"That’s shocking." Orion couldn’t help but voice his surprise as he watched the student huffing and panting with his hands resting on his knees, a faint smile creeping onto his face. "Hmph. I’m sure that red band was weak, that’s why he was able to win." Sera clicked her tongue as she glared sharply at Ray. "Actually, that red band is a Stage 3 warrior, and so is this yellow band that won. Which means they’re equal in raw strength, but experience is what truly matters in a battle." Leo added, his expression hardening with a slight frown. ’He sure does look familiar... somewhat.’ he thought. "Tch! He went for a weakling. He should have gone against one of the direct descendants and let’s see if he would still bag that win." Rowen scoffed with a twisted grin on his face. Even while voicing his disappointment, that eerie grin never left his lips, giving him an unsettling, almost sinister look. "Next up, Liam!" Kent called out loudly, his voice echoing across the arena. "Wait, me?" Liam asked in shock, staring at his trembling hands and the sword he held. "Kindly step forward and make your pick." Kent repeated, his tone calm but firm. The yellow band took in two quick, deep breaths before exhaling heavily, steadying himself as he stepped forward. "I choose the blue bands." Liam declared after a moment of hesitation. "Finally, a smart student." Albed mumbled as she glanced around, clearly relieved. "Yeah sure, make your pick." Kent said, gesturing toward the line of blue bands. Liam’s eyes darted before landing on a student who also wielded a sword. Hearing his name called, the blue band reluctantly stepped forward, his grip shaky and his sword trembling in his hands. ’Of course I’m not crazy enough to fight a red band. That’s like willingly jumping into a lion’s den for free... not that there are any lions around, right?’ Liam thought nervously as he raised his sword, taking a ready stance. "Let the fight begin!" Kent ordered sharply. The blue band didn’t hesitate and recklessly charged forward, his sword slicing through the air. ’Time to end this quickly.’ Liam thought as he watched the student close the distance in seconds, his blade thrust forward like a spear. The eye-patched kid instantly pivoted on one foot, dodging the thrust that narrowly missed him and sliced cleanly through the air. He countered immediately, swinging his sword diagonally toward his opponent. The blue band’s eyes widened in terror as he saw the blade racing toward him, inch by inch. With all the Ki and strength he could muster, he pushed off the ground and leaped back at the very last second—barely escaping as the sword grazed his cheek, leaving a thin line of blood behind. ’Stay still, you moron, and let me win this damn fight already!’ Liam cursed inwardly, his teeth grinding as he charged forward again at full speed. Seeing him approach, the blue band swung his sword vertically with all his might. Liam halted his charge just in time, raising his weapon to block. The sharp metallic ring echoed through the arena as neither of them budged. With his teeth grit and veins bulging on his arm, Liam channeled Ki to his feet. Then, with sheer willpower, he slammed his foot into the ground with explosive force, sending a low tremor rippling outward. A cloud of dust was kicked up as Liam pushed the sword away and, without a second of hesitation, blitzed forward with everything he had. His sword shot out like lightning, thrusting straight toward the student’s exposed chest with terrifying speed. Seeing the incoming strike, the student’s instincts screamed danger. He knew there was no way he could block it in time, so the only option left was to swirl Ki to his feet and leap several meters back. His body barely escaped the attack as Liam’s sword sliced through the air, the thrust missing by inches and releasing a loud, echoing bang. ’Finally. Gotcha.’ Liam thought, his lips twitching into a grin. In the same instant, he compressed his Ki to his feet, swirling it violently and holding it in place before releasing it all at once. A thunderous sound tore through the arena as Liam executed the flash step successfully. He vanished from sight and reappeared directly in front of the student in the blink of an eye. Without wasting a single breath, Liam gathered Ki into his fists. His arm tensed as veins popped and, with every ounce of strength in his body, he smashed a devastating punch straight into the student’s gut. The impact was explosive. The student’s eyes widened, blood spewing from his mouth as his feet left the ground. His body was flung backward, crashing off the platform and skidding violently across the dirt until he came to a painful stop. The most update n0vels are published on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽 For a second, silence fell. Then the crowd erupted. Cheers and applause filled the air, echoing across the coliseum as they celebrated the shocking victory. Liam smiled brightly, lifting his sword slightly as if saluting the crowd before bowing a few times like a performer wrapping up a show. The cheers only grew louder. "Tch! Show off. Even though he beat someone weaker than him." Noelle scoffed, crossing her arms with a deep frown on her face. ’I’m the only one who lost my fight, huh?’ Finral thought bitterly, his teeth grinding as anger surged within him. ’Well, I had that coming for being cocky, even after Grey warned me that Mada was way above my level.’ Ray, on the other hand, clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly as his gaze drifted toward the red bands. ’I really wanted to beat Rivock instead of some random red band... but I’ve learned from Finral’s mistake. Don’t mess with the direct descendants unless you want to be humiliated completely. Noted.’ "Alright, moving on," Kent said, snapping everyone’s attention back to him. Liam stepped down from the platform, waving lightly as the injured blue band was carried off for treatment. The matches continued one after another. Kent kept calling students from the yellow bands, and after watching the earlier fights, most of them chose to challenge the blue bands instead of the red ones. This time, victories piled up one after another. "And that concludes the first segment of this tournament," Leo announced, rising from his seat with a satisfied nod as his gaze swept over the crowd. Even though it was meant to be a small-scale tournament, the turnout was impressive. Roughly a hundred and fifty people filled the stands — a mix of students, instructors, and scouts from other clans observing the participants. "The first segment focused on individual battles," Leo said, his tone carrying a teasing edge. "So... can anyone guess what the second one will be?" Murmurs rippled through the crowd as everyone tried to guess, but Leo only chuckled, shaking his head. "It’s time for a battle royale," he finally declared with a wide grin, his voice echoing across the field. "We’ll begin right after a short break."