Lincoln's gaze, sharp and assessing, traveled from Christopher's feet, up his form, and finally settled on his face. He then turned to his son.
"Is he the one?" Lincoln asked, his voice low and dangerous.
Leon, his complexion ashen, could only nod, his fear palpable.
"Hmm... I did not expect someone so young," Lincoln remarked, a hint of surprise in his voice. "The Skeleton King was a formidable beast, yet you felled it. Impressive, truly. However," his tone hardened, "impressive or not, you will still pay."
Christopher, a grin spreading across his face, met Lincoln's gaze. "Hehehe... I am Christopher Valhalla. When have I ever paid anyone?"
Lincoln's eyes narrowed. "I see my beasts' pressure has no effect on you. Very well, I will take you down personally." He began infusing his energy into his fist, the air around him shimmering with power.
"Master Christopher, run!" Monica cried out, her voice filled with desperation.
"Yes! You cannot defeat him and his beasts!" the Dean added, his face a picture of fear.
Christopher, however, remained rooted to the spot, his eyes fixed on Lincoln. "I care not if you are an emperor or a governor! You have offended me today, not once, but thrice!"
"Thrice? How so?" Lincoln asked, a sinister amusement creeping into his voice.
"You injured my friend," Christopher said, gesturing towards Advika, who knelt a few meters away, with blood on her lips. "Not only that, you also pressured my brother and sister. The first offense might not have warranted your death, but the other two certainly do. Let me make this promise: if I cannot kill you today, I will hunt down and destroy every single one of your beasts." A faint golden light flickered in his hazel eyes, radiating an intense killing intent.
"Hahahaha! Even after what just occurred, you remain arrogant! Very well, I will teach you some manners."
Without further warning, Lincoln lunged forward, appearing in front of Christopher in a blur of motion, and unleashed a devastating punch.
BAM!!!
"Christopher!" Advika shrieked, her voice filled with horror.
"Brother!" Adonis and Katherine yelled in unison, their faces pale with fear.
"Hehehe... I cannot believe a single punch could have killed you!" Lincoln sneered, a devilish smirk twisting his lips, already imagining Christopher on the ground.
"You know," Christopher said, his voice calm and steady, "out of all the punches I have received, yours is the weakest."
"....!!!"
"WHAT?!!!"
"Did…?"
The smoke cleared, revealing Christopher standing unscathed before Lincoln.
"You had your fun. Now, it's my turn." Christopher clenched his fist, channeling forty percent of his energy into it, and delivered a casual punch.
WHOOSH!!!
BAMMMMM!!!!!
Everyone froze, their eyes wide with disbelief, as Lincoln was sent flying backward, crashing into the black dragon with tremendous force, pushing the massive beast back three feet.
"You cannot even handle a single punch," Christopher said, dusting his palms as if nothing had happened.
"..."
The silence was deafening. Everyone turned their heads towards Christopher, their eyes filled with utter horror and disbelief.
Lincoln, blood spurting from his mouth, slid down his beast's body and collapsed to his knees, his face contorted in pain and shock.
"You! How can a mere child possess such strength?! You are barely in your twenties! How can you be at the high stage of the Master Level?!" he yelled, his eyes blazing with fury and confusion.
"Do not think that with your mediocre skills, you can act so high and mighty?" Christopher asked, his voice cold and hard. "I gave my word. You and your beasts are not leaving here."
"You!! Kill this bastard!!!" Lincoln roared, his voice filled with rage.
"You! If you harm Master Christopher, you will face the full wrath of the Valhalla family!" the Dean shouted, his voice trembling with fear.
"I can handle that!" Lincoln retorted, pointing at Christopher. "Finish him!"
WHOOSH!!
The ten Mythical stage beasts, their eyes glowing with dark energy, instantly sprang into action. They opened their mouths and unleashed a torrent of dark flames, aimed directly at Christopher.
WHOOSH!
BAMMMMM!!!
Dust and smoke billowed into the air, completely obscuring Christopher.
"No!! It is over!" the Dean muttered, his face ashen.
There was no way Christopher could survive the combined onslaught of ten Mythical stage beasts, nine of which possessed Lv8 combat strength and one Lv9.
Whoosh!!
A dense wave of life force erupted from the dust cloud, instantly scattering the smoke and dust.
"Impossible!!"
"It cannot be!!"
"Is he still alive?!"
"Are those…?!"
Gasps of shock and disbelief echoed throughout the arena as everyone stared at Christopher, who stood completely unscathed, not even a single burn marring his clothes. However, it was not his unscathed appearance that shocked them, but the three beasts standing before him: a purple cat, a rhinoceros, and a small red wolf cub.
"Reaper."
The small wolf turned its head towards Christopher.
"I discovered your new skill allows you to absorb cores directly. Here is a treat for you."
Christopher produced the Skeleton King's core and tossed it towards the wolf.
Reaper's eyes glowed for a moment, and the core transformed into a trail of light, entering its body.
Christopher smiled, feeling Reaper's power surging.
"Do not worry. After we deal with these fools and absorb five cores, you will reach the Mythical stage."
His casual words hung in the air, stunning everyone into silence.
'Master Christopher has two Legendary stage eagles with Lv8 and Lv9 combat strength, so why did he summon the Rhino and Cat, who are merely Perfect stage beasts?' Monica thought, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Fighting my ten beasts with only three, two of which are Perfect stage?!" Lincoln said, bursting into laughter. Even Leon joined in this time.
"Christopher, you are a fool!" Leon sneered. 'With these three beasts and the two eagles, there is no way they can defeat my father's beasts!' he thought.
Christopher stared at him for a few seconds, then turned his attention back to Lincoln, completely ignoring Leon.
"What do you say? Are you all ready for some fun?" he asked the three beasts before him.
'I cannot wait to kill some beasts!' Reaper replied inwardly, its eyes glowing with anticipation.
'Same! These fools dared to attack you. It would be a blessing to spare them, which I am not planning on giving,' Lazarus answered, his eyes gleaming with a predatory light.
'Why ask? Let us just attack. It has been a long time since I killed ten Mythical stage beasts simultaneously,' Lucas added, her voice filled with a chilling eagerness.
Divine stage beasts were in a league of their own, far surpassing Mythical stage beasts. One Divine stage beast could easily decimate ten Mythical stage beasts in a single combat, let alone two Divine stage beasts. To add to their advantage, both Lazarus and Lucas possessed Lv10 combat strength.
"You!! Fine then!! Attack---"
Lincoln's command was cut short as a red light enveloped the small cub, and before their eyes, it grew to an immense size, casting a long shadow over them.
GRAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!
Reaper unleashed a fearsome roar that shook the very foundations of the arena.
"...!!!"
Everyone froze in terror, their eyes wide with disbelief and fear.