At first, Alice could only see her brother amid the group of Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs. She was so stunned after seeing Kaleb in the group of the two Berserkers and the Warlock Centaur that she missed Michael Fang chatting with the Berserkers.
Michael looked rather calm and inconspicuous in the group. It was almost like Michael was an extra character, who didn't receive much attention from the people around him because of the way he acted and his weak presence.
Alice had known that Michael could control his presence to a certain degree, but she realized only now that Michael's Ring Artifact helped him naturally suppress his presence. But then again, Michael didn't stand out too much even among other humans. He was handsome, for sure, but being handsome and beautiful was rather ordinary among the descendants of powerful families and households.
The impurities within the bodies of Awakened were expelled whenever their War Rune advanced to the next Tier. At the same time, the genetics of powerful families was known to be top notch. Thus, Michael ended up looking inconspicuous with his short black hair, dark eyes and ordinary clothes compared to the others whose hair and eye color was much brighter, pulling everyone's attention away from Michael. To boot they wore expensive clothes that had been woven out of the silky threads of an Imperial Spider and other unique ingredients.
Nonetheless, everything seemed to make sense now that Alice discovered Michael in Kaleb's team. In fact, Alice was certain that Michael had pulled her brother in the group of the two Berserkers and the Warlock Centaur.
Alice's eyes shone brightly when she saw the team around Michael, and she didn't even notice that the corner of her lips curled upward.
Alice was not sure what it was exactly, but something about him made it easy to get along with. Michael never did anything special to please anyone. On the contrary, he was quite feisty when he disliked something. Michael was straightforward and wouldn't allow anyone to take advantage of him, or his friends. But most importantly, Michael was genuine. He meant what he said, and one could trust that he would do whatever he promised. Michael was not the scheming type of person, who befriended others because of selfish interests.
If he wanted to benefit from you, he would say that. That was what Alice believed firmly after knowing Michael for more than half a year.
But despite being blunt and straightforward, Michael had an easy time getting along with many people. That was something Alice could hardly understand. Even the young descendants who thought too highly of themselves were drawn to him. The Barbaric Couple was the prime example.
The Barbaric Couple were truly problematic. If Alice had been responsible for the admission of new students in the Saphirelake Military Academy, she would have rejected Frederik Kolbenheim and Jacqueline Orlando without a second thought. She wanted to train powerful Lords, not pamper unreasonably violent students, who didn't know that their only advantage was their families' wealth.
But Michael tamed the Barbaric Couple. They weren't the only ones either. Lincoln, Zeke and Kaleb were also quite hard to approach. They had few friends, yet Michael befriended them rather quickly.
And now Michael got close to some Berserkers, a Warlock Centaurs, and he even attracted the interest of the Berserker's Chieftain? How was that even possible?
It was the first time that the Berserker's Chieftain showed genuine interest in a human participant of the Battle Exchange.
This was a great opportunity; something Alice desperately needed.
**
All while Alice was trying to grasp the opportunity that appeared in front of her, Michael and his team had been called into combat ring number two.
Their first fight was about to start.
A group of five humans entered the combat ring after them. They were all smiles as they looked at the mixed group they were about to face first.
"I don't know who is dumber here. The two idiots who ended up teaming up with the brutes, or the brutes for teaming up with the two idiots," One of them said loud enough for everyone in the combat ring to hear.
Michael just chuckled when he heard the young man's comment. He didn't expect many prodigies participating in the Battle Exchange to be proficient at spouting nonsense. They should pursue a career in bullshitting and name calling rather than being a Lord in the Origin Expanse.
"Just beat the shit out of him once the fight starts. The two taller men are probably their tanks. You guys can focus on them first. We'll adjust our strategy once we have more information. Though, I doubt that it will be necessary to use some special tactic against them," Michael told his team.
Lokai was already a little angry at their opponents, but that was fine. In fact, it was advantageous since it meant that Lokai would go all out the moment the battle started. That was what Michael was hoping for.
Once everyone was ready, the referee lifted one of his four hands high in the air.
"Begin!" He shouted, starting the battle immediately.
