Chapter 30: Fight, Young Man!

War, blood, fire, and death!

Ares, the God of War, wore a grave expression. Could the vision of heaven and earth mourning truly manifest in this mortal, who appeared so incredibly fragile? Was he the origin of all impending calamity? Merely witnessing these glimpses caused the bottleneck of his divine power to subtly loosen.

War—a magnificent and poignant war! Perhaps this mortal could truly offer him some surprises.

A blood-red light, chilling and intense, gleamed in Ares's eyes. As the river of time flowed backward, familiar scenes began to churn; he sought to trace the past of Cohen. The further back he looked, the greater his astonishment:

So, this boy was the King of Aefin? No wonder he could ignite such a tragic and devastating war in the future.

Ha! This lad bore quite a few familiar auras. A secret profession? Dragon Seal Weapon Master? Wasn't this something that the Dragon God himself had tinkered with? How could a human actually succeed in attaining it? Did that not mean this boy was, in some sense, a disciple of the Dragon God?

The "Pale Wing" Golden Wing family—the puppet used by that old stubborn fool, Libra, to launder money? And this aura here, it surely belonged to that iceberg...

The blood-red light in Ares's eyes was suddenly shattered by a crystalline snowflake. Ares rubbed his eyes, sighing with helpless resignation: "Tsk, that woman is as unreasonable as ever. It’s no wonder she hasn't been able to get married in tens of thousands of years!"

Cohen felt as though he had been laid bare under Ares's gaze. Seeing the crimson light in the god’s eyes fade, he let out a quiet sigh of relief. The power of a deity was truly beyond his imagination.

Ares’s voice resonated: "Mortal, I accept your bargain."

Joy surged within Cohen; he had not expected the God of War to be so easy to negotiate with. He continued, "And what of today's events?"

Ares was unexpectedly accommodating: "Those who betray the creed shall naturally be punished."

Cohen pressed on: "I still need Raymond to do one thing for me."

"Granted."

The deal between god and man was struck. The crimson light within the arena dissipated, leaving Cohen alone. Though tens of thousands of spectators had poured into the arena, a deathly silence reigned. The gazes fixed upon Cohen were filled with awe and terror.

It was this young man, right before their eyes, who had been conversing with a deity!

Suddenly, a piercing, heart-wrenching scream shattered the oppressive silence. The crowd turned their eyes to see the source: the Chief Arena Knight who had previously attempted to expel Cohen. Then, a horrifying sight made everyone gasp.

They watched as Chloe, originally at the peak of the Fourth Order, saw his aura plummet at a visible rate: Third Order, Second Order, First Order!

*Pfft!*

Chloe vomited a mouthful of blood as his transcendental aura vanished entirely, casting him out of the ranks of the extraordinary. Simultaneously, a mark of a broken bronze spear appeared on his pale face—the mark of a traitor to the God of War.

Not far away, Bogus turned ghostly white, his eyes filled with terror as he looked at Cohen. Raymond trembled all over, a thunderous voice echoing in his ears. The warning from the God of War left him limp, and when he looked at Cohen again, his gaze was filled with profound complexity.

Cohen took Nephthys’s small hand and walked into the arena. The crowd parted automatically, watching as he stepped into the ring. Cohen offered Nephthys a gentle smile, then lightly tapped his right foot and leaped onto the platform.

Beneath his mask, his eyes held a look of disdain for all things, and his powerful, confident voice rang out for all to hear: "Who is it that wants to fight me today? Let us begin!"

Gazing at Cohen, who stood proudly on the stage, the crowd finally remembered why they had come. They were here to witness Cohen’s continued winning streak and the birth of a genius. A roar of cheers erupted throughout the arena.

Under Raymond’s personal supervision, order was quickly restored. By the rules of the Transcendental Arena, opponents were usually matched by official staff. Yet, faced with Cohen’s blatant disregard for protocol, no one dared to raise an objection.

Soon, a grim-faced Kinetic Warrior stepped onto the stage. Mid-Bronze rank, seven wins and seven losses.

Having undergone the "God-Calling" and communed with Ares, Cohen radiated an indescribable confidence. Unlike his previous matches, he took the initiative the moment the whistle blew. Activating his Ghost Crab boots, he surged forward with high speed, closing the distance instantly.

A Kinetic Warrior! They achieved their formidable power by replacing parts of their bodies with magical machinery. This opponent’s primary weapons were his arms, which were fully mechanized, and his chest was partially protected by an adamantite alloy breastplate. Calling him a humanoid mecha was no exaggeration.

Most had concluded that Cohen possessed a skill capable of plundering weapons. However, this opponent had no weapons—or rather, his body was the weapon.

Would Cohen be able to defeat an opponent a full order higher than himself when his key skill proved ineffective?

He soon proved with action what it meant to be a genius and what it meant to overcome a level.

Cohen closed in rapidly, his body suddenly bathed in golden light as threads of dragon power surged through him. The formidable Dragon Might caused the Kinetic Warrior’s spirit to falter for a split second.

Cohen’s gaze was as cold as ice, his rich combat experience from his previous life resurfacing in his mind. *The Kinetic Warrior’s core lies in the drive array engraved on his waist.*

He raised his fist, imbued with dragon power, his right arm muscles bulging as he gathered every ounce of his strength. Where his fist passed, the air was compressed until it whistled.

*Boom!*

With a dull, thunderous roar, the drive array on the warrior’s waist was shattered, and the chaotic magical circuits within him exploded instantly. As the warrior let out a painful howl, Cohen followed up with another strike, sending the burly frame flying straight out of the ring and into the audience.

Utterly overwhelming—one punch to defeat the enemy!

Without giving the crowd time to recover from their shock, Cohen said coldly: "Next!"

...

"That golden power... could it be Dragon Power?"

"My god, someone actually managed to obtain such pinnacle power! No wonder, no wonder he can so easily challenge those above his rank!"

"He must have advanced into a secret profession as well. There aren't many that possess Dragon Power. Could it be a Dragon-Taming Warrior?"

"I’d bet his Bronze Body refinement is nearly complete. To shatter the drive array of a Second-Order Kinetic Warrior with one punch—his physical strength is simply absurd."

There were experts among the spectators; the unmasked Dragon Might radiating from Cohen quickly revealed the source of his strength.

Isabella had regained her composure, though a hint of fanaticism remained hidden deep within her eyes. She murmured to herself, "Dragon Power! Did he truly advance into *that* profession? How is this possible? How did he meet such harsh conditions? Is there truly such a genius in this world?"

The well-read Isabella searched the depths of her memory and found a transcendental profession that matched perfectly—one recorded only in the most ancient of books, with only a few sparse lines of description!

Someone had actually succeeded!

The fire deep within Isabella’s eyes burned ever brighter. As she shifted her gaze, the sorceress standing not far away, also watching with shimmering eyes, seemed particularly glaring.