Chapter 51: The Lunaris (13)
After four consecutive victories by the Lunaris, more than ninety percent of the people watching from the comfort of their homes had already given up. At this point, they just wanted the tormenting competition to end. They were tired of watching their race being beaten so badly — just a single victory for humanity could at least calm their minds, but deep down, they knew it was impossible.
"Dad, why are our representatives so weak?"
Inside a cozy living room, three splendid-looking family members sat watching the broadcast. The young boy sitting on the floor, right in front of the television, turned to his father with a disappointed look.
The silver-haired man, whose flawless handsomeness carried an aura both powerful and gentle, shifted his gaze to his son and gave a faint smile. "They’re not weak, Stormis. They’re just... inferior to the Lunaris."
"That’s the same thing, Dad. Being weak means being inferior," the boy grumbled, folding his arms.
"You’re right, son, they are indeed weak—" the man began, only to flinch when his raven-haired wife pinched his thigh sharply.
She shot him a glare before turning to their son with a soft smile. "Stormis, darling, strength isn’t only about power or who wins in a fight. Sometimes it’s about spirit—having the courage to stand up even when you know you’ll lose."
"But a strong person wouldn’t lose—"
"Enough, baby," she cut in gently, "let’s just enjoy the competition quietly for a while, alright?"
Stormis gave his parents a puzzled look, then turned back to the screen. On it, the fifth human representative was seen walking casually into the center of the arena, his calm confidence cutting through the heavy tension.
"You and you... come face me together."
The confident voice of the fifth human representative echoed from the TV, causing both parents’ expressions to shift.
The woman frowned in confusion. Why was he challenging two Lunaris at once? Hadn’t he seen how easily one alone had crushed his predecessors?
Her husband, on the other hand, felt something stir within. His expression flickered from mild amusement to quiet surprise. Narrowing his eyes at the screen, he muttered under his breath, "An odd one."
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"You and you, come face me together."
Marlon’s voice echoed across the quiet arena.
His words took a few seconds to sink in before reactions burst out everywhere.
"W-what? Young man, are you insane? What are you trying to pull off with that?"
"Every single one before you lost to a single one of them, and you’re challenging two at once? Are you trying to die?"
"Who is this kid? Which nation is he from?"
The hunters voice erupted.
These voices mostly came from hunters of neighbouring nations who had come to spectate the event and didn’t know Marlon. The few from the heartland nation who reacted thought his victory yesterday must have gone to his head for even imagining that he could beat not just one, but two Lunaris at once.
"Son, what are you doing?" Oswald barked, his tone sharp yet uneasy, carrying an hint of concern.
But his concern wasn’t born out of fatherly affection — it came from pride. He was afraid his son would lose miserably, and because he had challenged two at once, the humiliation would be even worse. If that happened, the fame he wanted to gain from his son’s name would vanish completely.
Beside him, Morgana looked just as tense.
At the other VIP area, Crimson and Norian both frowned deeply—what exactly was he thinking, they wondered.
While the humans were filled with worry, the Lunaris burst into roars of laughter. The three nobles slapped their knees, laughing heartily, their arrogant voices echoing through the entire arena.
"An overconfident human brat—how amusing," one of them sneered between laughs.
"I thought humans like this had gone extinct, but who would’ve thought one of them still existed?" another added mockingly.
Their laughter spread far and wide since the arena was mostly silent. Even their young representatives joined in, laughing so hard that they nearly fell over, pointing at Marlon as if he were a clown on stage.
But Marlon didn’t move. He stood still, meeting their eyes with calm confidence. Not a hint of fear showed on his face. His usual confident smile remained as they threw more jokes his way, but he didn’t seem to care at all.
Gigaman, who had been observing from above, finally spoke, his voice firm. "Kiddo, this competition is a one-on-one challenge. You can’t challenge two opponents at once."
"Oh... my bad," Marlon replied quickly, his tone light and casual.
That single response made many hunters who had been complaining earlier let out sighs of relief. Even his parents relaxed a little. As for the Lunaris, they just scoffed in mild disdain.
But then came his next words that made the arena explode again.
"But I don’t think simply beating one of them would be enough for me," Marlon said, his voice echoing clearly across the arena.
Everyone froze for a moment, unsure if they had heard him right. When they realized they hadn’t misheard, the uproar returned, louder than before.
Two muscular hunters from Weststone Nation shot up from their seats.
"Who is this kid?" one of them barked.
"Did someone feed him alcohol before the match?" the other shouted.
Hunters from neighbouring countries behind them joined in the commotion, their voices mixing into chaos. Even some hunters from the heartland nation joined this time.
"Our brother’s gone mad with power, we’ve lost our sense of reason," Ashton said solemnly, a single tear slipping down his cheek.
Beside him, Logan also had tears falling from his eyes.
Lyra, sitting behind them, watched with confusion before turning back to the arena, her expression turning to concern as they landed on Marlon.
Selena and the other trainees on the field were just as confused, unsure what their colleague was even thinking at that moment.
Gigaman frowned slightly. "What do you mean by that, kid?"
"Simple," Marlon said with a faint grin. "I want to fight all ten of them, would’ve loved to take on two at once to reduce the stress on my part but since you said it is not allowed them I’ll just challenge them one after the other."
His words once again sent shockwaves through the arena and even to those watching from home.
Before anyone could speak again, he continued, "The difference in strength between them and my comrades has already been proven in the fights so far. So now, I want them to face someone who’s actually on their level — someone like me, of course."
Then he turned toward the young Lunaris who had stopped laughing and were now staring at him in silence. "What’s wrong?" he said with a mocking smile. "Don’t tell me... you’re scared to face me?"