"And the one who has been chosen to start the battle on behalf of the Bloodline Academy, Connor Lupus!!! " the red-haired referee shouted Connor's name, as his voice echoed through the arena, the crowd in response erupted in cheers, their excitement palpable as they eagerly awaited the commencement of the battle.
All eyes were on Connor Lupus, as he stood tall with broad shoulders, his rugged, short black hair swaying slightly.
His well-defined jawline and the sheer size of his rippling muscles, was barely contained by his customized uniform, added to his imposing presence.
As if to heighten the anticipation, Connor suddenly stripped off his uniform, throwing it to a corner , revealing his upper body in the process, and on his back, was a large tattoo of a sleeping wolf etched there .
Alec squinted, scrutinizing the tattoo closely, he wondered if it bore any resemblance to his own, however, after a thorough examination, he concluded that they were different.
Connor's Wolf tattoo appeared to be more of a rune, a symbol etched onto his skin, in contrast, Alec's tattoo was branded onto his very soul, alive in a mysterious, almost sentient way, unlike Connor's static wolf.
After confirming his thoughts, Alec leaned back in his chair, pondering which werewolf might be more powerful, his own, created using the Devourer Bloodline, or the werewolves of this world, who stole the genes from the descendants of the Lycan lineage.
However, his musings were interrupted when he noticed someone from the Holy Grail side stepping forward.
They had chosen Michael Lightbringer to face Connor.
Michael's white uniform appeared custom-made, with a long left sleeve and the right sleeve was cut off at the shoulder, as the uniform emitted a faint holy glow.
He walked towards the arena with confidence, a playful smile on his lips, his right hand resting on the broadsword strapped to his waist.
Michael finally reached the center of the arena, where the red-haired referee stood between him and Connor.
Despite being noticeably shorter than Connor, Michael maintained his smile, raising his head to meet Connor's gaze, Connor, in contrast, looked down on Michael with disdain.
"Why did you remove what should have protected you against me?, Do you look down on me that much?" Michael asked.
Connor merely snorted in response.
"It has nothing to do with that," Connor replied.
"I have never liked fighting with something getting in the way, especially if it isn't any stronger than my hide defences."
Michael could sense the boast in Connor's statement, as if Connor were already asserting his superiority, it was clear that Connor believed he didn't need a spirit cloth to defend against Michael's attacks, Mean while Michael had to rely on his academy's uniform to protect him from critical strikes.
The red-haired referee standing between them heard their exchange and simply smiled, not bothering to interrupt their banter.
He felt a sense of excitement, sensing both combatants brimming with the vigor of youth.
"If both of you are prepared, then let this match begin," the referee announced, swinging his right hand between them before swiftly disappearing from view.
The moment the referee vanished, Connor wasted no time, with a swift and powerful motion, he launched a direct fist attack at Michael.
Michael was sent flying, yet his playful smile remained plastered on his face.
The suddenness of Connor's attack had caught him off guard, yet he had managed to react quickly to it, raising his sheathed sword to defend against the strike.
However, he had underestimated the raw power behind Connor's seemingly casual assault.
Michael had been expecting to block the strike or at most step back a few paces, but he was taken aback when the sheer force of the blow lifted him into the air.
The crowd gasped in astonishment as Michael soared through the air, a testament to Connor's overwhelming strength.
Realizing his opponent's strength far exceeded his expectations still didn't cause Michael to panic.
As he landed safely, his movements fluid and controlled, he used his left hand to grip his sheathed sword and his right hand to massage his left shoulder, rotating it to alleviate the numbness and restore its function.
"You're far too strong for someone who hasn't even transformed," Michael remarked, slowly circling Connor without breaking eye contact. "I almost lost my left arm despite blocking that attack."
Michael was staring at Connor and expecting a reply, but he didn't get one, after all Connor was not the chatty type, instead, Connor lunged towards Michael, closing the distance in an instant.
The entire crowd held their breath as they saw Connor swipe down with his right hand.
His right hand transformed mid-air as it was covered in fur, and the fingers had grown longer, forming claws as he swiped at Michael.
Alec, watching intently, was surprised that the referee hadn't moved, he took note that even when someone was in danger, the referee might not easily intervene.
He felt that there seemed to be a specific condition required for the referee to interfere with the battle.
As Connor's claw tore into Michael, everyone heard a ripping sound, but still it didn't sound like flesh being torn, and there was no blood as Michael was ripped apart by Connor's claws.
The claw attack didn't stop there; as the visible claw energy moved towards the edge of the battle ring, but when it reached the edge, a light shield—previously unnoticed—appeared, containing the attack within the large, round battle ring.
A second later, a loud bang echoed through the arena as four large claw marks appeared cutting deep into the ground of the battle ring, the supporters of the Bloodline Academy began cheering wildly, thrilled by Connor's powerful attack.
Meanwhile, the fans of the Holy Grail were silent, almost biting their fingers as they stared, afraid to look away from the fight.
In contrast, the fans of the Bloodline Academy were confident, believing they were close to their first victory, as the fact that Connor had gotten this far without fully transforming into a werewolf made them think this match might be easier than they had expected.