The fight didn’t end just because the leaders were dead. There were a lot of unaffiliated players left in the vicinity. It took Zyrus another hour to subdue and organize more troops.
Few hours were left before the crown hunt was over, and neither he nor the other crown holders had the time to placate the revived players.
It didn’t matter whether they were willing or not, they had to fight for the new leaders.
“Are you sure it’ll be alright?” Ria asked as she looked over the new players. Since Zyrus had killed two crown leaders, he only needed 8000 players under his command to get a golden crown. They already had 4000 players and from this fight, they had subdued another 3000.
“Yeah. Just do as I say and we’ll be in the second ring before sunrise.” Zyrus spoke in a confident tone and walked ahead with Franken.
He had informed them about his plan to get the golden crown before anyone else. It was a high-risk high-reward method according to them.
However, Zyrus thought otherwise.
He didn’t need a miraculous breakthrough or luck to become the first. If he needed such things even with all his knowledge, then he'd be no better than the morons he just killed.
…
An hour later, at one of the streets that led to the center of the district.
There was a large square, large enough for thousands of players to fight. No one had announced that this was the place they were supposed to meet. The system only stated that they needed 10,000 players or 10 silver crowns to get a golden crown.
What was the second ring? How would they advance to the second ring? What were the rewards for being the first? No one knew the answer to these questions.
Why were they all here then? It was for two reasons.
All of the major roads led to this area. Just like the number of golden crowns, they were also 10. Spawn points and portals that connected to the four sectors were arranged in a calculated manner.
As long as one kept walking forward and won against everyone on the road, they would obtain a golden crown by the time they were here.
If others didn’t hinder them that is.
6 of these roads were conquered already. At this time when only an hour remained before dawn, the 7th road had its victor as well.
Zyrus, along with his 7000 troops, walked to the edge of the road. In front of him was the empty square where no one dared to step on.
Of course, Zyrus walked straight ahead.
So what if you’re eyeing the first place? So what if you came here first? In his eyes, these guys were just morons who had wasted their only chance at being the first.
‘Well, I took my sweet time picking troops because I knew they’d do that.’
All of the faces were familiar to him.
“Wanna die, newbie?”
“What a cocky bastard, who the fuck does he think he is?”
And the way they greeted him was the same as well. Zyrus ignored the orc and kobold leader and looked at the others.
There were two humans, one troll, and a goblin leader apart from them.
“Long time no see Sir. Sparklepants,”
“I see that you’ve become a monster. Also, I’d prefer if you didn’t call me that,”
Hajin Choi might not recognize Zyrus at first, but there was no way he’d forget Kyle.
“I see that you still recognize him. He’s turned over a new leaf you know, isn’t that right Kyle?”
“…”
No one would forget him after seeing him in a berserker state. Fortunately or unfortunately, Kyle hadn’t fought in the same manner since that day.
Leaving the awkward Kyle behind who was listening to Lauren brag about him, Zyrus turned to the other human.
“I heard you attacked my subordinates.”
“So what?” Aiden Martinez replied in a disinterested tone.
“Isn’t that obvious? I’ll kill you for that.”
“Hey lizard, are you stupid like that goblin over there?”
“Do you have the guts to come over?” Zyrus ignored the orc as usual and stared at the golden haired man.
“Hey, don’t ign-”
“We…neeed.. to break.. this.. stalemate.” The troll leader, skarn, spoke in a sleepy voice. He stood out from the other trolls due to his brown skin and yellow eyes.
“Kikiki.. give me that armor you’re wearing, and I'll support you to be the first,” the goblin lord giggled as he eyed the troll's gray armor with greed.
“Shut up weakling.”
“I agree.” Hajin Choi pointed at the sky. Everyone knew what he meant. There wasn’t much time left and they couldn’t stop one another forever.
As if on cue, all of the present crown holders looked back and forth between Zyrus and Aiden Martinez.
“I don’t care about being first or whatnot. I just want to kill this bastard.”
“How about you guys start first then?” the kobold leader spoke in a mischievous tone. No one here was stupid, they knew that the first ones to fight would suffer.
“Fine by me. I’m not sure whether this peacock could fight though,” Zyrus shrugged as he stared at Aiden with disdain.
Even a saint would get mad if you curse them long enough, and Aiden Martinez was no saint. Zyrus was targeting him from the moment he arrived here and the comment on his clothes was the tipping point.
“Huu.. fine then. However, I’m not an idiot who only thinks about petty grudges. Don’t expect me to fight just like that.”
“Do you have any conditions?”
“That I do, Hajin choi. How ab-”
“Cut the bullshit. Let’s just fight one on one.” Zyrus interrupted Aiden to annoy him even more.
“Hmph! And what do I gain from it?”
“I’ll bet my equipment.”
Even the other crown holders were annoyed by Zyrus’s smug face. His silver armor and black boots were a league above their equipment.
“Fine then. I’ll be-”
“I don’t fancy wearing blue chestplate and green pants.”
