Jasmine's silky hand formed a resting haven of peace in my mind as we descended the stairs and got back to the garden.
This time, we didn't care about others' appearances, and we didn't release each other's hands upon seeing leaders and followers alike.
Weirdly, holding hands with someone else than family is generally considered a sign of love, but how could that be it? It had merely been one day.
Something else was brewing in my insides, and I just couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, but the mixture was fiery. Maybe it was a mingle of nervousness, fear, excitation, hatred, and all the rapid vortex whirling ragingly within me.
But as the tempest arose, so quickly it was drowned by the tenderness of Jasmine's skin. Soft as feathers floating in the air, calming as a delicate melody.
When we reached the garden, some leaders gave us smiling looks, as if they were sure of our relationship. After settling on a cozy and silent spot, Jasmine and I talked for a while about mundane things.
Twenty minutes later, Kal and the Transformation Palace leader joined us, followed shortly by Clark and Jammes.
They didn't seem to think they'd bother us and our intimacy by doing so, which meant at least those four knew that Jasmine and I were not lovers. This was a relieving feeling since I didn't want to tarnish her reputation.
Kal and Francis brought tables and chairs along and also commanded a boy to bring all sorts of food here. Clark arrived at the same time the boy had delivered all the food; he told him he could go and rest now.
Jammes soon made his entry right in the middle of Kal's funny story, which included Clark. Not even sat, he could already feel the tension as Clark shot out a deadly glare at Kal for embarrassing him. Jammes laughed at the same time Kal did and then sat.
''What did he say for you to look so mad?'' Jammes asked Clark, who then unemotionally replied, ''Something he shouldn't have; I'll have Aiden demote him to the lowest rank for that.''
Everyone burst out in spontaneous cackle and heavy snickers.
Amidst the joyful and fiesty ambiance, this fiery atmosphere between all the youngsters here had to come to an end. It was getting late.
''Thank you for such hospitality, Aiden,'' Francis spoke, while slightly bowing his head in respect.
Aiden mirrored his actions with mutual respect and affection and responded, ''No need to be so formal; we are friends, and such things are normal. May luck and courage with your members for the tournament in two days, but be warned. I won't be showing any mercy when encountering my opponents. This includes my allies as well.''
Francis couldn't help but giggle at Aiden's needless warning.
''Hahaha, I know, and that's obvious. I also know that none of my boys will win against you judging purely from your combat power, so I actually hope they won't meet you right away.''
Aiden approached Francis, extending his hand, and said, ''Haha, may the best win, Francis.'' He shakes his hand, and they both bid farewell.
In two days they will be enemies.
As Francis went away, Clark, Jammes, and Kal thought that it was a great idea to leave Jasmine and Aiden alone for their farewells. They gave them the excuse of 'Seeing Francis off'.
Most of the other leaders had already left in the meantime; some were even escorted to the castle's entrance by Clark and Kal before Aiden and Jasmine went back to the garden together.
Two other leaders paid their respect to Aiden before leaving too, their nervous followers behind them.
Now, Jasmine and Aiden were truly alone.
''Where are the few girls from your faction? And about your bodyguards?" Asked Aiden in genuine concern for Jasmine.
She answered after a split second of thinking, ''They must be nearby; they would never leave me alone. Maybe my bodyguards and followers are just waiting for me with Aisha; she's my vice leader.''
''Makes sense; that would be extremely ominous of them to leave their leaders alone,'' Aiden noted.
''Indeed, it would result in a severe punishment on their end. But what kind of sanction would be appropriate in such a situation? What do you think, Aiden?''
''Lashes, ten lashes to the body."
...
''That totally sounds like something you would enjoy, hahaha.''
''Me lashing someone?''
...
"I didn't really mean it that way, but now that I think about it...''
Laughter x2
Aiden and Jasmine couldn't stop joking together as the night sky overtook the lazy sun. Nevertheless, it was time for her to leave too.
''I had a very fun time talking with you, Aiden. I hope we can meet more often in the future and share even more words and stories.'' A faint hint of sorrow could be heard as she pronounced these last words.
