Millions of thoughts swirled in Horo's [Starry Realm of Enlightenment], also known as his brain.
His version of a brain processed information and ideas at an astonishing speed, hundreds of thousands of times faster than even a legendary powerhouse.
Furthermore, his spirit allowed him to split his mind and maintain multiple trains of thought through Aether Arts. With his mastery over the Aether Arts, he could split his mind into a dozen portions, each capable of maintaining its own train of thought, further amplifying his processing abilities.
Upon seeing the man's attire, Horo learned that he was from the Mageía academy—the place that Horo was originally destined to attend if not for the tragedy that befell him and his family due to the Empyrean Sun Sect.
As the news sank in, numerous plans began to take shape within his special brain.
The shock on his face quickly dissipated as he allowed the thoughts to occupy only a small portion of his "Brain."
He also allowed the reason he had his head down solemnly to flow to the back of his mind, knowing that he wouldn't be able to save his sister based on the evidence in his memories. This was because he had never personally encountered a member of the sect that day, as Oswalt had warned him to escape.
Before he could even utter a word or react, his memories regarding the sect were already displayed before the crowd.
He was beyond shocked as he thought, "Is this what Magecraft is truly capable of?"
Despite Envoy Renon's inaction—he didn't move, speak, or even blink—Horo was already under the influence of a patch of that man's.
Horo learned that Mages are magic users who practice Magecraft and use patches.
Unlike other magic users such as Witches, Wizards, and Sorcerers, they rely on knowledge, affinity, and their Source Matrix to progress.
This was his first time witnessing the capabilities of any true practitioner of magic.
Though he felt awe, anger began to simmer within him before settling down after hearing a voice in his head.
"Cool down, young Horo. I won't intrude on any of your secrets. This is an advanced utility of a simple patch most mages use, called appraisal. I'm also appraising your talent, as I can sense you're a phenomenal energy handler."
The voice belonged to Envoy Renon. Before Horo could respond, he continued.
"What kind of talent is this? How can you possibly have more than four affinities, especially at your age? Actually, what on earth is up with your age? How can you only be twelve? You have to attend the academy, leave the palace, and join our inner circle."
While Envoy Renon rambled nonstop in Horo's head through their mental connection, Horo had already pushed him to another section of his mind.
This was because he had heard Sect leader Zhen's voice.
"Now, what does the useless memories of this insignificant insect prove? As I said, she was sold to us because my son fancies her and wants to marry her."
Everyone from the pure cloud palace was furious. They all considered Horo one of their own, and after learning about his origins and backstory, they felt empathy and sympathy for him. It was as if their own sister was being held hostage.
Horo completely suppressed his entire existence with his abilities [Absolute Control] and [Silence] as he closed his eyes. He disregarded the entire situation because he knew that he had at least bought his sister more time before anything tragic could happen to her. The entire kingdom now knew of her existence and who was in possession of her, so they couldn't simply make her disappear now.
He would still do more to ensure her safety. He could start by becoming the most dazzling prodigy in the kingdom, or maybe even the entire Mythical tournament. The idea isn't too far-fetched with his plans in motion. All he needed was alignment to be in his favor.
His unusual silence left everyone wondering what was going on through his mind, they expected uncontrollable rage or something seeing as he was unable to free his twin little sister from her "prison".
All they got was simple words from him after some time. "Fine, I agree to the death match. Let's begin".
This left everyone stunned, they wondered why would he continue with the death match if it was no longer useful to him, everyone could see Horo's stage was lower, but they couldn't see his other details like Hendrix could.
Said details left Hendrix feeling extremely uneasy. He was about to denounce the death match proposal, but it was already too late due to an automatic bind agreement.