«Ha! Haha! His development fell to the ninth stage! Ha ha ha! He did not spare his development to defeat our kin! What a shame, what a disgrace! How could you have defeated our Lee?! You are nothing!» - After one of the Stones cried out, his relatives burst out laughing. Stephanie could not hold back a charming smile. Lee set his mouth in a narrow grimace. His face stayed utterly impassive.
Kyon smiled maliciously. He understood pretty well that any gesture or word that stir up emotions in the opponent could be very helpful. From now on and forever, he wouldn’t miss a chance to get a rise out of his enemy, play with their emotions.
«Well, at least you didn’t soil your pants. It's a great achievement.» - Kyon chuckled.
«That’s not all! BEHOLD THE GREATEST EARTH BENDER!» - Tsayan’s skin shone from the inside like his gold quartz did before. He resembled the son of God. The heat his body radiated was mesmerizing, awe-inspiring. - «Nothing can damage me at my stage of development! I am invincible against scum like you!» - A golden sword grew in Tsayan’s hands when he rushed to attack Kyon.
«The skin of light?! How strong is it?!» - The Stones stopped laughing. The atmosphere was filled with tension. People around were overwhelmed with anxiety including Stephanie.
Kyon prepared for the battle. He’d analyzed Tsayan’s battle with Lee and noticed an important drawback in the golden skin. It slowed down its owner by about one fifth. Given the loss of a stage in development, Tsayan had turned into a clumsy golem... He was invulnerable to Kyon’s attacks, though. But considering his furious disposition, Tsayan was going to attack without wasting a moment on defense, therefore, his defeat was just around the corner.
Kyon had discovered the golden skin had a low thermal conductivity which is why Lee’s flame failed to burn Tsayan. With the cold element, the outcome was unlikely to change. Kyon had to find other options to beat his opponent... And he had one, everything went according to his plan.
Tsayan rushed to Kyon like a bloodthirsty maniac. He swayed his sword to the right and left, his face distorted from hatred. He ignored any kind of attack in his direction. As expected, the enemy’s green mold could no longer harm him.
He had to give up one stage of development because of the bloody jerk... His resentment transformed into hatred, and his hatred turned into bloodthirst! He had to kill Kyon... to kill him no matter what!
Kyon dodged each attack like the wind. His movement went beyond the ordinary. He was impossible to predict... One could only wonder what he would do next.
Two green sparks darted to the straps of Tsayan’s trousers...
~whoosh~ ~whoosh~
The girl fond of Tsayan screamed, blushed and covered her face with her hands.
Each and every guest’s mouth gaped at the indescribable sight.
«How mean of him!» … «It’s far too much cunning» … «Ha! Look how small it is!» … «Kyon has a few tricks up his sleeve, doesn’t he?» … «Go Kyon! Win at all costs!» … «Your insolence has no limits, sir... Aren't you afraid the Browns will take their revenge» … «You’re a beast, you can't do that!» … «Keep up like that! Good job! Win for the Stones!» … «There are children around, cover yourself! You’re a pervert!»
Anna used to firmly believe in the servant's perfect upbringing, now she had completely changed her mind as for his image in her bright little head. Her fingers touched her lips, her eyes sparkled.
Tsayan stood dumbfounded, his skin glowing, his eyes darting from side to side. The fresh breeze in the area of his groin, as well as countless glances at that very place, and the most indecent comments fell on his dignity like a heavy burden. He was stripped in front of everyone, brought to the status of a naked monkey... It was so embarrassing.
Juno's cheeks turned red. {What else could be expected from a dishonest servant born at the bottom of society... He is so... vile and dishonorable!} - Even if she thought so, in fact, she approved of his actions. It was to her liking to win at all costs. Against her will, she felt respect to Kyon hatching in her soul until she weeded it out with a shake of her head.
When the Stones saw the reaction of their beautiful lady they blocked the obscene sight in the heat of good intentions. However, she only frowned upon them and they scattered apologizing for misunderstanding her.
People whispered all around: «Ha ha! It’s so tiny and cute!» … «Hmm… My brother has a bigger one and he isn’t born yet!» … «What a disgrace! Little girls should not flash their genitals!»
«You dared to undress me...» - Tsayan said heavily trembling with rage.
