--


    "Die!!"


    There were no greetings, no polite gestures, or even an ounce of recognition for meeting a fellow participant that had their wits about them. As soon as the other party saw Cedric, the fight was on, and it will only end with one of them standing, which shows just how ridiculous this ce was.


    ''He''s slow though.'' Cedric muttered inwardly.


    In Cedric''s perception, this man wasn''t any better than the Blood Orcs. The only difference they had was that this one exudes some semnce of sanity in his eyes.


    By the way, this man looked like a human too, save for the obvious green scales all over his body. His eyes also turned into slits, like what snakes had; he also had a spiked tail that swung fiercely behind him. Cedric just knows that the tail isn''t a weakness but also a weapon of his.


    The man held a spear and a shield. He charged forward fiercely, exuding a strong pressure that could intimidate anybody who''s unprepared. He''s like a mountain moving at mach speeds.


    ''Earth Laws, huh? '' Cedric''s eyes gleamed as he watched the man charge forward at a snail''s pace.


    He''s also familiar with Earth Laws. In fact, he could wield it better than this person; he just doesn''t use it much since it''s not really his cup of tea.


    Though seeing this person use Earth Laws gave him a nostalgic feeling. He was reminded of Captain Elric of the OWET. He once worked under him. He was a respectable man and a qualified leader. Although they didn''t have a deep bond, Cedric still respected the man.


    Thest time he heard of him was from Erica. She said that he became a Knight Captain of the Federal Army and was stationed on the news. She said that he''s also dating somebody and nned to get married as soon as he returned from his duty.


    Cedric ended his reminiscing around the same time that the enemy was close enough; that''s how slow he was in Cedric''s perception.


    Now that it came to this, Cedric raised a finger and pointed at his enemy, sending a beam of golden light at him. The enemy sensed the terrifying might contained in the beam of light. He forcibly swerved his body to avoid it since he knew that if he got hit by that, he would certainly die.


    He managed to avoid it, but it still grazed him. Looking down, he saw a hole on his shield that''s still smoking and emitting a scalding heat, making it difficult to hold on to.


    The scaled man looked solemnly at the golden-eyed swordsman in front of him. He realized that this man''s edge waspletely hidden, making anyone think that he could be bullied. It was a sinister tactic but highly effective in a ce like this.


    "I wouldn''t be standing still if I were you," he heard him say.


    The scaled-man was surprised, not expecting the other party to speak hisnguage. He was about to ask him why, but a sharp pain ended his thoughts. He only had enough time left to look at his chest, which now had a gaping hole.


    ''Ah, the beam returned...''


    That''s thest thought he had before his body dissolved into a puddle of blood, mixing with the blood sea.


    ''BEEP!''


    [Cannon Fodder killed. You received 50 Blood Crystal Shards.]


    "Wow, that''s harsh." Cedric couldn''t help butment.


    He didn''t expect that someone who managed to hold on to their sanity to bebeled as Cannon Fodder by this world''s standards. He was weak, yes, but isn''t this a little too harsh?


    ''Well, I shouldn''t have expected anything less in a depraved world like this.'' Cedric shrugged.


    The weakness of that guy or the harsh standards of this world had nothing to do with him.


    ''Am I supposed to expect that I''d be fighting Cannon Fodders and above from this point onwards?'' He wondered.


    This question was soon answered when he heard a valiant roar nearby. He saw a winged person d in gorgeous yet blood-stained armor. She had wine-red eyes and long ck hair. She held a sword and a buckler for weapons. And just like the previous guy, she didn''t hesitate to engage him in a fight,pletely unafraid of what''s going to happen next.


    ''Oh, it''s someone from an off-shoot branch of the Angel Race, a Valkyrie.''


    The collective term for races that had humanoid bodies and wings was called the ''Winged Race'', and the Angel n is at the forefront of them since it was believed that everyone from the winged race came from them. The Angel n is also the strongest among the winged race and also held a ster reputation in the alliance.


