The coliseum was an oval-shaped structure.
It was vast in size, rivaling that of mammoth sports stadiums, if not even larger than them.
In its center was the oval-shaped dueling ground of hard concrete floor, encircled by a multitude of seats that were brimming with the eager audience.
Rows upon rows of seating were stacked on top of each other in the audience stands.
The whole coliseum was overflowing with the electrifying crowd, cheerfully watching the ongoing fight on the dueling ground.
Perched above the topmost row was a balcony that had seating arrangements for the esteemed VIP members.
Basically, only Sect Officials and honored guests of the Sect could enter the VIP stand.
Thankfully, because of that restriction, the VIP stand was not crowded at all. Right now, only two figures were visible there.
One of them was a tall, lean man with neck-length crimson hair. A long scar was tracing its path down his cheek, but even this blemish couldn’t diminish his striking beauty.
He was wearing a sleek black silk shirt embellished with golden buttons and cufflinks, paired with matching pants, he exuded an air of refined elegance. 𝑜𝒱𝑙xt.𝗇𝓔t
Standing beside him was a woman of otherworldly beauty, her long silver hair flowing down to her slender waist like a shimmering cascade.
Her flawlessly pale face was adorned by a pair of mesmerizing eyes, capable of enchanting any who dared meet her gaze.
She wore a delicate red and black robe of Mount Hua that accentuated her svelte figure and added an air of allure to her already arresting presence.
Casually leaning against the boundary of the VIP stand, the woman intently stared down at the fight unfolding on the dueling ground below.
After confirming something, Selena turned her gaze to Leo and said, “You know, your disciple is truly amazing.”
Leo chuckled in response. “Don’t say that to him, it’ll only fuel his already towering narcissism.”
Selena smiled while playfully rolling her eyes. “I think you should appreciate him more. It’s hard to get a good disciple, you know?”
She then pointed toward the challengers Lucas defeated all on his own until now and said, “Just look at them. All of those trash dare to call themselves my disciple and they can’t even take down a single man.”
Alfa Zenith and his group were all disciples of the Sect Head, Selena Zenith. Apart from Arnold and Alfa, all of them were defeated now.
Currently, they were standing back with either their heads dropped in shame or teeth gritted in pain.
“Okay, firstly, I do appreciate him,” Leo chuckled, countering her comment. “And secondly, you never seriously teach any of your disciples.”
Selena shook her head and lifted a finger to emphasize her point. “Not true. I only teach those who are worthy. Take Alfa, for example.”
Leo doubtfully arched an eyebrow. “And you think he’s worthy?”
“Don’t be so skeptical. Alfa has his flaws and he may not be a good person, but trust me, the boy has enough talent to surpass me someday,” Selena asserted.
Leo shrugged casually. “If you say so. I still think Lucas can defeat him.”
Selena shook her head slowly. “No he can’t… Not yet, at least.”
“He can, but he’ll have to use his armor relic,” Leo argued.
Selena quickly countered, “And that would not be considered a fair win.”
“Obviously,” Leo conceded with another shrug. “But even I have to admit, some of these kids these days are just straight-up monsters.”
Selena’s expression turned solemn. “Is this about those two cadets from your academy that you fought a few months ago?”
Leo nodded, a serious look in his eyes. “Yes, they’re both incredibly strong. And from here on out, they will only continue to grow. I still think we should try to recruit them.”
“Leo… We’ve discussed this topic before,” Selena said, reaching out to gently grab his arm. “These youngsters… They won’t understand our cause. No one ever will.”
Leo lowered his gaze, staring at the ground as he let out an audible sigh. “I see your point, but wouldn’t it be better to have strong allies on our side for once?”
“We already have strong allies,” Selena quickly countered.
“Yes, I know, but I meant someone who could be a trump card. Someone whose mere presence could tip the scales of war,” Leo clarified.
Selena slightly tilted her head and spoke up in a confused tone, “But we do have a trump card. It’s you. You are my trump card.”