Aiden turned to Jasmine and looked her straight in the eyes. With charisma and coldness, he responded, ''I also had a really fun time, Miss Jasmine; let's make the future better by meeting each other more often; I'm all for it. Many stories remain untold, and I'd love for them to unfold as we share words.''
Jasmine's eyes glistened with a starlit glow, as if the starry sky were reflected in their deep blue depths.
They both walked slowly towards the descending march that would bring them to the great avenue leading to the first main gate.
All eyes turned to them when they neared the entrance, but all shifted their attention away when Aiden's intense gaze indirectly indicated a deep annoyance and exuded fear.
Jasmine, with raging tornadoes in her stomach and questions in mind, had to leave now.
*Kiss*
She had kissed Aiden on the cheeks before waving him goodbye and rejoining her followers, running with a naive smile on her face that Aiden saw for the first time.
'What was that...' The confused Aiden wondered.
All leaders left Heavenly Pandemonium, and now only the four biggest bigshots of the faction were still present.
Aiden, Kal, Clark, and Jammes.
Kal winked at Aiden; he had seen the scene.
''What a lady-killer you are, Aiden ~~ ''
''Shadup"
Both smiled and were rejoined by Clark and Jammes.
"Well, boys, it was one hell of a journey, wasn't it? But a successful one." Aiden voiced his opinion and started walking back to the main castle's garden.
''It sure was, Aiden," replied Jammes before adding, ''I'm quite proud of how it turned out; we probably became the most famous faction now.''
''It was one hell of a success, indeed. However, about us being the most famous, I must say... We already fucking were, hahaha.'' Said Kal, in his blunt and spiteful honesty.
Clark agreed, and the four started debriefing the journey.
''Shouldn't we help clean up the tables and all that? Asked Aiden upon returning to the area with all the tables and chairs that had been used for the barbecue.
Kal desperately reminded Aiden of the presence of servants: "Aiden...we have servants for that, you know, right?''
''Yeah right, they must have already cleaned up almost everything by now. Don't tell me you forgot we had them?'' Anxiously asked Clark.
''No, no, no, no, no, never. I of course know that there are servants doing this kind of job in my faction..." Aiden replied, a drop of sweat sliding down his temple.
''Hahahaha, he really forgot, hahaha." Kal couldn't contain his huge laughter. After quickly suppressing his laugh, he added, ''I told you this guy spends too much training; he didn't even assist Clark's speech about the new job institution, hahaha,'' He then started laughing again.
Everyone was strongly drained out, so it was understandable that Kal would laugh so much for so little; he was soon accompanied by the others too, even Aiden.
Aiden then remarked that the time was getting late and bid farewell to his friends, who were also going to sleep soon.
''Have a good sleep, Aiden. I will pray for you that you dream of Ja—''
*Thud*
Aiden struck Kal lightly in the stomach so that he wouldn't finish his sentence.
"That's an abuse of power..." Kal spoke in a low, pained voice, feigning being injured.
What a great actor...
''You kind of deserve it...''
''Yeah, definitely deserved, haha.''
...
Kal looked at the two council members and faked crying, ''How could you betray me!''
They burst out in laughter again before Aiden walked away to his house. ''Quit the theatrical act; I need to sleep. Goodbye and goodnight, boys!'
They all stopped laughing and, with warm smiles, waved goodbye to Aiden.
...
When Aiden reached his home, he took a quick glance at his status window again before lying softly on his bed.
'What a beautiful sight...'
Proud and happy, he closed his eyes and shifted his body to a comfortable position, drifting in the sky of dreams as he fell asleep...
Two days later...
The tournament could begin.
During those last two days, every member of the Heavenly Pandemonium faction worked hard to prepare themselves for the Well of Ascension.
At some point, some even felt anxious due to them not having received any news from God yet. But this changed today; God had made another appearance via a message sent to everyone's private chat in their system.
This text indicated little information about the tournament and the Well of Ascension, but at least their locations were mentioned.
