When the midday sun arrived.
The Ganesha Familia's arena was already bustling with people.
This giant circular arena, capable of holding tens of thousands, was now packed to capacity.
Even the aisles were crowded with adventurers and citizens who came to watch the battle.
Many gods interested in this battle naturally joined in.
"They're here! They're here! It's Ying Ping of the Hestia Familia!"
"Wow! It's really him!"
"Look! Ottar, Oulari's strongest, is already in the arena!"
When Ying Ping's figure appeared in the entrance passage, the entire stadium erupted in thunderous cheers.
Ying Ping wore a black trench coat, his hands in his pockets, his steps unhurried, as if he were just out for a stroll.
In the center of the arena, Ottar was already fully armored, standing silently.
He was tall and imposing, clad in heavy black armor, and carried the Black Blade of Supremacy, worth 410 million Valis, exuding a suffocating sense of pressure.
"Hmph, that kid, acting all fancy, dressed like that just to come to a match, he's really arrogant! It makes me so mad!"
"I hope Ottar gives him a good beating for me!"
In the VIP box, Loki sat with her legs crossed, glaring unhappily at Ying Ping in the arena.
Loki turned to Freya beside her, only to find the Goddess of Beauty narrowing her eyes, her expression surprisingly wavering.
"Freya, you don't actually think that guy can beat your Ottar, do you?"
"...I don't know. No one knows Ying Ping's true strength; such things can only be known after a match."
"However, I have faith in Ottar."
Freya gently swirled her wine glass, as if reassuring herself.
In the front row of the spectator stands, the three leaders of the Loki Familia—Finn, Riveria, and Gareth—were conversing in low voices.
"This young man is truly not simple."
Gareth stroked his beard, observing Ying Ping as he spoke.
"He looks so composed."
"Could his strength really have surpassed ours, reaching LV7, or even higher than 7?"
Finn stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming with thought.
"No matter the outcome, this battle will allow us to see his strength, and then we can formulate a strategy to deal with him."
"We must win the War Game!"
Riveria took a deep breath.
Based on appearance alone, she truly couldn't gauge Ying Ping's depth.
"Tch! What a show-off!"
"He's acting so arrogant, he's just waiting to get thrashed by Ottar!"
Bete Loga crossed his arms, glaring unhappily at Ying Ping in the arena, cursing under his breath.
Ever since he lost to Ying Ping, the latter's fame had almost entirely risen from defeating him, a LV5 adventurer.
"Bete."
Finn calmly interrupted him, "Settle down and observe this battle carefully."
And in a seat not far away, Ais Wallenstein sat quietly alone.
She was dressed in simple casual clothes today, her golden hair falling over her shoulders, her amber eyes fixed on Ying Ping without blinking.
Her expression remained calm, but her fists were tightly clenched.
"Mr. Ying Ping, show everyone your true strength..."
Ais murmured softly, a determined glint flashing in her eyes.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to my Ganesha Familia Arena!"
"I am—Ganesha!"
Ganesha stood on the high platform, wearing his signature elephant head mask, announcing in a booming voice.
"Today, we will witness an unprecedented showdown!"
"On one side is the captain of the Freya Familia, Oulari's recognized strongest adventurer—the mighty Ottar!"
The entire stadium erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
"And on the other side, is the recently rising captain of the Hestia Familia—Ying Ping!"
"Although he doesn't have a title yet, his strength is incredibly formidable!"
The cheers immediately grew even more fervent, mixed with the screams of many female adventurers.
"Who will be the ultimate winner of this battle?"
"Alright, I declare—"
"Once both sides agree, the match will officially begin!"
As Ganesha's words fell, the entire arena instantly quieted down.
Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the two figures in the center of the ring.
Otta slowly raised his Sword of Overlord, pointing its blade directly at Ying Ping.
"Ying Ping, take out your weapon."
His voice was deep and resonant, carrying an undeniable authority.
"To deal with you, I don't need a weapon yet."
Ying Ping, however, still had his hands in his pockets, speaking with an air of nonchalance.
His words, amplified by Ganesha's microphone, not only enraged Otta but also caused an uproar throughout the entire venue!
"Did I hear that right?!"
"Is he crazy? He dares to face Otta unarmed?"
"No weapon? This guy is far too arrogant!"
