ACT V
THE GLORY WARS
“The audacity of this bastard,” Norwin’s voice echoed, shaking off the red VoidZone. However, this only further infuriated Hans. He intensified his control, exerting immense pressure through heavy mana on the others, though it meant little against someone of Norwin's calibre. The first ranked Knight even added, asking Hans, “Do you have any fucking idea what you are doing —”
“Saving your skin.” Hans declared, leaving everyone, even Sierra, who had been prepared to unleash her one-time-use spell to obliterate Norwin, utterly surprised. "What?" Norwin questioned even more loudly than before. Yet, his infuriating reaction merely brought a wicked smile to Hans's face.
"I couldn't restrain myself when they were tarnishing your reputation," Hans proclaimed, his voice strong and clear. "You see, I have a knack for stumbling into trouble, so my sister made me carry this at all times." From his pocket, he produced the shiny stone, revealing it to the world. "Yes, it's a memory stone." Activating it, he continued, "And as you can see, I have evidence."
The memory stone projected an image of Hans holding a proctor by the throat, demanding, "Who sent you?" But the proctor remained mute, in a condition similar to Ricardo at present.
“Loyalty, I like that. But you see.” Hans pointed out, “There are so many of you, others can speak too, you know.” Hans shifted his gaze downward, and the perspective changed, focusing on a weird entity battling other proctors. Hans yelled, "Here, boy. Take this," and hurled the man he had been holding toward the strange creature. As the battered proctor's body entered its proximity, numerous spider-like legs sprang into action, shredding the entire body into noodles.
Hans turned away from the spider-like creature and observed several proctors struggling. "Eeny, meany, miny, moe...what comes after this... well, who cares," he mused, pointing at a random injured proctor. He then picked him up, and intimidated him, ”Now, tell me who ordered you to pull this nonsense, or I'll throw you like your friend.”
Hans was showing his second victim to others, although in reality, the proctors had witnessed him perform such actions several times, including summoning the strange spider creature. Understanding his fate well, the injured proctor revealed, "King Norwin ordered us—“
“How dare you drag an honourable man like him in this. Die” he threw him like the previous one and the same thing followed a few more times. And when the number of proctors dwindled to a handful. Hans’s question started to change. He was asking another, “I’m just gonna ask this once, who wants to make a rift between Concordia and Alliance.”
“I do not know, please spare me..” The proctor begged but Hans stressed once again, “I'm giving you another chance, tell me who wants to sow discord between Alliance and Concordia.”
“I only received orders from Alliance to —”
“You lying piece of crap! Why would King Norwin want me dead? He has no reason. You dare to tarnish his reputation.” Hans interrupted, infuriated.
While Norwin shared his feelings for whole another reasons.“Put an end to this madness," Norwin requested his aide, fully comprehending Hans's intentions. However, she shook her head in disappointment. "We can't intervene; the match isn't over," she pointed to the still-active judgment artefact. "No one has been declared the winner yet," she continued, gesturing towards the gagged and bleeding Ricardo. “That brat is using the judgement artefact as his protection —”
“Then stop the broadcast or something —”
"We can't," she shook her head again, indicating the broadcasting artefact within the arena, bathed in the light of the judgment artefact. "I hate to admit it, but I'm impressed," She unconsciously uttered those words reminding him of another time in the past. Clenching his fist, he remembered the time of his prime, while Hans’s shenanigan continued. That brat was walking over him like his father did before. The time, when he was challenged for knight rankings, and his first place slipped by his hand all because of one man, Samson.
“So this is the best this world could offer, a shame, indeed” he recalled those words, those very eyes looking down on him, and remembered his most humiliating moment when he had been growling on the ground. King Norwin of Grimgar, the mighty ruler, had been beaten and battered, and his opponent hadn't even used a sword in the swordfight but had taken down the top-ranked knight with bare fists. The blow to his pride on that day was akin to what Hans was currently inflicting
He snapped back to the present as Hans began to address him, "Help me, O hero king, Norwin, the head of the Alliance. Bring me justice. I wish to know who wanted to use my life to create a rift between Concordia and the Alliance. I risked my life to bring you this evidence. I couldn't even use the checkpoints in Heat Riddance for fear of how many were involved in this. Please, investigate." Hans bowed, placing his fist over his heart, mimicking the way the Grimgar royal family greeted their elders, adding yet another layer of insult to Norwin's wounded pride.
