Deep in the Living-Chapter 970 - 949: Void

"Luo Di! Luo Di! Luo Di!"

The cheers in the Great Colosseum had changed; nearly a third of the audience started chanting Luo Di's name as the tide of the duel began to shift.

Even Luo Di himself could feel the "change."

Originally, he just wanted to use the opponent's slightly stronger characteristics to try a brand-new Hell Mode and add a card to his deck.

Not only has he succeeded, but he has also become surprisingly adept. He could harness beast characteristics and even began using the Reversed on the foundation of Hell Mode.

This kind of "growth" was something Luo Di couldn't even have imagined.

Perhaps it was because he personally was highly suited for this public setting, a one-on-one fight under the spotlight,

or perhaps it was the function of the Great Colosseum. Every gladiator who stood here, betting their life, would gain improvement amidst the struggle of life and death.

Or maybe it was the environment intentionally created by Losantos, as if he wanted to provide some manageable "help."

Torture device triggered,

Backward Slash,

All in one go.

As he cut through the flesh, he shattered the Divine Status.

Luo Di didn't even turn back to look. He had used this move before to behead many strong opponents. As he enjoyed the cheers from the audience, experiencing this hard-earned victory, waiting for the Moon God's prompt about an increase in points,

he suddenly caught something in his peripheral vision,

Among the seats accommodating a million spectators, there seemed to be a very special presence sitting there. Unlike the other audience members who were frantically cheering, he only lightly clapped.

He wore no clothing,

his entire body outlined only by lines,

within the outline was a color similar to deep space of the cosmos, occasionally glimpsing spinning galaxies, mostly endless void.

However, this "person" appeared somewhat frail, continually coughing even as he clapped.

As Luo Di took notice of this special spectator, he surprisingly felt a sense of familiarity, reminiscent of sitting on the surface of starships during interstellar travels.

"Could it be that the Cosmic Origin is also a spectator here, always watching Losantos's duels? He once engaged in endless duels in a world called Pan-Asian, was the ultimate undefeated reward the Upper Position qualification?"

Just as Luo Di noticed this, a commotion came from behind him.

"Losantos! Losantos! Losantos!"

The fierce cheers rang out again, forcing Luo Di to quickly turn around, staring in shock.

The Losantos, pierced through by hell spikes and with his Divine Status already shattered, was now bathed in a golden sheen.

His curls flowing,

The undefeated champion stood up.

One by one, the iron nails piercing his body fell off, the universe-colored non-system Divine Status was recovering.

As if a miracle,

Even more astonishingly, Losantos seemed to grow stronger just a bit more than before. Now, he wasn't comparing against Luo Di, but himself.

He was about to surpass his "defeated" self, thus achieving true invincibility.

He must respond to the audience's call, even if only one person supported him, that motivation would drive him to fight on.

Whizz!

The War Sword was held horizontally, golden brilliance coiled around the sword body, sharp eyes fixed steadily on Luo Di.

"Hahaha! Can you feel it, Mr. Di. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Your body is extremely suited to this Great Colosseum, the audience here is welcoming your arrival, they're gradually acknowledging your performance.

You are a born gladiator, your slaughter should be displayed to the world, your bravery qualifies you to stand equal to me.

Among all the opponents I've battled throughout my life, you are the strongest!

Such a rare duel can't end hastily, your challenge continues! Come, continue challenging my undefeated record."

Luo Di seemed to have understood the other's intention, instantly taking a standard combat stance.

Just as the duel was about to continue,

A sense of crisis emerged in Luo Di's heart, not concerning Losantos, but something else.

In the southeast sky, several small holes appeared, further expanding, it seemed the duel space here was being corroded.

●●

●

A colorless, shapeless viscous substance seeped from these holes, falling vertically down. The audience and duel arena structures it touched were instantly annihilated through.

Even the ground formed bottomless pits, exposing the metal structure of the Central Prison.

