The Trial Concludes

How long had Yaxiu known Valkas? A single day. In fact, less than an hour in total. How had they gotten along? They had clashed fiercely—Yaxiu left drenched in blood from his slashes, and Valkas left with his throat sliced open by Yaxiu. Yaxiu suddenly remembered that yesterday, when he asked what trouble losing to him would cause, Valkas's answer had been remarkably thought-provoking. "You'll find out tomorrow." In theory, merely losing one match to Yaxiu shouldn't have mattered much to Valkas. He had plenty of contribution points. Just like Igola. Igola had lost far more to Yaxiu, yet wasn't he currently lying comfortably in his dormitory bed, sipping wine and slicing steak? Therefore, Valkas being chosen for the trial roster was definitely not because he ranked in the bottom eight for contribution points, but because it had been deliberately orchestrated! After all, the trial roster wasn't strictly required to follow contribution point rankings. There were far too many exploitable rules in the system. The handlers could easily send Valkas into a dead end while remaining completely within legal and regulatory bounds! Why make such an arrangement? Because he had lost to Yaxiu. That was the consequence of incompetence—Shilin's punishment for him! Moreover, it went beyond just that. The preferential treatment—or rather, the bias—elves faced in the Blood Moon Trial was practically predictable. The moment Valkas appeared on the live broadcast, his fate was sealed. So when such an arrogant, venom-tongued elf was about to be smashed into meat paste, and noticed among the condemned convicts present the culprit who had not only cut his throat yesterday but was arguably the root cause of his downfall... What would he do? So-called fate was simply a matter-of-course inevitability. *Talk about a two-for-one deal...* Yaxiu gave a bitter smile, utterly in awe of Professor Shilin, who had orchestrated it all. It was an open scheme that read human nature like a book. If Valkas hadn't been thrown into the trial, Yaxiu still wouldn't have escaped, but unexpected variables might have arisen. Yet with Valkas joining the trial, not only were any surprises in the voting phase eliminated, but Valkas's burning inner resentment ensured that Yaxiu would inevitably be dragged down as a burial sacrifice alongside him! The moment Yaxiu agreed to duel Valkas, his end had already been scripted by Shilin— Either crushed into paste by Valkas in the deathmatch ring, Or dragged down by Valkas in mutually assured destruction on the trial platform! Now, no one would save him. Who in the prison didn't know about his feud with Valkas? Approaching him now was practically volunteering to vacate a dormitory cell for the prison. Harvey looked at Yaxiu with a gaze of regret mixed with anticipation, seemingly lamenting that such prime material was about to be ruined by the Titan Executioner. Now, they could only pray that the Titan Executioner wouldn't fly into a berserk frenzy over killing an extra convict. The music in the air suddenly grew stirring and impassioned. Within the sword barrier, Valkas let out a roar completely unbefitting his refined appearance. A visible ripple radiated outward from him. Yaxiu and the others felt their bodies go numb and limp, and even the Purging Flame on the Titan Executioner slightly receded. "A magnificent sonic shock!" Nagu introduced the scene to the audience while standing on his tiptoes to peer forward. "I cannot determine the specific sorcery spirits, but they should belong to the sonic school. Due to how sound spreads, rather than attacking directly, sorcerers prefer using sonic arts to inflict negative status effects on enemies, reducing their resistance. "First using sonic arts to intimidate and weaken resistance, then delivering a fatal strike with swordsmanship—this was precisely Mr. Ur's signature combat strategy in the past! "Ruthless Finale is a composite miracle centered on swordsmanship, blended with multiple schools!" *Clang!* With a sharp sword chime, absolute silence suddenly fell over heaven and earth. Every sound vanished—the crashing waves, the howling wind, Nagu's voice, the vibrations, the heartbeats. In an instant, total stillness descended, as if hearing itself had been completely cut off. Amidst this profound silence, Yaxiu watched Valkas leap high into the air, plunging toward the Titan Executioner like a meteor piercing the sun, his brilliant swordlight outshining the crimson glow of the moon. The instant the tip of the blade touched the Titan Executioner's body, all sound rushed back—yet everyone present wished they were deaf! *Ding!* As if all the extinguished sounds had erupted at once, an indescribable noise exploded from Valkas's sword. The violent vibration pierced through the air, unleashing a gale of atmospheric pressure that distorted the very light around it! Even the Titan Executioner's defense was breached, bringing its advance to an abrupt halt! "A Two-Winged... miracle... can actually reach such heights..." Nagu's voice drifted over in broken fragments. Yet no one was looking at the light screen anymore. Every death row convict stared wide-eyed, drinking in that dazzling moment. Valkas's strike was unquestionably formidable, though the convicts had seen grander miracles before. For instance, when storms disrupted a major corporation's outdoor promotions, meteorological sorcerers would cast spells together to disperse the rainclouds and restore clear skies—a spectacle far more flashy than this. What truly held everyone spellbound was Valkas's sheer courage in taking the initiative to attack the Titan Executioner. Although the convicts had their restrictions lifted, when facing an Executioner, most of the redeemed either mounted a hysterical resistance or gave up entirely, waiting for release. The prison allowed them to use force only in the hope of adding some entertainment to the program. No one believed they could truly resist the Executioners, nor would anyone permit them to survive the trial. Redemption was the sole outcome for death row convicts. Everyone knew Valkas's resistance was futile. Yet they still held their breath for a miracle, yearning for a hero. Even scoundrels longed for a hero who could save scoundrels. "Merely halting the Titan Executioner is enough to prove the worth of this miracle. Had Mr. Ur published it, this year's Kaimeng Academic Award would undoubtedly have been his," Nagu remarked. "What a pity..." *Whoosh!