The day of the challenge. Battle arena, the gallery was fill with guild members who came to watch the fight. With Astrid and Minerva taking opposite seats across one another. Due to the short notice many who where present didn't even know who where fighting. The only thing they knew was that there was going to be a match in the arena and the matriarch and the chief executive where some how involved.
"Did you hear? Both of the parties involved in this competition aren't trifling on any account. One of them is Jonathan Dayne, the matriarch's personal servant, and the other is the lineal disciple of the chief executive Minerva Nimue." One of the guys in the gallery informed others.
"Do you mean that genius who reached the 3 star initial stage with only three months of practice?" One of the guys asked for clarification.
"The very same. Why is that dickless bastard Jonathan Dayne fighting with the chief executive's lineal disciple?" The first guy asked not knowing why that was.
"Who did you say was a dickless bastard?! You guys are just jealous that Jonathan is more handsome than you!" A group of female members protested to them calling Jon dickless.
"No matter how handsome he is, he's still a eunuch!" The guys countered.
This went back and forth. In the meantime Jon has entered the arena, taking in the atmosphere. No one seem to notice that Jon has reached the 3 star initial stage.
"Hey, the battle is about to start. Stop drifting off." Jon heard a timid voice talking to him.
"Also, you… You'd better give up now. Once I start fighting, I turn into a completely different person. I don't want to hurt you." It was Sigyn who was talking to Jon. She was as timid as a baby panda, completely opposite of her master who was a mean looking women.
'The Black Phoenix guild is packed with all kinds of sluts, bitches, bookworms, and now there's even such a pure, gentle and adorable little Miss.' Jon thought looking at Sigyn.
"Little Miss, feel free to attack me. Even though your realm is relatively high, I'm a man after all, and I'm sure I can handle what ever you dish out." Jon said inviting her to attack.
~Ding~
The bell signaling the start of the fight rang.
The very next second Sigyn kicked Jon in the face with all her might causing Jon to fall over.
"Don't fall over so soon, I'm just getting started." She said in a creepy voice, pounding on Jon's face with both her fists and her appearance changed from that of a timid baby panda to that of a ferocious grizzly bear. This came as a surprise and shock to everyone present.
"Let me enjoy myself to my heart's content!" Sigyn said standing straight up with blood shot eyes, frightening the spectators.
"Chief executive, this is…" Carl asked Minerva. Carl's was sitting besides Minerva to show his support of the chief executive to the entire guild.
"It's true that Sigyn is exceptionally talented, but what's more remarkable about her is that she possess the barbarian bloodline and has the Blessing of mana: Berserker. Once in battle her blessing of mana turns her into a ferocious natural fighter worthy of being called a goddess of war." Minerva explained with a proud smile on her face.
In the battle field, Sigyn picked Jon up by his foot and started smashing him into the ground repeatedly. She ended it with a powerful throw, kicking up dust in the entire arena.
.
"Is it…over?" They all expected Sigyn to win, but this was something else entirely.
"She is really ruthless, but when I think that the one who's being trashed is Jonathan Dayne, why do I feel so at ease? Hehehe…" all the men where enjoying the beat down Jon was receiving.
Where as the women where whimpering with tears in their eyes…
"Poor Jonathan!"
"Yeah, Sigyn is too cruel!"
"How could she hit Jonathan like that? He's so cute!"
.
As the dust settled Jon was on his back but was still conscious, and seem to have not taken any serious damage.
"My lady, you got the jump on me!" Jon said getting up from the ground.
"It hurts a little, but with the Mana Guardian protecting me, I didn't suffered any major damage, it's just that…When I was taking a beating…" Jon had a confused expression on his face as he flexed his body and red vapors started to form around him.
"Why did it feel so rewarding?!" suddenly the red vapors gathered behind him and took the form of a red hulking figure with huge bulging muscles. The Mana Guardian was at least 20 foot tall.
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"!!" Minerva was stunned.
"Could it be… The Mana Guardian intent essence that only appears when one fully masters the Mana Guardian?!" Astrid was pleasantly surprised.
"How's that even possible…? He didn't even know the basics last night!" Cersei who was sitting besides her master was in denial, but the truth was there standing right in front of her.
"It's no wonder that he managed to withstand the beating. He has fully mastered the Mana Guardian skill!" Someone in the crowd exclaimed.
"No one has ever mastered this skill in the entire guild!" another person said responding to the previous person's claim.
