The man in the large brown trenchcoat and the woman with orange hair tucked underneath her beret hat, the two of them were people that Raze would never forget.
Himmy and Charlotte. The two of them were what was known as otherworlders, just like Raze. They didn't originate from Pagna, and they were also in the large organization known as Alter.
"What are the two of them doing here at this event? Why would they come to such a thing in the first place?" Raze thought.
Both of them sat down in their seats and took a glance around the place. They were greeted by Amir and offered something to drink.
While one of the guards served them, Charlotte continued to look around until she spotted Raze up in the stands.
Immediately, she went and tugged on the sleeve of Himmy.
"Look what I found," Charlotte said, raising her eyebrows in the direction of a certain individual.
Gazing up, Himmy spotted Raze as well.
"I see he made it into the academy all okay then. It's a shame that we won't be seeing him take part though," Himmy replied.
The two talked in hushed voices, making sure those around them wouldn't hear. They also kept getting odd looks from the other main clan leaders, but they knew who they were or at least what group they came from, as Alter was an organization that many in high positions knew about, a group of people that were not quite a clan but could be hired for distinct services. n(-(.)))/(.-.1).n
Raze continued to stare out of the corner of his eye at the two of them. He didn't want Dame to catch on that he knew them either.
That would open up another can of worms of questions for him.
'That's right, they told me that Alter is everywhere, and I got that letter in my room. Someone from Alter was already at the academy.'
'I still haven't figured out who that letter was from, and since that day, no one has tried to visit me or given me another one. But it does mean that Alter already knows that I'm here.'
Still, Raze couldn't figure out why the two of them were there. They could have sent anyone from the group. Did Himmy and Charlotte specifically request to come to the academy?
Or was it just because they were already in the area? And why would the Principal of the Dark Faction Academy invite them?
These were honestly questions that Raze would perhaps never get an answer to. He didn't even know how high their positions were in the Alter group, since he, along with the others, were just considered field agents.
He was just told that someone would contact him if they ever needed his help.
"I'm a little worried, though. If they see Simyon fight, they might realize his strength comes from the item. Although it's unlikely since it looks more like a martial arts technique."
Now that everyone was present, Pincer had jumped from his position and entered the center stage.
"I will now explain how the event will take place. The Blue Headband students must pick any opponent from the Yellow stand apart from those that are in the selective seats.
"If they wish, they may also choose someone from the Red Headband group."
Some of the merchants and those in the crowd chuckled as they heard this. Although it was the first time for the leaders to be invited, quite a few of them had witnessed the events before that.
"After all of the Blue Headbands have taken part, we will invite the Yellow Headbands in the seats to go against the Red Headbands," Pincer explained.
The Yellow Headbands in the seats were the top of the Yellow Headbands. The event was done this way so the strongest could go up against the Red Headbands at full force.
As for why there were no restrictions on the Blue Headbands taking on those in the Red, it was because of the skill gap believed to exist between the groups. A Red Headband user should at least be skillful enough to take on a Blue Headband and a Yellow.
If anything, if a Blue Headband owner did challenge a Red Headband owner, it would be seen like a warm-up.
"Will the first competitor please stand!" Pincer shouted.
Out of the Blue Headband owners, the first one to stand up straight in his seat was none other than Liam.
Before selecting his opponent, though, he looked down the line where Safa and Simyon were seated together.
"Please, watch me carefully!" Liam said, and lifting both of his hands up, he made a heart shape right toward Safa.
Nearly all of the Blue Headband owners were shaking their heads at this point. They were embarrassed to be part of the same group. While the others laughed.
"As for my opponent, I select the young master from the Erupting Fist Clan!" Liam declared.
The laughter had instantly stopped there. If this was a joke, it certainly wasn't a funny one.
"Did he just say from the Erupting Fist clan? Does this young one have a death wish!" Gavin said, slapping his large belly.
Not only had Liam selected someone from the Red Headbands, which was a surprise, but he had selected what most presumed was the strongest first-year in the entire academy and perhaps the strongest in the entire academy.
"I will prove what you said that day right here and now is a lie!"
Standing up, Ricktor had a smile on his face. He was casual about the whole thing, and the two started to make their way to the platform.
The Blue Headbands were nervous, and so was Teacher Lee.
"According to the assessment sheets given to me by the other teachers, Liam was the student with the highest score!" Lee thought. "Why did he have to go and challenge Ricktor of all people? If he had challenged a Yellow Headband, he had a good chance of winning."
Many of the students had the same thought; many knew that Liam was the most skilled out of all of them. So if he lost, it would be a big hit to all of their confidence.
"You can do it!" Dame shouted, his hands cupped around his mouth. "Use your killer move and take out his balls, even if you lose!"
While everyone else was afraid to say something, Dame took this opportunity to cheer on the fellow disciples he had worked side by side with. Soon after, the rest started to cheer him on as well.
"Show him that we aren't from some weak clans!"
"We can change our position, Liam, take him out!"
The onlookers found the whole thing quite interesting; it was the first time they had seen the Blue Headband group so rowdy before.
"Do you think this will be an interesting match?" one of the merchants asked.
"Hmm, Ricktor is meant to be considered a prodigy even within his own clan. Honestly, it's hard to see this lasting more than two hits. Unless he wants it to last that long."
"Haha!" Gunther laughed, overhearing the two of them speak. "You are probably right, but I don't know why, but I have a good feeling about the Blue Headbands. Things feel different about them."
"For some reason, I just feel like we might see something amazing today."
Ricktor stood in the middle and pulled out his sword. For this event, the two of them would be using wooden swords for fear of killing the other student. It also allowed them to use the full strength of their techniques.
"I'm a bit upset that you have chosen me; your disgusting eyepatch is not to my liking." Ricktor commented.
Liam went and pulled out his sword and pointed it as well.
"Do you think I care about what you like and don't like? Why don't you just stick your horny chicken under some rock!" Liam retorted.
"From what I heard, you are one of the strongest from the Blue Headbands, so let's see what you got," Ricktor replied.
Immediately, Liam charged forward, and when he got close, his sword was high up in the air.
"The Elephant's Strike!" Liam shouted and swung it down in a smooth motion. His sword was swinging in such a way that it was hard to predict where it would go.
"He's managed to learn the skill perfectly!" Lee was surprised at what he could see. "The Elephant's Strike is also perfect to add to one's own clan skills or additional skills as well as a follow-up, even if the first strike doesn't hit."
Despite the strange sword path, Ricktor was able to avoid it. He was moving with the sword as if he was following its very direction, staying just an inch or so away.
"The Jewel's Thrust!" Liam thrust his sword down below at the end of his Elephant's Strike. It had perfect timing, and even the Clan heads were impressed by what they were seeing.
"For a Blue Headband owner to perform this well, it seems the talent of the students has gone up this year," Samantha commented.
The thrust had missed again, but Liam didn't give up as he went back to performing the Elephant Strike again.
As they watched, the students were getting excited as the sword was swinging next to Ricktor. It felt like it was only a matter of time until a strike would land.
"He could really win at this rate!" one of the students commented.
"Don't be an idiot," Dame said. "Does his face look like someone who's losing?"
Looking at Ricktor, he had a smile the entire time.
Another thrust was performed by Liam, and he jumped back, avoiding the attack again, and cleared the distance between the two.
"It's a good thing you No-names aren't taking part in this fight. Because, I will now show you what would have happened to you if you did!" Ricktor said, raising his sword in the air.
