Chapter 493: Unexpected Outcome Surrounded by explosive cheers from the crowd, the Gallant Knight, Henry Moritz, walked toward the freshly reconstructed arena. As a fan favorite, he was expected to easily overpower his opponent like Emil had done earlier. The two were among the most outstanding teenagers of Solara. Many believed that their potential was limitless. When Henry entered the arena, he saw Gus Hopper with his arms crossed over his chest and one foot tapping the ground incessantly. His assigned opponent was Emil’s teammate from the battle royale. While Gus wasn’t weak, he wasn’t threatening enough for Henry to be wary of. At that moment, Alex was eyeing Gus solemnly. If not for Dim Dim reminding him that both players were now ready to fight, the young man would have continued looking at Gus like he owed him money. "Are both of you ready to rumble?" Alex asked, remembering to ease up his tone. "I was born ready," Henry stated. "Just start it," Gus replied. Alex raised his hand and prepared to give the order to fight. He had a guess who would win, but he was still looking forward to how the battle would unfold. Once the duel started, he would know if he was right or wrong. "Battle Start!" Henry’s sword glinted under the sunlight as he charged at Gus, who was standing with his hands in his pockets. That was enough to give Henry a bad feeling. As if to confirm his suspicions, two magic circles expanded in front of Gus. The Gallant Blade sensed that something was wrong, but since he was only a few meters away from his opponent, he decided to push through with his attack. Just as everyone thought that Henry would set a new record for having the shortest battle this tournament, a cry of pain escaped his lips before his body turned into particles of light. "So weak," Gus sneered, not even bothering to look at his two servants who had easily defeated one of the darlings of the crowd. Standing at three meters tall, two Rank 5 Alpha Crimson Mantises loomed before Gus like bodyguards. ’I knew it,’ Alex thought. ’He really is Gus the Reaper.’ Among ELO players, Gus was infamous for his two Alpha Crimson Mantises, which were like the emissaries of death. They were fast, deadly, and merciless. The young man was a Summoner who specialized in Mantis-Type monsters. He was one of the stronger antagonists to appear in the early stages of ELO. Players needed to level up a bit before they could defeat him in battle. "Hey, Mr. Commentator, are you asleep?" Gus mocked. "Shouldn’t you be announcing the winner right now?" From his self-satisfied expression, Alex knew that Gus was relishing everyone’s shock. Even Emil, who had teamed up with him in the earlier stages of the tournament, was unnerved by his performance. "Winner: Gus Hopper!" Alex declared. All Gus got was scattered applause as most spectators had yet to recover from the sudden turn of events. "Now that the four battles have ended, I would like to invite the winners to come here and draw a ball from this box," Alex continued. "The rules are the same as before. You will fight the person who has drawn the same number as you. The next match shall be held after the intermission." Gus chuckled as he sauntered toward Alex. Along the way, he looked up at the VIP seats. His gaze lingered on the Saintess for a few seconds before he shifted his attention back to the box in front of him. He then reached out to draw a ball, curious who was unlucky enough to become his opponent. "Two," Gus said as he looked at the ball in his hand. "Next," Alex said while stealing a peek at Emil, who was just behind Gus in the queue. Although it didn’t show on his face, Emil was hoping that his opponent in the second half of the semi-finals wouldn’t be Gus. To his relief, the number he drew was one. His breathing relaxed, perhaps a little too obviously. "You’re so lucky," Gus commented after looking over Emil’s shoulder. The Gentle Scholar didn’t say anything and simply stood to the side and waited for Charles to draw a ball. Since Renard was still unconscious, the last ball left in the box would automatically belong to him. Charles didn’t care about who he would be fighting against as long as it wasn’t Renard. After taking a ball, Charles showed it to Alex. "One," Charles. Emil and Charles exchanged a glance as Gus chuckled. He then looked at the unconscious Renard in the distance before shaking his head. "My opponent is lucky," Gus stated. "He won’t get the chance to be defeated by me in the arena." The Summoner wasn’t worried about Renard despite the power the latter had shown earlier. In Gus’ eyes, none of the participants were strong enough to defeat him. He had complete confidence that his two Rank 5 Alpha Crimson Mantises could easily hack his enemies to pieces. "We will have a four-hour break before the tournament resumes," Alex declared. "Everyone, feel free to stretch your legs, get lunch, and catch up with friends. Just remember to return to your seats by two in the afternoon." "Oh?" Gus arched an eyebrow. "Is this favoritism? Do you need four hours to wake my opponent up?" "Today’s schedule was decided well in advance by the organizers," Alex replied calmly. "Since all the participants have just finished their battles, they will need a few hours to return to their peak condition." "But I’m not tired though?" Gus smirked. "I fought last, but I didn’t even get a warm-up." "Your opinion doesn’t matter," Alex pointed out flatly. "The rules of the tournament are set." Gus shrugged before walking away. "Even if I wait for hours, the result will still be the same anyway." When the young man faded from view, Emil gave Charles a faint nod before taking his leave as well. Charles and Alex both glanced at Renard. Their friend was still out cold and they weren’t sure whether he would wake up in time for his next battle. He had gone past his limit when fighting Melissa. Even though his physical injuries had been taken care of, he still needed time to recover his mental strength. "Don’t worry," Charles said. "He’ll wake up when it is his turn to fight." Alex sighed. "He better. I placed all of my money on him." Charles was about to reply, but he caught sight of Henry walking briskly towards the one of the exits. His defeat surprised even him, which only made it more embarrassing. Everyone had expected that his battle would end quickly and easily. And while that was indeed the case, he was ashamed to be the losing party. All he wanted to do right now was hide from the looks of pity and wallow in his disappointment. Alex could tell what Henry was thinking, but whatever the Gallant Blade did was none of his business. He already had his plate full worrying about Charles and Renard, who would be up against powerful opponents. But he kept telling himself that both of them would be able to pull through. As they left the Colosseum to have lunch with their friends, Dim Dim whispered in Alex’s ear. "Dim Dim?" "I guess we can lend it to him." Alex nodded. "I just hope Renard accepts it." Dim Dim sighed softly. Renard could be really stubborn and tended to reject help, but this was absolutely not the time to be Mr. I-Have-Trust-Issues.