"That match was more of a psychological battle than it was physical," Lam stated as he watched Black Hand walking towards the team. The Snake of the Orange Team had a calm expression on his face as the crowd cheered in appreciation of a great match. Although the end to the match wasn't as satisfactory as they would have wanted, everything before that moment was exceptionally beautiful, and they would be lying if they said they weren't entertained by the two warriors.
"It was," Mane agreed with his friend. The entire match looked close, but it was actually more of a psychological battle between Swift Indigo and Black Hand than it was a battle of skill. Both kept their eyes on each other, looking for a small lapse in concentration or an opening that could be exploited. Ultimately, it was Black Hand who came out on top.
"But I wonder why he didn't use his full power," Lam suddenly stated, and Vital Orange who was standing next to them was stunned. He tried to hide it, but he wasn't so good at hiding his expressions. Unlike Black Hand who was a master of his emotions, Vital Orange's emotions could easily be seen on his face.
"It seems that your friend is learning faster than you thought he would," Hildegarde narrowed her eyes as she stared at Lam with a scrutinizing gaze. She looked at him like a scientist looking at a rare specimen – with eyes eager to dissect the specimen and find out what was so special about it.
Mane was also surprised that Lam could sense that Black Hand wasn't at full power. Lam had only recently gained strength, and being able to judge the strength of an opponent without the abilities of a Spiritualist or a Scholar boiled down to experience. Yet Lam had been able to tell that Black Hand wasn't at full power. So it was no surprise that Mane was taken aback by his friend's judgement.
"Who knows?" Mane shrugged nonchalantly as he responded to Lam's earlier question. He could see Vital Orange's expression becoming uglier by the second, and didn't want to dwell on the topic.
"His weapon interests me more than his strength," Mane smiled and said through his face mask. Lam nodded his head as well. His eyes were glued to the two daggers in Black Hand's hands. Feeling their gazes on the daggers, the Snake looked at the two teens and smiled at them. Then he returned the Blood Rose Daggers to his coat.
"Are you okay?" Vital Orange asked once Black Hand arrived at the Orange Team waiting area. He was genuinely concerned about his teammate.
"I am fine. Just a bit numb. But that would fade soon." Unlike Vital Orange, Black Hand was very calm and expressed no discomfort. He waved his arms in the air a few times to show that he could still use them.
"That's fine," Vital Orange nodded his head in relief. None of the Orange Team members – Mane, Lam, nor Vital Orange – were worried about the next match. The Semi-Finals allowed warriors to have five minutes to prepare for the next match. It was enough time for Black Hand to recover his full mobility.
"The next match should be slightly easier," Vital Orange said, and Lam nodded his head. Black Hand nodded as well. Swift Indigo was the only other Predator in the Indigo Team apart from their Captain, Celestial Fairy. That meant that the next person was a Thrasher. That was bound to be a relatively easier match since a Thrasher, no matter how talented he/she was, was no match for a Predator – even an injured one. The fact that Orange Monk was special and had still failed to largely hinder Blue King in their match was proof of this.
"I wouldn't be so sure," Mane smiled and interjected. Of course they couldn't see his smile because his face was covered up, but they could hear him quite well. All of them, including Lam, turned to the young Supreme for answers.
"What do you mean? Are you saying that there is another Predator?" Vital Orange said, voicing the concerns of the group.
"That is exactly what I am saying. Don't underestimate her." Mane nodded and said. His words weren't to be ignored since he was the same person who had seen through Black Hand's strength back at their mansion on their first meeting.
Vital Orange's face looked sterner upon hearing Mane's words, and Black Hand's eyes narrowed into slits as he turned to watch the middle aged woman walking to the centre of the field. That was going to be his next opponent, and she was the one Mane said he should not underestimate.
"How strong?" Black Hand only said these two words. That was the most concerning thing for him right now. In the past, having a Predator in a team was enough to win a person the Grand Tourney. Then gradually the standards of the previously disregarded competition were raised and every group was led by a Predator. Before long, Tigers joined the fray, and now the standards had gone even higher. Take the match between Black Ink and Red Marshall as an example. Although the two were still only Thrashers, they were just a step away from the Predator realm! Although Orange Monk, Black Ink and Red Marshall were all Peak Stage Thrashers, they were far stronger than the average Peak Stage Thrasher and only needed a little inspiration to break into the Predator Realm. That was how high the bar had been raised. And now the bar had been raised even further.
The Indigo Team had at least two Predators. At first they thought there were only two, but Mane's words enlightened them to the truth. It was possible that there was another Predator in that team! Actually, the Orange Team were the least worthy to protest this, since their entire squad was made up of Predators. And Mane and Vital Orange were at the Tiger level at the very least.
"She is a little bit stronger than Swift Indigo. At least that's what I can tell from her energy signature. Her true combat prowess should be greater than that. But if you take her seriously, you wouldn't have a problem." Mane's eyes flashed with a crafty light as he explained his findings. He was eager to see the full extent of Black Hand's skillset. The man had never gone all out. Even when they fought in that mock battle back at the mansion he wasn't entirely serious and didn't use everything at his disposal. But Mane could tell that this contest meant a lot to the Orange Team. So if the man was pushed, Mane might just get to see the full extent of his abilities. And was Mane eager to see the Snake's limits? Yes, he very much was.
Lam's eyes shined brightly as well. Just like Mane, he was more interested in Black Hand than he was in Vital Orange. Black Hand was like a tightly closed book. Although they laughed and dined with him, the man had never revealed anything personal about himself, unlike Vital Orange who didn't know how to keep his mouth shut. The more Black Hand kept to himself, the more Lam grew curious about the man. People were like this. They grew interested in something when it was difficult to see through that thing. That was why humans were so eager to hear the secrets of others.
"Thank you for telling me this," Black Hand nodded his head and expressed his thanks.
"No need to thank me Black Hand. We are in the same team. It is what I should do." Mane replied.
"You're becoming slicker and slicker with your words as the days wear on. I like it." Hildegarde said.
"I have always been slick with my words," Mane rebutted with a confident smirk on his face.
"Sure you have," Hildegarde mocked and then ignored Mane.
"I'm off," Black Hand stood up and said. Steel Fist was asking for the Black Team fighter up next to come over, meaning that the time for resting was over.
"Your hand?" Vital Orange asked.
"The numbness wore off a minute ago," Black Hand replied and went to take his place. As the two fighters approached, the crowd erupted into a frenzy. Of course, many people were under the impression that this would be an easy match for Black Hand because he was a Predator and his opponent was expected to be a Thrasher.
"The second match is between Indigo Shadow of the Indigo Team and Black Hand of the Orange Team." Steel Fist declared once the combatants had taken their places.
"Are you ready?" Steel Fist asked the two combatants. The woman standing opposite Black Hand was just as lovely as Swift Shadow. Her looks were top notch and so was her aura. But her aura was more like the first part of her title – a shadow. Although she was standing right before him, she gave off the feeling of not being there at all. If she was in a crowd and one was to blink, one would possibly lose sight of her. Her longsword was even thinner than Swift Shadow's. It was a rapier that was just like Black Hand's Blood Rose Daggers – pitch black. Her aura was serene, and even though she was about to fight not a hint of turbulence could be felt from it.
"Ready," she spoke calmly as she unsheathed her blade. Her voice was like a whisper, and Steel Fist almost didn't catch it.
"Ready," Black Hand retrieved his trusty daggers and said. His aura boiled and billowed, and then suddenly disappeared.
"Then let the fight begin!"