"That's really odd… I read that when a person fully master the Mana Guardian skill, a Mana Guardian twice the size of the user would appear, and is implied that the defense would be doubled with the appearance of the guardian. So, why the hell is his Mana Guardian so bloody huge!" yelled a person who has practiced the same skill.
"Didn't you say that he sucked in a fight." All the men where skeptical about Jon's skill.
.
"Little Miss, come on. I, Jonathan Dayne, would never hit a women in my entire life. So you can fight at ease; I'll not hit back." Jon said in a display of chivalry.
But in actuality he was trying out a theory.
.
All the women seem to love it.
"He is so manly!"
"Mr. Jonathan Dayne is the best!"
"I think so too!"
…
…
…
All the female members of the guild who didn't know him personally seems to be going nuts about Jonathan.
It was a whole different story for those did.
"What's this bull about 'never hitting a women' my lady? He clearly hit me." Alice complained to Cersei rubbing her cheek where Jon hit her just after his transmigration. Cersei was embarrassed at both their display.
.
Sigyn took Jon upon his offer a started attacking again without showing any mercy.
'Yeah, that's the stuff! As expected, it's just as I thought before. Because I've just advanced to the 3 star initial stage, my mana is in turmoil and my foundation is unstable. Her attacks calm the turmoil in the flow of mana and make my foundation more stable. After the pain is gone, the place where she hit me feels wonderful because the flow of mana gets unblocked.' Jon concluded as he was getting hit.
"Even though Jonathan is the one being beaten up, why does it appear that Miss Sigyn is the one getting pushed back…?" Someone in the crowd asked and got no answers as everyone had the same question running through their mind.
"Not only did he fully master the Mana Guardian skill, he has also advanced to the 3 star initial stage. That wench Astrid Silva! She hid him quite well!" Minerva was furious that her scheme has backfired. If Jonathan wins this fight, no one in the guild will doubt Astrid's judgement ever again and at the same time Minerva is going to loose face in front of the entire guild.
.
That fight continued on with Sigyn attacking and Jon not even moving from his spot with the Mana Guardian standing above his defense seems to have increased.
This went on for hours until Sigyn lost all her energy and her Blessings of Mana: Berserker ran out. Thus she stops her assault falling to her knees no longer having energy to stand, sweating hard and with both her fists red and swollen.
"Don't stop! Keep going!" Jon encouraged.
"Huff…I have been fighting for so long huff… I lost all my mana huff… and physical energy huff…" Sigyn seems to be out of breath.
Jon pats her on the head and uses the "Healing Touch!", healing her hands and restoring most of her physical energy.
"Huh? What happened to my hands? And I'm not as exhausted as before." Sigyn asked looking at her hands.
"I have healed your hands and restored most of your energy. Now come and get me." Jon implored her to continue.
"I…I think I'll pass." Sigyn was back to her cute and timid self after the Berserk skill has ended.
"Little Miss, you're so young, why are you being so lazy? If you can't even beat the crap out of me without me even moving, how are you going to fight against outsiders for the sake of the guild." Jon admonished Sigyn.
"Come! Smack me right here! The Black Phoenix guild doesn't need kind-hearted people!" Jon commanded with his hand above his heart. Sigyn's eyes started to fill with tears and was having a hard time holding it back.
"If you don't dare fight me, you're not worthy of protecting the guild!" That was the final straw that broke the camel's back.
"WAA~~~ You bully! I don't wanna fight you anymore!" Sigyn ran away crying.
Leaving Jonathan standing on the battlefield alone with a dumb look on his face.
"As Sigyn Fel resigned from the fight, Jonathan Dayne is the winner." The referee announced.
With Jon winning the challenge without even attacking once. And Sigyn being humiliated in front of a large crowd by her running away from the arena. The situation was way worse for Minerva, than if Jon had simply won the battle by defeating Sigyn by a knockout.
Minerva was beyond enraged at the out come and even more so with Jon.
"Jonathan Dayne! You have disgraced my disciple! Go to hell!" Minerva yelled launching an attack with her hands turning into black reptile like claws and black mist like mana rising from them. But Astrid blocked the attack with a shield made out of gold colored mana, coming in between Jon and Minerva.
The collision of mana created a shockwave pushing Minerva back, but Astrid and Jon who was behind her where unaffected.
"Hm?!" Minerva was surprised by this.
"Your injuries have healed?! And you even made further progress?!" Minerva deduced after the exchange.
"Minerva Nimue! How dare you be so impudent? The fight has ended and Jonathan Dayne is declared winner by the referee. Does anyone else have any objection?" Astrid asked with the authoritative tone of a guild leader.
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---------- END OF CHAPTER ----------