The entire spectator stands area was instantly submerged in a gripping silence upon witnessing the highly one-sided battle in the middle of the arena.
There were no longer enthusiastic cheers or gasps of awe, there were only stares of disbelief and whispers of doubt.
The sight of Allen Vedegra, the first spouse of the lineage dubbed the monster family, now helplessly suspended and tortured in the air, truly shattered the public's expectations. In fact, not a few of them began to quickly conclude that the pink-haired youth was the weakest among all of Arvin's spouses.
The students from the Astoria academy who sat huddled in one corner of the stands also began to express the same thought.
"Hey, compared to Alrain who can kill in the blink of an eye, or Ordion and Alvein... this Allen is truly very weak you know." whispered a second-year student of the Astoria academy to his friend, his eyes not leaving the arena.
"Yes, you are absolutely right!" answered the student next to him with a condescending tone. "I think the rumor saying that Allen is the strongest after Alrain is nothing but a public lie. They must have intentionally spread that fake rumor so the Vedegra family's good name is maintained and no one dares to bother them."
"This is truly annoying and unfair!" chimed in another student with an envious face. "Why can a weak and useless person like him be lucky enough to get the absolute position as the first spouse of that King of Terror? If it only relies on a handsome face, compared to him, I am far more deserving and suitable to be Arvin Vedegra's first spouse!"
Meanwhile, in the middle of the arena which became the center of attention, the physical and mental torture continued.
The extraordinarily heavy air pressure continued to press down on Allen's body floating helplessly in the air. The artificial gravitational pull felt so cruel. Both his outstretched arms felt as if they were about to snap and detach from their joints due to the massive pressure continuously pushing his entire body weight downward.
Allen gritted his teeth enduring the pain. He tried to rebel, exerting his physical strength to break free. However, his efforts were in vain. He could not escape at all from the grip of Raven's dark chain magic that bound his wrists and ankles very solidly.
Raven showed no mercy to his helpless opponent and raised his hand, preparing to attack.
Chunks of earth and sharp rocks were instantly created and hovered right above Allen's head. And with the help of the extremely strong air pressure magic, the rocks slid down like small meteorites, striking Allen's head and body with terrifying speed and destructive power.
Fresh blood began to drip. Allen's scalp and forehead were torn open due to the impact of the sharp rocks. Thick red blood flowed heavily, soaking his face, dripping past his chin, and staining his academy uniform.
However, the Prince continued to launch his earth attacks blindly, ceaselessly, and mercilessly.
"You are truly very boring, Allen Vedegra!" said Raven coldly, his voice echoing through the sound of rocks crashing in the arena. "You proudly claim to be his first spouse, but in reality you are this weak? Your power is not even worthy to be compared with those three! I think... you are just a useless burden hiding inside the Vedegra family which has been widely known as a monster family!"
That barrage of piercing insults made Allen fall silent, completely unable to deny the words that battered his pride. He only shut his eyes tightly, receiving the bombardment of earth elements that continued to destroy his physical and mental state.
I'm indeed weak... Allen thought bitterly, the pain in his heart now far exceeding the pain in his body.
Memories of the past spun in his head again. My Husband also honestly said from the beginning that I was indeed weak before we were officially married. He had warned me! But, because of my own selfishness of desperately wanting to be by his side, I forced myself. And now, I am instead disgracing my husband's family's great name in front of the whole world! I truly never expected that deciding to become his first spouse would carry such a massive and heavy burden of expectation like this.
Amidst his consciousness that was beginning to fade due to losing a lot of blood, Allen compared himself to his husband's other spouses.
Alrain has incredibly crazy speed and destructive power! Ordion the fire element user also has extraordinarily strong destructive power! Alvein who is a Morpher also has absolute and unquestionable light element manipulation. Meanwhile, me? What do I have besides a shield that can ultimately be destroyed?
Allen continued to ponder and curse his selfish choice in the past. His decision to discard hatred and choose the path of love.
Was my choice back then really right? asked Allen in the darkness of his mind, tears beginning to mix with the blood on his face. Hey, Arvin... does a weak man like me... truly deserve to bear the title as your first spouse?
Allen's silence and lack of resistance actually made Raven even more sickened.
"No wonder you can only stay silent and become a burden like that!" said Raven with a tone that grew as cold as ice. "You are just a parasite taking shelter behind your husband's great name and dominance! You are weak! You should be self-aware of your position!"
Raven stopped his rock attacks for a moment, leaving Allen's body hanging limply with panting breaths.
"Seeing how weak you are, I start to think... I guess, Arvin Vedegra is actually just the same. He only hides behind the absolute power of all his spouses, exactly the same as what you do to him!" Raven continued again, his voice raised so it could be heard throughout the stands, intentionally degrading the Vedegra family's dignity. "The two of you are equally useless!"
Raven stared at Allen with a gaze full of disgust.
"Not only is your same-sex relationship disgusting, your husband turns out to be nothing but a coward! He doesn't even dare to step in directly to fight me, but instead ordered you, who are weak and helpless, as a shield to face me! Arvin Vedegra is truly a real loser!"
Instantly, Allen's eyes that were originally droopy and resigned snapped wide open. His chest rumbled violently. The pain all over his body seemed to evaporate, replaced by an anger that burned his soul. He gasped hearing the lowly insult aimed directly at and tarnishing the name of the man he loved and respected the most in this world.
Insult me as you please, I will remain silent. But never insult my husband!
"What do you know about him?!" snapped Allen suddenly. His voice that usually sounded gentle now pitched sharply, breaking the arena's silence with a roar full of anger. "Take back your words! My husband is not a loser!"
Seeing that harsh reaction, Raven only snorted condescendingly.
"If he is not a loser, then what is he?" replied Raven further cornering and belittling Arvin's existence. "Your very weak presence in this arena alone has proven everything about him. I am very sure that your husband is also nothing more than a loser hiding behind other people's power, just like you!"
Raven raised both his hands high. A massive mana fluctuation gathered in the air.
"And now... goodbye, trash!"
A large-sized solid rock chunk was created from high-tier earth magic, right above Allen's helpless body in the air. The shadow of the giant rock covered his body, ready to fall and crush him leaving nothing behind.
Gravity pulled the rock downward. Instantly the shadow of death slid heavily towards him.
With his body locked tightly by chains and air pressure, Allen could only stay silent in resignation watching the large rock starting to head his way.
Bang!
A very loud crashing sound was heard.
The giant-sized rock had struck and crushed Allen's body with terrifying destructive force, destroying the arena beneath him until making the ground in the entire stands area tremble violently as if struck by a medium-scale earthquake. Plumes of thick dust immediately enveloped everyone's vision.