Chapter 185: Red Festival - Part 3
This match was different from the previous one. There was no cheering from the crowd, just a silence in the arena.
Arun Seth, who was famous for his flame power, was not well received by the crowd was the first to enter the stage.
He wore a red robe and protective gear inside. Besides his flame power, Arun Seth was famous for his spear play. He demonstrated this with a silver spear in his hand.
Not long after, Musashi Hirata also came out. The silent spectators shouted in surprise at his outfit. Heero Academy's martial arts outfit, the same one Kang Seo-Yeon wore.
Heero Academy left a deep impression on the spectators. From the two juniors who dominated the junior event to the free fighter dominated by Butcher Wang.
Each of their performances could be described as total domination. Kang Seo-Yeon also won the fight beautifully early on, and the arena was buzzing with discussion.
His name was familiar to people in the core region. However, people from outside the core region or even outside the city had little information about Hirata.
Most spectators were disappointed when they found out the true identity of Musashi Hirata. He was just an unranked gold class hero.
They were disappointed because the difference between the two competitors was great. Arun Seth was a Crown Class Ranker, but their expectations were raised a bit because Musashi Hirata was part of the Heero Academy.
Climbing onto the stage, Musashi Hirata scanned his opponent. He nodded his head and looked at the referee, "Old man, don't stop me, okay? I will not kill him, but break some of his bones!"
Hirata was aware that he would not be able to vent to his heart's content if this old man interrupted him. So he made a request before the fight started.
Long Bin's mouth twitched when he heard these words. He was a part of The Elder, but this guy called him without any honour.
He hasn't changed at all...
Yes, Long Bin was familiar with the two Musashi brothers. He often visited the Musashi clan because of his close relationship with their grandfather, who was his senior in the Hero League.
He ignored Hirata's remark, but not Arun Seth who also overheard the conversation.
"Haha, what a big mouth!" Arun Seth laughed, anger etched on his face, "I am the one who will burn your disgusting face, traitor! I will make you pay for your treachery!"
Musashi Hirata shrugged at his opponent's remark. He just grinned, finding Arun Seth's statement calling him a traitor ridiculous.
"Traitor? Interesting..." Musashi Hirata shot a glance at Long Bin and said, "Old man, how long are you going to watch this useless banter? Start the match already!"
Long Bin shook his head and tapped his steel staff, "Start!"
Arun Seth still had his spear down, waiting for his opponent to make a move. He was familiar with the Musashi clan's technique, but he did not want to be careless, even if his opponent was not the famous Naizen.
"I thought you were going to burn my pretty face, why are you standing still?"
Hirata shouted with a grin. Arun Seth did not fall for Hirata's cheap provocation. He had heard a rumour that Naizen had been defeated by Hirata. Even though no one could confirm the rumour, Arun Seth was cautious.
Shaking his head in disappointment, Hirata walked forward. Yes, he walked casually towards his opponent, who was about forty metres away. In his left hand, he held a katana.
It was a katana that Heero had given him. The scabbard was dark red with a pitch black handle. Just like that, Hirata looked like someone walking down the street.
He walked casually towards his opponent, making Arun Seth frown. Even Long Bin kept shaking his head when he realised that Hirata was not taking the fight seriously.
As the distance narrowed to twenty metres, Hirata stopped and drew his sword.
The colour of the sword was black and red. The blade side was deep red while the dull side was black.
Just when everyone thought that Musashi Hirata was about to make a serious move, he aimed the sword at the ground. The sword remained on the ground and he continued to walk casually with the scabbard in his right hand.
The spectators were confused by his action, but not Long Bin. He understood the message behind the action. It was basically saying to him: "Look, old man! I'm leaving my sword here, so don't stop me!
While Long Bin got the message, Arun Seth was seething with anger. His opponent put the sword away and faced him with only a sword scabbard. It was clear that Hirata had humiliated him.
With his head blinded by fury, Arun Seth unleashed his awakening ability. A flame in the form of a hurricane appeared in front of Musashi Hirata, blocking his path.
"Woaaaaa!"
The spectators shouted in surprise at the sudden appearance of the flame.
Musashi Hirata stopped in his tracks as a fierce heat assaulted his face. His eyes turned blue as he activated his Mystic Eyes. He examined the flame in front of him.
Hirata saw a trace of the coloured energy his master had spoken of. However, the energy was weak, which meant that this flame was not solid enough compared to the Ki he had learned.
With a smirk on his lips, he remarked in a carefree tone, "A cheap trick!"
Musashi Hirata stepped into the hurricane flame, causing the spectators to gasp in shock. He could turn and avoid the flame. But he did not, and faced the flame directly.
No one knew what was happening inside the blazing flame. Their view was blocked by the intense red flame.
