Mildred fought tooth and nail with Erica but to no avail. The Sorceress was simply too sly, too far, and too strong for her to effectively land her attacks, especially since the former was flying. "Just what kind of juice did Zion make you drink for you to be this strong?!" Mildred shouted. "I want some of it too!" "Damn! Did you hear that? She wants some juice as well!" A young man in the audience gasped. "Now I’m curious. Did Lady Erica drink ’that’ kind of juice from Zion?" another young man commented. "Bro, you’re making me imagine things I don’t want to imagine." "Same, bro. I guess I’ll use this material tonight." On the stage, Thirteen raised the microphone close to his mouth and spoke. "How did you know that she drank my juice?" Thirteen asked. "Also, I gave her many kinds of juice. Just what kind of juice are you talking about? What color is the juice? What does it taste like? I need details." The corner of Mildred’s lips twitched because she didn’t expect that her random shout was something that really happened. "How should i know what kind of juice it is?!" Mildred answered. "But, I’m guessing that it should be white, or something close to that color!" Watching the battle from the audience stands, Sherry covered her beet-red face with both hands. After all, she had also drunk that juice when they returned home from Zion’s birthday party. Erica’s face also turned beet-red after hearing Mildred’s shout, and she desperately wanted her friend to stop talking. So she did what she could and no longer held back, summoning countless Fireballs. With this, she hoped to end the battle before Mildred shouted any more indecent things! Seeing the ungodly amount of Fireballs covering the entire sky, Mildred did the safest thing she could do and conceded the match before she was burned to ashes. However, Zion pretended to not hear Mildred’s shout, causing the latter to glare at the teenage boy talking to Tiona. "Oi! I already surrendered!" Mildred shouted. "Stop the match!" Thirteen knew he could no longer pretend that he didn’t hear Mildred’s shout, so he finally declared Erica the winner. "Winner, Erica!" Thirteen declared. The Sorceress clicked her tongue and made the Fireballs disperse, making Mildred finally sigh in relief. She knew she wouldn’t really die if she got hit by those Fireballs, but the pain she would go through at the initial point of contact was still something that she didn’t want to try. After Mildred left the arena, a short five-minute break was held to allow the commercials of the sponsors of the tournament to air. Clark’s and Mikhail’s battle would be next, and it was also one of the highlights of the tournament. Many wondered who would emerge victorious between the two, as they were both regarded as the most powerful Wanderers of their generation. While Arthur and the rest of the Leventis Family believed that Mikhail would win, they still weren’t a hundred percent sure of his victory. After the commercial break passed, Thirteen went back to the stage and introduced the two fighters. After this match, the winner would then proceed to the Final Match and wait for the results of the battle between Erica and Char, which would take place the next day. "Both fighters, come to the arena!" Thirteen said. There was no longer any need to introduce the two of them, so they walked on opposite ends of the arena under the thunderous cheer of the people who had come to watch their battle. Claude, who was seated in the VIP Room of the Ashford Clan, clenched his fists, knowing what was at stake. As long as his son won this match, his father, Aaron Ashford, would no longer disown Clark and kick him out of the family. That was the compromise he had managed to secure after having a private discussion with his father a day ago. It was very important that Clark won this match for the sake of the honor and dignity of the Ashford Clan. ’Son, you better win for the sake of both of us,’ Claude thought. If Clark lost this match, aside from the former getting kicked out of the clan, Claude might also be kicked out of his position as the current Patriarch of the Ashford Clan, which would be a severe blow for him and his family. Claude had three more brothers, and they had long wished to replace him. Now that there was an opportunity for them to rise in the ranks, they would definitely make their move once Clark failed to win his match against Mikhail. "Are both of you ready to fight?" Thirteen asked. "I’m ready." Mikhail nodded. "I have a proposal to make," Clark stated. "The battle between Char and your sister is quite to my liking. How about we go all in and end the battle with a single move? What do you