*The Rise of the God of Death*
*Chapter 26: The Grand Competition*
After six days of anticipation and preparation, the day of the grand competition had finally arrived. The participants stood in a wide formation as the officials verified names and badges. Among the gathered fighters, Daimon's eyes caught something odd.
A cloaked figure stood quietly among the others—shrouded in black, his aura low yet... unstable. To most, it was unnoticeable, but Daimon sensed two possibilities: either the man struggled to control his aura, or he was compressing it—a technique only high-level combatants could master. At first, Daimon assumed this was the mysterious Lord-ranked participant, but the truth was far more unexpected.
The real Lord-ranked participant soon stepped into view—an elite Swordmaster donned in *MasterCrafted armor* and wielding a *Legendary-grade weapon*. His presence immediately dominated the arena, and whispers of awe spread through the crowd.
Daimon activated his true aura for a brief moment, analyzing the cloaked figure deeper. What he sensed was disturbing—the man wasn't even from *Omniverse 7*... but from *Omniverse 10*, a distant and dangerous domain. That meant only one thing: he was most likely a *hired assassin*.
Still, Daimon showed no reaction. If he was the target, the assassin was already too late.
With no delays, the competition began. The first round was swift. The cloaked man, the Swordmaster, and Daren each ended their matches in a single move, shocking the audience with clean, brutal efficiency.
As for Daimon… his match wasn't anything special—at least in the public eye. He ended it without fanfare, just enough to move on without drawing unnecessary attention.
After the first round concluded, only *16 participants* remained.
A two-day rest was granted before the second round. But behind the scenes, tensions were already beginning to rise.