the one thing that remained unchanged was the quality of the prize. So, it was likely that the winner would receive something valuable. Most of the time, several options were presented to the winner, and they were asked to choose one.

However, what concerned me the most here was the person giving the prize. The prize would be awarded by a dragon princess who was nearly a hundred years old. Dragons have a matriarchal or, more accurately, a female-led form of governance. Currently, at the top of all dragons, was the queen, who had two daughters. The youngest of them was responsible for the academy.

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Another issue faced by dragons was mating. It was a well-known fact that dragons had a lot of trouble mating, but beyond that, dragons would not just be with anyone randomly. The party that agreed to mate was the female dragons, and for a female dragon to accept a male, her inner spirit needed to respond to the male.

Although the inner spirit of a female dragon has many characteristics, what frightened me the most right now was its ability to determine whether the male had a suitable seed for her.

And of course, theoretically speaking, considering that I believed I had the ability to fertilize everyone, it would still be risky for me to even come close to a female dragon. But thankfully, there were rules for everything. It was nearly impossible for a female dragon to be with a male of a different species, but it was not entirely impossible, of course.

The only thing required for that was the dragon essence possessed by the dragon queen. That is why the first people I had to avoid were the dragon queen and her daughters. After all, they were the only ones in this world who could access the dragon essence. And since the previous dark element bearer likely possessed this dragon essence, he had managed to mate with a dragon.

In fact, mating and fertilizing a dragon was not a problem for me. Especially considering the fact that the person who possesses the dragon essence has significantly increased power, it wouldn't bother me to be a temporary sex toy for dozens of female dragons. The real issue was the reality of being a sex slave for the rest of my life.

Moreover, the women of the dragon royal family were known to be extremely possessive. For example, the current dragon queen's husband was actually a man who had been forcibly abducted. He even had a wife and a child, but because the current dragon queen's inner spirit responded to him, the queen had not only abducted him but also killed his wife and child.

This was exactly the situation I feared. Thinking of the worst-case scenario sent chills down my spine. After all, someone who loved me, like Roxanne, surely could not turn a blind eye to my abduction by the dragon princess. Moreover, my family could be killed if the worst-case scenario occurred.

"Mr. Arthur! After this match, it will be your turn. Please prepare," said the female attendant in charge of me.

As I was thinking about the problems in this life, I suddenly thought of my previous life. I straightened up, shook off my thoughts, and for some reason, I thanked him. No, of course, I didn't thank the attendant. I thanked the force that sent me into this world. I don't know if it was God or something else, but thank you. Thinking about my previous life made my stomach churn.

I didn't miss that soulless person, that depressed individual who cursed himself every time he looked in the mirror. I was genuinely pleased to be this new person, or as he was known, the guy named Ethan Asina Lenistark. Despite all the difficulties in my new life, I could still say that.

When I heard the crowd's cheers from the arena outside, I understood that the match had ended. So I stood up and walked toward the exit of the waiting room. I slowly walked toward the entrance of the arena and took a deep breath to collect myself in front of the door.

The excitement of the crowd echoed from outside; thousands, no, probably tens of thousands of people were here to watch this tournament today. Reminding myself to stay calm, I opened the door. My eyes struggled for a moment to adjust to the sunlight, but as soon as I stepped onto the stage, the surrounding atmosphere completely changed. Everyone's eyes were on me; all gazes were directed at me.

My opponent was a muscular being of a demon species with a smug expression on his face. As I looked at him, a broad smile spread across my face at the fact that I would soon break another ego.

••••

6 Hours Later

I easily passed the 2nd, 3rd, and finally the 4th rounds, and now I was in the quarter-finals. This was truly the point where the challenging matches began, and only 8 contestants remained. The strange part was that among these 8, Kayle, Ellera, and Jofmaon were there, as well as the princess of the demons. One of the remaining three was an elf, while the other two were demons.

My opponent in the quarter-finals had just been determined, and that person was Jofmaon. It was dangerous that this man, belonging to the lion tribe, was from my own unity. I couldn't win against him solely with my raw power. Except for the dark element, I needed to use all my elements—or to be more specific, fire, water, air, and finally earth—together.

I had never fought Jofmaon before, but I had seen him fight many times. And I must say that if I acted carelessly, I could lose. When my name echoed, I opened the door and entered the arena. The atmosphere in the arena was tense. The spectators were holding their breath, preparing to watch the clash of the two opponents.

As I closed the distance between me and Jofmaon, I noticed a change in his body. His muscles had expanded further, and his arms had grown abnormally long. The yellow glow in his eyes was gradually transforming into that of a ferocious lion. In a matter of seconds, he had turned into a creature much larger and more muscular than an ordinary lion.

His forelimbs elongated in a way similar to a gorilla, and his entire body was brimming with raw power.

The crowd suddenly fell silent. Jofmaon's lion form was terrifying enough to make everyone's hair stand on end. However, I maintained my composure and began to feel the flow of energy. I had to respond to his power with my elements.

The fight began. Jofmaon suddenly lunged forward. The stones on the ground shook under the power of his massive steps. The earth cracked and splintered with each stride he took. I quickly pulled back from his assault and called upon my earth element to create a wall between us. However, Jofmaon shattered my earth barrier with his gigantic arms, and pieces of stone flew everywhere.

He made another move with his colossal claws. This time, I manipulated the air to create a shield of wind between us. The wind barrier crackled under Jofmaon's claws, but it provided me with a brief moment of respite, allowing me to counterattack.

I combined air and fire, gathering intense energy in my hands. I leaped down upon Jofmaon from above. As my strike approached him, explosive energy erupted in the center of the arena, but Jofmaon absorbed the blow with the raw muscle power that formed in his chest.

It was clear this fight would be extremely tough.

The noise of the crowd had faded for a moment; I could only hear my racing heartbeat. Jofmaon's massive lion form stood in the center of the arena, challenging me. He must have felt the determination in my eyes. I had to give everything I had to deal with him.

As I made my first move, I surrounded myself with my water element. Feeling the rhythm of the water, I began to circulate it throughout my body. Slowly, I closed the distance between us. But with Jofmaon suddenly lunging toward me with unexpected speed, I froze. His claws shone in the air as he roared and attacked me.

I quickly pulled back and formed a wall of wind. The wind weakened the impact of his claws, managing to protect me. However, this would only be a temporary solution. Jofmaon could easily sense the flow of air and was preparing for his next move. I knew this. Using the effect of my wind barrier, I propelled myself into the air.

As I ascended, the pressure on me eased. From the height of the arena, I could see Jofmaon's massive form more clearly. His lion face, roars, and muscles were poised to pounce on me at any moment. But I wouldn't give up either.

Utilizing the air element, I began to generate a powerful wind around me. My eyes focused as I observed Jofmaon's movements. I swiftly changed direction and, while spinning in the air, started sending fireballs toward him. The fireballs sparkled as they twirled through the air, but Jofmaon, with his immense agility, neutralized the approaching flames in an instant.

At that moment Jofmaon made me think. It required not just strength, but also strategy. If I wanted to defeat him, merely attacking would not suffice. His lion form was an element through which he gathered all his power, but I had an advantage: I could ascend using the air.

By increasing the power of my air element, I began to rise higher. From this height, I needed to devise a new plan that could affect him. I had to launch an attack from above. But just then, I saw a massive fireball hurtling toward me, and my eyes widened in shock as I frantically searched for a way to protect myself.

"You're not the only one hiding something, Arthur!" shouted Jofmaon as a crooked smile spread across his lion-like face.