Sorn had watched the fight below in its entirety. Truthfully, he was shocked by what he had just seen. Oden had repeatedly been breaking the perception of what Sorn thought of him. However, as he levitated back up towards Crystal along the rim of the arena, he stared directly at his Sorn, raising his hand. Five fingers. Stage five. Oden had made it, now it was up to Sorn.

Aria: “Looks like the oaf made it.”

Sorn looked at her relaxed face as she put her hands behind her head, stretching out her back.

Sorn: “Are you not worried at all?”

Aria: “I don’t need to be. There’s not a single person here that comes close to me.”

Sorn: “Oh.”

He didn’t know how seriously he could take her statement, but she seemed pretty confident. He had noticed her glaring at Jaden for most of the fight. By his calculations, they would be fighting each other. She seemed pretty set on avenging her sister. He then looked down at Varian announcing the ninth placer, Zachary from the Claw Subclan. Sure enough, his facial structure was sharp just as Zoe’s was. His opponent was Flen of the Chain Subclan. Sorn had only heard of this Subclan in passing conversations, but Cedric was the man who led it. They were the Fortress’s sealing team.

The fight seemed to be greatly in Zachary’s favor, as he played an aggressive game. Flen struggled to avoid the barrage of claw strikes coming towards him. He was constantly evading and weaving, never getting even a moment to attack himself. Sorn thought he would wear himself out faster as Flen’s movements began slowing. Zachary never lost even a moment of stamina, and even from this distance it was clear to see he was laughing like a madman.

Sorn: “Looks like Zachary is winning this easily.”

Aria: “The Claw guy?”

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Sorn: “Yes.”

Aria gave him a look of pure disgust.

Aria: “Are you dense?”

Sorn: “Um, I don’t think so.”

Aria: “Flen hasn’t used a single technique so far and still hasn’t gotten a scratch on them. They clearly have a plan.”

On cue, a chain suddenly emerged from Zachary’s mouth, wrapping around him like a cobra. He was stuck in a cocoon of chains as he writhed on the ground. Varian looked down at the scene for a second before making his judgment.

Varian: “This victory is yours Flen. You will proceed to the next round.”

Flen smiled and snapped his fingers, causing the chains around Zachary to disappear. Zachary looked irritated, but he understood he was defeated and they both retreated to their original positions.

Varian: “The next fight will be between the eighth placer, Percy of the Sword Subclan, and Neville of the Dancing Blade.”

Sorn: “The Sword Subclan?”

Aria: “Wow, you really are clueless.”

Sorn wasn’t sure what he was missing, but he recalled Keilan donning a sword on their first encounter.

Aria: “Swords and Spears have always been the pinnacle of our Subclan. But a few centuries ago the Sword head fucked up and lost in an infight with the Spears. So they made a truce with the deal that the Spear gets to handpick ten young Swords to become Spears every five years.”

Sorn looked down at the chiseled young man glaring directly before him. He looked refined even under the sunless sky, generating a shining sword and shield.

Sorn: “Why has a top twenty Sword not been chosen by the Spears?”

Aria shrugged.

Aria: “Don’t ask me. Not like I care.”

Compared to the noble figure that Percy displayed, Neville’s short and lean build made him hard to take seriously. However, he pulled out a needle of ice and assumed the same stance that he had seen Toren do when fighting him before.

Percy charged first, weapon in each hand as he threw his shield at Neville halfway. He then increased his pace, sliding underneath the shield and aiming a swipe of his sword at Neville’s legs. Neville however, jumped over both Percy and the shield. Percy had outpaced his shield slightly, so his head was open for Neville to thrust his needle down at.

However, Percy generated another shield above his head, blocking Neville’s strike. Both shields then disintegrated and Percy stopped his momentum as he was done sliding just as Neville gracefully landed on the ground. They circled around for a bit, waiting to see who would make a move first. Percy once again had a sword and shield floating beside him.

They both moved around the same time, with Percy having a slight head start. He brought his sword in a wide arc, however Neville used his needle to pin it down by striking the flat downwards. They both generated a small ice projectile at the same time, but they collided with each other. Neville then brought his foot upon the blade, thrusting his needle, but Percy blocked it with his shield. However, it seemed as though Neville had expected this, as the needle aimed towards Percy’s face disappeared and since Percy couldn’t see with the shield in front of his face, Neville was suddenly behind him, and slashed his exposed back in one swift movement. His steps were less refined than what Sorn had remembered of Toren, but he was impressed nonetheless as the Knight fell to the ground and Neville held up his needle in triumph.

Aria: “Wow, that Geville’s got moves.”

End.