Chapter 10 The First Messiah
Fine wine can make one temporarily forget their troubles.
But beautiful times pass so quickly.
Before they knew it, the two of them had finished the bottle of wine.
The singing girls dancing in the tavern were led to a room deep inside by an unknown patron.
The centurion's men arrived, and after finding Yara, he informed her, "His Majesty requests your presence in the palace."
Yara then put down her glass, said goodbye to Dick,
Goodbye, my friend...
Dick, also drunkenly waving at Yara, added at the end,
"Bro! Good luck..."
"If you pass the 'Warrior Selection,' remember to pull some strings for me!"
...
Yara was led into the palace.
The palace of the King of Argos was extremely luxurious.
Yara didn't know how to describe the feeling.
He found the magnificent pillars and murals dazzling, and the sight of his feet, which had traversed mountains and rivers, made him feel uncomfortable stepping on the smooth, white marble.
The palace maids frowned and pinched their noses in disgust as they walked past him.
Some passing nobles and courtiers also stared at this filthy commoner with suspicion.
Their guards would immediately place their hands on their sword hilts and stare at Yara with cold eyes.
Yara ignored everything.
He simply followed the guards, silently walking through the long, dimly lit corridor.
Finally, he arrived before the throne of the King of Argos...
...
The hall was very empty.
Above is the king's throne.
Below, on both sides, are two rows of weapon racks, neatly arranged with spears, shields and bronze swords.
At the guard's signal.
Yara looked up at the figure on the throne...
That legendary tyrant, almost like a god among men—
King of Argos.
His hair was gray, and half of his face was covered by a golden mask.
His figure was not as upright as one might imagine.
Instead, he was somewhat hunched over, and couldn't even fully support his golden robe.
He looked like an ordinary person in his fifties, approaching old age.
As Argos sized up King Argos, King Argos was also sizing up Argos. His cloudy eyes revealed no emotion whatsoever, only coldness, indifference, or perhaps contempt.
"Kill him."
King Argos suddenly spoke, without any warning.
What he said startled everyone.
Yara was also stunned.
He had long heard that the King of Argos was known for his cruelty.
But he truly did not expect that the King of Argos would kill him the very first time they met... This was more than just brutality.
This guy is crazy, a complete and utter madman!
"I mean, I want you to kill him."
King Argos first pointed at Yara, then at the person in the corner.
Yara was taken aback, then he turned his head to look in the direction the king was pointing.
Only then did he realize that the centurion was also in the hall.
However, his condition did not look good. His armor had been stripped off... his upper body was exposed, he was bound with ropes, kneeling in the corner, his expression blank...
"Wh...what?" Yara asked in surprise.
King Argos said nothing. He slowly rose from his throne, leaned on his scepter, and walked down the steps to stand before Yara. He stared into Yara's eyes, as if trying to see right through him.
Then King Argos took a bronze sword from the weapon rack beside him and threw it on the ground in front of Ara.
He turned his back and walked back to the throne, saying without turning his head,
"Otherwise, I will kill you."
Yara trembled as he picked up the bronze sword from the ground, gripped it tightly, and stood there motionless for a long time.
"He once wanted to kill you, and he also wanted to kill your family and friends."
"Now we have a chance for revenge..."
"Why are you unwilling to take action?"
King Argos's voice was filled with a kind of magic, deep and steady, but it gave people a sense of terror hidden in the abyss beneath the calm lake, as if it would suddenly erupt and devour you at any moment.
"Because he hasn't done it yet!" Yara retorted.
King Argos ignored Yara and raised his hand.
The next moment.
A guard emerged from the shadows and beheaded the centurion with a single stroke of his sword, blood splattering onto the wall...
The centurion's head, propelled by inertia, rolled right up to Yara.
Blood was spilled all over the ground, and the head had turned to face Yara, its unseeing eyes staring straight at Yara like a vengeful ghost... as if it wanted to remember Yara's face forever before its consciousness faded away.
This centurion, who revered the King of Argos as a god, was murdered by the very king he worshipped...
"If you don't kill someone, someone will kill you!"
"If only he hadn't heeded those damned promises and had obeyed my orders! He would have forcibly killed you and your relatives, and slaughtered the so-called 'Canaan'!"
"So, will he still die for dereliction of duty?"
Yara remained silent.
King Argos looked down at the silent Yara below and continued.
"I'll arrange a 'Warrior Selection' for you tomorrow."
"He... is a bronze warrior."
King Argos pointed to the centurion's corpse, still dripping with warm blood.
"I hope his sacrifice will bring me an even better warrior."
"A sharper sword."
King Argos waved his hand, descended the steps, his robes stained with blood, and walked past Yara.
Seeing this, several guards followed on both sides, preparing to leave the main hall.
Just as the King of Argos was about to leave the palace.
Yara roared.
"I will do things for you..."
"But I will not become a sword that you can wield at will..."