*Banxia's Wood* This was the name of a forest 21 kilometers away where the Well of Ascension supposedly was, along the arena for the tournament, which was nearby.
As for the management and organization of the tournament itself, it was up to Aiden and all the other leaders to take care of it.
It was 9 am, and most faction leaders and their fighters had already begun to go there, including Aiden's faction. Each faction was authorized to bring a maximum of ten people in total. So, with the leader and the four fighters, this meant five more could be brought along.
This added over 130 spectators, and such a number was not small.
Yes, all twenty-six factions would come, even though some of them do not participate. God told us that even non-participating factions would have to watch. They also needed to bathe in the Well of Ascension so they would have come anyway.
As the few remaining leaders packed their stuff and prepared to leave, Aiden and his group were walking quickly towards the fated area that would change their lives.
"Hey, Aiden, don't you think this forest's name is weird?" Clark asked.
"It is, but what is not weird in this new world? This is not the first time we have encountered an odd name for a location; the same goes for the landscape around us. We just need to adjust ourselves to it.'' Explained Aiden.
Clark nodded in understanding and replied, ''Yeah, you're right. I'm still not totally used to the Earth's changes.''
Kal intervened in their conversation and broke the tension by spewing nonsense about the end of the world.
''Seriously, shut up, man,'' Clark said angrily.
''B-But..It's real!'' Kal miserably joked.
''I'm going to kill you for real too.''
...
The road was cozy and tranquil, peals of laughter and mature discussions alike all took place during the voyage.
Everyone in Aiden's group was physically much stronger than the average human being due to them working out often since even non-martial artists must do so. As such, they neared their destination after barely 3 hours of fast march.
On the way, they crossed paths with the Ironclad Bastion and the Starlight Dominion; among their two respective leaders, one was a swindler, the other a psychopathic woman.
''You sure walk fast, Aiden. I heard you left late, and yet you reached this place at the same time as me.'' Torin Vale spoke proudly as if to attract the attention of Astrae.
'How dumb can you be... My faction is only 20 kilometers away, whereas yours is 30...' Aiden thought.
''My faction is closer to the forest than yours; this is also a factor to take into account, Torin.'' Aiden simply replied, not wanting to lose too many brain cells talking to the idiot in front of him.
''True, true indeed; I forgot to take that into account. You sure are smart, haha.''
...
Aiden ignored him, and Torin felt embarrassed but tried to hide it.
Astrea had listened to the 'Very short' exchange but did not involve herself in any discussion that happened around her.
Aiden and the two other oddities finally reached their destination after ten more minutes of walking.
At least they should have arrived, but nothing special was in view...
The only remarkable thing was a portal of sorts, which Aiden and Astrea both found at the same moment. It was adorned with giant, pinkish leaves and golden flowers that radiated a faint but fresh glow like a sun ray on a rainy-sunny day.
As they approached the so-called portal, it started trembling slightly and emitted light. It was definitely a magical entrance or something like that.
Aiden told Astrea and Torin his opinion about it, and the three of them agreed to try and step through it first.
The portal's structure was made of a rocky material; it was golden and dark, chiseled to perfection with engraved symbols on it.
When they stepped through it, their heads got dizzy, and their eyes went blank. The world in front of change was transforming.
All three of them were afraid of the phenomenon unraveling in front of their eyes, so they nervously advanced through the gaseous air of the event horizon that made the middle part of the portal. The entry, or the so-called surface portal, was of a faint blue color.
They walked further into the portal and seemed to have left it when their suffering stopped. Astrea and Torin fell to the ground, writhing in agony; only Aiden remained standing, not that much affected.
Helping Astrea to stand up, Aiden realized that they had probably been teleported.
Torin got up on his own, much to his discontent, and sighed, ''Where the hell are we now?''
''I have no idea, but soon we'll be joined by our members, so let's make place first.'' Aiden declared upon realizing how small the portal was. It could never accommodate a dozen or more people passing at the same time.
