"BAHAHAHAHA! Did you see that, brother Banar?! That, right there, is the fate of Shye Crowley! BAHAHAHAHA!"
"KEKEKEKEKE! Indeed, brother Alan! Arthur didn't even use a single skill higher than those of the common tier, and the "quick-cast mage" was defeated so easily! Even if Shye Crowley performs a bit better than this Marlon Fuego, his chances of victory against such a heaven-defying genius would be close to zero!"
This time, it was Seira who was on the receiving end of the insults as more people sided with Arthur Vermillion.
Indeed, although Shye Crowley was a stronger mage compared to Marlon Fuego, what could he do against such a dominant and unshakeable warrior like Arthur?
Even if his spells were a bit faster to cast and a bit stronger than that of Marlon, they could see him suffering the same fate.
It seemed that the match between the two wouldn't even be close judging from how Arthur dominated the flame specialist.
Unfortunately for them, they underestimated the notorious lackey.
"HAH! Why is it so smelly here? Probably due to casuals talking about shit, they don't know again...Eughh...Clearly, you guys don't know how strong my boss is! If this Arthur Vermicelli attempts to do this pretentiousness against my boss, all he will receive is a solid slap on the face!"
This time, other people couldn't help but join the squabble.
Seira was truly getting on their nerves!
"Hmmph! You worship your boss too much, midget. Obviously, he hasn't experienced the world yet! Once he fights someone of Arthur's caliber—John Oni, for example—he will crumble like an old house!"
"YOU will crumble like an old house! After all, you look like an old house, dusty and ugly!"
...
The squabbles went on for a while, even though she was alone, Seira stood her ground firmly akin to a loyal general who will never let her city fall.
As for Shye, he couldn't help but laugh at Seira.
The little midget truly had a vicious mouth like him—a worthy underling!
...While Seira and a few angry young and middle-aged men were squabbling, the fourth round finally got underway, Corey's voice once again echoing across the four corners of the arena.
...As Shye pondered deeply, the matches commenced
To everyone's surprise, the opening match featured John Oni facing off against a rookie known as Pokyuu Pine from White Peak Adventurer Guild, who had remained relatively unnoticed until his third-round match against the 12th-ranked rookie Jeremiah Howard, where he decisively revealed his true strength by utterly dominating the fairly renowned rookie in a head-on clash between warriors.
Astonishingly, even though his opponent this time was none other than the famous John Oni, there wasn't a hint of nervousness in his face, only enthusiastic anticipation.
If he could defeat John Oni here, his fame would skyrocket throughout the city!
"Begin!"
Bolting forward like a true warrior, Pokyuu's shield clanged as he raised his weapon horizontally, seemingly "casting" a few enchantments on his shortsword.
John Oni, being a master scout himself, knew that Pokyuu had a fair chance of defeating him should he underestimate the guy, hence, he didn't dare use the basic scout opening template, opting instead to assume a defensive stance while waiting for the warrior to attack.
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John's plan was to let Pokyuu attack first, dodge his attacks by a hair's breadth, and counterattack masterfully to see what the guy was up to.
He was sure that the dark horse knew his fighting style, hence, he decided to allow the guy to counter it while being vigilant himself.
Upon sensing the first sign of danger, John planned to momentarily retreat and assess the situation—a brilliant plan from a master scout.
After a few more milliseconds, Pokyuu finally arrived in front of John, courageously brandishing his shortsword diagonally downwards, making it difficult for John to dodge.
His plan worked as he was able to force John Oni to face him head-on.
Only, a downward diagonal slash was too easy for John to parry.
Masterfully angling his dagger, John effortlessly parried Pokyuu's attack, however, just as their weapons made contact, blade shards made of mana suddenly exploded from the sword.
*SPURT!*
"J-JOHN ONI HAS BEEN WOUNDED!! POKYUU, THE CROUCHING TIGER, DRAWS FIRST BLOOD!!"