"Just like you can't control a lion!"
"You can't control me."
"Simply because I am—"
"Yara Messiah!"
The sound echoed in the hall, causing the wind chimes hanging above the entrance to jingle loudly.
The King of Argos paused for a moment.
"Yara Messiah?"
"snort."
After giving a cold snort, he sped away.
...
The next day.
Royal Capital Training Ground
Yara was led to the field by the guards.
This "Warrior Selection" was not open to the public.
You could even say that this was a 'championship selection' held exclusively for Yara by the King of Argos.
The priests were shocked by Yara's identity. They privately speculated that Yara must be the illegitimate son of some important figure, as he was able to have His Majesty hold a special selection for him.
"As is customary, we will test the Warriors' strength from two aspects."
"First, the art of war."
"You will put on protective gear and duel with a former honored warrior."
"If you can defeat him, then this item is passed."
"Second, war potential."
"You will be tested on strength, reaction time, and speed separately."
"Ultimately, you will have to test your potential in front of the magic crystal device."
Yara asked curiously, "What is a magic crystal device?"
The priest, dressed in a white robe and sporting a long white beard, glanced at Yara and replied:
"I don't know what it is. I only know that the stone can glow when it comes into contact with people, and it has been proven that the stronger the warriors are in the future, the stronger the light will be."
"His Majesty named it 'Magic Crystal,' and we are still exploring its other uses."
Yara nodded, seemingly lost in thought.
But before he could finish thinking, someone came from the front to deliver a message—
"Yara enters."
A servant presented the protective gear: a bronze helmet, armor, and leg guards.
However, Yara did not accept the armor.
Instead, he took a bronze sword from a weapon rack and rushed straight into the arena.
The priest and his attendants were taken aback and hurriedly exclaimed, "You forgot to wear armor!"
Yara waved his hand without turning his head and shouted,
"I don't need these."
Close your eyes.
The "ᚾ" rune bestowed by God still kept appearing in his mind.
Yara felt a surge of confidence.
He is the Messiah!
God's anointed one!
He strode into the arena.
On the platform, the King of Argos and a group of nobles looked down upon everything in the arena.
When Yara entered, the King of Argos focused his attention on him.
In the distance, a burly man in full armor carried a long spear and held a shield.
It stands like an iron tower in the center of the arena.
"Bronze Warrior, Aru."
"Yara."
Where is your armor?
"burden!"
Yarath's sword slashed!
Aru was startled and raised his shield to block.
Clang—
With a crisp crack, a flash of fire appeared in that instant.
Aru seized the opening, thrusting forward with all his might, channeling all his strength into the shield.
This is the full strength of a bronze warrior, no less than that of those renowned strongmen from the common people.
Sure enough, Yara was thrown backward by the force.
The bronze swords slipped from his hands and fell to the side.
Aru was overjoyed at the sight.
This was the first time he had encountered such a weak and foolish opponent.
If Yara had been wearing armor, this would have been fine.
However, Yara was not wearing any protective gear.
He was confident that this strike would break the ribs of the person in front of him!
The nobles on the stage were whispering among themselves.
"How can this person be so weak? He was defeated in just one round?"
Why would His Majesty hold a separate selection process just for him?
"My God, he's not even wearing armor?"
"He has absolutely no fighting spirit!"
"..."
And the King of Argos, who remained silent.
He kept his eyes fixed on Yara, who was flying backwards...
His eyes were sharp and piercing.
...
Excruciating pain!
Excruciating pain!
Yara was certain that his ribs were broken and that his internal organs were severely injured.
However, at the very moment that excruciating pain spread—
[Resurrection of Misery]!
A tremendous power surged from his body along with the pain!
His powerful regenerative abilities were gradually healing his wounds, his increased strength made him feel like he had inexhaustible energy, and his enhanced speed and reaction time made him realize that everything in front of him was becoming incredibly slow.
The next moment—
Yara suddenly sprang up from the ground.
The muscles in both legs tensed instantly, and a sudden burst of force was exerted in a split second!
He shot towards Aru like an arrow released from a bow.
The bronze warrior Aru was shocked. He watched helplessly as Yara approached him in an instant like a chariot at full speed. He didn't even have time to dodge and could only hold his shield, which he hadn't yet retracted, in front of him.
However, the person before them had neither armor nor sword.
But he clenched his fist with one hand.
It slammed into Aru's shield in an instant!
boom--
A thunderous explosion!
A cloud of dust exploded in the center of the arena, obscuring everything inside.
As the smoke and dust gradually dissipated...
Amidst the stunned gazes of the King of Argos and his nobles—
Yara.
He punched through Aru's bronze shield.
He grabbed Aru by the neck with one hand and lifted him high.
And at this moment.
He turned to look at the stage.
He looked toward the King of Argos and the terrified nobles.
As the dust settles—
He shouted,
"I am Yara!"
"God's anointed one..."
"The First Messiah