Aiden sent a message to Kal confirming the safety of using the portal, albeit the pain it was going to inflict on them. He also asked him to only make 6 people pass through at the same time, maximum, not more.
A few minutes later, everyone else had come, and once again, everyone was on their knees. Only Xavier was able to somewhat stand.
''For fuck's sake, I didn't think it would be so harsh. Did they try to kill us?'' Kal complained, but nobody could refute his words this time; he was right. Jammes answered him, ''I have to agree with you this time; we're all above 40 in combat power here, and even so, some of the weaker members here still haven't yet regained the ability to stand up or talk.''
''This would likely heavily injure or even kill someone with less than 20 in combat power,'' remarked Aiden.
As they heard his comment, some people felt dizzy again from realization.
''Well, we can only go forward for now.''
As Aiden spoke, the group followed. They walked in this weird forest with enormous trees possessing white or dark leaves; some long, shimmering golden creepers fell from most of them.
Aiden's group hesitantly passed each section of the grand forest in the hope of reaching 'the grand tree.' The Well of Ascension was situated all around this big tree.
After half an hour of fruitless walking and info gathering by talking with other factions, they found it.
When Aiden saw it, his jaw almost made a hole in the floor.
Above the sky, this grand tree's height went. Higher than any building on earth and wider than any mountain, this titanic fantasy-like tree was boundless. And after a long minute of admiring it, people turned their gaze to the tournament arenas, which were just facing the tree.
What a breathtaking view and glorious stage for a martial arts tournament.
Aiden and the others remarked that a few other leaders had arrived too, so everyone made their way towards the stage, which was divided into multiple smaller ones so that a lot of duels could take place at the same time.
The sun was strangely far brighter compared to how it was in the world outside of the portal. This place was similar to a dream-like ultra-realistic photo from a paradisiac Japan site.
With rusty leaves of copper and gold falling down, the sun took their essence and nourished the bodies of the people present here in an unfamiliar energy.
''So, this is where we'll be fighting, right?'' asked a leader who arrived 5 minutes after Aiden's group.
''Indeed, it is,'' responded Francis, who was the first to arrive along Willow.
"How awe-inspiring, absolutely majestic." Orion Skye, leader of the strongest faction present here, spoke in admiration.
Aiden heard him while walking towards the tournament's dueling arena and said, ''So even the famous leader of the Eternal Horizon Clan can't help but admire such beauty.''
Orion smiled and gave him a friendly chuckle before replying, ''Ah, my reputation doesn't make a cold, calculating, and cunning fox; I still have my emotions. I am human, after all. And this sight is even more spectacular for me, who's been reading fantasy novels since I was a kid.''
Aiden, who initially kept smiling since the start of his response, had a surprised face upon hearing that Orion used to read novels. ''Whoa, I didn't think you had the passionate heart of a devoted reader; this makes me quite happy to see I'm not alone.''
When Orion heard this, he burst out in joy, and he and Aiden discussed novels for about thirty minutes while waiting for all the other leaders to arrive.
"You're far more knowledgeable compared to me; I admit defeat, Orion.'' Admitted Aiden, who had battled against Orion in the art of literacy.
''I accept the win; although it was a hard one, you can be proud of having forced me so far, haha.'' Orion praised Aiden, a serious smile on his face that fully denoted the bright smile he had before. Aiden understood that it was time to stop the jokes and get to work.
The last leader had just arrived.
Clustered in their respective groups, all 260 people present were scattered around the different platforms of the tournament area. God then spoke aloud, for the first time in almost three months, explaining the various rules of this tournament.
There would be 32 duels happening at the same time in the first round, then 16, then 8, and so on. Since there were 64 participants, it would take 6 rounds of dueling until the final.
thirty-two 1v1s, sixteen 1v1s, eighteen 1v1s, four 1v1s, two 1v1s, one 1v1.
Pretty sure this was a needless explanation.
Now, in case multiple people from the same faction end up reaching the final, this faction automatically wins; however, the duels may continue till we get to see the real victor and strongest martial artist.
