Before the show could start for real, the only voice I didn't really want to hear at this point came to my ears. With how the barrier was set by Monica herself, it was only to be expected that almost as soon as it broke down under the force of my accidental attack, she would reach this place as quickly as she could.
Yet while it was her voice that made me realise that, considering how long the rest of the cultivators that gathered to apparently deal with me have spent in this place, they should know it even better!
But they still dared to bare their fangs against me, as if they didn't fear the retribution of their teacher and elder. This alone made me quite curious about the crux of this matter, not the one that was so easy to discover in form of Gevva leading the entire group to exact her revenge, but one that could be hidden deep away from the sight of a newcomer like me!
"Teacher, consider all the tricks that those people are using to deal with me unless I will see you on my own eyes, I will have to assume that this voice of yours is nothing but yet another trick of theirs!"
In fact, even if she was to come here herself, I would still look for some way to deny her request or even a direct order, later blaming it on some made-up shit like having my mind too taxed to be able to property think at this moment, pushing the blame on disobeying the orders on those who forced me to make such a tiring move.
"Patric, I know how you feel, but I can't do anything myself right now. Sending my voice directly to your head is all I can do right now. But if you lay your finger on any of them, gorilla sect will have all the reasons to send their elders after you! This ploy goes way deeper than even I expected!"
Hearing those words, I couldn't help but look around the place, but as soon as I did I realised how stupid this movement was. With everyone but Gevva already under the influence of my charm, there was no way for me to read anything from their expressions!
But even when I focused my sight on the naked body of this sly girl currently trying to fight off those four muscular guys from shredding the rest of her robes from her body, there wasn't even a single hint of hope or triumph in her eyes!
While I could understand that in her situation when four masses of muscles were about to turn all openings in her body into cumbags, even if she was to about achieve the success with her provocation, there would be no space in her mind to celebrate it amongst the horror of what was about to happen to her, when thinking how she wanted for her current fate to befall me only because I happened to do something that upset her, I couldn't help but let those silly cultivators reach even closer to the point of no return before I finally made them stop.
"Speaking of which, why can't you make a move yourself? Aren't you a powerful elder of the Goose sect?"
"As I said, this plot goes way deeper. While you were cultivating, the gorilla sect discovered how we wanted to protect the penguin sect and made their move. All elders of the goose sect are now held up in the heavenly palace. If we dare to show even a hint of protest, we will be deemed guilty of all those false charges they accused us off!"
Hearing the bullshit that Monica or someone pretending to be here in my head, I couldn't help but cringe. If they wanted to coax me into doing or not doing something, shouldn't they actually try a bit harder to come up with something more realistic?
Like, if anyone made a move on the declared challengers of the sect right before the intersect tournament would begin, everyone would know that those who forced the elders and protectors of one sect to have their hands bound while their challengers would be eliminated one by one, would be responsible for this carnage in the first place!
But maybe just like in modern times, even if the crime was obvious to everyone, without proper proof the highest charge would even move a finger to punish them?
As this thought appeared in my head, I couldn't even stop a big smile from emerging on my lips.
"Patric, what are you going to do? Patric!"
While Monica's voice continued to resound in my ears, I simply ignored it. With just a slight adjustment to the orders given to all those charmed by me, I even made the effort of charming Gevva for a moment!
"I, a direct disciple of elder Monica, Gevva Uyehara, challenge you, Patric Starfish, to a duel with our all our essence, wealth and lives at the stake!"
As soon as those words left her lips, I retracted my energy from her mind. With how lightly I had to influence her to make her do my bidding, I made sure that she would be perfectly conscious of what she was doing at all times, leaving her as terrified as naked after all her robes got ripped from her body by those muscleheads she intended to get to rape me.
"I, Patric called Starfish, a direct disciple of the elder of the Goose sect Monica, under all the law of heaven and earth that governs this world, hereby accept your challenge under all the terms. Let the Gods in heaven be the witness to our glorious fight!"