While Aurelius was declaring himself for the first challenge, Riley and Brian was giving him weird looks. Both of them were looking him up and down and seeing if there was something wrong with his brain, Jacob did not say anything in response to their weird looks. Even if he whispered the reason why he gave a fake name again, given how the dragonoid Lord Yshavol was a Grade 3, his words would definitely be overheard by the lizard.

What he had to do now was to start forming his crystalised core even if time was short, Jacob already had a form in mind. He believed it would not take too long for the crystalised core to form.

“Brian, Riley I have a favour to ask from the both of you. Would the both of you mind hearing me out?” Jacob turned to ask the both of them

“You can go ahead and ask the favour, I still owe you a lot. Young Jacob.” Brian replied with an earnest expression.

“Yea yea! What the bald giant said.” Riley exclaimed in her usual excitement causing Brian’s eyes to water in that moment.

While Jacob got the two of them to go after Aurelius for the challenge so that he can form his crystalised core before his fight, a circular platform started rising in front of everyone in attendance causing the ground to shake tremendously as the platform with a diameter of 20 metre and height of 0.8 metre was created in a few seconds. The trio gasped as they saw a platform big enough to cover a cross-junction was created in seconds.

After the initial shock. Jacob’s eyes gleamed as this was a demonstration of what he could accomplish once he reach the higher grades, if a Grade 3 could affect the environment to such an extent. A Grade 4 might be able to cut down mountains, who knows what a Grade 5 might be able to do.

“Now that we have our first volunteer, the first challenger and my knight shall step up to the arena. To achieve victory is simple, first blood. Whoever manages to bleed their opponent first is the winner. The challenger can choose what weapon they will be using for the battle, my knight will use the same weapon type as you. Once both participants have entered, look towards the center and a countdown will appear.”

While Aurelius walked up towards the further edge of the arena, Jacob sat down on the floor and began the crystalisation process hoping that he would be able to make it in time. Riley and Brian made their way to the side of the arena ready to cheer for Aurelius. Brian’s face carried tension, even his walk to the the side of the arena was stilted. Brian was nervous about his fight, from what Lord Yshavol said. These knights are bonafide Grade 1s and they were trained by the Grade 3 being, Brian only had his MMA techniques.

While he had fought with a size and height disadvantage before, there were new factors in play now. The introduction of essence for one and the lack of information on the opponent was another. Before, any match that he had Brian would study his opponent for weeks and months to figure out the optimum way to win the fight.

Aurelius way of fighting was too different from Brian and Aurelius was definitely gonna be using a weapon to fight, Brian was not too hopeful about his prospects during his fight. He could only hope he gained some inspiration while Aurelius was fighting.

“For my weapon, I choose a broadsword.” Aurelius declared confidently once he reached his side of the arena, his opponent was already on his own spot waiting. Two broadswords appeared in front of Yshavol Thornedge as he grabbed on to the two broadswords with his hands as they fell to the ground, snatching them out of the air. With a broadsword in each of his hand, the dragonoid flicked his wrists and send the swords flying towards the contenders.

The swords flew straight as an arrow flying right at the contenders slicing through the air, gusts of air blew past Riley and Brian as the broadswords flew past them, turning Riley’s hair in to a mess and Brian feeling much colder than usual. Right as the broadswords were threatening to turn Aurelius’s head into mush, the broadsword turned sharply downwards and stopped all its momentum. The broadsword then floated slowly towards the front of Aurelius and waited in the air, the other broadsword was also floating in front of the kobold knight. Both contender snatched their respective broadsword out of the air, and got into stance.

Two big blue number appeared out of thin air, each facing one contender. The one facing Aurelius was a normal 3, however the one facing the kobold warrior was in a different script. As the number ticked to 2 for Aurelius, it was accompanied with a ‘doong’ sound making the fight sound like a race instead, the alien script for the kobold warrior remained the same.

When the floating number turned to 1 a loud blaring of the horn signified the start of the first match. Both contenders stood at their spot, blatantly ignoring the opening signal. Brian and Riley looked at Aurelius than the kobold knight in his pristine armour, their heads moved back and forth for awhile looking for the reason why the two are not moving at all. But try as they might, they did not see any obvious reasoning.

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Just as they began to gave up and switched to looking at the dragonoid for him to start the fight again, the kobold knight started moving first and rushed to its righttrying to circle Aurelius and hit him from the side. In response, Aurelius only shrouded himself in red essence covering him from head to toe. The kobold knight having made its way to the left of Aurelius, burst towards Aurelius with more speed than it used in the flanking.

The knight wanted to end it before Aurelius was able to succeed in what he wanted to do, yellow essence emerged from the hands of the knight. It began to cover the broadsword from hilt to tip in a matter of moments, when the broadsword was completely covered in the yellow essence. The knight slashed the sword out at Aurelius who was still shrouded in red even the broadsword he was holding could not be seen, the broadsword held by the knight cut through the red essence.