* The Purging Flame on the Titan Executioner suddenly spun into motion, each flicker slicing like a razor-sharp blade. A lash of blue flame struck Valkas, shattering his sword barrier in an instant and sending his body flying like a kite with a snapped string! On the light screen, Nagu calmly explained: "The moment the Titan Executioner appeared, it incorporated the Purging Flame into its miracle framework, fusing it into 'Miracle: Counterattack Storm.' "For any sinner who dares challenge justice and resist judgment, whatever damage they inflict on the Executioner will be returned in kind. "When you hurt others, you must be prepared to be hurt in return. Sinners rarely grasp this truth." Valkas rolled across the ground, battered and vomiting blood. Even so, his hand never loosened its grip on his sword for even a fraction of a second. However, several sorcery spirits suddenly emerged from his body, each riddled with cracks and flaws. The moment they broke free, they rapidly dissolved into motes of light and dispersed! "To shake the Titan Executioner as a Two-Winged Sorcerer, even with a miracle, comes at no small cost," Nagu said. "That domain of silence earlier possessed power almost rivaling a Three-Winged Sanctuary miracle, but the price was that most of Mr. Ur's sonic sorcery spirits shattered from overload and burnout." At that moment, the Titan Executioner spread its eight arms and snapped open its six eyes, blazing with bloodlight that illuminated thousands of li across the Shattered Lake and dispersed vast swaths of the night! When it turned its gaze toward Valkas, it felt as though the entire world were crashing down! Its eight arms were no longer arms, but wings composed of the world itself, sweeping down to envelop everything! "It is over." Nagu clapped softly. "Let us send off Valkas Ur as he ascends to the Blood Moon Heaven. May he continue to serve the all-benevolent, all-merciful Blood Moon Sovereign in the distant skies." "Ugh!" Valkas coughed up foul blood laden with organ fragments and broken teeth. The bones in both his legs seemed shattered, leaving his lower body almost completely paralyzed, supported only by the sword he leaned on. Never had he looked so wretched. Half an ear was torn away, one eye had burst, and he was covered in filth, his features twisted in agony as blood streamed down his face... Shilin Dole was relishing this scene... Yares was watching this too... No, he wasn't watching. He was only seven; he couldn't watch the Blood Moon Trial yet... Thank goodness... Yet he had been so close. Just a little more, and he could have taken Yares away from this city to start a new life... And the reason he had fallen to such an end was because... Valkas did not look at the Titan Executioner. Instead, his gaze swept across the grand platform, hunting for Yaxiu's figure. Beneath matted, bloodstained hair, the elf's remaining eye held a tangle of complex emotions that no one could fathom. "Yaxiu Heath..." He forced out the name through gritted teeth. *Boom!* Lightning, blaze, frost, acid, shockwaves, thermal melting, intangibility, chaos—eight distinct powers roared outward along the Titan Executioner's weapons, unleashing an instantaneous apocalypse. The Shattered Lake boiled, and the night sky trembled! Valkas seemed oblivious. Inverting his grip on his longsword, he strained to open his single eye, fixing Yaxiu with a death glare so intense it looked as though his eyeball might pop out and tear into him! Multiple sorcery spirits materialized over the blade, shimmering with light! As judgment came crashing down, Valkas hurled his longsword! Yaxiu tried to dodge, but the crimson chains severely restricted his movement. Moreover, Valkas's flying sword was reinforced by sorcery spirits—it moved with lightning speed and could even shift its trajectory mid-air! Having cast his sword, Valkas appeared relieved, yet bloody tears suddenly welled from his clouded eye. He murmured under his breath: "I'm sorry..." *Smack!* The instant he was engulfed by the light of judgment, Valkas vanished from the world completely, leaving behind not a single speck of remains. *Schwing!* The longsword impaled Yaxiu's throat, its immense momentum nearly tearing his neck apart! ...... ... On the light screen inside the Red Fog Cybercafé, Yaxiu, his throat impaled and his body held fast by chains, did not collapse to the floor. Instead, he knelt on both knees, gazing up at the blood moon with the blade protruding from his neck—forming a tableau that looked remarkably like a martyred saint! The patrons were momentarily stunned by the sheer impact of the image, until an elven Blood Saint stood up and burst into laughter: "Haha! I bet on Yaxiu dying at Valkas's hands, and I was right! Tonight's drinks are on me!" "Hear, hear!" Others stood up one after another. "To Mr. Bell's generosity! To the justice of the Blood Moon Trial, cheers!" Lorence also rose, raising his glass. "Cheers!" Noticing the amused, expectant look on Boss Snake's face behind the counter, Lorence couldn't help asking, "Boss, you just lost a fortune. How can you look so happy?" "Hiss... he won this round, but he'll definitely lose it back next time. Besides, this lounge belongs to me, so doesn't the money just end up back in my pocket anyway? And what's more..." "What's more?" Boss Snake glanced at the light screen. "Hiss... who said he won the bet?"