Yeon v Rueben Fastilla

"AHHHH!" Reuben Fastilla screamed as he floundered about on the floor.

He only stopped when he tumbled into a nearby male participant who gave him a weird look.

"Are…are you ok, Cultivator Fastilla?" he asked him hesitantly.

He didn't want to anger the powerful man, but it was clear that something was not 'ok'.

A bit of drool had leaked from Reuben Fastilla's mouth and it had gathered with dust after his energetic spasm.

Reuben Fastilla read the pity and confusion in the man's eyes, and realizing that he was no longer in pain, he immediately stood up.

"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern," he said, wiping the dirt off his face.

A few people were snickering around him, but when he shot them a deathly cold stare, they all shut up.

"I hope you have all had an exciting second trial!" Elder Marvin said as he summoned a huge screen above him:

"This trial was to test both your adaptability and your combat prowess. Any participants who scored below 25 points will be disqualified!" he yelled.

It was a surprisingly low cut-point, but many participants had either rushed into battle and gotten killed after getting swamped in black blood or had been killed by other participants.

There was a huge range of scores among those who passed, but more than half the participants had failed.

[1: Elsher Elrod - 200

2 : Caddel Spade – 153

…

14: Reuben Fastilla – 93

…

96: Yeon – 46

…

123: Mia – 31

124: Emily – 30

…]

Yeon looked at the screen which had all the successful participants listed in order of their scores.

"Caddel Spade came second just through hunting monsters?" he said in shock.

153 meant that he had killed a grand total of 51 monsters during that time.

"What a monster…" Emily mumbled while looking over at the man in question, "maybe someone foolishly attacked him and died at his hands."

Caddel Spade smiled brightly and waved his muscular arms at the crowd, showing no signs of fatigue after his impressive massacre.

"Thank you!" he shouted at the crowd who cheered for him. His display of overwhelming strength fit the preferences of the Sapling City citizens who admired the Divine Sword Sect's style of battle.

"Now without further ado, let us move right into the third and final trial," Elder Marvin said while addressing the crowd to quieten down:

"The good news for the participants is that those who have passed the second trial, will all be guaranteed a place in the Sapling Sword Sect! Congratulations to our future disciples!" he shouted while clapping.

"Woo! We did it!" one screamed in joy.

"I did it! My parents will be so proud of me!" yelled another.

Emily hugged Mia, and Mia hugged Yeon. Yeon with his comparatively longer arms, hugged them both as they shared in their happiness.

"Well done, you two. You deserve it," he said warmly.

"Mmm!" Mia said while nodding her head into Yeon's chest.

Elder Marvin motioned with his hands to calm the excited crowd and participants.

"Now, now. You might be asking what the third trial is for… The third trial is to differentiate between the top scorers. Those who place higher will receive more resources upon entering the sect, and we will be having a sequence of duels for those placed in the top 19."

Elder Marvin shot Yeon a snide look which did not go unnoticed by him.

"What is he thinking of now…"

Yeon had not placed in the top 19, so there was no need to worry. But the odd number of individuals participating in the trial irked him.

"He wouldn't, right?" he asked Mia and Emily.

Mia, who wasn't sure what Elder Marvin would do just tilted her head sideways in confusion.

Emily, who had the same thought as Yeon, had a worried expression.

"However, after much discussion and deliberation, we have decided to add another participant for the sake of the crowd. Although he did not place in the top 20 for either of the trials, he has shown us his ingenuity and exciting fighting style."

Elder Marvin pointed to Yeon with a wide unsettling smile.

"Yes! The participant who came 96th, Yeon!" he said while placing an unnecessarily large emphasis on his low score.

"…Congratulations?" Mia said, unsure of whether this was something to celebrate or commiserate.

"It seems fishy. Didn't he hate you?" Emily asked while touching her chin.

"He does. I can tell that he still absolutely despises me, which is why I'm worried. There's no way he did this so that I can get more resources when I enter the sect," Yeon replied, his eyes narrowing questioningly.

