Chapter 10: Azure Snakes, White Rings

"What?! These three are matched in the three way battle?!"

"Did I hear wrong? Right from the second round they are going to create such a ferocious fight?!"

"But selection of participants is random. The judges won't cheat. This just must be these three's bad luck..."

Remark after remark of disbelief resounded after Talhera summoned Silvia, Zax and Woren to the first fighting stage.

"Zax", Don turned to him solemnly. "Don't be complacent like in the first round. Although Silvia and Salin are twins, Silvia is many times stronger. I reckon that if she was to fight Ragu Zin, the battle would have ended in mere seconds. And that Woren also isn't a walk in the park. He is an independent expert without a backing, but his reputation precedes him. He should be in his late thirties, but his cultivation is already in the Intermediate phase of the second Core Master's level and very proficient in crowd control martial techniques".

Zax obediently listened to Don's consultation. He was not planning on taking Silvia and Woren lightly. He saw them in the first round and neither was forced to reveal his and her true strength. Moreover, not counting his advantage that sprout from the use of Kinetic Force, his physical strength is only about strong enough to match a Peak second level Core Master. His two opponents should also have the similar battle powers, so underestimating them would be bad, especially if the two will decide to side against him, if only to push him out of the fighting stage.

Atop the fighting stage, Zax, Silvia and Woren stood in a triangular formation. The other six participants to start the second round also entered the fighting stages, but in terms of the spectators' concentration, not even their backers and supporters paid attention to them. To be honest, even the six were more interested in the three way fight than their own battles.

On the stage, due to his brawny physique and height, Zax appeared as the most dominant of the three.

Silvia was older than Salin in couple of seconds, but the two, nevertheless, looked the same, around twenty centimeters shorter than Zax, with delicate features, short hairstyle and assertive disposition. She was holding the same type of crescent blade sword as her younger twin sister.

Woren's gaze calculated in all times. He was not using weapons. His arsenal was solely dedicated to Martial techniques that are comparable to his mist refinement technique and personality.

The three did not trade words. They recognized each other strength and were already engrossed with intent to battle that anything else would have just hindered their mental preparation.

" ... Begin!" Talhera gave the order for the second round battles to start.

The participants in stage two to four were already a bit familiar with their opponent from the observation in the first round. Per Talhera's command, six auras manifested and three intense fights began.

Only the status of stage one remained static.

"Senior Silvia, cut these two brutes!" The two juniors who accompanied Silvia and Salin from Crescent Arms, Shitou's top Martial school, cheered loudly.

"Woren, you got the support of the Rendevar cooperation!"

"Tongguo's Art Of Destruction give our full support to Woren!"

"The Zein family and the Zein association hail the definite winner of the three way battle, Woren!"

Groups that had their representatives failing to pass the first round, ignored the shamelessness of their behavior and started to draw Woren, the only participant among the three without a power behind him, to their circle.

"Big brother Zax, don't hold back! Show them your-" Before Susuya could finish her sentence, Anet rested her hand on her mouth.

"Junior Susuya, you can't say things that Zax might want to keep secret".

...

"I'll say it so it would be clear to the two of you, I'm going all out". The long robe, bleached hair Woren was the first to speak, but he used the opportunity only to warn Zax and Silvia.

In response to him, Silvia raised her sword. Instead of words, she used her azure aura, which flattered her blue school uniforms, to convey her intention to also take the fight seriously.

'If they go all out right from the beginning, I really should be careful, but to reveal my accomplishment in the bodily maneuvers in the second round would be too soon'. Zax glanced at the two. He really felt impishly eager to challenge them both, but at the same time was aware of the difficulty they presented if he was not planning to use Kinetic Force.

' ... Woren!' He could not tell what strategy they had in mind, so he ended up compromising on first beating the one who seemed more capable of threatening him.

WHOOSH!

The three pounced at the same instant.

Inauspicious azure glow conjured from the sleeves of Woren's robe, as if four azure translucent huge snakes were hiding underneath it.

The crescent blade of Silvia's sword doubled in size, but the increase was in pursuance of the manner in which she utilized her mist energy, and a white hue solidified at the crescent edge.

Zax's control of the body was something his opponents could not rival. Moreover, the speed and strength he could generate were enough so long Woren and Silvia could not exhibit attacks beyond the capacity of a second level Core Master.

As the three were on direct course of collision, Woren rotated his arms and legs. The four azure snakes split, two toward Zax and two toward Silvia.

Unwilling to retreat, Silvia slashed with her sword. Her expanded blade, as if capable of taking the initiative to strike without the need for its mistress's command, cut two white rings that decapitated the azure snakes, however, not completely dissipating the mist energy they consisted from. The mist energy reassembled to target her again.

Zax extended both of his palms. The upcoming long range mist attack was something he determined within the scope of his physical ability to withstand.

BANG!

Two snacks heads slammed against the palms of his hands. The impact steadied Zax in his place, restraining him from taking another step forward, but the two snake heads were not better off.

Zax clenched his fingers, crushing the snakes into a mush of mist energy that dispersed and gathered once more. A bit of disappointment reflected on Zax's face, but not because the failure of completely eradicating the mist energy constructs. The Soul Binding formation he transmitted through the bodies of the snakes did not even make it halfway to Woren before dissolving. From this Zax gathered that unless he will make a physical contact of Woren, he will not be able to make use of any type of soul attack like he did years ago against Eden Formation's Disciplinary Class and their Hydra formation.

Woren halted, took a step back and a turn, his movements were in coordination with his four snakes. He claimed to go all out, but his conduct gave the impression that as fierce as his attack was, he was still moderating himself.