[Translator - Helga ]

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    Chapter 151: Sky Arena (3)

    “...Sorry.”

    Sasha Babel spoke quietly to the fallen contestants strewn around her.

    Whatever had happened, all five had broken limbs—arms and legs snapped in brutal ways.

    “The condition for passing was that only one person could survive... I had no choice.”

    No sooner had she finished speaking than a system message appeared:

    Stage 1 Complete!

    The next round will now begin.

    Round 2: Reach the center of the maze!

    One of the four enclosing walls vanished. Sasha Babel stepped through the opening. Before her stretched a vast labyrinth.

    With the tall walls blocking her view, it would be easy to get lost inside.

    “Wouldn’t it be easier to just break through?”

    She tried punching a wall, wrapping her fist with aura as a test. But the wall didn’t so much as tremble, let alone crack.

    “...Ow.”

    She winced, eyes stinging with tears.

    Breaking through wasn’t an option. That meant she’d have to navigate the maze on foot.

    First, she needed to understand its layout.

    Sasha slowly closed her eyes. The magic of Dragonheart surged around her.

    “La Hu Retta.”

    Dragon words slipped from her lips. The ancient language resonated with the dragon’s power.

    Like an echo rippling outward, the magic spread in all directions. As it traveled, the layout of the maze began forming clearly in Sasha’s mind.

    “A Hu Re?.”

    She spoke another dragon word. The earth beneath her lifted, levitating her into the air. It moved in the direction she pointed.

    The speed was fast—blazing, even. In the blink of an eye, Sasha had crossed more than half the maze. Luckily, she hadn''t encountered any other contestants along the way.

    “No, that’s not luck for me. It''s luck for them.”

    If they had crossed paths, they wouldn''t have even stood a chance against her.

    Soon, she neared the maze’s center. At this pace, she''d be the first to finish Round 2.

    And then—

    The smell of blood hung heavy in the air. Sasha came to a stop.

    “...Who''s there?”

    The stench was overwhelming. This wasn’t just from one or two people bleeding. On top of that, there was a chilling murderous intent carried on the scent.

    She could’ve ignored it and gone on. But her pride as a descendant of the Babel clan wouldn''t let her.

    She moved toward the smell.

    And what she found was horrific.

    Four or five contestants lay dead, their bodies butchered beyond recognition. It was so brutal, she questioned whether a human could’ve done it.

    “Aha... Ahaha...”

    In the middle of the corpses, a woman raised her arm over and over again, slamming something down. Upon closer look, she was holding a dagger.

    “Come on, get up. You just gonna lie there forever?”

    Every time the dagger struck a body, blood splattered. She didn’t even flinch.

    “Hm?”

    Suddenly, the woman turned and looked at Sasha.

    “My prey finally shows up.”

    She tossed aside a corpse, straightened her back, and locked eyes with Sasha.

    Sasha spoke, tension in her voice.

    “...Mano Stonelight.”

    The woman smiled.

    “...What is all this?”

    “Huh? What do you mean?”

    Mano Stonelight twirled the dagger around her finger, as if she hadn’t a care in the world.

    “They said only one person could pass. So I killed the rest.”

    “...You didn’t have to kill them.”

    Mano laughed, grabbing her belly as she cackled.

    “Wow, how naive. You think this is a sports event or something? This is a dungeon. No rules, no limits. No one can stop what happens here.”

    “This arena is being broadcast around the world. What you did here—it’s all been aired.”

    Sasha pointed to the corpses.

    “You think the guilds those contestants belonged to will just let this go?”

    “You know what my master told me?”

    “How would I know that?”

    “He said the ones who can’t even escape me are nobodies anyway. So I should kill without worry.”

    Mano laughed again.

    “Sasha Babel. What about you? Think you can at least run away?”

    Sasha’s brows narrowed.

    She was of Babel blood. Though caught off guard, she never once considered herself to be in danger.

    “Mano Stonelight. You''re arrogant.”