God himself would randomize the participants who would go against each other, so Aiden and his friends didn't need to do much. Except for preparing the referees.
The combat list dropped once all the referees were set in their respective dueling arenas; Aiden was among the first who had to go.
...
Truthfully, I was confused as to where I should go and when. I've always been terrible at understanding when it was my time to do something in such events. Fortunately for me, someone called out for my name, and I was already at the right arena.
My members, along with Kal and Jammes, all cheered for me; as for Clark, he had gone to another arena to help Francis, who had some troubles with two of his members.
Walking onto the stone-white stage, akin to marble, I felt a sudden stream of nervosity sliding down my entire system. Why was I anxious? I was certainly the strongest, or at least one of the strongest here, yet going up that stage made me somewhat uncomfortable.
But as I approached my opponent, this feeling whisked away quickly.
His legs were shaking, his stance was poorly balanced, and his guard was weak and wrongly placed.
But my analysis was cut short by the referee's voice.
''May the two participants state their names!" The referee asked.
I replied, ''Aiden,'' without asking questions, although it seemed stupid to inquire about our names since they already knew them. I guess it was formalities.
The man 2 meters away from me answered, ''Ma-Matt Lawrence.''
'Please don't hold a grudge against me for what I'm about to do, poor Lawrence.' Aiden thought, not truly concerned about the boy.
''Do either of you wish to withdraw and forfeit.?''
"No.''
''No.''
The boy had not forfeited weirdly, but this was better; I was itching for a fight.
He told us to get further away from each other, and when we were in place, he started to count.
''3''
Over 40 people were gathered around my arena just to watch me fight; this feeling of importance was gratifying but worked as a double-edged sword.
"2"
If I were to fail, I'd lose all credibility and face. However, if I won, then glory would kneel before me.
''1"
And before I could process any more information, it was time.
''START''
The scared boy rushed at me without thinking; he threw a good right straight despite his unsteady stance. I dodged it nonetheless and sent a front kick into his solar plexus while controlling my strength not to kill him. But the kick's speed was actually faster than expected, almost instantaneous.
He couldn't even throw a second punch and halted his course of action; he stood in place for two seconds, dazzled, and then fell to the ground. He vomited blood, and most likely his breakfast as well.
The impact of my kick had been so violent that it almost sounded like a gunshot. I was left so disappointed that the fight lasted only as long as three seconds.
''The w-winner is Aiden Glain, leader of the Heavenly Pandemonium faction.'' The referee was left in utter shock but announced my victory, despite his visible incomprehension.
Matthew from the Twilight Covenant, a guy with 45 combat powers, had been squashed like a bug by me.
Once the referee gave the signal, I stepped out of the dueling platform. As for Jammes and Kal, their reaction was to be anticipated.
''How short can a fight be, huh? Aiden has no mercy for the weak. What a bad boy.'' Kal made fun of Aiden for ending his duel so quickly.
''How disappointing. I expected the fight of the year, but then, poof, the guy got KO'd in a second. I think it would have been better if I had cheered for the other guy instead; maybe it could have made the fight last a few seconds more.'' Jammes spoke.
"Are you guys seriously mad at the fact that I won too quickly?'' Aiden asked, naively believing Kal and Jammes were being honest.
''Not at all; we were simply joking. However, I think both Jammes and I have an opinion, and it is about you showing too much of your true strength to the public." Kal replied in a serious tone, then Jammes added, ''Watch him say, 'That was actually me going easy.' I bet he's going to say something like that.''
''I did indeed control my strength...I think I only exerted 30% of it, maybe less.''
...
Jammes and Kal knew that Aiden hadn't used his full strength, but they still thought he had used at least more than half of it. Their expressions reeked of stupidity as they stared at Aiden, as if staring into the void. Before they could say anything, a martial artist from the Eternal Horizon Clan shoulder-pushed Kal aside as he walked toward Aiden.
"Hey, what the hell do you think y—"
Interrupting Kal's outburst, the man spoke, "You're one crazy bastard, Aiden."
