I will only agree to take a partner that can defeat Gustav," Matilda voiced out.
"This is my only requirement... Defeat Gustav, and you can have my hand,"
Chatter! Chatter! Chatter!
The entire place became noisy as they heard and processed Matilda's statement.
-"She wants what?"
-"This might become an impossible task,"
-"I'm still gonna try... I just have to defeat Gustav,"
-"If I defeat him, I can have the Kwoiune family princess... I will have to train hard and try my luck,"
Everyone interested in Matilda turned to stare at Gustav.
Gustav felt a bit uncomfortable seeing everyone turn to give him different kinds of stares.
Some were stares of anticipation, some were stares of hopelessness, while some gave him crafty glances.
A lot of them started formulating different plans in their minds.
'So this was her plan all along... Hmm, I guess I just have to make sure none of these guys ever defeat me,' Gustav said internally as he noted the looks of every suitor present today.
"So, Young Miss, if I heard you correctly... As long as anyone can defeat that boy Gustav, they can have your hand?" Deitrick's uncle asked again.
"Yes..." Matilda said with a look of conviction.
"Hmm, I see... So you want to be assured of strength. Don't go back on your word later when my nephew defeats that boy in a battle," Deitrick's uncle stated while pointing at Gustav.
Chatter! Chatter! Chatter!
"If that does happen, I will not shy away from accepting Deitrick's hand," Matilda said before moving back towards her sitting position.
"What are you doing?" The elder on her right whispered in her ear as she sat down.
"Elder, isn't the main purpose of doing this for us to bear the powerful offsprings that will represent both families in the next generation? I will not accept a partner that is weaker or less promising than Gustav... This is the best course of action, and I did it for the betterment of our family," Matilda answered without hesitation.
The elder had a contemplative expression as he thought of her words.
"So when does this challenge start?" Deitrick asked.
"It has started... You lots are free to challenge Gustav at any time, and if you ever do win, there has to be proof if I'm not present at that time," Matilda stated.
"But we still have to ask for his consent... Don't you think?" Deitrick's uncle stated.
'If Gustav refuses, all this will crumble,' Deitrick's uncle said internally as he turned to stare at Gustav.
"What do you say, young man? Will you be able to handle the challenges of every young man that is interested in Young Miss Matilda? Think about it carefully; you have to handle numerous challenges every day," Deitrick's uncle said with a threatening tone.
Gustav stared at him and Deitrick's for a few moments before turning to stare at Matilda, who had a longing look in her eyes.
"Of course I accept... I will be able to handle all of your challenges. Come at me when you lots are ready," Gustav stated with an unconcerned expression.
Matilda sighed in relief internally as she heard that, 'Thank you, Gustav,'
"Uncle, what do we do now?" Deitrick moved over to his uncle's side and asked.
"Revealing your true strength right now is out of the question, but... Challenge him right now to probe his strength level, so we will come up with the best way for you to defeat him later on," Deitrick's uncle whispered back to Deitrick.
"Is there a limit to how many times we can challenge Gustav?" Deitrick asked.
"Yes, you cannot challenge him anymore after being defeated five times..." Matilda replied.
"Alright," Deitrick said before turning around.
Gustav, I challenge you to a duel now... This would mean I have only four more tries after this," Deitrick added.
Chatter! Chatter! Chatter!
-"He didn't even wait for the party to come to an end first,"
-"Looks like Deitrick is keen on embarrassing himself in front of everyone,"
-"I would at least go train and come back to try fighting Gustav first,"
Some of the youngsters in front felt Deitrick was stupid challenging Gustav right now, but they had no idea that this was just a ploy.
"Hmm? Where would the battle hold?" Gustav asked after hearing that.
He was quite surprised himself that someone would challenge him right on the spot.
'This Deitrick doesn't seem like an overconfident idiot like most guys, so why would he decide to challenge me right now if he knows he can't win?' Gustav wondered.
"We could move over to the Kwoiune family training ground... The duel can be held there," Matilda responded.
The elders quickly acted and voiced out for the guests who were interested in watching to follow them as they led the way.
Of course, no one left because everyone was interested in seeing how the battle between two top-five would be. Especially when Gustav was involved.
The others who were also interested in Matilda decided that they would use this as a means to observe and analyse Gustav.
