"Master actually brought those out?"
From the audience stands, Zhao Hufeng shot to his feet in excitement at the sight.
On stage appeared two towering giants—one white, one black. They didn't look like mechanical Proxies at all. Their appearances were more akin to wooden carvings.
Their faces were plain, mask-like, and their bodies resembled human forms. But their most striking feature was their exaggeratedly thick and long forearms.
Even standing tall and straight, their wrists and massive fists nearly brushed the ground.
The white giant, Baiqin, gripped a sword in each hand. The black giant, Heihu, wielded an impossibly thick spear, its body covered in strange markings from head to toe.
Just then, the host's voice rose to introduce the rules of the second round.
"These two giants are said to be Celestial Relics left behind by the very first Banyuu Tenra! The white one is called Baiqin, the black one Heihu. Both possess incomparable strength!"
"And they will serve as the contestants' next opponents!"
"Let us all enjoy this feast of battle together!"
The match—began!
The giants' movements were far faster than anyone had imagined. The moment the battle started, Heihu vanished from sight—
"Watch out!"
Boom!—
The warning came too late. Heihu's massive spear struck a contestant directly.
"Ughhh!"
Laetitia never imagined she would be the first target. She was blasted away, slamming into the barrier and crashing down hard.
That speed and power—this was no ordinary strength. Jie Long actually had things like this?
"Laetitia!"
Seeing her friend's plight, Elise rushed to step forward to heal her—but—
The white giant, Baiqin, shifted into a battle stance, blocking Elise's path.
"…What is the meaning of this, Xinglou?" Elise frowned, her gaze shifting toward the grinning Fan Xinglou.
The others quickly turned their eyes as well. All of them were within the giants' attack range—except Xinglou.
"Hmph, this is your trial," Xinglou said casually, unconcerned by Elise's tone. "Do you think they'd ever attack me?"
"I'll give you a little hint!"
"Before the match, I personally strengthened Baiqin and Heihu. Their power now is far beyond yours!"
"This round, I won't intervene. You just need to defeat them. I'll be waiting for you in the next stage!"
Her gaze fixed on Elise, Xinglou added, "If you can't even pass this round, then you're nothing special after all."
With that, she vanished—likely using some kind of Seisenjutsu.
"Looks like we'll have to fight together," Ernest said, gripping his Magic Sword of the White Filter tightly, preparing for battle.
Though he tried to sound composed, sweat was already trickling down his forehead. The giants' speed had clearly shaken him.
"That's true. I'll support you this time, Ernest!" Sylvia nodded firmly.
But Elise seemed unconcerned. She simply stared at the giant before her, as though peering through her blindfold.
"In the first round, I summoned a meteor. Summoning another shouldn't be an issue."
Without hesitation, Elise invoked her Sacred Speech. A star descended from the heavens, a massive meteor forming overhead and hurtling toward Baiqin.
But strangely, Baiqin made no move to evade. Was it that it couldn't dodge—or that it didn't need to?
The audience held their breath, eyes fixed on the scene, not daring to make a sound.
In the next instant, Baiqin shifted its stance, crossing its twin blades before its chest—the target, the descending meteor!
The meaning was clear enough. Was Baiqin truly intending to clash against a meteor?
It answered with action.
Boom!—
The stage floor cracked as Baiqin leapt into the air, charging straight toward the meteor!
The blades in its hands shone with a brilliant white light.
Crash!—
The deafening explosion shook the entire arena.
In the clash between Baiqin and the meteor—the victor was…
Baiqin!
The meteor was shattered into dust by the giant's swords, scattering into nothingness.
"As expected, it won't be that easy. Sylvia, let's strike together! Orphelia, support us from the side!"
The three quickly formed a small unit. Though Orphelia wasn't good at cooperating, she managed to lend a hand, if only barely.
"We still don't know what Xinglou is planning. For now, let's just take this thing down!"
...
Ernest struggled as he used his Magic Sword to block Heihu's relentless spear strikes. Though his blade was large, compared to Heihu's massive spear it was like a child's toy.
After finishing its assault on Laetitia, Heihu had immediately turned its attacks toward him.
Now, with only one male contestant remaining, Ernest had no choice but to stand his ground. His pride demanded it.
Thankfully, Laetitia recovered after a short rest and hurried back to the battlefield, easing some of Ernest's burden.
As Saint Galahadworth's number one, Ernest's power was unquestionable. He had mastered multiple sword styles and possessed immense combat experience. No matter the enemy, he had always held confidence in himself.
But against this Celestial Relic—Heihu—he found himself completely overpowered. How was that possible?
A sudden thought struck him, widening his eyes. He quickly glanced toward Elise's side of the field.
...
Elise, Sylvia, and Orphelia pressed their attack against Baiqin, but the longer the fight went on, the more Elise felt something was wrong.
This giant—it fought with refined swordsmanship?
Impossible.
Proxies and artificial intelligences could never replicate swordsmanship to this degree. Yet this Celestial Relic wielded its blades with precision.
Elise wasn't a sword expert, but she had studied the basics and watched countless instructional videos. She could tell instantly—the giant's movements carried a distinctly Jie Long style, resembling techniques used by its sword masters.
But this was far too skillful.
Unless…
It was being controlled by someone?
Impossible. This was the Sirius Dome! With spectators watching! With barriers in place!
Who could be operating it? From inside the barrier?
Elise's eyes widened as the realization sank in.
There really was someone controlling it.
Fan Xinglou!
She had vanished right after declaring the trial began!
"Heh, but Xinglou is a millennia-old monster. She wouldn't stoop to something so shameless… would she?"
Elise's gaze shifted to Heihu—and to Ernest's eyes, which carried the same realization.
Alright then. Case closed.