Mekhaz summoned his Living Armor instantaneously. His hooves kicked the ground with great force, propelling him forward. Summoning his Spear Artifact, Mekhaz was ready to clash with his opponent.
Lokai and Thaor weren't far behind Mekhaz. Only centimeters separated them from taking the lead.
Thaor's body was steaming. He had unleashed his Red Giant Soultrait without hesitation. His size increased in response and his muscles bulged, inflating several times as the Crimson Aura of his Unique Constitution merged with his body.
Lokai, on the other hand, had used her Burning Fury on herself and everyone else in her team. It enhanced their Agility, Strength and Perception considerably, further boosting the speed of the two Berserkers and the Warlock Centaur who charged at the five human opponents.
The human team stared at the humongous opponents that charged at them. They swallowed their saliva as the intimidating force inched closer with every fraction of a second that passed. Even though most Awakened in the human team were Tier-3 Lords, they were baffled at the sight unfolding in front of them. However, the situation grew even worse.
The temperature in the combat ring dropped rapidly, and moving through the combat ring grew increasingly more difficult. It was almost like their feet were glued to the ground. The team of humans required a few seconds before they realized that their feet were not glued to the ground but that a thick layer of ice had suddenly shot up, freezing their feet to the ground. The layers of ice slowed down their movements at first, only to fully lock their feet in place, restraining their movements.
Even if the Awakened wanted to avoid the charging Berserkers and the Warlock Centaur, they couldn't move. They didn't have enough time to destroy the ice engulfing their feet and evade the incoming attack right after. Thus, they could only try to block the attack.
But that was easier said than done.
One of the burly guys at the front roared out loudly. A humongous shield manifested from altered origin energy manifested in front of him. The shield was black in color and it released an ominous feeling that reverberated through the combat ring. Interestingly enough, the movement path of Lokai, Thaor, and Mekhaz changed suddenly. They began to move toward the burly man – his black shield to be precise.
'A Soultrait that taunts enemies? Looks like this guy is a born tank.'
Michael smiled lightly when he saw what the burly man did. Unfortunately, the team of humans focused mostly on the Berserkers and the Warlock Centaur, considering them as the stronger opponents. They barely took note of Kaleb, who continued to release his Frozen Nova, expanding the ice that engulfed their feet and calves by now.
As for Michael, they didn't even know he existed. They only realized that something was wrong when a flash passed by. The burly man groaned in pain as something heavy smashed upon his mind, and he lost control of his Soultrait. The black shield dispersed, returning the Berserkers and Warlock Centaur's control to attack their designated targets. Meanwhile, Michael appeared in the back rows of their opponents. Six Qi Swords shot forward, and his Wyverntooth Spear thrust out, nearly piercing deep into the nearest enemy.
If not for the referee releasing a trace of energy to block Michael's attack, he would have pierced his opponent's neck. Meanwhile, the Qi Swords would have done the same, if not for the interference of the referee.
Michael might not possess the strongest presence or the strongest attack power in this team, but he was nimble and had great control of his Soultraits. His Spirit Whip destroyed the burly man's focus, allowing the others to finish their attacks, while his weak presence allowed him to move past the frontlines taking the remaining opponents by surprise.
But even then, Michael knew that his interference hadn't been necessary. Kaleb's Frozen Nova combined with the brute force of the two Berserkers and the Warlock Centaur would have been more than enough to defeat the human team.
That was not only because Kaleb's Frozen Nova was powerful, but also because Lokai's Burning Fury further enhanced Kaleb's power.
If their enemies couldn't move, how were they supposed to block the charge of three heavyweights that charged at them like humongous enraged bulls?
It didn't take long before Lokai hurled the other tall human through the combat ring. The human crashed hard on the ground outside the ring, while the burly man ended up facing the charge of both Thaor and Mekhaz.
Lokai saw the referee interfering, ensuring that the burly man wouldn't end up as a sack of crushed bones and meat.
She scoffed and shook her head, ignoring the silence that engulfed the arena as she blurted out,
"Well…that was rather boring, wasn't it?"
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