Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 3007: Champion

The battle soon reached its climax, and every defender watching from the walls could only stare in awe. It was a clash between Thrax’s overwhelming dominance and the light avatar’s remarkable versatility.

Although these Elysian vines were sustained only by the light avatar’s One Cosmos cultivation, they were born from the power of the World Tree itself. Yet, to Emery’s surprise, Thrax’s terrifying strikes tore through them, ripping the living vines apart one after another.

With his exceptionally powerful divine sense, the avatar simultaneously controlled all thirty-two flying swords, commanded the Elysian vines, and wielded Excalibur, seamlessly weaving all three into a single, coordinated assault.

After a few dozen more exchanges, Thrax’s battle instincts revealed their true power. The longer the fight continued, the stronger he became. Thriving in the heat of battle, his relentless advance grew increasingly overwhelming, each strike carrying greater momentum and pressure than the last.

To halt the gladiator’s relentless advance, the light avatar had no choice but to unleash his spirit attack.

[Spectral Gaze]

A magnificent six-layered rainbow pagoda materialized above him, radiating overwhelming spiritual pressure. Brilliant streams of light descended from its rotating tiers, crashing down upon Thrax like invisible chains, locking onto his body and soul simultaneously.

The charging gladiator froze mid-stride.

The light avatar landed lightly on the ground, letting out a measured breath.

"I can’t beat you in a contest of physiques," he admitted.

A faint smile crossed his face.

Without Emery’s true soul, the avatar could only manifest six layers of the pagoda instead of its full power. Even so, six layers were sufficient to suppress the vast majority of Two Cosmos cultivators.

If anything, he almost felt guilty using such a technique against someone who relied so heavily on brute strength.

That thought lasted only an instant.

Thrax’s body trembled violently.

Then he slowly raised his head.

A roar erupted from his chest.

It was not merely sound.

It was Will.

Invisible waves burst outward in concentric rings, each carrying the deafening echoes of countless spectators chanting in unison. It was as though every arena Thrax had ever conquered had manifested at once—the thunderous applause of victorious crowds, the cries of defeated challengers, the clash of countless legendary duels—all compressed into a single overwhelming domain.

The air itself quivered.

One could almost see the phantom silhouettes of endless colosseums rising behind him, thousands of unseen voices roared the name of their undefeated champion.

The spiritual suppression of the rainbow pagoda met that indomitable will head-on.

For a brief moment, the two forces stood locked in perfect opposition.

Then fine cracks spread across the descending spiritual restraints.

With a thunderous explosion that echoed across the battlefield, the six-layered suppression shattered into countless fragments of rainbow light.

Thrax stepped forward.

Free once more.

The light avatar’s eyes narrowed.

"One Cosmos realm, yet already capable of projecting such a domain," he murmured. "You really are a monster."

The gladiator wasted no time. The instant he regained his freedom, he charged once more.

But the light avatar still had more cards to play.

A burst of brilliant light erupted from his palm, weaving into a twisting corridor that distorted the surrounding space.

Time itself seemed to thicken.

Thrax’s movements noticeably slowed as the temporal spell dragged against every step he took.

This was the light avatar’s strongest technique. Although it could only be maintained for a brief moment, those precious seconds were often enough to decide the outcome of a battle. With a flick of his finger, the thirty-two Willow Swords swept back into formation, surrounding the gladiator from every direction.

"NOT YET!!"

Thrax roared once more.

Even under the temporal restraint, he refused to yield. His spear exploded into motion, unleashing a furious barrage of strikes that smashed aside the incoming blades one after another.

But the swords had never been the true attack.

Hidden within the formation, two silver needles slipped silently through the gaps.

Tiny.

Invisible.

Deadly.

They were the Tier 7 hidden weapons Emery had taken from Skylark of the Midnight Brotherhood. After refining them, he had made them one of his deadliest tools.

The needles pierced through the chaos without making the slightest sound.

Thrax’s battle instincts screamed in warning.

Reacting on pure instinct, he twisted his spear and managed to deflect one of the needles at the last possible instant.

CLANK!!

The second, however, slipped past his defense, aimed right at his forehead.

It shocked the gladiator for a split second, but with a furious roar, he smashed his head straight into the attack.

BOOM!!

Rather than piercing through, it exploded upon impact, releasing an overwhelming burst of concentrated force. The invisible shockwave blasted across the battlefield, hurling the massive gladiator backward before he crashed heavily into the ground, sending cracks racing across the stone arena.

Dust and shattered rock erupted into the air.

For a brief moment, the battlefield fell silent.

Then the smoke slowly cleared.

Thrax rose to his feet once more.

Blood trickled down from a shallow wound on his forehead, staining the bridge of his nose, while a dull throbbing headache lingered behind his eyes.

He wiped the blood away with the back of his hand, gave his head a vigorous shake, and looked toward the hovering light avatar.

Then he laughed.

A deep, hearty laugh echoed across Neo Terra.

"Hahaha... you sneaky bastard.... alright.... I admit defeat... I lost."

The light avatar remained expressionless.

"Giving up already?" he asked calmly. "I know you’re still hiding something."

Thrax chuckled.

"I am."

His gaze lingered on the silver needle that still hovered before him.

"But if you hadn’t stopped that needle when you did..." He scratched the back of his head with a grin. "...I’d be dead already"

He shrugged without the slightest trace of regret.

"So... I admit my loss."

The two old friends returned together to the halls of Neo Terra Palace, where servants quickly prepared roasted beast meat, fine wine, and steaming dishes worthy of welcoming a champion.

Between mouthfuls of roasted meat and hearty laughter, Thrax launched into tale after tale from his years in the Infinity Arena.

He spoke of clawing his way up from the lowest divisions, defeating one legendary champion after another, and ultimately standing before hundreds of thousands of spectators chanting his title as the undisputed champion of the Infinity Arena.

His only regret was that now that he had broken through to the Grand Magus realm, his career in the Infinity Arena had come to an end.

The light avatar listened quietly, occasionally offering a dry remark, content to let his old friend relive the glory of his hard-earned victories.

Later that day, Klea returned from Dawnstar with the delegation that had attended the arena celebration, Kingrig among them.

Thrax swept Klea into a warm embrace before turning his attention to little Guinevere. The hardened gladiator, who had crushed champions across a dozen worlds, suddenly looked entirely helpless as the infant grabbed a fistful of his finger.

Soon enough, another figure entered the hall.

The moment this person arrived, the light avatar rose and stepped away from his seat.

The one who took his place was none other than Emery’s true self.

"Glad to see you home, brother."