Gian nodded and instantly disappeared from his position, his body surging towards Leona with a punch aimed at her gut.
The moment he arrived before her, her sword blocked his attack, absorbing the impact.
However, that wasn't enough to stop him. Gian immediately repositioned his body and turned around, crashing his elbow toward Leona's face.
Just as it was about to hit, Leona quickly pulled back, distancing herself from Gian.
Leona smiled broadly as she looked at him.
"Since you can't touch me, and I can't touch you, I think it's best we call this a draw," Leona said, narrowing her eyes at Gian.
She observed him for any sudden movements.
"Besides, it's not as though we are using our full abilities," Leona added.
Nevertheless, instead of responding, Gian's body surged towards her again. "Let's see how much you can dodge then," he said, appearing before her and swinging his cutlass towards her neck.
Leona immediately raised her sword and blocked the attack, prompting the cutlass to break into two due to the force of the impact.
Gian sent a kick towards her gut, causing her to use her hands to block the attack, the clothes crafted from leaves falling apart from the impact. However, just when she thought she could recover, Gian's body twisted unnaturally in the air, showcasing one of the skills he had honed over many years fighting the vicious Vylkr vines.
His feet immediately crashed into her face.
BANGG!!
Leona hurtled off the platform like a projectile before crashing onto the ground. Her senses were momentarily disoriented from the attack before she swiftly recovered them, attempting to sit upright as Isadora and the others arrived to check on her condition.
"Are you alright, Leona?" Isadora asked worriedly.
They had all witnessed Leona being sent flying off the platform with a kick to her face.
"I'm fine, Princess. The side of my face just hurts a little, that's all," Leona replied, sighing in defeat as she realized she had also lost.
"You tried your best, so there's no reason for you to feel bad," Leif said, noticing her defeated expression.
Ronan nodded in response, "At first, we thought you would lose without landing any attack. Though you still didn't land any, you proved us wrong by evading a few of his. Good job," Ronan responded with a reassuring smile.
Lyndon and the rest of the group all nodded in agreement.
Leona nodded, accepting their words of encouragement, but she still couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at her defeat.
"The next should climb the platform," the Village Chief's resounding voice sounded in the air once more.
"I guess it's my turn," Ronan said, his shoulders slumping downwards as he picked up his sword and walked towards the platform before suddenly regaining confidence.
Even though he knew he would lose, like Leif and Leona before him, Ronan decided to put in his best effort.
Ronan confidently stepped onto the platform.
….
"I lost," Ronan admitted, sprawling on the ground with his hands splayed sideways and his sword landing a few meters away from him.
Though his opponent wasn't as agile or overwhelming as Leona's and Leif's opponents, there was something about his opponent's strength that sent a tremor through his body after each attack.
He was overpowered!
The Village Chief's voice resounded in the air again.
Carl smirked wryly as he tightened his grip on his weapon and walked toward the platform.
Within the next five minutes, he, too, experienced defeat.
After that, the losses continued until all four of the remaining gods' chosen had entered the platform and showcased their capabilities with the Vylkr energy. While a few were flung off the platform like Leif and the others, the rest willingly accepted their defeat and walked off the stage with little to no injuries on their bodies.
After an hour, the Village Chief, Orion, and the others wore contemplative expressions as they processed how the gods' chosen utilized the Vylkr energy.
Unlike the gods' chosen, who depended on their Devourer's heart and other components of the Devourer's bracelets to become stronger, it was obvious that the warriors had an overwhelming edge not only in overall strength but also in the Vylkr containers, enhancing specific aspects of their strength considerably.
The Village Chief immediately summoned the healers to tend to injured people.
The Village Chief, Orion, Stronghold Leader Seth, Stronghold Leader Zogar, and Queen Selene approached Patriarch Rylan.
At this moment, they took notice of the downcast expressions of the four-eared elves as some received treatment from the healers.
"I hope this test didn't cause you any issues, Patriarch Rylan," the Village Chief asked, furrowing his brows as he focused on Patriarch Rylan.
Patriarch Rylan tiredly shook his head in response, "Don't worry about it, Chief Brane. As their Patriarch, I can say that this is something they all needed to experience before settling down," Patriarch Rylan responded.
He was sure that now that the gods' chosen had been humbled and realized they were nothing special compared to the warriors of the Village, they would avoid stirring up any kind of trouble.
Instead, he hoped they would focus on helping the four-eared elves recover slowly and steadily. He simply hoped they were not too foolish not to pick up any lessons from the experience.
The Village Chief had a look of realization as he nodded in understanding.
"Okay then. I just want to inform you that all four-eared elves are currently settling in the Second Border City, each given their own homes. The Village and the Prismerions will provide the food and daily provisions for a month until they all find something to do, so you don't have to worry; everything has been taken care of," the Village Chief said, gesturing towards Queen Selene, who nodded in response.
Along with Isadora and Lyndon, who were behind their father, Leona and the other four-eared elves receiving treatment nearby, along with others who were keeping watch over them, had heard the Village Chief's words. This caused their hearts to throb with immense gratitude.
