The crowd was silent.
Greg's lifeless body slipped from Luc's grip as the latter withdrew the blade. Even as he lost his life, Greg's expression was pleasant, as if his life's purpose was fulfilled. His body fell on the ground with a loud…
Thud!
It didn't take long before a pool of blood surrounded the corpse, truly registering Gregory Hall's death in the minds of those who watched. Tears continued to stream down Luc's cheeks, after which sobs escaped her lips.
She covered her mouth using her blood-stained hands.
However, there wasn't a moment of peace. Immediately, a terrifying aura rose from both sides. The Elders of their respective villages stood, their expressions laced with rage and indignation. A tragedy had just occurred.
"Feyright! This was supposed to be a clean battle!" Gabriel shouted in a thunderous tone, his each word conveying a deeper meaning. The other Elders arose from their seats, directing glares towards the Elders of Lijkao Village.
Feyright hesitated for a few seconds, glancing at Luc. Suddenly, a smile blossomed on his face, but it was far from anything pleasant. "Your competitor willingly stood before Luc, handing her his sword."
"That does not excuse murder, Feyright!" Gabriel gritted his teeth, crushing the fragile glass clutched between his fingers. The fragments of the glass flew in all directions, yet thankfully, they didn't hurt anyone. "Your competitor should have enough of a brain to refrain from killing Greg."
"Oh, come on, Gabriel," replied Feyright, tilting his head innocently. "You don't seriously believe my competitor is going to let go of a heavenly opportunity, do you? A village's leader should be decisive, and my Luc is the epitome of that trait."
"Decisive… is that why she's sobbing like a coward?" Gabriel replied, hissing like a snake at his former "friend." Feyright and he had established their respective villages at the same time, and were acquaintances from long ago.
Their history spanned for decades. Yet, Feyright was willing to abandon their goodwill solely for the purpose of allowing one of his contenders to be excused of committing murder? Did Luc mean that much to him?
Or did he have an ulterior motive?
"Is that why your competitor is lying on the ground, dead?" Feyright retorted immediately, his face contorting into a sneaky smile. Lijkao Village's objective was to destroy Gargo Village's force, and unless Gabriel decided to retaliate physically, they would have no trouble in doing so. It was a simple plan.
Gabriel was tempted to smash Feyright's face, but that would result in an unnecessary battle, costing his village dozens of lives. One person's death–even if it was a candidate for village leader–was not worth a full-scale war.
It was quite obvious that engaging with Feyright in battle would evolve into something much worse. Gargo Village couldn't handle such a war, and neither could Lijkao Village, but neither would back down until total annihilation.
It was better to simply avoid such an outcome, and continue the battle without qualms.
"One more death, and we won't hesitate to attack," said Gabriel, gritting his teeth as he forcefully suppressed the urge to decapitate Feyright. Despite their former friendship, Gabriel no longer considered Feyright a friend.
He was a rival.
Gargo Village and Lijkao Village could never coexist, and that fact was determined ever since the day of their creation. However, through forceful means, both Gabriel and Feyright continued to prevent battles.
But through this competition, new leaders would emerge. It was doubtful that they would prevent a battle, considering each youngster had been taught that the other village was an enemy, and should be demolished.
Moreover, none of the youngsters had climbed the tower, and were merely frogs in a well. They were narrow-minded and blinded by the teachings of their parents and ancestors. None of them could truly discern between good and evil; no matter how thin the line between the two truly was, or what classified them.
A battle was inevitable.
Perhaps it would be immediately after the competition, or after the leader settled into their position, molding the village into what they envisioned it to be.
"Who do you think will win, Arthur?" Isabella inquired. She sat beside the crimson-eyed man, who seemed so invested in the battle. Arthur's eyes were stuck to the battlefield, while his irises were narrowed.
"I have no idea," replied Arthur, leaning back. "I can only hope it's someone who wishes for the village's prosperity."
In truth, Arthur couldn't care less about the village's well-being. Although it had treated him well, there was no such thing as a "free lunch." The village would undoubtedly try to recruit Arthur into their village.
His freedom would undoubtedly be restricted, and usually, one would gladly accept that.
But Arthur?
No way in hell was he going to join the village's "system." Gargo Village was merely a frog in a well, and couldn't discern the immensity of Heaven and Earth. Only a select few had ever ventured into the tower.
Once the Elders had settled down, the announcer stepped onto the battle. With a timid expression, he announced the next battle.
"Xiao Fan will be fighting Finn!"
The crowd exploded into cheers. By that moment, Luc had already been escorted off, sobbing the entire time. Arthur somewhat sympathized with her, but death was as natural as the withering of trees or the death of prey at the hands of a predator.
The death of those one loved was definitely much worse, but it was inevitable. Although, being sorrowful was natural.
As the two competitors stepped onto the arena, their gazes caused invisible sparks to form. Having observed the former battle, neither of them wished for a similar outcome to occur. They both wished to beat the other until they croaked.
Former lovers?
It was laughable to them.
Bringing their village the respect and reverence it deserved was more important. Both Xiao Fan and Finn would go to any lengths to achieve such an outcome.
"Mr. Solace? Elder Gabriel has summoned you to his room."
