Nathan ignored Alixus and kept his eyes focused on the Elder addressing him.

"With that said, it should be noted that if not for your intervention Johal would most certainly have died during that final blow. It was due to a lapse in judgment on the behalf of the official who failed to notice Johal's unconscious state, therefore, we believe that a severe punishment is not required. Instead we decided to acknowledge Alixus's challenge for a ranking match, it will serve as your penance to face a challenger of lower standing." the Elder said.

Nathan grit his teeth but tried to keep his expression as calm as possible.

"Now then, Nyelekai Gremzor to the challenge presented to you by Alixus Stalhart Tier Five-rank 4 for a ranking match, what say you?"

"I accept!" he said in a clear and loud voice.

"Then it is decided, the match will begin after a brief interval!”

The crowd erupted into cheer and excitement at the declaration, sending vibrations throughout the arena as they stomped their feet in anticipation.

"What a foolish boy to challenge a Magna, he has no chance."

"Well that is true, however, he does not need to win the match to earn points, if he manages to land a hit on a Magna it would be most impressive." two gentleman discussed in the row of seats behind Logan.

"What is a Magna?" he said.

Dormain smiled having heard the conversation behind them.

"We did not discuss this earlier as it was not relevant at the time, however, there is an additional ranking system beyond the two we mentioned." he said.

"Another one?" Logan said.

"Yes, what do you think it measures?"

"I have no idea.”

"Well the aforementioned rankings are not affected by age, meaning that it is possible for a young Altherian and an adult to share the exact same Stoma and Ethu values. It is not common in the higher rankings, however, there are many young Altherians who share rankings with adults one hundred years their senior.

For that reason, age is never taken into consideration when establishing the best individual per Stoma ranking, instead, we determine who the best individual is for that Stoma ranking in all of Altherion. Only the top ten individuals are given an additional ranking that distinguishes them from the rest, these additions span across all Tiers and ranks." Dormain said.

"So each Tier and rank has a top ten?"

Dormain nodded. "Correct.”

"I see, does that mean that Magna is a term used for someone in the top ten of their Stoma ranking?"

Dormain and Mr Gremzor laughed and shook their heads.

"No that is incorrect, there is a distinct reason why those gentleman called Alixus' challenge foolish, even more so than that of Johal." Mr Gremzor said.

"What do you mean Mr Gremzor?"

"Johal challenged an opponent of the same Tier, granted he was outmatched, his opponent was unranked. Meaning that Alixus is not among the top ten of his respective Stoma ranking." Mr Gremzor said.

"I understand. Logan said. "If that's the case, what is Nathan's ranked position, and what does Magna mean?"

"The full title is Alum-Magna." Mr Gremzor said.

"It’s a title and not a ranking?"

"Well, actually it is both. It is a title reserved for the elite, only ten people in all of Altherion share this accolade, five Lumus and Malenta respectively.

To earn the title of Alum-Magna one has to be in the top five Stoma rankings, and the individual has to be the apex in their entire Tier. Meaning, although each rank in the top five Tiers have their respective number one ranked individual, the Alum-Magna stands above them all. They hold the undisputed number one ranking." Dormain said.

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Logan’s eyes widened.

At that very moment ,the official made an announcement.

[The final preparations have been completed, we will now begin the ranking match.]

[Alixus Stalhart Tier Five-rank 4 Vs Nyelekai Gremzor Tier Four-Alum-Magna]

Nathan faced Alixus with an indifferent expression, his posture and body language suggested that he was completely relaxed.

However, a few keen eyes in the crowd peered through his facade.

"Oh my, he seems to be in a fowl mood." Dormain said.

Logan gave him a dubious look.

"You sensed it earlier, did you not?" Dormain said. "The reason you did not pursue an answer.”

"That pressure…"

Dormain nodded. "Alixus is too caught up in himself to notice, although, one has to question his battle sense, the pressure is palpable even to those watching from the upper tiers." he said, glancing above the ring.

"Why do you still seem confused?" Mr Gremzor said.

"I've been wondering about the end of the challenger match.” Logan said

"What about it? Mr Gremzor said.

"It's regarding the Elder's remark about Johal potentially dying after the final blow, it suggests that he knew that Johal had been unconscious the entire time. But he didn't stop the match himself.”

