Chapter 192: Gathering of trialists in Sky Battle Arena

Chapter 192: Gathering of trialists in Sky Battle ArenaHe walked up to the counter where a cute, bunny-eared beast girl sat, her ears perking up as she noticed him approach. Apollo quickly asked about the challenge procedure. With a cheerful smile, she explained, "It’s simple." She then brought out a glowing crystal that contained the names of millions of trialists.

"You just need to place your hand on the crystal, and you can see the countless names and can sort or arrange them to select your opponent," she added with a slight grin.

Apollo nodded and placed his hand on the crystal, ready to proceed with the challenge selection.

Apollo placed his hand on the glowing crystal, feeling a slight warmth radiate from it. Instantly, a vast array of names appeared in his mind, almost like a massive database laid out before him. He could feel the sheer scale of the arena’s registry, the names of millions of trialists floating through his consciousness. It was both overwhelming and impressive, but Apollo’s mind remained focused.

The bunny-eared girl watched him with curious eyes as he navigated through the crystal’s interface. "You can filter by rank or any other criteria you like," she said helpfully, her voice carrying a soft lilt.

Apollo nodded, his mind already honing in on the details he needed. "Tyros Horne, Saint rank." He mentally applied the filters, narrowing down the list from millions to find the single person who was his first target.

Apollo’s eyes narrowed as he selected him.

Once he confirmed his selection, the name of the Saint locked into place, glowing brightly within the crystal. The bunny-eared girl, noticing his completion, perked up once more. "You’ve chosen your opponent. Now, all that’s left is for the system to send the official challenge to them."

"We’ll notify them within the hour, and you should hear back shortly after," she explained, her voice still carrying that same cheerful tone.

Apollo withdrew his hand from the crystal, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Thank you," he said simply.

The girl giggled softly, her fluffy ears twitching. "Good luck with your challenge! You seem like someone who won’t need it, though."

Although she seemed like a cute and lovely girl, this is Sky City; how can she be weak and even might be super strong? So he didn’t feel surprised by her comment.

Apollo nodded slightly and turned, heading toward the arena’s exit. He was already looking forward to the expressions on the face of the Salvation Society Saint Tyros Horne when he received the challenge.

Apollo had issued his challenge, and now the only thing left was for him to step forward and face them.

Meanwhile, Tyros, upon receiving the challenge notice, was taken aback. He rarely attracted attention, preferring to carefully select weaker opponents without any significant backing when he did make a move. His cautious approach had served him well, helping him maintain his position as a Vice Head of the Salvation Society while avoiding unnecessary conflicts.

But now, seeing an unexpected challenge come his way, Tyros couldn’t help but wonder if he had unknowingly provoked someone powerful enough to be a genuine threat.

Despite his influence, the looming uncertainty made him uneasy. Could this challenger possess the strength or backing to cause trouble, even knowing his status in the Salvation Society?

Tyros sat in his dimly lit room, the glowing challenge notice hovering before him like an ominous omen. His initial shock was quickly overtaken by wariness as he tried to piece together why someone would dare challenge him.

As a newly promoted Saint and vice-head of the Salvation Society, he had gained considerable influence.

But now, this challenge seemed to disrupt his carefully built world.

He tapped the edge of the challenge notice with his fingers, the translucent message revealing the name of the challenger—Apollo Fletcher. A frown deepened on Tyros’ face as he tried to recall any notable information about the name.

It didn’t sound unfamiliar. After thinking for a moment, I remembered about him, as he seemed to have seen the name in the top hundred trialists ranking. He should be a formidable person.

But what disturbed Tyros more was the fact that Apollo had chosen to challenge him, and he couldn’t say it was just his bad luck or something else, but what he could do, should he take on the challenge or not?

The first thing Tyros did was check the points wagered on the challenge, hoping to gauge how serious his opponent was. When he saw the amount, his heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t just an ordinary bet—it was the highest wager allowed for a challenge from a one-star Sky Marked trialist.

A thousand sky points.

Tyros was shocked. This was no casual challenge. Apollo, the challenger, was not only confident but also wealthy and prepared to stake a huge amount.

For someone like Apollo to issue a challenge with such a high wager meant he wasn’t just looking for a fight; he was making a statement. Tyros felt a mix of fear and frustration. He had always carefully avoided crossing paths with the truly powerful, yet here he was, unknowingly in the crosshairs of someone like Apollo.

"Why me?" He muttered under his breath, trying to figure out how he had drawn the attention of such a dangerous figure.

Tyros’ mind raced. "Does he care about the Salvation Society’s business? Or could it be... Sol?" he muttered to himself, remembering the recent incident involving Sol, the unranked trialist they had been harassing. He had thought of Sol as an easy mark, someone to exploit for quick gains. But perhaps Sol had stronger connections than he realized.

He stood from his chair and paced the room, his unease growing.

"Dammit," Tyros muttered, realizing that backing down now would cost him his reputation and points. If he rejected the challenge, he’d lose not only 20% of his Sky Points but also credibility within the Salvation Society. The higher-ups would see him as weak, and his position as Vice Head could be jeopardized.

He stopped pacing, taking a deep breath. He couldn’t afford to lose face. But he also knew he couldn’t approach this battle recklessly. Apollo was a dangerous opponent, and Tyros would need more than brute strength to win.

His eyes glowed with fierce madness and he thought of something, as he can only ask for help as he cannot handle this easily. Not just any help, but someone powerful enough to tip the scales in his favour. The Salvation Society had allies, and Tyros knew exactly who to contact.

At the same time, for some reason, the news about the challenge battle between ranker Apollo and Vice Head of Salvation Society quickly spread within and even outside the arena, as it is very rare for such strong or well-known trialists to challenge each other.

Crowds began gathering outside the arena, eager to witness the fight firsthand. Inside, trialists used their communication devices to share the news with friends and allies, causing the buzz to grow even louder. The rare confrontation between two powerful figures was sure to be a spectacle, and no one wanted to miss it.

Time passed and an hour quickly passed, and the intensity of the trialists quite increased, and even the figures who knew Apollo also appeared to see the excitement.

Master Aaron and Alyona seem to have come after learning about Apollo’s challenge. Aaron, as Apollo’s master, knew him well—Apollo wasn’t the type to seek out trouble for no reason. Yet, the fact that he had chosen to challenge someone like Tyros made Aaron raise an eyebrow.

Alyona, on the other hand, kept her usual calm demeanour, but even she couldn’t help but feel curious. Tyros wasn’t just a random troublemaker; he had some influence as one of the Vice Heads of the Salvation Society, a notorious group.

Master Aaron wasn’t afraid or worried that his disciple would have problems; rather, he was more interested in how the hell the fucker Tyros got the guts to mess with Apollo—did he have a death wish or he received divine revelation of his crimes and wanted to atone for them by being beaten by his disciple?

Sometime later, Tyros appeared, flanked by several members of the Salvation Society. His confident stride and proud demeanour made it clear that he wasn’t intimidated by Apollo’s challenge. He walked as though he owned the battlefield, a smug grin playing across his lips.

The crowd around the arena began to murmur. Tyros had a reputation for being careful, rarely picking fights unless he was sure of victory. His nonchalant attitude suggested he had something up his sleeve, or perhaps he believed his position and backing would shield him from any real threat.

Master Aaron, watching from a distance with Alyona, narrowed his eyes. "Interesting. He’s either more deluded than I thought or..."

Alyona finished the thought, "...He thinks he has some kind of advantage."

But within her heart, she knows about Apollo’s strength and has seen his strength no matter what kind of trick or trump card Tyros guy had; it was pointless in the face of absolute power.