"Where I am, who said you could kill the Holy Blood Sect disciples?"
Maybe it was just a whisper, but the voice reached everyone's ears. No answer came; instead, people raised their energies and took an attack stance.
Five Holy Blood Disciples were inside the ice, and the outside looked like it was going to blow up at any moment. Nerves were stretched tight as a bowstring; a tiny spark would cause the built-up tension to erupt like a volcano.
Then a voice came from inside the massive piece of ice standing as a block; it wasn't the answer Atractivo was expecting, but he knew the person speaking very well.
"So they were going to kill us with just this skill, Sheikh Atractivo? You should ask that instead!"
The moment Nafız circulated her blood energy around her body, the five-step area around her was flooded. When she slowly raised her hand and swung her dagger forward, a tunnel leading all the way to where the Holy Ice Disciples were formed.
When the young girl, tossing her waist-length red hair, took her first step, all eyes were on her, but a breath later they would turn in another direction.
Jashua was protecting himself and Lareina with the First Sheikh's technique. The blood energy covering his body, just as the blood dome vibrated and cut off the young girl inside from contact with the ice energy, allowed him to move freely. The Young Count clenched his fists and started advancing by shattering the ice with sonic explosions. His target was where the Holy Ice Disciples were.
"Clear the way, Wind Rose!"
Alis shouted; while his two swords were in the air, the blue energy coming out of the youth's body, who looked like he was frozen, was spinning crazily, trying to erode the ice and clear a path wide enough for him to pass through. Five breaths later, everyone realized this wasn't trying, it was doing. Alis was also in the same direction as his two friends.
"Basilisk, do you want to drink the bloods of our enemy?"
Ralf was inside the snake head made of energy; his surroundings were covered in ice. The hilt of his weapon met his hand the moment he released the Holy Ice technique; he just needed to feed it a little to clear the path.
While the four youths walked from the paths opening into the void in the middle, whispers started where the spectators were; people couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"If it was just one, it would be one thing! All of them escaped freezing!"
"Look at the guy. He can even affect his technique that he left in a separate place!"
"I understand better why we're here!"
"Start the preparations. Things look like they're going to get messy!"
The Four Representatives weren't talking as comfortably as before; they were leaning into each other's ears and discussing. Unlike them, the Holy Ice Sect Sheikh stepped forward and raised his voice.
"We forfeit this round!"
That he was in a panic was evident from his eyes doubling in size, but Atractivo, located in the section he was shouting towards, seemed not to hear him.
"Atractivo, we forfeit the round. Tell your disciples to stop!"
"Why?"
The man who was leaning forward and brooding just a moment ago was now leaning back in his chair, talking with his legs crossed.
"What do you mean why? We forfeited, you won!"
"I already know that. Answer me why I should stop my disciples? It was a hundred breaths ago when you said you were going to kill mine, how quickly you forgot!"
"Don't talk nonsense, you drunk bastard. I was telling you what would happen if you didn't concede defeat. Is this situation the same as that situation?"
"A pity, a real pity!"
While Atractivo lamented putting his hand on his chin, he turned to the Holy Bone Sect Sheikh.
"Do you see? See how the voices of those talking smack because you conceded defeat have been silenced. So, has the place that is the Hell Realm Royal Palace now become a fiefdom stable that you can just concede defeat whenever you feel like it?"
While the Holy Blood Sect Sheikh Atractivo, not forgetting what was done to his friend, continued his speech amidst roars of laughter, Hielo cut him off.
"If a single hair on my disciples' heads is harmed, you won't be able to pay the price for it!"
After looking his counterpart, who made a similar outburst as himself, up and down, Atractivo's eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes started darting around. He had an indecisive air about him; eyes wondering what he would decide in the face of the Holy Ice Sect Sheikh's words were on him.
Nafız, Jashua, Alis, and Ralf had reached the end of the paths they cleared, watching their opponents who had fallen into a state too exhausted to defend themselves. Their hands were on their weapons; even though their eyes were on the enemy, their ears were on the command coming from their Sheikh.
"Hielo, you were always so cold like this. You couldn't be talked to for two seconds, you had a condescending temperament. I always thought this stemmed from the confidence you had in your power and your sect. I didn't like you, but I respected you, until this moment. The moment you started talking about things you couldn't do on your own, that was it!"
As Atractivo said it was it, he ran the thumb of his right hand across his throat, and before a breath passed, screams of agony rose from the stage.
"You dishonorable prick!"
The Holy Ice sect Leader sprang into action cursing; his target was the man who gave the kill order.
"Hielo, sit down."
"My Queen!"
"I told you to sit down. You've embarrassed yourself, your sect, and me enough!"
Eyshan, unlike what she told the Holy Ice Sect Sheikh, was on her feet, and her energy was undulating uncontrollably around her. The Queen of Hell was pissed; how could she not be? Two Sheikhs loyal to her had come to the brink of fighting, and two leading disciples of the Holy Ice, who showed great promise for the future, had died.
There was a clean cut on Nieve's throat, and half of Tipo's body was missing. Even though the corpse of their third friend lying right next to them was torn into more than ten pieces, the most painful death belonged to the remaining two disciples.
With two huge holes opening right in the middle of their dried-up bodies, they were dying screaming. Ralf didn't even bat an eye while compensating the blood essence he spent to feed his sword from his enemies. The two massive fangs of the Basilisk's manifestation first pierced through, then sucked dry whatever blood there was.
"You can come back?"
When Atractivo called them, the four of them turned back, but one of them was still standing among the melting ice, her gaze on her own right arm.
"You took his life, but he took your right arm too. You will carry Nieve's final gift on your body for a lifetime!"
Hielo, unable to take out the pain of his losses, went after Nafız who was looking at her frozen arm. The eyes of the man, looking for consolation like looking for an oasis in the desert, were gleaming.
"So, you pulled a suicide attack, huh!"
Nafız, kicking the enemy's head off, was letting out scream-like laughs that rang through the massive hall. It was a blood-curdling sight; while she should have been sitting and crying, she was laughing with arrogance.
"How stupid are you!"
Accompanied by a faint crack, the ice on her arm was breaking; at the same time, Nafız also shattered Nieve's body in one piece.
"No way, no way! He sacrificed himself to take your arm!"
The Holy Ice Sect Sheikh was resisting to not believe what he saw; he wasn't aware of what was coming out of his mouth.
"This talentless hack is going to take my arm? Never mind him, even if the one who trained him came, the only thing he'd get is this!"
The lips of Nafız, pointing her middle finger at Hielo, stretched from ear to ear; she was pulling the move with her right arm.
The Holy Ice Sect Sheikh collapsed where he stood; he couldn't bear the burden of losing his last hope for revenge.
"Declare it!"
The short-haired Fiend ordered the official; there was not the slightest trace of hesitation in his voice.
"The winner is the Holy Blood Sect! The final fight will begin at sunset!"