With the three top fighters of the third class remaining, it didn't take long for them to distance themselves from one another. Taking the chance to size each other up, they patiently waited until one of them made a move.
Surprisingly, it was Horo who made the first move, to almost everyone's surprise. Well, everyone except Ryker and a few others.
"He's too impatient. While the brute may look like the one to charge headlong, he's from a militaristic nation, so he had to have some understanding of battles and the importance of being patient," Ryker said out loud, seeing how the young master of Alquim Duchy took out a sword and swinging it at Guro.
The other men didn't move, merely covering themselves with a qi armor. The sword slashes hit the barrier but shattered in impact. Seeing how the overwhelming sword slashes were being destroyed so easily made the crowds gulp in anticipation.
Horo gnashed his teeth, preparing to launch another attack when he sensed something. He dashed backward, barely avoiding a petal strike coming from the other side. He turned his head to the other opponent, yelling at her,
"You dare attack this young master! When this tournament is over, this young master will find you and make you be for mercy!" the yelling caused the chattering crowd to stop as a powerful presence seemed to overwhelm the arena.
"A son of a duke from the outskirts dared to threaten a daughter of a general of a duchy at the core. I have never seen any such impudence for a long time," a powerful voice came from the crowd, making Horo shiver as he realized he just messed with someone he shouldn't have offended.
"Please stop. This is not your Bara Duchy. But if you wished to settle this, do that in the secret realm or elsewhere. Let the young one fight without any interference," one of the judges said, stopping the person from involving themselves in the fight.
"Bara Duchy!?" Horo exclaimed in fear. How he could not hear of the duchy. One of 5 top duchies in the entire Birak Kingdom, the duke is an expert at the Spirit Grand realm, someone even his father would bow in his mere sight.
While she might be just a daughter of a general, a general has a status equal to a duke on the outskirts, having the same cultivation as the duke of the outskirts. He truly kicked an iron plate.
Before he could try to salvage the situation, Guro made his move, charging at the other man. Realizing the danger he was in, Horo jumped out of the charge path, only to be met with a barrage of petals, slashing at him
He put up some defense, but it was easily broken as he didn't have time to put a proper one. Still, he was able to avoid most of the attack, suffering little damage from the onslaught. His bad luck didn't end there though, as the two other people coordinated with each other as they made their moves.
"Rampaging Rhino Charge!" Guro yelled, a silhouette of a rhino appearing behind him as he charged at Horo. At the same time, Miyon surrounded herself with petals, seemingly dancing with them before she performed three slashes, the target being Horo.
The son of Alquim Duke wanted to cry. To think he would not only anger a powerful enemy with strength equal to his father, he was ganged up by the two other likely winners. He tried to escape but the only path that wouldn't lead him to getting hit by Guro or slashed by the sword slashes would be to exit the arena, meaning he was going to be disqualified from the tournament.
He looked for some other way. Realizing there was none, he could only grit his teeth before jumping out of the arena, signaling he had forfeited. After leaving the arena, one of the judges flew towards him before dragging him away.
While he hated being treated like that, he could understand that it was for his protection as he had angered the force behind Miyon. After one of his subordinates came to him, he sat on his seat, sulking slightly as he watched the remaining two people looking at each other with some wary.
-x-
"You put up a good fight. But beware, just because you are a girl, I won't go easy on you," Guro exclaimed, leveling his eyes with Miyon's.
"Of course, I gladly do the same so don't go sulking if you lose to a girl," Miyon taunted him back, making Guro laugh harder.
"Then bring it on," he said before he swung his large hammer at the girl. Miyon easily avoided his attack, being smaller and more agile giving him a decent advantage against the lumbering enemy.
However, Guro wouldn't be considered a candidate to win if he was a one-trick pony. He slammed his weapon to the ground, making it shake as the target at the epicenter floated briefly from the force that ejected him from the surface.
Miyon remained calm despite being sent flying from her opponent's attack. Taking advantage of the sudden vantage point, she released several more slashes, the attack covered by petals that seemed to be able to cut many things with a mere graze.
Guro covered his body with his qi, blocking the attacks though some were able to pierce through his defense, the attack being much stronger than before. He looked at his injury before giving Miyon a grin.
"You're really strong. It makes me want to keep fighting for longer. Unfortunately, I have to end this now," the announcement made the crowd bewildered.
"Can he really end this fight?"
"He just bluffing, right?"
"I think so. They are equal in strength so it is hard to say who would win,"
The whispers of the crowd were ignored by the young man, whose aura began to grow stronger and stronger, making Miyon's eyes widen in shock. The sight also made the crowd go silent, once again, another unexpected event happening in the arena.
While most of the people there didn't know what was happening, some had intricate knowledge and figured it out immediately.
"This is- this is the secret technique of the Adle Duchy, the duchy renowned as the strongest in the entire kingdom! Only the duke family could learn such technique, meaning, he's the son of Duke Adle!" one of the judges exclaimed out loud.
The sudden revelation made Horo's face turn bitter. He thought while he couldn't get revenge on the woman, he could still kill the man for humiliating him. Unfortunately for him, it would be a pipe dream. His thought was shaken when a roar was heard.
Then, an explosion caused a dust cloud to cover the arena. One of the judges swiped his arm, blowing it all away, showing the fainted Miyon and the still-standing Guro. The crowd went silent, unable to say anything as the result was too sudden.
Finally, the judge made the call, "Winner, Guro Adle!"