    “You don’t know what my Gift is, huh? I think you’re the arrogant one.”

    Mano gripped the dagger tightly and charged at Sasha.

    The energy of ‘Red Dragon Star’ has been detected!

    Dragonheart is suppressed!

    All stats reduced by 10%!

    Sasha felt her body grow heavier. But she didn’t panic.

    She’d heard endless lectures from her elders about this “Red Dragon Star” Gift—what it did and how to counter it.

    “La Hu Ta.”

    She calmly recited a dragon word. Her body lifted into the air.

    Mano looked up and shouted in frustration.

    “Hey, that’s cheating!”

    Sasha didn’t respond.

    The first method for dealing with Red Dragon Star: create distance.

    As she rose higher, the burden on her body lifted. Proof she was out of the gift’s range.

    “Al Me Der Sed.”

    Hovering above, Sasha invoked another spell.

    Flames burst forth, forming a ring around her.

    “You’re not planning to throw that at me, right?”

    Mano asked, but Sasha just pointed.

    The fiery ring turned into arrows and rained down on Mano’s position.

    “An Ter Mada.”

    Without checking if Mano had survived, Sasha cast another spell.

    Bolts of blue lightning struck the ground—dozens of them in rapid succession.

    “I Fe Terra.”

    Despite the chaos below, Sasha didn’t stop. A third spell activated.

    An invisible hammer slammed down from above, shaking the earth, cracking the ground and trembling the walls.

    “...Hoo.”

    Sasha steadied her breath, but stayed alert.

    The second countermeasure against Red Dragon Star: don’t give them a chance to counterattack—overwhelm with force.

    Then—

    Mano burst through the flames, charging up a wall toward Sasha.

    “...That’s impossible.”

    Yet Sasha responded instantly. If she stayed put, Mano would reach her. She tried to retreat using a dragon word.

    Tried.

    Mano threw a dagger—fast as lightning. Probably a skill.

    “El Rada.”

    Sasha summoned a defensive barrier. A translucent shield appeared.

    But the moment the dagger touched it, it melted like a soap bubble.

    “What?”

    Before she could react, the dagger grazed her neck.

    Red Dragon Star''s energy has infiltrated!

    Dragonheart has been critically suppressed!

    Her flight spell vanished. Sasha plummeted.

    “Ugh!”

    The impact sent pain shooting through her weakened body.

    It was agonizing, but Sasha gritted through it. Mano was still above.

    She had to buy time until her Dragonheart recovered.

    But then—Mano landed from above and stomped on her back.

    “Kyaa!”

    This time, Sasha couldn’t help but scream.

    Mano grabbed her by the hair.

    “Haha, finally caught you.”

    Her crazed face hovered over Sasha’s.

    Sasha gritted through the pain and asked:

    “...How did you nullify Dragonheart’s power?”

    “When Red Dragon Star’s energy directly invades, that’s what happens. Didn’t you know?”

    “That... I’ve never heard of that kind of ability...”

    Without warning, Mano stabbed her thigh with the dagger.

    “You keep asking the questions. That’s not fair. From now on, only I ask.”

    Sasha clamped her mouth shut. Pride and stubbornness.

    Mano slashed Sasha’s arm with the dagger. Another scream erupted.

    “That’s what I like about you lot.”

    Her smile widened.

    “Always acting noble and superior with your ‘dragon lineage’ this and ‘pure bloodline’ that. But once that bloodline is suppressed—you’re nothing.”

    She raked the dagger down Sasha’s back. Blood sprayed.

    “You had so much to say before. What, nothing to add now? Huh? I’m talking to you. Answer me.”

    Mano raised the dagger again—

    That’s when it happened.

    A massive explosion shook the arena. One of the maze walls collapsed.

    For a moment, both Sasha and Mano could only stare in shock.

    “That... That wall was breakable?”

    Mano mumbled in a daze. And from the rubble, someone emerged.

    “Huh?”

    Mano narrowed her eyes at the intruder.