In a violent attempt, he lunged to grab Aiden's neck, but it was unsuccessful. Aiden caught his left arm and twisted it hard, making the guy suffer.
"Fuck—"
"Who do you think you are? What gave you the guts to act in such an immature fashion, walking here, disrespecting my vice-leader, and trying to attack me?"
"Mmmph!"
The man grunted in pain as his arm was nearly broken by Aiden's tight grip. Aiden then swept him off his feet and placed his heavy right foot on the man's throat, like he loves doing.
"Answer me, child," Aiden demanded sharply, his voice cold and shadowy as he exuded a bloodthirsty aura. A crowd quickly gathered around Kal and Jammes, who were no longer wearing stupid looks but were now afraid of Aiden's menacing presence. They had never seen him like this.
"What's your name?" Aiden reiterated, just as coldly as before.
"Uckk," the boy choked out, despite his dried throat. "M-My name is Gaban..."
Hearing his name, Aiden interrogated him further, speaking more slowly, "So, Gaban, I'm going to ask you one simple question. Why did you do what you did?"
Gaban's face was a mix of confusion and pain. He was clearly a brain-dead, uneducated fool who thought himself taller than any mountain. "I-I don't know..." he replied weakly, Aiden's weight pressing harder on his throat.
"Oh, so you don't know why you acted so stupidly? Then nobody will complain if I kill you, right? When they ask me why I did so, I'll just say, I don't know."
Everyone around Aiden, seventy people or more, including Kal and Jammes, couldn't believe their eyes. Aiden looked like a psychopath. At least most were scared shitless by his demeanor and actions. The way he spoke made people shiver in fear.
Kal and Jammes, understanding that Aiden could very well lose it and do something terrible, decided to put themselves between the two men.
As Aiden finally released his foot from the arrogant kid's throat, Gaban let out repeated, strong coughs. Just then, the leader of the Eternal Horizon Clan arrived at the scene, completely unaware of everything that had happened.
"Sir Aiden! What's going on? I heard that a fight broke out between you and my second-in-line martial artist." Orion asked, out of breath from sprinting across the area.
"Let's hear Kal and Jammes's testimonies first, and then we'll see if the boy admits his wrongs too," Aiden answered harshly, any hint of joy and playfulness gone.
"What did he do?"
Kal and Jammes explained the entire situation. It turned out this guy was the senior brother of the three morons who had tried to flirt with Jasmine and Noel.
"I understand the whole story. Aiden's actions were justified." Orion apologized to Aiden for his misunderstanding.
"You're not at fault for anything. The one who should apologize is someone else."
Gaban's pride shattered even more as he was forced to apologize to everyone present, not just Aiden and Kal.
After finalizing his excuses, Orion angrily tasked him with preparing for his next duel.
The reason Gaban attacked Aiden was probably to avenge his junior brothers' humiliation.
''How reckless and dumb can a man be?" Kal spoke while watching the man running back to his area.
"I'll make sure to punish him accordingly, I promise, sir Aiden.''
"It doesn't really matter how harsh the punishment is; what's important is to educate this fool. Now that I think about it, we should create such a role in Heavenly Pandemonium—mature and experienced people could act as teachers, educators, and parent figures."
"You're right, Sir Aiden. I'll ensure that all my members who exhibit behavior similar to Gaban's, including Gaban himself, receive a proper education."
"That's good to hear. Now that the conflict is resolved, I won't keep you here any longer."
A few minutes had passed since the start of the altercation and Orion's retreat to his area, during which a few rounds of duels also took place and ended.
Some fighters also caused huge sensations with their great skills and strength, especially two persons. One was Andrew Shein, an adept of Karate and master of taekwondo, he was a black-belt 5th dan. The other guy, Arthur Miller, was a traditional martial expert as well as a bodybuilder with a neat build.
