In the Beast Fighting Arena filled with swirling yellow sand, as Li Qingping and Ruth led the Royal Court Team of seven into the arena, the circular stands were instantly submerged in the uproar of the crowd.
At this moment, in the royal family’s exclusive viewing box, the Queen "Carolina" sat beside the Third Prince "Cezar".
The two were conversing softly about something.
"Cezar, are you saying you want to have an exhibition match with your second brother?"
Carolina tilted her head, gently lifting Cezar’s snowy fringe, tenderly caressing his fair forehead.
"Yes." Cezar nodded, "Mother, didn’t elder brother have an exhibition match with second brother before? The feedback was very positive then. The atmosphere of this celebration is so good, I feel we could emulate that scene."
He paused for a moment: "To make everyone more entertained."
Upon hearing this, Carolina’s fingers paused slightly, her expression somewhat surprised.
In her eyes, this gentle and frail son had never proactively made such a request.
Until today, many residents of the enclosed city had never even seen Cezar’s appearance. This was Cezar’s first appearance to the common folk in years.
Before this, due to his weak health, the King never allowed him to leave the Floating City, let alone accompany his two brothers to the summer festival.
And this same child suddenly proposes to compete with his second brother in front of the entire nation?
No, given Cosimo’s serious nature, how could he go easy on him in the arena? Even though the Royal Court Team members would be watching them, Cezar still risked getting hurt.
Thinking of this, Carolina hesitated: "Cezar..."
"I’m serious, Mother, please don’t worry about me," Cezar said softly, "Since Father is not here, let me be willful for once."
Carolina was silent for a moment: "Then I’ll ask for you later, for now, focus on watching the match. This is your first time watching a match. Take a good look at our Royal Court Team."
"Of course, I always had to watch from afar on the rooftop in the Floating City before." Cezar said self-deprecatingly.
Beside the two, the eldest prince Lorenzo rubbed his deep-set eyes and casually asked:
"Who’s fighting in today’s first exhibition match?"
"The captain and the vice-captain." Cosimo said blandly, his fist resting against his cheek, "It’s the usual practice every year."
As they spoke, Ruth and Li Qingping had already taken their positions on opposite sides of the arena; the remaining members of the Royal Court Team stood in one corner of the arena.
Yellow sand swirled, and the two locked eyes.
Ruth’s sea-blue long hair and white robe danced gracefully in the sandy dust, she subtly lowered her face, her gaze frosty and sharp.
Li Qingping’s expression was calm, his hands tucked into the pockets of his suit, the tuft of hair tied atop his head swaying.
Simultaneously, the two of them crushed the cards in their hands, inscribed with orange glowing runes.
First came the deafening roar of a dragon, followed by an overwhelming steam whistle sound.
Two massive shadowy figures formed on either side of the arena, standing opposite each other, occupying the vast arena.
Li Qingping’s figure was enshrouded in the gigantic dragon shadow, the Red Dragon crouched on the ground, its brow ridge slightly arched downward, its wrinkled snout exhaling a curtain of flames.
Ruth’s figure was cloaked in the shadow of a cruise ship, the bow of the Titanic crashing through waves of air, advancing with a roar in the sound of the steam whistle.
The cheers from the circular stands resembled tsunamis and landslides, enough to engulf the entire world.
To avoid affecting the audience, Ruth and Li Qingping were very restrained.
Knowing full well it was just an exhibition match, with performance being the primary concern, they symbolically let their generation-level mythical shadows clash once.
The ochre-red dragon flames and the sea-blue frenzy surged towards the center simultaneously from both sides of the arena. A white steam storm rose into the sky, covering half the sky.
A shower of ochre-red fiery rain burst from the reverse scale, pitter-pattering onto the ground.
The whole world seemed to be rapidly heating up, but the heatwave was instantly dissipated by the cool water vapor.
The audience fell into a deathly silence, then erupted into thunderous applause. Before the cheers subsided, the shadowy figures in the arena quietly faded, and Li Qingping and Ruth exited the stage.
Next, "Jiugui Suye" and "Laine" from the Royal Court Team took to the field. After the steam storm subsided, their figures were revealed in full view of the thousands of spectators.
Jiugui Suye had dyed his short hair blue and wore eerie makeup, his black lips particularly striking.
He stepped forward, crushing the card in his hand.
An orange glow flashed, and the ghostly shadow of the Orochi rose in mid-air, while minor ghosts like the Tengu, Snow Woman, and Kappa began to appear on the sandy ground. The mythical ghosts beat drums and gongs; in the thunderous drumbeats, the shadows of hundreds of evil spirits surged forward like a tide.
The commotion spread like an earthquake, enveloping the arena, syncing with the heartbeat of every spectator.
And on the opposing side, Laine with raven-black hair and a beard clutched the Sword in the Stone.
The blade emitted a dazzling golden glow. His white robe fluttered dramatically, and the dust at his feet lifted momentarily; a golden gravitational field instantly enveloped his body.
He swung the sword in an instant, the Sword in the Stone arced through the air as if reaching the world’s end. In a split second, the multitude of ghosts screeched in unison and turned to ashes.