    “Wait, I know that face. Kwon Hanul, right? Yeah, it’s you.”

    Hanul’s face showed a flicker of surprise. He looked straight at Sasha.

    Mano didn’t like that—at all.

    So she stabbed Sasha’s shoulder with the dagger.

    “Why aren’t you answering me? You are Kwon Hanul, right?”

    “Gah!”

    Hanul’s eyes widened slightly. Then he finally spoke.

    “Mano Stonelight.”

    “Correct.”

    Mano smiled.

    “The final prey walked right into the trap.”

    * * *

    “The final prey?”

    Kwon Hanul tilted his head slightly, as if he’d just heard something completely absurd.

    “Before I came into the Sky Arena, I made a promise to myself. No matter what happens with the others, you and Sasha Babel—I’m going to kill you both.”

    Mano Stonelight yanked the dagger out of Sasha Babel’s shoulder. Sasha screamed in agony, but she ignored it.

    Right now, Kwon Hanul was far more important.

    “I really like your kind.”

    A look of twisted joy spread across Mano Stonelight’s face.

    “Nobodies without noble blood pretending to be big shots. And people actually worship them for it. But that bloodline trick doesn’t work on me.”

    She poured even more power into the aura of Red Dragon Star.

    “In this entire world, only my master and I can expose what you really are beneath the surface.”

    Mano Stonelight began to approach Hanul. Blood dripped steadily from the dagger in her hand.

    “Nothing to say?”

    She asked eagerly, hungry for a response. She knew from experience—if Hanul ran his mouth arrogantly, breaking him afterward would feel that much sweeter.

    Hanul paused, then calmly replied, “What makes you so confident?”

    A grin spread across Mano Stonelight’s lips. That was what she had been waiting for.

    The influence of Red Dragon Star intensifies!

    All dragonkin within range suffer a major stat reduction!

    All dragonkin within range experience movement disruption!

    Mano charged straight at him.

    Red Dragon Star didn’t just reduce stats—it interfered with movement as well. Under its pressure, Hanul should’ve found it difficult to even turn his body.

    Start with the knee, she thought.

    She only needed to lightly cut the ligament. That alone would take out his leg, rob him of escape, and heighten his fear.

    Mano crouched low and swung the dagger at his knee.

    But in that instant—Hanul slammed his knee upward into her face.

    Her head snapped back, and her body flew through the air.

    “Gah—!! Guhhh!”

    Clutching her face, Mano Stonelight let out a horrible scream. Her nose was crushed, and several front teeth were knocked out.

    “Kwon Hanul!!”

    She shrieked in rage. But in the next second—Hanul was already on top of her.

    She sensed a chilling bloodlust from above and instinctively dove to the side.

    Hanul landed exactly where she had been standing a moment before, stomping the ground.

    Cracks exploded outward from his foot, spreading across the floor—then extended further, ripping apart even the surrounding walls.

    “...What...?”

    Mano looked up at him, stunned.

    ‘But I used Red Dragon Star’, she thought. ‘The power of the Black Dragon Blood should have been weakened.’

    So then—what was that destructive force just now?

    “Hey.”

    Hanul called out to her. Startled, Mano looked up.

    “What did you say earlier? Prey?”

    Hanul’s tone was razor-sharp and brimming with irritation.

    Sure, being insulted by Mano was annoying—but there was another reason behind his anger.

    The Black Dragon Bloodline is enraged! The instincts of the dragon surge!

    Synchronization Rate: 52% → 58%

    Red Dragon Star’s effects have been completely expelled!

    The Black Dragon Bloodline was furious.

    It had already been seething under the pressure of Red Dragon Star, and now—seeing that disciple appear as well—its rage had reached a boiling point.

    “I get it—you’ve been feeling cocky ever since that party scene...”

    Hanul narrowed his eyes, glaring at her in irritation.

    “But you’re not the Dragon Slayer, are you?”

    [Translator - Helga ]

    [Proofreader - Starfall ]