The audience was on the edge of their seats, eagerly awaiting the start of the battle. The air was thick with anticipation, and excitement, with suspense, was flickering in every breath. It was clear that something truly extraordinary was about to happen.
Rio and Lex stood at opposite ends of the arena twenty meters away from each other, their gazes locked in a fierce battle of wills.
The referee positioned himself in the center, ready to signal the start of the match.
Lex Magnus had his eyes fixed on the figure of his opponent, a sneer of contempt spread across his face.
"Well, well, well... looks like the dead really can come back to life. But let's be real here, this guy's nothing more than a cockroach. I'll go easy on him for the sake of Lady Aliyah, but I can't promise I won't have some fun with him."
Lex knew that Aliyah Havenglow wouldn't be pleased if he hurt Rio too severely, but he also knew that he had a reputation to uphold,
"After all, I'm a red-stage warrior. This kid's only at the black stage. He doesn't stand a chance against me." he muttered to himself.
"Three... Two... One... Begin..." The referee's swift motion of his hand and the sound of his voice signaled the start of the match.
Lex launched himself at Rio with lightning-fast speed, his clothing fluttering behind him as he closed in.
Rio's expression remained composed as his opponent closed in, his cold smile hidden behind his mask. It could send a shiver down the spine of anyone who saw it.
Without a moment's hesitation, he sidestepped Lex's punch, causing the attack to miss its mark and hit nothing but air.
*Thwack!*
The sound of a loud slap echoed throughout the stadium, causing the audience to gasp in surprise. Lex's mask shattered into pieces as Rio's hand connected with his cheek, the force of the blow sending Lex stumbling backward.
The audience looked on in amazement as Rio stood his ground, his eyes fixed on Lex as if he were staring down a dead man.
Humiliation burned within Lex as he felt the sting of Rio's slap on his face, his cheeks turning red with anger.
He turned around to face Rio, his gaze burning with hatred as if he were facing his mortal enemy.
For a moment, Lex forgot that he couldn't harm Rio without facing the wrath of Aliyah Havenglow, who doted on her adopted son as if he was piece of her heart.
Lex's rage overtook him, and he charged toward Rio with furious intent, a sword beast soul materializing in his hand.
He had initially planned to defeat Rio with his bare hands, thinking it would be an easy win.
Still, the humiliation of Rio's slap had triggered something deep within him, a desire to draw blood and teach him the lesson for mortifying him.
As he approached Rio, his grip on the sword tightened, his knuckles turning white with the pressure. He swung the blade with all his might, hoping to land a fatal blow that would end the fight in his favor.
But Rio was quick to react, dodging the attack with ease, and lunged at Lex, his hand connecting with Lex's face in a powerful slap.
Thwack!
This time, he used a mana enchantment that seemed to amplify the force of the slap, sending Lex flying back several feet, skidding to a halt on the ground.
The stadium erupted into gasps as they witnessed the sheer power of Rio's slap, the impact of his strike causing Lex's lips to split and blood to trickle down his chin.
It was clear that Rio's attack had been devastating, and the crowd watched in amazement as Lex staggered backward.
But Rio wasn't finished yet.
As Lex charged at him again and again, Rio unleashed a flurry of slaps that landed on Lex's face with alarming force.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
One...two...three...the sound of each slap echoed throughout the stadium as Rio delivered blow after blow.
Despite the onslaught, Lex refused to back down, his eyes blazing with fury as he continued to advance on his opponent.
The crowd watched in awe as Rio's savagery was unleashed upon Lex, his slaps raining down with incredible force.
Thwack!
"Consider that a taste of your own karma for ganging up on Nyla when she was alone in the national military school tournament!" he shouted, his voice amplified by the mana enchantment. The words echoed throughout the stadium, making it clear to everyone present why Rio was taking such drastic action.
With each slap, Lex's face became more and more disfigured, swelling and bruising under the impact.
Thwack!