Leo raised his gaze to meet Selena’s concerned eyes before sighing and turning away.
Selena frowned as she brought her hands to his face and made him look back at her.
“Leo,” she murmured softly. “Talk to me. What’s going on with you?”
Leo inhaled deeply. It seemed as if he was struggling with something.
After a brief moment of hesitation, he finally decided to voice his mind.
“I… my body… it’s deteriorating,” he spoke with a heavy tone.
A flicker of shock crossed Selena’s face. “What do you mean?”
“…It’s the after-effect of using the imperfect Symphony,” Leo clarified. “The consequences of using a flawed technique for so long are finally catching up to me. My mana core has begun to degrade. I can feel it… I’m getting slower and my senses are slowly dulling. I’m not even moving like I used to unless I’m using the Symphony.”
Selena took a long breath, steeling herself.
She always knew this would happen. In fact, she was actually surprised that it hadn’t happened sooner.
In his younger days, Leo was consumed by the relentless pursuit of power.
To overcome his arch-rival, Reynold Morningstar, Leo did everything he could.
He learned forbidden arts, mastered hundreds of techniques, tailored his own unique battle style, and even studied the very existence of mana in depth.
After countless years, Leo crafted a technique that granted him mastery over the ambient mana in the surroundings.
It also allowed him to transcend the limits of his low-ranked mana core and become one with nature itself.
Leo called it a mystical technique since it was in a class of its own. It made him one of the strongest beings to have ever walked on this planet.
But there was a price for this kind of power. In the early stages of its creation, the Symphony was flawed. It was an imperfect technique.
Every time Leo used the Symphony, it took a heavy toll on his body and soul. It felt as if he was being torn apart from the inside.
It felt as if he was losing his soul a little bit each time he used it.
With time and a lot of effort, Leo refined and perfected the Symphony. It didn’t take a toll on his body and soul when he used it anymore.
However, by now the damage was already done.
Selena always knew that the cost of using a broken technique would catch up with Leo in time. And now, the time was on him.
“Haa,” Leo sighed once again. “At best, I can only fight for five more years. Maybe even less if I continue to spam Symphony.”
Even though it didn’t take a toll on him, Leo’s mana core was still slowly becoming incapable of maintaining the synchronized state of the Symphony.
In time, his mana core will break. When that happens, he wouldn’t be able to sense the mana around him and activate the Symphony.
Selena let out a deep exhale, her grip tightening on Leo’s hand as he spoke.
“I don’t want to be the reason for your failure. I refuse to be your burden. Our cover is already blown. The Government finally has a lead on us after all this time. They’ll soon catch up to us, and an all-out war is impossible to avoid after that.”
Selena’s gaze was fixed on the intense fight happening down on the dueling ground as she shook her head and said:
“Don’t worry about such stupid things. You’ll never be the reason for my failure. You’ll always be my pride. And five years is more than enough time. We will fasten our plans and take the fight to the Government rather than waiting for them to come to us.”
She paused briefly, locking eyes with Leo.
For the first time, instead of arrogance and superiority in her eyes, Leo found… a slight hint of vulnerability.
“We will win. We have to for the sake of our world. I only ask one thing, Leo… stay by my side. If you’re with me, I know I won’t be defeated.”
The desperation in Selena’s voice made Leo nod long before he could even fully understand what he was agreeing to.
Well, not that he would have declined her plea anyway.
Back when he had no one to rely on, Selena was there for him.
While at first their relationship was only mutually beneficial and both of them were using each other, over time, he genuinely started caring for her.
She may often come off as prideful and arrogant, but behind that facade, Leo saw the real side of Selena – a side that she hid from the world.
She was clumsy and a bit of an airhead. She hated losing, whether it be in games or in real life. She disliked sour food down to her very being. She also liked to watch horror shows even though she could never handle the jumpscares.
But above all, she was just a girl who had to make a lot of hard choices.
In an instant, Leo replied, “Obviously. If you think you can win without me then you’re just delusional.”