On this cloudy morning, there were growing patches of blue, the sort of hue that was soft and bright at the same time. Though beneath the sheet of cloud was a gray that deepened to steel, the leading edge was a brilliant white, as if it was the pages of a new book ready for any curious eye. So, on this day that could bring rain or sunshine, no one in the arena except the VIP guests and commentators remained in their seats. Their eyes were glued to the battle stage. In the center of the battle stage, two figures were laying on the floor. One was completely bathed in blood from head to toe. The other one was no different than the other except he knelt on the battle stage on one knee. Anyone could tell he was about to tumble down any second.
The figure laid on the ground was Ducan, a rogue cultivator while the other was Andrew. This was the first fight of the Semi-final which would decide the finalist.
As Andrew was fighting with everything he got to stay awake, the coordinators landed on the ground to check on Ducan.
"Knockout!" the coordinator's voice echoed through the arena as the crowd erupted into cheers for Andrew.
"Andrew has entered the final!"
"He has made history reaching the final with the lowest cultivation level!"
"That kid really put up a fight. I'm really impressed" Followed by Ishihara and James's comments, Darius also praised Andrew. The entire arena was shouting Andrew's name as the fireworks decorated the sky along with their thunderous exploding sounds. Princess Katherine quickly wiped off the tear running out of her eyes before anyone could see her watery eyes.
"Andrew!"
"Andrew!"
"Andrew!"
"Andrew!"
"Andrew!"
"Andrew!"
The crowd kept chanting Andrew's name. Surprisingly their cheers gave Andrew a little bit of strength to stay still instead of falling onto the ground.
The fight between Andrew and Ducan went for almost an hour and a half. Although Andrew had the power of Lailah behind him, Ducan fought strategically which made defeating him difficult for Andrew.
Andrew was a Core Formation level 2 runemaster while Ducan was a level 6 Core Formation warrior. Many thought this match was the end of Andrew's journey as the power gap between them was too wide. However, Andrew proved everyone wrong and defeated Ducan. Andrew almost died defeating Ducan.
"Andrew has proved to us that the willpower can overcome the cultivation level difference"
"Even if Andrew couldn't win the tournament, his name will be remembered for years to come" James Hall praised Andrew,
"He will be an inspiration for many cultivators. His journey will show the others that one can overcome a cultivation difference with willpower and courage" Ishihara joined James Hall in praising Andrew. The Winstons felt extremely proud of Andrew at the moment. At first, they all doubted him and even tried to stop him from competing in the tournament. Nonetheless Noah vouched for Andrew and gave his support. Even Andrew's mother Natalia didn't want Andrew to participate as she was afraid of him getting hurt. Natalia was the softest among the three Hunt sisters. Regardless of Andrew's reasons to compete in the tournament, Natalia tried to stop him because she couldn't even think about losing her son.
"Help them reach the infirmary" The coordinators lifted Andrew and Ducan and flew towards the infirmary.
Eventually, after a team of maids cleaned up the blood off the battle stage, the crowd became excited again. Since the next fight would decide the finalist who is going to fight Andrew, the crowd was on the edge of their seats. Moreover, they were excited to see Ghost.
"It's time for the battle we've been waiting for ladies and gentlemen" Ishihara announced.
"And don't worry people, the battle will not be stopped if it rains" Hearing Darius's voice, many sighed in relief. The sky was filled with dark clouds and everyone could hear thunderclaps in the distance. Heavy downpour was evident but no one wanted the rain to interrupt the battle.
"Participant Regan and participant Ghost of Sunrise sect please come to the stage"
The moment Ishihara uttered the name 'Ghost', the arena once again let out thunderous cheers. Almost two-thirds of the arena were bouncing up and down, showing signs boards that had the letters 'We love Ghost', waving black flags as well as Sunrise sect flags, and shouting Ghost's name as loud as they could.
Even those who hated Ghost such as MorningStar disciples became jealous of the support and cheers Ghost received. As the fans were cheering, Regan landed on the battle stage with a swift leap.
Regan was a tall man, standing 6' 2" tall, this bronze skinned man had a really tough feel about him. A particularly notable feature was his muscular build. His hip-length, shiny, light brown hair, currently dip-dyed at the ends with shades of sky blue, features a messy fringe. He has a uniquely styled, perfectly trimmed beard. His square face with brown eyes didn't show any emotions looking at the cheers for his opponent, Ghost. Waiting for Ghost, Regan flicked his wrist as a 7ft war hammer appeared in his hand. Unlike the other participants, Regan wore no armor to protect himself. He just wore leather pants adorned with gray fur and long snakeskin boots.