"This is for stealing half of her points," Rio announced with each successive blow, his voice ringing out across the arena.
The audience winced with each hit, feeling the force of Rio's anger with every resounding slap.
As Rio landed another powerful slap, he declared, "And that's for even thinking about harming my friend!"
The sound of the impact was deafening, and Lex's teeth were sent flying out of his mouth, hitting the ground with a sharp clink. The audience gasped in shock at the brutality of the attack, realizing that Rio was not holding back in his fury.
Thwack!
"This is for using underhanded ways to become the champion!" Rio shouted, his hand connecting with a resounding slap to Lex's cheek.
Thwack!
"And this is for all your other mistakes!" Another slap landed on Lex's other cheek, the force of the blow causing him to stumble backward.
"This is for making me angry..." Rio's hand came down again, connecting with yet another powerful slap to Lex's face.
Thwack!
"This is for showing me your face..." Another slap landed on Lex's other cheek, the sound echoing through the stadium.
Thwack!
"This is for thinking bad about me in your mind!" Rio's hand came down again with a resounding slap, causing Lex's head to snap to the side.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The slaps continued to rain down on Lex, each one infused with a powerful burst of mana.
The audience groaned in sympathy as they watched Lex's face become increasingly bruised and swollen with every blow.
Everyone was silent, stunned by the sheer brutality of Rio's assault.
But as Rio's voice echoed through the stadium, they began to understand the reasons behind his anger.
They realized how Lex had become the winner in previous national military school tournament one and half year ago, and a sense of truth started to fill their hearts.
Lily, however, found the scene amusing but couldn't help but think that her grandfather would be furious at Rio's behavior for beating his disciple.
Despite this, she couldn't help but feel happy that the boy was giving lessons to Lex as her grandfather wanted her to marry Lex while her mother wanted her to marry Rio. However, the girl didn't have interest marrying anyone of them.
The sound reverberated through the stadium
Thwack!
With a final, brutal slap, Lex Magnus's body couldn't withstand any more punishment. He crumpled to the ground like a ragdoll, his eyes shut tight, and his face so battered and bruised that he was almost unrecognizable. The once-lively stadium fell into a haunting silence, as if the spectators had seen a ghost.
The referee stared at Rio, his eyes wide with a mix of fear and disbelief, as if he was beholding a monster.
Rio locked eyes with the referee and asked in a calm voice, "Will you announce the result, or do I have to continue?"
The referee snapped back to reality, his voice trembling. "Y-yes, yes... Sorry, my bad... Lex Magnus cannot fight anymore... Rio Havenglow wins the fight and becomes the last one to reach the quarterfinals..." The bald man quickly announced before hurrying to the wounded Lex on the ground.
With a casual stride, Rio turned and walked toward the area where his fellow Golden Seal School students were sitting.
Among them was Nyla. As he reached their section, the couple locked eyes for a brief moment, an unspoken understanding passing between them.
The students, initially stunned by Rio's victory, suddenly roared with deafening cheers as they realized that three of their own had made it to the quarterfinals.
As the cheering continued by his schoolmates, more and more people from stadium began to join in. They had seen Rio's incredible strength and resolve after just coming back after being missing for five months, and they couldn't help but feel thrilled by his victory.
The applause swelled into a deafening roar as the entire stadium erupted in cheers, a wave of joyous energy spreading through the crowd.
People who had been afraid of Rio's previous performance were now cheering him on, caught up in the excitement of the moment.
Lily Havenglow took a final glance at the crimson-haired boy, thinking something in mind before turning away.
She didn't want to linger any longer than necessary as she had an important task at hand - finding her younger sister, Rose.
Meanwhile, medical teams rushed to attend to the unconscious form of Lex Magnus.
No one from the Magnus family was present, as they had underestimated other students' abilities and believed that Lex would easily win the match for entering quarter-finals, unless he faced a worthy opponent like Hazel Cloven or Lily Havenglow.
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Edited By: TheWhiteSnow
