Chapter 308 - The Next Round

"We have a winner, folks! Taking the first round of the Champion's Culling, Mencius clenched out a clear-cut victory!"

Releasing the armor of roots from his body, Mencius listened to the announcer's words followed by a deafening applause as he gathered his lost breath into his lungs. 

"No way…!"

Aiko looked as if she was a moment from allowing tears to escape her eyes, gripping onto the sides of the window sill as her amethyst eyes glistened. 

"He gave it everything he had." 

"That he did, but in the end, Mencius was the better fighter."

Saying this with his usual, nonchalant smile, Jae-Seong earned a glare from Ren, who was still absorbing this outcome into his mind. 

Picking up his immaculate blade that had been planted into the sand, Mencius looked at the large hammer for a moment before hesitantly lifting it up, nearly falling over before somehow balancing it on his shoulder as he used his shenyi as a cape hanging from his shoulders as he walked over to the laid out panda. 

"Come on, Mr.. Hongse, let's get you back."

Helping the demi-human to his feet as he was left groggy from the powerful blow, Mencius smiled as he supported Hongse back to his side of the waiting room, entering the tunnel made of quartz. 

An applause from the stands filled the arena at the sight of such sportsmanship, earning a chuckle from both of the exhausted competitors. 

"I've got him."

"Thanks."

Handing off the tubby panda to Ren, who was waiting alongside Jae-Seong and Aiko, Mencius nodded his head with a bit of gratitude before turning away to leave. 

"Hey. Stop there."

Coming in from behind the group with tremor-inducing footsteps, Ju-Long approached Mencius, looking down at the man with his hard-set eyes. 

"Huh?"

With an arm covered in the blood resulting from the ferocious swipe he endured, Mencius didn't look very happy to be halted from his chance to go rest. 

"I'm going to defeat you in this tournament, and when I do--I will have you relinquish Juque to me. So, until then, don't lose."

Giving this statement, Ju-Long stared down the verdant-haired scholar before returning back down the tunnel with his world-shaking stomps. 

"Well, alright then…"

Mencius laughed to himself as he placed his headpiece back atop his head, giving a wave to the others as he began to leave, "I don't think he's injured, but just let him rest. Okay?"

"Alright...thank you."

"Mhm."

Nodding with a smile at the gratitude of Aiko, Mencius left back to his side with a victory guiding him forth. 

As he entered the waiting room, the heated gazes of those who supported Hongse fell on him. 

"That was a cheap shot…"

Macheo commented under a sharp breath as he watched Mencius pass by, who seemed to ignore the comment. 

"Shut it, would you? Hongse went down fair and square."

Knocking the young man on the head, Valerie shut up his abrasive comments as she sighed herself, looking at Iris who only shrugged her shoulders. 

You did good, Hongse...but seeing you lose like that doesn't feel very relieving, Valerie thought. 

Stopping in place, Mencius didn't so much as turn around as those present in the room looked at the recent victor, "He was strong."

Saying only those words, the exhausted man left the area, likely to rest. 

"You call that strong? Pathetic! Ha-ha!"

Leaning against one of the walls, present in a position that existed without any seeming interest to spectate the fights, the man easily recognized by both his wild, white hair and his long, pristine coat that covered no shirt below, taunted Mencius just as he stepped over the threshold of the door. 

"Hey, cut it out." 

Confronting the man for his less-than-gentlemanly behavior, Valerie looked at him with her draconic irises as his smug expression remained, looking at the woman with his silver irises. 

"Valerie, don't…"

Grabbing the woman's arm, Iris attempted to calm her companion down as she knew full well who that man was. 

"I'll let it slide this time as I like a woman with a bit of fire in her."

Remaining as relaxed as ever, Andraste's words only seemed to further anger the demi-human knight before she composed herself--following the pleas of her companion as she sat down. 

In the presence of Andraste, it seemed most competitors were fine with keeping to themselves. Though for the most part, the waiting rooms remained mostly empty, with most competitors choosing to remain in their own rooms or in the halls until their time to fight came.

Even with that said, one man wasn't pressured at all by the presence of one of the Victorious Seven, approaching the group, he waved at them with a smile before standing near the window. 

The entire time up until now, Macheo recalled seeing the tan-skinned man sitting on one of the benches and quietly reading a book, which the man had slipped under his lavish robes. 

"Arsya--it's a pleasure to make your acquaintances." 

