It took me a few seconds to realize what had happened, and when the realization hit me, I wasnt able to hold myself from groaning.

What in the world is in this bastards mind?

I was extremely tempted to just look at the statue but held myself back. I didnt want to give it the idea that I knew about Kiera and Aoife.

If they even were possessed by the statue.

You may leave the platform.

Snapping out of it, I saw the familiar cube appear in front of me.

I glanced at the referee for a brief moment before reaching out for the cube and gripping it tightly.

My vision blurred shortly after.

.

The moment I came down, I was met with silence.

All eyes were directed in my direction. There was a mixture of emotions in their gazes, but the most prominent one was anger.

I could vividly see the anger in some of the faces of the contestants as they looked in our direction.

Thankfully, before anyone could voice out their thoughts or show some protest, a voice fell down from above.

[This marks the end of the second round of combat. It was a very wonderful round and exhibition of amazing matches. For the next round, two contestants will be given a free pass and avoid fighting. This pass will be given to the top two ranked figures.]

There wasnt much said to use besides a few words of congratulations and the last part regarding the free pass.

Since there were only six people left, two were given the automatic pass while the others fought for the next round which were be the semi-finals.

[You will be given a day off. Please get ready for your match-up. The location of the fights will be changed accordingly, and you will be told in advance who your opponent will be.]

With such words, the voice faded and the Plaza fell into silence again.

I looked around me, toward Aoife and Leon who were the remaining ones in my group. Taking into account that the other Empires had only one person left each, we had an overwhelming advantage in terms of numbers.

But thats if we take into account that Aoife isnt possessed.

Now that she was possessed, it was hard to group her with us. Especially since we didnt know what her real motives were.

Lets go.

Feeling Leons grip over my shoulder, he nudged me with his head. I nodded quietly and left alongside him.

As we walked, I felt the glares and looks of dissatisfaction from those of the other Empires. In such a hostile environment, I could only walk ahead without much of an expression.

But at the same time, I felt my heart sink.

I knew the blowout from this would be rather annoying.

***

The blowout of Kieras actions was indeed quite large.

Julien should be disqualified for deliberately manipulating the matchups. Its completely unfair to the other competitors who had to earn their place through hard-fought battles.

Kiera and Julien have clearly conspired to rig the results, allowing Julien to advance unfairly. This kind of behavior is unacceptable. Please disqualify him!

This is a formal complaint about the tournament. Julien and Kieras actions were completely out of line, and Julien should be disqualified immediately!

The Summit Committee staff was bombarded by letters of complaints that were both from the public and officials from either empire. The situation was so serious that the staff had no choice but to contact the four main delegates of each empire.

Prince Theron, Prince Lucian, Princess Elysia, and Prince Gael.

They all stood in front of a round table, staring at the numerous letters that were spread in front of them.

Picking one of the letters and reading through it, the corner of Therons lips pulled up slightly as he looked toward the sickly person sitting opposite him.

The situation isnt looking too good for you, isnt it?

Gael didnt answer and just picked up another letter.

He read through the contents before letting out a small sigh and tossing the letter down.

This isnt something that I expected to happen.

This entire situation had created quite a mess.

Not only was the public outraged, but the focus of the outrage was directed towards their Empire for cheating.

With Kiera and Julien not needing to fight, then it obviously meant that Julien would be able to save a lot of energy and spare himself some injuries for the next fights. This way, hed have an advantage over the other contestants.

Gael could understand why the public was so outraged.

But what could he do? This wasnt something that he couldve predicted.

What do you think?

In the end, he could only look toward the other delegates to see what their reactions would be. Would they push for Juliens disqualification, or not?

I say were wasting our time.

Lucian was the first one to speak, his deep voice rumbling throughout.

His actions may be cowardly, but to me, it doesnt matter. Such actions wont hold up when fighting against Kaelion. If the two were to fight then whether hes in full health or not, it wont matter. Hell lose.

I am of the same opinion.

Theron replied while tossing a letter back into the pile.

Caius is also completely unharmed. This is no big deal.

Well, since everyone is like that, I cant disagree either.

Elysia finally added.

In essence, none were in favor of punishing Julien. On the outside, this seemed like a kind and magnanimous gesture of them, but in reality, it was a calculated decision by all of them. With the competition reaching its climax, all of the remaining members were extremely powerful.

The gap between their strength was no longer as wide as it used to be with the other contestants.

It was for that reason that they all agreed with the decision of keeping Julien.