Both Dormain and Mr Gremzor grinned.

His eyes widened at a sudden realisation.

"He sensed Nathan, he knew that he would interfere!"

They nodded.

"Indeed, Elder Zhaan has a…mischievous spirit. He most likely wanted to see how Alixus would handle himself against a more powerful opponent." Mr Gremzor said.

In the ring, Alixus stretched and warmed his muscles with shadow boxing and kicking. He bounced around vigorously as he prepared for the big match.

"I've finally warmed up enough to go all out, you should consider this an honour to witness my full power." Alixus said.

Nathan watched him in silence.

Alixus rapidly increased the density of muscle fibres throughout his body, instantly gaining a preposterous amount of pure muscle mass. He nearly tripled in size, compared to his previous opponents, his physique outclassed theirs by several fold.

A faint red-coloured aura radiated from his body as he flexed his bulging muscles.

"Tell me Nyelekai, how does it feel to be in the ring with greatness?" he said as he stepped forward, in an attempt to intimidate Nathan.

"When that happens, I will let you know.”

[Are the combatants prepared?]

[Begin!]

"I will crush that arrogant face of yours!" Alixus said.

He vanished from sight, appearing and then disappearing around the ring at mind blowing speeds. He moved five times faster than he did in previous matches, even members of the audience could not keep up with his movement.

Nathan remained motionless, not even moving his eyes to follow Alixus around the ring.

"What is the matter Nyelekai, am I too fast for you?" he said mockingly as he blurred around the ring.

"You thought my size too large to be this swift? You are sorely mistaken, I am merely getting started.”

Nathan closed his eyes and placed his hands in his trouser pockets.

Alixus laughed heartily. "Have you given up on trying to keep up with me?" he said, increasing his speed even further.

"That is too bad, I do not plan on making this a quick match, just like your friend Johal I will…" he said but stopped abruptly.

His vision became obscured, and he felt a vice like grip around his face, tightening by the second nearly crushing his skull.

With a high-speed yet simple motion, Nathan drove the back of his head into the ring with unimaginable force, the impact destroyed the entire ring and created a small crater in the arena floor.

Logan’s slack-jawed expression became infectious, spreading across the arena to those who were too stunned to cheer.

Over forty thousand spectators all of whom were on their feet in awe, cheered at the top of their lungs.

Thankfully the Elders had ordered for additional barriers to be placed around the arena in anticipation of extensive damage to the ring. As a result, the numerous large pieces of debris from the ring's destruction simply bounced off the transparent boundaries, allowing the spectators to continue to watch the electrifying match safely.

Ten rapid and deafening thuds resounded from the bottom of the crater, in lightning quick succession. The next moment,

Alixus burst through the cloud of dust and flew across the arena limply, then crash landed and slid along the ground unable to stop the momentum.

Nathan leaped out of the crater and landed near Alixus, he walked towards him at a slow pace, his face devoid of emotion.

Alixus crawled away on his back with a look of terror on his face. His bulging muscles deflated, he pleaded for Nathan to stay away.

The crowd looked on in astonishment at the once proud and cocky champion, now begging for mercy.

Nathan stopped seemingly out of pity, he looked away in disgust. At that moment,

Alixus threw a large piece of debris towards him, a split second later he jumped up and punched Nathan with all his might.

Nathan brushed the debris aside with a flick of his wrist, then caught Alixus’ hand, twisting it in the opposite direction, breaking his arm with ease.

Alixus' agonizing scream echoed around the silent arena.

Nathan delivered two bone crushing punches to his face, and followed it up with a ferocious blow to the Abdomen. The final blow generated a visible shock wave, sending Alixus hurtling through the reinforced barricade and into the arena wall, creating deep cracks along the audience seats in the lower tier.

After a few seconds of stunned silence an announcement was made.

[Victor of the ranking match… Nyelekai Gremzor!]

Thunderous cheers unlike anything that had been heard during previous matches, shook the arena. The medical and ground staff rushed toward Alixus to assess his injuries, as well as the damage to the arena.

Logan stood slack-jawed with widened eyes.

‘So this is what Nathan is really capable of?’