Keane and the others were unaware of the myriad conflicting emotions that flickered across You’er’s face in that fleeting moment.
Confusion, panic, terror, rage, despair, loathing, madness, hysteria…
“Boss…”
Keane opened his mouth, words of comfort poised on his tongue, yet he found himself unable to utter them.
He had been the first to meet You’er, and thus, he knew better than anyone the depth of You’er’s affection for the girl by his side.
A profound dread seized Keane, fearing what horrifying act You’er might commit.
“East District, number 148, it’s your turn to enter the arena! Make it quick!”
Uncommon arena guards arrived, distinctly different from the usual lot.
These were high-ranking guards, each possessing at least the strength of a Swordsman, and thus holding a status far superior to ordinary guards, rarely making an appearance.
Yet, on this occasion, two of them had come at once!
Why? Why indeed?
How could the arena possibly know Noelle’s information?
And why would they dispatch two guards of such exceptional strength to coerce her?
You’er’s mind was a tangled mess, so chaotic that coherent thought became impossible.
You’er’s gaze snapped around, catching Quia’s chilling, sinister smile, a smirk that spoke of a successful scheme.
In that instant, all the chaotic threads in You’er’s mind unraveled, revealing the undeniable truth: the culprit behind all this was none other than the damned, treacherous villain standing before him!
He recalled that when Warden Miekin had first arrived, Quia had privately conversed with one of his subordinates, a jailer.
Then there was Quia’s peculiar gaze from last night, when his desires remained unfulfilled… No! That look wasn’t directed at You’er, but at Noelle, who stood behind him!
You’er was filled with profound regret, agonizing over why he hadn’t simply eliminated the man then and there, ending it all.
Yet, at this moment, he had no time to deal with the smug Quia.
He simply stepped forward, just as he always had, positioning himself in front of Noelle, facing the high-ranking guards directly.
He remained silent, but his posture conveyed an unwavering refusal to yield even an inch.
“You? Are you attempting to rebel?”
The two Swordsman-level guards narrowed their eyes, their hands already resting on the hilt of the exquisite iron swords at their waists.
They possessed the authority to execute prisoners, and even if they were to strike down this scar-faced youth before them right now, they would bear no fault afterwards.
“My dearest husband, rest assured, your wife, Noelle, possesses the ability to protect herself!”
Just as the tension between the two sides reached a breaking point, a deep, reassuring touch came from behind You’er.
Noelle held him tightly, and on his shoulder, she traced out that very sentence.
Noelle’s words caused You’er’s body to stiffen instantly.
‘The ability to protect herself?’
‘Yes, she is Noelle after all, the elven girl who, on that unforgettable night, led him through countless trials and tribulations!’
“But does she still possess that same power now?” You’er silently questioned himself.
‘She never lied to him, always keeping her word… because she was his beloved Noelle, and the Noelle who deeply loved him in return!’
“Boss, trust Big Sister-in-law! Since she’s said so, we just need to wait for her safe return!”
“That’s right, Boss! Don’t let a moment of impulsiveness get the better of you!”
Keane and the others gathered around, earnestly trying to persuade him.
The thought of You’er clashing with the arena, and the horrific cost that would entail, sent shivers down their spines.
“Husband, Noelle is going.”
As You’er struggled to make a decision, Noelle took a step forward.
Having released herself from You’er’s support, she walked with such steady grace, such natural ease, such effortless composure…
The two high-ranking guards followed closely behind Noelle, pushing her into the vast, dizzying expanse of the gladiatorial arena.
Just before she was thrust inside, they casually ripped off the large black cloak that enveloped her, as such garments were forbidden within the arena.
Thus, the maiden with snow-white hair, clad in a simple blue and white dress—a beauty so profound it eclipsed the very heavens and earth—was revealed to the eyes of everyone across the fourth ring and its four districts.
In that instant, the entire arena fell silent, the atmosphere so terrifyingly still it felt as though it would suffocate them all.
“Hoo-ya!!! This is truly extraordinary! Such a naturally stunning heroine will soon deliver an absolutely breathtaking and unparalleled performance for us!”
The first to react was the host, propelled by his duties; the moment his voice boomed, the deathly silence was shattered.
What followed was an earth-shattering eruption of noise.
The audience’s emotions were utterly ignited, the fervent atmosphere surging to its peak in a single moment.
Striking while the iron was hot, the host then declared.
“And now, please welcome our protagonist for today, our ferocious… BEAST!”