Of the six remaining contestants, he was known to be the weakest.

If they could be matched up with him then theyd have an advantage.

Gael understood their thought process very well, and could only purse his lips silently before accepting the situation.

Since thats the case, well continue as is. If anybody complains, tell them weve allowed it.

He stood up and tossed all the letters in his hands before leaving.

The others followed shortly after that.

And thus, a decision was made.

No disqualification.

***

Following the end of the second round of combat, Leon, alongside Julien, headed for the nursery in order to get in touch with Evelyn.

Shes not here?

However, it was to Leons surprise that Evelyn wasnt present.

His brows locked into a tight frown upon realizing this.

Did she get possessed as well?

He started to worry, but before he could display his worry, he caught sight of a hairband. It had evidently been left behind by Evelyn.

An idea struck him.

Without hesitation, he turned around and headed out of the nursery with Julien who had been abnormally quiet. As Leon was about to call for him, he paused. Staring in Juliens direction, his face stiffened slightly.

Again

Yet again, Julien was standing with an absentminded look. His eyes continuously flickered with different colors as he seemed lost in his own world.

Leon thought about shaking him out of that state but quickly stopped himself.

Even though the situation was important, it wouldnt do Leon any good to snap Julien out of such a state. He was slowly comprehending something, and he could only let him be.

At the same time, Leon struggled to look at Julien in the eyes.

There was something about them that made his entire body shudder, and after a little thought, he went out to buy a small hat which he placed on Juliens head in order to hide his face.

Julien didnt react at all to his actions.

Good.

Satisfied, Leon turned his attention toward the hair band.

Hoo.

He then took a deep breath.

If Im guessing right, Evelyn purposely left this in order to let me find her.

Evelyn was one of the few people who knew about his intuition skills. Julien was another person who knew.

Although the skill was not something he could easily control, with time, he grew to be able to control it better. At this point, staring at the hairband, Leon felt confident hed be able to sense something.

And indeed he did.

Feeling his chest tighten, he turned his head to stare in a particular direction.

[Meldorne St.]

The long cobblestone streets of Grimspire were faintly lit up by the flickering of the lamps.

There werent many people walking the streets. The night was approaching, and the area they were in was on the eastern side which was primarily the residential area.

Following the feeling in his chest, Leon carefully walked through the streets, turning around several corners and passing several houses.

It was quiet, and the deeper he went, the more worn out the areas became.

The houses started to show signs of abandonment while the cobblestone streets had bits and pieces of rock missing.

Leon didnt know for how long he walked, and with Julien not speaking, all he could hear was the faint sound of their footsteps moving.

It felt strangely eerie.

It should be here.

But eventually, he stopped before an old house.

The house loomed before him, its shattered windows like hollow eyes, displaying its insides which were embraced by a vivid darkness.

The wooden planks jutted out at unsettling angles, creaking as he stepped up the wooden patio. The roof, sagged as it appeared to be ready to crumble at any second. Appearing by the front door of the house, Leon held onto his reservations and pushed the door open.

Creeaak!

With a creak, the door opened and he felt an immediate gust of cold wind wash over him.

Of all places

Leon clenched his teeth and stepped forward.

Despite Juliens apparent uselessness, his presence brought some comfort as he navigated the eerie house, which was littered with old wooden furniture and shattered glass scattered across the floor.

Leon pushed the glass to the side and moved forward.

It was then that he noticed a faint light coming from the distance.

Leon paused for a brief moment before taking a deep breath. Then, holding onto his breath, he passed by a certain room where he noticed a freshly lit candle positioned on top of a wooden desk where a note appeared.

Seeing the note, Leon understood that it had been left behind by Evelyn and he quickly approached it.

..!

As soon as he took a step, a jolt of unease shot through him. His entire body tensed, the hair on the back of his neck bristled, and his heart seemed to freeze in his chest.

A figure emerged directly from the shadows and shot in his direction.

With no time to think, Leon prepared to fight back when something blurred past him from behind. It was so fast that he had no time to react.

Booom!

A terrifying explosion ensued shortly after as the house shook.

By the time it took for the dust to settle, Leons eyes settled over to Julien who stood in front of him, holding onto a figure by the neck. A viscous green liquid covered his right arm, stopping right at his elbow. At the same time, his eyes flickered a grin color as his lips twitched into a smile.

This

Leon stood in silence for a short moment before he drew a cold breath.

I could barely see him.