"This guy dares to look down on us!" A fellow Four-Winged Seraphim clenched his fists, gripping his battle sword tightly, feeling an urge to fight Muria. If he could somehow manage to defeat him, gaining recognition from the elders in the clan would be a given. This could bring him closer to gaining favor from an Eight-Winged elder, and possibly even...
"But he has the right to look down on us!" Another Seraphim sighed. "The fifth one who went up was taken down in one move."
"But the first Four-Winged Seraphim fought him for ten rounds before losing."
"That was him considering our pride. The subsequent Seraphims going up one after another wore out his patience, so he took down that last one in one move."
"No one below Six Wings should go up," a Seraphim declared. He could see that Muria no longer had the patience to play with the Four-Winged ones. Continuing would only embarrass their Seraphim clan. "Anyone who wants to challenge Muria should be at least Six-Winged."
With this elder's command, the restless Four-Winged Seraphims and some eager Two-Winged ones quieted down. This was, after all, an attempt conducted under non-lethal conditions.
Following the command, a Six-Winged Seraphim turned into a streak of fire and landed on the arena. His six wings spread open, and after announcing his name, he was surrounded by the holy Seraphim fire, transforming into one flaming angel after another, each wielding a spear. In no time, a squad of a hundred flaming angels appeared.
"Legion combat technique!" Muria raised an eyebrow, sensing that the arena's rules no longer suppressed his power. His opponent was also a legend, equal in level to him. "This kind of technique isn't suited for single combat. I'll give you time to prepare again."
"No need." The Six-Winged Seraphim coldly replied, looking quite imposing. This demeanor made many female angels watching develop stars in their eyes. "This is my most adept combat style."
"I see, understood." Muria figured this guy had never faced the harsh reality of defeat. With the superiority of his bloodline, none of his previous enemies could withstand him head-on, so he specialized in this kind of group attack technique.
"Heaven's Punishment, Charge!" The Six-Winged Seraphim and his small angel legion raised their spears, transforming into streaks of rainbow light shooting towards Muria. Each streak felt quite threatening to Muria's senses.
"Impressive but ineffective!" Muria sighed, pulling out the Awe-Inspiring Battle Axe and striking down with a simple, singular axe glow that expanded and extended, engulfing all the rainbow streaks.
Compared to his opponent's magnificent and dazzling attack, which was highly watchable, Muria's attack was simple and unadorned to the extreme, just like his previous moves.
"Poof!" A mouthful of slightly golden blood spurted out. The Seraphim was knocked out of his light form by Muria's axe, his face paling as pain and numbness spread throughout his body. He had been critically injured by that single strike, his body healing automatically.
"Step down, you're not my opponent," Muria said expressionlessly, stating a harsh truth. "Your attacks are too flashy. I don't understand why you formed them into angels. You could control these angel avatars in battle? Condensing them into a spear would have concentrated the power, making it stronger, although less visually impressive."
"Understood, I admit defeat." The Six-Winged Seraphim's face turned various shades of green, looking extremely embarrassed. Finally, he bowed awkwardly and retreated. He could continue fighting Muria for a bit longer, but defeat was inevitable. Admitting defeat now preserved some dignity.
Next, two more Six-Winged Seraphims went up one after another, but neither could match Muria. They were forced to surrender by Muria's superior physique, without a chance to showcase their techniques.
"This isn't right. How is this guy Muria so strong? I remember Six-Winged Seraphims being able to fight pure-blood Titans for days without a clear winner. How come they lose after less than half an hour against him?"
"He's incredibly strong. The Six-Winged ones clearly aren't his match. I wonder if the Eight-Winged ones can beat him."
"They should be able to, right?"
While the Seraphims and angels watching were discussing, a blazing streak of fire extended from the horizon to Muria, landing with a bang in front of him. The imposing aura caused a Six-Winged Seraphim, who was about to step forward, to stop and retreat naturally.
"Muria." The figure standing on the arena, enveloped in flames, gazed at Muria with a hostile expression. "It's been fifty years, and you've gotten a lot stronger!"
"I'm no match for you!" Muria replied humbly. The eight wings behind this Seraphim were burning with pure white flames tinged with a hint of crimson, almost merging the wings into one. This indicated just how furious this Seraphim was.
"I heard you plan to marry my sister by sweeping through all the geniuses in Heaven?" Ilvest asked.
"..." Muria looked up at the sky silently. What kind of promotion had Mikaela's grandfather Arudiba done for him? According to Ilvest's description, it seemed like he was madly attracting hatred in Heaven.
Anyone would be furious hearing someone plan to beat them up to marry a pretty girl, and it was even worse for the proud geniuses in Heaven.
"That's right." At this point, even if he had never said these words, Muria had to admit it. He couldn't escape it. Anyway, he intended to challenge all the geniuses in Heaven, so why worry?
"I never saw you as so arrogant before. Muria, show me what gives you the confidence to say such things."
"Lance, sword, bow, and close combat, which do you want to compete in?" Muria asked with a warm smile. This was his future brother-in-law, so he wanted to give him some special treatment. "Or do you want to go one by one?"
"You think you're invincible just because you beat an Elash?" Ilvest's anger flared. The weapons Muria mentioned were all what the Seraphim excelled in, though slightly inferior to the Titans' mastery of all weapons.
"Why get angry? Defeat me, and everything will be resolved." Muria took out the Starfall Bow, pulled the string, and shot a streak of light at his future brother-in-law. Considering his current attitude, it was best to beat him into submission.
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