Everyone moved towards the southeastern area of the estate-like area where a small thirty-three-meter mountain could be seen.
Everyone moved up the mountain area and arrived at the top, where about twelve different stage-like fighting rings could be seen positioned around.
Also, several robotic-like machines could be seen positioned in different places. A massive target practice was placed in front along with other pieces of equipment arranged all across the place.
Gustav and Deitrick picked a stage that was somewhere on the left side of the mountain area.
An electromagnetic barrier was immediately erected around the stage the instant they went in. The stage covered a radius of over four thousand feet, so it was large enough, but the barrier was mostly to prevent stray attacks from making contact with the guests.
The two hundred plus guests gathered around the place and focused their eyes on Gustav and Deitrick.
Gustav and Deitrick stood in front of each other, scrutinizing themselves.
"Shall we?"
Deitrick asked as he took a few steps forward.
"After you," Gustav said as he raised his right hand.
"Hmm, alright," Deitrick replied before raising his finger and poking his neck, chest and belly region.
Gustav and practically everyone around was oblivious to the meaning behind his actions but in the next second red glowing lines started appearing all over his face and exposed skin.
Gustav suddenly felt the environment filled with pressure.
Fwwooossshhhh!
Wind started blowing all around Deitrick, causing his green hair to float upwards.
'He just activated gate one... I have told him not to go beyond gate three in this duel. He better listen,' Deitrick's uncle said internally as he stared at Deitrick.
'Hoo, he's pretty strong... Underestimating him would not be a sensible thing to do,' Gustav said internally as he activated Sprint.
Swwoooooosshh!
It was as if both of them were in sync as they dashed forward at the same time.
Deitrick straightened his left palm in a chop format as he swung it towards Gustav's neck.
Swweeii!
Gustav spun and dodged the swing while swinging out his own leg in response.
Bam!
Leg and arm collided, causing Deitrick to spin from the colliding force, but then, as he did a three hundred-degree turn, he stabbed his right hand towards Gustav's chest.
Gustav responded by slapping the arm away and pushing his right hand forward.
[Palm Strike has been activated]
The air was pierced through fiercely as Gustav's palm travelled towards Deitrick's chest.
Deitrick reacted quickly by raising up his left arm to block his chest.
Bam!
Gustav's palm collided with his arm causing him to be sent sliding backwards by several ten feet.
Sshhhsss!
'He's not as fast as I am, but he reacts quite well to every one of my attacks,' Gustav noticed this and stared at Deitrick, who was up ahead with a suspicious look.
'Damn, he is strong,' Deitrick said internally as he slowly lowered his trembling left arm down.
'My bone almost got fractured from that hit,' He stared at Gustav in front with an astonished gaze.
As they paused for these brief moments, Deitrick raised his right finger and poked his left arm, right and left rib cage area, as well as his abdomen.
Fwwooossshhhh!
The wind surrounding him quickly became more intense as he stared at Gustav.
'Gate two,' Deitrick's uncle said internally after noticing Deitrick perform that action.
Deitrick raised his finger once more and pointed it at Gustav.
"Air pressure... force one!" The instant he voiced that out, the air surrounding Gustav suddenly got sucked into a small circle in front of him...
Gustav felt the environment void of oxygen and dashed forward as he held his breath, but just as he took a step forward...
Booom!
The sucked-in air suddenly exploded outwards with intensity.
Krrryyyhhhhhh! Fwooooommmmmmsshhhh!
Gustav had already moved several steps forward, but he still got caught up in the wind pressure explosion, which turned the vicinity of a hundred feet into a small crater.
Bang!
The wind knocked Gustav forward, sending him flying towards Deitrick, who responded by swinging out his right arm.
Gustav raised his arms upwards for protection since he wasn't able to counter the attack fast enough.
Bang!
It was like metal hitting metal as Deitrick's hand in a chop-like format collided with Gustav's arms sending him flying backwards.
Gustav did a flip in the air and landed several hundred feet away.
'He has gotten stronger,' Gustav was able to notice this the instant both of their bodies made contact.
The back of Gustav's shirt had been torn apart due to the pressure of the wind earlier, but he was glad he already pulled his jacket off earlier and gave it to E.E to hold for him.
