"Tick… tock… tick…" Amidst the constant ticking of the clock, the room was drowned in silence, with no sound apart from the mingling of Nero and Yehui's sleeping breaths.
Woosh… A sudden gust of green wind prompted Nero to open his eyes.
He quickly conjured an isolation field to avoid disturbing Yehui's sleep. Recognizing the unique spirit energy of Zhou Hongbuo, he teleported to the roof of the building.
Arriving on the roof, Nero spotted Zhou Hongbuo leaning against the railing, drinking from what appeared to be a goblet of alcohol.
"What? Finally, decided I'm old enough to be invited for a drink, Grandpa" Nero joked casually, leaning sideways on the same railing.
Zhou Hongbuo laughed and replied, "As if, brat. Your mother would bury me."
Gazing toward the stars, Nero asked, "So, what's the occasion? Which self-glorified vermin plans to 'legitimately' sabotage the upcoming days?"
Zhou Hongbuo sighed, weariness heavy in his eyes, and asked, "What gave it away?"
Nero gave him a flat, dead-eyed stare and answered, "Grandpa, you look like a wronged bride. Even Ren, with his sea of stupidity, could guess that. If it were something beyond me, you would have already handled it — but considering your obvious hesitation, it's clear the Federation has your hands tied."
Zhou Hongbuo took a deep breath, then cursed in frustration. "Of course it's those idiots in the Federation. By now it's obvious someone is pulling strings behind these bizarre incidents, yet they won't let me make a move. They're too busy clinging to their so-called peace treaty."
His jaw tightened as he spat out, "Especially that dog-licking Sea Douluo who always whining the Star Luo Empire won't harm us — just because of the gods."
Nero laughed a little at Zhou Hongbuo's frustration causing Hongbuo to smack him on the back of the head.
After a playful banter, Nero assured, "Common Grandpa don't worry too much, it would be fine its not like a demi-god is gonna drop like an apple from the sky."
After assuring Nero sent Zhou Hongbuo away and went back to finish his sleep.
________________________________________________
Next Morning, Shrek Academy Stand
Nero was lounging alone on the sofa, talking to the invisible chibi Aria perched atop his head as he waited for the others to finish their matches.
"So, you think you're gonna match up with that shiny-headed mountain lizard?" Aria asked.
Giving a thumbs-up to Aria's amazing naming sense, Nero answered, "I'd be surprised if I ran into anyone familiar from the original timeline. Even the Empire knows matching up with me is basically handing out a certified tutorial of broken jaws, pride and an expense of precious healing herbs. They want their young prodigies to at least maintain their confidence."
"So, my best bet is probably one of their hidden knives — someone who actually understands the law of the jungle. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if a random rule or sudden alteration gets tossed into the middle of the rounds."
Aria tilted her head, curiosity piqued. "So… did it annoy you?"
But before Nero could respond, Wu Zhangkong entered the lounge, his expression visibly twitching as he handed Nero his opponent's info.
Without even looking, Nero sighed, "Lemme guess… an unknown substitute, filled with question marks."
Wu Zhangkong sighed, nodding, before tossing Nero a coin — payment for losing their private bet on whether the Empire would reveal a hidden trump card now, or in the semis.
"Do you want to pressure the committee about this?" Wu Zhangkong asked.
Nero replied casually—addressing both Wu Zhangkong and Aria—"Why should I be bothered? This entertainment is being performed so dearly… just for me."
"PLAYER 666, PLEASE ENTER THE RING!"
"That's my cue." Nero stood, nodded once, and disappeared from the lounge.
_________________________________
The crowd buzzed with excitement, anticipation, and adrenaline for the next match. After all, it was the match of the undefeated myth of the tournament — The White-haired Dark Slayer.
Sharing the emotions of the audience, the announcer shouted, "Admirers and fans, the moment you've all been waiting for is here! Please welcome our beloved Dark Slayer — CONTESTANT 666!"
On cue, Nero teleported to his side of the ring in a flash, sparking a thunderous wave of screams and shouts from the audience.
"As for his opponent, it is the prodigy of Monster Academy… ehmhm—" Before the announcer could finish, an alluring feminine voice cut in.
