Chapter 656: Cheers (2 in 1)

Translator: Radiant Translations  Editor: Radiant Translations

Naturally, the person leading the lineup was Napier Mo. With Mo Wen and Mo Ling having collapsed from their injuries, he was the final remaining core of the Heaven’s Fate squadron. This newly conferred king of assassins from the younger generation had a clean sheet on his combat record, and now, to the countless Heaven’s Fate supporters, he was their last hope.

Seeing that he had already stabilised his state of mind, Mo Xingchen only said a single sentence to him. Mo Wen had already arranged this lineup for this match in consideration of the possibility of him losing to Wang Zhong. Therefore, everything had been left to Napier Mo; he had to meet his captain’s expectations.

Standing behind him were: Mo Wen with his heavy shield, Mo Shang, who had changed to a runic shortsword, as well as 2 substitutes, radiating powerful auras, who had never appeared on stage before.

The injuries Mo Wen and Mo Ling had sustained were too severe; when they had collapsed in their respective matches, it was evident that recovering within a short period of time was impossible. Therefore, this lineup was within everyone’s expectations. Frankly speaking, this lineup was already rather terrifying for Tianjing to go up against.

The king of assassins, Napier Mo; Mo Shang, who had destroyed Stuart’s vice-captain Rennes in a head-on confrontation; Mo Zhong, who had hidden his extraordinary strength all the way till today’s match. Among this group of people – especially the first 2 – any one of them was wholly capable of taking down an A rank squadron alone. With the 3 of them working together to deal with a crippled Tianjing squadron, it should probably be a piece of cake.

Despite that, the Heaven’s Fate supporters were all holding their breath with nervous apprehension. There was only one factor of uncertainty left in the group battle. Regardless of his condition, as long as Wang Zhong could still fight, absolutely no one, even those ranked on the Mo’s List, would dare to neglect him!

That was because he wasn’t a mere human; he was a god!

A god-like Wang Zhong! As long as he participated in this group battle, Tianjing would become an unkillable cockroach, possessing a toughness and tenacity that would send people into the pits of despair!

The large doors of Tianjing’s resting room swung open. Immediately, the audience in the stadium, as well as those watching from the Skylink, couldn’t help but stand. It was as if they wanted to welcome that person; perhaps, it was a reflection of their anxiety, and their prayers that the one they feared wouldn’t appear.

The first person walking through the doors was vice-captain Scarlet.

Upon her appearance, the entire Federation appeared to have turned silent.

This was followed by the appearance of the other 4 members of Tianjing’s lineup.

Emily, Lily, Hymin, Colby…

There was no one else.

When those 5 people stood on the stage, everything had already been finalised. The organising committee provided an explanation for everyone: the injuries Wang Zhong had suffered weren’t much better than Mo Wen’s. Therefore, it was definitely impossible for him to participate in the final group battle. Wang Zhong and Grai were both absent for the final group battle.

All of the Tianjing supporters felt somewhat depressed, with some feeling somewhat regretful. Nevertheless, the majority of them felt a wave of calmness surface in their hearts.

Tianjing had already done enough! In the end, Wang Zhong was a human, and not actually a god. His victory over Mo Wen had already provided every Tianjing supporter with the greatest satisfaction they could have hoped for. For the sake of that duel, Wang Zhong had already given his all. In fact, they weren’t even sure if he was currently suffering after-effects from the injuries sustained from the earlier duel! Who had the heart to request more from him?

After a momentary silence, intense applause rang out. Coming from within and outside of the stadium, from Tianjing city, as well as the other commoner cities where there were oceans of Tianjing supporters.

Their applause reverberated throughout the place, radiating out across the skies, all of them paying their respects to Tianjing, and Wang Zhong…

Without the participation of Wang Zhong and Grai, the final group battle seemed rather lacklustre.

Indeed, the disparity was undeniable.

Scarlet and Emily’s ice and fire special abilities were actually rather imposing at the start of the group battle. Both Lily and Colby had shown substantial growth in their capabilities, and even Hymin was using her weak water-attribute special ability, despite it lacking any strong offensive capabilities. At the very least, she had to give her all. The unleashing of various special abilities and surging fighting intent painted a rather gorgeous picture on the stage, as though Tianjing had turned into a completely different squadron.