This place was Losantos's concretization domain, reality projection of Divinity, even Luo Di's movie space was forcibly covered, unexpectedly impacted by external forces.

Amidst the sky opening wider and wider, Luo Di seemed to see something.

It was the half-paralyzed Teacher Ma, along with an extinction form that was seemingly shapeless but was actually spreading wantonly.

Suddenly, a swarming of new white worms arrived to cover over, filling the gaps. These worms seemed to have some degree of adaptability to extinction, seemingly wrapping the metal structure of the prison on their surface.

The sky looked as if patched with a white patch, ensuring the duel's privacy.

Losantos suddenly started speaking:

"I thought only you, Luo Di, the unique existence with no Divinity could oppose me, didn't expect your friend to be so formidable too, worthy of being chosen by the Prison Director.

Even in Middle Rank, managed to hold out for so long before 'Nothing.'

The Nothing is a very unique entity, even I must cautiously handle it, one slip-up and it'll be gone in extinction.

Its ranking at [11] by Prison Director isn't due to overall strength, but rather a significant weakness."

Since Losantos proactively mentioned information about another Death Row Inmate, Luo Di naturally wouldn't mind listening more, "Weakness?"

"Yes! There is a major weakness in Nothing.

It annihilates all matter, including itself.

Thus it has no tangible body, even its consciousness is hard to emerge. If not for the Prison Director initially anchoring its consciousness, it would always be an empty existence.

Now, it's more like a child who hasn't quite opened its mind.

Due to the game brought by Moon God, it might lose control at any time. When I first met it by chance, I led it to act together, minimizing any trouble.

Nothing is unlike the death row inmates here,

All death row inmates, whether geniuses like Mura, or upper narrative figures like Mr. Ito, or even concepts embodying the universe's existence like beasts.

Are all from nothing to being,

Either born,

Or transformed from concepts.

Only [Nothing] is reversed, existing alongside the universe, yet disappeared prematurely. It's a special life form from being to nothing.

It was discovered because suddenly one day, a massive void appeared in a region of the universe, multiple planets vanished outright, even the prison guards sent to investigate severed contact.

The Prison Director personally went to handle it, discovering signs of corruption within the universe.

Such corruption wasn't supposed to happen prematurely, thus the Prison Director forcibly compressed this corruption, condensed it into a concept, giving [Nothing] a fixed form and a simple consciousness.

Due to its danger and uncertainty, it was imprisoned under the identity of a Death Row Inmate.

If not for the Prison Director's intervention, allowing the development of this nothing. There would be no need to wait for external threats, this universe would self-annihilate.

Alright, break time is over.

Let's begin, Mr. Di."

Though Luo Di frowned throughout, he believed in Teacher Ma, believed in this mountain he had multiple times failed to surpass before.

...

[Adjacent Duel Space]

The worms clad in a metallic skin re-sealed the area, metal specially made by the Prison Director could effectively seal this extinction. Even metal used in the prison's construction was based on the requirement to "seal extinction."

Maximus stood here,

Even though most of his body had been annihilated, he still stood here with a cane.

For the first time,

His misfortune couldn't come into play,

Not because he couldn't control misfortune, but because there was no target, the opponent was an entirely void existence.

Oddly,

This duel also lasted a long time, extinction itself seemed to encounter some issues. Nothing also felt puzzling, as it struggled to annihilate this blond man before him.

The opponent always seemed to piece together a body through various coincidences, and the opponent's seemingly swiped-away cells managed critical divisions, continually extending the duel.

The sound of true substance decaying, resembling an infant's breath, echoed from the void,

Seemingly formless,

Yet the extinction body already crowded half the space,

Vaguely visible was a faint, flowing face.

At this moment,

Maximus seemed to make a certain resolution, perhaps because he just saw Luo Di's situation through the opening, he was able to let go, to take on some risks.

He leaned on his cane, walked forward, reaching his hand into the annihilation.