'How is he still uninjured? That wind explosion is capable of knocking down a twelve inches thick brick wall... My strike earlier also barely had any effect,' Deitrick noticed this.He and Gustav dashed forward again and traded blows.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
With every hit, Gustav was able to confirm that Deitrick did get stronger after performing the actions he did earlier.
Gustav was only a tiny bit more powerful in levels of strength right now.
Deitrick used several air attacks as they battled, but Gustav was able to dodge every one of them this time since he wasn't taken unawares like before again.
'Impeccable speed, wonderful reflexes, top-notch fighting skills and unmatched strength all without even activating his bloodline,' Deitrick noted as they battled.
He was slowly getting beat back and receiving minor injuries as the battle went on, but he wasn't ready to quit yet.
-"Amazing, he's going against Gustav for this long,"
-"Yeah, I didn't even know that he would last this long,"
-"Gustav still hasn't made use of his bloodline ability, though,"
-"Yeah, wasn't it transformation..?"
The guests said amongst themselves as they watched.
Gustav bent backwards as he dodged an air Cannon firing from Deitrick and placed his hands on the ground.
He made use of his palms to lift his entire body up and push his legs forward.
Bang!
His foot slammed into Deitrick's jaw, sending him flying backwards as blood flew out of his mouth.
The ground beneath Gustav cracked open due to the hit.
Gustav had managed to successfully land hits on Deitrick earlier, but this happened to be the most powerful one.
Gustav landed back on his feet and dashed forward again.
[Combination activated]
[Sprint + Dash]
Swwoooooosshh!
Everyone was amazed by the immense acceleration as Gustav arrived in front of Deitrick's soaring body with an outstretched palm.
Deitrick's body was currently upside down as it flew across the air with his back facing Gustav.
[Palm Strike Activated]
Bam!
Gustav's palm slammed into Deitrick's back, causing a loud bone-cracking sound to ring out as a bust of wind blasted across the place.
Swweeii!
Deitrick's body catapulted forward like a rocket launch as he slammed into the barrier on the other end while coughing out blood.
Gasp!
The entire crowd was wowed after witnessing this. It was expected, but they thought Deitrick would at least make Gustav activate his bloodline, but this didn't seem to be the case.
Deitrick slid down the barrier, which was over a thousand feet from Gustav's current position and landed on his knees.
Gustav stared at him with a suspicious look, "Stay down," he voiced out.
Deitrick opened his eyes, which were blurry due to the intense hit, and stared at the ground.
He smiled as he wiped the blood from his mouth and nostrils before raising his head up to stare at Gustav.
"I'm not done yet," He muttered as he stood to his feet and raised his right finger.
He started poking different parts of his body again.
[Combination has been activated]
[Sprint + Dash]
Swwwoooosshhhhh!
"Not this time Sheldon," Gustav closed in the distance between them in almost an instant as he threw out his arched back right hand.
Bang!
His fist slammed into Deitrick's stomach, causing him to slam into the barrier again before passing out.
Krrhhkkkk!
Cracks appeared on the barrier as Deitrick's body slid down.
"This time, you are staying down," Gustav said as he turned around.
"Deitrick!"
Deitrick's uncle and other relatives that were present shouted with looks of concern as they stared at Deitrick, who had passed out on the stage.
Gustav won as expected,"
-"We have no chance of winning since Deitrick was not even able to get him to activate his bloodline,"
-"If he activates his transformation bloodline, that would mean he had gotten serious,"
"This shows that I need to train harder and become stronger than I am before trying to fight him,"
Gustav had suddenly become a source of motivation for his peers who were interested in Matilda.
The barrier was deactivated, and the Odaly family quickly went upstage to give Deitrick medical attention.
Gustav walked down the stage and quickly took his jacket and wore it to cover the back of his clothes that were completely torn apart.
"Good job, man... You just saved Matilda from the torture she would have gone through getting married to someone she didn't like," E.E said to Gustav.
"Hmm, I still wonder what she's playing at... And how long she intends to keep this going," Gustav said with a slightly suspicious look.
Glade, Ria, Teemee and Angy also stared in Matilda's direction as they heard that.
"Go talk to her," E.E suggested.
"I tried that before... I'll try something else this time," Gustav said as he walked away.