Extending his hand first to Valerie, the man called Arsya smiled softly as his messy, silver locks weren't enough to obscure his irises which looked to hold the cosmos in their iridescence. 

"Uh-huh...Valerie."

Looking at the man's hand for a moment, Valerie remembered this greeting being seen between Hongse and Ren before accepting it, squeezing the man's hand tightly as she smiled. 

"Quite a grip there!"

Wearing a grey sherwani with unique, hexagonal patterns, one of the man's arms rested outside of his sleeve, laying against the silken fabric of his outfit as he chuckled at the strength of the woman. 

"What do you want?"

Peering at the man with his inquisitive, sharp eyes, Macheo stood a head shorter than the mysterious participant. 

"Just looking to ease the tension in the room is all. Also, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about your party's makeup. A demi-human from Vesta, a Lucrauvian...and a Mastornian. Well, can't say you see such a group everyday."

Laughing quietly, Arsya stopped himself with a clearing of his throat as he retained his warm smile. 

"I myself am from Derjun--I'm the representative of Derjun here, in fact. Sorry if I'm being intrusive--Derjun doesn't get many tourists--so I'm a bit interested in meeting others from varying regions." 

This explanation was mostly aimed at Macheo, who held the most suspicion of this man as Arsya extended his hand to the young Lucrauvian. Looking at it for a moment, the golden-haired prince kept his arms crossed over his chest. 

For such a high-born looking guy, his hand is covered in scars, he thought. 

Feeling the gaze of Valerie burning a hole right through him, Macheo finally gave in as he accepted the kind gesture. 

"Macheo. That's my name." 

Hearing the name of the Lucrauvian, Arsya's eyebrow twitched a bit as he retained his smile, shaking the young man's hand before taking his place near the viewing windows. 

"Well, I think everything runs a bit smoother when we aren't at odds with one another. I mean, the only ones hoping we kill one another are the demons--and I don't think any of us really plan on pleasing them."

Saying this, Arsya's gaze wasn't on any of them, but instead looking directly at Andraste with his nebulous eyes. 

Is there some history between them or something? Macheo thought. 

"...Arsya, right? I don't think I saw your name on the round one bracket...so what exactly are you doing here?"

As always, Macheo's suspicious nature didn't falter as he questioned the man casually, looking into the almost divine irises the man possessed. 

"I think it'd be foolish to opt out of watching potential opponents fight."

I didn't notice him watching, Iris thought. 

"I see."

Though he accepted this answer, Macheo's tone and narrowed eyes didn't warm up to the man at all as he took a seat. 

"The next match should be starting anytime now." 

Taking a seat directly next to the golden-haired Lucrauvian, Arsya seemed almost to purposefully be trying to annoy Macheo, who gritted his teeth before letting out a sigh that vented his frustration. 

"Ah, I totally forgot I have something to do! Save my seat for me, ha-ha!"

Suddenly getting up from his seat on the bench after sitting only for what felt like a minute, Arsya waved off his new acquaintances before leaving the room in some sort of hurry--much to the confusion of the others. 

"That guy is bad news."

Macheo stated without batting an eye as soon as Arsya was gone, looking at both Valerie and Iris. Sharing a quick glance, they both shrugged their shoulders before turning their confused stares to the young man. 

"Do I have to spell it out for you? Derjun is the closest and most loyal ally to Mastorn--and that guy is their chosen representative. With a single glance, he knew where we all came from--sure, figuring out where Val is from is simple, but Iris? He knows something."

As he talked about this with a bit of urgency to his voice, Macheo caught himself as he glanced over at the one other competitor present in that room; Andraste couldn't seem to care less about whatever they spoke about, keeping his eyes closed as he leaned against the corner wall. 

Though a simple, one-eyed glance from that pearlescent silver iris alongside a small smirk from Andraste told Macheo, "Oh, don't worry about me; I could care less about you small-fry."

"Anyway...do you get it? We should be careful around that guy."

"Yeah…"

Fiddling with her azure locks, Iris' glistening eyes looked past the room window, staring off at the far-side corridor. 

Ren...I hope you're doing fine, she thought. 

"Alrighty, folks! After a rousing battle to start off the day, let's move on to the very next match of the first round! Remember--this is a battle for the privilege of entering the third floor directly! For these competitors, it may as well be a pile of gold to them!"

With this announcement, the roars of the excited mixture of demons and other inhumans in the stands filled the ears of any unlucky enough to be close by.