“What the hell do you want then?” Aiden spoke as he glared at Zyrus with reddened eyes. The burly man wanted to calm down his lord, but after signing the contract, he no longer had the authority to intervene.
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He could only look at his ‘leader’ in helplessness, just like thousands of other monsters.
“Did your mom drop you when you were a baby? I told you didn’t I? I want your head.”
Skarn and Hajin choi looked at Zyrus with a knowing glance. Anyone with half a brain could tell that Zyrus was intentionally provoking the other.
Only haughty teenagers and orcs would get riled up by such petty remarks.
“Fine then. Sign this contract and we can have a deathmatch.”
Apparently, Aiden Martinez ought to be added in that list as well.
“Tch..tch.. I almost don’t want to fight you after knowing of your condition. I know you’re lacking in brain capacity, but still, do you think that others would allow us to fight like that?”
Zyrus threw back the conjured scroll back to Skarn. The terms written on there were simple, Zyrus and Aiden would have a duel and neither side would use their subordinates to attack the other. The winner would take all of the users’ equipment and items, and the loser would hand over his troops to the latter as well.
As for what would happen if one broke the contract? There was no need to write that. Everyone here had memorized the crown’s abilities very well.
“Indeed… we can.. not allow this.”
If they allowed it, then one of the two was sure to become the first player who cleared this ring. Wouldn’t they be morons if they gave them this chance while they just watched?
But it was impossible to kill a crown holder and not get his crown, and they couldn’t just forfeit the crown or troops they had either.
“Why don’t we do this, we both have extra silver crowns, right? Let our troops fight over them, and we can even include the others in this.”
“What do you mean?” Hajin choi asked in a curious tone.
“Simple, I need a thousand troops or a silver crown, and it’s the same for him.”
“Right. We’re all the same.”
“Exactly. We will give one crown to our subordinates and let them guard it, and everyone else can attack our troops while we fight. Meanwhile, We’ll bet our life along with personal belongings on a duel.”
It wasn’t impossible to literally snatch a crown without a wielder. The others hadn’t thought of this idea because no one was dumb enough to take it out of their inventory.
“Hahaha… you’ve got guts alright.”
It wasn’t just the orc leader who was surprised, everyone else thought the same as well. It was indeed a high-risk high-reward strategy. If either Zyrus or Aiden managed to kill the other before their troops lost the crown, then they could become the first one to reach the second ring.
Of course, it had its risks as well. Even if they managed to win, if a lot of their subordinates were dead or failed to protect the crown, then it would be pointless. On the flip side, if their troops were able to snatch the other’s crown, then they could directly reach the second ring without continuing the fight.
It was a fair condition nonetheless. The leaders present here would have a chance to win the first place without risking their lives. No one was stupid enough to send all their troops to attack, they had to be wary of one another.
But since it was a 5v1 situation, even sending a third of their troops would do.
“Fine by me.” Aiden Martinez spoke with gritted teeth. He was at his limits after being humiliated over and over again.
It didn’t take long for others to agree and send their troops to the center. Aiden had the contract ability and he made sure the other leaders agreed to not interfere in the duel. He wasn’t like novice crown holders who didn’t know how to use their brains.
His anger was genuine, but he wasn’t consumed by it. He was playing along with Zyrus because he was confident in killing the other.
Zyrus handed his crown to Ria while Aiden handed his over to a monkey. Others were surprised by his decision, but they didn’t think much about it.
“Don’t let the good ones die.”
“You’re a cruel man.”
“No, Ria. I’m a good leader.” Zyrus tapped her shoulder and walked towards the square.
Getting the first place wasn’t his only goal.
He had expanded his troops at a rapid rate. And although he was careful in selection, he couldn’t guess their inner hearts in this short time.
He had the crown fealty as the last resort, but he couldn’t rely on it for every little thing.
Noting was better than a life-and-death fight to know one’s true character. This fight was like a fire that’ll purge the rotten parts of his army.
Like a good sword, they needed to be forged in blood and iron. Only then would they be worthy of being his followers.
‘They can become the cornerstones of my empire, or remain as tools to achieve my goals. The choice lies with them.’
“Are… you… ready?”
Zyrus and Aiden nodded at Skarn and ordered their troops to move out. Soon, no one was left within a 100-meter radius of the duo.
“I Aiden Martinez, accept the terms of the contract and request a duel.”
“I Zyrus Wymar, accept the terms of the contract and accept the duel.”
The roles had changed and it was Aiden who was more eager to fight at this moment.
“Huhuhu..hahahahaha”
“How pathetic. To think that a crown holder would go mad from fear…” Zyrus mocked while running towards the hysterical Aiden.
The fight on the other side had already started. There were a bit over 30 thousand troops engaged in a brawl.
“Hehehehe…do you want to know something?”
“I can at least hear your dying words,” 100 meters was nothing to Zyrus, and in a couple more seconds, he would reach the enemy.
Aiden didn’t seem to care about it either.
“You see, those monsters aren’t my subordinates.”
