Genius Noble With System
Chapter 302: Challenged

Chapter 302: Challenged

"But if he was truly someone that strong, why would he still be here on the two hundredth step?"

Another swordsman questioned, his voice laced with suspicion. "Maybe it’s an illusion, or perhaps... he already came from the upper steps and descended for some reason?"

"No, that’s impossible. Once you ascend a step, you can never descend back—it’s the unchangeable rule of the Celestial Sword Monolith. If he is here, it means he just climbed."

"But his sword rule... it’s not something anyone below the three hundredth or four hundredth step could possibly comprehend..."

A chilling silence spread among the swordsmen as they exchanged uneasy glances.

They had already climbed over two hundred steps and prided themselves on their remarkable achievements and were famous outside, but now, seeing Apollo calmly walking past them with that unfathomable pressure, they couldn’t help but feel like ants beneath his gaze.

As he passed by, he finally glanced once at the one who had been meditating in the distant corner. This person was undoubtedly different from the rest. His sword aura was sharp like a blade, and his presence resembled a dormant volcano, ready to erupt at any moment.

Even he could feel that this man was already on the verge of breaking through the middle stage of the first layer of Sword Rule.

But what is more shocking is that this guy’s cultivation realm was only that of a peak true god. He was just like him, He was able to step here even though his cultivation realm was low. He might not be as terrifying as him, but it was clear he was the peak genius of the universe.

Not only that but there seems to be faint killing intent concealed within his sword aura. It was subtle, like a dormant beast hidden beneath a calm surface. This meant that this person had undoubtedly killed countless beings and walked the bloody path of slaughter to temper his sword. A sword path of unrelenting carnage.

’A swordsman born from slaughter... Yet he seems to suppress it perfectly,’ Apollo noted.

The meditating swordsman suddenly opened his eyes, locking gazes with Apollo. His pupils were deep and filled with a cold, unshakeable will—the eyes of someone who had walked through mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.

He clearly sensed that Apollo’s gaze held no disdain, only genuine interest and that alone made him frown slightly.

He didn’t speak, nor did Apollo. It was merely a brief glance—an acknowledgement between two monstrous sword geniuses.

Yet in that moment, the other surrounding Eternal Gods felt suffocated. The invisible clash of wills between the two felt like two primordial beasts silently confronting each other, and just the pressure alone made many of them break into a cold sweat.

"What kind of freaks are these two?" Others thought as they looked at the two of them. Both seemed weak on the outside, but only when they looked carefully did they feel the true terror of these two.

The peak True God finally withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes again, returning to his meditation as if nothing happened. He didn’t act arrogantly, nor did he show any fear—it was as if Apollo simply wasn’t worth disturbing his meditation.

He smiled faintly. ’He didn’t react. Interesting.’

But he didn’t linger. Without any more distractions, he took his next step and began ascending toward the two-hundred-second step.

However, behind him, the peak True God, who had resumed meditating, suddenly opened his mouth and muttered under his breath.

"What’s your name?"

He stopped for a moment and then calmly looked back. His voice drifted back softly.

"Apollo."

The moment his name was spoken, a strange ripple flashed in the meditating swordsman’s eyes. For the first time, his composed heart wavered slightly.

As he tried to remember any famous genius swordsmen in the universe, there seemed to be no one of this name that came to his mind.

The peak true god didn’t mind, as the mysterious sword he felt was very mysterious, and he wanted to fight and learn what kind of sword rule he understood.

A burning desire ignited in the heart of the peak True God. His sharp instincts, tempered through countless battles, screamed that the man before him was no ordinary swordsman.

The sheer depth of Apollo’s sword aura—masked as it was—had left a lingering mark in his mind, and his body instinctively yearned to cross swords with him.

"I am Julious, or outside people called me Slaughter King. I want to fight with you." He said it directly without wasting time.

His voice was cold and calm and reverberated through the space so that everyone there heard it.

The sudden declaration caused a visible stir among the swordsmen seated nearby. Gasps of disbelief erupted as their gazes quickly shifted from Apollo to the peak of True God now known as Julius—the Slaughter King.

"What... did he just say?"

"Slaughter King Julius..."

"What this guy is, is the Slaughter that appeared in the last thousand years. Who seemed to kill millions for his revenge, even slaughtered an eternal god with his peak true god-level cultivation."

"Fuck, this guy has been hiding here for a hundred years; it makes sense he disappeared."

The eternal god here quickly started to talk as they were surprised to learn the true god’s true identity. But this also let them feel interested, as Slaughter King’s name wasn’t small. He was someone who publicly killed an Eternal God; even if it was the weakest Eternal, it was still an Eternal God.

"Oh." Apollo was a bit surprised as he understood this true god seemed to be famous and have some extraordinary feats.

"Alright, let’s fight. Let’s see if you can surprise me." He accepted the challenge as he just broke through and needed someone to test his sword, and this Slaughter King seemed to be a perfect opponent.

"Haha, interesting no one ever said that to me. Hopefully, you will also surprise me." Slaughter King also laughed.

The next moment, all the other swordsmen present quickly distanced themselves from the two, not wanting to come between their battles.

A chilling silence descended upon the two hundred and first step. Every swordsman present felt their throats tighten as they realised what was about to unfold—a battle between two monsters of their generation.

Julius—the Slaughter King, a peak True God who once shook the universe by slaughtering millions and publicly executing an Eternal God. A man whose very existence was a nightmare to many forces.

And now Apollo—a youth who had just broken through the threshold of Sword Rule and exuded a mysterious and unmatched aura of pure, eternal sharpness. Even without revealing his true strength, his presence alone made Eternal Gods suffocate in dread.

One was a demon born from endless slaughter.

The other was an unknown genius who had just created an Eternal Sword Rule that transcended understanding.

And now... they would clash.

Julius grinned darkly as his hand slowly pulled out his sword. A terrifying blood aura burst out from his body, instantly changing the space around them. The sky turned dark, and a faint illusion of countless corpses piled under his feet emerged behind him.

His sword, despite appearing plain, exuded pure killing intent. It was not a divine weapon nor an artefact—it was simply a sword that had slaughtered millions. The very weight of karma and death imprinted on it made it far more terrifying than any divine treasure.

Julius said, his voice low and chilling. "I will not hold back."

Apollo smiled faintly, his face still calm. "That’s exactly what I want."

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