Heroes' Prison

Chapter 477 - 467: Conversation under the Moonlight

In the midst of the battlefield, countless spectators and reporters felt regret over Dragon Spike’s unexpected exit, their uproar deafening.

Meanwhile, at the other end, in an alley of Xuanyuan City, Huang Yi’s figure slowly emerged.

Bathing in moonlight, he walked forward as the night wind tossed his long cloak, resembling a traveler hidden in the darkness.

Actually, Huang Yi had notified Dragon Dominates the World that morning, asking him to enter the arena later.

Concerned about variability in the final match, Huang Yi, for safety, left this move as a backup. This precaution was a long-standing habit of his, ensuring all bases were covered before any event occurred.

Now, it seemed fortunate to have this contingency, allowing him to ultimately enter the top eight as the fourth place in Group A.

As Huang Yi walked in the moonlight, he pondered the upcoming battle.

"Thank you, Big Brother Instakill," a voice suddenly came from the alley behind him at that moment.

Huang Yi stopped and turned to see that it was Dragon Dominates the World. He stood in the alley bathed in moonlight, still holding the gleaming dagger that reflected the light onto his face, which now appeared much more relaxed than before. It seemed that, after defeating Dragon Spike, his inner turmoil had finally been resolved.

"No need to thank me; this is for my own sake, too," Huang Yi nodded slightly, refusing to accept Dragon Dominates the World’s gratitude as if it were a casual exchange between friends.

The two men of similar age stood under the moonlight, casually discussing the match that had just shaken the world.

Looking up at the starry sky and the vast bright moon, Dragon Dominates the World said pensively, "I just wonder where Big Brother Dao Feng is right now. He might be wandering alone in the wilderness, looking up at the moon in an ancient village alley, or enduring the hardships of training in some desert. I wonder if he’s paying attention to this competition—I really hope he sees how much I’ve improved. Big Brother Dao Feng would certainly be pleased."

"He will see it," Huang Yi said, also looking up at the bright moon in the sky.

Though he did not know where Dao Feng was, at this moment, the same moon hung above them both.

"Dao Feng often spoke of you," Dragon Dominates the World came back to reality, looking at Huang Yi and speaking thoughtfully, "He said that you are the person he admires the most. From the moment you agreed to lead us to the first kill of the Zombie King, he regarded you as his most important friend. You may not know, but the night before he left, he told me that if we ever faced any trouble, we should turn to you without hesitation, confident that you could handle any difficulty."

"Thank you!" Huang Yi smiled slightly, "He was also my best friend. In him, I saw the shadow of someone from the past." After saying this, he quietly gazed at the bright moon in the starry sky, reminiscing about number one from the past.

The number one back then was just like Dao Feng, full of righteousness and sunshine, protecting those around him. At that time, Huang Yi was just a child, often riding on his shoulders, running under the bright moonlight like tonight, chasing the path of the wind.

Unwittingly, so many years had passed, yet his smile seemed to linger before his eyes. On quiet nights, Huang Yi often fantasized that if he were still alive to see that he had grown to that same level, able to stand on his own and protect the whole organization, he would surely be happy.

He would probably squeeze his face and say cheerfully, "Kid, you’re doing pretty well!"

Unfortunately, he would never see that happen.

Seeming to be touched by the memory, Huang Yi said softly, "Actually, in everyone’s life, there are those who are like beacons, guiding you through boundless darkness. He may no longer exist, but he is everywhere. Perhaps, in your heart, Dao Feng is such a beacon!"

Having said that, Huang Yi turned to look at Dragon Dominates the World and asserted decisively, "I believe that one day, you’ll be able to defeat the Dragon Emperor with your own strength, without relying on an instant-kill potion."

Dragon Dominates the World trembled slightly, looking earnestly at Huang Yi, biting his lip and asking, "Why?"

"Because you have a beacon." With those words, Huang Yi turned and walked towards the end of the moonlight, step by step.

The night breeze continued to blow, stirring the thoughts of a young man.

...

That night, Huang Yi went to bed exceptionally early, now secure in the top eight, he could finally enjoy a sound sleep.

The next morning, he woke up early, feeling refreshed. The world outside the window was nearly done with winter, the reviving spring approaching. It was last spring that he entered The Second World, almost a year ago without realizing.

Huang Yi went to the cafeteria for breakfast, logged in early, and began checking the latest news on the forum.

"The final round-robin match was full of twists and turns! Dragon Emperor, the favorite to win Group A, was dramatically eliminated, missing out on the top four in Group A and becoming the only named master to be eliminated; Pharaoh and Kid became the two biggest lost gems of Group B, with the list of the top eight all unveiled!"

The list of the top eight firmly occupied the forum’s headline, and Huang Yi immediately clicked to check it out.

