Winning three matches consecutively didn't seem like a tough request, but that depended on who the opponent was.Every challenger in the tournament was an international expert. Even if Ezekiel himself stepped into the arena, he couldn't guarantee that he would be able to win three consecutive matches.Alaric looked troubled and asked, "Mr. Ballard, don't you think that's a bit too much?"Sebastian glanced at him sideways and replied, "That's the bare minimum. If even that request can't be met, wouldn't this sword be worthless?"He lifted the sword in his hand and weighed it gently. Alaric clenched his jaw but had no choice but to sit back down. He turned to Aiden and the others, muttering, "Winning three matches in a row is easier said than done. I don't think Sebastian has any intention of handing that sword over."Alaric shook his head slightly and said, "Mr. Lorne, now is not the time to fight with Ballard. After all, we have an agreement."The league agreement bound not onl
"You will pay the price for your arrogance!" Giuseppe shouted. He tightened his grip on his machete slowly, and the blade gleamed ominously. Sebastian frowned in the stands. Earlier, Giuseppe had been caught off guard, but now the powers he was showing made it clear that Malachi was no match for him. The gleam of that machete was different from that of normal blades. It extended along the blade and swept over its tip.Normally, when a blade wasn't moving, the reflection of light on it wouldn't move either.This meant Giuseppe had already mastered the art of blade intent. It was just that his skills were so rudimentary that he wouldn't even count as a beginner.Despite that, he was still much more powerful than an average Warrior. Those who had never experienced the difference between blade energy and vital energy could never imagine the huge difference between the two. No matter how strong one's vital energy was, if their opponent had even a basic mastery of blade intent and
The host hastily instructed the staff to remove Malachi's body from the arena. He looked toward the stands and said, "The winner of the first match is Giuseppe Rossi from Yutaria!"A hush fell over the Dramonian audience. At the sight of Malachi dying in such a tragic manner, they all sighed, quietly murmuring their condolences.In the stands, Whitney frowned. "Sebastian, he had the upper hand at first. Why did he suddenly…""Pride comes before a fall. Besides, he only had the advantage because it was a sneak attack. It wasn't because of his abilities," Sebastian said, smiling slightly.Giuseppe grinned smugly when he heard the host. Then, he crooked his finger at the Dramonian stands.Aiden's expression darkened. Malachi was one of his sect's elite apprentices. He wasn't a weak or incompetent man. How could he have been cut down by Giuseppe in a single move?He cursed Malachi inwardly for being useless before turning to look at one of his other apprentices. "You go!"However, j
Aiden's sword technique was the standard Polar Technique of the Sapientia. Not only was it incredibly fast, but it also changed very quickly.None of Giuseppe's previous opponents had received the true legacy of the Sapientia. Aiden, however, was different. He had already mastered the sword technique.Giuseppe had barely dodged Aiden's Heartseeker move. Before he could retaliate, Aiden had already stepped forward and circled around him to attack with a downward thrust!Sensing the danger at his back, he hastily blocked it with his machete.However, he was just a moment too slow. Aiden's sword slashed his shoulder, and with a sickening squelch, his left arm was severed.That was when Giuseppe realized how powerful Aiden was.Aiden's techniques were exquisite, and they more than compensated for what he lacked in strength. In just a few moves, he had cut off Giuseppe's arm, and all of the latter's arrogance was gone.He stared at Aiden, looking as pale as a sheet. The hand that hel
Aiden was already panting from exhaustion in the arena. When he heard what Sebastian had said, he grew furious.Sebastian was deliberately letting him wear himself out! However, at that point, there was nothing he could do about it despite his anger.Whitney and Rosalie finally understood what Sebastian was up to. They now realized that he was using Aiden and the others as cannon fodder.Even so, Whitney was still rather worried. Leaning in close, she whispered, "Sebastian, it isn't' wise to offend them like this. They're all part of the martial arts community. What if they seek revenge on us?"Part of the martial arts community?Sebastian chuckled coldly. He was the successor of the Sacred Medicine Society. Who would dare to play any tricks with them?"Don't worry," he said, smiling. "They acknowledged me as their league leader, didn't they? Which means, they should do as I say. If it comes down to it, I won't be their league leader anymore, and they can have the position back."