In reality, their strength hadn’t increased by much. Instead, it was their willpower that had skyrocketed. Their current state was worlds apart from the insecure attitude and weakling mentality that they had embraced at the start of the CHF. Having experienced so many tumultuous events on their way here, the stage of the CHF finals, they now possessed ample courage to face any opponent!

However, it was a pity that this courage could only last them for 10 seconds.

Clearly, Napier Mo had no intention of letting this match drag on any longer. Mo Wen’s collapse had already cast an indescribable shadow over the hearts of all the Heaven’s Fate members. At this moment, all they wanted was for this battle to end as soon as possible.

The outcome had been decided long before the start of the group battle. Once Napier Mo shuttled out from the dimensional void and instantly controlled Emily, the group battle ended in a completely one-sided sweep.

Scarlet’s long-range barrage was utterly incapable of hindering Mo Zhong’s rushing dash, resulting in Lily and Colby being smashed into the air. At the same moment, Mo Shang, who was being covered by Mo Zhong, had instantly closed in on Scarlet. In the end, a group battle was totally different from a duel. This time, Scarlet was unable to detect even a shred of movement from Mo Shang before, alongside Hymin, she was forced to submit.

This left Emily as the sole person from Tianjing who remained. Although she seemed to be planning something with her twisting Snake Dance, under the 3 successive rounds of attacks from Napier Mo, she was quickly dealt with. After waiting for close to 1 hour, the group battle was over, after just 20 seconds.

The champion had been decided! Heaven’s Fate, Mo Family!

However, the current situation was extremely strange. The losers showed expressions of victory, while the champions showed expressions of defeat. Not a single one of the Heaven’s Fate members were celebrating; not a single happy expression could be found among their faces. Once the group battle ended, no one within the stadium remained seated, as all of them cheered and applauded in respect for this spectacular CHF, and this magnificent final!

When Long Mei’er walked up the stage to announce the champions for the 25th CHF, the Heaven’s Fate squadron, as well as the special 100 year anniversary of the CHF, the entire stadium was actually chanting another name, one that didn’t belong to the champions.

“Tainjing! Tianjing! Tianjing!’

“Wang Zhong! Wang Zhong! Wang Zhong!”

There were too many people shouting, cheering and roaring at the top of their lungs! Within and outside the stadium, within the Skylink, and even throughout the Federation…

This was the first time in the history of the CHF where the popularity of the runner-ups had suppressed that of the champions! This was an unprecedented event, something that would probably never happen again.

Within the crazed stadium, the crazed Skylink, and the crazed Federation, there were many people sighing in admiration towards everything that had happened in this CHF. The defeated had gained the greatest honour and glory. This was probably the first time since the dark era where an alternative meaning to “honour and glory” had appeared.

Within the various great aristocratic families, influences, and the parliament, many people that were paying attention to this moment in silence. They definitely weren’t satisfied with this outcome. However, at the same time, no one felt particularly terrible about it.

After all, Wang Zhong had represented the commoners to gain honour and glory, which also allowed the parliament to retain its dignity. Although he was not part of the parliament, the Tianjing academy was, in the end, a product of the parliament, and their presence couldn’t be denied.

On the other side, the aristocratic families had clinched the overall championship. Despite the slight distortions in the process, this was, in fact, the best possible result for Stuart, Vasilyevich, and the Gui Family, who stood at the peak of the aristocratic families.

Representing the aristocratic families, Heaven’s Fate had obtained the championship. However, Mo Wen, who represented the Mo Family, had lost. This was a good thing; the Mo Family’s displays of strength had already caused the ruler among the aristocratic families, Stuart, to feel threatened. The strength of the younger generation was something that shouldn’t be underestimated. Although the Heroic Soul Stage was a graveyard for the greater majority of the experts out there, with talent, a suitable environment, resources, and luck, it would just be a matter of time before a person would break into the Heavenly Soul Stage

Within a mere span of a few years, Mo Wen and Mo Xingchen had the possibility of becoming terrifying powerhouses in the Heavenly Soul Stage. Furthermore, unlike the majority of Heavenly Soul Stage experts who had entered the dimensional void or settled down in the hyperdimension, they were still very young. Therefore, they wouldn’t disregard matters of the mortal realm like those old Heavenly Soul Stage freaks, and focus wholly on pursuing their own paths. This made it extremely likely for them to become top-notch experts who would eventually take over the reins of the Mo Family, and represent their family to vie for supremacy. They would definitely be terrifying forces to reckon with, and would possess sufficient might to tip the equilibrium currently present between the various influences.

