The clanking of utensils sounded through the dining hall. Waiters stacked multiple plates over their hands and rushed to different seats.
Vera sat beside Chun, Aspartese, and Chang-yu while eating a butter-basted lobster, courtesy of Jin Jiang. Contrary to what Vera had expected, no one brought up yesterday's match.
Most interacted with Vera as they did usually.
Just then, Yang-chun walked up to Vera's table and bowed.
"Good morning, senior brother." He spoke with a pleasant smile, as he always did. Though the hesitance in his actions didn't escape Vera's eyes.
Slight tremors ran through Yang-chun's hands; he had even stood a bit further from Vera than usual.
Aspartese and Chang-yu must have talked to them...
Vera set his utensils down and turned to Yang-chun. "Good morning, Yang-chun. And stop calling me senior; I'm not much older than you."
Regardless of how cordial they all were, Vera saw hesitance in all his peers, even Chun...
I don't want to be here much longer.
Vera finished whatever remained of the lobster and set down his utensils. However, as he was about to stand up and return his dishes to the kitchen, he remembered what Aspartese had told him the night before. His fingers stilled an inch away from his plate.
Am I trying to look away right now?
If Vera were to leave right now, he could avoid explaining why he behaved the way he did in his match.
We can still live like this. Why bother fiddling with the wound?
Utensils clattered onto Vera's plate as he collected his belongings. He picked up his plate and walked to the kitchen counter to return it.
A young dishwasher collected Vera's plate at the counter; he looked toward Vera with a bright smile.
"How was the lobster, sir? Hotelier Jin left early this morning to get fresh lobster for you; I'm sure he'd be happy to hear what you thought of it."
Vera bowed lightly.
"The lobster was amazing. I'll have to convey my thanks to hotelier Jin personally as well."
The young man thanked Vera for his praise and hurried off to the kitchen.
I should head back to my room now...
As Vera walked to the dining hall's exit, he realised no one looked to him; a dull weight pressed on his chest. Only Aspartese looked toward him as he left.
As he gripped the door's handle, Vera stood in place for a moment. His heart beat into his ears as though he were about to lose his last chance.
Am I afraid of what I'll find?
In his twenty-one years, he had fought myriad beasts without fear. But the human heart...
The bustling of the dining hall continued; it would continue whether or not he was there.
Do I want to be here?
No matter how much he looked away, those who cared for him always saw him. Be it his father, Elem, Ken, Ezra, or even the close friends he made here.
His hand slipped from the handle. Vera turned back to face his peers.
"Uhh... everyone. I mean, disciples—members of the sixth branch. Could you listen to me for a bit?"
At his words, those from the sixth branch looked toward him immediately. Aspartese smiled at him from the back, urging him to go on.
Vera's hands were cold; he stood with crossed arms.
"I am... not what you saw yesterday." His fingers pried at his forearms, pulling apart his folded hands.
"Partly due to a technique and the way I've lived until now, I went too far."
His once-crossed arms hung loosely.
"I apologise for how I behaved. And I just wanted to say, that I would never do that to any one of you. If there is anything you want to ask me about this, feel free to."
His fingertips tapped against his legs as he looked around his peers' tables. "Uhh... That is all. I will take my leave now."
He turned to the door and pulled it aside. However, just as he was about to leave, a voice called out to him.
A familiar voice.
Chang-yu walked to the door with Chun walking beside her. A devious grin was plastered onto her face. "I have a whole lot of things I'd like to ask."
The three of them walked out of the dining hall together. Vera responded to her as he followed from behind. "I said only about what happened yesterday."
Chang-yu laughed at Vera's response.
"Not a chance. I'll definitely find out why you burn your tongue all the time today."
The weight over Vera's chest eased as he listened to Chang-yu and Chun chatting. Although the others didn't say anything...
I think it won't be too long.
***
The afternoon sun stood at the sky's peak. In contrast to the day of the 'Under One Law' events, only sect affiliates were let into the arena.
Vera and the rest of the branch members arrived at the arena. As there were no outsiders for the coming events, most viewers sat in the first-storey seating.
Even the Blade Master sat with the rest of the members. He wore a black veil and loosely fitted robes covering up every inch of his body. Vera recalled the day he stared at the Blade Master for too long; the scar on his neck throbbed just from the memory.
After a few minutes passed, most of the branch members were seated. Only, there was some commotion in the first branch's seating area. The first branch seating was split into three groups; each group was part of one of the young masters' factions.
The third young master's faction members were speaking to each other with serious expressions. One of the seats near the young master was empty.
Aspartese tapped Vera's shoulder; he looked at him with a devious grin. "It seems that old bastard Zhang Li isn't attending today. I hope he got diarrhoea."
Vera turned to face him as he sipped on a flask of salted water.
"Why do you sound like you hate the man?"
Aspartese leaned back into his seat; his nostrils flared as he spoke. "That damn cunt looked down on me because he was a Synergy higher than me. That fucking crypt of a man is a century older than me. I should've asked him what rank he was at my age."
