"That was unbelievable," Lam sighed with a euphoric expression as he put aside the Record Stone.
"It was," Mane sounded far more composed. The contents of the Record Stone didn't move him like they did Lam.
"I guess it was passable," Hildegarde commented from atop Mane's shoulder. Her expression showed that she wasn't being proud by making such a comment, but really felt that way.
"This was much more exciting than the matches of the Round of 16 Stage. This time things were much more competitive." Lam stated with a slightly refreshed expression. Mane didn't doubt his words at all, since it was made clear to him that Lam had been following the competition all this while.
The duo had just finished watching all the matches of the Quarter Final Stage. In the end, in addition to the Orange Team, the Red Team, Indigo Team (the reigning Champions), and the Black Team were the teams that made it through to the Semi Final Stage. These four teams were the cream of the crop, and every member was exceptional. Even though Orange Team had a Tiger, they were still at a massive disadvantage. Indigo Team and Black Team had Tigers as well. Red Team didn't have a Tiger, but they had a Cheetah. An actual Cheetah, not a Cheetah Cub, and although Cheetah's weren't as strong as Tigers, their speed and reactions made them powerful foes that one wouldn't like to meet in a battle. So all the teams wanted to steer clear of them. No one wanted to be pitted against a team with a Cheetah. Especially the Orange Team, which had lost one of its members. That was why Orange Team were at a disadvantage. Not only had they lost a valuable member, Orange Monk was actually the second strongest in their group. It was going to be very difficult to find a replacement for him.
"Do you think I would be able to reach that level if I train?" Lam asked with a forlorn expression. He stretched his hands to the ceiling as though trying to grasp something – power maybe.
Mane smiled slightly seeing his friend's expression. Behind the forlorn look, Mane saw Lam's eyes shining with an aggressive gaze. It was a gaze Mane was familiar with because he had seen it several times – in the mirror. Eyes that yearned for power to protect and control your own destiny. Eyes that yearned for arms that could pull the world off its orbit and carry its weight on its shoulders. Eyes that gleamed brightly in the darkness with hands that could slap aside any unwanted issues that would fly your way. These were his eyes. And now they appeared in Lam's.
"No," Mane replied and Lam's expression became downcast. Lily who had only just returned from viewing everything in the Outer Room arrived just in time to hear Lam's question and Mane's reply. She looked at Mane with an angry expression, and asked with her eyes why he said that to her brother.
'Why did you have to hurt him that way?' her eyes asked.
Mane didn't choose to reply, he only smiled and continued, "But if I teach you, not only would you become strong enough to hold your destiny in your own hands, you would be strong enough to hold their destinies within your palm as well!"
Mane's words shook Lam, as the young teen shivered slightly in ecstasy. He looked into his friend's eyes and saw unbridled confidence and charm. Mane's words were as mighty as they were arrogant, but when Lam looked into Mane's eyes he felt that his friend was being humble, a feeling that stunned him. All his life he trusted his instincts, and now these instincts were telling him that Mane was his only path. And it was a path that would lead to greatness.
As for Lily, the eyes she looked at Mane with turned soft again when she heard Mane's words. She was initially annoyed because she felt Mane was belittling her brother, but hearing his words that implied that her brother was talented enough to exceed the talented fighters of the Grand Tourney, she was happy. As for whether it was true or not, she didn't really care. She was only happy that Mane thought so highly of her brother.
"Such arrogance!" Suddenly a voice spoke from within the room. Lily and Lam were startled, but they quickly calmed down when they saw who the speaker was.
"Ivor! Why did you sneak up on us? You scared me!" Lily patted her raised chest and said. Her face was a little pale from the earlier fright, and her expression was that of annoyance.
"He didn't sneak up on us. He has been here for quite some time. He even watched the last match with us, didn't you, Ivor?" Mane smiled slightly as he spoke. Since he met Ivor, he had been feeling uneasy. It wasn't because he felt the man was a bad person, but because Ivor was someone many times stronger than he was. If he had to place Ivor's strength, he didn't think he would be able to. But he felt that even if Ivor was in the True Universe, he would only be below a Noble (Nobility Realm Wielder) in power! Having someone like that in the same room as you was bound to bring up some discomfort. Although he had met powerful gods like Indra, he was under the protection of his parents and the mysterious Butler Fin, so he never truly felt the pressure. But out here, all alone in this mysterious world, he felt truly threatened by Ivor the Tattler. And because of that, he kept his senses at their maximum, allowing him to sense the big man when he arrived.
He turned his head to gaze at the large man who gave him that feeling of unease and picked up the Record Stone which was on the table. Then he tossed it to Ivor.
Ivor was a bit surprised when he heard Mane's words. His hand instinctively reached out and caught the Record Stone, but his surprise didn't fade. Although he didn't consciously hide his presence when he returned, because he had just recently used the Space Laws, there were remnants of the powerful Law of Space on him. And that made it difficult for people to sense his presence. In fact, he had been sitting next to Lam when the last match was playing, and had only gotten up when the match was over. He thought none of them realised it, but Mane did.
