"Honorable Elder! Change my name!"
Zestria shouted to Honorable Elder Julian Kruse as she pointed at the ranking projection, causing the latter to falter.
Changing names at the end? Was this even allowed? If it were anyone else, they would be accused of stealing or mismatching their identity and would be ousted.
Zestria's announcement shocked the New Era Battle Arena.
Furthermore, it must be known that the events happening here is broadcast throughout the human race using the All-Seeing Tower's Territories-wide coverage, so the entire world knew of the events that were taking place here, even knowing the fact that the Vast Sky Emperor was miserably beaten out while a participant also died, causing even a staunch hegemon like the Emperor Sword Sect to scram.
However, those were martial feats, something that many people adored, but there was something even more difficult than martial feats for men, and that was to attract the hearts of women, especially powerful and prideful women.
The Emperor of Death really had managed to conquer two Dragon Queens that they couldn't help but find it a vast feat achieved by very few in history. However, the Emperor of Death possessed three Dragon Queens if one considered Isabella, who is known as the Earth Dragon Queen even though she didn't belong to any family. Moreover, he also managed to court the prideful phoenix, Sect Master Lea Weiss.
Thinking of this matter, their minds couldn't help but reel in a kind of vexation and envy.
The mind-boggling thing was that it didn't seem like he obtained them through force but completely conquered their hearts. After all, they saw back then when the Golden Dragon Queen and Fire Dragon Queen were sent as sacrifices, sobbing for mercy but now, they were with him wholeheartedly, one of them confessing her love while almost making a fool out of herself while the other cut ties with her family.
As for the matter of Sect Master Lea Weiss, they didn't know but to accept a relationship with her personal disciple's husband, which could be considered taboo, made them really wonder what kind of attraction the Emperor of Death held for these women.
After all, it was common knowledge that these prideful women tended to stay away from the countless marriage proposals from many single men, much less the courting of married men even if they were powerful.
What about the Emperor of Death made them change their minds is a mystery that has yet to be unlocked, and perhaps, that was fatal to many women.
While the crowd was stunned, Davis and the others were also stunned by Zestria's announcement.
He was shocked to see Zestria take his surname. Didn't she-
"Zestria, what are you doing? Didn't you say that you are Zestria Loret in the banquet?"
Bylai, who was the closest to Zestria, held the latter's shoulders and shook, her eyes trembling as she clenched her teeth.
Zestria's reply was a smirk combined with a wink, "Loret or Alstreim, I want neither of them. Besides, Davis's true family name is not clear, so I'll take his name instead."
Everyone couldn't help but stare, especially the Alstreim Family people. What kind of reasoning was this?
"You shameless woman! At least wait until you marry before you take his name!"
Bylai looked angered, but her words reeked with jealousy.
"There's no one as shameless as you, Bylai, daring to confess in public like that~ Hehe~"
Zestria giggled, causing Bylai to fume. She now wondered why she even bothered to console Zestria before continuing to bicker with her.
The Zlatan Family's Patriarch glanced at Bylai, wondering if she would renounce her ties with them. If she did, they would feel devastated at the very least. After all, the only reason they're managing to survive and still roam the world is that they're considered the Emperor of Death's subordinate power.
They no longer had peak powerhouses, so they were ripe targets for other powers.
If she cut ties with them, the Emperor of Death would likely no longer bother with them either unless the Earth Dragon Queen has something else in thought for them.
Davis glanced around and saw that Evelynn and the others were also looking at Zestria as though she had done something wrong. He could instantly tell that their thoughts were something along the lines of how dare you one up over us when you're just a little sister?
However, they didn't say anything, letting Bylai fight for them.
'Well, I was the one who said to do whatever she wants...' He could only wryly smile.
Did he have to say that having his name behind their names wouldn't make them any closer as he already considered them to be family?
However, contrary to his logical thoughts, the feeling of being adored like this was good, making him feel prideful.
"Davis, the reason why I took Loret behind my name is that I was married into the Loret Family. I'll take your name from now on, especially if you decide to create a family of your own."
Hearing Evelynn's soul transmission, Davis blinked. Following that, similar soul transmissions began to fall in his mind, causing him to tremble.
"Hey! You all, this isn't a big matter. Did you all forget that I have your original names etched behind my back?"
"Huh?"
Newcomers like Dalila and Tanya, who haven't heard such a matter, had their expressions changed, causing Davis to shudder.
"Alright, calm down, you all. Your names are all more fantastic than mine and sound beautiful, so let's just keep it that way. I'll etch all of your names, okay?"
Davis spoke in a spirited tone and tried to defuse the situation, and indeed, after hearing his words, the ones who didn't have their names on his body felt bliss. Zestria felt like she won the game for a moment, just to particularly fall into the underworld before ascending into the heavens.
Why? Because her expression said so.
Evelynn glanced around and noticed them all looking serious about this matter. As the first wife, she couldn't help but feel prideful to have secured such a man. She shook her head before opening her mouth.
"You feel that our names are wonderful, but we feel the same about yours. Having your name behind ours is not only an honor but also a protective charm."
The others also nodded with clear eyes.
"…"
Davis looked dumbfounded because having put that way made him speechless yet moved.
In truth, if Davis truly started his own power, they would quickly change their names. When they became married to him, they married into the Loret Family. Because of his ties with the Alstreim Family, they could also be said to have that name. That's why they had either Loret or Alstreim behind their names in this competition.
However, what they truly craved was his name.
If Zestria didn't cross that line, they wouldn't have said anything either, but since she crossed it, their eyes were that of a wolf's, eying their prey with a hysterical gaze.
If they could have his name, the sense of belonging they would feel to him would drastically increase, but such thoughts were irrelevant to Davis, who didn't mind much about the significance of changing names. He found their names plenty attractive, including their family names, although having his name behind theirs also didn't feel bad.
Now with their reasoning, he felt a bit influenced.
Perhaps, starting his own power someday wouldn't be bad at all.
Nonetheless, Davis shook his head. Even if he did establish a power, it would be in the immortal world, not in some back-world like this place. He was already thinking of establishing a legion of soul cultivators, so this plan made him feel a bit excited, but considering the danger of the Calamity Light, he pushed back such thoughts and continued to have fun while he could.
He had already experienced the feeling of death once, and perhaps, that's why he wanted to spend as much time as possible with them, no matter how awkward it may be to be mingling with so many women at once. At least, it was better than being a stone-faced individual who sat frozen in his mind.
The battles continued as the arbitrator took out a few more lots.
They watched the Wind Dragon Queen be challenged by someone else and win. Even Wayn Skycloud won against his opponent, displaying his prowess at High-Level Law Rune Stage.
From the moment the third round began, eight people were eliminated, so eight more were left from the initial sixteen. All have battled at least once, even Davis, who had to battle a brave yet foolish person who decided to challenge him.
Perhaps, it was just for their namesake or for having the reputation that he challenged a supreme genius like the Emperor of Death.
Either way, almost everyone respected that fearless youth for challenging and instantly giving up, while the power behind that youth could only hide their heads in shame.