The chests were brought next to the altar where Abarran was chained, and their heavy lids were opened with the strength of dozens of men. A black smoke billowed from inside them, quickly blanketing the ceiling and descending upon the massive structure, a thousand paces wide by a thousand paces long, like dark clouds.
"It snuffed out the shine of our ores!"
The representative in golden armor spoke with astonishment and sorrow as he watched the glints of their chests reflecting on the ceiling being covered by the dark clouds.
"Uncle Abarran, you've broken your century of silence with two masterpieces. Your choice in the type of weapons brings me joy."
While those who didn't know the grand artisan were hung up on the energy emitted by the weapons, Eyshan focused on their types, and she was grinning from ear to ear with joy. A thin, long sword two fingers thick lay there, and in the chest right next to it rested a thick-handled mace.
The Queen was barely holding herself back from lunging forward and taking the sword in her hand. The type of weapon she used was a sword, and now the work of the master she envied lay before her.
"My Queen, Master Abarran's new weapons are not subject to bloodline conditions. As per your request, they were forged to be awarded to the sect that takes first place in the tournament."
The tallest of the Fiends made the announcement in a tone everyone could hear, and the Contestants of the Six Sects also shared in the excitement.
"Oh, you poor things! If they saw Alyon the Bear's weapon, they'd definitely burst with envy!"
Nafız muttered to herself while watching those going crazy with joy; one of the weapons they were losing their minds over was currently in her friend's hands.
The interesting part was that the representatives who saw the weapons were also very pleased; one would have to be a fool not to realize they had some expectations.
"We've boarded a sinking ship heading for doomsday, let's see how we end up!"
Sheikh Atractivo was both laughing and muttering; his eyes, however, were on the Second Elder, who was entering the massive hall alongside the pleasant woman who was the Third Sheikh's power animal.
"Second, you said you weren't coming, what happened? Couldn't you stay away without seeing the miserable state of your master's blood brother?"
"Master Abarran!"
Sheikh Atractivo was speaking, but the Second's gaze was locked on the creature on the altar. What a coincidence that the man's eyes were also turned to the Second Elder. After a faint smile flashed and faded on his face, he lowered his head again and resumed his former posture.
Everyone had different motivations and different agendas. The crowd of people, numbering in the thousands, was impatiently waiting for what was going to happen today, and Eyshan lit the fuse of the struggles that would determine everything.
"Let the tournaments to be held in honor of my hundredth birthday begin!"
Thunderous applause, the massive hall is ringing.
"Curse the day you were born, curse the sun that rose on that day!"
Only the Holy Bone Sect Sheikh and the warriors he brought had long faces.
"My old friend, don't say such things. Let's not bring trouble upon our heads!"
When Atractivo warned Hueso, who was acting feisty, the old man flared up.
"What more trouble are we going to bring, Atractivo? Look behind us, the guards have all surrounded us. If you come in last, your Sect is finished. My friend, do you think they're going to let us leave here alive today?"
Hueso, gesturing to the representatives of the Mercenaries with his eyes as he finished his words, was furious; Sheikh Atractivo would answer with his usual state of mind.
"What will be, will be, my old friend. The little will lose a little, the much will lose much!"
The handsome Sheikh downing the wine in his hand was as relaxed as the grand statement he made was imposing.
"First match; Holy Eye against Holy Blood!"
Finally, the fiend whose white legs showed through the deep slit under her robe signaled the start of the struggles. The first match would be between the Holy Eye and the Holy Blood.
"Warrior disciples, take your places in the arena!"
With the announcement, the floor began to move once again, but this change wouldn't be small like the time the altar surfaced. As the exact center of the massive hall split in two, both the floor and the roof got their share of this movement.
Giant marble columns were moving; the structure was changing shape using a method never seen before. When the matte black area slowly rising from the gap opening in the floor came level with the ground, the shaking stopped.
"Uncle Abarran, how did you find the final state of the tower you designed for me!"
Eyes turned once again to the shabby-looking man. Even though he maintained his silence, what was happening left the others' mouths hanging open.
"I thought we came here to watch some entertaining fights, but witnessing Grand Master Abarran's creations with our own eyes has truly been a huge surprise!"
When the representative in ruby armor finally spoke up, he expressed his astonishment with a long sentence. Eyshan didn't answer; she was watching the warriors of the two sects enter the arena.
"Lareina, how are you!"
The Young Count worried as he saw the current state of his lover whose eyes were welling up; his anxieties caused his voice to tremble.
"I'm fine! I have a feeling inside me, I can't figure out what it is!"
Even though Nafız eavesdropped on the conversation, she didn't make a sound. This was a test the girl, who covered half her face with her hair, had to face on her own.
When the Holy Blood Sect quintet entered the arena, they found opponents with bizarre eyes facing them. The Holy Eye Sect disciples, leaving only the eye parts of the masks they wore on their faces exposed, were waiting silently.
The two girls named Vista and Golpe were in the front, and their three other friends stood behind them. They were lined up in a way that wouldn't block each other's view.
One of the fiends stepped forward and entered the arena; along with his movement, the flames surrounding the black floor rose and formed a transparent dome.
"Once the battle starts, there is no surrendering. The team of the last person standing wins the struggle."
"Let the fight begin!"
When the Fiend gave the command and threw himself out of the arena, the purple barrier surrounding the Holy Eye team suddenly appeared.
"You're too late! Prepare for your death!"
The words accompanying Holy Eye Vista's shrill laugh spilled from the lips of Golpe right beside her. The bizarre-looking Holy Eye Sect Disciples were confident in the flawlessness of their battle plans.
"Lareina!"
Nafız turned around and called out to the young girl; she had said a single word, but what she meant was clear.
"I don't want help. Whatever comes, I will face it on my own!"
The eyes of Jashua standing on her left were on Nafız, however, with the young girl's decision, the duo standing in the front turned their gazes towards their enemies.
The battle had started, but neither the Holy Eye nor the Holy Blood was attacking each other. The two teams had been standing motionless for hundreds of breaths.
"Sir, what is happening?"
The residents of the Hell Realm were waiting silently; unlike them, the representatives of the Mercenaries were burning with curiosity.
"When will they fight?"
"Both sides closed their eyes. How are they going to fight?"
The questions, chasing one another, reached Eyshan's ears, but giving the answer was not her job, but the Fiends'.
"The battle has long started. They have been struggling since the moment they made first eye contact!"
When the shortest Fiend's words finished, a person from the area where the Holy Eye Sect sat stood up and started speaking.
"My sect specializes in energy and is the best in the world in this regard. My disciples have long entered their enemies' minds and are confronting them with their own fears. The Holy Eye Sect displays the most elite form of combat and turns its enemies into breathing piles of meat!"
Sect Leader Oje's explanations were bold and terrifying. Gazes turned to Sheikh Atractivo in hopes of getting an answer.
"The wine is finished. Darling, would you send us another pitcher of wine?"
Handsome Atractivo was calling out to the Holy Fire Sect sheikh Fuego; it was so obvious he was already buzzed.
"You Moronic Drunk, where do you think you are?"
The insult was enough to drive the woman in red crazy. Atractivo, thanks to the blowing hot winds, would snap back to the moment we were living in.
"You made such a fuss. So what if they managed to get into their minds? Don't forget, a guest eats not what they expect, but what they find, and even I can't predict what they're going to find!"
Bowing his head slightly forward and shouting, Atractivo was perhaps this serious for the first time. Even though everyone thought the Holy Eye Sect disciples had practically finished the job by entering the enemy's mind, he knew the truth was different.