He had lost. Erin had beaten him in a fair fight. There was nothing he could complain about. The truth was he had been inferior. He had the upper hand, but he didn't manage to turn it into a victory.

He stood there, laying on the ground for what seemed to be an eternity. Had he really been arrogant? If he had been more careful, would he have won the fight?

Victory had slipped through his fingers, and, worst of all, he had lost to Erin Drey. He couldn't get rid of the bitter taste in his mouth as he looked at the boy dressed in red standing in the platform above him.

The blood running from Erin's broken nose fell on his clothes, but he didn't seem to mind. He had a victorious smile on his face as he slowly descended from the platform, walking to the waiting hall. He was limping a little, but still managed to walk with confidence.

Amon forced himself to stand up, feeling his body turning numb. The left side of his face was throbbing in pain, and he realized walking was hard. His legs weren't moving well, and he suddenly felt incredibly exhausted.

As the adrenaline rush from the fight faded, Amon felt a headache and dizziness made his vision somewhat distorted. Everything around him was a blur by the time he arrived at the waiting hall.

He could faintly hear someone calling for him. He looked up and saw Daniel with his face covered holding his shoulder. He could only give a wry smile.

"I lost." He said, before pa.s.sing out.

---

Daniel was feeling sorry as he carried Amon to the Medical Center of h.e.l.l's Keeper Arena, guided by a woman dressed in purple.

He felt it was a pity that Amon had lost his chance to get to the Inner Sect, especially since Erin was the one that defeated him. Daniel could only sigh as he placed Amon in the bed and waited for the physician to arrive.

It didn't take long for a middle-aged man dressed in white to enter the room. He held Amon's wrist for a few seconds while he had his eyes closed, frowning slightly.

"He just overexerted himself." The doctor said as he looked at Daniel. "He spent too much Qi in the fight, nothing more. A day of rest and he will be fine."

Daniel gave a sigh of relief as he heard these words. The doctor fed Amon a Recovery Pill before politely leaving.

"Sir, it would be best if we go too." The woman reminded Daniel. "The second phase should be starting soon."

Daniel gave her a nod, looking at Amon one last time before leaving the room. He was a bit downcast and somewhat regretful. He had no idea how Amon would react after he woke up.

Daniel made his way to the waiting hall, in time to see the last fight to decide a slot in the top ten.

Erin was fighting the blonde woman from the Outer Ring, and neither seemed to be having a good time. Erin's nose had been put back into place, but he didn't have enough time for it to heal. He was also using a new sword, even if he seemed a bit unfamiliar with it.

There was still some blood trickling down from his nose, falling on his lips and on his clothes, contrasting with his pale face. Nevertheless, it didn't seem to affect him. He was stronger than the woman, and even if she seemed to be more agile, Erin's skill in combat were higher than hers.

It was a one-sided match from the start. Erin cornered the woman as he made blows rain over her, not even giving her a chance to counter. Surprisingly, she managed to hold on for a few minutes, before being struck on the chest and eliminated.

At that point, Erin was deathly pale. He had spent too much energy in his fight against Amon and didn't have the time to rest properly. He seemed very satisfied as he slowly made his way to the Medical Center, clearly exhausted.

Daniel glued his eyes on him with a resentful look, but there was nothing he could do. Amon had lost in a fair fight, it was as simple as that. Now Amon would be stuck in the Outer Sect, while Erin would go to the Inner Sect and his strength would soar.

Nevertheless, Daniel was proud of Amon. He had done his best and had gone incredibly far in the compet.i.tion. He was sure Rebecca would be proud too, even if Amon didn't manage to get any reward other than experience from the compet.i.tion.

As the first phase came to an end, it was time to decide the rankings for the top eight. Whoever managed to get in the top five would get increasingly precious rewards according to their positions. Daniel wasn't particularly excited for such extra rewards, given that the sect hadn't even announced what they would be.

He absent-mindedly walked to the golden box when the second phase started, not worrying at all on who he would draw as his opponent. He was feeling tired. He was feeling anxious. Daniel just wanted this to end already. More than anything, Daniel was feeling guilt.

He didn't want to think about it, but he knew that if he had conceded the match against Amon, even if Amon really never forgave him and Daniel was banished from the sect, it would have been worth it. Amon would have guaranteed his entrance to the Inner Sect and his life would have taken a turn for the better.

Daniel jumped to a platform as soon as his opponent was decided. He had an apologetic look on his face, even if it was hidden by the black hood. The young man facing him, however, seemed really excited.

"I hope we have a good fight." The man said as he drew a saber from his Bottomless Pouch as his brown hair waved about. He couldn't hide the eagerness in his eyes. From just a glance, Daniel knew that he was the kind that loved to fight, no matter the opponent or the situation.

Daniel gave a wry smile as he himself patted his Bottomless Pouch, retrieving the sword and the golden s.h.i.+eld that he promptly wielded.

"I am sorry, but I don't think this will be a good fight." Daniel said in an apologetic voice, making the young man furrow his brows.

Before he could say anything, Daniel patted his Bottomless Pouch again.

'Clang! Clang!'

Two more swords appeared from it, falling on the ground with a clear sound. The young man had a confused expression as he looked at Daniel, not understanding the situation.

'Swoos.h.!.+'

The two swords cut through the air at a blinding speed, shooting towards the young man's head with a piercing sound. The man twisted his body and barely managed to dodge the swords. Looking horrified at Daniel, he hurriedly retreated with a deathly pale face.

The swords returned to Daniel, hovering around him in circles as his aura turned incredibly cold.

The young man unconsciously shuddered as he saw the swords floating around Daniel in a deadly dance.

"You know, I feel it is about time we ended this compet.i.tion." Daniel said while shaking his head. "I don't have time to play around anymore."

He raised his head, looking at the frightened man in front of him as he sent the swords whistling in his direction in an unending stream of complex attacks. He knew the fight would be over in seconds. He knew no one here truly had a chance against him.

He only held back before to keep his ace hidden until the final round. Since Amon was out of the compet.i.tion, he had nothing more to look forward to, nor did he have a reason to lose.

It was about time he went all out and slapped Lawrence Meyer's face.