As the host’s voice stretched into a prolonged, drawn-out tone, a gate on one side of the arena opened, and a colossal cage, mounted on a cart, slowly rumbled in.
Within that cage, a white giant ape, radiating an aura of extreme frenzy, fixated its gaze intently on Noelle, who stood directly opposite.
This colossal ape, easily three meters tall, exhaled in powerful gusts, appearing ferociously abnormal.
A ripple of understanding!
The moment they saw the giant ape, the audience instantly understood the nature of the supplementary entertainment the arena intended to provide!
Man-ape**! The most shocking man-ape**!
That white giant ape had a name: the Joyful Ape, a male species for which females, especially those of humanoid races, held a fatal allure!
This particular one before them had even been heavily dosed with aphrodisiacs by the arena, solely to maximize its primal instincts and thus entertain the audience on the fourth ring.
“Everyone! Are you ready to behold this magnificent spectacle before you? This is a premium heroine, a sight not seen in sixty years!”
The host’s magnetic whisper, as if softly explaining something into each audience member’s ear, ignited the most spontaneous and primal urges in over ninety percent of the crowd with just a single sentence.
“And so… I declare the supplementary entertainment, BEGINS!”
ROAR!
The cage door swung open, and the Joyful Ape burst forth almost instantaneously, like a swift white bolt of lightning, eliciting a chorus of cheers from the audience.
The scene they had so eagerly awaited was about to unfold in the very next moment!
Yet, in Noelle’s beautiful blue eyes, there seemed to be no trace of the giant ape charging towards her.
She merely glanced back towards the East District, her gaze filled with tender beauty and playful charm… even impishly sticking out her tongue at You’er.
“Husband, I’m sorry, Noelle lied!”
Noelle confessed this to You’er within her heart.
Through the steel grates of the East District, the moment You’er saw Noelle’s backward glance, he understood.
She possessed no ability to protect herself at all!
Everything had been an elaborate ruse, designed to prevent him from being caught between two impossible choices, to stop him from clashing with the Death Arena on her behalf before he was adequately prepared!
But would You’er ever condone such an act?
Without her, would he continue to endure, to struggle in silent forbearance?
The answer, of course, was an emphatic — absolutely not!
And so, he moved; he took a resolute step forward…
In the palm of his hand, the Divine Soul Sword emanated an intensely dangerous fluctuation.
“Don’t move! Take another step, and you’ll be executed on the spot!”
The guards pressed their sword blades against the back of You’er’s neck.
Their purpose for being dispatched here was precisely to restrain the man before them.
“Heh-heh, heh-heh…”
You’er, however, merely laughed, a chilling, bone-piercing frost permeating his smile.
****
Noelle closed her eyes, but her face revealed an unyielding defiance.
She was You’er’s elf, You’er’s Noelle, and his alone.
Therefore, she would not allow this body, which belonged solely to You’er, to be defiled by another, let alone a lowly demonic beast!
Having transferred her elven bloodline to You’er, Noelle no longer possessed the ability to control frost, nor could she even write anymore.
Yet, she still retained one final resort…
As a member of the Ice Elf race, she possessed the means to end her own life: self-freezing and self-dissolution.
As the giant ape drew closer and closer, Noelle’s body grew increasingly frigid, like hoarfrost.
“Get her!”
“Get her!”
“Get her!”
“…”
From the fourth ring above, the audience, their eyes bloodshot, roared these chants.
“ROAR!”
Encouraged by the audience’s fervor, the giant ape became even more brazen, its massive simian body pressing down entirely upon Noelle.
Only a hair’s breadth now separated them!
And it was at this precise moment that a sudden, drastic change occurred.
BOOM!
A deafening roar pierced their eardrums, and in a moment that seemed frozen in time, You’er’s figure, wreathed in ethereal blue frost, arrived like a bolt of lightning.
With a furious flying kick, he slammed his leg heavily into the giant ape’s face, sending its nearly three-meter-tall body hurtling backward a considerable distance.
The sheer, astonishing power contained within that single kick was almost unimaginable.
The pained giant ape staggered, and before it could even regain its footing, You’er had already pressed himself onto it, straddling its back.
He clamped its side-neck with his legs and, using the shackles still binding his hands, relentlessly smashed his fists into its face! He slammed them down, again and again, with vicious force!
Even as the giant ape’s head became a bloody mess, You’er’s assault showed no sign of stopping.
A spray of ape blood splattered all over him, yet he seemed utterly oblivious to it.
In that moment, he was like a demon unleashed; in that moment, the audience stood utterly dumbfounded.