say?" Mikhail pondered a bit before nodding in agreement. "Okay," Mikhail replied. "Let’s start the battle." Thirteen glanced at Clark before raising his hand. "Battle Start!" As soon as the signal was given, Mikhail started to swing his axe above his head like a lasso. The God of War Axe Technique gained more power the moment it gained momentum. This meant that once he started attacking, he had to continuously attack, making his blows stronger and hit harder. Clark, on the other hand, took a deep breath and activated his strongest skill. The sword in his hand started to emit a mist-like vapor that slowly rose in the air. It didn’t look special at first glance, but a second later, Clark’s sword was covered with white flames that burned more fiercely as time went by. Mikhail’s axe swings, on the other hand, were now creating gusts of wind, which were blowing toward Clark’s direction. This made the white flames in his sword trail behind his back, making Clark’s attack look even more intimidating. Everyone watched with bated breath as the two moved at the same time. "Seraphic Slash!" Clark roared as he unleashed his strongest attack, one he had never shown during the early stages of the tournament. "Ruinous Throw!" Mikhail then threw his axe, creating a powerful burst of air as if he had just unleashed a railgun. The two attacks didn’t collide with each other. Instead, they passed each other and headed to their respective targets. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢 Clark saw death flash in front of his eyes as Mikhail’s Axe came hurtling in his direction. At that moment of life and death, the young man managed to crouch down on the ground, with the axe slicing off his hair on top of his head. A moment later, two powerful explosions erupted in the arena, making those who had repaired it a few days ago wince because they thought that it would be destroyed once more. Fortunately, the worst-case scenario didn’t happen, and the Arena remained intact. However, blazing white flames started to spread on the place where Mikhail had stood earlier. Suddenly, Thirteen’s voice spread in the arena, snapping everyone out of their daze. "Winner, Clark Ashford!" Thirteen declared. Claude, who was seated a while ago, shouted in happiness and stood up from his chair. "You did it, son!" Claude laughed loudly. "You did it!" Thirteen glanced at Mikhail, who had been teleported out of the arena. As if sensing his gaze, Zion’s older brother looked in his direction and gave Thirteen a playful wink. Thirteen smirked and gave his brother a nod of approval. During his birthday celebration, he, Mikhail, and Clark had a private talk with each other. Knowing Clark’s current circumstances, Thirteen asked his brother to lose on purpose during their battle. Mikhail didn’t mind. Just like Shasha, the rewards of the Tournament didn’t interest him in the slightest. However, Thirteen told Clark that he would only allow him to go to the Finals. As to whether he would become the Champion or not, it would depend on his ability. Clark was already happy that he wouldn’t have to fight against Mikhail in a battle to the death. Truth be told, he wasn’t confident in beating Zion’s brother, who seemed to be stronger than him. Also, it was in Clark’s favor that Mikhail had never been one who liked to be in the spotlight. As long as he would be able to help Zion, he was more than happy to agree to his brother’s request, even if it meant losing the match deliberately. What Clark didn’t know was that he was looking forward to the Final match between him and Erica. Truth be told, he didn’t want his brother to face the Sorceress, who still hadn’t unleashed the secret techniques he had taught her in the Rigel Continent. If Mikhail fought against Erica, he was certain that no matter how strong his brother was, he would simply be no match against the young lady, whose true power was still unknown to most people. Truth be told, Thirteen ’almost’ pity Clark since the latter was thankful although he didn’t actually do him a favor. Although Char and Erica still hadn’t faced each other, there was really no chance for the Sword Whip user to win against the Sorceress. Clark, who was unaware of what Thirteen was thinking, glanced at the VIP Room of the Ashford Clan before walking away. He had asked Zion for a favor because he cared for his father. Also, it would be in Thirteen’s best interest if Claude remained as the Patriarch of the Ashford Clan. That way, Clark would be able to pull some strings using his father’s authority to make things easier for his plans to come to fruition. --------- A/N: Second chapter will be published as soon as the edits finish.