"Maybe he plans on not letting you enter the sect by disqualifying you through the duels?" Emily said, listing off potential agendas of the sect elder:

"I mean, it's not as if he can just kil-" her words were cut short when Elder Marvin put up a new screen showing the duel set-ups.

"And here we have it, folks! The Heavens favour us, the first match is bound to be full of excitement. It is participant Yeon who has scraped through the first two trials and Disciple Fastilla!" he said with child-like excitement.

It was clear to Yeon that it was Elder Marvin who was the most eager for this trial.

Yeon's title remained as 'participant' and Rueben Fastilla's had been changed to 'disciple'. A telltale sign of his real view of the pair.

"Random my ass, it's obviously rigged…" Yeon said, his brows furrowing.

"Will you be alright?" Mia asked him worriedly.

She tugged on his robes to get his attention, only to realise that she was no longer wearing Yeon's robe.

She looked down to the floor, filled with an unknown sense of disappointment.

Yeon noticed it and misunderstood it as genuine worry. He plopped his hand on her to rub her head.

"It'll be fine…" he said.

"Yeon, you should take this seriously. It's not uncommon for cultivators to die accidentally during duels," Emily said concernedly, "I think…"

She was reluctant to say it in case she offended Yeon's pride, but she said it regardless since his safety was more valuable to her than how he viewed her:

"I think you should forfeit this…" she said, her words becoming quieter as she spoke.

Yeon looked over at Rueben Fastilla.

He had his mouth open in disbelief, staring at the screen in the sky where it read [Rueben Fastilla v Yeon].

He looked down to match Yeon's gaze when his expression suddenly warped into a manic grin, only to return back to his graceful normal self.

"Thank you, Elder Marvin. Duels are truly noble battles where two men can battle heart-to-heart. I hope that this opportunity can serve to put any misgivings as water under the bridge and that our fight is honest," he said while cupping his hands:

"May this fight be between the two of us and the two of us only, not affected by the cheering of the crowd nor the examining eyes of the wise Elders."

Yeon looked at Rueben Fastilla with a dry look.

'So, you're basically asking for him not to interfere if you try to kill me. Great. How elegantly worded and polite of you to ask beforehand. Of course, Elder Marvin will-"

"Hahaha! The future of the sect is bright! Disciple Fastilla is magnanimous and understanding despite your young age. You are an example to all other aspiring disciples," Elder Marvin said with gusto.

He was treating Rueben Fastilla like he was his own family.

'And of course, he accepted it. Immediately at that.'

There was no need for Yeon to participate in this dangerous event.

"I am no match for a cultivator as great as Rueben Fastilla of the noble Fastilla Clan. As a mere Bone Cleansing cultivator, I have no hopes of facing off against a Flesh Cleansing cultivator," Yeon said while bowing politely to show his defeat.

In all honesty, he just didn't want to become a spectacle to these gossip-hungry spectators and uselessly worry Mia and Emily.

"How shameful of you, Disciple Yeon!" Elder Marvin shouted back, spit spraying out from his mouth:

"Despite Disciple Fastilla's generosity in offering to put all misgivings behind you, you dare to refuse his invitation to duel? You passed the first trial through tricky circumstances under the condition that you would show us your potential and skill. You must do so now!"

In other words, Elder Marvin would not allow Yeon to escape this fight.

He put on a wise expression and spoke as if he were preaching to Yeon, "If you want to become a great cultivator, there are times you must step up despite your fear!"

"…" Yeon was silent to this brazen display of treachery.

Had he not already proved himself with the second trial, like all the other participants?

"Fight, Yeon!" the crowd cheered.

"You can do it! Fight for the honour of your women!" they shouted.

It didn't really matter what the crowd said, they just wanted to watch these two with a history duke it out.

Mia was angry over Elder Marvin's unfair judgement, "What! This is unf-"

But Yeon silenced her with his hand

"There's no need for you to make more enemies. Looks like I don't have a choice in this one…"

"Then… Then, beat him up real good, Yeon! You beat the Kanju right! He was a level 1 magical beast which roughly equates to a Flesh Cleansing realm cultivator!" Mia said encouragingly while shaking her two balled-up fists.

