Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Eren had decided to replace Tuan and enter the final round of 100 hours in his place. The qualifiers, the semi, finals, and the finals would take place over a few weeks. So the butcher still had time to learn about Fire-Wings and incorporate them into his fire-element based battle style.

Of course, Eren hoped that Tuan would make it to the finals. Otherwise, he would just be wasting his time learning about a new spell he thought he had no use for in real life. Because in real life, the usage of defensive artefacts was not restricted. So after a successful block, the user of such a battle style was exposed to a severe counterattack from their opponent.

'I hope you reach the finals and bring me good fortune, Tuan. You have my best wishes.'

Eren finalized Tuan as his next "skin" and decided to do some recon on him afterwards. Then he looked at Altashia once again, took a sneak peek at her shapely bust, and asked another question.

'That explains why that guy is fighting with you in such a way. Since you beat him in the ranking battle, his win over you has to be a public event to regain his image as the pristine "royal" that he is. And this Colosseum would give him all the audience he would need to do that."

Al smirked and narrowed her eyes in the void before saying out loud.

"Hmph! If he wins that is."

'Feisty! I like you a little bit more every day.'

Eren smiled at Al's reply and commented on Al's reply. The latter looked at him keenly and tucked her hair bangs behind her ears. She didn't say anything. Nevertheless, Eren concluded that she appreciated his confession dubbed as a compliment.

Eren fist-bumped her shoulder from his side and asked her another question.

'But that doesn't explain why you were ready to take him up on his scheme. What are you getting in return?'

'A transcendent-grade spell and a transcendent-grade artefact. The idiot's offering me a fortune for his vanity. I would be more of a fool than him if I did not take advantage of his royal reach, however limited it may be. Hehe!'

Finally, the winners of the Novice and Ace ranks were decided. The competition that lasted almost all day was finally over.

Now it was time for the main event.

"Dear spectators, we at Arangar Colosseum, always strive to make your viewing experience as immersive and intriguing as possible. Today is no different. What you are going to see is a rare event. So please ensure that you pay attention to everything that unfolds at this stage.

How rare, you might ask? Well, the final event will let you witness…"

The announcer knew his job well. He took a dramatic pause to build up the excitement before declaring it out loud.

"The final event will let you witness how a Renar fights. That's right! We have a royal in our midst. And he will show us what it means to have a royal heritage."

The crowd grew wild after knowing that they would be able to see a royal fight. Some of the spectators tried to contact their peers outside the colosseum to summon them inside. Some tried contacting guilds that dealt in information.

For all of the spectators, this was indeed a rare opportunity. That's because the royals rarely displayed their battle skills, often skipping public events like these to keep their image unsullied. Even if they knew they could win, they kept their appearances to a minimum to maintain a mystic image.

And yet, there was a royal willing to go to such extra lengths to engage in a duel with someone, in such an extravagant manner. The incident was bound to create waves.

"But if you think that's all we have in store for you, you couldn't be more wrong. Our royal lad's rival is just as special.

She's known as the prodigy of the Argas clan. The granddaughter of one of the kingdom's most celebrated heroes, Crimson Ghost, also known as Altair Argas."

Eren opened his eyes wide when he heard the name Altair. Then he looked at Altashia as if pondering over something.

'Hmm. My endeavours are riskier than I thought they would be. Her surname was bothering me a bit. Now I understand why.'

Altashia also knew what Eren was thinking about when she saw him looking at her with interest. She smirked at him before commenting.

"What? Got cold feet?"

Eren seemed to be in deep thoughts after hearing the question as he finished his grub. He answered after dusting his hands off of any crumbs.

"The cold has seeped into my bones and frozen my blood. Want to warm me up?"

Eren said seriously before starting to laugh. Altashia could only maintain her frown for a while. She too flashed a smile at him, finding some form of comfort in his answer.

In the meantime, the announcer kept on speaking about the two contenders and their backgrounds. Finally, he called out the opponents.

"Without further ado, let's welcome Rodrick Renar."

By now the five battled rings had come together and fused using earth element mana to form a unified battle ring. A young man with dark brown hair and tall stature appeared seemingly out of thin air in the middle of the unified ring.

He carried a stoic expression on his face. He was wielding a broadsword with one hand. His green eyes seemed to be looking for someone in the crowd.

The young man remained calm and maintained serious expressions amid the series of claps, cheers, and calls made for him. The crowd was just beginning to cool down after some time. But then

"Now let's welcome Altashia Argas with equal enthusiasm."

The announcer called out to Al and looked in her direction as if he were already aware of her presence.

"Well, that's my cue."

Altashia got up from her seat and climbed the railing of the gallery-like platform the next moment gracefully, like an ever-restless butterfly. Her movements generated light gales as if the wind was making way for her while carrying her weight. She looked halfway back only to receive Eren's encouraging words.

"I shall think of paying completely for our date in the future if you win this duel. Go wild!"