"Apologies for the sudden change, but the second player of this match will be a substitute from the academy. Please welcome… ENLINKI."
Opposite to Nero, a tall man with a defined build, tanned skin, and a black-and-red buzz cut appeared. His mouth was concealed behind a two-toned mask, a sharp presence radiating from him.
"To make the matches more exciting," the woman continued, "we have introduced a new rule: Debuff Roulette. A roulette will be spun for each contestant, and both will receive an individual and a common constraint!"
The announcement sent waves of heated discussion rippling through the stands.
Nero raised an eyebrow, both amused and slightly intrigued by the development.
"Both contestants, please step to the middle of the ring to spin your roulette."
With a shimmer, two colossal roulettes appeared, materializing in the center of the arena.
Nero and Enlinki spun their roulettes. After a minute of whirling lights, both wheels slowed and stopped, announcing the Debuffs.
Seeing his result, a faint smirk tugged at Nero's lips.
The crowd erupted in astonishment as the screens displayed clearly:
Contestant 666: Usage of Swords Prohibited
Common: Soul Bones and Soul Guides Prohibited
Contestant 78: Usage of Soul Skills Disabled
Nero's teammates were in clear disbelief — this essentially meant Nero was unable to use his Martial Soul, most of his self-created techniques, his Battle Armor, and his Soul Bones.
They rose, outrage brimming, ready to storm the officials. But before they could move, Nero extended one hand — casual, almost lazy silencing their advances.
Xu Xiaoyan turned to Yehui in confusion. "Sister Yehui, why isn't Brother Nero arguing against this blatant discrimination?"
The others nodded, sharing the same emotion.
Yehui only shook her head with an affectionate, doting smile and answered, looking at Nero as though he were a troubled child.
"Because he just wants to play around."
*Back to field*
' Well, let's see what our mystery guest really packs… ' Nero's thoughts ending in blood as he tilted his head avoiding a thin purple line of light that grazed his cheek shockingly drawing blood considering not even and Titled Douluo attack could bypass his Demon Body.
As if validating Enlinki's strike, the announcer suddenly declared:
"From this match onward, contestants may immediately attack after the roulette spin!"
Enlinki with a blur of speed sprinted forward. Nero, unfolding his Demon Eyes, accelerated his perception of time to get a clearer view of his opponent.
[
Name: Enlil & Enki (Ashvins)
Age: 17 (34)
Condition: Two brothers artificially fused into a single body with two souls, creating an artificial Twin-Spirit wielder. Immune to almost all mental attacks due to dual-soul reinforcement.
Martial Spirit: Chrono Clone Body, Annihilation Light Blade
Spirit Level: 51 (85)
Soul Skills: None (all sacrificed to enhance martial soul's natural abilities)
Battle Armor: Atomized into nanostructures, providing continuous internal boosts.
]
' Well… that's the most fucked-up experiment I've seen so far', Nero thought grimly as he dodged Enlinki's punch, his Demon Eyes catching the flicker of two distinct soul-shades inside the body.
' That purple light's probably why my defenses are useless. But what about the other Martial Spirit? ' As if answering his thoughts, Enlinki suddenly halted—then multiplied. Dozens of replicas emerged around the ring, wreathed in pale gray currents.
Nero reacted instinctively, teleporting away just as a swarm of Enlinki clones pummeled the spot where he'd stood with punches engulfed in purple light. With no pause, more clones materialized, each with purple blades gleaming in their hands, slashing seamlessly.
Dodging all across the battlefield, Nero quickly concluded All the clones share full combat power… and they can teleport to any position previously held by another clone implying the chrono part.
Planting his feet, Nero spread his hands wide. As the clones closed in, he unleashed twin demonic claws, flowing with separation law at their tips, shredding clones apart.
But instantly, the clones reformed at the arena's edges at their previous position.
"Well," Nero muttered, cracking his neck, "this is gonna be a tough nut… or nuts, to be exact."
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Sorry for wait was stuck in project planning.
Hope you like the chapter, if some info mismatches from previous chapter do forgive i might have missed some things i would fix it once i re-review all chapters.
Anyways, see ya.