The highest Lord didn't utter a single word, but his eyes spoke volumes. His messenger, on the other hand, leaped up from his leather chair.
"How dare you defy the highest Lord, mere slave!"
"You should be crawling and begging the Lord and us for giving you this precious opportunity to become a common citizen!"
The anger radiating from the highest Lord himself was palpable, though he stroked his beard thoughtfully as if weighing a matter of great importance.
"Lord Messenger, sit down. You should not make a scene over such a small matter," the Lord murmured smoothly.
"He brought the body and delivered it to the mother. On one hand, he should be punished for defying my direct order, but for the sake of the people, I will forgive him this time."
The crowd erupted into cheers once more.
"All hail the highest Lord!"
The old geezer smiled in response to the adoring crowd. He genuinely knew how to wrap these people right around his finger.
"Now, you may return to the field of combat and prepare yourself for the second round."
Araegon, who had been kneeling on the floor, inclined his head respectfully toward the highest Lord and gave a single nod.
"Yes, my Lord."
Araegon rose from his position, keeping his head bowed, and vaulted right out of the lords' chamber.
Using his spring-like legs, he bounded effortlessly from one high wall to another with the surgical precision of an archer. It didn't even take him fifteen seconds to descend back to the arena floor.
Lord Valaris had already taken his wife away from the stands; right after Araegon had delivered the corpse, she had fainted at the sight of her dead son. Valaris carried her in his arms, quietly ordering his remaining knights to lift and carry the body of their boy.
(Swish!)
A sharp, violent whistle pierced the air. Araegon, standing still in the center of the field, suddenly launched himself sideways as if trying to dodge an invisible threat.
A split second later, a heavy circular disc slammed deep into the stone wall directly behind where he had just been standing.
The spectators in the stands were just as puzzled as I was.
"What was that just now?"
"The sound came out of nowhere—what was that thing?"
"Is that a metal disc embedded straight into the stone wall?"
The messenger's amplified voice echoed across the entirety of the stadium to break the confusion.
"May I introduce you all to the second fighter in this purification duel..."
"The bearer of the Demonic Chakras, and the man who defeated seventeen warriors in a single battle: Lord Namor!"