Under the watchful eyes of the audience within the branch, Moon gave a warning that turned the atmosphere he himself had lightened at the beginning heavier than ever.
It was a new choice he would make; he didn’t feel the ease or desire to kill them as much as he did Dave. He had also seen people like them many times.
He could be said to have been like them once upon a time.
’If I have to choose, I would rather choose to have a nice and brutal battle,’ he thought to himself.
He, for some reason, knew too well Zera was here to kill him.
The setup of these armored individuals, how mismatched their armor was... He knew too that they were either greedy for something that wasn’t worth it, or forced into the fight.
"I dare any of you to walk away now," Zera gave a premature warning, turning his back on Moon for the first time.
Meanwhile, Moon ran his bare feet on the ground, which was entirely soft sand.
Sigh~
"Too bad there isn’t a single pebble to smash that bastard’s head from here," he said out loud.
Yet, this time no one laughed; everyone was looking at what these young ascenders would decide to do after coming this far.
Ignoring Zera’s warning, one raised his hand. "I’m breaking the deal," he announced.
Moon nodded at him. "Good choice," he praised.
"YOUNG MASTER WON’T LET THIS SLIDE!" Zera screamed into his face.
Moon scratched his head; Zera was quite different from the last round. It was like last round he was playing casually, but this time it was different.
Only now did he find the answer: that so-called young master of his.
"So that’s how it is," Moon nodded, before looking at the hesitant young ascender.
He took one hand out of his pocket and shooed him away. "Leave already; his uselessly great young master can come and fight me himself instead of sending you lots here to do his dirty work, right?"
Zera turned back to Moon. "Into positions!" he ordered, yet his men didn’t move right away.
Some were hesitant.
"I’m stepping back," another called.
With the second, more started walking away. One after another.
"Your master will suffer for this!" Zera threatened one, before throwing more threats at the others.
Soon, those who decided to stay and those who decided to leave split apart. Zera had fourteen of the original ones he brought.
Six walked away, dropping the total number from twenty-one to fifteen.
Moon scratched his head. ’Where’s that stupid and loud-looking guy?’ He thought of someone he believed would be with Zera now the most, but was nowhere to be seen.
Not among the audience and not under armor; his impressive physique would give him away no matter where he tried to hide.
Still, he decided not to think about it for now and focus on what he had in front of his eyes.
Soon, everyone followed Zera’s order and started to move. They each took a spot around the ring, surrounding Moon evenly instead of moving in through the same entry point.
Moon looked at them, standing in the middle of the ring unmoving. "Not a bad tactic, you’re using your head here," he praised Zera, before adding, "Was it your idea or your young master’s idea?" he inquired.
He looked Zera in the eye, and Zera looked back but didn’t answer.
Since the very beginning, when Moon saw Zera last round, he found himself disliking his eyes, full of greed and malice.
He worked under some who seemed to be rich from how things looked, but he was still greedy considering how he started the scavenging attempt back then.
Zera wasn’t someone Moon would like or work with, not now and not before.
Yet, one thing puzzled Moon the most of everything.
Right now and here, Zera of today seemed more of a grudge-holder than a scavenger, and the malice in his eyes seemed aimed at Moon personally rather than a trait of his character.
"MARCH!" Zera ordered from his position as he put on his helmet. He slid the visor over his eyes.
Zera and everyone else started dashing at Moon, whose hands were still in his pockets.
Yet, the moment they crossed the boundary, Moon didn’t waste any time; he also dashed at his fastest without any hesitation.
His aim was none other than Zera himself.
Zera, once he saw Moon’s stride, stopped in his tracks.
Zera took a stance; he put up his guard. Evidently, even though he was armored from head to toe, he didn’t look down on Moon, nor did he leave anything to chance.
Yet, Moon’s actions might render his plan useless. If anything, he must defend.
’I must hold him back until we surround him.’ Zera steeled his heart and waited for the right moment.
Samuel and Ed watched the scene playing, but they had nothing to say, whether they expected it, or just thought it the natural course of action Moon would take.
Or just a logical approach that any experienced warrior would take.
On the other hand, Lexie stood up in anticipation. So did Basil at a seat farther away.
Colten watched with a heavy face, his jaw muscles contracting strongly.
Nonetheless, what came next wasn’t something anyone expected or saw coming.
"AUGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Wails echoed across the entire arena.
No one cheered, nor did a single person utter a word.
Even the armored ascenders marching to surround and attack Moon halted, frozen in place.
Zera’s wails didn’t stop, holding the opening of his own helmet with both hands.
"MY EYE AAUGGGH!" he cried.
Murmurs soon began to rise.
"What... what just happened?"
"What’s going on?"
"Is it still only a skirmish?"
Even Nola couldn’t react for a long moment; she tugged Lexie’s sleeve. "Sister?" she called.
Lexie didn’t react, but her eyes held disbelief.
Boa and Talia stood still, observing.
Further away, Roran saw the scene; he blinked before turning his attention to Colten, whose face was heavier than ever. "Did you expect this?"
Colten exhaled sharply. "Worse, I didn’t expect his warning."
"Worse?" Roran exclaimed.
"Him showing mercy is something I could never have predicted," Colten admitted.
"What happens now?" Roran asked eagerly, his tone more serious.
"How would I know?" Colten shrugged, still not taking his eyes off Moon, who was standing with a bloodied hand. "Would they keep fighting, or would they run away... I don’t know," Colten admitted.
As for Moon... Since the beginning, Moon wasn’t only waiting, giving Basil and the others time to conclude their plan. He was slowly observing the armor, the joints, the moving parts, and the openings.
Moon wasn’t going to smash through the armor with his bare fists, so instead, he spent the time searching for an opening to exploit once the battle started.
"These things are not common on the first floor; it’s rare to find cowards like you," he said out loud to the wailing Zera on the ground.
Moon turned around, looking at a certain spot in the audience. A spot that had a slight shine.
There, his body coiled closely and he lowered his stance, before taking a violent step forward. His fist, holding onto something, swung widely, accelerating before releasing the object.
"Did I get caught?"
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