Everything ended once one was dead. Any fame and renown granted after death was meaningless."Mr. Tuxley, you must be joking," Percival said, barely holding it in.He continued, his eyes bulging. "Sebastian promised that he would lend us Purity if we won three matches in a row, but Mr. Lorne won 12 matches. In the end, he died in the arena because his strength had run out. What do you have to say about that?""When did I say that I would lend it? I said I could lend it. Don't you understand the difference?" Sebastian asked coldly.Phineas chuckled. "That's right. Mr. Ballard meant that he could lend it or decide not to. However, since you've promised to stand up for Dramon's martial arts community, you should be battling in the arena anyway. As for whether you live or die, that depends entirely on your own capabilities."Everyone could tell that he was biased toward Sebastian. Ezekiel had the highest ranking among them, and everyone turned to look at him. At this point, he was the
After returning to the club with the rest of the Sapientia, Ezekiel smashed more than ten cups in his anger. The more he thought about what had happened that day, the angrier he became. How could that bastard Sebastian have tricked him like that?"Mr. Harton, why didn't you confront Sebastian?" Alaric asked in confusion.Ezekiel struck him hard across the face. "Are you an idiot?" he snapped. "How can we argue with him when he still has Purity?"Ezekiel had been planning to use Aiden's death to force Sebastian into a corner. However, that would only force Sebastian to use his trump card. When that happened, who would take the brunt of it?Gritting his teeth, his eyes glinted with malice. "Since Sebastian didn't keep his word, we don't have to play fair either!"Alaric was still stunned by the slap. He looked timidly at Ezekiel, not daring to say anything.Percival stepped forward to smooth things over. "Mr. Harton means that we'll go to Sebastian's place tonight and invite his
The battle at the arena continued until evening. Four deacons from Dramon's martial arts court had joined forces to defeat over 100 of the international experts who had challenged them. It had pushed the martial arts battle to new heights."Everyone, it's getting late. We can have the final match tomorrow morning!" the host said into the mic to all those in the arena and in the audience.Two-thirds of the seats in the stands were already empty. Apart from the Yvantonian Warriors, who had been wiped out by Yutaria, most of the Warriors from other countries had been killed by Lyanna and Nina.Out of 400 or 500 visitors, only less than 200 were left. If the battle went on, everyone in the opposition stand would be dead after a day at most.…After returning to Yutaria's base camp, Luigi stood up and asked a middle-aged, "Mr. Gallo, have you noticed that there's something strange about the Dramonian Warriors?"For two days in a row, Luigi had been watching sharply. He couldn't unders
Samson glanced at Sebastian. He took a deep breath and said to Arnaud, "Thank you for sparing me, Uncle Arnaud."He gave Sebastian a few final reminders before leaving the hall with Preston.Once they were gone, Arnaud pointed at Duo and said to Sebastian, "Tell him to leave too."Sebastian waved a hand at Duo."I'll wait for you at the entrance, my lord," Duo said. "If anything happens, I'll be here as soon as you call!"He gave Arnaud a cold look before striding out of the hall.Arnaud watched him leave and smiled approvingly. He beckoned to Sebastian. "Come, sit!"Sebastian didn't hesitate. He crossed the hall and sat in the chair opposite Arnaud."Do you know why I asked Andreas to bring you back here?" Arnaud asked impassively. Sebastian shook his head expressionlessly. He said in a cold voice, "It's probably because of the emerald token in my father's possession."Apart from using him and Whitney as leverage against Samson, he couldn't think of any other reason.Arnau
"The Blessed Child! The Blessed Child has finally come to our family!"The black-robed old man who had been sitting beside Arnaud stood up, looking pleased. He couldn't hide his excitement as he turned to Arnaud and said, "Arnaud, our family is going to prosper!"Only Rexton and Milton looked extremely displeased. Braxton and Roland looked pained, as if they had lost something of great value. They were practically thumping their chests in regret!The Blessed Child had been foretold by one of the heads of the family centuries ago. No matter how far the Ballards declined, the prophecy said that after a few hundred years, a Blessed Child would appear—someone who could lead the family's revival!The only proof of the Blessed Child was for him to enter a master-servant oath with a Devora."Prosper? What a joke!" Hugo scoffed, holding Virtus firmly. "Weren't you all just clamoring about killing the two of them?"At Hugo's words, Arnaud's expression changed slightly. "When did I say tha
"Hugo!"Arnaud, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them wide. He eyed Hugo with a conflicted expression as he asked, "Have you forgotten the agreement the Thornes made with us ten years ago?"Hugo smiled coldly and put one hand behind his back. "That was the agreement you made with the Thornes. I'm only following Ms. Thorne's orders to protect Samson and find the emerald token. If Samson dies in this battle, how am I supposed to explain that to her?"He pointed at Sebastian and added, "He's Ms. Thorne's flesh and blood. Your family has no right to punish him! If the Ballards insist on killing them today, don't blame me for going on a killing spree!"When Hugo had finished, Sebastian finally realized that Hugo was from Isabella's family and that he had stayed at the Ballard Estate to protect Samson.It was clear that Isabella hadn't held a grudge toward Samson. In fact, she had sent an expert to stay behind to protect him in case anything happened.Arnaud's
