While everyone was lost in their own realm, clashing fiercely against one another—some dominating, others being completely overwhelmed, Rivock’s fight was the most confusing of all. He initially wanted to battle Grey and take his revenge, but before that, he decided to go after the quiet blue band who hardly ever spoke or drew attention to himself. Normally, no one would have even noticed the guy, but Rivock was more observant than most. He had seen him around Grey several times and decided it was best to clear him out of the way first. However, to his surprise, the blue band effortlessly dodged his initial attack. "I won’t go all out, but I won’t make this easy for you either." Thalos’ voice wafted into Rivock’s ears from the side, and then... A heavy cloud of dust was kicked up, and when it finally settled, Rivock was seen grinning. The punch heading for his face was casually caught in his palm, and an amused smile danced across his face. "Hmm. Should I say the academy’s ranking metric is wrong? You feel a lot stronger than the average blue band should be." Rivock commented with a small smirk as the ground beneath the duo cracked violently. "Fuck it!" Thalos hissed as he yanked his arm backward, forcing Rivock to lean slightly forward. Without hesitation, the gargoyle—still in his human form shot his knee forward toward the descendant’s face. ’Impressive,’ Rivock thought as he saw the knee heading his way at full speed. Without wasting a second, he twisted his body aside, narrowly avoiding the knee strike that sliced through the air with a low bang. He immediately retaliated, launching himself toward Thalos at blinding speed. ’Damn it! That’s too fast. In this human form, I’m only as fast and strong as a newly evolved Stage 5 warrior, which means I’m nowhere near the level of a Stage 6!’ Thalos thought as he gritted his teeth and braced himself. The punch connected with his face with devastating force. Rivock fully expected the gargoyle to go flying, but to his shock, Thalos didn’t move an inch. His feet were firmly planted in the ground, which cracked violently beneath him as fissures spread deep. "Shocked?" the gargoyle asked with a wide, toothy grin. ’How... how is this possible? He should have gone flying if he were truly a Stage 2 warrior. But no—judging from that earlier burst of speed, he can’t be a mere Stage 2! What is going on here? Who exactly is he?’ Rivock thought, his brows furrowed in confusion. "Be as strong and sturdy as a mountain," Thalos muttered, snapping Rivock out of his thoughts but it was already too late. The gargoyle vanished from where he stood, reappearing behind Rivock in a blur, and the next second, his foot shot forward, smashing directly into the descendant’s back with bone-crushing force. Rivock was instantly lifted off his feet and sent hurling through the air before crashing violently into the ground, bouncing off it several times and leaving deep cracks wherever he struck. "Huh?!" Rowen shouted from the stands, his eyes wide in disbelief as he saw his son tumbling uncontrollably across the platform. ’What the hell is this? Isn’t that student supposed to be a blue band? How could he send Rivock flying like that? What kind of bullshit is this?!’ he thought, clenching his fists in anger. "Kek! Looks like your son isn’t as strong as you claimed." Selene mocked with a smug grin, still keeping her focus on her daughter’s battle but unable to resist throwing the jab after hearing the deafening impact that had just echoed through the arena. Rowen didn’t reply immediately. His hands were tightly clenched, knuckles turning white, and his teeth ground back and forth in pure rage. His entire body trembled as he struggled to contain his fury. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚫𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵 "What the fuck are you doing, Rivock?!" Rowen finally roared aloud, his voice booming across the stands. His aura flared uncontrollably, spilling out in waves and causing the entire section where they sat to shudder violently. "You act like a kid sometimes," Orion muttered calmly, his gaze fixed on Rowen. "Why are you getting worked up over something you yourself called a kids’ spat?" "Tch! I’ve had enough of you meddling in my business, Orion! You’re not the boss of me, so keep your useless advice to yourself. I don’t need it!" Rowen snapped back furiously, his chest heaving as he spoke. The air around him crackled slightly from his agitation, a reflection of the power he barely kept restrained. "Technically, I am the boss of you," Orion replied with a light tilt of his head toward the man, a flicker of a smug smirk crossing his face. His calmness only seemed to fuel Rowen’s irritation further. "Can we just focus on the battle happening down below instead of bickering like children?!" Leo interrupted sharply, his brows furrowed in clear annoyance. His voice cut through the tension like a blade. With a collective scoff, the leaders turned their attention back to the arena, the air still thick with tension. Meanwhile, down below, Rivock was still midair from Thalos’ earlier kick. For a brief moment, a flicker of disbelief crossed his face. ’Huh? I’m in the air? Kicked by a blue band? How did this even happen? How did some peasant manage to land a hit strong enough to send me flying? Was I holding back too much? Did I underestimate him that badly? Or maybe it’s because I decided not to seriously hurt him earlier? No... no, that can’t be it. Tell me why and how he landed a hit on me! HOW DID HE?!’ His thoughts twisted into rage, his eyes burning with fury. ’ARGHHHH!’ Rivock finally snapped as Ki flared wildly around his body. He twisted midair, spun once, and slammed his palm against the ground to stabilize himself before landing smoothly with a low crouch. The earth cracked beneath his touch, unable to withstand the intensity of his energy. "Fuck my restraint!" he growled, his voice dark and dripping with fury. His glare locked onto Thalos like a predator ready to devour its prey. Around his feet, Ki began to condense, swirling violently like a storm about to erupt. Right on cue, his father’s distant shout echoed in his ears, only fueling his anger further. "You heard that, didn’t you?" Rivock said coldly, his tone laced with venom. "He’s already disappointed in me... all because of you. So I’m sorry, but you need to go." Before Thalos could even blink, Rivock vanished—his figure blurring at a speed so immense that only the faint ripple of energy was left behind. In the very next second, he was directly in front of Thalos, who barely had time to widen his eyes before Rivock’s hand clamped tightly around his face. A thunderous quake exploded outward, the ground beneath Thalos shattered instantly, sending debris flying in every direction as pink blood sprayed from his mouth. For the first time in his current form, a mere human had managed to slam Thalos straight into the ground. The impact left a crater where he fell, the air trembling with the lingering echo of Rivock’s fury.