Compared to the previous brackets, not as many battles took place on a day-to-day basis in the King Bracket. This was mainly due to the length of each battle being much longer, and the repair time for the arena itself being the same.
Unfortunately for Damien, he didn't get to fight at all on the 5th day. He sat there in his same posture waiting for some genius to provoke him all the way until the timing for the King Bracket ended.
While he was a bit disappointed, he knew that the second he went up, he'd dominate. Therefore, it didn't bother him too much.
Casually standing up at the end of the time and stretching, he began to walk out of the battle arena.
But…
The end of the King Bracket signified the start of the Emperor Bracket.
As he exited the arena, Damien came face to face with the one man he wanted to see the most.
"What a thick scent of blood. Is it a fetish thing?"
Those were the first words that came out of his mouth when he locked eyes with the red-eyed man in front of him.
"Damien Void. You're just as scummy as I expected. A commoner from the bottom of the bottom naturally won't have the class to give a proper greeting." The man replied.
Damien grinned. "Mm, and apparently spoiled rich brats like you are the same. The difference between us is that I don't let eloquent bullshitting cloud my intent when I speak."
"Hah, the only reason you dare to make that comparison is because you've never felt the power of a Holy Land yourself. When the time comes, let us see if you can still be so bold." Reavus scoffed.
Damien smiled nonchalantly. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say. Anyway, I need to go do something actually productive instead of wasting my time with flies so I'll take my leave. I'll see you in the Emperor Bracket soon, Bloodbitch prince."
"You…!"
Reavus shot his hand out, but it was already too late. Damien's figure was long gone, space and time coalescing to take him back to the Gravity Chamber training area so he could continue his usual routine.
Reavus stood alone outside the battle arena, his teeth clenched in anger.
He never would've thought that in their first face-to-face encounter, he'd lose to Damien in a war of words.
"Crass…pathetic…vermin!" He spat in hatred.
His heart was already dead set on revenge. To face a loss so early in his quest only fueled this thought, driving his enmity with Damien to a point nearing obsession.
"Hahaha, looks like you're struggling with something. Need some help?"
A teasing voice came from behind. There stood a man with long black hair and equally dark eyes, a familiar man that Damien had met once before.
"Atticus…" Reavus seethed. "What help would I need from a clown like you? Get out of my face."
"Haha, come on, now. Don't be so harsh. I heard you've recently made enemies with a rising genius. I assume it isn't going well for you?" Atticus continued with a condescending smile.
"What do I need to tell you? Have you not been keeping a tight enough leash on your dog to know what he's been up to?" Reavus replied hatefully.
"Pfft…hahahahaha!" Atticus broke out into a fit of raucous laughter. "Dog? That guy? If I could have someone like him as a dog, I'd even give up my Holy Son position!"
Reavus' eyes inadvertently widened. Atticus' offhanded comment might have seemed joking, but he wasn't someone to speak pointlessly.
Especially when his title and position as the Fallen Star Holy Son were at stake, he absolutely couldn't speak sarcastically. The connotations behind the Holy Son position didn't allow any mistakes. A Holy Son wasn't just a representation of the sect, but also its most sponsored genius.
A Holy Son reneging their position was more than just a disgrace for a Holy Land, but a massive slap to the face that would never be tolerated!
If he was serious, didn't that mean…
"Don't overthink it." Atticus suddenly said, interrupting Reavus' thoughts. "Sooner or later, you'll become food for his growth. Im just excited to see how long you can last before it happens."
With a cool grin on his face as he walked, Atticus passed Reavus and entered the battle arena.
Reavus Bloodlock, while he was a Bloodlock Prince indeed, he wasn't the prince set to take the throne when the Immortal Blood Asura decided to step down. That position actually belonged to his 4th brother.
Reavus himself was 3rd in line. He was a genius, sure, but not a genius satisfying the standards of a Demigod-level Holy Land.
This year he would be 87. Still stuck with mediocre law comprehension despite his high level, how could he be compared to a genius like Atticus?
The reason for his Heaven's List ranking being higher than Atticus' was solely due to his raw power that made his talent a secondary consideration.
Even if Reavus was more powerful now, Atticus had no doubt he'd surpass the Bloodlock prince in time. He held no fear towards a moody prince with daddy issues who wouldn't even be able to kiss his feet in 100 years.
And Atticus knew very well Damien's talent. He was weak right now, too weak to be put on the same pedestal as other Emperor level geniuses.
But…that was only if one looked at his level.
As someone who'd actually fought a few rounds against the man, why would Atticus be stupid enough to take Damien's level to heart?
That man was powerful, more powerful and talented than any genius at his level that Atticus had seen in his many years of life both as a Holy Land genius and a Hidden Death Valley recruiter.
Reavus Bloodlock? That pathetic prince?
The fact that he couldn't even see Damien playing him like a fiddle was laughable.
If it would take Atticus 100 years to become untouchable for Reavus, it would take Damien only 50 at most.
Atticus' concerns were elsewhere.
'When the time comes, will you have the heart to strike him down? Despite his position, Immortal Blood Holy Land won't take his death lightly. His father is still the Immortal Bloof Asura's most talented son, and he will undoubtedly come for the person who kills his son.'
Atticus entered the Emperor Bracket challenger section. Compared to the previous brackets, it was relatively empty.
Only 10 people sat in the seats awaiting their matches.
None of them emitted any aura. They sat quietly to themselves without speaking, emitting a solemn atmosphere that couldn't be broken by outside forces.
Atticus took his seat among them with an interested smile on his face.
'I'm curious. With your unyielding personality, will you finally succumb when you face a power too great for you to handle? Or will you take on the challenge and find some miraculous way to survive?'
Haa, he couldn't handle the anticipation. It'd been too long since he'd seen a genius who could make him feel so excited.
The more he saw Damien grow, the more the belief firmed in his heart.
Damien…
Could he possibly be the genius who could stand against the Saint King?
