"The magic sound amplification wizard, please amplify the sound a bit more. We want to hear any dialogue between the brothers before the start. Just now, I saw Knight Lot speaking; what exactly did he say?" The pop diva signaled the mage to amplify the sound so that everyone in the venue could hear clearly.

"Miss Pop Diva, Knight Lot just said he would give Lieutenant Rody three chances to strike," a mage replied.

"That's right, because I have sacred armor, and also as an older brother, I am willing to let Rody strike three times without countering..." Lot's gentlemanly demeanor made the crowd cheer and applaud for him!

The temple's morale soared immediately, with magic fireworks being launched fervently into the sky.

On the elite squad's side, there was nothing but cold sneers. Stanley was gripping his own neck as if he was about to vomit from disgust.

"Knight Lot is giving you three chances to strike, Lieutenant Rody, what will you say?" The pop diva, ever eager to stir things up, prodded Rody, hoping to hear his bold and brave words. To her surprise, Rody smiled slightly and said, "I would say, thank you!"

"Go Rody..." The girls from the fan group screamed in unison, cheering him on.

"Come on, my brother, let me see how much you have grown!" Lot chanted a holy protection spell, fully prepared for defense, then stylishly gestured for Rody to approach. Rody walked over casually, empty-handed, with millions of eyes focused on him, everyone holding their breath in anticipation to see how he would unexpectedly attack Lot.

In the other three areas, contestants also began their matches, but all attention was focused on the brotherly battle between Rody and Lot.

With every step Rody took, he pulled at the hearts of the audience.

Golden spiritual power quickly gathered behind Rody, forming a golden war hammer. Seeing the intensely concentrated spiritual power, everyone knew that the upcoming strike would be thunderous. Rody's attack on orcs or demons using the spiritually condensed war hammer, as captured by Big-Bearded Malu, was not a first-time sight for the audience, but the sight of the glittering golden spiritual war hammer still brought them a special sense of surprise.

Many warriors and mages with keen eyes couldn't help but gasp.

For an individual to concentrate spiritual power into an offensive weapon, let alone control a weapon with it, was extremely remarkable. Although the miraculous kid was only a one-star novice magic apprentice and couldn't cast spells, it was unexpected that he could transform his combat power in this manner.

Standing in front of Rody, Lot, seeing the golden spiritual war hammer, somewhat regretted his earlier words. He maintained a smile on his face, but it was obviously forced. If it weren't for the hundreds of thousands of eyes watching, making it inappropriate to go back on his word, he would have launched an attack first. Lot was secretly on guard, slowly lifting his left arm's knightly shield, readying himself for Rody's attack.

"The first strike..." Rody extended his hand, empty-handed.

Not just the hundred thousand spectators in the arena, but even Lot, who was right in front of him, was stunned. The strongest Ice Demon Gao snorted lightly, and others like Red-Haired Saul shifted their gaze to Rody's legs, where a sentient vine was rapidly extending. As Rody extended his hand, it transformed into a giant fist, slamming heavily towards Lot.

Lot's body flashed with a burst of holy light, and a magical aura suddenly expanded around him, repelling the vine's fist.

His sacred armor's protective magic was so formidable that it turned many contestants' faces grim.

As the vine fist dissipated, it intertwined again into a bull, charging wildly at Lot's body as the magic aura expanded. The dispersed magical aura couldn't protect him in time, but Lot's sacred armor and magical shield were there. Two of the shields were shattered by the bull, but the remaining two took the full force of the vine bull's attack, even causing Lot to slide backward protected by the magical shield, unharmed...

After stabilizing himself, Lot broke into a cold sweat, secretly relieved that Rody did not follow up with a strike from the spiritual war hammer, or else he might have been embarrassed.

Just as he was about to say something knightly, he discovered something tugging at his legs.

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That damn vine hadn't finished its attack yet; somehow, it had turned into a rope around his ankles. The vine bull was just a part of the attack, distracting the magical shields, only to reveal the vine rope trap below.

If only he could draw his sword now... Lot suppressed the urge to draw his sword, trying to use his fighting spirit to forcibly pull back and snap the vine.

But once he tugged at the vine rope, it lost all tension, and Lot suddenly lost his balance, staggering backward. Behind him, unbeknownst to him, was a six-armed vine giant, grabbing Lot's shoulders and arms. The remaining two giant fists heavily slammed into his back.

Despite the protection of the sacred armor, Lot still felt a heart-piercing pain, his body uncontrollably rushing forward.

"The second strike..."

Rody waited in front of Lot, his spiritual war hammer somehow already transformed into a long staff. He swung the spiritual staff, sweeping the falling Lot away. Opposite him, the vine giant transformed into a dual-armed green giant with a massive club, twisting and turning its body in impossible human poses, rotating several times to fling Lot into the sky with a strike.

The crowd involuntarily let out a loud shout, seeing the action clearly on the big screen.

Rody had almost calculated all of his opponent's reactions from the outset. Of course, the vine's magical transformations were so rapid that if the audience hadn't seen them in Rody's battles against orcs and demons, they would scarcely believe their eyes... The fan group's girls went wild, screaming uncontrollably.

"The third strike..." At this moment, Rody suddenly bent down to draw magic circles.

As Lot was falling, he rapidly drew four magic circles, then looked up at Lot descending from the sky and slowly stepped back a few paces.

