BXBX NOVEL Chapter 225: Everyone Is Here [2]
Meanwhile, the third sister panted in relief. Though she hated to admit it, she was inwardly glad that she could catch her breath from the intense fight that was burning through her stamina. If she had gone any further, she would have ended up being eliminated.
But there was no time for her to rest because the dozens of Awakened men that had appeared had malicious intent. They were all ogling at the Cromwell and Armstrong teams like candy ready to be snacked on.
"The Armstrong Duchy and Cromwell! This is very, very interesting!" The same youth who had spoken earlier chuckled as he stepped forward. He was a bulky-looking youth with muscles packed in all the right places, his face shaped like a brick, and his nose wide, making him appear dominating and menacing.
The boy was just 18, but he looked like someone in his early 20s. He wielded giant dual blades with intricate symbols etched on them—probably the work of a runesmith.
"Why don\'t we make this easy for us?" The bulky youth, who seemed to be the leader of his team, shouted as he pointed one of the blades at Nyx and the third sister. The tip of the blade flashed dangerously as he ordered, "Surrender, and I will make your death painless!"
"No! Our team will be the one to slay the tournament favorites!" another one suggested, his eyes shining with defiance as he clenched his weapon tightly.
"Idiots." The leader of a girl-dominated group stepped forward. She had blonde hair and a pair of sparkling blue eyes. Her beauty was just below Nyx and Serena\'s, yet she still drew lustful glances from others in the valley.
Due to her charm, everyone was forced to look at her. Sensing the collective gaze of everyone present, the girl nodded in satisfaction and said in a loud, clear voice:
"Don\'t be fooled by their appearance. Though they appear weak, they still have enough strength to take us out. If we get cocky and let our guard down, it\'ll be our heads on the ground instead of theirs." The blonde-haired girl\'s voice was sharp and confident.
The impulsive Awakened briefly pondered her words, but then someone spoke up. "How do you know this?"
The blonde girl turned to that person and stated calmly, "Because I studied them. I made it my goal to study the tournament\'s favorites over the last five years. I realized that they are the most dangerous participants in this tournament." She paused before adding, "The only way for us to stand a chance against them is to go all out."
"Tch, so you\'re suggesting we band together to take care of them?" The bulky youth sneered, irritation flashing across his eyes. He brandished his blade, and the runes glowed.
The bulky youth was one of the oldest in the tournament and very skilled, yet no one even seemed to talk about him! Subconsciously, his irritation had been building. Just like the others, he had been itching to fight these so-called favorites and see how strong they were.
"Watch me as I beat them!" the bulky youth roared as he charged forward, swinging his blade. However, before he could land a hit, a bolt of lightning blasted through his chest, bursting out from the other side.
The bulky youth\'s eyes widened, disbelief washing over him. He hadn\'t even seen the fourth sister make a move... yet... yet... He wasn\'t able to finish his thought as he staggered, his knees buckling before collapsing to the ground with a thud.
The fourth sister blew on her fingers, chasing the remaining tendrils of lightning away. She then looked at the others as if daring them to make a move as well.
Seeing this sight, the others became silent, instinctively turning to the blonde girl, who wore a cocky grin. Her entire expression seemed to scream, I told you so.
"What do we do?" one of the youths from the bulky boy\'s team asked the blonde girl, his hands trembling.
"We band together and deal with them!" the blonde girl stated as her fingers moved through the air, preparing her skill.
The others didn\'t stand idly by; they sprang into action, activating their own skills, and the entire battlefield started to hum with energy.
"Hmph! Lucky bastards!" Cole and Rab sneered as they disengaged from the second brother and came to stand beside Nyx. Wendy also joined them. They stood with their backs against each other, facing the dozens of Awakened who were ready to unleash their skills.
Standing a few meters away were the three Armstrong siblings, who also had their backs against each other. They momentarily forgot about the Cromwells, focusing entirely on the Awakened who had formed a giant circle, trapping them in the middle.
Though they were clearly outnumbered, there was hardly any trace of fear on their faces.
"Folks! Almost everyone is here! It\'s an all-out war!" Klein\'s voice boomed through the surroundings. "This fight will be epic!"
Meanwhile, on one side of the valley, a green-haired boy was watching the fight about to unfold with a complicated expression. Naturally, this boy was Jared, who had arrived not too long ago. Jared was pondering whether he should lend a helping hand.
This was the perfect time to show his love for his crush, but Jared was conflicted. A lot was at stake. If he won this tournament, the collective resources from the neighboring towns would greatly improve his barony.
"Should we help them?" Longy, Jared\'s tall, slim friend, asked in a quiet voice. He was one of the few people who knew how Jared truly felt about Nyx. Ever since Jared had seen her at the Mountain of Ascension, he had been mesmerized by her beauty and couldn\'t stop talking about her.
Longy imagined the sheer willpower his best friend was using to restrain himself from rushing in blindly to help the Cromwells.
"No," Jared finally whispered, clenching his fists. "The barony is more important than some girl who doesn\'t even know about me... Also, sooner or later, we\'ll still face each other. This is for the best."
For some reason, Jared\'s heart ached badly as he said these words, and even his tone didn\'t match them. It was a tough decision. Jared knew that his chances with Nyx would increase if he lent a helping hand now, but deep down, he also understood that the battlefield had no room for hesitation or personal desires. His loyalty to his barony had to come first.
Clenching his fists even tighter, he forced himself to stay rooted in place, watching as tension filled the air and reached a boiling point.
It was now only a moment before all hell broke loose. Thus far, it had only been a standoff, with both sides hesitating to make the first bold move.
The blonde girl, who had somehow become the unofficial leader of the temporary alliance forged by the other towns, wore an extremely serious expression as a gigantic blood-red runic pattern with indescribable symbols appeared in the air. It began spinning, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Heavens, a runesmith! She\'s a freaking runesmith!" Klein\'s voice boomed throughout the arena. "The runesmith class is very rare and extremely dangerous in combat. This just got way more interesting!"
"I didn\'t know the daughter of the Blackstone Barony was actually a runesmith!"
As usual, excited whispers filled the crowd, with the Cromwell Barony growing anxious once again.
"This is going to be bloody! I wonder how the Cromwells will get out of this one!"
"Yeah, the Cromwells are in deep trouble now!"
"Runesmith? I\'ve never seen one before!"
"Blackstone Baron\'s daughter, huh? I heard she attended the Ignis Academy in the Royal Capital," one man said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.
The eyes of those around him immediately widened.
"That academy that only accepts runesmiths? No wonder she\'s strong!"
Back in the mysterious realm, Nyx narrowed her eyes as she analyzed the swirling blood-red runic pattern emitting an ominous aura. She could sense the gathering power and didn\'t underestimate the calculating blonde girl, who seemed to have planned this attack from the beginning. The energy from the runic symbol made the air hum—it wasn\'t something to brush off lightly.
Even the Armstrong siblings, who had been fearless moments ago, exchanged uneasy glances. They hadn\'t moved an inch, not knowing the nature of the blood-red pattern.
They had underestimated the Cromwells and learned their lesson. Not wanting to repeat the same mistake with the blonde girl, they decided to stay still and watch everything unfold.
At that moment, the runic pattern, which had been gathering energy, suddenly came to an abrupt stop. The blonde girl\'s eyes trembled in fear.
Even Jared abruptly jumped from his crouching position, his fists trembling as a red vein bulged on his forehead, memories he desperately wanted to forget resurfacing.
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Thank you to everyone supporting Supreme BeastTamer! I really appreciate it. Apologies for only uploading one chapter today—writer\'s block hit me hard, but hopefully, it\'ll be gone by tomorrow. Once again