"What was that..."
Blake asked with a confused voice, he just saw Idion getting eliminated in a flash without even fighting Raven.
"Look."
And responding to him was Adelle who is pointing at her phone.
She's also watching Raven's live stream.
Raven's live stream is a bird view version of the ongoing battle inside [The Celestial Dimension].
Looking at what Adelle is pointing at.
"What is it?"
Blake asked her.
"Raven's team members are scattered around the area, and most of them has a ready to be launch spell and loaded long ranged weapons."
Adelle explained.
"Earlier, all of the bow users launched an arrow to Idion as soon as he appeared behind Raven. I don't know who but it seems like someone is commanding them and that someone had read Idion's intention."
(It was Jeanna, she doesn't want to disappoint Raven so she's paying so much attention around the area.)
"Not only that."
Then, Alec, who is beside Blake, joined in the conversation.
Out of their curiosity, Eve, Adelle, Aoi, Blake, and even Curtis looked at Alec with anticipation.
"The arrows were imbued with mana... And their accuracy, speed, or whatever are being strengthen by someone's skill."
Alec declared.
Alec is a skill, magic, mana, and a sword freak so he immediately noticed that a skill was being used on the arrows.
He also noticed some wind attribute users boosting the arrows' speed, but if he mention that, he would appear like someone really freaky so he didn't.
"Then, their coordination must be really good."
Aoi muttered with a surprised tone.
"How is that...? It's suppose to be their first time fighting together as a group, and they're apparently... Non-combatants."
She added with a weak voice.
Then answering her question.
"It's probably because of Raven's influence."
Eve replied.
"It seems like they're trying not to disappoint Raven, making them cooperative as fuck as a group."
Eve added.
"Oh, Idion was a criminal too huh."
And then, Blake randomly said out of nowhere.
"You're so random."
Curtis then said as he frowned at Blake.
Blake didn't hear Curtis because he's currently focused on his phone, on Raven's live stream to be exact.
Actually, Alec, Eve, Adelle, Aoi, and Curtis immediately focused on their phone too.
The same to the other spectators around, they're all watching the same thing as Blake.
And what caught their attention was a very exciting scene!
In the video, they can see Ervin slowly walking toward Raven.
Everyone seeing that scene knows what's gonna happen.
'Raven versus Ervin.'
And everyone is curious in one thing:
"Who's gonna win?"
***
"Come."
Raven's confident voice spread across the area.
Sean, Ervin, Barry, and their team members are looking at the forest surrounding them with wariness.
They're nervous and scared at what could happen next.
After they saw Idion being eliminated just now, they all reached one conclusion.
'We're surrounded.'
And knowing that, they also know that if they attempt to attack Raven; they might recieve the same fate as Idion, or much worse.
"What's happening..."
Sean mumbled in a weak voice, he's confused and he couldn't help but be anxious.
'I don't know what's happening...'
He thought, Sean's original plan was to take revenge to Raven in this match.
But even before his plan starts, everything went out of his grasp.
Raven appeared alone when they were planning to attack his team!
Raven was strong, as in strong as hell. He went and eliminated 8 members of Sean's group in about 5 minutes!
'And now, all the people I put in Raven's team that are suppose to be weaklings...'
'Are here and surrounding us.'
Sean thought as he looked at Raven's sly face.
'And they're following that bitch genuinely as their leader.'
"Fuck."
Sean cursed in annoyance.
"Everything..."
"Everything got complicated because of him..."
Sean is whispering to himself as he scratches the back of his left hand violently.
"I need to kill him."
Sean muttered then he turned his head to Barry and Ervin who are near him.
They were looking at him with eyes that as if asking what's wrong.
But Sean ignored that as an idea came to his mind.
'I don't need to kill Raven myself, Ervin is enough.'
Sean thought as a creepy smile crept up on his face.
'I can just send Ervin to fight Raven.'
'And even if Ervin lose to Raven, I would still be able to analyze Raven's capabilities and abilities by then, also his fight with Ervin would tire him out. Then I can just end Raven myself after that.'
Sean also thinks that he wouldn't appear as a coward for sending Ervin instead of fighting himself because Raven just called out for Ervin.
So after considering all of that, Sean looked at Ervin with a bright smile.