Norwin was outright speechless and the other guests shared his stunned silence. Hans decided to address them all this time, "Dignitaries of powerful nations, a humble existence like me, just want to know who was trying to use my life to achieve their goal. I implore the World Leader, the head of the Alliance, to deliver justice for me."
“Agh..” Norwin groaned, wanting to lash out, but his astute aide applied pressure, preventing him from losing his composure. She whispered, "The world is watching, sir. To them, he's just a young boy seeking justice from the highest pillar of the law. You can't just go nuts here. The Sword Faith will become weak. Everyone who trusts you blindly is looking at you now. Do you want to spoil your years of dedication, your persona of justice to fall because of a little turd.”
“Fine..” Norwin finally spoke, “I'll FIND WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS—”
“One more thing, Hero King. Please protect me in Grimgar… I fear, my disclosing this grand scheme has put a target on my back. Please save my life.”
Many who understood the situation struggled to suppress their laughter, while others praised the child who had fought his way to reveal this information. In the meantime, Norwin was so agitated that his aura began to shake the entire colosseum. His aide once again placed a hand on his shoulder, signalling him to control his temper. Before he could respond, Hans interrupted, saying, "Oh, my apologies. My request may have come across as rude. I must have lost my wits to think that someone could harm me when the Alliance head is personally overseeing my situation. I apologize again."
“Pfft…” some broke out chuckles, they couldn’t hold themselves seeing a kid playing Norwin like a banjo. However, for the participants from the Knight Association and Mage Tower who were aware of the actual situation, this was like a bone stuck in their throats. A boy of twelve or thirteen, whom they had looked down upon, had defeated an entire team of elite Alliance soldiers and had now reduced Ricardo, one of the strongest members of their side, to begging for mercy.
Not aware of their thought process, Hans wore a genuine smile, a stark contrast to his brutal actions up until that point, and the VoidZone vanished, providing relief to those who had struggled to breathe during its presence. “That's why I chose the perfect timing when even the most powerful knight can only dance to my tune. Your own artefact is protecting me Alliance ”
“Thank you," he said, bowing once again to Norwin, before returning to the ground. His leisurely walk towards Ricardo filled the latter with dread. As per Hans's earlier command, the heavily battered Ricardo felt his restraints loosen, and even the gag in his mouth came free. "You can surrender now.” He whispered with a cherry mood and an innocent smile. His expressions creeping the hell out of him.
With Ricardo shouting for surrender, the judgement artefact got deactivated and Hans proudly marched towards his members. “Deli,” Chris asked her, glaring at Hans’s march back, “He can use Golems, and what was that red light? How are we supposed to compete against him —”
“Oh, don’t play with me Chris, you are keeping some secrets of your own, aren’t you?” She was speaking to him but her eyes were giving death stare to Hans. She commented further, “He needs to be at least this strong for me to have a satisfactory revenge.”
With a sharp "Zzzing," the announcement echoed through the arena, and Hans's name was advanced to the second group. The roster for the next round appeared on the screens:
Chris (CC) vs Obi (MT)
Delimira (CC) vs Mannard (MT)
Gunnier (KA) vs Omar (MT)
Hans (CC) vs Arlin (MT)
The announcer then declared a ten-minute break. The whole team swiftly made their way to the Concordia’s platform, all waiting for their phenomenal captain to return. They were all enthralled by Hans’s victory and the way he took revenge on those proctors. They were full of questions and excitement, ready to fire away at Hans. However, Rudolf beat them to it, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.
“How can you fly?” Rudolf always wanted this skill but all he could do was jump but not fly. Flying was an exclusive domain of wind attribute mages and knights so he was jealous of the fact that Hans being a Wood mage could fly.
Rudolf's enthusiasm for answers was written all over his face. So, Hans cast a sly glance at Aredhel and replied, "People keep tossing me from heights, testing if I can fly. I can't disappoint them, can I?"
