Parallel Memory

"Remember! There are some people that you can't mess with, particularly those who are dear to me!"

As Zero's relentless assault finally ceased, Elrond lay on the icy ground, barely conscious, his body battered and broken. Blood oozed from his swollen face, and his breathing was labored. 

Zero then gave a last punch to Elrond that knocked him out.

The once-enthusiastic cheers of the spectators had turned into horrified gasps and murmurs of disbelief. No one had expected such a brutal and one-sided battle between a Rank-A and a Rank-S.

Well, they did expect it but the victim that was on their mind was Zero and not Elrond.

Princess Elenia and King Thranduil watched in shock. Even they couldn't believe the outcome of the fight.

Zero stood over Elrond, his expression still cold and unyielding, but there was a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. 

"Winner! Zero Elea!"

The referee announced, with a mix of anger and fear. Although he was angry that Zero had beaten Elrond to this state, he was also scared of Zero as his power was on par with Elrond.

If Zero could do that to Elrond, then he could do the same to him. 

"He really won! Rank-A had a victory over Rank-S!"

"Tsk! That is not even the point. Look at the state that Elrond is beaten into. It wasn't even a proper fight! Zero had one-sidedly beaten Elrond!"

"I reckon that he will never forget this humiliation. Though serves her right for what he did yesterday. This must be karma!" …

Zero's victory was clear, and the crowd erupted into a mix of cheers, gasps, and whispers. It was a victory that defied all expectations, a triumph of skill and determination over rank and pride.

"He really did it!"

Hiro exclaimed. He thought maybe but Zero really was able to win and although he also thought that Zero might have gone a bit too far after thinking about what Elrond did to Lisa, those thoughts were replaced with satisfaction.

"Zero is really powerful!"

Lisa is also happy about Zero's victory.

"Didn't I already say that he will win?"

Sylvia said proudly.

"And did you hear what he said at the end?'

Sylvia said in a playful tone while looking at Lisa.

Lisa's cheeks flushed slightly as she realized what Sylvia was insinuating. She looked away, trying to hide her embarrassment. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

Zero did say his last line loudly as a warning to others. And it was pretty easy to guess why Zero was merciless with Elrond while he wasn't with his previous opponents.

Sylvia grinned knowingly. "Well, it sounded like Zero was really angry and merciless, didn't it? It seems like Elrond hurt someone who is dear to him!" She winked at Lisa, emphasizing her point.

"Oh, come on, Lisa. We all know that Zero likes you. It's clear that Zero was out for revenge because Elrond hurt you. And I have to say, it seems like he got his payback in quite a spectacular fashion."

Lisa couldn't help but smile, despite her embarrassment. She looked at Zero, who was still standing over the fallen Elrond, his expression still cold and unyielding. 

"He would have done this for you too. I had a feeling that someone liked it when someone carried her to the infirmary."

Lisa teased back.

Sylvia became a bit embarrassed at the thought of being carried by Zero. 

"You know that he was forced by circumstances. I was too exhausted to move, so he had to carry me. And I also didn't want that to happen and of course, I didn't like it but what could I do? I gave all my power and was exhausted. It was all because… "

Sylvia explained her circumstances in great detail and how she wasn't the type to like being carried.

As Sylvia continued to explain her situation and emphasize that she didn't particularly enjoy being carried by Zero, Lisa couldn't help but chuckle. 

"Alright, alright, I get it," she said, trying to stifle her laughter. "But you can't deny that Zero is quite the gentleman when he wants to be."

Sylvia rolled her eyes playfully. "Well, I suppose you're right about that. He does have his moments."

While Lisa and Sylvia were engaged in their light-hearted banter, Zero had finally turned his attention away from Elrond, who was still unconscious and sprawled on the ground.

"It looks like I have greatly underestimated you!"

Princess Elenia said. 

She was greatly surprised by the result and Zero's prowess. However, even so, would an arrogant and powerful person like her be scared?

She was rather glad that she would get a chance to fight Zero herself. 

She wasn't particularly upset about Zero mercilessly beating Elrond. She couldn't care less as she thought that Elrond brought this upon himself.

But she was still angry because of Zero's underestimation. Though she could understand that Zero was powerful, so that's why he was so arrogant but still, Princess Elenia wasn't like Elrond and was vastly stronger than him.

King Tranduil, on the other hand, while not happy about how the fight went, was still thinking rationally. What was the point of this contest?

Wasn't it to spot talent like Zero? Being able to defeat Rank-S - in Rank-A, King Tranduil had already considered Zero as the most talented person in this contest.

Of course, being the most talented and most powerful was different. Zero still needs to defeat Rank-S if he wants to be considered as the strongest.

Anyway, Zero returned to his seat. People all gave way to him as they stepped back in fear. 

Even though Zero only beat up his opponent, it didn't change the fact that he was very ruthless. Even William didn't dare make eye contact with Zero.

He thought that Zero would finally be beaten up but the result was the other way around. He kept insulting Elrond, saying how useless of a Rank-S he was and that Elves are weaklings.

But in his mind, he knows that it wasn't Elrond who was weak but Zero who was too strong. 

Other race geniuses were also looking at Zero. The Rank-S who thought that they could beat Zero were all thinking of how lucky they were for not getting Zero as their opponent.

Previously, they only thought of him as someone with great speed and who could use two different Arts. But with the defeat of Elrond, they knew that being Rank-S doesn't mean you wouldn't get defeated by Zero.

Aricen, who got defeated by Zero in one move, was now somewhat happy. She was humiliated because of how easily she was defeated but now she has a justification.

'Look! Even Rank-S lost against him. So, it isn't embarrassing for me to lose to him.'

That was the justification that she thought.

Anyway, amidst all the states, Zero calmly walked to his seat. 

"Congratulations on winning!"

"Zero, nicely done! You taught that guy a good lesson." 

Mia and Amelia said. They were the only ones who believed wholeheartedly this whole time that Zero would win and were not surprised at his win.

They were even not surprised by how ruthlessly he beat Elrond. They had seen worse!

Zero acknowledged Mia and Amelia with a nod and a small smile. He appreciated their unwavering support throughout the match.

Anyway, the first match of the fourth round ended!

The contest still continued but no one could forget the fight that had just happened. It wasn't just because of how ruthless Zero beat Elrond but also because of how he managed to twist their perception.

They all believed that no matter how much of a genius you were, one could never defeat Rank-S - being Rank-A.

Even if the genius was someone like Princess Elenia at Rank-A +, then if she fought with Rank-S -, she would lose.

There is a great difference between Rank-S and Rank-A, and there was no instance of Rank-A defeating Rank-S.

So, everybody couldn't help but wonder how much of a monster Zero is. He was a monster never seen before.

And for the participants, Zero had managed to become one of the great threats and they knew that they had to make a countermeasure against him.

  Anyway, the contest continued with many great battles being fought.

Amelia, Mia, Princess Elenia, and Seraphine were all able to move on to the next battle with ease!

Everybody knew that the next match would be more intense and there were only 8 participants left. Of those participants, Zero was only the one in Rank-A.