Orion simply blocked the attack with his sword. "I don't want anything. Just spar with me. Use your full strength," he said as he activated the curse of Berserk Body and sent Mark flying back.
"As you wish." Mark couldn't take it anymore. He had been boiling with rage all this time, and Orion's provocation only made it worse.
Purple lightning began to surge from his body, crackling in all directions. The bolts scorched the ground black, and wherever they struck, a portion was completely obliterated by his lightning.
Orion smiled at the sight and activated the curse of Supreme Gravity and Blinding Speed in Curse Transformation mode.
At that moment, a purple light flashed, and a massive explosion erupted in the city, attracting everyone's attention.
They turned toward the source of the explosion and saw Mark, his body releasing lightning in all directions, standing in a stalemate with Orion.
Mark's sword was pressed against Orion's, but he couldn't push Orion back, nor could he make him budge.
Mark's eyes narrowed as he realized Orion was standing still, withstanding the attack head-on.
Gritting his teeth, Mark increased the power of his lightning, causing the ground beneath them to disintegrate into nothingness, creating a small crater.
Seeing that they had become the center of attention, Orion pushed Mark away and moved out of the crowd.
Using the speed of the curse of Blinding Speed and masking it with the wind from the Stormcaller curse, Orion quickly vanished from the other participants' sight.
In an instant, Mark caught up with him, his form a blur as he flashed forward like a bolt of purple lightning.
Orion smiled at this and increased his speed, with Mark following closely behind.
The other participants in the city were stunned by the display of speed. They could tell that the two were nearing platinum rank in terms of speed. If they pushed themselves further, they might even break through to platinum rank in speed alone.
"They're fast!"
"It'll be tough for anyone to face them in the final assessment."
"Nah. I think they've just been stacking their agility stat, and their talents boost their speed. They're probably average in strength and other areas."
"Maybe, but we should still be cautious around them."
"I told you to watch your words," Orion interrupted before Mark could finish.
"How about it?" Orion asked, extending an olive branch. "I don't hate you. You might hate me for what I've done, but there's nothing you can do about it."
He added, "You know the worst that can happen... You know how things would end. Just use your talent and wipe it clean. It'll be like nothing ever happened."
"You?! Do you hear yourself?" Mark said, his voice trembling with anger.
"Yeah, I know what I'm talking about," Orion replied solemnly. "You should know that when I did what I did, I had no idea about her. She was recorded as dead in the research I did. I even had documents from her guild declaring her deceased. That's why I chose him. He was the most suitable candidate at the time, and because of time constraints, I went with him in the end.
I was just as surprised as you when I saw her alive."
Mark frowned, listening intently. It wasn't hard to believe Orion, especially considering he had only learned about Tracy recently. Their guild had been tracking geniuses around Masturi City two months ago, and Tracy was one of them.
He had been shocked to see her alive and well, but something about her had changed. Her name was no longer Tracy Wiser; it was Tracy Lin.
It was then that Mark realized her death had been staged by the Black Reaper Guild to mislead the public.
That same day, he did some research and even secretly entered the Black Reaper Guild's headquarters to check on Tracy, only to find that she had been living a busy but uneventful life.
Although she was being held by the Black Reaper Guild against her will, they treated her well for reasons Mark couldn't determine. She laughed, talked, and sometimes played with others, but Mark could see the helplessness in her eyes.
He guessed that Tracy had accepted her situation and adapted to life in the Black Reaper Guild.
Seeing her like that, Mark had wanted to take her away, but he resisted, using all his strength.
With Ray dead, he knew that if he brought Tracy back to her home, she would only suffer more once she learned of Ray's fate.
So, he decided to do nothing. She was living a decent life in the Black Reaper Guild, and for reasons he didn't understand, they treated her well. He left quietly, deciding to let things remain as they were.
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Also, I was hoping you could leave some comments or reviews to let me know your thoughts!
Some gifts would be appreciated as well, but up to you....