Horo sensed something amiss when his little sister failed to notice him immediately, even after all this time of him being the center of attention as one of the participants on stage.
However, Horo possessed unique eyes and senses. Moreover, they shared a bloodline, rendering the sect masters' powerful seal on her insignificant to him. Their connections ran deep, and this would soon lead to the sect masters' plan backfiring.
As he felt the daggers that Hendrix was staring at him with, Horo returned a sharp glare to his opponent.
Hendrix spoke hurriedly, "I would like to request a death match."
This surprised some, but not all. The entire kingdom and beyond were aware of the enmity between the two organizations. What surprised them was the suddenness of the request.
Death matches were prioritized in the tournament, an unspoken rule. Therefore, everyone couldn't help but wonder why Hendrix wanted to be the first match.
Furthermore, no one truly knew of Horo's prowess and abilities, or even him in general. His presence in the tournament had only confirmed the rumors of a male palace disciple. They had never imagined he would agree to such a thing.
That was until Horo's energies, Aura, and entire being surged as if he transformed into a demon-like figure.
He pointed to Himora, who was seated in the seat that most couldn't see clearly for some reason, and said, "I happily accept, as long as your filthy sect returns my sister to me if I win."
The participants couldn't hear the commotion, but the crowd could hear everything unfolding on stage.
Before everyone could ponder and buzz like a bee, an unexpected event occurred in the Empyrean Sun Sect's area.
The second seat to the sect masters' left underwent a strange phenomenon.
A black energy that seemed to oppose everything they knew swirled around a figure, accompanied by another energy that felt like the most untainted thing in existence.
....
Himora saw a notification pop up.
"Negative Bank activated, stored negative energy mobilizing."
....
The two energies worked in unison, fighting desperately to erase something that seemed to suppress and conceal the now noticeable figure. Before long, they were successful.
When the suppression and camouflaging seal was erased, everyone stared in awe at the figure it revealed.
As they all came to from their shock, many other surprise discoveries were revealed. First, they noticed that she was Horo's sister because he pointed directly to her after his statement. Then, they realized they were twins.
Next, they wanted to know the scandal behind this circumstance. And they didn't need to wait long.
"Ha,Ha,Ha,Ha,Ha. So that's the twin sister you've been telling me all about Horo. I guess that means you weren't lying. The scums of the Sun Sect did annihilate your family all to abduct your little sister."
It was Elder May's voice, well, at her clone's voice.
This caused the air to chill because the Empyrean Sect master unleashed a dreadful aura so potent that most of those present felt their knees buckle, even though they were in stage.
He spoke, "How dare you accuse my Sect of something so vile? Do you have any proof? As far as you know, they could have sold her off to us, or we could be the ones who saved her after tragedy befell her family. So, the question is, do you have any proof?"
He sat comfortably in his seat, his head leaning on his fist, as if he wasn't releasing such a presence while rebuking.
Elder May's clone scoffed before saying, "Well, her words should be proof enough, right? How about you let her speak on the matter?"
He immediately shut down her suggestion, "That won't do. The reason she is with us to begin with is the former reason. Since she was sold off to us by her family before their demise, she could easily lie for her freedom."
Clone May couldn't help but cross her arms with a frown present on her face, she wish she could just battle him for Himora instead of go through all of this babbling with this son of a schemer.
As Clone May was left simmering with anger and no rebuttal, another voice spoke up. This voice seemed to carry mysteries and enlightenment within each word.
"Since young Horo is the only other living witness, and he claim he knows it's the sect, why not replay every memory he has of the sect using one of my special patches. If his words are true the proof will be in the pudding."
Horo froze at these words. That entire day replayed in his mind. His mind was trying to recall if he saw anyone from that vile sect the day of his escape and his family's eradication.
His head hung low, while he shivered as if a cold bucket of water was poured on his back. He had a terrible realization.
His reaction was barely noticeable, but the powerhouses easily noticed it, one being the sect master.
Too bad Elder May's clone didn't notice because she completely believed her disciple and didn't know the exact details of that day.
She laughed loudly before saying, "How about we do it that way Zhen?"
The Empyrean Sun Sect Master, now known as Zhen, smiled softly before saying "Sure go right ahead, that should easily clear our name."
Then he said, "Envoy Renon, since all parties agree with your proposal go right ahead."
Hearing what the sect master said caused Horo to look towards the third party who spoke.
The individual known as Envoy Renon was next to the current Azure Queen.
Horo saw the symbols on his attire and his eyes went wide.