Published at 25th of June 2024 6:38 am

Chapter 1742 Battle [4]

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It wasn't like it was a quiet event.

When August put that shining crown on his head, his entire body was covered in the same light. He was like a disco ball attracting all possible attention to himself.

Naturally, the people who came for the crown reacted.

Tens of geniuses and those who served them leapt towards August, and in response, the group of people he'd brought with him circled him and formed a wall.

They were confident in defeating everyone present. Except for just a few.

Iridia was staying back for obvious reasons.

In the first place, she had no interest in the throne. Raphael was the one representing the Ignis Clan in their fight for it.

She came here specifically so she could see how events went down, and when she met August and heard about his goals, her own desire changed into wanting to see how he held up against the rest.

It was interesting, since he was an enemy who willingly walked into an inescapable trap because he thought his scissors could cut the net. As someone who wasn't particularly involved in the grudge between August and the Holy Clans, she just wanted to see how it all panned out.

If she got the chance, then she'd make use of the opportunities she stumbled upon as she observed that battle, but she wasn't particularly greedy for them.

After all, her goals had nothing to do with August or the throne. She chased strength so she could overcome the geniuses in her clan and prove herself.

Seryius and Cera were present as well, keeping back just as she was.

Their reason…was a bit different.

Cera had something of a friendship with August and his friends, while Seryius' relationship with them was more business-like.

Still, neither of them had particularly strong feelings towards the young Azure Dragon and the people who followed them.

The Ether Clan wasn't one to get involved in fights like this. In normal cases, they wouldn't have even come.

However, they received a strange order from the Elders.

"Chase the crown and observe the Azure Dragon. Do not get involved. Report the happenings when you return to the clan."

They couldn't make sense of it. Was it because the Elders were curious about how Qinglong's successor would react, or was it because of their obsession with history?

Whatever the case was, their orders were to observe August and his friends. Since they had a friendlier relationship, the two decided to carry their mission out in the open, which was what led to them strangely standing in the corner of the cavern, watching as everyone else fought their hearts out for their greed.

The last observer was Eris Noct herself.

She was the simplest to explain, as her only reason for both coming here and observing was her own curiosity.

Nothing motivated her. Nobody told her to be here.

Just…

After hearing the legends of the Azure Dragon and seeing how much August had grown in just a few months, she wanted to see what happened here.

She wanted to see if he would fail, and if he succeeded, she wanted to see if he could follow through and do what his ancestor couldn't.

Though it seemed contradictory, Eris' interest wasn't in August at all. She didn't care about him as a person, rather, what drew her attention was his history and journey.

Eris was someone who actually had contact with the Holy Dragon whose bloodline she carried. She always looked down upon the elders and leaders of her clan because they were never close to his level. Her ancestor was the goal she needed to surpass, the essence of true power in her eyes.

However, there were five others with relatively similar power to him, and all of them needed to work together to kill a single dragon.

There was something here for her. As long as she continued to observe, Eris was certain that she could see a higher peak, a place her ancestor could never reach.

Her goal had been devalued in her eyes and she needed a new one.

Whether that would come in the form of the young Azure Dragon or someone connected to him, Eris didn't know.

But her desire to reach the top of the world provoked her to follow this journey, promising her that she would receive what she wanted in the end.

Nevertheless, under the gazes of those four people who were all choosing to observe for different reasons, August's allies fought against the enemies from the Liqua Clan.

August said that Wilhelm came alone, but that was only partially true.

It was pretty much the same. Instead of bringing powerful forces like the elders from the Holy Clans who would obviously go uncontested, Wilhelm arrived with only a group of other geniuses from his clan.

They were below him in strength and could, at best, serve as cannon fodder.

But, maybe that was why Wilhelm brought them? He seemed to take pleasure in showing people that he was above them.

There were around fifty of them when they first arrived, but that number was only around twenty now.

Faldren Aureat could have also been included in that count, but he was only here for Valerie. She was taking care of him, while the rest dealt with everyone else.

Explosions rang through the cavern, shaking its very foundation.

One by one, the geniuses on the other side fell.

Valerie took down Faldren as soon as possible without using the most honorable means. Since he was trying to have a sacred duel with her, he had left himself somewhat unguarded. She felt bad for defeating him in such a cowardly manner, but it wasn't important for now. She was here to support her friend, not to resolve her own grudges.

To best utilize her power in the current situation, Valerie focused on healing her allies, while Melania covered large area damage so the others could act freely and fight multiple enemies at the same time.

The team dynamic was nearing perfection. To the best that they could in the short time they had, the group of geniuses had learned each other's patterns and adapted a cooperative battle tactic.

That kind of synergy was exactly what allowed them to clear the area without much of a problem.

When they were left as the only ones in the cavern, while Valerie kept watch on the geniuses that stood on the sidelines, Juno and some of the others sat down on the ground around August with exhausted sighs.

All of this fighting had taken a lot out of them.

However, now that August had put on the crown, their only job was to wait for him to finish.

After all, their circle was impenetrable. The barrier that Raul placed around them gave them even more protection against outside forces, so it was impossible for them to get caught off guard. Everyone had somewhat relaxed now that there weren't any more enemies in front of them.

That was why it was least expected when a blade stabbed towards August.

Yet, that was exactly what happened.

A pitch-black blade, a disgusting blade filled with malice and malevolence, was inches away from August's throat and still accelerating.

And, with all of their enemies defeated…

…it could have only come from inside of the circle.

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