In the other banquet hall far more luxurious and grand than the one with youngsters, a few groups of young men and women were watching the duels.
They were all Level 7s from across the federation—the promising candidates who would advance to level 8 and possibly even level 9 in the future.
Of course, there were a few candidates that were said to have a chance at being a Sovereign after five or six decades.
Even though it was in the distant future, these ‘potential Sovereigns’, also called as Princes, already started amassing a strong following.
No one had any issues.
Every Prince reached Level 7 at a ver young age, the oldest being 27.
The breakthrough from level 6 to level 7 was like a moat. A chasm that even geniuses take almost a decade to cross.
But each Prince and Princess crossed this chasm in mere 5 to 6 years.
At this moment, two princes were watching the duels of the younger generation.
The conversation in their hall was mainly headed by level 8s under the guidance of level 9s. It was too far away, even for them.
But the other hall was equivalent to a playground for them.
Thus, they were caught in an awkward situation. They couldn’t play an active role in this hall nor could they go to the other hall.
Before the event started, some decided to watch the duels.
“Prince Felix, isn’t that your younger brother?” A man, who was almost 30 said.
“Huh?” Venus’ Prince Felix’s sharp brows knit together as he glanced at the screen.
Two young men initiated a duel and one of them was indeed his younger brother, Fahr.
“His opponent…hm, isn’t he General Evander’s disciple?” Prince Kane of Earth added.
“Oh, your juniors are fighting.” A member of the group said with excitement.
Prince Felix and Prince Kane suddenly stiffened.
Fahr was younger brother of Felix and Varian was the disciple of Kane’s tutor Evander.
The princes glanced at each other and saw the same look in the other’s eyes.
‘This battle is not just between the juniors, but it also shows the future strength of their faction.’
“I think Fahr will defeat Varian in five minutes. Varian’s strength…what was it? Low Level 5? At most, he’s mid Level 5. Fahr is peak Level 5!”
“Yes, five minutes is actually too much. I’ve been watching Fahr’s battles so far, he’s gotten stronger!”
Prince Felix’s members cheered enthusiastically.
Prince Kane’s expression turned ugly and he glanced back at his followers. Their faces were scrunched and they struggled to make a comeback.
“…nonsense!” Finally, one short fellow stepped forward and countered, bringing a smile to Prince Kane’s face.
“Varian will last for six minutes!”
“Hm, maybe seven minutes?”
“You idiots! I saw his previous battle. He was fighting high level 5s! Even though he took time to win them, it shows his strength is not as low as you think. He’ll last for ten minutes! This is my ultimatum.”
Prince Kane’s smile immediately collapsed.
Prince Felix snickered. “At least you all agree that Kane’s junior is going to lose.”
Kane sneered. “Your brother is a third year and my junior is just first year. What if he loses now? Next year, he’ll wipe the floor with your brother.”
“You!” Felix was angered and was about to refute when he felt a tug at his sleeves.
“What? Can’t you see I’m busy?” He asked impatiently.
“Prince! The duel! The duel!” His follower, a 30 year old woman that seemed to be in mid 20s shrieked.
“Argh, we just looked away for a minute, what can happen—?!” Felix’s words were caught in his throat as he gaped at the screen.
Kane also turned to the screen and he couldn’t believe his eyes. “Are you for real?”
In the duel barrier, Varian was the only one standing. His body was filled with sword slashes, cuts and bruises.
In front of his feet laid the peak Level 5 opponent Fahr and his broken sword.
Slowly exhaling, Varian walked out as the barrier faded.
The Level 7s were transfixed to the screen as they silently watched the events that followed.
Williamson declared his defeat while Philips personally took Fahr to the healing room.
Varian…simply walked to the room himself.
“…Son of a bitch!” Prince Felix cursed on the spot, his demeanor long gone.
“Fuck! Where did my tutor find this monster?” Prince Kane joined him in the cursing as he sighed in exasperation.
“He’s only first year and he can fight peak Level 5s?”
“…Felix, do you remember what we did in our first year?”
Kane and Felix looked at each other and recalled their first year in the academy.
They were already in Level 4 when they joined their military academies. By the end of first semester, they reached the peak of Level 4.
At that time, they already felt like they were the best of the best. At that time, it was indeed true.
It was only in the second mid-sem that they advanced to level 5.
But here came a guy crushing their records mercilessly.
“He’s like a year ahead of us.”
“Thankfully, we aren’t born in the same generation.”
The Princes both sighed.
Even though they had disputes, they reached a consensus on this issue.
Prince Kane finally sighed and shrugged. “Let’s see Dhruv’s duels or Sarah’s duels.
Varian defeated Farh in a minute, but he should’ve also spent all his aura, not to mention his heavy injuries. He’ll probably heal and rest until the competition starts.”
“I hope Fahr doesn’t feel too depressed. Or I’ll have to counsel him.” Prince Felix rubbed his forehead and muttered. “But that Varian…I missed the only chance to watch him battle. Damn it.”
Felix felt his sleeve was tugged again.
“What? Can’t you see I’m busy?” He asked impatiently, feeling a sense of deja vu.
“Prince! The duel! The duel!” The young woman shrieked…just like before, huh?
Felix immediately turned to the screen and his jaw dropped to the floor.
“This…what the actual fuck!”
Kane heard Felix’s words and glanced at the screen in front of him. His eyes widened as he flinched and pointed to the screen like he saw a ghost.
“V…V-Varian!”
On the screen, Varian punched down his opponent, and grinned in excitement.
He didn’t know, two princes were shivering at his smile.