"Who is a better fire-element ranker between us? The Flame Feathers– Tuan Aag or King of Fire Serpents– Tim Westmoor? I just want to know the answer to that."
Tim said with passion for duel burning in his eyes. Tuan realized that Tim must have only started looking at Tuan as his equal after the finals because he hadn't bothered him till today. The guy looked like he was just being made aware of what Tuan could do in the finals.
'Someone must have tipped him. They might have also exaggerated my feats to this dense head to keep me busy here.'
Tuan had only one possible suspect when he made this prediction.
'Bianka Bluedust. That big-titty woman must have set this guy against me after knowing about his character for wanting to compete against capable fire-element rankers.'
Tuan gritted his teeth when he found out his plans were going to get hindered yet again without him irking anybody in the process. First, the organizers decided to spice things up by eliminating the safe area in the middle of the night.
The butcher was busy doing the deed with Katalina. So he didn't maintain contact with Lily who was outside with Ketsu and Wilder. He finally realized the thought behind a famous proverb-- Sometimes a dick can land you in a lot of trouble.
Tim and Langdon came out of nowhere. They weren't included in the butcher's equation until he was done with Bianka's group.
And they both were in the solid stage of the Ace rank. So it wouldn't be easy to take care of them while he acted like someone else.
Bianka planned to isolate Katalina from the rest of her raid partners. Yet even she did not expect that the protection of the safe area would end abruptly. Her raid team started chasing after Lily and her partners to draw Katalina out. Lily had also hoarded a significant number of Titus points herself. So the hunt was going to end up lucrative either way. If they manage to capture Katalina, Lily, Ketsu, and Wilder that is.
Tuan narrowed his eyes on his opponents when he drew his conclusions based on a few details and assumptions based on all the events that had unfolded.
'If I can't handle them using my Tuan identity, I'll just have to make sure that I can fight them by being the real me.'
Tuan came up with a makeshift plan and decided to act on it. He did not want to paint his hands red by killing opponents. Not when there was such a huge audience involved. Alas, the two opponents had made him sign their death warrants by being an obstacle in his path.
Still, he wanted to minimize the damage he would have to incur to Tuan's fame. The guy was his henchman. He didn't want bad press for him. Coz that would be detrimental to his next set of plans that revolved around the foundation of the White Raven guild.
"You want to challenge me with Langdon around so that he can backstab both of us when we are busy battling each other?"
This was Tuan's way of showing mercy. He decided he should limit the casualties by drawing a wedge between the two raid partners. He had no use for turning water-element rankers into food for his growth. At least not yet.
He also judged that a suspicious ranker like Tim was easy to influence with his words. And his prediction was spot on.
"Langdon, maybe you should get away from this battleground. No hard feelings man, but I don't trust you. I don't think you trust me either. So that kinda makes things easier for us to part ways, right?"
Tim looked at Langdon and spoke. He had his doubts about Langdon from the beginning. He just didn't say them yet. Until Tuan voiced them for him.
Langdon looked like he wanted to say something. Then he looked at Tuan hatefully as if the guy had ruined so many of his plans just by existing.
"Tim, you beware of this guy Tuan. He is not as simple as I had assumed him to be. He says all the right things. But in a way that would favor only him.
Trust me when I say this but you are easy to make a fool of. Although I do not doubt your battle skills, guys with deceptive auras like him shouldn't be taken lightly."
Langdon was warning Tim for his own good. Because he could still use the summoner as his raid partner to take down stronger opponents. But Tim seemed to be more upset by his words than to notice his confidence getting boosted. He interrupted the water-element ranker before he could finish.
"Oh yeah? Why don't you just stay behind and watch me fight with Tuan? We had been betting Titus points on so many battles now. Consider this one as "winner takes all."
If I win against Tuan fair and square, you would offer me your wristband just before quitting. And if I couldn't, we will stay as a team for as long as we can. And I'll offer you my wristband when I'm near my end of the line in the game. Of course, Tuan would be half burnt by the time we are done fighting, so you can also take his wristband as additional compensation.
What do you say? Of course, to prevent ourselves from getting attacked by each other, we'll have to sign a binding contract, if only for this match."
Tim smirked with confidence and patted his chest when he said that to Langdon. The latter was about to leave, but Tim's offer was too tempting. All he had to do was observe the battle between Tuan and act as a spectator. In return, he would either get Tim's or Tuan's Titus points.
"Hmm. deal."
Langdon pondered for a brief moment while stroking his fuller mustache before coming to a decision. He also knew what Tim was thinking. It was a way to build pressure on Tuan by telling him that no matter what he did while battling Tim or if he won or lost, the end result would be the same.
Langdon had to admit that although Tim wasn't the brightest bulb in any room, the light he produced had given him clear sight in risk assessment.
In the tournament, he earned the title Fire Serpent King for his performance in the battles. It wasn't because he was only skilled at burning things. Because he was attuned to a fraction of the higher consciousness, he could sense the dangers coming at him subconsciously. So he used that trait to select his opponents.
Tim had a rare class after all.
He was a summoner.
AN: Summoner class and its links with higher consciousness as well as ranker's intelligence have been mentioned in chapters 485, 486, 487, and 489.