Andrew would often use lightning-fast kicks such as Front kicks, roundhouse kicks, side kicks, back kicks, Axe kicks, and even jumping kicks, to combine them all into a never-ending rending fury of attacks that drains away at your life source. On the other hand, Arthur Miller's fighting style was composed, of steady, slow, and calculated strikes. Each blow was meant to deal a ton of damage, and thus his defense and counter abilities were far better compared to Andrew's.
There were other interesting fights but not much, three months of training in a new environment which gave greater benefits to physical growth sure helped increase every participant's strength, but it was not always enough for everyone to get good at martial arts.
Time went by and when a fight ended, the next one would start right away.
The referees on each duel platform did an excellent job of stringing fight after fight together; forty minutes and many short fights later, the first round was done.
32 fighters remained, and the second round would start after merely 3 minutes of rest. The magical forest they were in, as well as the grand tree, seemed to help every martial artist present here regenerate to their best state after their fights.
A bell rang in Aiden's area; the three minutes flew by fast, and Aiden was the first to fight for the second round.
His next opponent surprised him; he was one of the favorite candidates of this tournament. The fifth strongest martial artist here purely based on combat power with a score of 62.
The man was the number one fighter from the Transcendent Palace faction.
Paul Aterna, its leader, came to watch his top contender fight.
Jasmine and Noel also joined in the fun and left their dueling platform to watch Aiden's duel.
Aiden waved at the two beauties and then turned back his attention to the warrior in front of him.
''Please state your name again.'' The same referee asked again.
''Aiden Glain.''
''Jack Dew.''
Both men replied in a similar tone, which conveyed a feeling of urgency; their eyes seemed to say, 'Get it done quickly and let us fight.'
'The bulky man must weigh over seventy-five kilos, and it is seventy-five kilos of condensed muscles, packed with protruding veins.' Aiden began to analyze the man's physical characteristics.
The man was muscular and wide, in stark contrast to Aiden's once-slender build, though he was no longer as slender. Aiden now had a physique reminiscent of Bruce Lee's.
'His leg balance is perfect; though his guard doesn't come from any traditional or ancestral martial art, it's most likely a military type of martial arts guard. His glare is strict and fearless; his attacks will be decisive and experienced; I can't let my guard down just because he's worse than me in martial arts knowledge and practice; his physical strength surpasses mine for sure.'
When Aiden was done, the man suddenly approached him right when the referee was about to start the fight.
''May the best win, leader Aiden.''
'Oh, so this guy can also act friendly; well, that's cool.'
''Of course, may the best win, Jack!''
The man tried to hide his smile and then retreated to his corner. The referee started counting immediately when both Aiden and Jack were ready.
''3, 2, 1, fight!''
As we both slowly moved toward the center, I noticed he was cautious of my speed and had adopted an out-fighter stance.
Eager for contact, I launched a fast roundhouse kick to his left leg. He sidestepped and attempted a grab, but it was a feint on my part. As he lowered his body, I swiftly transitioned my leg position and delivered a side kick to his nose. He barely managed to block it with his elbows and countered with an instinctive uppercut aimed at my liver. Reacting quickly, I spun to his right and struck his solar plexus with a powerful back fist, which landed successfully.
The blow was sent with all my uncontrolled strength, and the man spat out a mouthful of blood.
Seeing his condition, I knew it was the perfect moment to finish him. However, I was in a vulnerable position, with my back to him. For an absurdly short moment, I hesitated, seeing the man in pain. But this was a competition so I couldn't be merciful.
He was still puzzled, so I took this opportunity to step away and reposition myself. When he got back to his senses, I delivered a front kick to his abdomen with 70% of my strength. He growled in pain and charged at me with a strong guard. Despite his aggressive assault of heavy straight punches, left and right hooks, and body shots, I evaded every strike.
As he threw his final body shot, I grabbed his right arm and held it firmly, then executed a high kick to his temple. Disoriented, he briefly dropped his guard, allowing me to throw a direct hook punch to his chin. The impact was like the sound of a bone breaking, and what followed after this was the sound of his body hitting the ground.