Demon Slayer Lot seemed to still be in a daze, falling head down. However, before hitting the ground, his sacred armor shone with a holy light, gently protecting his landing. Even though he was not fully conscious, the armor's automatic protection prevented a harsh landing, allowing him to float down to the arena as lightly as a feather.

But just as the temple personnel breathed a sigh of relief, a huge explosion suddenly occurred on the ground where he was floating down.

Lot was blasted into the sky once again, and this time, he was falling out of the arena...

People didn’t know what had happened, but they were sure it was related to the magic circles Rody had quickly drawn. Everyone was ready to stand and applaud for Rody. The miraculous kid was just so clever and likable. Giving him even the slightest chance meant inevitable defeat under his cunning strategy.

Ice Demon Gao remained expressionless, while Red-Haired Saul gave Rody a thumbs-up.

Dragon Knight Nutidora and Prince Vincent both humphed, their faces showing disdain but their eyes revealing shock and wariness.

No one doubted Lot's defeat, as he was sure to fall outside the arena, and the only one who could save himself from this fate was still dazed. The pop diva raised her magic loudspeaker, ready to declare Rody's victory the moment Lot hit the ground.

But then, an unexpected change occurred...

A beam of holy light shot from Lot's sacred armor, and a magnificent two-winged Power Angel emerged from the light, catching Lot's body and flying him back to the arena. The audience was stunned. What was happening? An angel's descent? Or what did it mean? Although the rules allowed contestants to use combat pets, even humanoid ones, surely even temple knights shouldn't be able to bring angels directly into the fight?

This was simply unfair!

"I am the Power Angel of justice Lot Knight believes in. As his guardian angel, I cannot watch him suffer from schemes and treachery. This cunning human in front of you has used illusion and spiritual manipulation, exploiting everyone's sympathy and an elder brother's concession, shamelessly attacking Knight Lot. Such despicable methods should be condemned and judged!" The angel, who was always against Rody, appeared, eliciting a mocking smile from Rody.

"That damn bird-man is here again!" Stanley and other members of the elite team jumped up, cursing loudly.

"Cheating!"

"Who's the most shameless, those who ruin the competition are the most shameless!" The fan group's girls, who would normally go crazy at the sight of an angel descending, were now furious to see him as Rody's enemy, breaking the rules to rescue Lot, someone who should have fallen out of the arena and been declared a loser.

"Interesting, really interesting!" Kris's face was also full of smiles, shaking his head continuously.

"Great and righteous angel, your descent is our honor, but this is a Magic Martial Arts competition, not a murder. Please put down Knight Lot and let him and Lieutenant Rody continue their match!" The pop diva reminded the angel not to think he could intervene anytime just because he was an angel. On the contrary, his appearance was not so welcome now, as he had disrupted everyone's match and violated the rules of the tournament.

"Welcome Phoebus, messenger of the God of Light, symbol of holiness!" People from the temple stood up, chanting hymns of praise.

"I will not prevent Knight Lot from battling this cunning human. Although I have no fondness for this cunning human, my descent will only be to announce the will of the God of Light after the end of the Magic Martial Arts Competition..." The Power Angel Phoebus emitted a dazzling radiance, spreading throughout the colossal arena, dazzling and overwhelming people with the immense power of light.

He took his seat at the center of the temple’s main stand, under the respectful invitation of the Red Archbishop Gao Pero and King William II, overseeing the entire arena.

The arrival of Power Angel Phoebus left people with mixed feelings. An angel's descent is a joyous honor, but he came to disrupt the Magic Martial Arts competition, and it seemed not just to rescue Knight Lot. It appeared he had something significant to announce. Everyone was unsure what it could be. Was it about the orcs and demons invading again? That seemed unlikely, as they had been defeated, and such urgent war matters wouldn't be postponed until after the competition... Could the God of Light be rewarding humanity or showing a miracle?

Why didn't the angel favor the miraculous kid Lieutenant Rody? Lieutenant Rody was not only a human war hero but also a great inventor benefiting the country and people. Why didn't he win the angel's favor? Was it just because he was an illegitimate child? Or because he represented the Felik Duchy? Or was it because Phoebus, the Power Angel, was Lot's guardian angel, and seeing Lot defeated by Rody, he felt particularly disgusted with Rody?

People couldn't guess, but one thing was certain – everyone was holding a grudge.

Had the arrival not been an angel, boos and rotten eggs would have already been thrown.

Whether Demon Slayer Lot defeated the miraculous kid Rody, or vice versa, everyone had no objections. Many hoped for Rody's victory, but even if he lost to Lot, they would have accepted it. What was unbearable was that Rody had already knocked Lot out of the arena, but this angel intervened, violating the competition's rules.

Therefore, although no one dared to boo, they did not respond to the angel's descent with applause or cheers. Instead, they protested in silence...

"I, too, will give you three chances to strike," Rody said, smiling at Lot who had fully recovered and stood up in the holy light. "I did use a strategy just now, but now, it's your turn to attack me. Knight Lot, I now return to you the opportunity to strike three times!"

"Way to go, Rody!" The crowd erupted upon hearing this.

"Wow, Rody, you're the best! We love you, you're the greatest man!" The girls from the fan group screamed excitedly. This was the angel in their hearts; this was their hero!

"Clap, clap, clap, clap!" Applause rang out enthusiastically, as people vented their displeasure, clapping wildly in relief at Rody's words.

"Let's see how long you keep smiling!" The Power Angel Phoebus's eyes revealed hatred. Having been humiliated multiple times in front of Rody, he had never hated a human more. Seeing Rody's mocking smile filled him with seething rage.