Battle Hall

Osric stood before the slightly effeminate boy that was Conrad. Although, he had little regard for the boy, that didn't mean he wouldn't react when someone was questioning his guts.

Especially not when said someone was a person he had little like for.

"What brings you here?" He asked.

"What brings me here, you say?" Conrad replied and paused for a second, before continuing. "You see, I seem to realize I have been advancing too swiftly. Hence, I need a sparring partner that would help me perfect my foundation before aiming for the Meridian Opening Realm. Then I thought, who could that sparring partner be if not you?"

By now, Osric's gaze had shifted slightly. Before Conrad could even complete his little monologue, he was already aware of what he was speaking of.

Osric almost rolled his eyeballs. What did the fool take him for?

Were it a different person, perhaps they would have been swayed by the sudden modest tone he used, when in actuality, just few moments ago, he had been clearly hostile.

All his sudden modesty, his monologue, all pointed to one thing…

"So Osric, I challenge you to a friendly spar. Do you dare accept?"

Seeing Osric's expression that increasingly grew grim, Conrad though, felt elation arise in his heart. He had always wanted to teach Osric a lesson and what better way was he going to do that if not by challenging him to a battle?

And there was the fact that although, Osric had always been passive when around him, choosing not to antagonize him, he knew he had his own pride. A pride that wouldn't sit and allow someone blatantly disregard him.

Osric on the other hand was deep in thought. The only reason his expression changed wasn't because he was scared of Conrad. If anything, Conrad should be the scared one.

However, the reason Osric expression portrayed a negative emotion was because, he knew that currently, none in his cultivation level could hope to match him. And this was them even possessing Divine Grade Talents to their advantage.

Although he had no idea if his Talents were of the Divine Grade or not, what he was most especially aware of was that, even if his Talents were of the Divine Grade, then it had a reached a level even the likes of Seina couldn't hope to match.

With such Talents, how could Conrad, with even more lower level Talents than Seina, ever defeat him?

But, Osric appeared to be hesitating. While he knew the Pact he had formed with Fahren Clan allowed him freewill, he also knew he couldn't suddenly begin to act brazenly because of this either. After all, Conrad's father was an Elder of the Fahren Clan. What if he defeated Conrad and they reacted vehemently? A simple attack from such a person was more than enough to kill him a million times over.

Without him knowing, his overcautiousness was kicking in again. He was simply overthinking things. Even without the Pact, why would a respected Elder of the Fahren Clan stoop so low as to react fiercely to the defeat of his son?

Hell, he wouldn't even bat an eye if his son was bleeding profusely. If he couldn't withstand such a simple concept as defeat, then he might as well be unworthy of his gene.

"Oh? Could it be the great Osric who found favor in the eyes of the Patriarch is suddenly chickening out? It couldn't be right?"

'This bastard…'

Osric gritted his teeth as he heard the taunts of Conrad. He could accept the challenge. No, that was inaccurate. He should accept it. However, the uncertainty still weighed more. Hence, he didn't fall for Conrad's taunts.

"Or perhaps, you are buying time for your guardian angel to come protect you?" Conrad's eyes narrowed and his lips curled up as he watched the subsequent reaction of Osric.

Osric's gaze turn cold. If before, he was trying to affirm his own safety by not accepting, now though, he felt the need unnecessary.

As a prideful man, one of the things he most hated was likening him to a wimp who hid behind women.

Before their Awakening Ceremonies, Osric had always been saved from the hands of Conrad by Seina. And almost all the time he was saved by her, Conrad always made it an effort to call him out on it, which angered him to no end. Alas there was little he could do.

With the sorrow of the Patriarch's death still weighing him down, and the fact that his cautiousness had reached an all-time high, he could only rely on Seina, something Conrad would readily taunt him for.

And now, he was doing the same thing again. But the difference was that, now, he could rely on himself.

Osric took a deep breath, and then spoke.

"Alright, I accept."

*

There were countless Halls in the Fahren Clan Territory. However, among them, only a select few were of extreme importance, while the rest were just apartments for their members.

The Battle Hall, one such Halls of extreme importance was filled to almost capacity thanks to the effort of a certain someone.

The Battle Hall was built like an arena. As such, the howls of spectators pervaded the air, and could have turned the very air turbulent were it not for the fact that the people howling were just Mortal cultivators.

Here and there, their eyes would dart around the Hall as though looking for something. And upon landing their eyes on a particular spot at the highest part of the Hall, a deep-seated reverence threatened to spill out of their eyes.

Sitting at the highest seat of the Hall was a man, a young man to be more precise. He had curly black hair and silver eyes. A sculpted jaw that perfectly defined his handsomeness, and was donned in black robe.

By the aura that radiated from his body, it was made evident he was an Immortal. An Immortal of an higher caliber than the remaining Immortals that sat around him.

If Osric had been here, he would have recognized him as the young man that emceed his and the others Awakening Ceremonies.

From the look of things, it appeared he survived the rain of Heavens' Blessing that turned even the grounds of a Divine World into soot.

Suddenly, everybody became silent as a distinct sound of a footstep, no, that wasn't accurate, it was footsteps. The distinct sound of footsteps pierced through the noise as though they were like the sharp edge of a blade.

The owners of said footsteps walked with no apparent reaction. They took each steps as though the silence that ensued upon their arrival was always meant to be like this, as though it was only to be expected, as though even the Heavens themselves would have to hold their breath before them.

Although, age-wise, they weren't far from each other, appearance-wise though, they didn't even look alike.

One was taller, his frame was slightly larger and he looked more manly. His straight, glossy bronze hair cascaded all the way to the middle of his back. His eyes shone a gold that looked regal and almost blinding. His bronze skin radiated a vitality so immense it felt as though it came from a Mythical Beast like a Dragon rather than a Human.

The second was shorter, precisely a head shorter than the first. His frame was more lithe, and he looked more feminine. His hair was a mane of obsidian black filaments. His eyes shone a dangerous crimson red and his skin was as pale as the whitest of snow.

Without fail, each and everyone of the two was at the very peak of the Nascent Realm.

Conrad and Osric had arrived.