The beginning of the post revealed the list of the top eight in the martial arts tournament—

In the team competition:

The top four in Group A were: Yanhuang Legion, Heroes’ Guild, Heavenly Group, Sun Team.

The top four in Group B were: Divine Nation, Giant Bear Team, Angel Legion, Martial Way.

The strongest team eliminated from Group A was Pharaoh’s Mummy Legion and China’s only two S-ranked teams, Hall of Famous Generals.

The strongest team eliminated from Group B was Ganges, the favorite team from India, the only S-ranked team from Brazil, Amazon, and Four Nations, a team comprising of four top Japanese players Black Warrior, Ninja, Sakura, and Meiji.

In the individual competition:

The top four in Group A were: Sharp Sword, Thunder God, Giant Bear, God of Slaughter.

The top four in Group B were: T.N.T, Miyamoto Musashi, Heavenly Dao, Pope.

Huang Yi glanced at the list of the top eight in both the individual and team competitions and quickly fixed his gaze on one name—T.N.T!

He managed something unprecedented—winning all his matches in both the individual and team competitions without a single defeat!

In the individual competition of Group B, T.N.T firmly held the top spot with a perfect score of 31 points, joining Sharp Sword as the only two players with perfect scores!

And his team, Divine Nation, also dominated Group B’s team competition with 31 points, alongside Yanhuang Legion, as the only two teams with perfect scores!

This T.N.T was like a terminator of masters, rising suddenly in the martial arts tournament, fighting his way through gods and demons, stepping on various strong competitors to rise to the top, invincible and unparalleled!

What’s more, in the next individual match, Huang Yi was destined to have a narrow pathway encounter with T.N.T. The rules for the top eight competition are that the first, second, third, and fourth place of Group A will face off against the fourth, third, second, and first place of Group B, respectively. Huang Yi happens to be the fourth in Group A, while T.N.T is the first in Group B!

Moreover, their enmity doesn’t stop there; in the team competition, Thunder God’s Sun Team will be facing off against T.N.T’s Divine Nation in the first match!

This dark horse, T.N.T, has indeed become a formidable barrier!

Huang Yi looked at the rest of the post, where the author also made a point of emphasizing T.N.T—

"After seeing this list of the top eight, it’s easy to notice one person, and that’s T.N.T. He was originally the darkest horse of this martial arts tournament, but now he has become the most outstanding performer, going through several rounds of competition without a single defeat. This achievement alone has surpassed all masters worldwide! T.N.T, true to his name, is a bundle of potent explosives, shocking everyone’s senses!"

"Following T.N.T’s momentum, winning the Best Newcomer award in the next session is without a doubt. In the last annual gala, there were God of Slaughter and Thunder God, two superstars competing against each other, but now T.N.T stands alone, undoubtedly the best newcomer without equal. Interestingly, in the next individual match, T.N.T’s opponent happens to be God of Slaughter, the best newcomer of the last annual gala. And the first opponent in the team competition is none other than Thunder God, renowned alongside God of Slaughter. Perhaps this is fate’s orchestration, profoundly reflecting how the new waves of the Yangtze River push forward the old—every generation of rising newcomers often accompanies the twilight years of old veterans. Could God of Slaughter and Thunder God, the once best newcomers, also not escape this destiny? Let’s look forward to the top eight competition in three days!"

"T.N.T!" Huang Yi muttered the name to himself as if carefully holding a ticking bomb that was already lit and set to explode in three days.

Next, Huang Yi exited and searched specifically for T.N.T’s competition videos. T.N.T had defeated many masters, and in Group B, Heavenly Dao, Pharaoh, Pope, Kid, and Miyamoto Musashi—all super-first-class masters of the world—had all fallen to his hands. These matches also became the daily hot topic at that time, with various analysis posts and videos easily accessible.

Huang Yi first watched the match between Heavenly Dao and T.N.T.

Heavenly Dao was the winner of the Best Eccentric player award in the previous annual gala, a player known for his diverse and unpredictable style. This is a common trait of Japanese players, including Miyamoto Musashi, the winner of the first Best Eccentric player award, and Sakura, last year’s best newcomer from Japan, all of whom have this diverse style.

T.N.T’s profession is also that of an Eccentric, but he follows a different school compared to Heavenly Dao. His style is more like a Fire Mage, pursuing high magic output.

In the match between T.N.T and Heavenly Dao, Heavenly Dao had just been killed by Giant General not long ago, so his strength had declined significantly. Meanwhile, T.N.T from the Italian Mainland was unaffected, and his strength remained untouched. In that match, T.N.T’s positioning, timing of strikes, choice of skills, and other combat qualities were all super first-class, impeccable.

But there are two very peculiar things about him!