«I did! Congratulations, you are the first guy I’ve stripped! And you know what... I’m disappointed.» – Kyon frowned pointing to the enemy's groin with his sword.
Half of the guests were swept off their feet, the girls gasped not believing their ears. No one had ever met such an impudent and dishonorable boy! There were speechless.
Tsayan exploded like a volcano in a frantic cry.
«I WILL KILL YOU!» - Tsayan rushed to Kyon in a rage. He’d completely forgotten he was naked. Anger had overcome his shame. He had to hit Kyon once... Just one single time! He was like an agile annoying mosquito driving Tsayan up the wall.
A calculated decision flashed in Kyon’s eyes. He made a quick thrust and stabbed the intersection of the bloody cuts in Tsayan’s plexus with his sword infused with the element of light. He had made those cuts not simply to hurt the opponent but to create a vulnerable point that would allow him to reach the central nervous system even through the golden skin.
Tsayan had overestimated his rock. Kyon was counting on that. Everything else was nothing but showing off and testing his abilities. And now was the time for the final blow...
A ray of light left the adamantine sword and entered Tsayan’s plexus. It caused the effect similar to that with the spider that shot an indecent stream of the web.
Tsayan's eyes widened then rolled back. He collapsed unconscious, his limbs trembling in convulsions, his entire nervous system overloaded. As a result, there appeared a yellow stream and an indecent sound from his anus.
Naked, covered in bloody cuts, wetting and soiling himself… When he wakes up, he won’t be able to move for another day because of the recoil of forcefully activated gold skin. To crown it all, the most difficult stage of development had been lost. It will take him at least a couple of months to get it back. His pride and dignity went down the drain. When the rumors spread he will become an outcast. The father will beat him to the pulp, his brother will add to that.
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Kyon had chosen Tsayan as a victim for his ascent. His plan was an unexpected but spectacular success. Initially, he wanted to pay Tsayan back according to his principle but after his numerous attempts to kill him instead of winning in a fair battle, they were even.
Also, Kyon felt something revolve in his soul just like in the case with Dinah back then.
There was complete silence.
The Browns looked as if they had been fed three kilos of the finest dog shit. The descendant of the pure blood, the elder’s son had lost like a wretched piece of shit soiling and wetting himself. He was of the 2nd rank, pride of their family, a priori respected reputable Brown... And now he’d been dragged through the shit. They were all afraid to look in the direction of the Stones. They felt shame and humiliation… They felt disgrace and regret.
Kyon’s words they were dogs not tigers started unexpectedly reverberating in their hearts. What followed was almost tangible hatred and rage... The impudent and arrogant boy dared to insult their great family. What is more, he has the highest talent for his worthless stage of development. In the future, he could become a direct threat to them, especially if his master was legendary TsyJy! They had to make every effort to destroy him.
«Tsayan…» - The Brown girl was the first to speak in a trembling voice. While she was looking at the crushed and humiliated object of her adoration, her feelings were torn apart as if demons were playing with her soul. Her love turned into contempt followed by disgust. She hurried to leave the party in tears and regret that she had wasted so much time and emotions on a piece of shit.
«Did he win? He won!» - Stephanie gasped.
«He won! Yeah!» - One of the Stones shouted with enthusiasm and then everyone broke into a roar of jubilation.
{He is a genius... He is a heavenly genius capable of defeating the opponent at the peak stage of the second phase...} - Dinah's quiet thoughts sounded unusually loud. His image of a pathetic meaningless basstard was getting transformed in her head giving her a headache. How wrong she had been... The way he stared at her at the first meeting as if he owned her suddenly began to get a sacred meaning. Who are the heavenly geniuses, indeed? They are the kings in their kingdoms. Entire families could be destroyed for them. Any master would take them as students. The sky is the limit for them.
The girl closed her eyes and tried to pull herself together.
Anna looked even more like a content cat, she was nearly purring.
XiaoBai grabbed a bottle from the tray the nearest servant was holding and gulped the wine down until he choked and coughed.
A friend slapped bald fat Richie to wake him up. «Wake up, fellow!»
«Did we win?»
«We lost!»
«No… No…» - Tears poured down the cheeks of the bald fat guy. He clenched his fists and hammered with them on the ground. - «The earth cannot change places with the sky! I do not believe it!»
