Free Web NovelChapter 833: Chapter 96: Su Li’s Tremendous Strength (Part 2)
As a follower of Manan, he was a navy crew member, specifically part of the naval infantry. Anyway, Manan’s followers were either sailors or navy; occasionally, when far from the Empire, they would disguise themselves as pirates.
As Knights whose main activities were on the sea and rivers, they underwent Manan’s harsh training, allowing them to deal with threats like Green Skins, Giants, and such.
This Titus came from the renowned Marine Knight Order of Manan. The apprentices of this Knight Order didn’t need noble origins or to be particularly devout; many were rough, uneducated people but adept in combat. Thus, many territories would even hire them as Mercenaries.
Fighting him would clearly be quite beneficial for Su Li to understand the fighting capabilities of Blue Mirror Territory’s army in the upcoming encounters.
The referee, seeing the two exchange "traditional and friendly" greetings and "salutations," stepped forward cheerfully. He had seen this scene too many times. In any arena of the Empire, the two sides in the duel adhered to the Empire’s excellent tradition, greeting each other in a friendly and direct manner, hence he was accustomed to it and reached out to separate the two.
"I now announce the match rules. First: All witchcraft and magic are prohibited; no use of Evil Magic, including Magic Scrolls and Witchcraft Items."
"Second: The use of recovery items is permitted, which reflects a Knight’s wealth, status, and combat power. However, the total number of uses cannot exceed seven times."
"Third: Following the civilization values of the Sun Goddess—defeated opponents can pay a ransom to challenge again. The first to win four rounds is the victor! At the same time, follow the rules of warfare; the Goddess demands believers to restrain anger and passion, strictly prohibiting any lethal attacks, including strikes to the head, neck, or groin. All other means are unrestricted, as long as the opponent falls for more than a count of ten, one achieves a minor victory."
"Violation of any of the above rules results in an immediate loss and banning from further participation."
Titus was very dissatisfied with these rules but had to comply since the Sun Goddess Church emphasized battlefield discipline, taking the "glorious" orders as a vocation. Challenging the referee’s authority could lead to an immediate loss in a round, so he had to endure.
Su Li, on the other hand, was very satisfied with this. As a follower of the Sun Goddess, the Priests of Violet always emphasized controlling their emotions in battle with discipline. Fighting with anger and passion was akin to exposing one’s weaknesses, contrary to Violet’s military training goals, whereas other military sects of the Empire advocated indulging or even embracing these emotions. For this reason, Violet’s Knights were often considered calm, aloof, and even cold-blooded.
Thus, Marshals with Violet’s religious credentials often found it easier to recruit new soldiers—soldiers believed they could receive civilized and logical management under their command, not being thrown into some bloody massacre like livestock. Just like the famous saying: "Redema takes you to war, Violet brings you home." The Ridema Sect especially detests this notion.
This Radiant Competition Festival was aimed at promoting the Goddess’ teachings, so the organizers naturally aligned the rules in this direction.
For instance, allowing the use of Potions starkly contrasts with ordinary arenas where recovery items are completely prohibited. This is because followers of the Sun Goddess are generally wealthier (even the wealthiest), having a huge advantage. Many Knights from other Churches are dirt poor; allowing them to use them, they might not even come up with seven Potions.
On the other hand, it also tests the Knight’s Calm Mind, meticulous thinking, and tactical allocation. How to distribute Potion usage times, in which minor rounds to use—it clearly requires precise planning, which naturally gives Knights of the Sun Goddess Church an advantage, incomparable to Churches that fight in anger and recklessness.
Currently, Titus evidently did not excel in this aspect of a Calm Mind. Like the Divine Spirit he believed in, he was capricious and easily angered.
The words of Su Li clearly angered him, and as the referee gave the order, he roared and charged forward, wielding a Trident ferociously attacking Su Li.
This was clearly not a reasonable tactical allocation; the Trident, being longer and more versatile for both attack and defense, should have been wielded cautiously, creating distance with Su Li.
Rushing right in front of Su Li was nearly handing an opportunity to him.
Su Li stood motionless, letting Titus’ massive Trident stab toward his chest, seemingly dumbfounded by the terrifying strike. This elicited a collective gasp from the spectators around, who had bet heavily just upon seeing the Bauhinia Flower Emblem on Su Li’s body! They were eagerly expecting him to triumph over his opponent, pulling off a grand win.
Seeing Su Li’s wooden reaction, one immediately shouted in exasperation, "Fool! Dodge quickly! Even in perfect battle armor, being hit with such a heavy blow would put you at a disadvantage."
"Trash, is this a fixed match? How can there be such a stupid Knight! I want to file a complaint—is this a scheme to cheat money?"
"A disgrace. Watching him enter the last stage slowly, I knew he must be a worthless... Oh!! An extraordinary genius!"
"Oh!! Goddess above!!"
With countless gamblers around screaming with red eyes, a wave of fervent praise nearly overturned the arena in an instant.