Hearing this, Otta's gaze suddenly sharpened.
"Is that so? Then I hope you truly possess that strength."
Before his words finished, his figure suddenly vanished!
"Boom—!"
The next second, the Sword of Overlord, with a roar that tore through the air, fiercely slashed towards Ying Ping's head!
"Clang!!"
Ying Ping raised one hand, grasping the sharp blade of the Sword of Overlord with his bare hand, while his other hand remained in his pocket.
The strong gust of wind dispersed the surrounding dust.
"Don't be so impatient, I haven't even called 'start' yet."
Ying Ping's hair fluttered in the wind as he looked directly at Otta with cold eyes and spoke.
"He blocked my full-power attack with just one hand?!"
Otta's heart trembled. When he tried to press down with both hands on the sword, he found that no matter how much force he used, he couldn't push it down even an inch.
"Do you realize the difference in our strength now?"
Ying Ping said indifferently.
The next moment, the skill activated—Killing Intent Lock!
"What!?"
Scanned coldly by those eyes, Otta instantly felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
A long-forgotten fear surged within him, and at the same time, all his ability stats dropped by 50%!
Ying Ping's lips curved slightly upwards, then he raised his right foot.
"Boom—!"
Accompanied by a loud bang, Otta's burly figure was sent flying backward like a cannonball.
He couldn't even hold onto his weapon, which Ying Ping had forcibly snatched away.
His body crashed heavily against the stone wall of the arena, shaking the entire venue, and spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread out.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
In the dust, Otta coughed violently, spitting blood from his nose and mouth, and the armor on his chest began to shatter and fall off.
That kick was truly powerful, almost kicking him apart and to death.
The entire venue immediately fell silent, becoming utterly still.
Everyone's eyes widened, watching this scene in disbelief.
"Wh-what just happened...?"
"Otta... was kicked away?"
"You're kidding me!"
In the VIP box, Freya's wine glass clattered to the ground, splashing purplish-red wine on her white skirt, but she was oblivious.
Freya abruptly stood up, gripping the railing tightly with both hands, her knuckles turning white from the force.
"This is impossible, Otta is actually at an absolute disadvantage..."
Her voice trembled slightly, and her beautiful face, which always wore an elegant smile, was now filled with shock.
Loki's expression was naturally no better.
"That guy... is he really stronger than Otta?!"
Cold sweat trickled down Loki's forehead as she stared intently at Ying Ping below.
She finally began to feel fear regarding the upcoming War Game against the Hestia Familia, and a very ominous premonition surged within her.
In the center of the arena, Ying Ping casually twirled the snatched Sword of Overlord in his hand, executing a graceful flourish, then tossed it with a clang in front of Otta.
"Get up."
Ying Ping put his hands back in his pockets, his voice terrifyingly calm.
Otta trembled as he stood up, blood continuously spilling from the corner of his mouth.
He stared intently at Ying Ping, an unyielding flame burning in his eyes.
"It's not over yet!"
"Mercy of the silver moon, golden field, please bestow upon me the mandate to be a fighting boar..."
"Bearing the divine will of the goddess, charge forth!"
He roared, gripping the Sword of Overlord once more.
The sword's body began to glow with brilliant golden light!
This was Otta's attack magic!
"Oh? An incantation? Are you finally getting serious?"
Ying Ping raised an eyebrow, still maintaining his hands-in-pockets stance.
His black trench coat flapped in the arena wind, drawing the gaze of everyone present.
"Boom!"
Otta's figure vanished again; this time, his speed was several times faster than before.
The Sword of Overlord, with a force that seemed to tear through space, slashed at Ying Ping from all directions.
"Still too slow."
Ying Ping's voice drifted lightly.
His figure flickered like a ghost, perfectly evading the sword's edge each time.
His relaxed and effortless demeanor made it seem as if he wasn't in a life-and-death struggle, but rather dancing a dangerous waltz.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, Ying Ping delivered a precise hand chop to Otta's sword-wielding wrist.
"Ugh!"
Otta let out a cry of pain, and the Sword of Overlord slipped from his grasp again.
Ying Ping followed up with a sweeping kick, sending him flying into the air.
"Rumble!"
Otta crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Parts of his armor were shattered, revealing the bruised and purple skin underneath.
