For a second, there was silence, and Fiona said. "You serious? That's only a tenth of your strength?"
Zion blinked innocently, "Yes."
Fiona frowned, "That wouldn't make sense. You lost many times against me, though, and I don't think that's my tenth strength either."
At this, Zion went silent and turned a bit awkward. He averted his gaze and said. "That's because my mother forbade me from using sealing techniques in official tournaments. I'm stronger at sealing techniques than fighting."
"Huh?" "Huh?"
Selene and Fiona both reacted in the same way, looking surprised.
"Seriously? I didn't even know that…" Selene commented.
Fiona narrowed her eyes. "So, you would rather lose than go all out?"
Zion replied, still continuing to avert his gaze. "Well, I can't say NO to my mother's orders."
Fiona then asked, "Then, if I get permission from your mother, will you fight me at your full strength this time?"
Zion blinked in surprise, turning his head to look at her, only to look away again. "Forget about me. When you meet Orion, you go and tell him that, based on fixtures, he will battle me next. And quarterfinals will be conducted today only. So, he should be fully ready if he wants to beat me. After all, he is participating in the tournament to battle with me."
Fiona couldn't help but nod in agreement, "Well, that's true."
Beside them, Selene frowned. "Honestly, I don't want such a battle to happen. Someone like Orion will break if he loses the battle."
Fiona smiled faintly. "It's nice to see someone is worried about him other than his family."
Selene blushed a bit, crossing her arms. "Who is worried about him. I'm just saying a fact."
Fiona chuckled.
Meanwhile, the tournament progressed.
The crowd buzzed with anticipation. Matches grew more vicious, more unrestrained, and the true strength of the competitors began to show.
Match 3 was between Selene and Heracles Silver. Both are Rank-7, but Selene won it in the end, using her Tarasque, a serpentine dragon that is as colossal as her mother's Leviathan.
Match 5 was fought between Zion and Yukta of the Kuru Clan
Yukta, the third daughter of the clan elder and trained under the Clan Leader himself, fought bravely. She used everything she had, but Zion crushed her completely, proving why he is the world champion. He didn't even summon his Arcana spirit or use his soul energy. Just through simple punches and kicks, he won the match.
Match 6 was between Fiona and Aron of the Maple Academy. Her match was even more overbearing than Zion's. Unlike Zion, who let the other party exhaust themselves, Fiona was completely aggressive from the start.
There was no witty banter. No back-and-forth.
Aron stood tall at first, smirking, trying to provoke her with memories from Maple Academy. "Still mad about your friend? She should've known better than to…"
Fiona's icy blade struck before he finished.
And then it struck again.
And again.
She broke his ribs, ruptured his right eye with a downward slash, and twisted his soul orb until it fractured.
And when the match ended, Fiona didn't wait for the healers.
She turned and walked off, maintaining a cold face.
Rumors spread around her sudden aggressiveness. One rumor says that it was probably her true personality. And another rumor says that it was her ex-boyfriend as her profile was known to the whole world. She is expelled from Maple Academy, and Aron is from Maple Academy.
Contestants Lounge — That Evening.
Inside the resting lounge, the atmosphere was pretty much silent as they were holding their nerves, preparing their minds for the quarterfinals tonight.
In one quiet corner, Orion sat alone, legs crossed, and his eyes closed. He looked quite still, making one wonder whether he was meditating or taking a nap.
Meanwhile, the super trio stood together as always.
And finally, after waiting for them for hours, the screens near the far end flickered, showing the new tournament bracket.
Selene squinted. "Hmm?"
Zion noticed it first. "The matches have been changed," he muttered.
Fiona's eyes narrowed. "That's not how it was yesterday."
Selene stepped forward, reading the names aloud. "Orion vs Elise. Freyja vs Fiona. Viraaj vs me. Zion vs Rey. According to these new fixtures, if I win, I will battle Zion. Great…"
She turned slightly, lips curling into a half-smile. "Someone's been pulling strings clearly."
Zion didn't respond, but his jaw tightened ever so slightly. "I bet it's Mom. She wouldn't want a battle between me and Orion." He spoke to himself in his head.
As murmurs buzzed among the remaining fighters, Orion also got up from his whatever state. He stared at the screens and was shocked. "Elise? Seriously?" He wondered aloud.
Following his words, a pair of measured footsteps echoed down nearby.
Elise's blonde hair was tied loosely at the nape, and despite the tension in the air, she walked with the ease of someone unfazed by anything. When her eyes met his, a quiet mischief flickered behind them.
"Well," she said, voice calm and cool, "I guess we're destined after all."
She stopped just before him, lips quirking. "Who would've thought? A couple nights ago, we fooled around on bed, now we'll be trying to tear each other down in front of thousands."
She leaned in slightly, her breath warm against his neck. "No hard feelings, right?"
Before Orion could respond, Selene's voice cut in like a blade. "Fooled around on the bed? Orion, what does she mean?"
Her brows rose, her tone sharp with disbelief. Her gaze was stern, attention on Orion.
Orion met her gaze directly. "We drank. Things happened. We hit it off… and spent the night together." He spoke straight to her face.
Fiona's gaze lowered, but didn't blink.
Zion's hands slipped into his pockets, unreadable as always.
Selene's stare narrowed, her expression cold. "So you really are a womanizer."
Orion shrugged faintly, but his voice was calm instead of apologizing to her or giving her an excuse like he did a couple of days ago. "If two people, both of age and uncommitted, choose to sleep together… there's nothing wrong with that. It's a problem when you're committed to someone else."
His voice wasn't so quiet that only Elise and the trio heard it. The other two quarterfinalists couldn't help but pay attention to him.
Orion looked at Elise, and then back at the others, eyes steady. "However, recently, I made a new discovery." He took a breath. "You can satisfy the body, but it's hollow without the soul. You forget the thrill after a day. The heat fades…" he tapped his chest and added, "I now wanted to feel happiness and satisfaction of my soul, no longer my body, because the soul is eternal."
His eyes met Elise's, gentler now. "Elise, you'll be the last person I ever sleep with without love, Elise. Now or in the future, I shall not do it again because I no longer crave to satisfy my physical urges. So, for your statement earlier, yes, there will be no hard feelings."
A brief silence followed.
Elise looked at him in surprise. "Why was he talking about philosophy, all of a sudden?" She found him weird, and that feeling of butterflies just vanished like mist from her heart. But she maintained a forced smile as she nodded. "Alright then, we'll meet at the battlefield."
Orion nodded with a smile.