As both Audellis and Cresser strode towards the battle platform, Clay’s previous statement sparked Hikaru's curiosity, so he turned to Clay with a question. “Your Highness,” he began, “the insight you shared earlier about Cresser’s supposedly remarkable regeneration rate intrigued me. If he possesses such an advantage, then why does he only rank seventh in the betting booth?”
Clay pondered for a moment before responding: “Hmmm, it’s probably a combination of several factors, but the main one likely stems from his identity as a Beastman. You’ve probably noticed the negative sentiment against Beastmen in our society. It’s deeply ingrained, going back to their origins as beasts that once preyed on us Orbies. So, it’s not surprising that there’s prejudice against them. As the saying goes, “A bad beginning makes a bad ending.” That’s why Bailey has taken measures to ban most forms of slavery, with the exception of cases involving Beastmen. Consequently, anyone who bets on a Beastman is often viewed as unpatriotic.”
In Orb Universe, when a Beast consumes a recently deceased Orby, there is a chance that the soul core of the Beast and the soul core of the Orby will occupy the same space in the Spiritual Dimension. Therefore, the soul space of the Orby may mistakenly identify the soul core of the Beast as its own. This entire process occurs because when an Orby dies, its soul core is the first to dissipate. As a result, when the Orby’s flesh is still being digested in the living body of a Beast, the deceased Orby’s soul space integrates with the new, compatible soul core. If this occurs, the beast will undergo a Beastman transformation, taking on the sub-race associated with its original beast species counterpart. The variant grade of the newly transformed Beastman depends on both the variant grade of the Orby they consumed during the evolution process and their inherent body's potential.
Clay then looked at the files on his side table containing the details of the participants and continued his explanation: “And it seems like Cresser is in a similar situation as your little sister. This year marks their first time participating in this tournament, so there is a high possibility that the crowd doesn’t know his details, including his age and appearance.”
Meanwhile, on the battle platform, the second match was about to begin. Audellis took his stance at one side of the ring, a commanding presence adorned in a battle vest and wielding a formidable 3-meter-long spear. Across from him, Cresser, a wolfman with black, wolf-like ears atop his head and a black, fluffy tail shaped like a sickle, stood with ease, dressed in everyday attire without bringing any weapons, yet still exuding an air of calm confidence. The referee positioned himself between Audellis and Cresser, casting a careful glance at each of them before signaling the start of the match.
As Audellis slowly advanced towards Cresser, the latter activated his innate ability, morphing his ordinary human-like hands into a pair of wolf-like appendages, with his fingers elongated and his nails sharpened into deadly claws.
*Stab – Stab – Stab* Audellis executed a series of piercing attacks with his spear, aiming for Cresser’s vital areas.
*Thunk –Thunk –Thunk* Cresser parried them with his wolf claws, which were covered in a visible green aura made of chi.
*Swish – Swish – Riiip –Swi* Cresser closed the distance swiftly and executed a series of swiping attacks with his wolf claws. Audellis evaded two diagonal swipes by sidestepping, but he was caught by the third horizontal swipe that sliced through his battle vest. So, before the fourth swipe could land, he instinctively countered with a swift push kick, aiming to push his opponent back rather than inflict harm.
*Swish –Swish* Seeing Cresser stagger and being pushed back by the teep, Audellis stepped back while channeling chi into the tip of his spear and executed two [Bolt Skewer] attacks.
*Thunk –Thunk* As Cresser struggled to regain his balance, he found himself unable to evade the two energy bolts hurtling toward him, aimed directly at his vital areas. Reacting swiftly, he raised his wolf claws in defense, but the suddenness of the attacks left him with no time to envelop his hands in protective chi. *Thumb – Sliiide* Consequently, he sustained injuries as the impact forced him back, yet despite this setback, he managed to get up immediately.
Both fighters stood across from each other, motionless, as they gasped for air. Audellis's energy attacks had left wounds in Cresser's hands, yet due to his fast cell regeneration rate his wounds already stopped bleeding.
In the Royal Seating Box, Clay observed the intense match. As both fighters stood motionless, gasping for air, he thought to himself: ‘Looks like having a huge build really is a double-edged sword. Their attacks generate more force but at the cost of greater energy consumption. Just look at them now! Cresser didn’t activate his [Arm Chi] long enough to defend against Audellis’s attacks due to high energy consumption. By saving that bit of chi, he allowed Audellis to injure his hands, which in turn slowly depleting his chi reserve, as his body automatically used it to mend his wounds.’
Shortly after, Cresser approached Audellis with caution, while Audellis kept the tip of his spear aimed at him, hinting at another potential energy attack.
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As Cresser approached, Audellis thought to himself: ‘It’s unlikely he will get hit with another one of my [Bolt Skewer] attacks from this distance, as he is focusing on my spear. I need to find the right distance and time my shot perfectly. I can’t allow him to dictate the match and fight at super-close range; I need to keep him at bay within the effective attacking range of my spear.’
Cresser suddenly sprinted in a zigzag pattern, bewildering his opponent. Audellis couldn’t find the right moment to launch another energy attack, so he chose to use some basic spear techniques as Cresser entered the striking range of his spear.