Suddenly Richie exclaimed:
«I got! I know everything! Today is the opposite day! It happens sometimes! Now I remember my grandfather telling me about such a thing!» - Richie ran to the banker and handed him the largest bag of money he had. His eyes were flames of fire. «I bet everything on Kyon in the next fight!»
The banker gasped at the amount of money he got. Given the odds, Kyon's next victory was going to bankrupt the bank. Then Xiao Bai would strangle him. «The odds are one to one!»
«What?! You’re a greedy asshole! You can’t do that to your clients, I’ll kill you!» - Richie wanted to get into a fistfight with the banker but there was a beefy guard on his way making cracking sounds with his neck.
Richie turned pale, shook his head and screeched like a pig. «Okay! Okay! I agree! I bet all my remaining money on Kyon's victory! He is Lady’s of Fortune son, ha ha!»
The banker was happy to take the bet.
As soon as Kyon left the arena, the Stones surrounded him, took him in their arms and tossed him up with joyful laughter and praise.
«Our brother has won! Ha ha ha!» … «He is the new king of the battle in the Stone family» … «Atta boy!» … « You did what Lee could not do! You are our hero!» … «You have humiliated him, dragged him through shit! You even made him shit himself! I am so happy!» … «Our family has made it to the finals! Ha ha ha!» … «You are TsyJi’s student, indeed! You can’t deny it! Ha ha ha!» - The Stones could not calm down. They were bursting with pride and happiness.
Lee smiled along for the ride. His lips trembled with insincerity. He struggled to force himself burning inside with unbearable shame. His own fan was now in the spotlight while he stood in the shadows. It was so unusual, unacceptable, insufferable.
The Stones got to the final even if a couple of minutes ago they felt humiliated in the 5th round out of 8. The fall and rise inspired, excited, intoxicated their young hearts. And the reason for that was the mysterious boy in the 7th stage of the base phase.
No one but Juno suspected it was he who had set up the whole show. He’d planned everything from beginning to end: the infamous, unfair position in the grid; the strange row of miserable defeats; Lee's humiliation... And, of course, his victory over Tsayan, the main reason for the adversity and humiliation.
{How did he do that?!} - A look of shock spread across Juno’s face when she looked at her servant. She remembered him telling her about his goal to become a respected Stone but she had no idea how he was going to achieve that. She remembered mocking at his optimism. Now his success skyrocketed in just two fights! Almost everyone in the young generation of her family respected him! They screamed, rejoiced, tossed him in the air. They loved him!
{He’s definitely not a human...} - A chill ran down her spine. She was delighted for the Stones to get to the finals but it was unbearably painful to witness the success of the boy she hated. She was afraid he was unattainable for her... He would fly high like a dragon and would be inaccessible.
XiaoBai swallowed three times and coughed dryly. Cornelia carefully wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. A sweet smile played on her lips, she looked like a caring little wife. He believed all his dear money was at risk. The buy he considered a rare loser no longer looked like that. Then XiaoBai remembered that Kara had arrived only after their bid. He understood everything.
{He wanted to rob me, didn’t he?!} - His face turned red with anger.
Meanwhile, the medical staff put naked Tsayan on the stretcher and took him to the nearest carriage and then to hospital.
The Browns would happily follow him but their early departure would be considered bad form. Losers must accept their defeat! What’s done is done. It’s like everywhere. A cultural thing.
The loud clicking of high heels at the gate attracted everyone's attention. The joyful cries subsided.
The beautiful lady approached Juno and laid her protective hand on her shoulder. «Did I miss something?»
«Oh, just a little bit. We got to the finals!» - The girl exclaimed proudly.
Kara raised her perfectly defined eyebrows in surprise and carefully watched those present.
Her eyes the color of ripe cherries drove many young men crazy. The girl's gaze was bewitching like the shining morning star. At last, her eyes stopped at the black-haired young man with the weakest development who was still in the arms of his jubilant kinsmen.
The princess looked at the tournament grid, stunned. {How did it win?} - she looked inquiringly at her friend.
Juno sneered as if to say - did not expect it, bitch?!
Kara snorted when she remembered her dialogue with Juno about the wretched boy. How did he get to the finals? On his own? Impossible! She had missed something interesting while talking with her mother.