"Both fighters are out cold... It’s a draw! One point to each corner!" Feng Ling announced with a pleased smile.
Then he glanced at his friend and said, "If you think this is peak, wait until the captain makes his move... You will understand then, why I am doing all of this..."
"Captain?" Dominic mumbled, switching his gaze to Levi’s team and Tyrese’s team, who had rushed to the arena to help their fallen teammates.
He focused more on Levi, who was feeding recovery totems to Arthur.
’A blind Daywalker with a peculiar contracted nightcrawler... both of them are exuding a strange, but powerful spiritual aura... so powerful, yet sealed to perfection... these two aren’t normal.’
His contracted nightcrawler commented calmly as he gazed at Levi’s sealed spiritual aura. He was a giant eel that stretched nearly thirty meters long in the void, with a thick, serpentine body.
His skin was dark indigo, but glowing blue veins ran across it like lightning bolts that came alive. His eyes shone with a ghostly pale white, and he had a fluffy white beard, giving him the look of an ancient beast born from storms and oceans.
’He is a blind, Psych Anomaly class talent Daywalker... nothing about his situation is normal.’ Dominic said calmly.
He had already done his research on Levi the moment he received news of a Blind Daywalker emerging from Heliodor’s Region... such a piece of news was too interesting to just skip by, leaving him to dig more into Levi’s situation.
That’s when he found out about his origins and knew what kind of fuel was pushing someone blind to become a Daywalker against all odds... However, when he saw his clips in their first raid, that’s when he truly caught his attention.
’If he were to fight against Yanhuan... will he pose some sort of challenge to that monster?’ He thought, knowing Yanhuan’s full strength was on a league of its own. Although he had watched clips of Levi, it wasn’t enough to convince him of having what it took to rival Yanhuan.
In addition, Levi had just recently become a Pathfinder in his mind, while Yanhuan had spent months as a Warden at the Evolution Stage.
If it wasn’t for his desire to concoct a perfect evolutionary formula to break through, he would have easily become a Solarbound with his royal family’s deep pockets... So, although he was a Warden, Dominic considered Yanhuan a Solarbound Daywalker, even if he was still lacking in some parts... like not having a Dominion.
’Well, it’s better this way... if those were to clash, they should do it on equa...’
Before Dominic could finish his thought, Yanhuan stepped up to the arena with a cold expression.
"My apologies, but I believe we have wasted enough of everyone’s time... no one is taking this seriously, so I might as well try to conclude it," Yanhuan spoke, his voice resounding across the arena. He pointed his finger at Levi’s team and added calmly, "I challenge all of you together... If I win, the gauntlet is over, and Sir Dominic can discuss your future from there. If you win, I will resign from this exploration with my team, giving you our slot."
"How does that sound?"
Everyone was left dazed for a couple of moments... but for those who truly knew Yanhuan, they weren’t that surprised by this turn of events.
They could tell that he absolutely hated getting grouped up with the other two teams and having fate decided by their performance... although he admitted that he had underestimated Levi’s team and felt like it was beneath him to fight them, but now?
With Levi’s team needing only four more wins to qualify, and his position being tenth and last, he couldn’t wait any longer... He might as well get it over with before his turn arrives by challenging them all.
However, before Levi or the supervisors could voice their opinion, Evangeline walked up to the arena with a cold grimace and a sword already drawn.
"Yanhuan, who gave you the right to skip me like I don’t exist?" She uttered, heated.
She was supposed to be next in line after Tyrese, and she already planned to get rid of the remaining ones and erect justice on behalf of the rest of the conference teams.
"Evangeline, it’s not personal... I just want us to focus on what’s important... the Ancient Site’s exploration." Yanhuan said.
"No, what’s important is to erect justice, and I won’t let you foil such a noble cause to stroke your ego." Evangeline narrowed her eyes coldly, "I know you can’t handle not being in the center of attention for more than a second as much as you like to act noble."
Hearing this, many sucked a cold breath... they knew Evangeline was as straightforward as an arrow, raised on only two noble traits: Justice and Honesty.
Still, to air out Yanhuan like this, and in public... was cold, too cold.
