BUILDING MY OWN EMPIRE - My Journey from Nothing to Overwhelming Power

Chapter 143 - 141 - Fire and Earth

"It’s the first death in the tournament... isn’t it?"

I whispered while still staring at the corpse lying in the arena.

"Yes."

The Ice Lord answered calmly.

"The rules are clear... victory comes either through your opponent’s surrender or their death."

Then he added in a colder tone:

"But if your opponent declares surrender... you are obligated not to kill them. If you do, you’ll be disqualified and put on trial."

I lowered my gaze for a few moments.

"Yes..."

I said quietly.

"She should’ve been smarter."

I let out a light sigh.

"If you can’t win... then it’s better to withdraw. A Lord’s life is the most valuable thing they possess."

Even so...

A trace of discomfort...

Remained stuck inside me.

I looked at the blood spread across the arena floor.

Then whispered inwardly:

"Are you bringing back memories?"

I closed my eyes briefly.

No...

This wasn’t the time.

This world had no mercy for the weak.

Nor did it give anyone a second chance simply because they were pitiful.

I shouldn’t be affected by someone else’s fate.

Every Lord...

Chose their own path.

That girl...

If she had gotten the chance to kill him...

She would’ve done it without hesitation.

Her choices...

Were what led her to this ending.

Her choices alone.

After a while...

Several organizers moved toward the arena.

The corpse was quickly removed.

The blood disappeared.

Then the ground began returning to normal...

As if nothing had happened at all.

In the stands...

The noise gradually returned.

The audience...

Got over it disturbingly fast.

Some went back to laughing.

Some discussed the match.

Others...

Were already betting on the next one.

"This world is sick."

I muttered inwardly.

But I...

Wasn’t much different from it.

A few minutes later...

Music thundered through the arena once more.

The lights rose.

And the arena announcer returned, shouting with artificial excitement.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen... it’s time for today’s final match!"

The cheers rose once again.

As if a girl hadn’t died just moments ago.

The announcer began introducing the first Lord.

"From the far north... the Lord of Solid Earth!!"

Some cheers erupted from the stands.

Meanwhile, heavy footsteps echoed through the arena.

The Lord advanced slowly...

He was short.

But his body...

Looked like a massive stone box.

Broad chest.

Thick arms.

And a neck barely visible beneath his enormous shoulders.

His long white beard reached the middle of his stomach...

Braided with several small metallic rings.

As for his robe...

It looked disturbingly strange.

Thick brown leather...

Covered with dozens of gemstones.

Red...

Blue...

Green...

Each one glowing faintly.

"What disgusting taste."

I whispered unconsciously.

The Ice Lord chuckled lightly.

"They’re northerners."

He said calmly.

"The more gemstones a Lord carries... the higher their status among them."

In the arena...

The Lord of Solid Earth stood firmly.

Then...

He struck the ground with his short stone staff.

BOOOOM...

The entire arena shook.

Even the seats...

I could feel them trembling beneath my feet.

The crowd roared loudly.

Meanwhile...

The Lord slowly raised his head.

Small brown eyes...

Yet...

Something about them felt oppressively heavy.

"He’s strong."

I whispered inwardly.

The Unique Predictor...

Was already active.

But strangely...

The sense of danger coming from him...

Wasn’t sharp like the Lord of Seven Steps.

Nor overwhelming like the Ice Lord.

Instead...

It was steady.

Like a real mountain.

"This type is annoying."

I muttered.

"The type that doesn’t fall easily."

At that moment...

The announcer’s voice rose once more throughout the arena.

"And on the opposite side!!"

The music intensified.

Then...

The second Lord began entering.

The girl smiled...

But her smile...

Wasn’t friendly.

It looked confident enough to make even the audience quiet down slightly.

"The Lady of the Second Flame!!" the announcer’s voice rang loudly.

"It’s her."

I whispered, narrowing my eyes as I watched.

She advanced wearing black high-heeled boots.

A full black leather combat outfit covered her body...

And over it rested a red cloak decorated with symbols and engravings of volcanoes.

Her crimson hair floated upward like strands of fire.

"She’s the woman who hosted the auction."

I said.

"Yes."

The Ice Lord replied.

"She ranks second among the leaders of the Southern Volcano Sect."

The girl walked forward until she stood at the center of the arena.

"Lady Marinta."

The northern Lord spoke respectfully.

He smiled and added:

"It’s an honor to face the second figure of the Southern Volcano Sect."

He sighed lightly before continuing:

"I hoped to face number one... but you are strong. This will be a good match."

"Don’t worry."

Marinta answered calmly.

"You won’t wish to face number one after this."

"I’ll give you the kind of match that answers that question."

A few moments later...

The match bell rang.

Immediately...

The Earth Lord slammed both hands onto the grass.

The ground rippled beneath his palms.

Then cracked open.

Massive chunks of earth burst upward at once.

Then...

Merged together.

"Haaah?!"

I whispered in surprise.

Rapidly...

A stone monster formed.

Five meters tall.

With a massive body of rocky muscles.

"Earth Soldier."

The Earth Lord’s voice thundered as he named the creature.

The Lord stood straight and extended his right hand.

"Go."

He ordered the beast to charge toward the girl.

"Earth Soldier?"

The girl whispered lightly.

