“Dr. Rhys, good luck.”
As Dustin stepped into the battle ring, Alicia and Aurora cheered behind him. Their enthusiasm quickly drew more spectators to join in. Soon, the venue erupted in thunderous applause, with cheers echoing from every direction.
In his earlier match against Bill, Dustin demonstrated his immense strength and brought honor to his nation. After winning that match, his popularity had soared. But in this match, he was once again facing a foreign opponent.
Regardless of the spectators’ personal opinions, they would back him unconditionally. When faced with an outsider, Dragonmarsh’s people often displayed remarkable unity. Even though internal conflicts were frequent, they united as one the moment an external threat appeared.
After Dustin entered the ring, Jeremiah, contestant number nine, stepped forward. In contrast to the deceased Bill and George, Jeremiah didn’t act arrogantly. Aside from the time he showcased his strength by defeating Truce, he had kept a low profile.
However, Dustin understood that this composed priest was only putting on an act. Among the three contestants sent by the Hall of Gods, Jeremiah was the strongest and more formidable than the other two combined.
“I can tell you’re a dangerous opponent. I bet defeating you won’t be easy today.” Jeremiah’s gaze fixed intently on Dustin. His expression was tense, yet he showed no signs of underestimating Dustin.
Though he couldn’t fully gauge Dustin’s strength, the threat he posed felt comparable to Fenley and the top- ranked experts on the Legendary List. Jeremiah sensed that Dustin might be even stronger. He was determined to give this fight everything he had.
“Defeat me?” Dustin replied with a faint smile. “If you manage to walk away alive, I’ll count that as a win for you.”
He had no intention of showing mercy to the lackeys of the Hall of Gods, especially those who posed a serious threat. He would handle any opponent he could.
“Oh? You seem pretty confident,”
Jeremiah said, grinning. “Are you so sure you can defeat me?”
“Let’s find out,” Dustin replied calmly.
“Fine! Let me test your limits.”
Jeremiah scoffed as his body began to transform. A dense layer of black scales quickly covered him like armor and protected his vulnerable parts.
His arms transformed into sharp, black blades that resembled the weapons used by George earlier. However, Jeremiah’s genetic modifications were even more advanced, which made him significantly stronger.
He had absorbed the best traits from dozens of species, which enhanced his speed, strength, defense, reflexes, recovery, and senses. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say he had no weaknesses because he was a nearly perfect killing machine.
“Show me your weapon.” Jeremiah slowly spread his arms wide.
The sharp blades cut into the battle ring floor and left deep grooves as if slicing through butter. The ease with which they carved the surface showcased their deadly sharpness.
“You’ll see it when you’re dead.” Dustin smiled.
Despite Jeremiah’s cunning nature, he was still annoyed by Dustin’s blatant disregard.
“The match… begins now!” Sensing the charged atmosphere, Oron quickly announced the start of the match and stepped out of the battle ring.
“Let’s see what you’ve got!” Jeremiah shot forward like an arrow and launched his attack.
He was in peak physical condition, and his senses were razor-sharp. He could detect and exploit any flaw in Dustin’s stance with deadly precision.
As Jeremiah closed in, Dustin flicked his wrist and sent three silver needles flying from his sleeve. Two darted toward Jeremiah’s eyes, while the third targeted his heart.
Jeremiah grunted but didn’t flinch. He charged ahead and swung his blades to deflect the two needles aimed at his eyes with a sharp clang. He ignored the third needle and let it pierce the scales on his chest.
The needle collided with the scales and sent sparks flying. Unfazed, he continued his charge while the needle twisted and fell to the ground without causing him any injury.
“Interesting.” Dustin smirked.
His silver needles weren’t deadly weapons but were typically more than enough to take down any grandmaster martial artist. Their ineffectiveness against Jeremiah revealed just how formidable his defenses were.
“Die!” In an instant, Jeremiah closed the gap, and his blades swung toward Dustin’s neck with devastating force.