A stifled yelp sounded as Vera jabbed Aspartese's side. His expression was half murderous. "Don't swear in front of Chun."
At Vera's words, Aspartese launched his fist onto Vera's head. "So torture is okay?"
"Ahhh! That hurt, you old monster!" Vera yelped. He jumped into the vacant seat behind Aspartese and started pinching his ears.
"Let go of my ears!"
Aspartese stretched his arms back, trying to grab hold of Vera.
All the sixth branch disciples nearby moved to the furthest seat possible in their assigned area. They made their best attempt at not being grouped with their idiot branch master and his pseudo-disciple.
The two continued bickering for the next five minutes.
Finally, the One Law events had begun. The first branch's vice master, Tong Xuan, walked up to the centre of the stadium.
His voice, amplified by qi, reached the corners of the first stand with ease. "I'm glad to have the opportunity to officiate this year's One Law and Above events. Considering it's just us members, I shall do away with the theatrics."
He turned to face the Blade Master and bowed his head. "With the sect master's approval, I would like to start the first spar of the day."
Sect master Tao waved his palm at Tong Xuan. His tone ran low, and his words were few.
"You may."
At his approval the vice-master called out disciples of the first and second branches.
"Li Yue of the first branch, Swift Sword School, and Hao Rang of the second branch, Impact School. Begin at your own leisure."
Without further ado, the two unsheathed their blades.
Vera stopped pulling at Aspartese's hair and paid attention to the match. This was the first time he had seen a master above the third rank fight. Furthermore, the Impact School was one of the three he was considering.
The first to move was Li Yue.
A shrill clang sounded as her boot crashed into the black iron tiles. Her dull grey robe blurred in the air as she dashed into Hao Rang's space.
Her sword sliced towards Hao Rang's neck, its silver edges leaving a bright trail in the air.
A red spark flew into the air as her sword met Hao Rang's. Although the interaction was almost instant, Vera noticed something crucial.
He stifled her momentum completely. Even though he only had a moment to wind up his sword, he was able to match her force.
Li Yue took a step back; her sword followed Hao Rang's dominant arm. Hao Rang understood her intention clearly. He tried to widen the gap and enter mid-range exchanges.
But Li Yue followed persistently, maintaining a distance of three paces between them.
Vera followed the exchanges closely; his brows furrowed as he watched.
Wouldn't the close be more beneficial to Hao Rang, who can generate instantaneous force?
Aspartese, who sat at the front, passed Vera a piece of jerky, his eyes also glued to the battle.
"The mid- to close range is more beneficial to disciple Yue. Look at her sword placement; she is trying to prevent slash attacks."
Vera took the jerky from Aspartese. He spoke as he chewed on it. "Is she trying to bait him into thrusting for a counter?"
Aspartese nodded. "Around those lines. She is trying to limit his options to make dodging easier. Being a swift sword user, her technicals are far stronger, but strength still lags."
As they had speculated, Hao Rang began using thrusts to open the distance again. At first Li Yue had no option but to retreat to the outside of his reach and reassert her positioning.
The sword thrusted perpendicularly to her line of sight. Red streaks formed over her eyes as she observed the thrusts. While they weren't fast enough to be of note, she had to be cautious of the Impact Law. At any given moment Hao Rang's sword could become multiple times faster.
The wind shrieked as their blades ripped through over and over again.
Neither had a clear advantage; however, by the twelfth exchange, Li Yue had read Hao Rang's sword completely.
Her qi flared a dull grey. In less than a breath's time, her sword extended from beneath his sword arm, its tip pressed firmly at his neck.
Tong Xuan, who watched from the side, called the match.
"The winner is Li Yue. Both have shown exceeding strength, but Li Yue's understanding of the technicals is stronger."
Li Yue and Hong Rang stepped away from each other and bowed respectfully.
As the two returned to their own stands, Tong Xuan returned to the field's centre.
Just as he promised there was no theatrics in his announcements. He simply introduced participants and called the match's end.
If anything, Vera liked him better than the previous announcer.
Without much in terms of politics battles between users of all five provided Laws took place. For Vera, the least notable battle was between the Heavy Sword and Iron Blanket users. Those battles ended as soon as they started, mostly because only qi determined who would win.
However, the battles between heavy and swift swords were worth watching. Refined techniques and strategies, defined who would win and who would lose.
Just as his interest faded and he planned on leaving, Tong Xuan called the participants for the fifteenth match.
"Yao Chen of the first branch's swift sword school, and..." For the first time, this day, he turned to the sixth branch's seating area.
A pleasant smile formed on his face. "Oh! We have a third ranker of the sixth branch seeded for the competition as well. Very well, Vera of the sixth branch come forward."
Vera looked at Aspartese with wide eyes.
"You seeded me for the One Law matches?"
Still chewing on his jerky, Aspartese responded, without even bothering to turn back. "Go earn me some money on that field, you psychopath." His words were laced with laughter.