But soon, everyone saw Musashi Hirata coming from the other side. He left the hurricane flame unharmed, not even a scorch mark on his martial attire.
Not only the spectators but also Arun Seth was stunned. He had a feeling of déjà vu, remembering his encounter with an unknown man in the outer region.
However, his encounter with this unknown guy was more frightening.
The guy was able to negate his flame, while Musashi Hirata only managed to leave the flame unharmed. "If one is not enough, how about three!"Arun Seth gritted his teeth and summoned three consecutive columns of flame.
Now, the four pillars of flame surrounded Hirata. Hirata himself could feel that the three newly summoned flames were stronger than the first.
Still, he could see that Arun Seth's control over his power was not that good. Just as he was about to pass through the flame pillar like before, he stopped when a thought came to his mind.
"What about cutting the flame? Can I cut the flame with my Ki?"
He remembered what his master had told him about Ki. It was that he could do anything with it, as long as his control over it was perfect.
They could fly if they wanted to, he had seen his master walk in the air. Almost anything was possible with the mastery of Ki.
Maybe I can also cut this flame...' As he thought this, he concentrated his Ki on the scabbard in his right hand.
Taking a deep breath, his hand moved as he exhaled. The scabbard slashed at the flame pillar in front of him and a shocking phenomenon unfolded.
The pillar of flame was cut in half by his scabbard. The upper part vanished into nothingness, but the red flame still blazed on the ground. The ten-metre pillar of flame was now only a little more than a metre high.
Musashi Hirata rejoiced as he succeeded in cutting through the pillar of flame. Not stopping there, he continued with the other pillars of flame. In ten seconds, the overwhelming pillars of flame were gone, leaving only four fires around him.
He grinned from ear to ear as he looked at the stunned Arun Seth. It had never occurred to him that his flame would be negated in such a way.
"I'm not done yet!!!" Arun Seth shouted and lunged at Hirata. He jumped up and thrust his spear into Hirata's chest.
The spear pierced Hirata's chest. The spectators cried out in surprise while Arun Seth was happy to see his spear pierce his opponent's chest.
But the happy expression did not last long. He soon found out that the one in front of him was only an afterimage. He was petrified as his spear pierced the empty air.
"I am here!" A voice came from behind him.
Arun Seth's instincts told him to run, but then a terrible pain struck his calf. At the same time, he let out a piercing scream, an agonising cry that filled the entire arena.
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH..."
Just the sound of the scream made their bodies tremble. The spectators dared not imagine how painful it was to make a Crown Class Ranker scream like that.
Arun Seth limped away, putting some distance between himself and Musashi Hirata. On the big screen at the top of the arena, the spectators could see that Arun Seth's right calf was crooked.
Arun Seth did not dare to take his eyes off Musashi Hirata. He focused his gaze on Musashi Hirata, who just looked at him as he limped away.
Soon, he noticed something strange about Hirata. Suddenly, his eyes opened wide as he heard a voice from behind him.
"Are you looking for me?"
Along with the question, Arun Seth let out another piercing scream. He fell to the ground and tried to cover his two crooked legs. This time it was his left calf. The pain made him cry.
Looking at Musashi Hirata in fear, Arun Seth opened his mouth. He wanted to admit defeat and of course Hirata noticed what the other was about to do.
He raised his scabbard, his eyes focused on Arun Seth's right arm. But before he could make his move, an old man's voice sounded: "Young'un, that's enough! You have won!"
"Musashi Hirata has won!" Long Bin announced and at the same time the scabbard that was aimed at Arun Seth's arm stopped halfway.
"Tsk, old man, I thought we had a deal!" Musashi Hirata shook his head regretfully.
Long Bin rolled his eyes and thought, "I never promised or agreed to your actions.
Deep inside, the old man was also surprised, 'I heard the rumour that the younger brother is less competent, but it seems that the rumour is just a rumour, it cannot be trusted...'
Musashi Hirata's footwork, which left an afterimage, was enough to shock him.
"I don't know what grudge you have against him, but a Ranker has also made his contributions to the city. You can't ruin his future just because of a hero and ranker's petty grudge!" Long Bin advised the young Hirata.
Musashi Hirata shrugged his shoulders, "I don't care if he's a hero or a ranker! But he offended someone he should not have!"
Musashi Hirata walked back to his sword, taking something out of his martial clothing on the way. It was a flag, a black flag with 'Heero Academy' written on it.
The flag was black and the word was written in crimson. He tied the flag to the scabbard and then put the scabbard on his shoulder.
In this way, Musashi Hirata glorified the existence of the Heero Academy and showed it to the world. The flag fluttered as he returned to the waiting room.
Such a simple movement, but it left a deep impression on the audience.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone