Fallen Chronicles

Chapter 290 Chapter 290: Dirge of the Sinners (Part 1)

?"Gulase's survivors, first of all, congratulations to us for living another day in this damned world!!"

"Next, please allow me to introduce the next match, which can be called the most top-tier pinnacle duel since the establishment of the arena, surpassing any before!"

"Our contestants today, one of whom is already well-known to all, emerged a few years ago with an absolute crushing momentum, sweeping all gladiators and continuing to dominate the arena to this day, hailing from the dragonkin subspecies, Ladyyyyy Noya!"

Even though the host was gripping the microphone, shouting at the top of his lungs, the roaring crowd still drowned out his voice.

Not only was the audience in the stands screaming excitedly, but many gladiators below were also waving their arms, cheering for the dragonkin mother who was slowly making her entrance.

Noya's grace was undiminished from before, whether it was the aura of a warrior or the unique charm only a mature woman could exude. After years of accumulation, far from showing signs of aging, she seemed like fine wine, becoming more intoxicating over time.

On the other side, at the arena's opposite entrance, another dragonkin female made her entrance.

The young girl's beautiful face bore some resemblance to Noya but was undoubtedly younger, brimming with the vigor of youth. At first glance, she seemed somewhat careless and naive, but no one would underestimate the girl.

Not just because she is Noya's daughter.

In the past six months, Nova's strength had surged remarkably, just like her mother's had in the past, sweeping across the arena upon her debut, with very few gladiators able to withstand more than three moves from her.

Her exquisite swordsmanship, even aside from her mother's, was secondary. Even unarmed, Nova's seemingly delicate figure hid unimaginable monstrous strength, having once lifted a boulder weighing several tons, making many gladiators sigh in admiration.

Because of this, today's match was also secretly anticipated by many gladiators. They, too, were looking forward to it, after all, Nova and Noya, this mother-daughter duo, were far beyond their level. They wanted to see what kind of spectacular fight the strongest among them would produce.

For such a match, no one was interested in the host's prattle anymore; they just wanted it to start immediately.

Soon, with the arena closed, only the mother and daughter were left standing opposite each other.

Nova, looking at the familiar figure of her mother across from her, initially subconsciously treated this fight as just another training session, perhaps with a bit more of a performance aspect, so she deliberately held back, not using her full strength.

But quickly, as her mother summoned a flaming longsword from her chest, the hot glow reflecting off Noya's icy face, Nova had seen this expression on her mother before - it was the look she had when facing real enemies.

Caught off guard, Nova couldn't even block her mother's strike, barely managing to dodge. The blade almost grazed her arm, leaving a cut as Nova staggered back several meters, stabilizing herself. The left sleeve of her outfit was now marked with a cut, from which blood steadily seeped.

Her mother was serious.

This was no performance.

After realizing this, instead of feeling nervous or afraid, Nova became even more excited. The minor injury on her arm meant nothing to her. Soon, amidst the audience's gasps, Nova also summoned a blazing longsword from her chest, using Noya's signature move, the same technique that made her famous, but this time it was directed against her.

Swiftly, Nova attacked Noya like an arrow released from its bow, and the movements of mother and daughter became a blur of high-speed motion.

At first, the audience tried to follow their movements, but they soon gave up; it was too fast. All they could see in the arena were the fleeting afterimages and the clash and burst of fiery sparks.

The audience had never seen such a spectacle before, and the atmosphere reached its peak.

The gladiators held their breath, fully focused, trying hard to learn something from this intense battle.

Meanwhile, on the platform, the deputy leader smiled contentedly at the fierce battle between mother and daughter below. Then, at the right moment, he signaled to a sniper beside him.

A black sniper rifle was taken from behind, and the sniper, also an Eclipse, activated his ability. His eyes began to glow red, focusing intently on the arena below.

Under the sniper's Eclipse ability, the high-speed movement trajectories of Nova and her mother could finally be captured in full by him. He quickly aimed, pointing the rifle at Nova, waiting for the right moment.

As expected, the evenly matched mother and daughter finally broke away from their intense fight, swapping places, now about ten meters apart.

Nova read the message in Noya's eyes; continuing to fight like this would hardly determine the victor. So, they decided to settle the outcome with the next move, concentrating all their spiritual power at one point to execute the pinnacle of swordsmanship. With a state of "no-mind," Nova would unleash a truly flawless strike—[ Crimson Slash].

After taking a deep breath, Nova emptied her mind of everything. The noise from the audience, the gladiators' cheers, and all other sounds seemed to disappear at that moment. In Nova's world, only Noya remained.

The blade turned completely crimson. At that moment, Nova seemed to become one with her sword, embodying everything her mother taught her, the technique she had practiced day and night, swinging thousands of times a day, all for this one strike.

In previous training, Nova had never successfully executed this final move taught by her mother.

But this time, as if catalyzed by the arena's intense atmosphere, or perhaps because it was the first time her mother treated her as an enemy in combat, when Nova finally swung that last strike at Noya, her expression was one of surprise and pride.

It was as if she was saying to Noya, "See, Mother? I did it. I succeeded."

However, in the next moment.

A primal sense of danger caught Nova off guard. An icy chill came from behind her, signaling a lethal attack aimed directly at her heart from her back.

Just swinging that blade had taken all of Nova's effort, leaving her no chance to turn around. In that fraction of a second, she could only watch as death approached her closer and closer.

Until

Noya's strike also came, but it was not aimed at Nova. From the beginning, it was never meant for her, but rather for the dark gun shot from the audience, targeting Nova's heart.

Noya easily blocked the shot with her blade, the flames consuming it entirely. Before Nova could feel relieved, she realized a more severe problem. Her expression turned to panic and fear.

Because Noya's blade was used elsewhere, what would she use to block Nova's strike?

Nova wanted to retract her blade, even a slight deviation would have been good, but it was already too late. From the moment "Crimson Slash " was executed, there was no possibility of taking it back. Otherwise, it wouldn't be called the ultimate technique, "The Flawless Strike."

It seemed like a lot had happened, but in reality, all of this might have taken less than a second. Nova was once again enveloped in despair, watching death descend, not on herself, but on her mother.

Finally, in the view of all the spectators outside the arena, both mother and daughter unleashed their strongest strikes, swapping positions once again.

Then, a huge outcry erupted from all around the arena.

One of the figures, mother or daughter, quickly fell to the ground, powerless, and that person was Noya.

After being stunned for a few seconds, Nova ran over and crying madly. Holding her mother on the ground, as the one who swung the blade, Nova was fully aware of the strike's power, even if it was against her mother.

In the girl's agonizing cries, Noya's life force rapidly faded.

But in the end, Noya's face bore no expression of pain, nor did she express hatred towards the mastermind behind the plot. Instead, there was a sense of relief, as if she was comforted that her daughter could execute such a splendid strike, a hint of reluctance, and finally, an apology.