Leonel took a deep breath. The subtle movement seemed to make Force from the surroundings swarm toward him, making it seem as though his skin was twinkling with a subtle radiance.
Aina silently held out her battle ax, her expression hidden behind her mask. She didn't seem to prepare anything, but her aura was as steady and unmoving as a mountain.
It was safe to say that no small amount of individuals were shocked by what they were witnessing. Though, eventually, it would be the white belts that would be forced forward by their seniors… no one had ever thought that it would be done willingly.
Among the crowd of youths that remained, there were no doubt members of Bear Rose who locked onto Leonel immediately. Not only were there individuals from Bear Rose, but there were no small number of King of Ores faction members, including Sarrieth, within the crowd.
For a moment, the youths weren't entirely certain of what to do. The fact two had gone up willingly made them all feel as though the momentum had been snatched. If they continued to lay back and force others up, it might not be as beneficial to them as they had once thought.
It was then that the ground quaked.
One would have thought that such a thing was caused by an earthquake or maybe a huge explosion in the distance, but when their gazes swung over to the source, all that was found was a massive bear of a man slowly walking forward.
The man stood at two and a half meters tall. From top to bottom, he was covered in a thick rose-gold plate armor. The chest plate of this armor had the image of a roaring bear on it that reminded Leonel a lot of King Arthur's white lion armor.
The detail on the armor was so intricately laid that it looked far more like a display piece than a battle armor. It was hard to fathom that someone would take such a gorgeous Craft to war…
What was maybe most astonishing about this armor, though, was that far more than just one individual wore it. In fact, there were exactly 12, all of whom were wearing this elaborate art piece and completely concealing the organization's uniform.
The design wasn't subtle in the slightest. To Leonel, it couldn't have been more obvious that these people were from Bear Rose. However, it was also very clear that this massive bear of a man wasn't walking forward for the sake of becoming a defender. His target was clear.
As though to confirm this, just as the massive man was about to walk through the final line of waiting participants, his hands snatched outward with a surprising deftness and speed.
Before anyone could react, the massive man had already taken two necks into his large palms. Then, with one swift motion, he threw them in an arc through the air.
The dull sound of bone and flesh meeting stone resounded alongside groans of pain and confusion. But, unfortunately for these two randomly picked white belts, they already found themselves on the stage against their will.
They looked around in dismay, even sending a glance back toward Elder Magnaril for some help. But, all they received in response was an indifferent glance and an icy cold sentence.
"Stepping down will forfeit one of your rights to defend."
This simple string of words was like a bucket of ice water being poured over the heads of the both of them.
The massive bear of a man continued to walk forward as though nothing had happened. He, much like anyone else who was relatively astute, was quite clear on the shift the Elders and Valiant Heart were experiencing now.
As important as strength and hierarchy was in the past, it had only become more so now.
Who cared about small petty rules or the inconvenience of a few? As long as your fist was big enough, you could do as you pleased! Things were this simple and would only become simpler!
BANG!
With a small hop, the rose-gold armor wearing giant landed heavily onto Leonel's platform. Even now, his face was obscured by a heavy helmet and visor. Despite the somewhat feminine color of his armor, it didn't seem to take away from his bloodthirsty aura in the slightest.
"Never did I think that the brat who dared to slap the face of my Bear Rose Faction would choose to appear so soon. But… This is good. This will be a memory impossible for others to forget. The Hero Faction isn't the only Faction not to be trifled with."
Leonel's lip twitched when he heard this. The Hero Faction was not meant to be trifled with? Did he think that Leonel had a bias for one against the other? If anything, the things Leonel had done to the Hero Faction were far worse.
But, clearly, these Bear Rose Faction members had only just come back from the frontline battle against the Oryx. They knew little of what happened in Valiant City during their absence.
It made one wonder. With so many out on the frontlines, why did it seem like Raylion and Aphestus were always here?
Of course, that might just be an illusion. After all, it wasn't like Leonel could bother to keep an eye on them all the time.
It wasn't long before Leonel had removed all distracting thoughts in his mind. He stood just 20 or so meters away from the massive bear of a man, his expression placid. As things were now, this was the only challenge that had been issued. It was as though the entirety of the arena had fallen silent for the sake of observing this one battle.
"If you want to stand a chance, I advise you to take your armor off." Leonel said evenly. "If not, this battle will end before you get a chance to do anything."
The massive man snorted. "My name is Dune. I'll be sure to engrave it onto your gravestone after you die so you don't forget what happened to you even on the other side."
BANG!
Dune launched himself forward, the stones beneath his feet cracking with fine lines.