Then with a kind voice.
"Fight him and win."
Sean ordered Ervin.
"I got it."
Ervin then immediately replied as he nodded his head.
Then after that, Ervin immediately faced Raven and he closed the distance between them.
'Now, this world fix things up.'
Sean thought with a relieved face.
SLASH-!
"!"
"!"
But then, he, and everyone else witnessed something unbelievable that left them shocked and speechless.
Sean, Barry, Alec, Curtis, Eve, Aoi, Adelle, Blake, Kendy, and Ruby, they all thought something in unison after witnessing that...
'Raven is a monster.'
Everyone who are watching Raven's live stream and the test spectators are also thinking something similar and feeling something similar as them.
As for Sean, he felt fear for the 1st time in a while.
***
(Just a few seconds before Raven surprise everyone.)
"Fight him and win."
Ervin recieved an order from Sean.
Ervin honestly was fed up with Sean's bullshits and all the things he did behind his back.
But he couldn't fight back, at least not yet.
Ervin is still using Sean's family to attend Lunar and be stronger after all.
'Just a few more years, and I'll pay you all back...'
Ervin thought as he suppresses his hatred toward Sean.
'Especially for killing my parents.'
Ervin added inwardly as he clenched his sword tightly out of anger.
"I got it."
Then after calming down a bit, Ervin answered obediently to Sean's order.
He immediately turned his hack to Sean and faced Raven.
'What a weird guy...'
Ervin thought as he looks at Raven.
He doesn't feel any hatred toward Raven, as a matter of fact, Ervin is kinda grateful to Raven for slapping the hell out of Sean few days ago.
Ervin was just acting to hate Raven so Sean wouldn't suspect him about his grand plan.
'But even if I'm cool with him, doesn't mean I'll go easy on him.'
Ervin thought as he walked toward Raven and stopped a few meters away from him.
"Ervin Donovan, I request a duel to you."
Ervin declared confidently.
Then, Raven smiled as he opened his mouth.
"Raven Obadiah, I accept the duel."
Raven stated as he took a stance with his sword.
Seeing that, Ervin frowned and pointed at Raven's gun that it's in its holster.
"Aren't you gonna use that?"
Ervin asked Raven.
"Don't need to."
And Raven replied casually as he shook his head.
His answer annoyed Ervin to be honest, in his perspective, Raven is belittling him.
But Ervin isn't an idiot to force Raven to go all out, especially after seeing his somewhat bizzare fighting skill.
So with that, Ervin took a fighting stance to with his sword.
"Don't regret your decision later."
Ervin said.
"I hope so too."
And Raven replied with the same smile on his face.
Ervin ignored that and opened his mouth again.
"I'll count to three, and on three, the duel start."
He stated.
And Raven just nodded as a reply.
So without further ado.
"One..."
Ervin muttered.
Swoosh-!
And he immediately saw Raven gather mana all around his body.
Ervin did the same and focused on Raven's movements.
"Two..."
Swaaah-
Bzzt-
Then at the count of two, electric particles started appearing all over Raven and his weapon.
And strong winds covered his legs and sword not long.
Ervin got this weird feeling after seeing that.
But...
'I would still be fine.'
Ervin ignored that with a confident thought.
Then he opened his mouth again.
"Three–"
Bam-!
Swoosh-!
BOOM!
As soon as Ervin's word ended, Raven's figure disappeared from everyone's sight and the ground he was formerly standing on was destroyed!
And not even a second after that, Raven appeared few inches away from Ervin, slashing his sword diagonally down from the top left!
"!"
Ervin got surprised but because of his fast reflexes and honed instinct, he was able to immediately lift his sword up and to block Raven's sword!
Swoosh-!
"!"
But Ervin saw something unbelievable...
Raven's sword passed through his sword.
SLASH-!
And he was cut into 2 from his right shoulder to his left waist.
BAM!
Raven's sword didn't stop there as it hit the ground and created a weak earthquake around the area!
Ervin couldn't even let out a single noice, the next thing he saw was Raven looking down at him.
'I'll talk to you later.'
Raven mouthed to him.
That's the last thing Ervin remember as his consciousness got cut off after that.
He was eliminated.
~~~~~
[Drei05]: Any thoughts about the chapter?