Advent of the Three Calamities

Chapter 870: Dune Conqueror [2]

I barely registered his words as I stared at the arena below. My mind went blank, fixed on everything unfolding beneath me. For some reason, I couldn’t focus. Images... faint, surfaced in my mind as I watched what was happening below.

Everything felt so familiar and unfamiliar.

And yet⎯

’I can’t remember anything. Why...?’

It felt as though I had the answer at the tip of my tongue, but whenever I was close to recalling, my mind would just go blank.

What the hell was going on?

"Hm? Did you not hear me?"

It was a certain voice that pulled me out of my thoughts, my head slowly turning in his direction as my chest constricted slightly.

"....."

I remained silent, quietly staring at him.

The more I looked, the less I saw.

’I... can’t read him at all.’

This was the first time I had ever found myself in a situation like this.

Staring at the figure smiling in my direction, my lips parted slightly, almost absentmindedly, as my eyes continued to linger around his face and body.

’Blank’

He was completely blank inside my vision.

I felt absolutely no emotions in his body.

And yet, every part of him looked excited. From his tone and the way he behaved.

’How is this possible?’

This made absolutely no sense in my mind. How could someone not contain any emotion? He was also strong, but not to the point where it felt despairing. Certainly, he was a level stronger than Leon as I looked down at the arena.

His appearance may have changed a lot, but I can tell that’s him.

"So? Are you not going to speak?"

The air around me suddenly constricted as Tharvek brought his face closer to mine, his deep eyes staring right through me. Despite trying my best to remain calm, my fingers curled at my sides as my jaw locked.

But eventually—

"...Likely not."

I found my words.

"Likely not...?"

Tharvek blinked a couple of times, his head tilting as his lips pulled even wider. In the distance, the crowd erupted into cheers, signaling the start of the fight as a terrifying explosion echoed from the arena beneath.

Yet, I had no time to look at the spectacle as I felt sweat trickle down the side of my face.

"When you mean likely not, do you mean that there’s a chance that they might be able to pose a threat to me in the near future?"

The sudden question took me aback.

In all honesty, I didn’t know if Leon could pose a threat to the man before me. As he was right now, very likely not. But a part of me thought that maybe if he went all out, he’d be able to do something.

But it looks like I was wrong.

Sensing the man’s gaze on me, I felt the loud palpitations of my own heart.

’...I don’t even know if I’ll be able to beat him.’

"You’re still not speaking again? Is it hard for you to speak? Is that what it is?"

In the blink of an eye, Tharvek’s face was now an inch away from mine. Feeling his gaze on me, my weight shifted to the balls of my feet as I forcibly curbed my emotions and acted calm.

’Don’t show anything. I mustn’t show anything.’

I was in the perfect position at the moment. I couldn’t lose it.

Thus—

"As... things stand, I don’t see any of them posing a threat to you."

"Oh? You’ve changed your answer?"

The tension didn’t ease one bit. Instead, it only heightened as his lips pulled into an amused smile.

"Did you change it because you’re afraid of what I’d do to you? Is that what it is?"

The back of my neck tingled. For a moment, I imagined something like a cold blade pressing against it, only to realize that it was merely an illusion.

Tharvek continued to smile at me, his expression unchanged. His eyes, however, felt strangely empty. There was no clear emotion behind them, nothing I could grasp or interpret. Even now, there was simply nothing there to read.

Taking a subtle breath, I found my words again.

"That’s not the case. I... am but a mere Gate Warden. This is my first time witnessing such a spectacle, and thus I don’t know who they are."

"Ahhhhhh!"

Tharvek slapped his hands in sudden realization.

"So that’s what it was! Right! Right...! Of course, you wouldn’t know if that’s the case! Hahaha. Of course!"

He laughed as he clapped, and for just the briefest of moments, I felt the tension around me ease.

But that was just for a moment as his smile faded slightly and his gaze fell on the arena beneath as Leon fought against Gorian.

"In that case, should I have you fight against the winner?"

Huh?

I blinked slowly, my heart jolted as I looked at him.

"What better way is there to test your skills and whether they can be of any threat to me than having you participate. How about it? Do you want to do it? In fact, you’ll even be at a slight advantage since the winner will be mentally worn out. If you can win, it’ll bring you great merit. This is an amazing proposal, isn’t it?"

My lips parted beneath the cloth covering my face, but no words came out. Instead, my gaze drifted downward, settling on the battle unfolding below.

The fight was fierce.

Leon’s face was pale, almost drained of color, as he fought desperately against his opponent. Each of his movements carried a sense of urgency. Almost as if he was trying to end the fight as fast as possible.

’No, that’s exactly what he’s trying to do. But why...? Why is he doing that? Is it so that he can preserve his stamina?’

Whatever the case was, I could see that both sides were evenly matched at the moment, and after a while, I looked back in Tharvek’s direction and shook my head.

"I sorry, but I know my limit... I will not able to win."

"....."

Tharvek didn’t answer.

