Despite yielding to Alexander and failing to learn anything substantial, Andrew wasn't disappointed. At the very least, he got to wash away his nervousness.
Alexander wasn't as stuck-up as he imagined most veilwalkers would be. Yes, he was frightening when he was pissed, but other than that, Alex was pretty chill.
'I wonder if his personality played a role in his self-ascension.' Andrew mused with a small smile, his gaze shifting to look at Alex's side profile. 'So that's why they chose me.'
The carefree nature of Alex he witnessed was much like himself before meeting Lord Drakmor. Naturally, he was told why he was chosen for the attempt, but it wasn't until he met Alex did he actually believed it.
'Hmm?'
His attention was drawn back to the stage when a new development occurred, raising a bit of a ruckus. "Who's that?"
"The young master of one of the competing sects." Alex replied calmly. "Let's see what this is about."
While the healing squad rushed to get Andrew's injured self off the stage, the young master suddenly landed a few hundred meters away, drawing Alex's attention.
"Holy crap, that's Young Mater Chen!" Someone from the crowd yelled. "I didn't know he was competing!"
"That's because he isn't. I think this Alexander fellow caught his attention!"
"Do you want something?" Alex turned to face the Young Master. He already knew who he was, but the young man didn't know that.
"You…" The Young Master replied as silence settled throughout the arena. Everyone wanted to hear what Chen had to say. "I never thought I would see someone display prowess above their level in this region."
With emerald eyes and long hair tied in a ponytail behind him, this Young Master Chen was a sight to behold. His posture exuded elegance and the confidence of a person who knew their strength well.
Dressed in robes of emerald that matched his piercing eyes and enhanced his appeal, Chen was an impressive fellow who stole the hearts of the crowd.
"This is a large world, you know?" Alex replied with raised brows. "I'm sure there are others out there like yourself. All you need to do is travel the world."
"Maybe…." Chen replied with a slight smile. "But you're here now. This is the perfect opportunity for me to challenge someone of my generation."
For a moment, Alex did not reply, staring at the young man before him. He had already determined the age of this Young Master to be less than 100.
Chen was way older than Alex, but he didn't have to know that. Alex was a veilwalker who had every limit removed by the multiverse itself. He was not in the same class as Chen.
"Go ahead…" Drakmor suddenly said, catching Alexander's attention. "You might be surprised."
Alex frowned slightly at those words and looked back at his clone. He wasn't sure what the dragon was on about, but there had to be something.
However, the records Alex sifted through didn't show anything too surprising about this fella. 'He is capable of holding his own against a Class A awakened, huh…'
Back on the stage, Alex raised his head towards the host, silently asking for his input.
"O-oh, Erm…" The host lacked the authority to give the go-ahead. However, his expression changed momentarily, and he quickly regained his composure.
"Ahem…" The host cleared his throat. "This new development sure is surprising. The organisers of this event have given permission for this fight to take place!"
The crowd cheered loudly, showing just how much the spectators wanted to see this Young Master and the stranger fight. At this point, no one cared about the actual competition.
"How do you want to do this?" Alex asked, turning his attention back to Chen.
"Pure Martial Skills…" The Young Master replied with a confident smile, retrieving a long sword from thin air. "Abilities will come in later…"
"Very well," Alex exhaled and conjured his spear, standing with his back straight. "But in the case of using our abilities, aren't you worried I've expanded quite a bit of my mana?"
"You barely broke a sweat from your previous fight," Chen replied with a scoff. "You'll be fine."
"Mm…" The Young Master's words were true.
Both fighters brandished their weapons and got into a fighting stance, the distance separating them stretching for several hundred meters — a short distance for Beings like them.
The crowd held their breath as everyone looked on, anticipation burning in their eyes. Alex wasn't particularly interested in fighting the Young Master, but the dragon seemed to think otherwise.
'What's even more baffling are those eyes here…' Alex's main body mused. 'Most of them have been keeping an eye on us since we arrived. But for whatever reason, they suddenly more than doubled.'
He counted more than a few powerful gazes on him and what was occurring on the arena ground. He was under the impression that the gods barely paid mind to the mortals below.
Even if they had an interest in a particular mortal, that was when they wanted them as an eventual subordinate or something along those lines.
'Let's ignore that for now…'
Back on the stage, Alex and the Young Master focused entirely on the other. Chen held his sword in his right hand, his back straight and his other hand behind him.
There was no need for a signal from the host; they would make their move at the appropriate time. A second passed, and the two finally made their move.
In a split second, Alex and Chen closed the distance. This time, Alex went on the offensive; playing defensive was pointless in this case. He wanted to know what was so special about this young man.
'Eh?'
Alex's eyes widened in shock when the unexpected happened. The moment he closed in on his opponent, he lunged his spear forward.
He expected some form of parry as they were of similar speed. However, the Young Master abruptly changed tactics and deftly manoeuvred past the lunge, his sword glazing over the spear with a gentle ring.
Before Alex knew it, the sword was already close to his hand and headed for his face. Without hesitation, he let go of his spear and managed to shift out of the way, just enough for the blade of the sword to whizz past his face.