Chapter 285 - Unavoidable Battle...

"But Lord Treeda--"

"Why are you so adamant on the boy not fighting?" Treeda asked outright. "I assumed it was to conceal his talents from Zrand's view, so I played along during the exhibition. But are you actually trying to conceal him from my eyes as well?"

"... No…"

"Then lead the way."

Taking another drawn-out sigh, Zelsh shook his head and slowly got up to his feet. But one last time, Zelsh looked to Treeda with a bowed head. "Are you sure you want this?"

"Of course."

"So be it…" Out of options and plans, Zelsh couldn't think of what to do next. Apart from caving and do as he was told, Zelsh couldn't imagine any other way to keep his prefecture lord from acting out against him. He had to choose. Face the threat of an anonymous man beyond his perception in the unknown future, or face the two most powerful citizens of the entire prefecture here and now. Neither might end in Zelsh's survival, but one was immediate and the other may be in the future.

"Everyone… Finish your drinks or take them with you. We'll be taking a short break in the meal to enjoy a sudden sparring match with Lord Treeda personally overseeing the battle!"

Cheers echoed back at Zelsh as many representatives stood and lifted their wine glasses to the sky. 

"Hmm… Now I'm half hoping you're right about this," claimed Jeminine, also getting to her feet. "Otherwise, you'll just be wasting all of our time."

"Agreed…" Treeda quietly added, getting up along with Uutrai.

"Follow me!" Zelsh nodded to the kings and his prefecture lord as he began walking to the open doors. "And make way for the competitors! Korvik! Oliver! Get up here!"

"Right away!" Korvik was practically jumping for joy. He grabbed Oli by the arm and raced toward the exiting kings. Though Oli did break free of the light grapple and walk on his own, Korvik made sure Oli had no way back to the table. "Don't hold back!"

Noting that Korvik seemed to sober up slightly with the adrenaline pumping through his system, Oli only nodded in response. He said nothing. 

There was no one there to help Oli get out of this. He didn't even know why Zelsh was trying to keep him from fighting, but he wasn't going to complain. Oli was clueless as to what might happen after people from the Toxic-shadow Clan see him using their king-grade technique. And if it resulted in a search of Oli's void ring, that would only escalate a situation thanks to a certain egg still resting inside of it.

Cheers and shouts filled the halls as both Zelsh and Oli were silently nearing the open-aired colosseum.

"What's wrong? Getting cold feet all of a sudden?" Jeminine joked. She walked up to Zelsh's side hoping to get under Zelsh's thick skin

Zelsh chuckled but didn't respond. This caught the kings off guard. 

Jeminine asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. But you asked for this, Jeminine. Remember that…" Zelsh sighed and shook his head, taking the first step into the stands surrounding the arena. "Lord Treeda, Master Uutrai, please take the seats of honor."

"Of course…" Accepting with a nod, Treeda leaped and led Uutrai to the raised platform with the best view of the arena. 

Zelsh and the other kings followed suit, claiming the seats along the side of that same platform. 

Everyone else scrambled and packed into the stands. No one fully understood why this was happening but they weren't going to turn down watching a good fight. And to have the kings argue over the battle only added to the hype and intrigue. 

Korvik was the first to hop in the ring. As soon as he was close enough, Korvik leaped over the front rows of the stands and happily landed on the arena floor. "Come on, Oli!"

"It's Oliver!" Shouting and shaking his head in reply, Oli calmly and surely walked down the remaining steps. "Call me anything else, and I'll have to teach you a lesson."

"Good! Then we can get serious!" Korvik laughed, not taking the comment too seriously. "Tell you what, I'll only use one sword because of your low cultivation!"

"Do as you like…" sighed Oli, rolling his shoulders and lightly stretching his body.

Despite his best efforts, Zelsh still couldn't come up with a way out of this. He hopped off the platform and landed near the arena's center. Eyeing both combatants, Zelsh nodded and sighed again. "Are you two done chatting?"

"Yeah!"

"Yeah…"

Swallowing the saliva in his throat before it could grow stagnant and lodge itself there, Zelsh took a final deep breath. He scanned the crowd. He glanced at his fellow kings. He noted the slight smile on Lord Treeda's face. There was nothing left he could think of.

"Alright then… Are you ready, Korvik?" 

"Of course!" Korvik shouted enthusiastically. His drunkenness probably added to his jubilant attitude, but Korvik was still acting like he was opening a gift while eyeing Oli in front of him.

"Oliver… Are you ready?"

Oli opened his mouth without knowing exactly what he would say. But then he noticed Zelsh's gaze.

Zelsh's eyes were soft and kind. Tears weren't being formed by any means, yet there was a feeling of regret and apology behind his gaze for but a moment. It felt like an entirely different man had taken up a perfect disguise compared to the crass and bold Zelsh Oli had met the day before.

"... I'm ready."

"Alright." Immediately switching back to his poker face, Zelsh stomped on the ground to silence the jittery, half-drunk crowd. "If you're both ready…"

The pause continued to linger well past anything people were expecting. Korvik was practically flinching in anticipation to take his first step. Oli recognized even more hesitation hidden in Zelsh's demeanor.

"..." After staring at both opponents once more, Zelsh let out his last sigh of hope. He then threw both hands together with emphatic force.

CLAP!

"BEGIN!"

"Come and get it!"

"..."

ROOOOOOOAAAAAARRRR!!!