Moving back, he crossed his arms to look at me. His gaze seemed to look right through me, and the more he stared, the more I seemed to be sucked into it.

Without even realizing it, I started to clench my fists, ready to strike at any given moment.

But eventually—

BOOOOOOM!

The loud cheers from the crowd shattered the tension as all eyes fell on the arena once more, as a figure fell. Looking back at the arena, I stared at Leon, something close to relief cracking through before I caught myself.

He stood not far from his opponent, his breathing extremely heavy.

In fact, he looked to be on the verge of passing out, just barely keeping himself together as he raised his head to look at Tharvek, who also turned his head to look in his direction.

"Not bad," he muttered, clapping lightly as he looked at Leon. "Your injuries are quite severe, but that is of no importance. Congratulations on breaking into the top thirty."

Cheers erupted once more as Tharvek tossed the red vial in Leon’s direction.

"Enjoy the elixir and recuperat—Oh?"

Pausing, Tharvek suddenly looked down. His gaze appeared to stop at Leon’s opponent’s body.

Gorian.

"It seems like you’ve yet to finish him."

The noise died down, all eyes falling on Gorian. Although he was passed out, if one looked closely, they’d still see that he was breathing. I looked at Leon, throat tightening.

Tharvek smiled.

"Finish him."

His words, although soft, echoed throughout the entire arena as the surroundings grew quiet, all eyes shifting on Leon.

My heart suddenly skipped a beat as I looked at Leon. Especially when I noticed that he was standing still. Why is he not moving?

Although Leon tended to be rather soft at times, he knew how to be ruthless when the situation demanded him to.

And yet—

He stood completely still, not moving at all, as his gaze lingered on Gorian’s body.

"You’re not going to finish him?"

Tharvek’s voice echoed again, but this time, his words weighed more heavily as any lingering noise around the surroundings faded completely.

From the corner of Leon’s mouth, I noticed blood faintly trickling down his chin.

But just as Tharvek was about to speak again, a soft voice beat him to it.

"That’s enough."

All attention fell on the man standing on the opposite side of the arena, his expression calm as he stared in Tharvek’s direction.

"There’s no need to push the situation any further."

"Ah?"

Tharvek blinked his eyes, a small laugh escaping his lips.

"What could you mean by this, elder? Everyone here knows the rules. For one to win, they must kill their opponent. Those who are defeated have no say in their life."

"The rules have never stated that. The rules merely state that the winner can decide the fate of those they defeat."

"...Haaaha."

A long-winded laugh escaped Tharvek’s mouth as he stared at the elder. He looked to be extremely amused as he sat back in his chair, his white robes fluttering beneath him as he looked at Gorian’s body on the floor.

Eventually—

"Well, I don’t like it."

He turned his attention towards me.

"You do it."

"....?"

"Finish what he can’t finish."

What?

I stared at the man in front of me with a blank expression.

Yet again, there was simply nothing there.

Nothing I could catch or hold onto.

What was he trying to achieve by having me kill the person beneath? Was he doing this in order to fight against the elder in the distance? Just what was his goal?

It hadn’t even been that long since I had met him, and yet, I already started to feel a deep sense of apprehension towards him as his voice reached my ears again.

"So...?"

I swallowed quietly, looking at the arena beneath before taking a step forward.

To be honest, I wasn’t even sure if I should go through with it. But after seeing him throw the vial toward Leon, I knew this was my best chance to figure something out. That’s why, after a brief moment of hesitation, I jumped down and landed in the arena.

The moment I did, I felt the gazes of everyone present directed at me.

Including Leon as he looked at me.

In that brief moment, something flashed across my vision. An image. One that I felt was vaguely familiar as I looked down to see blood linger around my shoes. Or at least, what I thought was blood as the moment I blinked, it all faded.

"What is the meaning of this?"

The elder’s voice echoed throughout the arena, causing me to freeze where I stood. I could have resisted it if I wanted to, but I held back, choosing not to draw any unnecessary attention to myself.

"Carry on."

Tharvek’s voice followed, alleviating all of the pressure that was condensed on me.

’It looks like there’s some sort of power struggle between the number one-ranked and the elder in the distance.’

I took note of the entire situation as I had no choice but to move forward.

Finally coming to a stop in front of Gorian’s body, my head raised slightly to meet Leon’s gaze. Our gazes interlocked for a brief moment until I eventually raised my foot and stomped down.

BANG!

Blood spilled in all directions the moment I acted, Leon’s face flinching as he looked at me, his eyes widening in shock.

Honestly, I felt like shit for doing this. I didn’t know the man, and I simply killed him like this.

But I had no choice.

I had to do this to carry on with my role. In a way, it was also to ensure my own survival.

This was also for him.

I realized rather quickly that Tharvek was no normal person. It wouldn’t do Leon any good to earn his ire.

But of course—

"How dare you...!?"

The same couldn’t be said for me, as I looked up to see the elder glaring in my direction while Tharvek laughed behind me.

"Good! Good!"

He clapped several times, making his joy known to the arena.

"That’s my guard for you! That’s my guard! I like it!"