Chapter 102: Nadia takes revenge on his behalf
Oliver cursed internally as he looked at the opponent\'s name on the paper slip.
He glanced toward Bella and weakly nodded.
His expression was grim as he saw his energetic opponent.
He did not want to fight her…
She was a crazy girl.
"Don\'t worry, it\'s a friendly match! Just show me your skills and let\'s get along well," Bella said in a reassuring tone, which did not comfort him at all. Rather, he felt exhausted.
The matching order was as follows:
Nadia - Alphonso
Oliver - Bella
Daniel - Amber
As for Evelyn, well, since there was no one to match her against, she was the odd one left out.
Oliver offered to exchange places with her, but Bella strongly insisted on fighting with him rather than her sister, whom she was used to. She said she wanted to see how children from other clans compared to herself.
He heard the elder\'s call and went to him with the others.
"Well then, this is just a friendly duel to know each other\'s skills. You all are going to be together in the future, so try to bond better. You are smart and should know that anything excessive is forbidden. I will be watching over and will intervene if I feel so."
He glanced at Daniel and Amber as he said this, silently warning them beforehand.
Having unsettled grudges was not good for a team, and it was best to resolve them as soon as possible lest they interfere later in critical moments.
The two, feeling the elder\'s cold gaze, shrank slightly. This duel was the best way.
The elder knew it was best for them to establish a hierarchy so they could all remain competitive and disciplined in the long run.
All the other elders also had no objections to this duel since putting up an objection would only mean that their clan was weaker than the others.
The first match was between Nadia and Alphonso.
Alphonso wanted to fight Oliver himself to properly assess his skills, but he was matched against Nadia.
But he did not mind this since he trusted that watching the duel between Bella and Oliver would be quite good too. Bella was stronger than any of them and should easily help him evaluate.
"Well then, we should get started too," he said, looking at Nadia. For some reason, he felt cold. Was the stare in her gaze indifferent and cold?
Nonetheless, the duel started normally at first.
But as it went on, the people around started to realize something. It seemed that Alphonso was being ruthlessly beaten.
"…."
The fight had suddenly turned one-sided, with Nadia continuously beating Alphonso.
Boom!
"Wait—pfft!" As Alphonso tried to say something, a hard fist landed on his face, sending him flying.
Nadia did not allow him to speak a word as she mercilessly and humiliatingly crushed him.
The face of the elder from the Fallen Heart Clan was worth watching. He was red with shame.
Seeing the heir he had brought so proudly being brutally beaten one-sidedly was a great shame.
The other elders had amused expressions, watching Nadia beat the heir of the Fallen Heart Clan like that. This clearly showed the superior talent the Mystic Purge Clan had raised.
Meanwhile, the one getting beaten felt like crying. He could feel Nadia exacting some sort of revenge against him.
"Cough, cough…"
He coughed out spit as another kick connected straight to his abdomen with great force.
"I-I conce—Ugh!"
Before he could surrender, Nadia made a leg swing directly under his chin, rendering him unconscious.
"Miss Nadia is the victor."
There was a deferential silence in the surroundings as no one reacted for a while.
Looking at the bruised and swollen Alphonso, they could not help but feel pity.
Damn! So brutal!
Oliver exclaimed in his heart, looking at Nadia in a new light. He could never be this ruthless in a friendly duel.
He could only imagine how she would have tortured him had it been a duel of life and death.
The elder from the Fallen Heart Clan quickly poured a healing potion into Alphonso\'s mouth as he shot a glare toward the girl.
Nadia, however, was unfazed and looked at them emotionlessly.
Well, to Oliver, this result was quite obvious considering that Nadia was already a Rank-1 exorcist.
Bella and Evelyn had a small frown as they looked at the scene. They did not feel comfortable. Nadia should have allowed her opponent to surrender if he wanted to.
"Huff… Huff…" Alphonso huffed as he looked at Nadia with a hint of fear. He would never approach her in his life.
Who knows, after today he might get gynophobia.
He quickly went to the corner with the elder.
_____________
"Next up, Young Miss Bella and Young Master Oliver, please come forward," the elder spoke to them.
Oliver looked at Bella, and she appeared calm, but her expression hid a hint of excitement.
"You can start," the elder said simply as he went back to watch.
"Well then, do you want to get the first attack?" Bella asked curiously, seemingly aware of his earlier hesitation and lack of confidence. So she offered.
"Can we decide the victor with rock, paper, and scissors instead?" Oliver asked back.
Bella smiled slightly as she said, "Then I will start first."
As she said this, she almost vanished from her spot, appearing behind the dazed Oliver who was still looking at the previous spot where she was standing.
\'You are wide open.\'
Her hand turned into a chop as she aimed for his back, intending to land a blow.
However, what happened next was completely out of her expectations.
Oliver blurred from his spot, and her eyes widened. She was just about to connect her hit when he dodged from his previous spot, making her chop hit nothing but air.
She almost lost her balance for a second, and in that very second, she felt him behind her.
Twisting her body with force, she blocked an incoming fist to her face with a fist of her own.
She knew how fast she reacted in that instant. Even a moment\'s delay would have cost her dearly.
She had unconsciously used a great deal of force behind the fist that she used to counter him. It was all due to her instinct warning her of the danger.
\'Oh no, I used too much force—\'
Bang!