Chapter 136: Dante vs Lucan
"This is Dante. As you can see, his rank is the same as Lucan's." Cain smiled as he patted Dante's shoulder.
"Now, I will give you two choices that you have to choose." Cain raised two fingers before putting down one of his fingers as he continued. "First, if Lucan could win a fight or even kill Dante in a 1 vs 1 fight, I will let both of you go and forget about everything."
He raised his second finger again. "Second choice is almost the same, except you'll fight me. Quite reasonable, don't you think?" he asked, still smiling.
When everyone heard it, they were shocked with Cain's offer since they hadn't expected that he would even offer himself in a bet against someone that Fenix couldn't handle with his current condition.
Especially on Lucan and Garran's side, as they were taken aback the moment they heard it.
"Hahahaha. This guy is totally nuts—I can't figure him out at all," Garran said, pressing a palm to his face. It was the first time he had been so consistently surprised in such a short span.
"I'm just as clueless. At this point, I can't tell if he's bluffing or if he really has something up his sleeve." Butler Zen said as he knitted his eyebrows, focusing his attention on Cain's expression since he intended to see him through.
"What's most terrifying is that he's about my age, yet he dares to challenge someone at Peak Conqueror Rank. I'm genuinely eager to see if he can back it up or if he's just bluffing." Garran commented as he glanced at Lucan and his protector's direction as if waiting for their choice.
After Lucan and his protector discussed it for quite a while as they made a barrier surrounding themselves, they decided to have their faith lie in Lucan's hand.
Because they assumed that Cain shouldn't be bluffing with his remark since they thought that Cain must have something up his sleeve.
Even though it didn't make sense with the possibility of Cain having strength that was enough to fight with Lucan's protector, they couldn't use normal logic anymore after witnessing absurd things that they wouldn't believe if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes.
Such as Fenix, who came back to his life.
Anya, who had an absurd strength with her rank that had reached only Peak King Rank, and her disappearance after the fight as Cain waved his hand.
With these facts alone, common sense regarding Cain's group has disappeared, as this was the first time they were shocked with such things.
That's why the safest bet was to let Lucan fight with Dante since they thought that in this way, they should have some chances to save their life, as Lucan himself was also not to be underestimated because he could also be said to be one of the strongest within the same rank, even though he still fell short compared to Garran in terms of strength.
"We choose the first option." Lucan's protector said with a solemn expression after he removed the barrier.
"Tch, alright." Cain clicked his tongue before taking out a sofa from Fenix's house inside the beast space and lounged on it as if he was ready to watch the fight leisurely.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Everyone was speechless when they watched Cain act as if this was just entertainment for him, even when someone put their life on it.
"Big Brother Cain, let me watch it by your side too." Ayla jumped excitedly as she thought that she would be able to watch the epic fight at a close distance if she were to sit beside Cain.
"Little girl, stop playing around and don't create more troubles." Elion smacked her head lightly, thinking that this wasn't the time to play around.
"Ouch!" Ayla touched her head before giving his big brother a sinister glance.
She then snorted and sat beside Sylvia with an unhappy expression as her plan was going down the hill because of his brother's intervention.
Cain only shook his head, thinking that this little girl really liked to play around even after promising that she would behave when she begged him to save Fenix before.
…
Dante and Lucan faced each other on the damaged battlefield left over from the previous battle. Cain lounged on his conjured sofa, observing the two with an amused smile.
Garran and Butler Zen watched intently, uncertain what to expect from this match after all the surprises they had witnessed that day.
Lucan took a deep breath, gripping the hilt of his longsword. Flames flickered along its edge, radiating scorching heat. With a cold glint in his eyes, he summoned every ounce of power he could muster.
After what had happened to Draven's group, he knew this was a fight to the death, and he intended to give it his all.
Fire burst to life around Lucan's form, wreathing his body in dancing crimson wisps. He raised his sword, channeling his energy into its blade. A fierce glow spread out across the steel, and the heat intensified, the air around him shimmering with waves of distortion.
With a swift motion, Lucan dashed in and used his [Blazing edge] skill, enhancing the sword with intense flames and increased the cutting power before making a decisive slash aimed at Dante's abdomen.
But Dante merely sidestepped, leaving shadowy afterimages behind him. The difference in their speed was massive.
Despite Lucan's all-out effort, Dante moved effortlessly, almost lazily, as though testing his own reflexes rather than struggling to avoid the attack.
Dante's face showed neither urgency nor fear. If anything, there was a faint, almost playful smile tugging at his lips.
"Come on," Dante sneered, beckoning Lucan with a flick of his wrist. "Show me what you can really do."
Angered by Dante's taunt, Lucan pressed forward. He lifted his sword overhead, gathering a swirl of flames around the blade.
"Eruption Thrust!" he roared. The blazing sword stabbed forward, a conical burst of fire exploding on contact.