Marcus sighed. He didn’t understand anything anymore. They had planned to show off the power of the association, and to be honest, Maya had already accomplished that. Although they tried hard to hide it, he could tell that the other major guilds were panicking.
But now what was Cipher planning by challenging everyone?
He glanced at the other guild masters, and they also seemed deep in thought, trying to understand his intentions. Still, they remained seated, not daring to make a move. Although they felt Cipher wasn’t as simple as he seemed, they also felt it wasn’t appropriate to participate in an all-out battle against a single person given their position.
After all, there was no benefit to this. If they won, then it’d just be expected, but if they lost... they’d never get to hear the end of it. But the more time went on, the more it seemed they didn’t have a choice as people kept chanting "Cipher vs the World!"
Li Chen flew over toward the middle of the arena where Cipher floated. He gave a polite bow. "I came here because I wanted the chance to face you. But after meeting you, I can feel that you are way beyond my league. That doesn’t mean I won’t try, though. I hope you don’t look down on me for taking advantage of this all-out battle to face you."
Cipher reciprocated the greeting with a bow of his own. "I don’t mind at all."
Jin-Woo Park sighed. Since the first person had stepped up, he would also step up, he thought as he flew into the air. He really had to thank Li Chen for his thick skin. To be honest, he had also wanted to test himself against Cipher but wasn’t confident and didn’t want to lose embarrassingly.
But with so many of them fighting together, it wouldn’t be embarrassing if he lost. After all, everyone else would’ve lost too, so there wouldn’t be anyone to make fun of him.
Hehehe, sometimes my genius even surprises me.
With those two stepping up, the other guild masters also slowly rose into the air. After all five major guild masters floated before Cipher, he glanced at Chairman Marcus, still in the benches. The chairman sighed and got up. "Fine," he said, teleporting beside them. He then turned to look at Maya, who smiled and floated over.
She bowed before him. "Please go easy on me," she said before returning to the line with the others, who now circled Cipher.
"Is there no one else out there with the guts to participate?"
One by one, others began to rise into the air, and those who couldn’t fly walked up onto the platform. They reassured themselves with the fact that the major guild leaders were leading them, so they should be fine. After everyone had gathered, there were a few hundred people surrounding Cipher.
Cipher looked at the crowd around him and smiled. They were fewer than he had expected, but this should do. He then glanced toward the announcer, who understood immediately.
The announcer’s voice boomed across the arena. "Ladies and gentlemen, what you’re about to witness is unprecedented! The ultimate battle to determine the strongest - Cipher versus the World! Whoever defeats him will be declared the strongest fighter here today. And if Cipher emerges victorious against all challengers... well..."
...
Cipher acknowledged silently that he was at quite the disadvantage.
Mostly because most of his skills were designed for killing, not simply defeating opponents. Even so, he could still win a battle of attrition, mostly because of his regeneration and virtually infinite mana thanks to Demonic Qi. Even without using his killer abilities, his damage output was already pretty high.
The most risk would probably come from mages, which should be handled with Mana Dominion. And who knows? He might even learn some new abilities from them.
"Come at me," he said, gesturing with his hand.
"Aren’t you going to use your sword? You’re a swordsman, no?" Li Chen asked.
Cipher smiled. "Make me."
Hearing his words, everyone was riled up and roared as they charged at him.
The battle erupted into chaos immediately. Li Chen was the first to reach him, his sword cutting through the air moving straight toward him. Cipher sidestepped smoothly, deflecting the blade with his bare hand as sparks flew from the contact.
Jin-Woo Park followed instantly, his dagger aimed at Cipher’s exposed side. Cipher twisted, catching the wrist and redirecting the strike before delivering a palm strike that sent Jin-Woo flying back several feet.
Magic attacks came from all directions. Fireballs, ice spears, lightning bolts - all converged on Cipher’s position. But before they could connect, they slowed, their trajectories warping unnaturally as Mana Dominion took effect.
With Mana Manipulation and Mana Disruption coming together, Cipher could now interfere with spells directly. After all, they were all just mana constructs.
Khaled floated at a distance, his hands weaving complex patterns as he launched spell after spell. Pillars of fire erupted toward Cipher. Cipher leaped away, only to be met mid-air by Li Chen again, whose sword was now covered in layers of enhancement magic - Maya’s work, no doubt.
Cipher grinned, catching the blade between his palms. He kicked Li Chen away just as dozens of other participants swarmed him. Fists, weapons, and spells came from every angle.
A barrier appeared suddenly, trying to box him in. Amélie’s doing. Cipher punched through it with raw force, shattering the construct, but it had bought the others time to coordinate. Jin-Woo appeared behind him, his dagger coated in some kind of mana poison. Cipher blocked with his forearm, and the blade cut into his skin. He felt the poison try to spread, but his regeneration burned it away almost immediately.
He grabbed Jin-Woo by the collar and hurled him toward a cluster of charging fighters, scattering them like bowling pins.
More magic came. Khaled’s offensive spells were relentless - torrents of flame, spears of crystallized mana, crushing waves of force. Cipher danced through them, but not without cost. His shirt was burned away, revealing wounds that closed almost as quickly as they appeared.
A sword strike from Li Chen opened a gash across his chest but it sealed within seconds.
Maya stood further back, her hands glowing softly as she cast enhancement after enhancement on the fighters. Healing light washed over them whenever Cipher landed a solid hit. Buffs increased their speed, their strength, their resilience. She was the ultimate support, and Cipher could feel it - every time he gained ground, she pulled them back into the fight.
Amélie’s barriers kept appearing at crucial moments, blocking his counterattacks or redirecting his movements into traps. Khaled’s magic grew more coordinated, working in tandem with Li Chen and Jin-Woo’s assaults. The other participants, emboldened by the guild masters’ presence, pressed in harder.
Cipher’s fist met Li Chen’s sword in a shower of sparks. Jin-Woo’s dagger carved another line across his ribs. A fireball exploded against his back, and he stumbled forward into a barrier that cracked under his impact but held long enough for three more fighters to strike him simultaneously.
He spun, delivering a roundhouse kick that sent them flying, but more replaced them instantly.
Minutes stretched on. The shirtless Cipher, wounds regenerating across his body, breathed heavily as he looked at those before him. They were also catching their breath, sweat dripping from their faces.
This wasn’t working, he thought. Although he could win a battle of attrition, it was still taking too long thanks to Maya, who was like the ultimate support. Even though she didn’t attack - because all her spells were nuclear level and would hurt everyone - she was still causing trouble.
He needed to switch up his strategy.
He smiled, extending his hand forward and summoning his sword.
"Come at me."