She punched the air as if she were hitting an imaginary Rueben Fastilla.

In his battle against the Kanju, Yeon had the location advantage. Moreover, fighting an unintelligent beast was far easier and more predictable than a trained cultivator with a weapon.

Emily was distressed over the situation, "Yeon, please be safe…"

"… It'll be fine, you two. I'm stronger than I look."

Yeon made his way to the centre of the stadium which had already been cleared for them. It was large and spacious with a hard surface to allow for movement and stability.

"May the Heavens and the Earth bear witness, Cultivator Yeon," Reuben Fastilla said, smiling like a snake.

He was looking down on Yeon and rightly so. He was significantly faster and stronger than Yeon.

Yeon repeated the customary line and bowed with his sword in hand, "May the Heavens and the Earth bear witness, Cultivator Fastilla."

And the battle between them began like that.

Reuben Fastilla rushed towards Yeon with his Dadao sword raised high.

It was easy to read, but even as Yeon expertly deflected the blade so that it sliced just passed him, the heavy impact left his hands numb.

The smile on Reuben Fastilla's face grew wider and wider, as the flurry of swings grew faster and faster.

"What's wrong, Cultivator Yeon? Is that really all the power you can muster?" he asked demeaningly.

"Hrk!" Yeon grimaced as he barely redirected another swing.

Yeon who was comparatively slower due to his lower realm was using his all just to deflect the strikes.

Without the timing to counterattack, Yeon could only use his flexible Sword Style to redirect Reuben Fastilla's swings. That in itself was already very impressive.

But the curved Dadao blade made it so that it slid off Yeon's straight dual blades quickly, and Reuben Fastilla could continue the momentum to launch his next strike.

Yeon didn't have the option of dissipating the strikes by crossing his blades over, since he would lose if this became a battle of power.

But despite Yeon's every effort, Reuben Fastilla's endless onslaught only sped up.

"I was going easy on you to measure your strength, but it seems like there's no need to!" he mocked.

He allowed his sword to deflect off Yeon's desperate block and he spun his body to maintain the speed of his Dadao.

"Ha!" he let out a shout as he swung it down, aiming to slice Yeon in half through his forehead.

Yeon, startled by his sudden acceleration didn't have the time to position his feet to allow the blade to skim past him.

He could only raise his blades in an X above him.

*BANG!*

There was a thunderous shockwave as his Dadao smashed into Yeon's Mountain Annihilation Blade. The impact rang through Yeon's arms and throughout his whole body like a brittle bell.

Yeon's legs, unable to resist the weight pressing down, crumbled as he was forced into an embarrassing kneeling position.

Reuben Fastilla towered over Yeon as he laughed at him tauntingly.

Yeon's grimace couldn't be seen, but there were other signs of struggle such as his sweaty brows and shaking arms.

Reuben Fastilla felt euphoric over his dominance over Yeon.

"Ptui!" he spat on Yeon's face below him.

It landed at the bridge of his nose near the top, and all over his veil.

Yeon could feel the slimy spit trickle down his nose.

"I thought this was supposed to be a 'noble' and 'honest' battle. The Heavens are bearing witness to this, no?" Yeon replied spitefully.

"Does this even qualify as a battle, Yeon? Tell me, do you think you even deserve to be treated like an actual opponent?"

Never in his life had Yeon been so overshadowed and dominated in battle.

Adil had never fought seriously before.

Beatrice was famous for her unparalleled fighting instinct and had been nicknamed the 'White Witch'. No one had ever landed a proper hit on her.

Yet, Yeon had just been spat on.

This was not Earth. Despite Yeon's outrageous talent, the difference in hardware was too great. The fact that he had survived this long without dying was testimony to his genius.

But that was it.

He was just surviving.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Something inside him snapped as rage and enmity exploded like a doomsday volcano.

"You…" as if sensing the change in Yeon's mood, Reuben Fastilla kicked Yeon in his chest.

There was a crack as his ribs broke and he was sent flying away.

"You…How… HOW DARE YOU LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT! A MERE ROGUE, A MERE BONE CLEANSING PEASANT!"