Legacy of the Dark Sage

As Kyran and Styx feared, the Montgomeray Family requested a Solo Challenge.

Since they were the ones who requested it, it was only natural to think they were confident with their first player. It would not have mattered much because Kyran and the mercenaries had studied what little information they got on the Montgomeray members.

Unfortunately, apart from requesting a Solo Challenge, they also made a last-minute change in their line-up.

The Three Noble Families had two teams each, representing their families. Their first team faced the Royal Army, while the second team was against the Conclave.

But then the Montgomeray exchanged two members of their second team with two from the first team.

It was easy to guess why they did. These two members likely were interested in Tyr and wanted to play with him.

Styx and the others knew the appeal Tyr had shown during their match against the Lumley Family. They knew it well, yet it did not sit well with them.

It was as if the Montgomeray Family was only interested in this match because of Tyr, and they were only extras.

To make their intention even more apparent, the Montgomeray's first player brazenly called for Tyr to enter the arena.

Snapping sounds, like thin ropes breaking, entered Kyran's ear, and the temperature dropped dramatically in his surroundings.

With black lines appearing on his forehead, Kyran glanced at the four mercenaries beside him as cold sweat trickled down his back.

Styx, Deo, Tilda— and probably Rake, but since bandages covered his head, it was hard to tell—had distorted expressions, indicating their apparent indignation of the matter.

The male announcer from the Courtenay Family cleared his throat while looking at the Montgomeray Family's first player.

Their first player was someone who also gained quite the attention from the other factions during their Solo Competition against the Royal Army.

It was none other than the young boy who summoned a Fire Golem spirit: Lev.

The male announcer for this competition was the same as when Kyran brazenly suggested a Solo Challenge against the Lumley Family. While he assumed the Solo Challenge would continue during matches, including the Conclave, he did not expect the Montgomeray Family to be the first one to declare it.

Why did he have to be involved in two troublesome teams? It was the question that ran through the male announcer's head at that moment.

Sighing inwardly, he turned his attention to the Conclave's side and said,  "The first participant of the Conclave, please come to the arena."

Kyran and Styx exchanged glances. They knew what the boy could do. After all, they had watched the footage of his match against a Royal Army officer yesterday. Still, they were not expecting him to be their opponent since he was part of the Montgomeray's first team.

The line-up Kyran and Styx discussed last night were meant for the second team's line-up, and even the countermeasures they came up with did not include this guy.

Kyran sighed inwardly. The truth, he did not think the head committee would allow the exchange of team members, so he miscalculated this part.

No matter, there was no point in crying over spilled milk. Since it had come to this, they could only grit their teeth and adjust their plan on the spot.

"Go Rake," Styx finally decided.

Given Rake's magic, he could easily avoid getting caught up by the Fire Golem's attack.

Initially, Styx was thinking of letting Deo go. With his small stature and speed, he had the best chance of avoiding the Golem. However, Deo's magic was the worse match-up with Fire: Wood magic. On the other hand, Rake possessed a rare sublimation ability, which complemented his Wind magic. His ability would ensure he would not suffer from any critical wound.

Still, the fact that Wind's nature could boost Fire remained and might pose a danger to Rake.

"Right," Rake answered and stood up.

Just as he was about to move toward the stage, Lev suddenly spoke, "What? Are you running away from a challenge, Disciple Tyr?"

The audience fell silent at once.

Even Rake stopped.

Because his head was covered in bandages, it was hard to see his expression. But the sudden movement of his back muscles indicated his tension and, likely, rising temper.

Kyran sighed. He found it strange that people believed he would be moved by such provocation.

First, it was Matias, now this boy, Lev.

Heck, if running away from a fight meant he remained safe, he would. He was not suicidal after all. The only reason he never ran away from a fight was that he was confident in winning.

Of course, this was only applicable in a one-on-one fight, and no one else was involved.

In any case, Kyran wondered if he gave them the wrong impression about Tyr's arrogance. If that was the case, then it s*cks.

"Think whatever you like," Kyran replied in a deadpan voice. "I don't feel good fighting a little kid."

Rake looked at him sharply, "And it's okay if its me?"

"Ahaha..." Kyran laughed uneasily, "Sorry. That's not what I meant."

"You..." Lev's aura began to rise.

