Chapter 50: Second Round (2)

Nevertheless, despite the current way people were treating Skyler, Maximo still believed that he did the right thing. There was no way a Marked would be a candidate to replace a Virtue.

"The public is unforgiving. Let's hope she does well in this match," Mabel said with full interest.

Skyler was supposed to be her successor. Suppose Skyler did not do well and she was not entertaining. In that case, Mabel might consider looking for someone else to replace her position in the near future.

Jonah chuckled. "She will be fine! She's a strong mage. She is even capable of hurting one of us..." he responded with a grin before glancing at one of the Virtues tauntingly before asking, "Don't you think so, Satin?"

Everyone was stunned by the question. They were curious. Even if Jonah was mostly the rowdy one, he had not caused trouble with any other Virtues before.

Satin snorted, before looking at Jonah, in distaste, "You're way more annoying than usual today, Jonah," As he said that, the warrior beast stared at Jonah warningly, "And I'm not in the mood at all."

Jonah laughed mockingly. He then abruptly stood up at that threat. He walked towards Satin as he said, "Good that your mood is agitated!"

Satin growled and stood up as well. His body tense and alert, emitting bloodlust. His eyes were looking at Jonah as if he was ready to crush the man.

But before a fight broke through between the two Virtues, Sebastian the Dreamer Virtue and Petra the Necromancer Virtue stood up and stopped them.

Sebastian was in front of Jonah, while Petra was holding back Satin.

Jonah was still looking at Satin with anger. Sebastian took the arm of his companion and said, "Jonah, calm down, man, let's watch the fight!"

Maximo was already unhappy, but he still looked at the conflict with boredom.

He sighed heavily, feeling frustrated. "Can you both behave like adults, please?" Maximo asked coldly, but his tone was laced with warning.

Jonah looked at him before nodding stiffly. He was still looking at Satin coldly as he went back to his chair and sat down.

Everyone was confused with the soldier's attitude. He rarely lost his temper but he seemed to have something to discuss with Satin.

Mabel put her hand on Jonah's. She could not help looking at him in confusion. Thus she asked. "What are you doing? Everything is alright?"

But Jonah, still staring at Satin, was silent for a moment. There was a complicated expression on his face before, it passed by before anyone else could notice, aside from Mabel.

"Oy, Jonah. Are you out of you―"

"No. Do you really think I will just do something without thinking?" Jonah questioned softly. Now he was looking at the stadium.

He then quickly added before Mabel could speak, "I must tell you something… but later."

At that moment, both combatants were on the platform in front of the bio-sphere.

Baxter looked intensely at Skyler.

Skyler, on the other, was staring in the direction of the box. She took a deep breath and said, "Don't take things so personal, okay?!"

At that moment, they both touched the bio-sphere, the fight of colors was greater, but inevitably the Goddess of Fire won.

She was the one who would choose the stage to compete. With a smile she chose, and they both met in a city.

Baxter had decided to appear at the top of a theater on the city's main street, while Skyler was on the main street of the same with her eyes fixed on her opponent.

"This is the end, Skyler, my army of the dead will finish with you," Baxter said in a powerful voice before he smirked.

But at that moment, the young woman let out a great sigh and activated her power. Immediately, a huge blue flame appeared.

A glow of the same color led Skyler to travel the distance that separated them in just two seconds, and placing the palm of her hand on Baxter's head, she smiled.

From her hand, blue flames appeared, engulfing the boy's body completely and incinerating him in a fraction of a second. With a blink and without feeling a hint of pain, Baxter was back on the stadium stage.

The commentator was speechless, just like everyone else in the stadium. All of them were completely lost.

The screen announced Skyler as the winner, and the commentator did not believe the speed that she had shown.

A scream was heard from the box of virtues. It came from Maximo, who was already standing with a proud grin.

"Good!" Maximo praised once more.

Skyler looked at him with a smile that her uncle returned. She walked calmly and heard how the public exploded in excitement and celebrations for her victory.

"A new record! Yes sir! The Goddess of Fire just set the record for the fastest victory in league history! All it took was 9 seconds! A historical record for the undisputed winner and first to qualify for the next Phase Skyler Sonfild!"

She calmly descended when Mabel in the box of virtues saw her and said more to herself.

"That damn Marked gave the mantle to her!"

Jonah looked at her for a second with total grace, and she looked away and said.

"I wanted it for myself!"

Beside them, Maximo seemed much more pleased as he saw his niece descending from the stage, at the door where she would enter the dressing rooms, he saw how she hugged Malcom who congratulated her. His happiness little by little dissipated, that image was unacceptable, and expected that the next fight could correct it.

Everyone waited for the commentator to announce the next fighters again.

"That fight was too fast. No one could have expected it to end like this! But we must continue, and now the fighter who will come could survive the entire time of the fight against the one who is clearly the most powerful... Now with you the man of the moment, The Hunter, Malcom Pontif!"

When mentioning that name, people began to clap.

The noise was such that he could not believe it was for him. The screams were for his name.

"Give them something to cheer on!" Skyler said brightly behind him.

And Malcom, walking calmly, arrived on the platform to await his fight.