When Elver felt Shang's aura, all his doubts vanished.
He did it.
Shang had killed Jerald.
Elver wasn't a kid anymore, and he had lived for a very long time. He knew a lot about people, and just by looking at Shang, he could tell that Shang had killed Jerald.
He knew that because Shang's aura was way too sterile and apathetic.
It was almost like he was deathly afraid of ever feeling any kind of positive emotion for another human being.
Elver knew how something like that could happen.
Committing an act so painful that only the complete eradication of emotions could keep one alive.
People that didn't know the old Shang wouldn't be able to feel these kinds of things, but Elver had known him very well.
Shang had killed Jerald.
There was no doubt about it.
"Why?" Elver asked, looking at Shang. "Why would-"
"Traitor!" someone shouted from the edge of the arena.
Oliver shot towards Shang, his face contorted in hatred and rage.
"You killed him!" Oliver shouted as all his suppressed rage burst forth. "You killed him! You're why so many of my brothers died!"
Oliver summoned all of his weapons.
Shang waved his right arm.
BOOOOM!
All weapons, except for Oliver's spear, broke apart and turned into dust as Oliver was thrown against the wall of the arena.
The onlookers looked with shock at the exchange, but only the Ancestral Mages and Lord Starsky could feel the true secret of that strike.
Ancestral Beast!
This was the ability that Ancestral Beasts had!
Yes, Shang had unveiled his World Connection.
Why?
Because he didn't need to keep it a secret anymore due to his age and Realm.
An Initial Impose Stage warrior that knew World Connection would be akin to shocking the entire world since it meant that the warrior might have even comprehended this concept at the True Path Stage.
But at the Peak Impose Stage, this wouldn't be very shocking anymore. After all, people at that level were specifically working on comprehending the thing they needed for the next Realm.
An Initial True Mage that knew a level one Concept would be seen as a monster, but a Peak True Mage that knew the same thing would just be seen as a True Mage that would soon become a High Mage. Even more, many Peak True Mages knew a level one Concept. Many of them were focusing on comprehending even more before their breakthrough.
The same was true for warriors.
If World Connection was necessary to reach the Sixth Realm, Shang would simply be someone that had managed to take that step without actually breaking through.
This meant, in the eyes of the public, Shang was ready to reach the Sixth Realm.
Of course, unveiling the power of World Connection would still shock the world since it meant that Shang had found a way for warriors to reach the Sixth Realm, but it wouldn't make him appear like an insanely talented monster.
After throwing Oliver against the walls, Shang didn't say anything.
"MURDERER!"
WHOOOOM!
Suddenly, the entire arena was suppressed by an insanely powerful Spirit Sense.
All the warriors in the arena felt like they couldn't breathe anymore, and even Elver felt nearly unable to move.
The next moment, a young man with green and icy-blue hair appeared in the sky.
Shang didn't look at the young man.
"You killed my father!" the man shouted as he readied his Focus.
This was George, Jerald's son, and he was an Initial Ancestral Mage.
At first glance, this would appear shocking.
George, Jerald's son, was already in the Ancestral Mage Realm?
However, one had to remember that George was around 600 years old already.
Reaching the Ancestral Mage Realm at that age could be considered average.
It wasn't unusual for him to be an Ancestral Mage.
Especially when he had a very good reason for chasing power.
George immediately cast several Spells as he shot forward.
Then, he unleashed a terrifyingly fast spear made of ice.
CRACK!
The spear hit the Magic Circle surrounding the arena itself and broke apart.
"Outsiders are not allowed to interfere!" the Ancestral Mage in the arena told George. "This is a battle between warriors."
George nearly exploded in rage. "He killed my father! He is a criminal that killed someone working for the Lightning Manor!"
The head judge furrowed his brows.
A criminal wanted by the Lightning Manor?
That would be problematic.
"Do you have any proof?" the head judge asked.
"Proof? He's standing right there! We all know him! We all know what he has done!" George shouted in fury.
"His name is Shang Sword, and he was bestowed the title of Count and then the title of Advisor by my late father, King Storm of Area 23! Father worked for the Lightning Manor as an Assistant Supervisor for Area 23, and he was killed by him!"
The head judge wasn't quite sure if he should believe this onlooker or not.
It all seemed very strange.
Why would a wanted criminal by the Lightning Manor appear in front of millions of people?
That didn't make a lot of sense.
"Yes, it's him!" Oliver shouted as he slowly stood up again near the edge of the arena. "This is Shang Sword, and he has killed King Storm!"
Elver looked at Shang with an expression filled with pity before sighing. "I also recognize him. That is Shang Sword, killer of King Storm."
Shang didn't answer.
The head judge looked at Lord Starsky and asked for orders on how to proceed.
Lord Starsky had remained silent ever since Shang had taken off his cloak, and his expression had remained suspicious since then.
It was like he was thinking about or planning something.
When the head judge asked for orders, Lord Starsky threw a short glance at him.
Then, Lord Starsky looked at Shang.
And a smirk appeared on his face.
"What a clever little scheme," Lord Starsky said.
Silence.
"You disguised yourself as a notorious warrior that everyone would recognize just so that nobody would doubt your identity."
By now, the onlookers talked to each other in confusion.
"Sadly, you didn't know that I am also quite proficient in the Light Concepts. I'm sorry, but your little Disguise Spell doesn't work on me."
"You're not this Shang person."
"You're just an Ancestral Mage disguising as a warrior to convince our warriors to move to your territory."
"Quite a clever trick, but it doesn't work on me."