Now, the loss would definitely have an impact on Mo Wen’s dao-seeking heart. This was more than sufficient to cause this supreme powerhouse, who would have been a danger to the various great families, to have his progress hampered and negatively affected. This was definitely what every power and influence out there was happy to see.

Carolyn had already dislodged her vision from the figure of Wang Zhong being displayed on her Skylink, with her heart already calming down. Having to constantly assume the role of policymaker for her family, and the future leader of mankind, it was forgivable for occasional moments of emotions to slip into her thoughts. Nevertheless, she absolutely wouldn’t allow herself to dwell in her emotions for too long.

At this moment, she was already starting to consider many of the pertinent issues present in her mind. Although Mo Wen’s collapse was somewhat of an acceptable result for the other powers and influences, it was basically the best outcome for Stuart, who had bowed out in the semi-finals. That was because the stronger the Mo Family was, the greater the threat they would have towards the leader of the aristocratic families, Stuart.

Only after Carolyn had calmed down did she discover what this outcome represented on a deeper level.

“Solomon…” Carolyn’s eyes had already regained their usual calm.

She thought back to the deal she had made with Solomon, as well as the arrangements he had claimed to make. Before the start of the final duel, she had assumed that he had made a mistake, as, after all, Grai had managed to clinch his victory in his duel.

However, upon thinking back about it, Grai’s injuries, which had prevented him from participating in the group battle, as well as both Wang Zhong and Mo Wen collapsing after their duel… were all of these just coincidences?

Carolyn had never believed in things like luck, especially when dealing with matters that involved Solomon. Underestimating this opponent of hers would definitely result in her paying an extremely heavy price!

Exactly how had that fellow, situated in an empire far away from the Federation, managed to get his hands on so much information on the Federation? Exactly how deep had his spies managed to infiltrate? From the look of it, he had an even better understanding than her in the issues surrounding the Mo Family, Mo Wen, Wang Zhong, Grai, and even the power struggles between the higher level of the Federation!

Furthermore, his understanding of this match and its score… Carolyn exhaled deeply, while shades of fluttering emotions appeared within her eyes. What a frightening fellow! He should currently be raising his wine glass in celebration, right?

Indeed, Solomon was currently tasting his wine with a smile on his face. Arranging such a small matter could be accomplished with just a casual wave of his hand. With the infiltration of his dandelions, this was merely a simple display of his capabilities. There was nothing worthwhile to celebrate. Nevertheless, it was still worth a drink.

Although there was a slight change to the process, as both Mo Wen and Wang Zhong’s strength was rather different from the usual expectations of the Federation, and more like those from the empires, the outcome was unanimous and completely identical to what he had predicted. Mo Wen and Wang Zhong would both get seriously injured, and Grai’s severe injuries would play a pivotal role in this matter.

This was the most perfect outcome for him; not only did he manage to suppress Heaven’s Fate’s victory, he had also forced the match into the group battle. The dosage of that blood-coagulating poison was perfectly measured to come into effect when Grai unleashed his full strength. Once Grai had been removed from the equation, along with Wang Zhong’s severe injuries, the outcome was easily reached.

Naturally, winning money wasn’t the most important thing for him. Instead, this matter was just a test of the response that the various aspects of the Federation would give, as well as the standard of his dandelions.

Solomon was satisfied with the outcome. He had merely used the weakest chess piece he currently possessed. Nevertheless, his infiltration and arrangement of the entire situation was rather exquisite and obscure, and the Federation would be utterly incapable of finding any traces of his involvement. At the same time, he had also used that chess piece to test Carolyn; Carolyn had chosen not to reveal it to anyone else, and had even collaborated with him. It was clear to Solomon that she wasn’t “acting” when she had made that decision to collaborate with him.

This was a rather important factor, as it would become the foundation that allowed both sides to progress in establishing trust. The first priority was to utilise unimportant matters to probe the other side. Although everyone was pursuing their own agenda, it was difficult to avoid the occasional hot-headed fool.

The outcome was clear. Carolyn and the Stuart Family definitely didn’t possess any traits of madness or idiocy.

Earning money, probing, observing and testing. Every one of these matters could not be delayed.

Although he had only revealed a small part of his capabilities, and the results weren’t very significant, Solomon was feeling elated. He raised his glass towards Yi Luo, who was seated on the opposite side of the table. “Cheers”.