Caesar and Arthur exchanged incredulous glances.
"You... are feeling it too?"
"Of course... I feel like I can barely breathe right now..."
"What exactly is this thing he possesses?! It has such immense power!"
"How can a seemingly ordinary chain bring us such terrifying suppression?"
"If we are like this, how much worse must it be for others?"
"Then with the help of this chain, isn't Lin Ran an absolute Boss-level existence in a one-on-one match?!"
"Cough cough... not necessarily..."
"Haven't you noticed that not everyone on the field is experiencing this discomfort like us?"
"And those who are have a very distinct commonality?"
"Hm?"
"Are you saying that all the energy we've been using is Holy energy?"
"Yes, that's pretty much it..."
"If that's the case, then it proves that Lin Ran's chain might be a demonic chain, specifically designed to target people like us..."
"Damn it! There's such a thing! The people of Longguo are truly outrageous!"
"Their mystery and power already make me feel afraid..."
"Then if we were to face Lin Ran, wouldn't we be completely dominated?"
"Well... there's no point discussing this now, we'll just have to see when it happens..."
The two patted each other's shoulders with a helpless smile and turned their gazes back to the stage.
Lucas, who was bound by the Heaven's Chain, couldn't even gasp for air; he felt as if he was about to be suffocated by it!
Despite his desperate struggles, the restraint of the Heaven's Chain showed no signs of loosening; instead, it tightened further.
He hadn't realized that the Holy Light within him was the very reason for his inability to resist...
Lin Ran, facing a knight with a decent attitude, had no intention of teaching him a lesson. With a wave of his hand, he manipulated the Heaven's Chain and flung Lucas off the stage.
Only then, freed from the Heaven's Chain's grip, did Lucas manage to stand up somewhat steadily. He looked at his Holy power, which had returned to his body, with a look of shock:
"You, you, you, you... are you a demon king hidden in the mortal world?"
"How is it possible... how can there be such an evil object that can seal someone's Holy power?!"
Seeing his somewhat bewildered expression, Lin Ran burst into laughter:
"You can indeed understand it that way..."
"However, I consider myself even more terrifying than any demon king."
Lucas was even more astonished:
"More terrifying than a demon king?!"
"Then are you the... Great Demon King who has been lost to legend for a very, very long time?!"
Lin Ran found it increasingly amusing and didn't know how to explain to the simpleton that he was speaking metaphorically.
However, seeing his earnest expression, he figured it wouldn't be clear anyway...
Vasily, on the other hand, lost his patience and roughly pushed Vasily aside:
"Demon king? Great Demon King?"
"What a joke!"
"Let alone if you're not one..."
"Even if you were, I would still slay you today to prove my path!"
With that, Vasily performed a backflip in mid-air and landed steadily in a lunging pose.
Lin Ran narrowed his eyes:
"Oh?"
"Now that your cannon fodder teammates are all used up, are you not going to hide anymore?"
"I thought you would have forfeited when things started to go south!"
Vasily snorted and said coldly:
"To avoid battle is the act of a coward!"
"How could I, a general of the Red Leaf Country, do such a thing!?"
As soon as Vasily spoke, before Lin Ran could react, the surrounding audience and contestants couldn't help themselves:
"Hahaha, did you hear what this guy is saying?"
"Avoiding battle is cowardly... does he not think his earlier move of sending his teammates to their deaths was heroic?"
"I'm truly flabbergasted by this clown. It's the first time I've seen someone contradict themselves so blatantly."
"The most ridiculous part is that he said it with such pride, it's unbelievable!"
"..."
Hearing the incessant chatter from the stage, Vasily's face began to burn with embarrassment.
He gritted his teeth and managed to squeeze out a few words:
"Short-sighted! Short-sighted!"
"You ignorant fools, you have no idea what grand strategy I'm employing!"
Lin Ran couldn't help but chuckle at this:
"Oh? Grand strategy?"
"Then you better hurry and explain what you've been up to..."
"After all, judging by your busy efforts, your only achievement seems to be sending your teammates to their deaths!"
Vasily threw his head back and laughed:
"That's because you don't understand Vasily!"
"My bloodlust requires hatred as its fuel..."
"The more people connected to fate you ruthlessly defeat, the greater the bonus I gain!"
"Moreover, they were also humiliated and provoked by you, which further amplified my anger and desire!"
"Now that I am fully ignited, I can't wait to chop you into countless pieces!"
Seeing Vasily's perverted and ferocious grin, Lin Ran sighed softly:
"So that's how it is... you're doing a sacrifice build here?"
"Heh heh... don't speak of the resentment of only your seven people..."
"Even if the resentment of the entire Red Leaf Country were to focus on me, I would still be fearless!"
Vasily roared in anger.
Lin Ran's dismissive words were tantamount to implying that everyone in the Red Leaf Country was dead!
"Arrogant!"
"How dare a young brat like you profane the national prestige of the Red Leaf Country!"
"Just you wait..."
"After I personally sever your head, I'll show you how I humiliate your Longguo!"
"Oh, my apologies... you, who will be physically dead by then, certainly won't be able to see it..."
With that, Vasily made a forceful gesture, and two great sabers appeared in his hands.
One blazed like fire, with faint ghost head imprints swirling upon it.
The other was as cold as ice, its blade completely covered in a thin layer of frost.
"It's time for you to witness the might of our Red Leaf Country's divine artifacts!"
Vasily licked his lips, his eyes turning blood red.
Lin Ran, expressionless, glanced at his twin blades and then smiled, raising both his hands into the air.
In the next instant, two weapons of mutually restraining attributes also appeared in his hands.
One was as sinister as a demon, its entire blade covered in a dark purple, blood-red curse.
The other was as brilliant as light, its pure radiance of dawn faintly obscuring parts of the blade.