Nearly all eyes were focused on Asher at this moment.
Robert stood on the same side as the Elders of the family. Just as they were weighing what they should say to persuade Asher to agree to this battle, Asher spoke first:
"I will go, and I will return victorious."
Liona could not help but frown, but the others were filled with joy.
Robert quickly said, "Asher, although Roma is a life-and-death arena, it is not impossible to intervene. I can go negotiate with Julius so that the battle ends with merely defeating the opponent."
Julius was the name of the Grand Elder of the Valerius family.
Asher looked at Robert. "There's no need to do anything unnecessary, because I am certain I will win. Besides, does Julius look like someone who would leave me a way out?"
That was true. Asher had risen into the world like a bolt from the blue, erupting with astonishing power. To maintain their status, the Valerius family was undoubtedly desperate to eliminate him as soon as possible.
The crowd watched Asher's departing back and could not help but shake their heads with sighs. Liona hurried after him, while the Grand Elder shook his head and said to Robert, "When the time comes, all of us will be present. We can forcibly override the life-and-death rules."
But at that moment, Robert suddenly looked at him, his voice as light as the wind. "But what if Asher really can win?"
The Elders frowned as they looked at Robert, feeling that with his authority divided, perhaps he was on the verge of madness.
Robert paid no attention to their gazes and simply continued, "Before this, none of us expected Asher to be able to defeat Thora, did we?"
The group fell silent, as if they suddenly understood Robert's state of mind.
Yes, there was a chance Asher would lose. But what if he won?
What if Asher truly was a miracle…
Liona chased after Asher. She had never seen her son's figure so difficult to catch up to.
At last, Asher seemed to hear the footsteps behind him. Seeing Liona, he immediately stopped and said softly, "Mom."
Liona looked at Asher, unable to hide the worry on her face. "Asher, that's Julius. He is an Awakened of rank A, with Talent rank A!"
The two letters A were already considered the pinnacle in the human world, because going any higher than that was exceedingly rare. Previously, Thora had been an Awakened of rank B with Talent rank A.
Although both Thora and Julius possessed Talent rank A, what mattered even more was their cultivation rank.
One must understand that the gap between ranks was far more than just a single letter.
If you were an Awakened of rank E, you might be nothing more than a small fry, but you would already possess a lifespan three times that of an ordinary person. And this was only the beginning. Even so, many people spent their entire lives stuck at this rank, unable to advance to rank D.
To reach rank A, one might have to spend thousands of years, tens of thousands of years, even hundreds of thousands of years. Moreover, their Talent had to be high enough, they needed sufficient resources for cultivation, and they had to put in enough effort. Lacking even one of these factors would greatly slow their progress through the ranks.
That was why the strong had every reason to be arrogant, because they were chosen—chosen to continue growing stronger in a world where countless people ended their cultivation journey at rank E or D.
Julius, possessing two rank As, was clearly a true old monster. Perhaps that was why, even though Asher had defeated Thora, no one else felt that he could win. It was not that they looked down on him. Rather, they felt this battle was like using an egg to strike a rock, with Asher being the egg that could be crushed at any moment.
Asher looked at Liona and said softly, "I already said I would win, Mom, and I will definitely win."
From the moment he arrived in this world with Talent rank SSS, had fate not already destined him to clear every obstacle and climb to the very peak?
Those who danced before his eyes were nothing more than bosses he needed to defeat along the road ahead.
Liona seemed to see something in her son's eyes, a strange and unfamiliar feeling.
It was as if he was here, yet not truly here at all. As if he were using his eyes to look at this world from on high, like someone who did not belong to this world, and therefore did not care about it.
As if… everything were just a game.
Liona instinctively grasped Asher's hand and asked, "Asher, are you really alright?"
Asher blinked. His eyes became clear and sparkling, filled with passion, and he smiled. "Of course I'm fine. Mom doesn't need to worry."
It was as though that strange and unsettling sensation Liona had felt was nothing more than an illusion.
She knew she could not persuade Asher, just as on that day when Asher had leapt into the air to face Thora, she had been unable to stop him.
Liona watched Asher's figure gradually recede into the distance, and in the end, she could only turn back toward the grand hall.
At this moment, the declaration of challenge from the Grand Elder of the Valerius family to Asher Aurelius had already spread far and wide throughout Cinderfall, the citadel where both the Aurelius family and the Valerius family resided.
Cinderfall was also the largest citadel among the twelve citadels of Mytheria. It was even larger than Nyxfia, an independent nation on Talentia.
In fact, rumors of this life-and-death battle had spread beyond Cinderfall itself.
This was because the arena where they would fight, Roma, lay outside Cinderfall and did not belong to the territory of any citadel. It was a public arena not bound by any laws. Once one stepped onto it, the only outcome was your life or mine.
Renown was clearly rising, evidenced by the second card now being more than seventy percent unlocked.
However, it seemed that this time, attention was focused more on Julius than on Asher's strength. As a result, the speed at which renown increased was slower than when Asher had finished off Thora.
It was the second night since receiving Julius's challenge.
The next morning, Asher would have to appear at Roma.
Asher sat beneath the moonlight. He raised his hand and softly called out, "Ashley..."
The moment his voice fell, a flame suddenly flared up from the center of his palm. It began to drift and swirl, gathering together, until it finally took on a clear form.
With a dress of fire constantly radiating heat and hair of blazing red flames flowing freely, she appeared to be over two meters tall.
Her skin itself was fire, yet bright lines traced her features, allowing her face to remain clearly recognizable.
She looked at Asher and said softly, "God-Candidate, you have finally decided to spare me a bit of your attention."
"God-Candidate?" Asher smiled faintly, showing no particular reaction.
Ashley's voice sounded distant, carrying a strangely deep undertone as she spoke softly, "Yes. We exist to assist you in ascending to godhood."
Asher lifted his hand, and Ashley immediately transformed into a ribbon of flame that wrapped around his arm, clinging to him like an affectionate cat.
Asher could not help but ask, "Are the others as clingy as you?"
Ashley paused for a moment before replying, "No matter what, they will still have to obey your commands."
Asher raised an eyebrow but said nothing, feeling that Ashley truly did not know how to lie.
He then asked, "Do you have any other form besides this one?"
Ashley replied softly, "Not until you are able to summon Gorgos, my lord."
That meant the ranks of the cards would also increase as his renown rose.
Asher toyed with the flame in his hand, quietly waiting for the battle of the next day to arrive…