I felt this weird sensation of guilt again after defeating this guy, after all, I was taking away these guys' chances to bring glory to their faction. Even more important than glory, was the opportunity for their leaders to become a king. And I also took that away. But was this guilt real? Was it justified on my part? Why should I even feel guilty for beating them when I deserve my strength?
I trained to the brink of death so many times, and even if the dummy had given me a huge advantage, it surely wouldn't help someone without any will to train like hell. Realizing my mistake, I understood that hesitation and doubts are flaws that I must lose in order to perfect my martial arts.
Hesitation is defeat, doubt is reckless. Do not fear crushing your opponents, as they do not fear crushing you. It is only right of you to honor their training by going all out.
It was at this moment that Aiden fully understood what it meant to be a warrior, and his heart was freed of all doubts and guilt.
Now that Aiden was enlightened, he opened his consciousness back to the outside world and he could hear and see again.
''The winner is Aiden Glain!'' Yelled the referee, but his voice was rapidly drowned out by the applause and shouts of the hundred or so people around my platform.
Both Noel and Jasmine whistled at me and started applauding too.
To be honest, I wondered if the man would have received the same treatment had he won instead of me.
But amidst all the praise and yells, it was time for me to rejoin the crowd as the referee had announced the second fight right when Jack's unconscious body was dragged away from the platform.
I saw Paul Artena rushing over the Jack, he must have felt disappointed and ashamed since he couldn't bring victory to his faction.
On my left, ten meters away, Jasmine, Noel, Kal, Jammes, Clark, and even Benjamin were headed to me.
They all praised me, showering me with compliments and describing how ingenious and strong I had been, but I couldn't care less. Amidst the mundane conversations, I noticed Jasmine standing at the back, wearing a shy expression.
Realizing Jasmine's inability to talk to me face-to-face after what happened the last time we saw each other, I decided to embarrass her a little.
''Oh, if it isn't my beloved Miss Jasmine. Weren't you deeply looking forward to our next meeting?"
Jasmine's cheeks turned pink from embarrassment under everyone's laughter, but her eyes were of a fierce intensity.
''Is it me, or did you get over bolder? Calling me 'beloved', don't you fear your wife will get upset if she knows what you call me?'' Jasmine replied in revenge, and all the people around turned their gaze toward Aiden in shock.
''Hey, Hey, Hey! That's not true; do not believe her! I have no wife; how could someone like me even get a wife?''
Aiden's casual joke turned the table and shifted the ambiance back to jokes.
''You sure you don't have a wife? I mean, Jasmine could be—''
Both Benjamin and Aiden had lightly struck Kal's head.
''Ouch, that hurts!'' Cried Kal, as a joke, of course.
''Even my own subordinate rebels against me, the vice leader! What a disgrace!'' He added.
Kal is such a great actor...
Jasmine laughed too.
''What a comedian; we didn't hit him hard at all,'' said Benjamin.
Aiden looked at Benjamin and responded, ''He knows what he's doing; it's his way of flirting with girls.''
Kal's head rose as he heard that. He looked straight into Aiden's eye and said in a ghostly way, ''Wut duh u meannn, I never flirt wiff girls...''
Noel burst out in a fit of laughter upon hearing Kal's tone.
''What kind of voice is that?'' asked Clark.
''He took the ghost tone again; we're in for a show now...'' Benjamin explained to Clark.
''Brace yourselves, everyone...'' Aiden added as if it were normal; only he and Benjamin knew what this meant.
''This has to be a private joke of some sort,'' commented Jammes.
''Surely.''
''Yeah, most likely.''
While Kal kept on talking in his ghost tone and either scared members away or made the other laugh, Aiden decided to approach Jasmine, who was still at the back.
However, she had to get back to her platform as her most important member was dueling.
Even if he had exchanged only a few sentences with her in private, he was still happy.
Aiden also felt the same feeling in his chest when talking to her—this erratic rhythm in his heart, like a drum.
But waving away this pointless concern, he turned back his attention to something more direct.
In the second main duel in Aiden's area, one man had a combat power of 63 and the other one had 67.
The one who had a combat value of 67 was Xavier.