Chapter 522

Chapter 522: Display of Power

"A human?" Catherine squinted her eyes.

Earlier at the cross-domain teleportation portal, the crowd below had been too dense—fighters, guards, leaders, followers, priests, all packed together, numbering thousands.

The lofty Child of the Dragon hadn’t bothered to notice individuals in that sea of faces.

Midi had also deliberately held back his power while resisting the "Death Ice River" to avoid drawing attention.

Only now did Catherine discover a human at the Black Dragon Conference!

This human remained utterly unfazed by her intimidation, even dismissing her presence entirely.

In Catherine’s mind, surface humans symbolized deceit, cowardice, and treachery. Their rulers supposedly wasted fertile lands and riches on petty power struggles instead of strengthening themselves.

That such weaklings dared enter the Shaded Realm, join the Black Dragon Conference, and disrespect a Child of the Dragon? Disgust prickled her frost-cold heart.

It felt like a fly hovering before her eyes.

"Pray to the Dark Dragon God you avoid the eastern temple’s warriors," Catherine muttered, leaving the arena without looking back.

Only after the Ice Queen departed did staff scramble to free the frozen victim.

"First match on Arena Three: Number 300 wins," the dragon’s shadow declared flatly.

Other arenas concluded battles simultaneously—each dominated by Children of the Dragon.

Arena One hosted the "Behemoth Queen" Imudissari, summoner of imperial dragon bloodline. She blasted her opponent offstage with magic without summoning a single beast.

Arena Two featured the "Iron Wall King" Stefan, a Black Dragon Knight with metallic dragon bloodline. Enhanced by bloodline powers, his defense became impenetrable. He simply walked forward, his crushing aura forcing his foe to vomit blood and collapse.

Arena Four held the "Killing God" Ivanov, a berserker with tyrant dragon bloodline. His vicious fusion of demon god and bloodline made him uniquely ruthless. Before his opponent could surrender, Ivanov shredded them to pieces.

Drenched in blood, the Killing God roared like a beast, savoring the slaughter. Black Dragon warriors assigned to his arena paled in terror. Other Children of the Dragon disdained humbling weaker foes—but how could they fight this murderous fiend?

The central arena stood apart from the four regional platforms. Here ruled the "Thunder King" Odin, sword soul of thunder dragon bloodline. His Central Temple oversaw the Dragon Tooth Arena’s upkeep from the fifth level. Having grown steeped in that layer’s potent magic and ancient Dragon Breath, Odin’s power eclipsed even his fellow Children of the Dragon.

His level had actually reached level-70!

He possessed the same cultivation as that demon viscount who once sent Midi flying with a single punch!

Furthermore, when factoring in his bloodline powers and the physical changes from prolonged exposure to high-concentration magic, this Thunder King’s power might even surpass that of a demon viscount!

Among all the Children of the Dragon, he stood alone as the only one who repelled his opponent without using any skills.

This didn’t mean the Thunder King’s opponent was weak or cowardly. On the contrary, it was a level-68 Black Dragon warrior wielding a silver token.

Yet when this expert launched his attack, a sharp *crack* erupted from the central Arena.

The moment the sound rang out, the warrior seemed struck by an invisible force. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he hurtled backward like a broken kite, flung clear off the Arena!

No one understood what had occurred.

Only one fact was clear—Odin had secured Victory without even using a single skill.

Yet Midi glimpsed the truth.

“It was the Draw and Slash sound…” Midi murmured, his gaze alight with undisguised admiration.

The sword soul’s Draw and Slash skill involved charging power within the sheath before releasing it in an instant strike. The friction between blade and sheath during this move produced the distinctive Draw and Slash sound.

Normally, such sounds held no tactical value—mere noise like clashing swords, useful only for tracking movements.

But Odin had sent his opponent flying using *only* the Draw and Slash sound, without even executing the skill itself!

Midi realized this wasn’t some secret technique. Odin had done it casually—the Thunder King’s relaxed expression suggested he’d been merely toying with his foe.

To casually one-shot an opponent during the Shaded Realm’s grand Black Dragon Conference… It defied belief.

“As I am now, I couldn’t last more than a few moves against him,” Midi muttered with a wry smile.

Yet his fighting spirit blazed brighter, fueled by the challenge this powerhouse represented.

The five Children of the Dragon’s overwhelming displays cast a pall of pressure over all Conference fighters.

After the predictable first-round matches, the Black Dragon Conference truly began in the second round.

“305 versus 370!”

“318 versus 314!”

“341 versus 399!”

The dragon’s shadow’s voice announced match after rapid match.

Only the Children of the Dragon received numbers ending in zero—others got random assignments. No pattern dictated whether fighters faced stronger or weaker opponents.

Since each outcome transferred one-third of a Dragon Energy token’s energy, surrendering against superior foes became a valid tactic. Participants could recover losses later against equal or weaker opponents.

Through these choices, Dragon Energy began circulating dynamically across the Conference.

“321 versus 340!”

The dragon’s shadow’s voice finally resonated directly in Midi’s mind.

It was Midi’s turn to take the stage.

His opponent was a peak-level 66 Fighter.

Seeing Midi was only peak-level 65, the Fighter immediately relaxed.

When he spotted the near-silver Dragon Energy token in Midi’s hand, his relief turned to delight.

Though this Fighter had reached peak-level 66, two level 67 experts in his City had claimed most Dragon Energy, leaving him only a bronze token.

An opponent weaker in level but richer in Dragon Energy? This was fortune itself!

Midi now seemed like a juicy steak in his eyes.

Remembering the poor soul frozen solid by the Ice Queen earlier, the Fighter felt blessed beyond measure.

Praise the Dark Dragon God!

I’ll reach the top hundred in this Black Dragon Conference. I’ll become a True Dragon warrior and enter Dark Dragon City!

With determination set in his heart, the Fighter finally eyed his "meal" across the arena.

"Surrender. You can’t win," the Fighter advised, almost kindly. "Save your strength for later battles. This helps us both."

Good luck made him generous. Why not offer this weakling a painless exit?

Midi blinked.

He couldn’t grasp why this flawed, overconfident man spoke like some Child of Dragon.

"Fight or shut up," Midi snapped.

"Ungrateful brat! I’m being merciful!" The Fighter’s face darkened.

Midi answered with action.

One step forward.

Awakened Technique Evolved: Heavenly Dragon Strike!

No magic surge. No warning. Midi simply vanished, reappearing behind the Fighter.

Impossible speed!

The Fighter whirled, arms crossed in textbook defense, tiger claws guarding his chest.

Too late.

Black Iron Dragon Flame cascaded over him.

Then… silence.

"Bronze tokens add little Dragon Energy," Midi mused, watching his near-silver token brighten. "But steady gains win wars."

Catherine sneered nearby. "Hmph, seems you’ve got some skill. Still unworthy before our eastern temple." Her icy smile deepened. "Relay the Order: eastern temple fighters expel this man from the Black Dragon Conference."