"Wait, Gus... tav," Angy called out, but he was already gone...
The guests stared at Gustav with looks of admiration and envy as he moved towards Matilda.
Angy stood beside Glade with a suspicious look on her face.
"Did he tell you anything beforehand about his invitation?" Glade asked.
"No, he didn't say anything... I also didn't tell him I was invited, so..." Angy responded but didn't complete her sentence.
"Why does the atmosphere between you, two, seem off?" Glade asked while pulling Angy to the side.
"Well, that's because... Something happened yesterday," Angy muttered.
Glade raised one eyebrow up as she heard that, "Tell me everything,"
---------
Over on Matilda's family side, she had just finished arguing with some of her family members over her requirement.
They had to agree with her after she mentioned some things.
"So what if no one is eventually able to defeat Gustav?" One of the elders asked.
Matilda had a look of contemplation on her face as she heard this. She was unable to give an answer for a few seconds.
"I will take up the responsibility of marrying her myself," Gustav spoke up from up ahead as he approached the group.
"Huh? You will?" Some of the elders voiced out at the same time.
"Yes, or am I not worthy enough?" Gustav asked as he arrived in front of them.
"Ah no, no, haha, you certainly are worthy enough... The Kwoiune family will be extremely blessed to have someone like you as our son-in-law," The elder who was initially bereaving Matilda voiced out with a smile.
Matilda had widened eyes as she stared at Gustav with a look of disbelief, 'What is he doing?'
"But that is only based on if none of her suitors are able to defeat me in the future... If I am defeated by any of them, she'll still have to become engaged with that person," Gustav stated.
"Yes, of course, we understand," The elders, as well as Matilda's father, smiled and nodded as they spoke.
"Now, if you lots don't mind, I have to speak with her alone," Gustav said as he held onto Matilda's hand and pulled with him as he walked away from the training ground.
Angy and Glade didn't notice Gustav leaving the area hand-in-hand with Matilda because Angy was currently explaining what happened with Endric to Glade.
"Everyone, thank you for coming... According to our young princess requirements, anyone that is able to defeat Gustav will get her hand in marriage." One of the elders announced again.
"There is something else I would like to announce..." The elder said, causing everyone's attention to be drawn towards him, Angy included.
"If no one can defeat Gustav in the future, our daughter will be betrothed to him,"
It was like a bomb went off as he revealed that.
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise as the entire place became noisy.
"What?" Angy voiced out subconsciously as she heard that.
"Where's Gustav," She said while turning around to look.
She felt indescribable mixed feelings welling up within as she looked around the place for Gustav.
Glade quickly followed behind her along with E.E, Ria and Teemee
This marked the end of today's event. As the guests slowly began to file out of the Kwoiune family residence.
The Odaly family also bid their farewells as they promised that Deitrick would eventually defeat Gustav.
Deitrick had been fed some recovery pills and was now back on his feet.
He had checked for Gustav, wanted to have a word with him after gaining consciousness, but he couldn't find him anywhere, so he left with his family.
Several minutes later, as they sat inside the private aircraft that was going to fly them back to their city, their uncle spoke.
"You did well today," He voiced out.
"Hmm, but was that really necessary?" Deitrick asked.
"Yes... The next time you fight him, you will defeat him because now, he, along with everyone else, believes you have to poke different parts of your body to increase strength when in fact, you don't have to... Next time you're fighting him, taunt him with that a little more and then open the seventh gate suddenly to finish him off... I can guarantee you that he won't see it coming," Deitrick's uncle laughed lightly as he voiced out.
"Hmm, alright, uncle, but he is quite powerful too... Who knows how powerful he will be the next time I fight him," Deitrick said with a wary look.
"No matter how powerful he becomes, the seventh gate will be enough to end him since it's powerful enough to handle a peak Gilberk rank right now... Just make sure you fight him without anyone in attendance. We will make a video recording as proof, but no one must witness the fight between you two," Deitrick's uncle stated with a warning look.
Gustav had brought Matilda to an unknown place within the Kwoiune family residence where flowers could be seen planted around a four hundred feet reddish and brown colored tree.
He leaned against the tree and stared at Matilda in front of him.
"Now, tell me what you're hiding from everyone? What exactly are you planning?" Gustav asked while squinting his eyes.