Lailah was watching Regan with the other commoners. She was in a battle with her heart and mind. After talking to her mentor and contemplating what happened inside the Treacherous Ocean, she understood that Ghost was to be blamed completely. She knew it was her impulse that led to the First Energies occupying their bodies which led to spirit walking. He had no choice, her mind told her that but her heart was burning in fury. He took her purity, her heart couldn't accept it.
After threatening him of destroying everyone he cares about, she felt disgusted with herself. She knew she acted like a first-class hypocrite. How could she call him evil after she herself threatened to kill innocents?
The fact she couldn't hurt him at all made her feel weak and helpless. She hated the feeling of being weak. In front of him, she was exactly that.
Initially, when she came to the tournament, she wanted to tell Ghost about something important that could change both of their lives forever. However, after seeing Ghost's cruelty, ruthlessness, and blood-thirsty nature, she decided otherwise.
"GHOST!"
"GHOST!"
"GHOST!"
"GHOST!"
"GHOST!"
Just as she was thinking the cheers couldn't get any louder, the arena erupted louder. The figure of Ghost in the giant mirror stopped her train of thoughts. Weirdly, Ghost reminded her of Noah. Only Ghost didn't have the warmth and kindness that Noah had.
Michael slowly descended onto the battle stage after winking at Nightmare who was enjoying the battle sitting on Claire's lap. He was a majestic fearful dragon but when he was with Claire, he would turn into a puppy.
Because Regan was a rogue cultivator, except for a very few, no one knew or heard about him before. Coupled with the fact that Regan always ended up with opponents who were weaker than him didn't raise any support for him.
Despite the bodybuilder-like physique of Regan, Michael was not even a bit worried. Regan was just a Core Formation level 6 warrior after all. Instead of unsheathing his two swords, Michael put his hands behind his back and looked at Regan with a smile.
"Despite most peoples' opinion about rogue cultivators, I respect you guys. I was one of you before joining the Sunrise sect" Michael's voice was amplified by the runes to let everyone hear his voice loud and clear.
"You didn't survive this long by fighting every battle in your way. Your life depends on every fight you pick, so don't pick a fight you can't win"
The crowd was not stupid not to understand the meaning behind Michael's words. He was telling Regan to back off, his words were on the border of threat and advice. Many nobles expected a rugged man such as Regan to get mad at Ghost for speaking these words. However, Regan just sighed as the war hammer in his hand disappeared back into his space ring.
"You are right, we rogues need to know when to back down" Regan let out a sigh as he continued,
"This is a battle I cannot win"
Michael nodded with a smile,
"I hope you remember me Ghost"
"Anyone who isn't my foe is my friend" Michael's words put a gentle smile on Regan's face.
He looked around the arena for a while before slowly ascending to the air,
"I hope we will meet again Ghost," Regan said while floating in the mid-air. He then looked at the coordinators around him,
"I forfeit," Regan said before flying away from the arena. People were stunned to see Regan quit like this. He decided to quit before even exchanging a few blows with Ghost. Many thought what he did was a shameful act and an act of cowardice.
"Guys what just happened?" Ishihara's brows arched up,
"What do you think? Regan forfeited the battle"
The coordinators murmured among themselves while the crowd was looking at Ghost speechlessly. Even Ghost's supporters was unable to believe what just happened. They were expecting an exchange of blows, not words.
"Ghost wins!" The coordinators announced. It took a few moments for the crowd to open their mouths again to cheer. They were stunned. Katherine's heart skipped a beat listening to the commenters announce that Ghost had reached the final.
When the crowd finally began to cheer, Ghost already left the battle stage. This was the shortest semi final they all had seen in their lives. Ghost just came, said a few words to Regan and made him forfeit the battle. Unlike Andrew who shed almost all of his blood, Ghost had entered the final without even breaking a sweat.
"I hope you don't mind being called Lady Ghost, Kathy" King Bredia leaned closer to Katherine's ears and said with a chuckle.
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This is it my dear readers, the chapter before the finals. Andrew vs Michael will begin from the next chapter.
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