***
AnnouncementNEXT : DOMINATING THE BATTLE ROUNDS
PS - I EDITED THIS CHAPTER FROM MOBILE ON THE GO SO YOU MIGHT FIND MORE MISTAKES THAN USUAL
ACT V
THE GLORY WARS
“The audacity of this bastard,” Norwin’s voice echoed, shaking off the red VoidZone. However, this only further infuriated Hans. He intensified his control, exerting immense pressure through heavy mana on the others, though it meant little against someone of Norwin's calibre. The first ranked Knight even added, asking Hans, “Do you have any fucking idea what you are doing —”
“Saving your skin.” Hans declared, leaving everyone, even Sierra, who had been prepared to unleash her one-time-use spell to obliterate Norwin, utterly surprised. "What?" Norwin questioned even more loudly than before. Yet, his infuriating reaction merely brought a wicked smile to Hans's face.
"I couldn't restrain myself when they were tarnishing your reputation," Hans proclaimed, his voice strong and clear. "You see, I have a knack for stumbling into trouble, so my sister made me carry this at all times." From his pocket, he produced the shiny stone, revealing it to the world. "Yes, it's a memory stone." Activating it, he continued, "And as you can see, I have evidence."
The memory stone projected an image of Hans holding a proctor by the throat, demanding, "Who sent you?" But the proctor remained mute, in a condition similar to Ricardo at present.
“Loyalty, I like that. But you see.” Hans pointed out, “There are so many of you, others can speak too, you know.” Hans shifted his gaze downward, and the perspective changed, focusing on a weird entity battling other proctors. Hans yelled, "Here, boy. Take this," and hurled the man he had been holding toward the strange creature. As the battered proctor's body entered its proximity, numerous spider-like legs sprang into action, shredding the entire body into noodles.
Hans turned away from the spider-like creature and observed several proctors struggling. "Eeny, meany, miny, moe...what comes after this... well, who cares," he mused, pointing at a random injured proctor. He then picked him up, and intimidated him, ”Now, tell me who ordered you to pull this nonsense, or I'll throw you like your friend.”
Hans was showing his second victim to others, although in reality, the proctors had witnessed him perform such actions several times, including summoning the strange spider creature. Understanding his fate well, the injured proctor revealed, "King Norwin ordered us—“
“How dare you drag an honourable man like him in this. Die” he threw him like the previous one and the same thing followed a few more times. And when the number of proctors dwindled to a handful. Hans’s question started to change. He was asking another, “I’m just gonna ask this once, who wants to make a rift between Concordia and Alliance.”
“I do not know, please spare me..” The proctor begged but Hans stressed once again, “I'm giving you another chance, tell me who wants to sow discord between Alliance and Concordia.”
“I only received orders from Alliance to —”
“You lying piece of crap! Why would King Norwin want me dead? He has no reason. You dare to tarnish his reputation.” Hans interrupted, infuriated.
While Norwin shared his feelings for whole another reasons.“Put an end to this madness," Norwin requested his aide, fully comprehending Hans's intentions. However, she shook her head in disappointment. "We can't intervene; the match isn't over," she pointed to the still-active judgment artefact. "No one has been declared the winner yet," she continued, gesturing towards the gagged and bleeding Ricardo. “That brat is using the judgement artefact as his protection —”
“Then stop the broadcast or something —”
"We can't," she shook her head again, indicating the broadcasting artefact within the arena, bathed in the light of the judgment artefact. "I hate to admit it, but I'm impressed," She unconsciously uttered those words reminding him of another time in the past. Clenching his fist, he remembered the time of his prime, while Hans’s shenanigan continued. That brat was walking over him like his father did before. The time, when he was challenged for knight rankings, and his first place slipped by his hand all because of one man, Samson.
“So this is the best this world could offer, a shame, indeed” he recalled those words, those very eyes looking down on him, and remembered his most humiliating moment when he had been growling on the ground. King Norwin of Grimgar, the mighty ruler, had been beaten and battered, and his opponent hadn't even used a sword in the swordfight but had taken down the top-ranked knight with bare fists. The blow to his pride on that day was akin to what Hans was currently inflicting
He snapped back to the present as Hans began to address him, "Help me, O hero king, Norwin, the head of the Alliance. Bring me justice. I wish to know who wanted to use my life to create a rift between Concordia and the Alliance. I risked my life to bring you this evidence. I couldn't even use the checkpoints in Heat Riddance for fear of how many were involved in this. Please, investigate." Hans bowed, placing his fist over his heart, mimicking the way the Grimgar royal family greeted their elders, adding yet another layer of insult to Norwin's wounded pride.