With the mask covering his face, they could not see his expression. However, just from the tone of his voice, it was easy to guess that he was pissed.

"Don't call me a little kid!" Lev burst, and an intense heat spread out from him, filling at least a ten-meter radius of his surroundings.

"That's your concern?" Kyran could not help but sigh. "Fine, fine. Sorry for calling you a little kid. Please, be a good boy and play with Rake, alright?"

"Oi!" Rake complained.

Kyran only grinned at him.

The male announcer cleared his throat once more. He could not believe that these people seemed to ignore his presence! This match might not be part of the main event of the joint military exercise, but this was still an official one!

"Tsk," Lev clicked his tongue as he glared at Kyran. "Fine. Stay there for now. In the end, I'll force you to enter the arena."

"This guy..." Rake gritted his teeth in anger. He had not met someone as arrogant as this little boy. At least not as arrogant as 'Tyr.'

"Humph, f*cking shrimp is looking down on us," Styx spat, glaring at Lev in the arena. "Don't hold back."

"Of course," Rake replied and jumped toward the arena.

As soon as his feet landed on the arena's floor, the timer overhead started to move: 25:10.

"As explained earlier, the rules of the match are the same as the previous match between the Conclave and the Lumley Family. Participants, please get ready," the announcer said and flew away from the arena.

"Begin!" He shouted at the same time the timer hit 25:00.

"Humph," Rake crouched down and whipped two metallic dark-green short blades from his belt. Simultaneously, light yellow magic arrays circled his arms and legs.

Lev, on the other hand, simply raised his hand and said, "Go."

Kyran's eyes widened as he stood up and shouted, "Senior Rake—!"

BOOM!

Something massive slammed on the space, separating Rake and Lev, resulting in the arena's floor erupting into bits and pieces. A powerful heatwave spread out from all directions, pushing everything it came into contact with.

"Wha—?" Rake, too surprised to defend against the incoming heatwave, was instantly thrown back and out of the arena.

"This—?"

"F*ck!"

"Oi!"

Deo, Styx, and Tilda exclaimed at the same time.

Kyran, on the other hand, sprang to his feet, and together with Styx, they ran toward Rake before he hit the wall.

"First challenge, Montgomeray Family wins!"

Came the announcer's verdict as soon as Styx and Kyran caught Rake.

The audience gaped at the arena, which was covered in dirt and smoke, in a mixture of awe and confusion. Since they could not see what was happening in the arena, most turned their attention to the timer glowing above.

24:57

Silence filled the hall.

In three seconds, Lev defeated Rake. The process was different, but Kyran also defeated Illias in three seconds.

"Ack..." Rake grimaced as he touched his head. He was not injured, but his head slammed on Styx's chest, and the man's body was hard as steel.

"You okay, Rake?" Styx asked.

"Y-Yeah, thanks," Rake replied. "But... what the hell just happened?"

"Tsk, three seconds, huh? I was aiming for a two-second win," Lev's voice spoke from the smoke-filled arena.

His words immediately made Styx and the rest of the mercenaries glare at the arena.

The dirt and smoke in the arena slowly cleared, showing Lev, who had not moved from his position.

"I guess, Ignis's movement is still slow."

A giant Fire Golem slowly became visible. It had its massive hands on the destroyed arena, indicating that it made the sudden attack earlier.

"Sh*t," Deo muttered. "That's right. The most annoying part of a Spirit. They can hide their presence from humans."

Tilda gritted her teeth, "This will be tricky."

Kyran, who had stayed silent after the ordeal, stood up while keeping his eyes on Lev.

The truth, right from the start, he already saw the Fire Golem standing with Lev in the arena. He did not say anything because he thought everyone else could see it.

To think that the Fire Golem actually hid its presence and attacked in such a fashion.

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. This incident answered his previous question if he could also see Spirits.

And the answer was that he could. But that in itself was a problem because Kyran was 'Tyr' right now.

"Leader Styx," Kyran said without taking his eyes off the arena.

Styx closed his eyes. He did not need to hear the rest of what Kyran was to say. It was annoying to admit, but with Kyran's Array knowledge, there was a good chance he had a means to 'see' the Spirit if it decided to hide again, unlike him, Deo, and Tilda.

"Fine. Go," Styx replied.

"I'll make this quick."

Styx and Rake snickered but did not say anything. They only watched Kyran as he made his way to the arena.