Hesitation

The group entered on the same room as before.

"From the name of my opponent, does that mean he is a sword master or something?" Ban turned to Candy and asked.

"Mm. He's quite famous for using his sword handling methods. Even I don't think of winning when I fight with this guy." Candy nodded in confirmation.

"Does that mean he's an Enchant?"

"Yes and No." Candy smiled mysteriously.

"Oh? Can you explain more?" Ban became interested by Candy's claim.

"Hehe. You have to figure it out yourself on the stage. What's the point if I spoil you with your enemy?" Candy laughed cheerfully.

"Hm?" Ban didn't feel the glare of Eliza. He turned and raised his brow. The sisters were having a good chat with Nancy in a corner. Eliza even took off her mask while chatting happily.

Ban shrugged his shoulder 'As long as they are having fun.' He then turned to George who busy himself examining the area, so he didn't bother him.

'Does that mean my opponent this time is the same as Titan?' Ban pondered for a second and shook his head 'I better prepare for my next fight. I can feel this is a tough match for me.'

"Wake me up when the last phase betting time is up." Ban excused himself to the group and walked into a quiet corner to meditate. He plan to wake up in the last minutes before his battle.

...

The wait didn't take long as Elena approached Ban to wake him up. However, he already opened his eyes before she could call for him.

"Are you confident in this fight? My Little Sis already told me about the brutality of this Arena." Elena furrowed her brows as she asked worriedly.

"I am fine." Ban stood up and hugged her. He continued "I promise to not be careless in this match."

"Mm. Stay safe." Elena smiled and continued "I'll give you a piece of news if you finish the fight early."

Ban raised his brow and nodded "Sure."

"How's my betting ratio?" Ban asked the group.

Candy pointed at the screen and said "Check that out."

Ban turned to the screen and brightened his eyes. His ratio was still the same as before.

--

=NEXT MATCH=

WHISS (1:20)

VERSUS

Sword Defier (20:1)

BATTLE STARTS IN 8 MINUTE(S) 8 SECOND(S) COUNTDOWN...

THE BET WILL STOP AFTER THE COUNTDOWN

--

"You are facing the Leader of Rising Era. This is to be expected since Red Lotus is one of their members. They thought the Leader was stronger than her and he was staying a low profile by winning slowly." Nancy explained.

Ban made a bet on his name for 800 Million Dollars which surprised everyone including Nancy and Candy.

"B-Brother-in-law.. You.." George was speechless when he saw the numbers. He almost choked his saliva from the amount.

Even the sisters stared at Ban in surprise.

"Heh! John gave me this money. I didn't use my savings at all."

Everone turned speechless. Ban was throwing money like papers.

"Damn bro! That 16B if you win this match!" George made a thumb's up.

Nancy narrowed her eyes and made a bet silently without anyone noticing.

"Let's go, Brother Whiss. Your match is about to begin." Candy hooked at Ban's arm as she said.

Ban assured the sisters through telepathy before heading out.

...

The cheered loudly seeing the Fighters entered the stage.

"Look! It's the leader of the Rising Era! That Whiss is dead for sure this time."

"Yeah! I bet he was just lucky in his last fight."

"Of course. However, it is still commendable that he can advanced with just one fight."

"True. I made a bet to Sword Defier with all my money. Haha This is a bonus for me.

"Haha Your wives might kill you for that if you lose."

"Nah. I have faith in Sword Defier. He can easily deal with this rookie."

"Go! Go! Go! Sword Defier! Kill this rookie for us!"

"Avenge!"

...

"You look calm. I like it." Sword Defier commented at Ban. He wore a mask just like his members. He wield the same sword as Ban as he approached to the center.

"You too." Ban nodded calmly. He felt an unfamiliar aura with the man in front of him. An aura that is so sharp that he minimized his Spirit Detection skill around him, but he can use Heaven Seeking Detection to observe the opponent in front of him.

Sword Defier nodded and said "You have a good control of your aura. I thought for sure that you are an Enchant, but judging by your aura, it seems like you are not a Enchant. This baffles me a lot. Did you perhaps have a connection with Red Lotus?" This is the question in his head for quite a while now. The man in front of him have the same vibe as Red Lotus.

"It that important? Well, I'll tell you about it after our match." Ban bluntly replied.

Sword Defier had a frown on his face. His intuition told him that Whiss has a connection with Red Lotus. And now that Whiss vaguely gave a hint about it, he hesitated to fight. Of course he knew the terror Red Lotus brought to him and his team.

"The fight already start." Ban reminded Sword Defier. He bend his knees to attack "Here I come!"

"Wait!"

Ban almost stumble on the floor. He frowned and thought 'Is this guy really had a resentment on me for killing his member? Why does he sound so friendly? Is this some kind of strategy?'

"What is it?"

Sword Defier hesitated before saying in a low voice "I give up. This is not worth it."

Ban furrowed his brow and asked "Why?"

Sword defier was silent for a second and replied with a question "I lost. Now, what's your connection with Red Lotus?"

...

The crowd was confused. They didn't know what was happening at the stage.

"What happened?"

"Why didn't Sword Defier attacked the rookie?"

"Beats me."

"It looks like they were have a conversation."

"Oh? Sword Defier was probably cursing the man for killing his member."

"Haha Should be!"

...

"Before I answer your question, what kind of aura do you have? It looked unfamiliar to me?" Ban asked.

Sword Defier frowned, but he still replied "Sword Intent. If you dedicate yourself on training swords, you may awaken this kind of power."

Ban had a look of interest on his face and said "She's my disciple." He suddenly wanted to explore more about this kind of power. Now he needed to call for Clara about this aura. Even novels he read had those kinds of power. They even have sword will, sword force and sword heart, and some bullshit about one with the sword. He thought 'If swords can really produce this kind of unusual power, then it's a must that I give it a try about it.'

"Disciple...." Sword Defier dazed for a second before examining Ban once again. He couldn't tell if Ban was telling the truth or not. He continued "It's hard to accept your words. You need to give me a proof for that."

"Oh? You don't believe me? How about a fight? I've been itching to test this sword intent of yours." Ban grip his sword tightly. He knew Sword Defier is stronger than Vernard by quite a margin but it is still within his reach. He just had an interest of Sword Intent.

"..."

Sword Defier became silent again. He couldn't guarantee if the man in front of him would let him live if the battle broke out now that he knew he has the connection of Red Lotus. And if his claim was truth about her being his disciple, then it will be a dead end for him. He still have many plans for the future. He couldn't throw his life for some careless mistake.

Sword Defier sighed and raised his hand as he thrown the weapon to the ground "I surrender." After he said that, he returned with the same pace as he came in. Although it was humiliating for a swordsman to throw his sword away to run away for death, but this is the new era. Brain rules everything in order for one to survive.

'Guess I'll lay low for a while and quit for the time being, but any challenger can fight me if they want. The sharpness of my sword still thirsts for their blood.' Sword Defier commented on his mind.

Ban was left confused but he didn't say anything. Now that the match has been finished without a brawl, he felt happy about his winnings. He thought '16B is in the bag.' He also returned with calm steps.

...

The audience had a look of disbelief and shock. They gawk for a while before shouting out curses at Sword Defier.

"My money!! What...!?!"

"My wives will surely going to kill me...."

"Is this a prank?! What the heck! Give us back our money!!"

"Scam!!!"

"Bastard Sword Defier!!! I curse your 1000th generation you madafaker!!!"

The crowd was cursing here and there but they couldn't do anything about it. They felt like vomiting blood from sadness of losing money.