A subtle smile grew on Vera's lips.
Thanks, you old bastard.
After yanking Apsartese's hair one last time, Vera walked out to the arena. As he stood beside Tong Xuan, he looked back at Aspartese.
"Buy me that costly roast duck from the dining hall for dinner."
Aspartese winced at the thought of his declining finances.
After both Vera and Yao Chen reached the arena, Tong Xuan retreated to the stands and raised his arms.
"Begin at your leisure."
Vera raised his arms and formed a stance, signaling that he was ready. Yao Chen also entered a stance and lined his sword to Vera's neck. His gaze sharpened as he observed Vera.
"I saw your match against Yong Xi. I won't take you lightly."
The two locked eyes, as the crowd's chattering halted—
A sharp whistle sounded in the air. Vera's head swung back, barely escaping Yao Chen's sword by a hair's length. The sword's polished exterior gleamed in Vera's eyes, his breath hitched for a moment.
He's fast. Extremely fast.
A blinding yellow light formed over Vera's palms.
The arena shook as flames burst forth from Vera's right hand, its brilliant shine engulfed the two of them. Yao Chen's qi surged through his feet as he slipped to Vera's right; his pristine robes were laden with ash.
But Vera's retaliation wasn't over yet. His left hand followed Yao Chen's path. As he got to Vera's blindside and prepared to launch a slash, he noticed the dense yellow light in Vera's left hand.
Wrinkles formed around his eyes.
I can't retreat. I'll have to circle to his back.
With Vera's current footing, he wouldn't be able to counter an attack from behind. Realising this, he hurriedly circled back.
As Yao Chen escaped his range, Vera dashed forward. His body spun backward from the waist up, the built-up qi in his left hand burst out at where his opponent was.
He's fast. I need to lock down his mobility.
As expected, Yao Chen had slipped out of the attack's path. A flurry of sword arcs shot out at Vera, from ten paces to his right, forming a sword net that prevented his escape.
The tempo was in Yao Chen's favour.
A wall of iron qi manifested in front of Vera, negating the the sword net completely. Vera's brows furrowed.
These projectiles...
In the fraction of a breath that Vera used to defend, his opponent had already closed the ten paces between them.
Yao Chen's thin sword let out multiple quick thrusts in succession, giving Vera no chance to release another wide area attack.
Vera's breaths grew erratic as he slipped away from each blow by the skin of his teeth. As the moments passed a sparse layer of qi pooled up around his body.
The blade's sharp edges resonated with the air; Vera could hear a shrill ring each time the sword came for his head.
Yao Chen smirked; he was confident that this would be the end of the match. At a pace's length, it would be impossible to escape a swift sword.
He can last five more at best.
However, as the number of blows he let out kept growing in number, his expression faded.
The margin by which Vera dodged each blow kept increasing.
They have no strength behind them.
Vera's veil of qi covered the length of Yao Chen's sword, it gently lead the sword by its tip. The veil's pull was minimal, to the extent that Yao Chen didn't even notice.
As the attack grew in speed, the tension in Yao Chen's arm weakened. For this reason alone...
It's easy to deflect.
Vera's gaze sharpened, he followed the sword's motion from start to finish. As the sword extended completely it stopped for just a moment.
From the pivoting of his foot Vera could predict the blade's path.
As the tenth thrust was released Vera's head swung to the side; the blade's edge grazed his nose as it passed by.
Just then the veil dragged the sword aggressively, the sheer force caused Yao Chen's right knee to splay outward. His expression contorted into a grimace.
At the moment when it extended fully, Vera dashed in and grabbed his opponent's shoulder. His centre of gravity dropped as his right foot pivoted outward.
No matter how hard he tried to slip out of Vera's hold, with his weakened footing, there was no chance to escape.
As Vera pulled, Yao Chen's chest was pressed against his shoulder. In a single swift motion, Vera spun backwards throwing Yao Chen over.
But it wasn't over yet, his grip slid down to Yao Chen's wrist; his fingers dug through the flesh gripping the wrist firmly.
A loud thud sounded through the arena. Vera's left leg swung around Yao Chen's sword arm, locking his elbow in place and pressing his neck into the ground.
If Vera were to pull his arm back by even an inch, Yao Chen's arm would break.
There was no way to dodge, with zero mobility. His bones creaked as he tensed his arm, desperately trying to escape the hold. But Vera responded by simply tightening the hold.
The resistance in Yao Chen's arm eased as the sound of his elbow being crushed reached him. As he gave up resisting. only pained groans remained.
As the sound of his opponent's body crashing into the ground faded, Vera could hear multiple murmurs from the stands. Though he only looked at Yao Chen; a low sigh escaped him.
It's just as that Aspartese said. The One Law stage is just a specialised third rank.
Tong Xuan, who was usually prompt with his judgement was also taken aback. His dignified voice faltered.
"Uh... The winner is." He stared at Vera's unusual technique absentmindedly, even his words halted for a moment.
"Vera of the sixth branch wins."