The two contestants looked at each other. Contestant 12 had already drawn his weapons, while contestant 1 just stood there with a kind smile.
"Your smile sickens me," contestant 12 said.
Contestant 1's smile didn't change. "Is it because I am reminding you of someone?" he asked.
Contestant 12's eyes narrowed. "Yes, you two seem similar, but you couldn't be any more different. Teacher's smile was genuine. Yours isn't."
Contestant 1 only shook his head slightly. "I've told you many times. I don't want to kill you or stop you in your path. I do not intend to gain your trust with a mere smile."
"I want to push you," contestant 1 said. "I want to see how far you can go. I want to put you under more pressure so that you will one day grow stronger."
"Shut up!" contestant 12 shouted with a voice burning with fury. "Don't use the words of Teacher! You are not Teacher, no matter how much you try to copy him!"
Contestant 1 only slightly shook his head. "Why won't you let this matter rest? I've never tried to imitate him."
"I can't let this matter rest!" contestant 12 said with a dark voice. "Not while the public is singing your praises."
"Have you heard what they're saying?" contestant 12 asked with narrowed eyes.
"I don't listen to gossip," contestant 1 said with a chuckle.
"They want to bestow you the title of Warrior Saint!" contestant 12 said with disgust. "All because you came up with this barebones Diamond Body. They say that you opened up the way to the Fifth Realm, but in truth, you've doomed nearly a thousand warriors to mediocrity, and you will continue to doom many more!"
"The Diamond Body is a dead path! It leads to a dead end! Yet, the Warrior Council wants to make you the second Warrior Saint! They want to elevate you to the same position as the Progenitor Saint, the one that created the True Path Stage!"
"I have no problem with people imitating my late teacher. Many people aspire to be him."
Contestant 12 lifted his spear and pointed it at contestant 1.
"However, I can't allow a copy to overtake my teacher! My teacher was only bestowed the title of Champion while you are about to become the second Saint!" contestant 12 shouted.
The conversation was being transmitted to everyone in the colosseum, and they were talking animatedly via voice transmission with each other.
98% of watchers were Mages, and they didn't know a lot about the warrior paths. But hey, drama was entertaining!
After contestant 12 was finished with his tirade, contestant 1 only shook his head with an exhausted expression.
"I've known Teacher Mervin longer than you," contestant 1 said.
Contestant 12 narrowed his eyes in anger when he heard contestant 1 speak his teacher's name.
"I know how you feel," contestant 1 said. "Teacher Mervin was an amazing warrior. He had been one of the very first to reach the True Path Stage, and his True Path had also been outstanding in its quality."
"On top of that, he taught so many warriors. Nearly all of the truly powerful warriors today had once been taught by Teacher Mervin."
"He has been an idol to us all."
"Yet, he has failed in the end," contestant 1 said with a sigh. "He tried to find a different way to the Fifth Stage. I remember telling him many times that it would be easier to research a way to reach the Fifth Stage by increasing the power of our bodies, but he adamantly refused."
"He wanted to create something else, and in the end, he died of old age."
"Do you know how I felt?" contestant 1 asked with a soft voice. "I was so close to creating my Diamond Body, but Teacher Mervin refused to help me."
"He chose death over helping me."
"He would rather die than help me in creating my way."
Contestant 1 slowly shook his head.
"I idolized him for over 300 years, but when I finally reached his level, he chose death over working together with me."
Contestant 1 sighed. "How can someone this stubborn ever possibly become a Saint?"
Contestant 12 gnashed his teeth.
"I saved so many warriors' lives," contestant 1 said. "So many warriors would have died of old age without me."
"And yet, you are constantly comparing me to this stubborn old fool."
"Yes, he was a magnificent teacher, but he was also a stubborn mule. You're idolizing your deceased teacher to the point of surrealism. Recognize that people have strengths and weaknesses," contestant 1 said.
For the first time, contestant 1's expression seemed to become annoyed.
"Also, I'm not the only one that's resembling someone else, am I?"
Contestant 12's eyes widened in fury.
He wouldn't dare!
"Don't you also look like someone else?" contestant 1 asked.
Contestant 12's grip hardened on his spear.
"Yes, my mannerisms are similar to Teacher Mervin's, but I don't blindly idolize him. Yet, you seemed to think like I did."
"So, wouldn't it be logical to assume that you are also idolizing a certain someone?" contestant 1 asked with a bright smile that seemed deeply fake.
"You look a bit like-"
BANG!
Contestant 12 shot forward in an instant, his bow firing several arrows at contestant 1 while he slashed forward with his sword and thrust with his spear.
DING! DING! DING! BANG!
Contestant 1 took out his two swords, deflected the arrow and the spear, parried the sword, and slashed the tower shield in front of him with his other sword.
Contestant 12 was thrown back, his bones creaking under immense force. Contestant 1's body was vastly more powerful than his.
Contestant 12 gnashed his teeth as he regained his balance.
"Is this so much of a trigger for you?" contestant 1 asked. "But then, why are you dressing like him? Why are you acting like him?"
"Maybe you are the one idolizing someone."
"Tell me…"
"Are you idolizing the Fallen Saint?"
