บท 371: Chapter 371
The sky was dark with clouds rumbling, and inside the Colosseum, the Aurors who had managed to make it into the finals, stood solemnly as they held onto their weapons.
Some might have believed that seeing constant bloodshed would have scared many in the last few days, but the truth was that most were pumped up and were seemingly more committed and determined to win.
Today, the Aurors had no age group, and old men, along with a few teenagers, could be seen ready to slay each other if they were forced to.
And among these Aurors stood a lone young man with golden highlights in his hair.
He was being eyed by a lot. Some looked at him in fear, some in apprehension, and others in determination to get rid of him.
It was especially the case with the Solanari, Mondini, Jafarrys, and Hazenborne, who were prepared to avenge their fallen today.
The Eastern Faction had sent in Aurors of Spirit Profound Realm, and even some Elders who were at the Peak of the said Realm, only to get rid of this despicable young man who had slayed so many of their talented younger generation in the Battle Royale he participated in.
"Today, each Elimination earns you two points. There will be no additional reward for taking the first spot in this round, and thirty-two of you will pass and progress into the next round of Knockouts. The knockouts will determine the victor, earning their side an additional 12 Points. The runner-up's side will receive 8 additional points, and the third-place will earn 4."
The Master of Ceremony announced the rules and also informed them that there would be additional rewards that Lady Hecate would reveal when the Knockouts start.
Rebecca sat inside the King's Box with the girls, and she was already quite bored after watching all the Honour Duels that took place today. Again, none of them resulted in anyone's death, so it was just not fun.
She was very much looking forward to some excitement in the Finals.
"Victor seems very happy." Kashish noticed that Keith's Muscle-Head Servant was grinning ear to ear as his eyes looked around, marking his targets.
He was standing alone as well, but a little close to the Mourntale Group. And given his very tall and bulky stature, he was very conspicuous.
"It's because Keith promised to finally help him if he manages to eliminate more than fifteen Aurors and makes it into the Quarter-Finals," Kiara informed her with a bright smile.
"Help him?" The daughter of the Mir Family quizzically looked at her, and the little Miss of the Demiliore Family nodded her head.
"He once used to be nearly as strong as Yingying, at least, in terms of Cultivation, and then Ryou came..." She informed Kashish how the Muscle-Head had made a new friend, and how Ryou had left him in the dust thanks to the secret help he received from Keith.
"Where's Ryou now?"
"He is no longer in this world." Kiara smiled at her, making her look at her in surprise.
"He ascended?"
"Not really." She shook her head. "Keith just sent him out on a mission."
"What?"
"Yes." She giggled as she saw the shock on her friend's face, but did not explain it to her.
Kashish understood that Kiara was not willing to divulge more details, so she just dropped the subject and looked inside the Arena again, soon spotting an acquaintance.
She noticed something on his waist that she found familiar, and then her mind clicked to the dagger that she had seen in the backroom a few days ago.
"The dagger that Samrath's wearing..."
"It's the Flame Dagger." Kiara nodded to her. "Keith gave it to him to prevent any accidents."
"Is it special?"
"It's deadly sharp and can cut through the Aura Defence of anyone in or under Primal Desolation Realm even if you do not imbue your Aura in it." Iseul, who was sitting close to them, repeated the words Keith had once said to her. "And a single cut can burn the blood inside the body, which can be excruciatingly painful. And only someone in Nascent Profound Realm or above can negate it with their Aura. However, if there are multiple cuts and a fatal injury, then even they might not be able to prevent their blood from burning."
Not only Kashish but others, who were also unaware of its functionality, were shocked at those words.
"It must be very precious..." Reina immediately looked at the dagger again but heard Rebecca giggle.
"By the standards of this world, yes. But it is a very common Magical Weapon in Lower Heaven."
"But it is still very dangerous in this world." Kashish frowned.
"Precisely why Keith gave it to Samrath so that he can stand a chance against Yexuan if the latter comes after his life."
Alana, who was sitting in the box with them, was very uncomfortable after she heard those words.
And when the girls glanced at her, it made her feel more uneasy.
"I am fine." She told Kiara, who gently squeezed her hand.