The massive stone creature...

Charged toward her with gigantic steps.

Every step...

Cracked the arena floor.

But...

Lady Marinta didn’t move.

Her red hair...

Continued swaying like flames.

Meanwhile, she slowly raised her hand.

"Interesting."

She whispered.

The stone soldier drew closer.

It raised its gigantic fist...

Then smashed it down toward her violently.

BOOOOOOM...!

The arena floor exploded.

Dust and rocks scattered everywhere.

The audience erupted loudly.

But...

Amid the dust...

A faint red glow appeared.

Then...

The ground ignited.

Suddenly...

Lava burst from beneath the stone soldier.

Its body cracked.

Its fist froze midair.

And in the next instant...

BOOOOOOOOM...!

Half its rocky body exploded apart.

The gigantic monster staggered backward several steps.

The eyes of the Lord of Solid Earth widened.

"Lava beneath the ground?"

He whispered in shock.

Marinta smiled.

Then...

She pointed a finger toward him.

Suddenly...

Every crack spread across the arena ignited.

Red streams of fire...

Began moving underground like veins.

"This..."

I whispered while narrowing my eyes.

"This isn’t just flame."

The Unique Predictor...

Was sending increasingly dangerous warnings.

Something about the heat of that lava...

Was unnatural.

In the arena...

The Earth Soldier slammed its chest violently.

Then...

The shattered rocks of its body began returning.

They fused back together.

It stood once more.

And...

It had grown larger.

"Hahaha!"

The northern Lord laughed loudly.

"The arena’s earth grants me endless stone!"

He extended both hands.

Suddenly...

All the grass cracked apart.

Then...

Dozens of stone arms erupted from the ground.

Each arm...

Held a gigantic stone spear.

"Well done."

Marinta whispered.

And finally...

She moved.

She lifted her black heel...

Then lightly tapped the ground.

Tak.

For a brief moment...

Silence fell.

Then...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM...!!

Half the arena exploded in flames.

Columns of lava shot upward dozens of meters.

They swallowed the stone arms whole.

Even...

The Earth Soldier itself...

Vanished inside the crimson sea of fire.

Suddenly...

Dozens of rock soldiers leapt from beneath the arena floor.

Their sizes varied...

Some stood three meters tall.

Others...

Looked like miniature stone towers.

But all of them...

Shared the same appearance.

Rough rocky bodies.

And glowing dark brown eyes.

The soldiers stood amid the crimson flames...

Completely unaffected.

The lava that had been melting the arena floor...

Seemed incapable of melting them.

"As expected."

Marinta whispered lightly.

Meanwhile...

The Lord of Solid Earth laughed.

"Stone is the child of earth."

Then he stomped the ground.

BOOOOM...

New boulders rose from the soil.

The soldiers quickly grabbed them.

Each stone beast...

Held several massive rocks in its arms.

Then...

Hurled them all toward the lady at once.

SWOOOOSH...

Explosions echoed throughout the arena.

Dozens of rocks...

Shot forward at terrifying speed.

But...

Marinta pushed herself backward lightly.

Her red cloak...

Fluttered amid the flames.

She dodged skillfully.

One rock passed near her face.

Another beside her shoulder.

A third shattered the ground beneath her feet.

Yet...

Not a single one hit her.

"Fast."

I whispered.

Then she raised her hand.

Suddenly...

The lava behind the stone soldiers ignited violently.

And in the next instant...

Small fiery hounds leapt from it.

Dozens...

Then hundreds.

They charged toward the stone soldiers like a flood.

They collided.

BOOOOM...!

An explosion.

Then another.

Then dozens of consecutive blasts.

Stone fragments scattered everywhere.

But...

The soldiers didn’t completely fall.

Instead...

Their bodies began fusing back together once more.

"Annoying."

Marinta whispered for the first time with less calmness on her face.

Meanwhile...

The Lord of Solid Earth smiled confidently.

"The entire arena floor... belongs to me."

He declared in a hoarse voice.

Then...

Placed both hands on the ground again.

"They’re...?"

I whispered in surprise once more.

"The same beasts the Third Flame Lord used against you."

"Yes."

The Ice Lord replied while watching the arena.

"The Southern Volcano contains many monsters dwelling within it... they must have found some way to tame them."

He paused briefly.

Then added:

"But... they don’t seem effective against those stone monsters."

At the center of the arena...

The stone beasts multiplied further.

Every crack in the ground...

Produced another soldier.

The battle between the monsters and the fiery hounds erupted violently.

Howls.

Explosions.

And scattering lava and stone fragments.

But...

The outcome was clearly one-sided.

Against stone beasts possessing incredibly durable bodies...

All the fiery hounds’ attacks seemed useless.

The explosions...

Were nothing but smoke and flame filling the arena.

Meanwhile, the heavy stone fists...

Crushed the hounds effortlessly.

Each stone monster...

Destroyed several hounds without difficulty.

And in a short time...

The battle clearly began tilting toward the Lord of Solid Earth.

The crowd started cheering excitedly.

While a wide smile spread across the northern Lord’s face.

"It seems the Lady of Flame is in trouble."

The Ice Lord whispered.

Then added after narrowing his eyes:

"She’s facing fire’s worst element... stone."

I smiled faintly.

Then whispered:

"Do you really think so?"