Full health is the kill threshold, no matter if you're a god or a demon!

As dusk fell like blood, the dragon-shaped orc capital of Savage Fortress was stained a deep crimson.

The colosseum, a massive circular building, cast a deep shadow in the setting sun. The countless skulls on its outer walls glowed a dark red in the sunlight, as if their long-dead masters had opened their eyes anew at this moment.

The cheers from the stands grew louder and louder, crashing against the exterior walls of the building like a tsunami, shaking the dust out of the cracks in the stone. Tens of thousands of spectators shouted at the same time, the sound waves gushing out from the opening in the dome, exploding in the sky above the barbaric fortress, even the NPC guards on the distant city walls couldn't help but turn their heads.

"Demon Bear! Demon Bear! Demon Bear!"

The voices were unified and enthusiastic to the point of madness.

Shi Ri walked out of the arena gates.

His figure first coalesced into a blurry outline in the shadows of the doorway, then stepped out, exposed to the magical light.

A satisfied smile graced his bear-like face, a thick, hand-rubbed cigar dangling from his mouth, its tip flickering in the twilight, smoke billowing from his nostrils and quickly dissipating in the wind at the arena entrance.

This cigar was a trophy he had won from a dwarf king he had defeated.

This is his third victory today, and his 57th consecutive win.

Fifty-seven matches, starting from the lowest level of the arena in the rookie tournament, he fought his way up one by one, without a single lucky defeat. He defeated the Berserker War Butcher, the Golden Horned Tauren Totem Guardian, the Lionman Paladin, and even a half-mad wyvern... All these powerful opponents ultimately fell beneath his mighty hand!

Devourer of the Sun raised his bear paw and waved it towards the stands. A scream erupted from the stands again, and several female orcs were so excited that they almost fell off their seats, wanting to give birth to his little bear cubs on the spot.

He turned and walked into the rest area.

The arena's rest area was located in a long, dimly lit corridor, with magic lamps embedded in the stone walls on either side, casting a yellowish and oppressive light. The air was thick with the stench of blood, sweat, and strong alcohol. In the rooms lining the corridor, defeated men groaned, gladiators sharpened their blades, and several players argued in hushed tones.

But none of these have anything to do with the sun devouring.

"Boss Sun Eater, you won again!" A troll henchman darted out from the depths of the corridor, his steps light and quick. He held a still-steaming wet towel in his hands, his eyes filled with worship, as if he were looking at a living god.

That's incredible! He's many times stronger than their troll king!

"That lion-man wasn't bad at fighting," Devourer of the Sun said, taking the towel and wiping the blood from his face as he exhaled a puff of smoke, his bear eyes narrowing. "He just wasn't very bright. He ran out of tricks after his three basic attacks, and he was as fragile as paper when it came to fighting."

His voice wasn't loud, but it echoed through the narrow corridor and reached every room. Several gladiators, panting on their beds, involuntarily shuddered upon hearing it.

Anubis the Mad Lion is more than just good; when he goes berserk, he's bitten off the necks of countless opponents.

But this guy slapped him so hard his brains flew out.

During his time at the Savage Fortress, Devourer of the Sun practically lived in the arena.

They fight during the day, drink at night, and then continue fighting after waking up.

With the innate fighting prowess of the Demon Bear Clan—their steel-like bones, their claws capable of tearing through gold and shattering stone, their ferocious and bloodthirsty instincts—plus the Heart of Elune, a powerful weapon, he swept through the land, killing gods and Buddhas alike.

Starting from the bottom-tier rookie matches, they climbed up the ranks one by one, from F to E, from E to D, and from D to C, each match a crushing victory, each one breaking the arena records. The audience in the stands went from initial curiosity to shock, from shock to fervor, and from fervor to worship.

His name shot up the arena's leaderboard like a rocket. In just a few days, he went from being an unknown nobody to being among the top fifty in the arena.

His record was amazing, and his reputation soared.

Now, almost every player in Savage Fortress knows about "Demon Bear Devouring the Sun".

In the tavern, people were betting on his wins, wondering how long his winning streak would last; his name began to appear frequently on the odds list outside the arena. Some said he was the biggest dark horse in the history of the arena, some said he was the undisputed next arena champion, and others said his strength was already enough to enter the top ten of the combat power rankings, but he just hadn't participated in the Void Arena yet and therefore wasn't ranked.

Top ten in combat power rankings.

This saying was initially just drunken ramblings in taverns, but as more people spread it, more people believed it.

Several players who witnessed Sun Eater's battles analyzed his numerous combat replays in detail and concluded that Sun Eater had not yet unleashed his full power. Based on his current performance, he was definitely within the top fifteen of the power rankings. If you included his "Heart of Elune," which could instantly multiply his power several times over, a top ten finish was not out of the question!

But what Shi Ri cares about most right now is not these empty titles.

What he cared about was the task Liu Nian had given him.

The recent series of rumors circulating wildly about Shadow Hand and the Serpent People being traitors, and the lessons learned from Graystone Castle being a barbaric fortress, were all secretly released by his people.

Some of the news is actually quite outrageous and doesn't stand up to scrutiny—for example, "The Shadow Hand has already signed a blood pact with the Pharaoh in Graystone Castle" and "The Serpent-Man Scaleflame obtained an Eternal Artifact after joining the Pharaoh"—these things are obviously fake if you think about them for a moment.

But none of that matters.

The important thing is that no matter how outrageous the news is, everyone is willing to believe it.

Because often, the truth is not important.

People tend to believe what they think is right.

When everyone hates someone, any bad news about that person will be spread as if it were the truth.

No evidence, no logic, not even reason is needed. As long as someone shouts "traitor," they will blindly follow suit.

Shi Ri exhaled another puff of smoke, watching the grayish-white smoke slowly dissipate in the dimly lit corridor.

almost.

The snake people were about to lose their temper.

--------

Liu Nian has been busy these past few days.

He was busy disguising himself as a member of the Shadow Hand, assisting the Pharaoh's army in attacking players everywhere.

Today it's an ambush on a player squad, tomorrow it's escorting a supply truck carrying undead, and the day after tomorrow it's burning down a supply depot...

With every action he takes, he leaves traces and clues, even those of survivors, pointing the finger at the Hand of Shadows.

Because of his instigation, the conflict between Shadow Hand and Savage Fortress players is getting bigger and bigger.

What started as a verbal dispute has now escalated into a conflict in the wild. Players of Shadow Hand are ambushed as soon as they step outside, robbed while farming monsters, and killed if they try to go out alone.

They cried out for justice, explained themselves, and tried to prove their innocence, but no one listened.

Because everyone has already concluded that the Shadow Hand is the traitor!

Liu Nian's goal was simple: to force the Shadow Hand to turn against him.

At that point, the anti-Pharaoh alliance will have a legitimate reason to launch a full-scale attack on the Hand of Shadows.