Chapter 232: The Beginning

Li Mochen, clad in a suit of armor, waited in the rest room for nearly an hour before hearing the announcement that his match against Kadio Rhode was about to begin. Only then did he, under the guidance of the tournament committee staff, head toward the arena.

He encountered Louise Linden in the corridor. She was in poor physical condition, limping as she walked, apparently injured in her previous match.

"Louise, congratulations on making it to the top four!"

—Just before this, Louise Linden had been in a match against another contestant. After a grueling battle lasting about twenty minutes, she finally won with a score of fifteen to nine.

"Thanks! I hope you win your match today too."

Louise Linden showed little joy, however: "Amo, after you win, could you wait in the gymnasium for a while? I'm a bit worried about the upcoming team match. In my current state, I'm afraid I can hardly participate."

Normally, they shouldn't encounter particularly strong opponents in the team preliminaries, and given the current strength of Linden Academy, even if Louise Linden and Li Mochen temporarily sat out, they should still be able to advance to the round of sixteen.

But this eldest daughter of the Linden family had developed psychological shadows after being schemed against early in the cold weapon combat tournament. Even with Angela Medici and Lina Ederick, both seventh-level magic professionals, in the club, she still couldn't feel completely at ease.

"Team match?"

Li Mochen frowned. At this moment, he was eager to leave. The little girl who had been missing for over a week must be eagerly waiting for him or others to rescue her.

But when he realized that even if he left now, the operation would be delayed because key personnel weren't yet in place, he relented: "Alright, I'll wait until our club's team match is over before leaving."

"Thank you so much!"

A hint of joy appeared on Louise Linden's face, but then she turned serious: "Amo, my uncle Isolt Linden just called me. He asked me to tell you that if you plan to take action against Antonio, you can contact him directly. The Atlanta Cathedral of Light will provide five elite knight squads to offer necessary assistance. Please note, you must contact my uncle Isolt Linden alone."

Li Mochen felt puzzled at first, then understood.

He knew of Isolt Linden, the current Coadjutor Bishop of Atlanta, a key aide to the Archbishop of the Georgia Diocese of the New Light Church, and one of the three executors of the New Light Church's Inquisition Tribunal in Atlanta.

The five knight squads of the New Light Church's护教骑士团 numbered about sixty people, equivalent to four military platoons, with over half being clergy. If they were elite, then all members were magic professionals above level ten, with at least three at the Outlaw level.

"Contact Bishop Isolt alone?"

Li Mochen hesitated. He roughly understood the bishop's intention—there must be problems within the New Light Church, and the bishop didn't trust his colleagues. Besides that, there might be considerations of currying favor or taking credit.

But was Isolt Linden himself trustworthy?

"My uncle means for our Linden family to provide a guarantee."

Louise Linden knew what doubts Li Mochen would have, and her tone became more sincere: "I can assure you that Bishop Isolt is absolutely reliable. He has a bright future ahead and is not someone the Dragon Witch Cult could corrupt."

"I understand. Please convey to the bishop my deep gratitude for his kindness. If there are any actions in the future, I will not hesitate to call on him."

After thanking Louise, Li Mochen continued toward the exit. The announcer had already made a second call; his fight against Kadio Rhode was in three minutes.

Louise Linden watched Li Mochen's receding figure with a somewhat complex gaze.

She had felt the same way a few days ago when she learned that Li Mochen's private army was fighting Antonio. Now, that indescribable emotion was even stronger.

She had learned last night that the godfather of the Blood Hand Party was beginning to collapse under Li Mochen's assault. The outcome of the battle at the Reveler Nightclub shook the entire city, but Louise Linden was even more stunned than others.

She had personally witnessed Li Mochen's rise from obscurity, making it even harder to believe this result.

When Li Mochen stepped out of the corridor, the oval-shaped gymnasium erupted. The thunderous roar of noise made his eardrums sting, even though he had recently begun tempering his body with lightning. Most of the sound was curses, accompanied by a rain of various trash, as if trying to bury him.

However, Li Mochen noticed that there were quite a few female spectators in the gymnasium, occupying about a quarter of the seats, most of whom were his supporters and fans. Unfortunately, their cheering was weak and completely suppressed.

"Amo, this guy across from you is definitely off!"

When Li Mochen reached the foot of the arena, Head Coach Rikard squinted at Kadio Rhode, who was already standing on the platform, holding two meter-wide Viking axes.

"His muscles are very bulky, much stronger than a week ago, but there's some disharmony in the details—likely explosive growth in the past two days. His strength now should be close to fifty tons."

Karl quietly asked, "Can you handle it, Amo?"

Li Mochen didn't answer. After carefully observing his opponent, he gave a sinister smile and strode onto the arena.

When he stood on the platform, Kadio Rhode, whose figure was as sturdy as an iron tower, lowered his stance and let out a beast-like roar: "Andre!"

"Kadio!"

Li Mochen's pupils also contracted.

It wasn't because of Kadio Rhode's overwhelming aura, but because of a multicolored spiritual light radiating from the man.

He even sensed that the 'Divine Thunder Fortune Purple Gold Pagoda,' which he had left in the rest room, was sending him a strong signal. This strange treasure was craving something on Kadio Rhode.

Another treasure related to luck or fate, or perhaps a top-tier rarity? With such external aid, shouldn't this be against the rules?

But the referee beside him clearly couldn't see the strange phenomenon on Kadio Rhode. He said flatly, "There are about two minutes until the match begins. You can make your final preparations."

"You're quite famous now, lucky Andre. You're all over the TV stations. Some professional commentators say you're strong, but more say you're just lucky."

Kadio grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth: "I'm a fan of the 'Golden Debate' show. I believe what they say—you're probably a lucky bastard who got this far by chance. But no matter the truth, I'm going to crush you today!"

Li Mochen silently formed a hand seal with one hand, not targeting Kadio Rhode, but the treasure on him. He was determined to get that thing.