"Evangeline, I respect you enough to ignore such a blatant insult on my character," Yanhuan said, unfazed. "Now, may you please exit the arena so we can get this farce over with?"
"I am not leaving... unless you admit it."
"Evangeline... Don’t push it." Yanhuan said, his eyes narrowing coldly.
"Don’t forget what my aspects are... You can’t hide from me, no one can." Evangeline stressed while tightening her grasp on her sword, "Now, are you going to leave and let me carry on with my duty, or shall I walk you out personally?"
Yanhuan glanced at her hand for a moment, and then he looked into her eyes... a second later, he asked, "Have you already forgotten the score between us?"
Evangeline went silent, knowing that she had lost every confrontation she had against Yanhuan... but this changed nothing.
She was a brave warrior who never backed down from a fight, even if she knew that her chances of losing were 100%... Especially if it was for a good cause.
Stupid? Maybe, but still, brave.
Realizing that she wouldn’t get her way by talking to him, Evangeline lifted her head and directed her voice at Dominic and Feng Ling.
"It’s up to you, Sirs."
Just as Dominic was about to ease the tension in the air with a joke and continue with the Gauntlet with the same format, a peaceful voice joined.
"I am starting to get sick and tired of our side being ignored like we don’t exist in your eyes."
Levi stepped into the arena wearing his usual, easy smile... yet it clung to his face like a brittle mask. Beneath it, anyone could see the simmering tempest of resentment he could no longer fully hide.
"Heliodorian... our fighting structure does not concern you,"
Yanhuan said coldly, already peeved at Evangeline getting in his way... he had no patience for another pest from a place he couldn’t point on the map.
"Oh, but the thing is... it does, very much so..."
Levi said, arriving next to Evangeline and Yanhuan, standing in a triangle in the center of the arena.
He had just taken care of his little brother, who was sleeping soundly, after going toe to toe with a captain at their level of strength... even when he had the chance to win, he gave it away to push himself beyond his limit.
What about Jasmine? She took down five of them single-handedly without breaking even a sweat... if it wasn’t for her energy depleting, she would have finished off Tyrese, too.
Yet, even after seeing that, they still refuse to put some respect on their names simply because they were from Heliodor’s region? No, Levi wouldn’t stand for it, and he refused to have himself and his teammates treated like dirt, not by them, not by anyone.
If they thought of him as some pushover, they’d better think again.
"Fine... I shall entertain you." Yanhuan turned to face Levi with his arms crossed above his chest... then, he asked with a faint smile, "Captain to captain, are you brave enough to challenge either of us to a one vs one as a final verdict?"
"No..."
"That’s what I thou..."
Before Yanhuan could turn his head to Evangeline after losing interest in Levi, he heard him continue calmly, "You can come at me together, and the result will still be the same... You on the ground, I, towering over you... every, single, time."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The area collapsed to a deathly silence at once... everyone’s dazed eyes were left affixed on Levi, feeling like they had just misheard him or something.
Challenging them to a 1 vs 2? Him... vs Yanhuan, and Evangeline? The two most powerful Daywalkers of today’s generation? They didn’t know whether to feel impressed by his bravery or mock his ignorance.
But soon, Yanhuan broke into a soft, controlled laughter while covering his mouth, resembling how aristocrats used to laugh... tamed, and somewhat phony? Like they forced themselves to laugh in this manner to separate themselves from the peasants.
Following his laugh, Li Mei, Guo Shi, and the rest of the Daywalkers on the conference side couldn’t help but have their demeanor break as well, joining him.
"What a jokester... did he do this to ease the tension?" Mira chuckled.
"Defeating Evangeline alone is already a stretch." Guo Shi sneered.
"Defeat? Miss Evangeline can easily wipe the floor with him... his spiritual prowess is nothing against hers." One of Evangeline’s armored teammates uttered coldly, annoyed to have his queen compared with Levi.
Levi heard everything they said, and yet, the same serene smile never left his visage. When Yanhuan and Evangeline noticed his calmness, they realized that he was being serious.
"I have heard you’re blind... and it has always fascinated me... how you can become a Daywalker despite your condition..." Yanhuan said indifferently, "But, not anymore... Fools can’t hold an intellectual conversation."