The whole arena was filled with a strange, cold aura. The sole figure of Edniot Quintess was enough to change the very atmosphere.
However, unbeknownst to the spectators, there was another anomaly. Thane had a wide grin on his lips, his naive expression reeking of excitement.
If Edniot Quintess was akin to a quiet blizzard, then Thane Ironforge was like a volcanic eruption.
Edniot looked up at the man whose voice resounded amidst the pin-drop silence.
Their eyes met, and somehow, the chill in the air started to fade.
Faintly noticed only by a few.
Only the most veteran spectators experienced in the art of watching arena
battles—could sense it.
It was something heavy, extraordinary, and revolutionarily unspeakable all at once.
The eyes of those old-timers shifted. Their undivided attention was now on the man who stood taller than most of his age.
Thane, caught up in his excitement, was a bit late in realizing the shift in atmosphere. He only noticed when he saw the creepy, middle-aged man near him—the same one who had been simping over Kitty Kat earlier—glancing in his direction.
"What?" Thane asked, visible disgust on his face.
The strange man, like before, did nothing and simply turned his head back toward the ring.
"Creepy-ass old man," Thane muttered.
Unbeknownst to him, his voice was louder than he intended. Every word had already reached the ears of many, and soon, several lines of the audience burst into laughter.
The tense atmosphere was shattered by nothing more than Thane's careless words.
Unlike the others, Edniot's expression remained cold. Without sparing Thane
another glance, he simply turned and made his way toward the ring.
Willa Martinez felt the sudden increase in cold. The closer Edniot came, the stronger the chill became.
The match had yet to start, yet Willa was already rubbing his hands together, trying to create friction for warmth.
In the eyes of the spectators, the match's outcome was already decided. The sheer presence and aura of Edniot were something Willa didn't possess an ounce of.
The round ring was made of a fine, light brown stone—strong as a mountain yet shining like polished marble—known as Royal Rock.
The wall surrounding the ring was ten feet high, tall enough to contain most of the newly blessed young bloods.
Contrary to Willa Martinez, who simply jumped over the wall and landed in the
ring, Edniot Quintess entered with a prestige and dignity befitting a noble.
As he reached the edge of the wall, ice formed beneath his costly blue boots, seamlessly complementing his entire attire.
His march remained unbroken, but something usually unseen, something truly
fascinating occurred. Something that had not happened in the arena for a long time.
The moment ice formed under his feet, a flight of steps slowly started to materialize beneath his feet.
As Edniot stepped onto the first step, the second was already forming. Within a few breaths, an intricate, glistening stairway of ice had materialized out of nowhere.
The impressed and bewildered audience erupted into applause, unable to hold back their admiration.
The noble surely knew how to command the masses—a trait worthy of a leader.
Now, both contestants stood inside the ring, their eyes locked onto each other.
This was primarily an academic contest, and for the first time this year, only two nobles had reached the semi-finals.
One had intentionally surrendered, most likely due to his non-violent nature, allowing Willa to advance to the finals. The second noble was Edniot Quintess.
Willa looked at Edniot and bowed slightly before speaking.
"It's an honor to fight you. Let's have fun."
Edniot turned his face away and spat.
"Obtuse lowlife. Don't pollute the air with your stinky breath. I'm already nauseated just being in the ring with you."
Every word dripped with disdain. Without another glance at Willa, Edniot shifted his gaze toward Kitty Kat and demanded, "Start it already."
Kitty Kat was not new to her job and understood the unspoken hierarchy between
nobles and commoners.
Willa belonged to the Martinez clan, a smaller sub-clan.
To the direct nobles, he was hardly different from a commoner.
In the eyes of others, Willa seemed unfazed by the treatment. He understood all too well what it meant to come from a small background.
He smiled at Edniot and responded,
"I hoped you'd be different. But all those born with a silver spoon in their mouth are just empty shells."
Willa's words struck a nerve.
Unlike before, when he had maintained a cold demeanor, Edniot's eyes now burned with bloodlust. His gritted teeth seemed ready to bite the life out of Willa Martinez.
Kitty Kat had no patience for childish tantrums. She had dealt with far worse in the past, but this was the first time she physically felt the cold—a chill that her half-naked body could barely withstand.
She raised the mic again to sing a song, and at that moment, her body began to float mid-air. As she sang, the entire arena clapped along—men, women, and children alike.
Even Thane was impressed.
"Whoa! How is she flying?" he muttered to himself.
"That's her blessing," said the middle-aged man beside him, seemingly having overheard Thane's remark.
Thane squinted his eyes, trying to get a better look at Kitty Kat. After a careful examination, he blurted.
"But… she doesn't have any lines on her face!"
The middle-aged man sighed, clear displeasure on his face. "Ever heard of makeup?"
"Ohhh!" Thane exclaimed, realization dawning on him.
The old man chuckled.
Thane caught on immediately and retorted, "Why are you laughing? I knew it! I'm not dumb!"
The man laughed even harder. Thane could only grit his teeth in frustration.
Meanwhile, Kitty Kat continued dancing in mid-air—or rather, she glided through the air as if skating, moving to every corner of the arena.
She winked at one spectator, blew a flying kiss to another, and sent flirty looks to the rest.
This was all part of her entertainment routine—first appearing as an ordinary announcer, hiding her blessing, and then unveiling it in a grand finale performance after the participants finally entered the ring.
However, the air-skating didn't last long.
The song was short.
With a final flourish, she raised her mic to her lips.
"No more waiting, ladies and gentlemen! Edniot Quintess vs. Willa Martinez! The final match of the Yearly Aspirant Competition... START!"
And with that, she disappeared from the ring like a gale of spring.