Ark Undead

This also generates revenue for Minos.

The priests were already prepared near the altar of the Temple of Heroes.

Everyone was dressed in their most solemn sacrificial robes, washed clean, all to welcome this day.

Pallas was no exception, but as the high priestess of Akroti village, she was responsible for maintaining order at the heroes' rest area on Akroti's side.

Seeing the Undead and the group from Rhodes Island approaching, Pallas quickly pulled them over.

"We almost missed it! Hurry up and sit down. Once everyone's here, I'll begin my explanation!"

The Undead, Melantha, and Finn found a place to sit down.

The soldiers around them greeted the three of them, and the three of them responded to each of them.

By the time the last two warriors arrived, the area around the Temple of Heroes was already so crowded that it was impossible to move.

Pallas glanced at the Temple of Heroes, seemingly confirming something, then turned back and cleared his throat.

"Everyone should have had enough rest in the last two or three days, so I'll first explain the competition process to you."

"The Undying Arena is divided into three stages. The first stage is the team competition, the second stage is the individual competition, and the third stage, which will not be announced for the time being, is a trial ground simulated using the sacred objects enshrined in the temple."

"Therefore, the competition in the first two days was a team competition."

Up until that sentence, although there was some commotion, the soldiers held back and did not say anything more.

Pallas looked around at the warriors; she knew these future heroes were not suited to fighting alongside others.

She continued.

"However, the team competition is not conducted by village. Instead, everyone is shuffled and reordered, and they fight in groups of five."

As soon as Pallas finished speaking, the warriors couldn't sit still any longer.

It's not about questioning the Temple of Heroes' decision, but rather that what they are least comfortable with is team competitions.

Moreover, they were fighting alongside complete strangers.

Pallas looked at the whispering warriors, each of them with a grim expression.

Only Melantha, the Undead, and Fen remained unmoved.

The reason people don't die is because their faces are invisible, while Melantha and Finn are because they've long since learned to cooperate.

The Temple of Heroes made this decision after careful consideration.

Even those who don't die can roughly guess.

The priests wanted to use this immortal competition to lay the foundation for future cooperation among the heroes of Minos.

354. Team Battle

Team battles, as the name suggests, mean that soldiers no longer participate in battles individually, but instead form teams to fight as a group.

This was an attempt by the priests to pave the way for Minos's future struggle, and also an indication of the fate of the Minos.

We should unite as one; individual bravery is certainly commendable. But only by uniting can we possess greater strength.

This is certainly a very novel way of thinking for Minos, who has always valued individual strength, but it is also a hurdle that Minos must overcome.

It must be said that, apart from Pallas's idol project which sounded rather unreliable, the priests were genuinely concerned for Minos.

To get these heroes to willingly set aside their competitive spirit and fight together, it's essential to make them aware of their individual shortcomings.

However, this team competition did not seem to completely abandon the display of individual strength.

"Of course, in a five-person competition, as long as one person can stand at the end, the team will win."

"That's what Pallas said," he said, glancing instinctively at the undead, then clearing his throat.

"In other words, although it is a five-person team battle, the final result may still be led to victory by a brave warrior."

This means that, while maintaining teamwork, individual player contributions were not completely eliminated.

However, only members like Melantha and Finn knew this. If this rule applies, then the team with the strongest team spirit is more likely to win.

After all, if winning is possible even with only one person left, it depends on how many people in the team are willing to be the pillars supporting their teammates.

Perhaps all five of them won't make it to the end. But if the other four contribute to one person's breakthrough, then there's a greater chance of securing victory.

In other words, while it seems to encourage individual strength to drive the entire team, in reality, no one can truly withstand an attack from five people simultaneously.

Ultimately, teamwork must be the primary factor in achieving the desired outcome.

However, this seemingly fabricated rule of individual heroism still excited the soldiers present.

Minos' warriors were not good at teamwork, so with this rule in place, even if someone lost...

It can also make them realize where the real gap lies.

The warriors of Minos are not afraid of failure, but they must make sure that failure brings them something.

However, some people are exceptions in such battles.

These individuals may possess the ability to take on five opponents at once, or even single-handedly dominate a match, and there may be more than one of them.

For example, there were the undead present, and Surtr, who could instantly kill his opponents using only Originium Arts or spells.

In the Akroti village tournament, Surtr's combat power was significantly above average, and no one had ever seen the Undead make a move; all they knew was that he was a guest at the Akroti Warriors Tournament.

