Chapter 163: Chapter163-One Overpowers Many
When John expressed his desire to lead, Archibald's face went pale.
This man... why would he want to be a leader?
He had heard that John always preferred solitude and detested these affairs.
Why was the situation now completely different from the information he had gathered?
Archibald had realized from the start that John was in the same fortress as them.
He had still stepped forward, banking on the information he had gathered.
John was a loner, having only joined Hidden Stars before, but even that group had disbanded.
Afterwards, he participated in the assessments at Star Cluster Academy.
Such a person should detest these complications, so why was he now stepping up to compete for the position?
Archibald's grip on his staff tightened involuntarily.
He was a fire-based magus, but he had already heard of John's formidable reputation.
This man... was unpredictably strong and seemed to have a terrible temper.
Anyone who had provoked him was quickly eliminated.
"What right do you have to want to be a leader? I come from House Sterling of Merak! My father and uncle hold important positions in the military! My family has been guarding the Alliance for generations, we are the most loyal supporters of the Alliance!"
"I've grown up surrounded by group battle tactics. This is about teamwork, not individual combat! Being strong alone doesn't mean anything. Only the strength of a group can ensure we survive to the end and score more points for our fortress!"
Archibald's righteous speech indeed won him considerable support.
House Sterling of Merak had a significant military background, and Archibald himself was ranked ninth on the leaderboard.
While his scores might not have been as dazzling as John's, they were impressive enough.
Most importantly, he was born into House Sterling!
This meant he might possess superior knowledge in certain areas compared to John, such as tactics.
Having someone like him lead might indeed increase their chances of victory.
Some people appeared contemplative, but John seemed indifferent.
"What does that have to do with me?"
He looked nonchalantly at Archibald, whose face turned even redder with frustration.
He had not expected John to be so dismissive!
This was outrageous!
Could strength really justify acting however one wished?
If John knew what Archibald was thinking, he would probably nod calmly in agreement.
Sorry, but yes, strength does allow one to do as they please.
"I don't care about the other two fortresses, but for the next fifteen days, everyone in this fortress will listen to me, whether they agree or not."
John stood on the platform, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below.
Some people were baffled by John's audacity.
Was he planning to antagonize nearly two thousand people?
Even if John was incredibly strong, could he really defeat over two thousand people in a single move?
Some looked at John with resentment, while others stood by indifferently, as if the whole affair was none of their concern.
"You..."
Archibald hadn't finished speaking when he was suddenly frozen in place by a look.
John's eyes were indifferent as they swept over Archibald, but that gaze was as cold as the ice from the deepest abyss, chilling to the bone.
It seemed that just that look alone could freeze someone in place, unable to move.
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"Anyone who disagrees is welcome to challenge me directly."
John stood his ground, openly facing everyone below.
The crowd was stunned, shocked by his audacity.
Was he challenging them all to single combat?
"Such arrogance, I must test whether your skill justifies your pride!"
A swordsman leapt up from the crowd, his hand flicking his sword in a flourish, pointing the tip at John.
"I am..."
Splat...
Standing nearby, Archibald suddenly felt a warm liquid splatter on his face!
He instinctively turned his head only to see the man beside him, who hadn't even finished speaking, already had his throat slashed by John's Bloodthirsty Blade.
His pupils dilated in shock, and he stumbled backward, nearly falling to the ground! Those below watched in stunned silence at the scene unfolding on the stage.
My God!
What kind of speed was that?
It was terrifying!
They hadn't even seen clearly what John's move was, and the man was already dead!
He didn't even have time to finish his introduction before he completely vanished in a flash of white light from the arena!
Silence!
The scene was utterly quiet, not a single person spoke, nor did any sound emerge.
You could almost hear a pin drop!
Terrifying, utterly terrifying.
This man's power seemed beyond their imagination.
The one who had just stepped onto the stage was ranked eighth on the leaderboard!
Seventh in level ranking!
Yet even so, he couldn't withstand a single move from John, not even managing to retaliate.
He had his throat slashed while still speaking, which was horrifying!
Everyone was somewhat incredulous, staring at John.
They could hardly believe that his strength was so formidable!
He was simply not on the same level as them.
Even the audience watching from the sidelines couldn't help but gasp.
What kind of power did this man possess?
Was he really just gold-tier as he appeared to be?!
Such terrifying speed, even many platinum-tier experts couldn't achieve it! But this man had done it.
His movements were so fast that they didn't see anything but a blur.
John gently shook his Bloodthirsty Blade, and droplets of blood slid slowly down the blade, falling to the ground.
"Anyone else who wants to come up, feel free. Let's not waste time."
Audacious!
Such a bold statement.
Although some were already frightened, hearing these words, they still decided to try their luck!
One person might not be enough, but what about ten people, twenty, or even a hundred?!
They truly didn't believe that John had the capability to take on hundreds alone!
Almost instantly, twenty or thirty people leapt forward, each wielding their weapons.
Without hesitation, they unleashed their most powerful skills at John.
"Fire Meteor!"
"Meteor Fall!"
"Frost Arrow!"
"Thorn Wrap!"
Countless skills were hurled towards John.
Yet, from start to finish, John made no move; he just stood there quietly.
Geoffrey, watching the scene unfold, widened his eyes in disbelief, rising slightly from his seat.
Had he gone mad? Why wasn't he dodging? If he didn't move soon, it would be too late!
The brilliance of the skills completely dazzled everyone's eyes.
But they knew that the person in the middle had no intention of dodging; he just stood there quietly.
After the light from the skills faded, John was unharmed.
How... How was this possible?! How could he not be injured at all? Everyone's skills had hit him.
Could this man really be cheating?
They looked on in terror at what was happening, yet they overlooked the faint white glow surrounding John.
That was a skill from the Eclipse Staff.
[Skill Two]: Moon Guard (Active)
[Description]:Upon activation, you will obtain a moon shield capable of blocking 200000 damage. While the moon shield is active, your Cooldown Reduction -20%, Casting Speed +30%, lasting for 5 minutes. Cooldown time: 24 hours.
Although a 200000-point moon shield might not seem substantial, the damage from these people's skills wasn't significant either.
After all, PvP damage is only proportional to their own attack power.
It doesn't include skill attribute enhancements or mind power bonuses like when fighting monsters.
It could be said that the combined damage from these twenty-plus people didn't even break the shield!
John had been ready to dodge, but to his surprise, they couldn't even penetrate his shield, prompting a mocking curve to form on his lips.
"Is that all?"
His calm words struck like a harsh slap across the faces of his attackers! Everyone's faces flushed red, at a loss for words.
"Since that's the case, now it's my turn."