"I did," Ivor answered Mane's question with a smile. And then he added, "You do have the capital to be arrogant." If Mane could sense him even after he stunk of the Law of Space, then the boy truly wasn't all talk.
"And how were my words arrogant?" Mane smiled and asked.
"I can tell that you are a talented young man. At your age, you are already a Peak Level Thrasher, and that is incredible. You truly are worthy of being Dan's nephew"
Hearing his words, Lam and Lily were stunned. They knew that Mane was strong. After all, he was someone who spared with Dan. Although Dan never truly fought with his true strength, Mane was still able to go toe to toe with Dan and that was impressive. They knew this because their Grandfather told them. So they knew Mane was strong. Added to the fact that Mane was able to fend off the assassins Village Head Samoa sent, of which Wild Boar, a Thrasher was included, they understood that Mane was a Thrasher. But they didn't think he was a Peak Level Thrasher! Peak Level Thrashers and Established Thrashers were very different. An Entry Level Thrasher was not a match for an Established Thrasher. And a High Level Thrasher could easily handle two Established Thrashers. But a Peak Level Thrasher was able to deal with 4 High Level Thrashers effortlessly! That was how large the gulf was between them was!
If this came from any other person, they wouldn't have believed it. But this was something that Ivor admitted. And they knew who Ivor was. Although the man was an information peddler, the twins weren't fools. They were intelligent kids, and although they were naïve, they never disputed facts when they were placed right in front of them. Information peddlers traveled from city to city, town to town, and village to village, seeking for worthwhile information. And they mostly did so with guards. This was because they had to protect themselves against the constant threat of bandits and thieves. But Ivor never traveled with anyone. He always traveled alone, yet never experienced any robberies. They weren't fools to think that he was just lucky. Ivor only stayed in the village a couple of days before leaving. It was like that each time. For him to never meet bandits when he traveled so much, he would have to amass the luck of everyone in the world. Plus their grandfather had confirmed once after meeting Ivor that the man was far from simple. They remembered that the first time Old Fan met Ivor he gave them some advice, and they still remembered their grandfather's advice.
"Be careful. If Sir Dan is a monster that every veteran has seen explode, that Ivor man is a dragon who is yet to go off."
And this meant that his assessment of Mane was likely very accurate. They recovered their thoughts and sent their attention back to the conversation between Mane and Ivor.
"But even if you are talented, there is a huge gulf between Thrashers and Predators. Predators are the peak of power in our world today. So it is arrogance to say that you can become strong enough to control their fates. But when you confidently say that you can make someone powerful enough to control the destinies of such powerful men and women, that is greater than arrogance itself."
Ivor shook his head and spoke his thoughts.
"Indeed, Predators are strong," Mane admitted. "But they aren't at the peak of this world. I found Nightmares with unbridled power like you and Dan only by roaming this small village. Who is to say what I would find when I explore the world?" Mane added with a smile, and an explosion went off in the twins' heads. Since Ivor had exposed Mane's strength, he didn't bother to hide Ivor's.
Nightmares!
These were warriors so powerful that they regarded everyone weaker than them an ant. This was a term that had long since been removed from this world because it was believed that they had all gone extinct. They suspected that Dan was a Nightmare, since his power was beyond their grandfather's; and their grandfather was a Predator with an uncommon title! But they had no idea that Ivor was just as powerful as Dan and was also a Nightmare. They had been fooling around with a Nightmare all this time, yet they didn't know it! If they found out that Mane considered Ivor to be even stronger than Dan, they may have lost their minds.
"Interesting," Ivor smiled.
"I have a proposal for you then," Ivor told Mane.
"What is it?" Mane asked. What could one as strong as Ivor want from him?
"I have known the Prince and Princess since they were kids. If you want to teach Lam you must prove yourself worthy"
Lam and Lily felt warm hearing Ivor's words. They were unsettled hearing that he was a Nightmare, but listening to him still call them by their childhood pet names, they felt that nothing had changed.
"I already have approval from Elder Fan. Why do I need yours?" Mane smiled.
"Because mine tests your pride," Ivor smirked confidently, and powerful presence leaked out of his body and fell onto Mane's. His aura was powerful, and even a Predator would have fallen to his/her knees. Yet his expectations crumbled, as Mane stood standing still, a smile still etched across his face.
"Indeed," Mane's smile widened. What a joke! His masters were gods and ascenders, and he had grown used to their auras. His parents were gods, and Uncle Jake and Butler Fin were also gods! And he himself was a godling! How could he fall to Ivor's meagre pressure?
"So what is the test?" Mane smiled, as a powerful aura was exuded from every pore of his being and pushed Ivor's aura back into the man's body.
Ivor's expression changed when he felt the crushing aura of the young boy before him. Mane was shorter than him, but under the overwhelming pressure of the teen's aura, Mane's figure resembled a giant who wielded a large axe, and he was a bit overwhelmed. But he recovered himself quickly, much to Mane's approval and said what he wanted to say.
"How about you follow me to Asher City?"
"What?" Mane was stunned at the request. And so were the twins. What did that have to do with the test?
"Come with me to Asher City," Ivor reiterated.
"Why?" Mane asked.
"To join the Orange Team as a Replacement."