As a result, no one knew just how terrifying the Undead's power had become.

However, it seems that no one cares about the state of the undead.

Instead, many warriors looked at the Undead with eager anticipation, and the air was thick with fighting spirit.

Even renowned warriors possess an extremely strong fighting spirit, a mindset cultivated over a long period by the priests of Minos.

The Undead was somewhat surprised, but this also ignited a fighting spirit within him.

If it were a battle like this, he might be able to enjoy a pure struggle, something he hadn't done in a long time.

"Alright, now that everyone understands and there are no objections, let's get into the right mindset. We'll be divided into groups after the opening ceremony."

Seeing that no one objected, Pallas clapped her hands.

"After the group assignments are completed, everyone will meet up with their teammates in a designated area. You will then have half an hour to get acquainted with each other before the competition begins."

...

The so-called opening ceremony was actually just lighting the flames in the Temple of Heroes, then taking the flames out with firewood and placing them in the royal artifacts surrounding the entire altar.

"It's just a symbol of carrying on the spirit of heroes."

While watching the opening ceremony, Pallas quietly approached the Undead and whispered something to him.

"It is said that during Sargon's invasion, the twelve heroes each belonged to different realms. Some were just ordinary people, while others were just soldiers on the frontier. But at some point, they all awakened their own will and understood the meaning of their existence."

"Then, they persisted in upholding their ideals and worked together to drive away Sargon's invaders."

"Because of the existence of the sacred object, we have always been accustomed to comparing this spirit to a flame, and it is indeed very warm."

"Isn't it like passing on a hero's last wishes and paving the way for the future?"

That's a coincidence, because it's not just in Minos.

The Great Yan and Iberia, these countries, seem to be sustained by items related to fire.

Whether it was the so-called sacred fire of Minos, the true fire of the Great Flame, or even the judgment fire of Iberia.

All of these are powered by the fire that sustains the nation's most crucial logic.

The Undead also realized this, and he increasingly believed that the birth of these kingdoms might be inextricably linked to himself and the Fire Mage.

Therefore, he will definitely win the championship in this competition.

Become the destined hero.

"I'm very curious to see how much the team competition will change because of your participation."

Pallas sighed. She could already picture her teammates, who were supposed to be immune to death, all being wiped out. But she herself stood in the center of the field, facing pressure from all sides, single-handedly fighting her way through the game.

However, she also has full confidence in her country's soldiers.

"However, I believe this match will be very exciting."

The torch relay was completed as the two were talking.

The priests threw the last lit piece of firewood into the royal artifact, then returned to the top of the altar near the Temple of Heroes.

Among the priests, a tall, elderly man slowly emerged. He wore a gray-black robe with gilded decorations, his posture solemn, and he held a scepter decorated with flickering flames.

His white beard and all-white hair were neatly combed together. He came to the front of the altar, facing tens of thousands of people in the square and the heroes whose gazes came from various rest rooms. He raised the scepter in his hand.

"The sacred fire has been lit, and the gods have lowered their heads to listen to our roars."

The old man had very thick arms and was over two meters tall.

His eyes were sharp as lightning, and he showed no signs of being old and frail.

"Warriors, offer your skills, ignite your fighting spirit, dance with the spirits of heroes, and present a magnificent battle to the gods!"

The old man's voice was also very loud, and the Undead vaguely saw the image of Gwyn, the former King of Cinder, in him.

He also looks dignified, but in terms of both physique and mental fortitude, he is a warrior who has experienced many battles.

Even Onstan lowered his eyes. They did look very similar, but there were still some differences.

"Fight, fight! Only fighting can make us feel the meaning of life. This is a gift from the gods, meant to make us think about why we fight while constantly strengthening ourselves, without having to face death!"

The old man standing on the high platform waved his arms. His body was like a rock, and his eyes were like lightning. His impassioned speech stirred everyone's emotions.

In the lounge surrounding the altar, many people reacted in different ways.

Bloodthorn looked down at the two short swords at his waist, his hands clenched into fists.

The purple-haired kitten gripped the straight sword at its waist, as if drawing strength from it.

Kuranta, clad in full armor, lightly tapped the shield in his left hand with his fingertip, his gaze resolute, like the rising sun.

The deep-sea hunter simply gripped his greatsword, showing no emotional fluctuation.

On the contrary, Surtr, as if the Levantine in her hand had heard something, trembled slightly in Surtr's hand.

Surtr calmly took Levantine's hand, soothing it.