Comprehensive Arena, Lounge
After the duel, Erend was once again arranged to rest here.
However, this time, he was not the only one present.
"You really did something incredible," Jenni Ortega leaned against the wall, looking at Erend, who was sitting on the chair, her expression complex.
"Yeah, I'm still a little surprised," Butler, who stood beside Jenni, said with a smile.
In addition to them, Claudia was also present, appearing to be in an excellent mood. She browsed through multiple windows in front of her and laughed.
"As expected, the news that Erend invited Kane to form a team and participate in the Phoenix Star Martial Festival has already spread widely on the Internet."
As she spoke, Claudia waved her hand, and the windows immediately changed, displaying various reports for Erend and the others to see.
The content of the reports included the fact that Erend had just defeated Kane and became the new number one in Durmstrang. But the bigger news was undoubtedly that the two, having just finished their duel, were now teaming up to participate in the Phoenix Star Martial Festival.
"It actually spread so quickly?" Butler seemed a little surprised as he read the reports.
"It's only natural, right?" Jenni looked as if she had expected it and said, "The new and former number one of Durmstrang forming a team for the Phoenix Star Martial Festival—this is definitely the hottest topic right now."
The Star Martial Festivals themselves are world-class competitions, popular across the globe. Any topic related to them garners immediate attention.
Moreover, the top-ranking student of any academy is always a hot topic.
Now, the former and current number one of Durmstrang are teaming up for the Phoenix Star Martial Festival. How could this not trigger huge discussions and anticipation?
In fact, had the group not left the stage immediately after the duel, Erend might have been surrounded by reporters from the academy's media club and unable to leave.
"The two of you forming a team must be weighing heavily on the minds of every Phoenix Star Martial Festival participant," Claudia said with a sly smile.
"Ranked first means being the strongest in an academy. Even in a Star Martial Festival, where top talents from six academies gather, the highest-ranked students from each school are undoubtedly the seeded players, the ones most watched, and the ones with the highest likelihood of winning."
"In previous Star Martial Festivals—whether it was the Phoenix Star Martial Festival with two partners, the Griffin Star Martial Festival with a five-person team, or the King Dragon Star Martial Festival with individual competitors—the top-ranked students of each school have always garnered the highest support rates."
"And now, with the former and current number one from our academy forming a team, the amount of attention and speculation surrounding them is unimaginable. Their support rate will skyrocket, and many will undoubtedly fear facing them."
Claudia then turned to Jenni and Butler, still smiling.
"As participants in the Phoenix Star Martial Festival yourselves, what do you think of this situation?"
Hearing this, Jenni shot Claudia an annoyed glare.
However, Erend quickly noticed a deep sense of seriousness in Jenni's eyes.
Butler, on the other hand, was more forthcoming.
"Kane is very strong. Not only is he the former number one, but he is also the head of his combat style. He has even mastered the secret technique of his lineage. To be honest, if I were to face such an opponent, I'd feel quite pressured."
Although he didn't believe he would necessarily lose, Butler admitted that he couldn't match Kane when it came to pure swordsmanship.
Even if he gave it his all, he estimated that his chances of winning against Kane were at best fifty-fifty.
And that was being optimistic.
Butler was well aware of his own limitations. His power was highly unstable. If he couldn't end the fight quickly, he would undoubtedly lose against Kane, even if he had his special weapon.
Without his weapon, his chances of winning against Kane would likely drop to below thirty percent.
Then...
"A partner like that, someone who can even defeat their academy's new number one, is a nightmare for every other team participating in the Phoenix Star Martial Festival," Jenni admitted reluctantly.
This statement alone was enough to illustrate just how significant this news was.
The media would not miss such a big development, and once the reports were confirmed, even betting odds in major casinos would be affected.
"If you two team up, the Phoenix Star Martial Festival's most likely winners will be you," Claudia said pointedly. "As the student council president of Beauxbaton, I sincerely hope you win. If you do, it will significantly improve our school's overall performance this season."
After hearing Claudia's words, Erend, who had already browsed through the news on his own, closed the floating windows in front of him and smiled.
"I hope it goes that smoothly."
His simple remark made Jenni mutter in dissatisfaction.
"It won't be that smooth. We won't give up so easily," she turned to Butler and said, "Say something too. You always act like you don't care. People who don't know you would think winning the championship doesn't matter to you."
"Well..." Butler, still looking indifferent, replied, "I don't care much myself, but since I've decided to help you win, I won't give up easily."
He then pressed his hand against the weapon at his waist, turned to Erend, and said,
"Besides, this guy seems eager to fight you and your weapon. If I don't put up a good fight, he won't be happy, will he?"
As soon as he said that, a strange vibration emitted from the weapon at Butler's waist.
At the same time, Erend's own weapon reacted with a sudden hum, as if responding to the challenge.
The tension in the air spiked, and everyone present noticed the sudden shift in atmosphere.
However, before anyone could react further, Erend calmly spoke.
"Calm down."
Immediately, the humming from his weapon ceased.
This scene left Butler momentarily stunned as he struggled to suppress his own weapon's reaction.
"It seems like you and your weapon have a good understanding of each other," Butler remarked, sounding almost envious. "Mine doesn't listen to me that well."
Erend didn't respond immediately but instead observed the sheath on Butler's waist, contemplating.
"Judging by the situation, Butler must have obtained another legendary weapon, right?"
Because he had been focused on preparing for his official ranking match, Erend hadn't kept up with Butler's latest developments. He hadn't even seen any reports confirming that Butler had obtained a special weapon.
But, knowing Butler's talent and fate, it wasn't surprising. Even if he hadn't obtained Erend's own weapon, he would have been able to pass the compatibility test for another top-tier artifact.
"I just wonder which weapon he got?"
It wasn't too difficult to guess.
From what Erend knew, among the four legendary weapons, three already had chosen wielders.
That meant Butler must have acquired the last remaining one—the most mysterious among them, a weapon that had never fully appeared in the historical records.
Knowing that Butler now possessed such a powerful weapon, Erend couldn't help but feel anticipation rise within him.
"Who is stronger between us now?"
That question lingered in his mind, filling him with excitement for their inevitable confrontation.
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