[Horizontal Swipe] [Piercing Strike] (Common Skills)
Cresser deflected the first strike and smoothly dodged the second. Taking advantage of the opening, he closed in on Audellis before launching a series of claw strikes.
[Diagonal Swipe] x3 (Common Skill)
*Crackle –Clang –Clang* Audellis managed to block the first swipe with the body of his spear, while the subsequent swipes were blocked with his left hand, which suddenly hardened like metal. He then followed up with another push kick to Cresser's stomach, creating some distance between them.
Although Audellis once again managed to push Cresser back, he failed to make him stagger, so he didn’t follow up his teep with another round of energy attacks. After enough distance was created, Audellis’s left hand that got hard due to the use of special skill, reverted to its normal state.
Sensing Audellis was getting tired, Cresser decided to employ the same strategy. He approached Audellis slowly, then sprinted in a zigzag pattern, just as before. Audellis countered with a [Horizontal Swipe] attack to keep him at bay, but failed to connect as Cresser easily avoided the attack. Cresser then proceeded to approach him and unleashed a flurry of swiping attacks.
[Diagonal Swipe] x4 (Common Skill)
*Snap –Clang –Rip –Rip* Audellis’s spear broke in two after blocking the first strike. He managed to block the second strike using his left hand, which hardened like metal. However, the third and fourth strikes managed to rip part of his face and severely injured his right hand, which attempted to defend against the attack without using any special skill. In an effort to prevent further damage, he swiftly delivered another push kick to Cresser's stomach, effectively creating distance between them.
Audellis’s face and right hand were profusely bleeding. The referee looked at his condition from afar and decided to stop the match. *TWEEEET* the referee sounded the whistle to indicate the match was over. Audellis looked unhappy but didn’t protest the referee’s decision. The referee then announced Cresser as the winner of the second match, while the medics promptly ushered Audellis to the healing formation.
After the second match was over, Hikaru mused to himself: ‘Huh! Prince Clay’s prediction really came true. In the betting booth, Cresser was the 7th favorite to win, while Audellis was the 5th favorite. Yet, judging from the fight, Cresser seemed to outshine Audellis.’ An air of concern settled over him as he continued his thoughts. ‘And perhaps Misaki’s placement as the 4th favorite isn’t quite accurate either. Maybe the crowds placed their bets based on her affiliation with the Kaya clan rather than knowing Masaki’s true ability, which somehow bolstered her popularity.’
In the Royal Seating Box, Prince Clay rose to his feet and applauded Cresser as the referee declared him the winner of the second match. After settling back into his seat, he turned to Hikaru with a curious expression. “What do you think of the second match, Hikaru? It seemed like Audellis lost because he tried to overpower a wolfman with sheer strength, a tactic that doesn’t work well against our lupine opponents. Despite mastering level 2 body and weapon arts skill, making him eligible for graduation, Audellis was bested by young Cresser, who has yet to showcase any level 2 special skills.”
Hikaru nodded in agreement. “I agree with Your Highness’s assessment. Maybe if Audellis had used fire magic, he could have had a shot at winning!”
Lydia suddenly joined the conversation. “Not necessarily. It turns out Cresser is also a Firefang wolfman, which gives him high heat resistance among the wolfmen. So even if Audellis had used a fire spell, he would need exceptionally strong fire attributes to make any impact!”
Clay nodded thoughtfully. “That's a good point, Lydia. But what if Audellis employed illusion magic, which plays to human strengths? I personally think he could stand a chance against a Beastman like Cresser, even with his wolfman heritage.”
As they continued their small chit-chat inside the Royal Seating Box, the referee came to the platform and announced the third match. The match was between Masaki, Hikaru’s cousin from class 5-A, and a male Bamborean named Rasla from class 4-A. This match was the one Hikaru anticipated most today, as he was concerned about Masaki’s well-being but also excited to see her demonstrating her fighting prowess to the world.
Seeing Hikaru’s serious expression after the referee announced the combatants of the third match, Clay commented: “Looks like your sister is up next. How do you think the fight is going to play out?”
Hikaru replied: “Even if Rasla is stronger than Masaki, she can just hover in the air while sniping him from above, so I’m not that worried.” He reassured himself with his own statement.
Clay then remarked: “Hikaru, it seems you’re not familiar with the rules of this tournament. According to the regulations, each combatant can only remain airborne for a maximum of one minute per flight. This rule aims to prevent stalemates, as aerial combat makes it challenging to exchange blows effectively, even when they are employing long-distance attacks. Hence, the university committee introduced this rule to ensure fair and dynamic matches.”
After Clay stating the regulations of the tournament, although Hikaru didn’t show it on his face, it made him worried about Misaki’s prospects.
Lydia chimed in and reassured Hikaru: “Don’t worry Rasla seems as young as your little sister, so he probably not as experienced as previous fighters. Beside he was the least favorite fighter in the betting booth.”
Hearing Lydia’s reassurance, Hikaru cursed in his mind: ‘Last time, you said not to worry because of the existence of the bloody healing formation, but afterward, I discovered the bloody shortcomings of the healing formation. Now how the hell can I believe you when all the previous matches were pretty intense?’
Before long, Hikaru spotted his cousin Masaki gracefully making her way to the battle platform, a stark contrast to the carefree steps of her opponent Rasla, who was also approaching from the opposite side.