“What do you mean?” Zyrus asked with a confused face.
Not only him, even the other leaders were interested.
“I tamed them at first, and now, I’ve made contacts of eternal servitude with them.”
“Isn’t that the same?”
“Hahaha… no, it’s not you idiot. They’re bound by the crown, like a piece of equipment.”
“You mean..” Zyrus stooped charging ahead and stood with a panicked expression.
“Did you catch on? You’re really smart huh? Why don’t you use that wit to mock me now, huh?”
“It’s unf-”
“The world IS unfair, what will you do? Cry about it?” Aiden looked at Zyrus and the other leaders with a gloating smile and called the 2000 monsters from the other side.
The other leaders were infuriated by the sudden move, but alas, they couldn’t interfere due to the contact.
Were they concerned about Zyrus? Of course not. The dammed monkey was running with the crown as well. Since it was now a part of this blasted duel, they could do nothing but watch.
“What a pity, I rather liked that lizard.”
“He…got…overconfident,” They looked with pity at Zyrus who was standing still like a statue. Naturally, they also ordered their troops to ignore Aiden’s troops and only go after Zyrus’s subordinates.
Since they didn’t have the crown, what was the point in attacking them?
Everything had changed in an instant. The so-called fair duel was turned into a one-sided massacre. Zyrus’s army was panicked and many of them deserted and surrendered to the enemy.
Some goblin shamans and trolls went back to their species, while a majority of the new troops switched sides or ran away.
The ones who remained were getting killed one by one. Being loyal wasn’t enough to be a good soldier, they needed strength as well.
Zyrus looked at the approaching monsters and his crumbling army with a still gaze. Not a trace of playfulness or arrogance could be seen on his face.
He had achieved his goal, so there was no need to continue his façade.
Nearly two thousand of his troops were either dead or deserted. No one expected him to survive, much less obtain the first clear.
‘They are decent enough,’ Zyrus looked at his remaining troops with a subtle smile. They were lacking in many aspects, but at this moment, they had earned his recognition through their bitter struggle.
‘I shouldn’t let them down as their leader,’
It was time to raise the curtains. He was leading Aiden from the nose since the beginning. Why did he change ‘one on one fight’ into a ‘duel,’ and bet of equipment into a bet of ‘belongings’?
It was for this moment.
“Why are you so quiet now? You still have a chance. Grovel beneath my feet and maybe, just maybe, I'll allow you to become my eternal servant..”
“You know, I agree with what you said before. The world is unfair.” Zyrus spoke in an emotionless tone.
He walked while holding the bloodspine spear while his other hand was placed on the cube. He could’ve cut off Aiden's head by hundred times if that was his goal.
‘The world is unfair, because I’m going to kill you for something you’ll do in the future,’
All of his mana and a tenth of his source of origin flowed within his hands. It was as if time had stopped at this moment.
Why did Zyrus dislike, no, hate Aiden Martinez so much? Was it just because of his subordinates?
He hated him for a very simple reason. He had pledged his allegiance to the Nazarek Empire.
It was something that happened in the past, or something that’ll happen in the future. Either way, he didn’t care.
“Don’t act all pretentious, you’ll die a dog's death very soon.”
Zyrus’s eyes were as emotionless as ever. All he cared about now was a vow, a vow he made on the grave of the one he loved.
“She was my world, and without her, The world shall not exist.”
*Crack*
The first layer of the cube cracked into pieces. Zyrus wasn’t in the right state of mind right now, but his spear had sensed what he wanted.
The weapon can absorb the lifeblood of enemies to evolve itself. Current rate: 99...99.5...100%
The sky above the square became blood red in an instant. All of the weapons were trembling in fear, like vassals standing before their emperor.
No one, not even the administrator had predicted such an outcome.
Zyrus held the reddish black lack spear by pure instinct. Even if his mind wasn’t there to guide his actions, he had long since engraved his spear techniques into his body.
[Curse of Collapse]
A red beam of light shot forth from the bloodspine spear, tearing through the fabrics of space and time.
It was the same stabbing motion he had practiced countless times. It was the same thrust that had killed the clone of the blood dragon, Nidraxis.
Zyrus could only use 10% of his source of origin, but it was enough. His opponent wasn’t an immortal dragon this time.
Aiden Martinez, the man who was supposed to become the beast king and rule over the forest of Baelenar, was erased from existence.
[Congratulations! You have obtained a silver crown]
The message rang not once, but twice. According to the contract, Aiden Martinez’s monsters now belonged to Zyrus.
[Congratulations! You have obtained the golden crown]
[You have fulfilled the requirements to obtain a Variant Crown.]
[Golden crown will now evolve into “Onyx Crown”]
The red sky brightened once again with the sanctuary’s power. Sounds of trumpets and horns reverberated throughout the city of ruin.
At this moment, each and every creature living in the first ring looked at the sky from wherever they were. A gigantic tower had appeared in the city of ruin that connected the heavens and earth.
[Congratulations! You have cleared the First ring of the Sanctuary!]