Sebastian threw his head back in laughter. He strode forward, standing in the center of the hall, and said coldly. "Ungrateful? How could you have the audacity to say such a thing?"Even if I'm surrounded by enemies, you Ballards can forget about making me submit! It's just death, after all. If I even blink, then I won't call myself a man!"Everyone there stared at Sebastian."How dare that brat be so cocky? If he's not punished, it'll be a disgrace to our family rules!""He should be given the death penalty!""It'll be a disaster if we just let him be, and it'll only bring trouble for our family. Please give the order, and we'll kill him at once!"The entire hall was in an uproar. Even Preston, who had been speaking up for Sebastian and Samson, sighed in resignation.Since Sebastian had already made his stance clear, Preston couldn't help even if he wanted to.Sebastian had roused the anger of everyone there, and Arnaud had closed his eyes and wasn't saying anything. He was cl
Sebastian was just about to step forward when Samson hastily waved a hand at him and said, "Sebastian, the grudges of the Ballard family from over ten years ago have nothing to do with you. Don't get involved!""But—"Sebastian's gaze sharpened as he turned to look at Milton. There was an icy glint in his eyes. Samson shook his head slightly at Sebastian. The Ballard Estate had at least ten experts at the eighth level of the Eldoria realm. At Sebastian's current level, trying to fight them would only bring him big trouble."Sebastian, one must learn how to adapt to the situation," Samson whispered into his ear using voice projection. "Today, I will exchange my legs for your and Whitney's freedom. Think of it as a payment for what I owe you and your mother."Sebastian clenched his fists tightly. He hated himself for being too weak. He couldn't even protect his own family in a place like the Ballard Estate, where many experts were gathered.However, he would never allow anyone to
"Do you accept it, Samson?" Arnaud asked harshly when he saw that Preston hadn't said anything else. He turned to look directly at Samson.Samson smiled bitterly and turned to look at Sebastian before raising his head to look at Arnaud, who was sitting high above them. He said, "Uncle Arnaud, I was the reason for everything that happened. I wish to ask you not to trouble Sebastian.""What are you talking about?" Preston was agitated. He stood up again and yelled, "There must still be an investigation about who was right and who was wrong. Why should they break your legs?"As he spoke, his eyes blazed with fury. He looked at the thin old man and said furiously, "Milton, you old bastard! How can you be so shameless at your age? Tell me! Did you embellish the story to Arnaud?""Uncle Preston!" Samson stopped him quickly and sighed slightly. "Forget it. It's my fault for bringing such huge trouble upon our family back then."I admit that I have let our family down. Since imprisoning m
As the man in the black robe yelled, the entire hall fell silent at once. The thin old man threw the black-robed old man a disgruntled look, but he returned obediently to his seat.Once the noise had died down, Preston stepped forward and swept an icy gaze over the crowd who were present. "You call yourself the elders of the family?"The monument of our ancestral dragon is right in front of you. How could you bully two young members of the family in front of it? Don't you feel any shame?"Besides, how dare you speak before Arnaud does?"After the harsh scolding they received from Preston, no one in the crowd dared to protest. Sebastian nodded involuntarily. It appeared that Preston did have influence in the Ballard family. At least no one had interrupted his scolding, including Arnaud and the man in the black robe.Preston huffed angrily and bowed to Arnaud, who sat in the middle. "Arnaud, I've brought Samson and Sebastian!"Preston went over to the chair next to the black-robe
"Sebastian, I won't be going in. Remember, don't say anything without being spoken to, and don't be impulsive!" Andreas said softly in Sebastian's ear when they reached the door to the hall. He then walked over to the crowd, which was packed on both sides of the hall.Samson and Preston walked into the hall without any change in expression. Sebastian hesitated for a moment before hurrying to catch up.When they reached the entrance, the two old men reached out to stop them and said to Preston, who was in the lead, "Preston, I'm afraid that it wouldn't be a good idea for you to go in. Everyone knows that you're biased toward Samson's family. If you get into an argument with Arnaud, then—""Nonsense!" Preston yelled furiously. He spoke in a menacing tone to the two old men. "Don't try those tricks with me. Today, I'm going to be the voice of reason. Who among you can do anything to me?"With that, he pushed them aside and strode into the hall.The two old men gazed after his ret
The Ballard Estate's resources were unfathomable as it was. Could Isabella's family be even more powerful than theirs?Sebastian clearly remembered that both he and Samson were under the Sacred Medicine Society. They even had the same mentor.The Sacred Medicine Society was above all the other mystic martial arts sects. Even the sect leaders of the Nine Sects were very respectful toward his mentor.If Samson really was from the same sect as Sebastian, then his mentor had clearly been unable to save him. Wouldn't that mean that the Sacred Medicine Society was no match for the Ballards?Wouldn't that mean that Isabella's family was an even greater entity?"If my mother's family is really that powerful, why couldn't they rescue my father? There would also be no reason to let me join the Sacred Medicine Society either, right?" Sebastian asked probingly. It seemed as if Andreas had never even thought about such questions. He smiled and shook his head. "You probably don't know about a