Splitting the red essence into half with an arc of yellow, however Aurelius was no longer within the shroud of red essence and no blood was spilled as a result, the only effected caused by the knight was the dissipating red essence. The knight unfazed by the disappearing act that Aurelius pulled, sniffled under the armour as if it could sense where Aurelius was with its nose. Without warning it stepped forward and ducked under, narrowly avoiding a broadsword clad in red as the broadsword drew a beautiful arc lingering in the air with red.

Aurelius appeared behind the broadsword, red eyes brimming with confidence and a light smile on his face and gold hair fluttering as he completed his swing. He immediately connected the swing with a downwards cut as he began falling to the ground. The knight not missing its chance of an opponent dangling in the air, turned to face Aurelius already swinging its own broadsword covered in yellow upwards threatening to split Aurelius evenly from groin to head.

Both broadswords clashed in the air as sparks of red and yellow filled the surroundings, with no support from the ground Aurelius was sent spiraling away from the clash. While the dragonoid, Lord Yshavol only said till first blood. If Aurelius was to be sent out of the arena it would surely end in his lost too.

Gasps from Brian and Riley were elicited as they saw Aurelius heading straight for the edge of the arena, their worry was unfounded as Aurelius disappeared in a puff of red this time instead of a lingering red shroud. Aurelius appeared right under the falling puffs of red essence, the soft light of the crystals along with the still dissipating red, cast Aurelius in red. Instead of shrouding him, it caused the red in his eyes to glow.

The knight who sent Aurelius flying was already charging at him while he was still sailing through the air, it began a string of deadly and highly offensive string of cuts and thrusts at where Aurelius stood. For each blow dealt out by the knight, it was met with an equally strong one by Aurelius. Aurelius however took a step back for each blow and was getting ever closer to the edge of the arena.

Brian and Riley was watching with gritted teeth and tense eyes, they did not know the full capabilities of Aurelius and could only estimate from what they had seen before and now. What they had saw did not give them much confidence, both for themselves and Aurelius. Both of them was fully expecting Aurelius to win with ease, but the somewhat lackluster display right now only wrought more worries upon them. Even Riley who had watched Jacob getting one-sidedly beat up by Aurelius during their practice was wavering in her confidence.

Aurelius meanwhile, still had a light smile on his face as he met the knight blow for blow even while stepping back. The knight for his part was snarling at his opponent, the force behind his yellow-clad broadsword was increasing as it went. Forcing Aurelius to step back further and further, Brian and Riley began to sweat as Aurelius was only a few steps away from falling out of the arena.

One blow came down onto Aurelius and than another brought him to his last step before he was knocked out of the arena, the knight now one step before its victory brought its broadsword up in a hurry. It roared out loud, almost draconic in its roar as it brought down the broadsword in a diagonal arc to prevent Aurelius from dodging away.

Aurelius light smile turned into a full-on grin as he kept his broadsword pointing down and not bringing it to meet the rapidly falling broadsword from the knight, the knight’s eyes flared with triumph as the broadsword reached the alabaster white neck of Aurelius. The broadsword dug into the neck and almost finished lopping off the head attached to the rest of its body. Riley screamed as she saw the broadsword from the knight finishing its work, Brian looked down in sadness.

The blonde hair of Aurelius fluttered as its head flew across the air driven by the force behind the broadsword as the knight roared in triumph from finishing the opponent instead of the first blood its master declared. While the knight was reveling in victory, not realising its master and lord did not announce its win.

A broadsword clad in red and black erupted from its chest easily piercing through its armour too, the roar turned hoarse as blood began to fill its lung and the knight looked towards its master. Pleading with its eyes to be saved, Lord Yshavol only looked at the scene with a smile. No effort was made by the Lord to save the knight whose eyes were rapidly dimming.

The broadsword still in its chest was brought up and the knight felt even more pain as the weapon made its way out of its chest as if the essence imbued was purposely wrecking havoc within as a farewell gift to the knight. However as much pain as it felt, no meaningful sounds came out from its jaws as blood was also spurting out from the throat. Only gurgles came out as the kobold lost the light in its eyes. The head that the knight thought it had lopped off, smiled as it disappeared into red along with the rest of the conjured illusion.

Riley’s eyes turned grim as she looked at the collapsed body of the kobold knight, she could be the one that was dead. It was entirely possible and up to the whims of the dragonoid enjoying the show in its chair. The dragonoid could have stopped the fight after Aurelius pierced the back of the knight, the dragonoid had the power to call the win then. But it sat back and watched as Aurelius killed the kobold knight.

Brian still looked sad as he saw Aurelius standing over the now dead kobold knight, Brian wondered if he would be able to win. He had no means of conjuring illusions to trick a kobold knight, he had no unlocked skills. The next kobold knight would not be as foolish as the first and hold back its skills.

“Congratulations to Aurelius Atkinson for winning his challenge, step down and give me a minute to clean up before sending your next challenger.” The dragonoid, Lord Yshavol said as it started to wave its right hand towards the corpse of the kobold knight. Aurelius dropped the broadsword on the floor of the arena and did a small bow before he exited the arena in the direction of Brian and Riley.