Chapter 560: At the end of the day, it wasn’t worth it!
Chapter 560
"Oh well, tried my best." Grey in the stands casually shrugged as he watched Finral get smashed off the platform. He was currently being taken to the side for treatment, though he was still conscious.
"This is a lesson to you all!" Mada suddenly shouted as he glared into the crowd and then at the other participants. "Learn not to always be cocky and don’t go past your lane! Otherwise, you’ll face our wrath! You peasants are no match for us and can’t even make us break a sweat, let alone get serious. Tch!" He scoffed and turned away with pride radiating from every step as he walked off the stage.
"Sheesh, your son is really prideful, Orion." Selene chuckled quietly as she noticed the smug expression on Mada’s face.
"A stark contrast to Gunther, and yet Mada is still weak," Orion muttered in disappointment, his eyes following his son’s retreating figure.
"Speaking of Gunther, I can’t see him anywhere. Where is he?" Rowen asked, raising a brow when he heard the principal sigh.
"He’s off inside a beast portal," Orion replied calmly. "He said he has no business watching the brawls of weaklings. Instead, he’s out there honing his strength by battling beasts."
"Exactly what I said," Rowen scoffed, leaning back in his seat. "This tournament is far too boring. We need some spice, something thrilling."
"Which is what the second segment is for," Leo replied with a wide grin. "Just calm yourselves, dear leaders, and enjoy what’s to come. You’ll soon see the real show begin."
"Next up, Jared. Pick your opponent," Kent ordered firmly, his tone cutting through the murmurs in the crowd.
’This is my chance,’ Jared thought as he stepped onto the platform, his boots clicking against the smooth tiles as he scanned the crowd carefully. ’The elders are watching... the leaders of this great faction are here. I got rid of that Grey because I wanted the spotlight.
If he participated, based on what I saw in that portal, every single gaze would’ve been fixed on him. But now...’ a smirk stretched across his face, ’...now it’s my turn to shine. This is my shot to get noticed by the big guns and finally make my small clan proud.’
Grey, upon seeing the yellow band standing on stage, couldn’t help but glare at him in silent fury. His teeth ground together while he forced himself to remain composed.
’Don’t worry,’ he thought coldly. ’The time will come when I get my revenge on you. I’ll make you regret ever crossing me.’
"Jared, I said make your pick," Kent repeated, his brows creasing with irritation.
"I pick a red band! That’s who I want to fight!" Jared declared boldly as he pointed toward a red band student who wasn’t part of Mada’s group.
"Do you accept this matchup?" Kent asked, turning toward the red band.
"Yes," the student replied with a confident grin as he began making his way to the stage, sword at his side.
’If I’m able to defeat a red band, I’ll surely earn my place in a major clan,’ Jared thought, gripping his weapon tightly, his heart thumping with ambition.
The red band student drew his own sword, the metallic ring echoing faintly across the coliseum. They faced each other from opposite sides, their stances low and focused.
"Are you ready?" Kent asked, glancing between the two fighters. They both nodded firmly.
"Fine," Kent raised his hand and dropped it, his voice cutting through the tension. "Let the fight begin!"
And with that call, the red band bolted forward with immense speed, so fast that in almost a single second, he was already directly in front of Jared.
His sword came swinging from the side with such ferocity that the air itself seemed to ripple slightly under the pressure of the strike. But Jared was faster—barely.
He ducked down almost instantly, dodging the attack completely, and in retaliation, his own sword came streaking from the side, slicing mere inches away from the red band’s chest.
The red band reacted on pure instinct, leaping backward at the last possible moment as the blade whistled through the air where his torso had just been. The slice cut through the air with a sharp whoosh, sending faint dust particles swirling.
This particular red band was only a Stage 3 warrior, which meant Jared was at least capable of partially keeping up with his speed.
Seizing that small window, Jared darted toward the student before he even had a chance to recover, his feet blurring across the ground.
His sword came down in a vicious vertical slash aimed straight at the student’s exposed abdomen.
But before it could connect, the red band channeled Ki around his feet, swinging one leg upward in an uppercut motion. The kick struck Jared’s sword with crushing precision, deflecting the blow and sending the blade flying slightly off balance.
Without wasting a breath, the red band dashed forward and slammed a glowing, Ki-filled palm into Jared’s abdomen. The impact made a sickening thud as Jared’s body skidded several inches backward, clutching his stomach in pain.
’Damn it! I forgot that red bands are more skilled than the rest of us,’ Jared cursed inwardly, panting heavily as sweat dripped down his temples.
Before he could even regain his footing, the red band gathered Ki around his legs once more, boosting his speed to terrifying levels. In a blink, he bolted forward, leaving behind a faint afterimage that distorted the air around him.
In that very second, he was already upon Jared, thrusting his sword forward like a spear of pure death.
Jared barely managed to bring his blade up in time, intercepting the strike, but the sheer force behind it was overwhelming. The collision rang out with a metallic clang, and the blow sent him sliding backward again, his arms trembling and his hands vibrating painfully.
"Curses!" Jared shouted, his heels digging trenches into the ground as he fought to stop his momentum. His entire body screamed in protest, but he refused to yield.
’Come on! I sacrificed Grey for a chance to win. Don’t tell me I’ll lose now!’ he roared inside his head, gritting his teeth so hard his jaw ached. He gathered Ki to his legs and with a low, muffled bang, launched himself forward again.
The red band watched him charge, his expression calm and steady. He lifted his sword effortlessly, locking eyes with Jared before shaking his head slightly.
"Want to know the difference between us?" he asked, his voice low and confident.
Jared appeared in front of him in an instant, swinging his sword horizontally with every ounce of power he could muster.
But the red band simply leaped a meter back, avoiding the strike as casually as if he had seen it coming long before Jared even moved. The sword cut through the air harmlessly, slicing the space where the red band had stood just moments ago.
Still, Jared refused to stop. He dashed forward again, his movements becoming desperate and wild. Within seconds, he was once more right in front of the student, but the red band wasn’t about to let him land a single clean hit. His sword flashed upward in a swift vertical swing.
Seeing this, Jared grinned, twisting his body to the side to narrowly avoid the strike—until he caught the faint smirk on the red band’s face.
"It’s experience," the red band said softly before spinning into a powerful Ki-infused roundhouse kick that smashed into Jared’s ribs with bone-shattering force.
The sound of impact echoed across the coliseum. Jared’s eyes widened as blood burst from his mouth. His body twisted mid-air, and in that moment, flashes of memory surged through his mind—his betrayal of Grey, the smugness he felt when he thought victory was certain.
’At the end of the day,’ he thought weakly as darkness crept into his vision, ’it wasn’t worth it. I lost.’
BANG!
His body was hurled off the platform with brutal force and slammed into the hard dirt below. The ground cracked slightly beneath him, dust rising into the air as his body went completely still.