Norwin was outright speechless and the other guests shared his stunned silence. Hans decided to address them all this time, "Dignitaries of powerful nations, a humble existence like me, just want to know who was trying to use my life to achieve their goal. I implore the World Leader, the head of the Alliance, to deliver justice for me."
“Agh..” Norwin groaned, wanting to lash out, but his astute aide applied pressure, preventing him from losing his composure. She whispered, "The world is watching, sir. To them, he's just a young boy seeking justice from the highest pillar of the law. You can't just go nuts here. The Sword Faith will become weak. Everyone who trusts you blindly is looking at you now. Do you want to spoil your years of dedication, your persona of justice to fall because of a little turd.”
“Fine..” Norwin finally spoke, “I'll FIND WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS—”
“One more thing, Hero King. Please protect me in Grimgar… I fear, my disclosing this grand scheme has put a target on my back. Please save my life.”
Many who understood the situation struggled to suppress their laughter, while others praised the child who had fought his way to reveal this information. In the meantime, Norwin was so agitated that his aura began to shake the entire colosseum. His aide once again placed a hand on his shoulder, signalling him to control his temper. Before he could respond, Hans interrupted, saying, "Oh, my apologies. My request may have come across as rude. I must have lost my wits to think that someone could harm me when the Alliance head is personally overseeing my situation. I apologize again."
“Pfft…” some broke out chuckles, they couldn’t hold themselves seeing a kid playing Norwin like a banjo. However, for the participants from the Knight Association and Mage Tower who were aware of the actual situation, this was like a bone stuck in their throats. A boy of twelve or thirteen, whom they had looked down upon, had defeated an entire team of elite Alliance soldiers and had now reduced Ricardo, one of the strongest members of their side, to begging for mercy.
Not aware of their thought process, Hans wore a genuine smile, a stark contrast to his brutal actions up until that point, and the VoidZone vanished, providing relief to those who had struggled to breathe during its presence. “That's why I chose the perfect timing when even the most powerful knight can only dance to my tune. Your own artefact is protecting me Alliance ”
“Thank you," he said, bowing once again to Norwin, before returning to the ground. His leisurely walk towards Ricardo filled the latter with dread. As per Hans's earlier command, the heavily battered Ricardo felt his restraints loosen, and even the gag in his mouth came free. "You can surrender now.” He whispered with a cherry mood and an innocent smile. His expressions creeping the hell out of him.
With Ricardo shouting for surrender, the judgement artefact got deactivated and Hans proudly marched towards his members. “Deli,” Chris asked her, glaring at Hans’s march back, “He can use Golems, and what was that red light? How are we supposed to compete against him —”
“Oh, don’t play with me Chris, you are keeping some secrets of your own, aren’t you?” She was speaking to him but her eyes were giving death stare to Hans. She commented further, “He needs to be at least this strong for me to have a satisfactory revenge.”
With a sharp "Zzzing," the announcement echoed through the arena, and Hans's name was advanced to the second group. The roster for the next round appeared on the screens:
Chris (CC) vs Obi (MT)
Delimira (CC) vs Mannard (MT)
Gunnier (KA) vs Omar (MT)
Hans (CC) vs Arlin (MT)
The announcer then declared a ten-minute break. The whole team swiftly made their way to the Concordia’s platform, all waiting for their phenomenal captain to return. They were all enthralled by Hans’s victory and the way he took revenge on those proctors. They were full of questions and excitement, ready to fire away at Hans. However, Rudolf beat them to it, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.
“How can you fly?” Rudolf always wanted this skill but all he could do was jump but not fly. Flying was an exclusive domain of wind attribute mages and knights so he was jealous of the fact that Hans being a Wood mage could fly.
Rudolf's enthusiasm for answers was written all over his face. So, Hans cast a sly glance at Aredhel and replied, "People keep tossing me from heights, testing if I can fly. I can't disappoint them, can I?"
***
AnnouncementNEXT : DOMINATING THE BATTLE ROUNDS
PS - I EDITED THIS CHAPTER FROM MOBILE ON THE GO SO YOU MIGHT FIND MORE MISTAKES THAN USUAL