"Is he your brother?" The little Miss of the Demiliore Family finally asked, and everyone looked at Alana for an answer.
They had not questioned her about what happened in the morning when she met Yexuan, giving her time to collect her thoughts. But that did not mean that they were not curious about what was going on with this boy.
"He's Yexuan..." She lowered her head and whispered.
"Is he?" Rebecca smiled at her words.
It was clear in her voice that she did not believe Alana words, and soon everyone watched the poor girl lower her head some more and tremble.
"There's still my brother in him..."
"I see." The blonde nodded to her and sighed. "I am sorry, but we have to take cautions against him."
"I understand." Alana nodded her head. "Keith told me that he will keep an eye on him."
"Of course." Rebecca smiled at her words and then called out to her. "Alana?"
"Yes?"
"Would you hate me if I killed him?" The sudden question took everyone off-guard, and Alana raised her head to look at her in disbelief.
"W-what..."
"If he ever harms anyone in the family, he will have to die. So, I want to know if you would hate me for doing it." She lightly said.
Her words made the girls very uncomfortable, especially Amira and Reina, who worriedly looked at Alana. But the girl who had to answer managed to regain her bearings very quickly.
"I don't know." She truthfully replied, having already asked herself this question when Keith said the same thing to her in the morning.
"I won't blame you if you hate me for it." The blonde smiled at her.
"Rebecca, please..." She nearly cried at her words.
"Sorry, but you should know that if he proves to be big enough of a threat, he will have to be eliminated." She clearly said. "You must never tolerate things that you know would hurt you and your Family."
There was an underlying threat in her words that Alana did not miss, and her heart dropped a little as she understood that Rebecca would even kill her if she proved a danger and took Yexuan's side if the day ever came.
There was a very solemn atmosphere in the box after her words, and no one said anything more.
It was a few minutes later that the clock hit noon time, and the Battle Royale started.
As soon as the siren rang, the Aurors of the Eastern Faction rushed straight at Yexuan, who was half-expecting them to take this course of action. But he was not expecting that the Mourntale, Ravenstein, and Glasisius would not jump on the opportunity to deal a blow to their enemies.
No one interfered with the members of the Four Ancient Families who surrounded him, and Yexuan, who was already very upset with what happened in the morning, dangerously growled before his body was soon coated in his yellow Aura.
"Come."He threateningly said, and the enemies flattered a little at the madness reflecting in his eyes.
Nothing was going as he hoped it would, so he just decided to go along with what was happening.
Yexuan had already made up his mind that he would go into hiding after the tournament. But he had to do something before that, and it was to steal the treasure that Samrath Arya possessed.
He could sense that it was something filled with unreal vitality and power, and he wanted to get his hands on it as he needed everything that would help him against Keith.
A soul-stirring battle ensued in the Arena as Yexuan took on nearly two dozen Aurors, and unlike the last time, he was not as Invincible as he suffered damage too, which made him bleed for the first time in these Trials.
However, to the dismay of the audience, he slew one Auror after another, ignoring the damage he was taking, and then even managed to kill an Auror who was at the Peak of Spirit Profound Realm.
The loss of the Elder deterred the enemies, who now hesitated to go forward, but Yexuan was like a madman who came right at them, ripping through them.
He was like a lion surrounded by Hyneas, determined to show them who was the king of the jungle, and finally, a few people interfered in their battle.
Since the Eastern Faction was already battered, the Aurors from Mourntale and Ravenstein Families started taking them out whilst the Glasisius guarded their backs.
Seeing that his prey was being stolen, Yexuan was enranged, but instead of going after the Mourntale and the rest, his eyes turned to look at the tall and bulky man who was fighting against a group of Aurors, and the scene made him recall the battles where he had witnessed the very same man slay countless people.
A part of him wanted nothing more than to kill Victor before he grows stronger and becomes the menace he was bound to become. But he knew that if he killed this servant of the Evil God, he would likely not live to see tomorrow.
But that did not mean that he could not inflict some serious damage.
It was his rage that clouded his mind and forced him to rush at the Metal Esper, and up in the box, a tear slipped out of Alana's eyes as the words that Rebecca had earlier spoken hammered and rang in her mind again.
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