The entire arena was silent.
The spectators' mouths hung open, their eyes wide, completely unable to believe the scene before them.
The strongest adventurer in Orario was being beaten like a sandbag, utterly unable to retaliate?
"This... the strongest in the city is about to change!"
"Lord Ying Ping is truly too strong!"
"Otta is no match at all!"
"What level is he, exactly?!"
Cheers, exclamations, and screams rose and fell.
The entire arena was completely boiling!
In the VIP box, Freya had collapsed into her chair, her face ashen.
"Impossible... This is impossible..."
Her fingers unconsciously clutched her skirt, her knuckles white.
Loki was no better; she gripped the railing tightly, cold sweat beading on her forehead: "This guy... what kind of monster is he...?"
Otta struggled to prop himself up, wiped the blood from his nose, and then spat.
"You truly are powerful, my intuition was not wrong..."
He looked up at Ying Ping, his usually unchanging eyes now for the first time burning with an extreme fighting spirit.
Ying Ping waved him off, interrupting his words, and suddenly snapped his fingers.
"It seems you're not qualified enough to be my opponent."
"Chisato."
"Coming!"
In the stands, a slender figure in red gracefully leaped over the railing, drawing a beautiful arc in the air, and landed steadily in front of Ying Ping.
Nishikigi Chisato shook her chestnut short hair and cheerfully called out, "Master!"
Ying Ping reached out and ruffled her head, a gentle smile playing on his lips: "I've given you a chance to shine, make the most of it."
"Yes! Mission accomplished, guaranteed!"
Chisato, full of energy, saluted again, then turned to face Otta, hands on her hips: "Hey, Mr. Otta! Your opponent is me next!"
This scene once again caused an uproar throughout the venue.
"What?! This is... a mid-match substitution?! Replacing him with a little girl?!"
"What a joke! Otta clearly still has strength to fight!"
"What does this count as? Does this mean Hestia's captain won?"
The spectator stands immediately erupted into a chaotic clamor.
On the Loki Familia side, the werewolf Bete was completely stunned. He opened his mouth: "Wh-what does this guy want to do...?"
Finn bit his thumb, his brows tightly furrowed: "To switch out in a situation where he has an absolute advantage... Could it be that even that little girl can fight Otta?"
"Perhaps for Mr. Ying Ping, Otta is no longer worthy of being an opponent."
"It seems the title of Orario's strongest adventurer will change hands starting today."
Riveria shook her head, saying softly: "Finn, we're in big trouble."
"Now that it's confirmed Mr. Ying Ping is a master whose strength far surpasses Otta's, if we face him directly in the War Game, our Loki Familia has no chance of winning at all."
Ais, sitting in the corner, however, had a slight smile on her lips, her eyes sparkling with an unusual light: "As expected..."
In the Hestia Familia's stands.
Kokkoro and Ilena excitedly hugged each other: "As expected of Master, so cool!"
Artemis couldn't help but applaud: "Well fought!"
Hestia put her hands on her hips, proudly puffing out her chest: "I told you, this match had no suspense from the start; the level difference between the two sides was too great."
"Now, let's see how Chifuyu fights Ottar."
Takina, with a confident smile, said, "Chifuyu will definitely be fine."
In the center of the arena, Ottar's expression turned exceptionally grim.
He slowly stood up, pulled the Black Blade of Supremacy from the ground, and his voice was low and dangerous: "This is a duel between you and me. The battle is not over yet."
Win-ping had already turned and walked towards the edge of the arena, and without looking back, he waved his hand: "You can talk after you win against her, but…"
He paused, turned his head, and revealed a meaningful smile: "I suggest you'd better take the next battle seriously, because this girl is not weak."
As Win-ping waved and left the arena with a flourish, the atmosphere of the entire arena became tense and explosive.
Chifuyu stretched her wrists, a brilliant smile still on her face: "Alright, big guy, shall we begin?"
Ottar took a deep breath, his eyes burning with fury, and he roared: "I will absolutely not hold back now…"
"Oh really?"
Chifuyu's smile suddenly became dangerous. She slowly adopted a fighting stance: "Then we'll have to see if you have what it takes!"
"Boom—!"
Before her words even finished, both figures vanished from their original spots simultaneously. The next second, a deafening collision echoed throughout the entire arena!