"It's weird. The Steve I know would be busy finding ways to save face, and here you're saying he's actually going to fight himself?"
Edward Hemswork chuckled, clearly finding the situation amusing.
Edward Hemswork,
Heir to the Hemswork Dukedom and commander of the Golden Crowns, again one of the seven great squads, was among the rare few who didn't outright hate Steve.
Not that he particularly liked him either.
Edward was the kind of guy who sought entertainment in everything, using it to stave off his boredom.
And today's events? They were perfect for him.
Everyone already knew how the match would end, but Edward wasn't here to watch the fight, he was here for the aftermath.
The thought of the commander of the Hounds being torn apart afterward brought a spark of excitement to his otherwise dull day.
"Natasha really must hate him to her very core, pulling together every single disciple from all the magic branches just to witness this," he said, chuckling as his eyes swept over the packed stadium.
The place was buzzing with energy, an unusual sight even for the finals or interracial matches.
The match hadn't even started, yet the crowd was already deep in discussions.
"Do you think the Blackthrones will assassinate Darmacus?"
"Are you stupid? Do you think Arcane is some joke? Darmacus is the Sun's Holy Child! The Sun Temple would never stay silent if something like that happened,"
"Yeah, but we're talking about the blackthrones here, those heretics will do anything for their pride."
"Idiot! Watch your mouth! Do you have a death wish?"
As the regular first-year newbies continued to discuss the hot topic in the first-year's designated seats at the back of the stadium, one pair of silent eyes fell on them.
"Sera? What are you looking at?"
A young man asked as he approached from behind, carrying a tray of snacks.
The green-haired woman, about the same age as him, was lost in a daze, while her gaze fixed on the others.
"Ah, nothing. Just thinking about something," she replied, snapping out of it.
"So, have you thought about which squad you'll be joining?"
On his words, she let out a small laugh.
"Unlike you, I'm not talented enough to have multiple options. I'll just join whatever guild I can."
Then, looking at him, she added, "What squad are you interested in, Gust?"
"I'm not sure yet,"
Her delicate gaze shifted back to the stadium. "Say, Gust, why is everyone so keen on the Hounds' downfall?"
"I don't know. Maybe they've made too many enemies,"
"If what I've heard about them is true, I don't think they should even hold a representative position like being one of the Seven Great Squads," she said as her voice suddenly took a grim edge.
Her tone caught Gust's attention, and his eyes moved away from the stadium to look at Sera, who was staring intently at the arena.
Before he could respond, the loud, buzzing stadium suddenly fell silent as someone completely unexpected made an appearance.
"The Vice Headmaster, Sir Stoneoff, is here,"
Every eye in the stadium turned to the man clad in black yet noble clothing.
The Vice Principal of Arcane Academia, Sir Stoneoff, was accompanied by several senior and reputable instructors. It was rare for such high-ranking officials to personally attend a match.
They didn't even bother coming for finals, let alone qualifiers.
But everyone could speculate on the possible reason for their presence:
The Blackthrones.
As the strongest dukedom in the empire, the Blackthrones were infamous for their ruthless methods, caring little for rules or the consequences of their actions.
And this match was especially significant because their heir was personally taking part.
To ensure the security of the situation, the Vice Principal, a master of the Warlock realm had personally shown up.
As one of the pinnacle existences in the empire, Warlock realm practitioners were so rare that they could be counted on just a few fingers.
His presence was a clear indication to Blackthrones upon Academy's stand.
As everyone's waiting eyes focused on the stadium before them, the Vice Headmaster was the final guest to arrive before the match began.
The Salsa squad was already present.
Their commander led the squad, while they all followed with a tight smirk on their face. It was already far clear that they were going to win, and thus the faint arrogance reflected in the way they carried themselves.
The commander took the main seat near the stadium's edge, with the other key members of the squad seated beside him.
Meanwhile, the main highlight of the match, the Salsa squad's vice leader and the Holy Child of the Sun, performed his final stretches.
The match time was approaching, but there was still no sign of the Hounds.
This sure made the Salsa's commander to taunt, "Is it just me, or are the disciplined Hounds running late today?"
"Maybe they're scared…" one of the seating figure spoke, but before he could complete, the silent ground began to shake faintly.
And what their sight witnessed was the huge marching of the demonic legion...
The Hounds, their entire squad, entered the stadium in their uniform like a demonic legion, moving with the precision of a marching army.
They displayed their massive flag, proudly boasting their authority as one of the current Seven Great Squads.
Their sheer numbers caused the ground to vibrate slightly as they marched forward, and leading them was their Iron clad commander:
Steve Blackthorne.
Contrary to the rumours and expectations, there wasn't a trace of fear or hesitation on Steve's face.
Instead, he wore an arrogant smirk as he greeted the opposing commander.
"Greetings, Commander of Salsa,"
"Ah… Gr-Greetings, Sir Steve," the Salsa commander stammered.
The overwhelming presence of the Hounds, and their unexpected entrance, left him visibly unsettled.
His gaze flickered to the Vice Headmaster standing in the distance.
The sight of the tall, imposing figure gave him a brief sense of reassurance, and he quickly tried to collect himself.
Turning to Darmacus, who had finished his stretches, the commander signaled for him to approach.
Fully equipped and ready, Darmacus stepped forward, stopping before his commander.
"Listen," the commander said in a low voice, "don't let his background distract you. Go all out and destroy him. The Vice Headmaster's presence here is proof he's willing to support us."
Darmacus nodded slightly and ascended to the stadium.
His challenging gaze locked onto Steve, who stood relaxed, while his smirk remained unwavering.
And it did make him feel irritated for some reason.
'So, you're going to pretend until the end, Steve?'
"Greetings, Junior,"
☂☂☂
{A/N}
Sorry for the late updates, currently I am going through cold and the freezing weather is making it even worse.
So till I recover the update would be slow.