    Valkyries are mostly female winged warriors. They also had men, but they show up very rarely. ording to rumors, they could only expect one man to appear every 10 years in their n, and as soon as they were born, they held the responsibility of bing father to the next generation of valkyries by impregnating a lot, emphasis on ''a lot'', of women of the n.


    Combat-wise, the valkyries were impressive. Some could evenpete with the geniuses of the Angel n. But sadly, they can''t rece the Angel n as the leader of the winged race since theirtent potential will never be as high as the Angel n.


    ''Not bad, much faster than the previous guy.'' Cedric judged as he anticipated the wingeddy.


    But unlike the previous one, Cedric didn''t stand idle and waited for her toe. He appeared in front of her like a ghost, scaring the wits off her due to his blinding speed. Then he just passed by her like a breeze of air, making thedy dumbfounded.


    ''Still slow and weak, though.'' Cedric shook his head in mild disappointment.


    ''Beep!''


    The kill alert sounded in his ears. Cedric dismiised the alert and continued walking aimlessly in this vast and seemingly endless sea of blood, waiting for his next foe to appear.


    After the valkyrie, two more Cannon Fodders appeared, and Cedric dealt with them as fast as he did with the previous ones.


    Seeing that only Cannon Fodders were appearing, Cedric''s question was answered. Yes, he should only expect to meet stronger foes from this point onwards.


    He almost wanted to skip until the part where he''s fighting a really formidable foe. However, he can''t really do an actual time skip, so he had to endure this boring part.


    [AN: I could, though. Hiya! Time Skip!]


    **


    Tang! Tang! Tang!


    The loud sh of steel could be heard across the sea of blood in the Asura ne.


    Sparks of steel shing could be seen around Cedric, who wore a solemn face. Aside from the sparks, shadowy figures of his opponents darted around him like ghosts and apparitions. Their speed was astonishing, and their movements were erratic and unpredictable.


    The only thing that''s keeping them at bay are the numerous swords flying around Cedric that''s intercepting each and all of their attempts to kill him.


    Cedric doesn''t know how much time passed since he came to this ce. All he knows is that he''s at the Level 10 difficulty and the formidable foes he''s wishing for finally appeared.


    Compared to the scaled-man and the valkyrie he faced at level 5, these ones are faster, more sinister, smarter, and much stronger. Having killed one of them before, Cedric learned of the monitor this ce had given to them...


    ''Asura Warriors''—that''s what they''re called. Cedric no longer doubts that he''s facing fake people. These were real, and there are several proofs of that.


    ng! Spurt! Roar!


    The strongest evidence is that their sinister intentions know no bounds. It might look like they''re ganging up against him, but in reality, it''s every man for themselves.


    Backstabbing wasmon in this fight; truce or cooperation had no ce in this world. At one point you might be working together to kill someone, but at the next second, you''d find your supposed teammate wedging their weapons deep into your body, staring at you until you draw yourst breath.


    Cedric saw this happen multiple times now, and it fully disyed the depravity of the Asura ne. It''s a battle royale; everyone was an enemy, and the ughter never ends.


    Swoosh! Boom! Boom!


    Cedric was now bathing in blood—not his though. He no longer had the energy nor the attention span to prevent blood from touching his clothes and skin.


    The ughterfest was too hectic and maddening that he had to focus sharply or else he''d be the next one to die. And having umted a respectable amount of wealth at this point, it would be a pity to lose half of it just because of carelessness.


    Fortunately, Cedric was geared to fight a horde of enemies. He''s been raised to be a one-man army.


    From his mes that contained a scalding heat that could reduce entire cities to ashes in seconds to the many swords he could summon at a snap of a finger, Cedric was the perfect guy to face the siege of hundreds of enemies at once.


    DONG! DONG! DONG!


    The fearsome fight was suddenly interrupted by the loud gong echoing across the sea of blood. And from the expression of his enemies as well as their hushed words, he learned what just happened.


    ''The exit point finally appeared.''