"Varhan..."
"Go get him…Varhan!"
"Varhan, you bastard, I lost all my money betting on you a few months ago. Yet, I still chose to bet on you today. Haha. Double or nothing baby!"
"Varhan… make the Durbag great again!"
A cacophony of noises and cheers were heard by Varhan all around him as he stepped into the battle ring. After today, the Oni festival will become fiercer. After today, the winning team was supposed to kill 4 of the defeated members of their opponent tribe. Meaning only one tribe member would get to live from the defeated tribe.
Varhan was a crowd pleaser. Instead of acting all stoic and cocky, he greeted his audience with a wave of his hands and a smile on his face. It was as if the guy was furthest away from killing anyone. Like he had done nothing but philanthropic work for the monsters around him in the last few days.
This was the face of an abomination– smiling and welcoming. A vile evil that had been hidden deep under the veil of deceit and deception. An evil that wouldn't be seen as such until it was too late for its victims.
The audience became even more enthralled when Varhan waved at them. They were stunned when he jumped using his lightning-covered feet and used his Wind-Fire Wings to flit through the air like a free bird.
Swoosh.
Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap!
Eren flew closer to the audience booth and touched and clapped the hands of those who had raised them when he was flying closely over their heads. Nobody had done this at any Oni festival before.
"Oooooooh!"
"Varhan…. Here! Please come here!"
A group of small Ogre children raised their hands and shouted at Varhan using all their might. They had used the Oni language, an indication that they had received their clarity early in their age.
Varhan smiled and flew over the group of Ogre kids and clapped their hands before returning to the battle ring once again. His opponent had arrived after all.
"You… you are a show-off!"
Laki the Orc Leader addressed Varhan and accused him of creating hype around him. The latter simply nodded before casting his spells.
Sedated Perception
Stunning Speed
Blitz Steps
Wind-Fire Wings
Purple Reaver
Eren exploded into action and decided to overpower his opponent. In the next moment, Laki's right arm and left hand which was holding a runic sword were chopped off.
Bzzt. Swoosh. Chop.
"Aaaargh!"
Laki tried to create a distance between himself and his opponent. A second before, he was trying to converse with his opponent. Eren's attack had come from seemingly out of nowhere. It was as if the guy didn't value the Monster Leaders' lives anymore.
A sphere of wind was getting created around Laki as he decided to use his defensive spell on him. Yet, he found out that his vision had suddenly changed. He could see his own body from a third-person point of view at this point. He observed that his body was missing a head. His head.
The duel was over as soon as it finished. Laki's supporters hadn't even begun to shout out his name when he was declared dead by everyone without a shadow of a doubt.
The duel was well predicted in advance. And yet, Varhan's fans loved it.
"You… you were supposed to offer the sacrifice by the end of the 5th duel between our two tribes. You… you have broken the rule. I demand justice."
The Orc Lord that was supposed to be the leader of the opponent tribe cried foul. Each team was allowed to have one Monster Lord who could lead their team. He was an Orc Lord from the Jorhan tribe.
"Hm? How were you supposed to register a win for your tribe when three of the duels had been won by us and only two duels were remaining? Pray tell all of us. Maybe you have received an advanced form of clarity than the rest of us."
Borul spoke in Varhan's place who was a mute. Despite Borul's questionable gaze and puzzled expression, the smirk on his face couldn't be concealed. Borul was mocking Laki.
Eren smirked at the opponent too. The question elicited hysterical laughter in the audience as well. At this point, all of Echidnae had become immune to the sight of killing. They didn't even look at Laki's headless corpse when they laughed.
"Hahahaha. This Varhan is too domineering. Wish we had a tribe member like that."
"Hehe. too bad he is an orc. He would have been more successful if he was an Ogre like us."
"I liked that he sacrificed his opponent right away. That way, his opponent suffered less."
"Yeah. I wonder what the king would have to say."
The audience looked at Har Jahar who was present on a raised platform. He had a throne-like seat on which he was sitting comfortably. His eyes were lifeless and he looked bored. As if the duel that just ended in front of him was not entertaining enough for him to pass the time. Kirin was standing not too far away from him on the same raised platform.
She had been watching Varhan's fights with keen interest as well. Just to learn a few things from him at first.
And yet, the more she stared at him and the more she observed his moves, the more mystified he had become in her mind. She couldn't understand how an Orc Leader would have this much talent without any resources offered to him.
"Hm. Yeah. I'll allow it. The sacrifice has been completed after all. Varhan, don't do anything troublesome again."
Har Jahar ruled his decision in favor of Varhan. And even if he didn't, Varhan was confident enough to battle with the Orc Lord as well. But why should he if there was nothing to be gained of real value? Varhan bowed at Har Jahar, indicating he was okay with his "king's" decision. A king he planned to kill at the right time.
"You have a headache too it seems. Step into the ring. I know a sure-shot way to treat it just like Varhan."
An Orc lord from Varhan's tribe stepped into the ring. Varhan nodded at him before retiring from the battle ring. It wasn't his job to handle the opponents anymore.
Varhan walked out of the battle ring while the two Orc Lords were gearing up for their incoming battle. He didn't forget to wave his hands to his cheering audience once again.
