"I hear footsteps." A boy with frengies on his nose and cheeks whispered to his team of four.
This group was from the Windsor Barony. The group consisted of two warriors, one mage, an archer, and a healer. A pretty balanced team that was carefully picked by the lord himself.
The one that spoke earlier was a warrior and the leader of the team, and his name was Gerald Windsor. Gerald signaled for the others to stop, which they quickly did.
"Let's hide and ambush them," he suggested, with a wicked smirk playing on his face as he brought out an axe that weighed a ton. Thanks to Gerald's muscular build, which was slightly too robust for his frame, it was pretty easy.
The others nodded and quickly dispersed into the forest; the mages activated their spells, and the warriors summoned their weapons... however, the healer remained standing in her position.
Her expression had been fearless just moments ago; however, just a moment later, her face became deathly pale, her eyes filled with nervousness, and she began to tremble.
"Hohohohoho, looks like the Windsor team is up to something here." Klein on the outside couldn't help but exclaim when he saw the tactics the healer girl was employing.
The entire crowd was on the edge of their seats as they saw the three teams draw closer and closer to each other. Their blood was already boiling from the anticipation. The healer girl's pretentious actions only increased the restlessness, as some were beginning to make countdowns until all hell erupted.
"Earlier, before the fight officially started, the Windsor team was discussing something; apparently, it seemed they were coming up with a plan to bait the other teams. They came prepared, it seemed." Someone from the crowd commented.
Back in the mysterious realm, Astralux had already relayed what the Windsor team was up to, and Nox, to the disappointment of all the audience watching outside, ordered his team to retreat back slightly.
Meanwhile, the third team was an all-warrior team and was headed by a fiery red-headed boy who had gleams of impulsiveness in his eyes. His hair was spiky, and merely looking at him, one could tell he was the hot-blooded type; hence, he couldn't tell the footsteps... it was even more difficult because the other teams had stopped all movement.
Soon, the fiery red-headed youth stumbled upon the healer girl, and a grin appeared on his face.
"Hahahaha, seems like someone got abandoned by their team, or could it be they're all dead?" he taunted with a mocking laugh. Hearing the laughter, the girl trembled more, and her heart began to thud so loudly that the others could hear the sound, which only made them more excited.
"Leader, let me handle her; I'll be fast," a girl with a slightly muscular build suggested as she summoned her weapons, her eyes filled with a blend of wild and envious gleam.
"Hahah, Becky, could it be you're envious of this girl's beauty?" another taunted.
"Hmpff, who said I'm jealous?" the girl sneered, but her tone betrayed her.
"No, I'll kill her," the leader's slightly loud voice boomed as he started spinning his large hammer while approaching the trembling girl. Unaware of the smirk she was hiding, he grinned. "Killing this girl would be a nice start."
Because no one really died in the mysterious realm, most of the teams were going all out and indulging in their inner sadistic nature. From the few exchanges already, the other towns could tell that the Ironclaw townspeople were made up of a bunch of sadists and couldn't wait for their downfall.
As he drew closer, the grin on the red-haired boy widened more and more, and the speed at which his axe was spinning increased, picking up the wind and forming a current.
When he was just a few steps away, the fear in the healer disappeared instantly, and her skin retained its radiant color. The red-haired boy stopped in his tracks, his muscles tensed as the grin on his face faltered. Something was wrong... why was the frightening girl smiling all of a sudden?
Before the red-haired boy could do anything, the girl took a step back while shouting in a booming voice, "Now!"
A low piercing whistle sliced through the air, causing the red-haired boy to stop in his tracks. His eyes darted around, sensing something was wrong. Even his teammates became tense, their eyes filled with wariness.
Suddenly, following the swoosh sound, a sharp arrow cut through the air toward the oblivious red-haired boy. It whizzed past him and embedded itself into one of his teammates behind him with a sickening thud.
The teammate let out a pained gasp, clutching his shoulder as he staggered back. "What the—?" he yelled, eyes wide with shock.
The red-haired boy turned just in time to see his friend drop to the ground, blood seeping through his fingers. Panic surged through him as he realized that they were being attacked from all sides... the girl was bait!
"How could I have been this foolish!" He gritted his teeth as another arrow shot forward again; this time it struck the ground just beside him, sending dirt flying.
This was a clear indication that the enemies knew his location.
Cold sweat accumulated on the boy's back; this was bad! Fighting an invisible awakened was very dangerous.
At that moment, dozens more arrows shot out from the bushes. However, now that they were aware they were being targeted, the rest of the teammates had become more alert, so they deflected the arrows, even using the less vital parts of their bodies to stop the rain of arrows.
Though they were injured, none of them were eliminated, but they were greatly weakened.
"Ah! My arrows are finished, sleepy bastards!" an annoyed voice rang out from within the bushes, and the red-haired boy finally saw his attackers.
"Looks like your little ambush just turned into a disaster," Gerald taunted, stepping forward with his axe ready. The other teammates fanned out around the red-haired boy, cutting off any chance of escape.
"Y-you bastard!" The red-haired boy's expression morphed into anger as he charged forward at Gerald with incredible speed, kicking up dirt. "If I'm dying, I'm definitely making sure you're coming with me!"
"Hmpff! You wish!" Gerald also charged forward. Gerald swung his axe, intent on finishing the fight.
Despite their weakened state, the other team didn't give up and fought with their lives on the line, knowing that their respective towns were waiting for them outside. The lords of Windsor and the Ironclaw Barony clenched their fists as they watched this scene.
Minutes passed, and even Gerald, despite being in full health, was beginning to get drained. This was because the red-haired boy was stronger than him. Blood had now filled the clearing as the two teams clashed. So far, none from either side had fallen, though their movements were beginning to become sluggish, a clear indication that fatigue was setting in gradually.
"Y-you're really a tough nut to crack, aren't you?" Gerald hissed as he weakly swung his axe at the red-haired boy.
"Didn't I tell you, I'll take you along with me?" The red-haired boy sneered, adrenaline coursing through him, and he increased his pace once more. Gerald was forced to push himself as well.
Just as their weapons clashed and the tension reached its peak, a figure suddenly burst through the bushes, drawing everyone's attention. The fighting stopped for a moment as everyone looked at this person who had now appeared.
They hadn't seen him in gatherings before the tournament officially began. Those dark eyes were filled with laziness that merely looking at him was irritating to the people who were fighting each other.
Of course, this person was none other than Nox, and at that moment, he yawned. His nonchalant demeanor caught the others off guard for a moment before irritation crossed their faces once more.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Gerald and the red-haired boy spat simultaneously, irritation flashing across their faces.
"I was intending to wait for one of you guys to kill each other before I stepped in, but at this rate, you'll take forever... so," Nox said, raising his hand weakly, and a dark energy slowly converged at his fingertip. Thick suffocating silence reigned for a few seconds, then he said in a dark malevolent voice:
Thanks To All Those Who Support Supreme BeastTamer, I really Appreciate!!