After his body hit the barrier, Matthew coughed out a mouthful of blood but tried his best to remain standing. ’Sh*t!’ Matthew cursed internally when he realized that Mikhail must’ve already expected him to overcome his attack. Now, the latter was already on his way to land a finishing blow against him. This was why he didn’t want Mikhail to gather momentum during the start of the battle. The more he attacked, the stronger and deadlier his next strikes became. That was the special power of the God of War Axe! With a face filled with unwillingness, Matthew shouted the words that would end his suffering. "I concede!" As soon as that word was mentioned, the blade of the axe that was only a foot away from his head stopped completely. "Winner, Mikhail!" Thirteen immediately declared his brother’s victory. Resounding cheers erupted from the audience stand once more, making Matthew grit his teeth in frustration. Mikhail, who had just been declared the victor, pulled his weapon back and walked out of the arena without even giving Matthew a second glance. Thirteen could only sigh in his heart, certain that Matthew would certainly keep a grudge against his brother. ’That’s just how it is,’ Thirteen thought. ’It is part of human nature.’ After the battle ended, the staff came to repair the stage so that it would be ready for the next battle. While the arena was being repaired, Pica and Pico entertained the crowd by talking about the things that they watched on TV the other day. In the waiting room, Hans looked at Shasha, who was meditating before the start of her match. Thirteen had asked the Butler of his Grandma to serve as Shasha’s Protector. She would be fighting against the daughter of the current patriarch of the Lotte Family, which was one of the Prestigious Families based in the Cygni Continent. This young lady went by the name Char Lotte, and she specialized in using a sword whip in battle. Just like the name implied, she possessed a sword that could extend like a whip, making her attacks very unpredictable. She was also among the top 5 Wanderers in the Lady Rankings because of her beauty, and great fighting prowess. Truth be told, Shasha would definitely have a hard time fighting against her. However, Thirteen still chose this match-up because this was a rare opportunity for Shasha to fight against this kind of opponent. She wouldn’t get many other opportunities like this, and he hoped that she would learn a thing or two from this battle. ’There’s a fifty-fifty chance that Shasha might lose,’ Thirteen thought. Truth be told, Thirteen would rather let Shasha lose against her opponent in the tournament than have her lose her life in Solterra because she didn’t have any experience in fighting against such a unique fighting style. There were many monsters in Solterra with irregular attack patterns, so Thirteen was inclined to introduce anything similar to his sister early before she headed to the Cygni Continent to participate in the defense against the Jinn Invasion. "It’s time," Hans said. "Good luck, Shasha." Shasha opened her eyes and nodded in understanding. "Thank you, Hans," Shasha replied before standing up. She then left the room and walked the hallway that led to the arena. The moment she appeared, a thunderous roar erupted from the audience stands. Pico even whistled, making Thirteen shake his head helplessly. Clearly, his sister was one of the favorites in the tournament, and there was nothing he could do about it. "And now, let’s call upon the lady from the Lotte Family!" Thirteen declared after the cheers died down. "Please welcome, Lady Char Lotte!" A pretty young lady emerged from the hallway and stepped into the light. Cheers as loud as the one Shasha received reverberated in the Colosseum. Char was also a very popular Wanderer. In fact, she had been on many cosmetic commercials, making her a celebrity among the Wanderers. The lady had long black hair and hazel eyes. She was quite petite and was shorter than Shasha by a head. But this only made her look cuter and charming in the eyes of others. Once she stepped into the arena, Char faced the crowd and waved at them with both hands, making their cheer grow louder. Clearly, she wasn’t the shy type and had embraced the fact that she was very popular. A minute later, she turned around to face Shasha, who was standing straight with her right hand holding the handle of her rapier. Char gave her a brief nod, which Shasha returned with a nod of her own. Without another word, Char held the handle of her sword and pulled it out of its sheath. From every angle, the sword in her hands looked like an ordinary sword. However, she could transform it at will with a single thought, making it a very deadly weapon that could easily take her opponent by surprise. "Are both of you ready?" Thirteen asked. "I’m ready," Shasha replied. Char, on the other hand, didn’t say that she was ready. Instead, she looked at Zion with a smile on her face. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂 "Before we start, do you dare to make a bet with me, Zion Leventis?" Char asked. "What bet?" Thirteen inquired with curiosity. "If I win this match, you will grant my wish," Char stated. "I’m not a genie," Thirteen replied. "But if I’m able to grant your wish, then why not? However, since you made this proposal, what will you do if you lose?" "That’s simple enough," Char replied. "I will grant a wish of yours as well. Of course, these wishes must only be things that I am capable of doing. I’m also not a genie, you know?" Thirteen chuckled because a genie was an old term used to describe a Jinn. Before they were called Jinns, they were once called Genies by the older generation of Wanderers because some of them possessed magic that defied the laws of the world. But a few years later, they started to call them Jinns instead of Genies, making it easier to pronounce. "What are the limits of the wish we can ask each other?" Thirteen inquired. "Anything goes," Char answered. "As long as we are able to do it then we should do it. You can even wish for me to…" The young lady giggled but didn’t complete her words, leaving everyone hanging. Her vague statement easily made the guys think of impure thoughts, making their breathing turn ragged. Thirteen, on the other hand, just found this amusing, so he nodded his head in agreement. "Fine, I agree to this bet," Thirteen stated. "Good," Char nodded before facing Shasha, who was now looking coldly at her. In Shasha’s point of view, Zion was the treasure of her family, and Char’s words established herself as a vixen who might be trying to use this "bet" as an opportunity to make her brother do indecent things with the latter. Because of this, her fighting spirit soared. Clearly, she had no intention of losing, not wanting Zion to be coerced into granting Char’s wish. Seeing her reaction, the smile on Char’s face widened. ’So that’s it,’ Thirteen smirked. ’What an interesting girl.’ He understood why Char decided to use this method before the match started. Her goal was to rile up Shasha, making her angry. But since this battle could no longer be delayed, Thirteen glanced at Char, and the latter nodded her head. "Battle Start!" Thirteen declared. A moment later, the two girls took a step forward, charging at each other like two street cats about to fight the hell out of each other until only one was left.