For a second, Simyon thought he had found his way out of the current situation. He was of two minds. Of course, he wanted to win, it would be good to prove himself in front of all these people, and also to get some payback for what had happened to the others.
It was a chance to prove to himself how much he had grown and whether his hard work had been worth it.
However, all of that came at a cost, and that cost was getting hit by someone who was likely very strong.
'Man, I'm not too sure about this. That Black Tiger guy, he's seriously giving me some Ricktor vibes.' Simyon thought he could even see a large smile on his face like he was about to enjoy what was about to happen next.
'Why, why are strong people all strange weirdos or freaks? Well, at least this one doesn't seem like he's going after me.' Simyon walked over, feeling like his fate was decided, and turned to look over at the mysterious person who had paid for him to take part.
Who was she, what interest did she have in the whole thing, or did she simply think she was doing him a favor because he wanted to take part?
That question many people knew the answer to already. They immediately recognized who it was, as there weren't many that would have dark red pigmented skin, at least not one that would stand out as a beauty like her.
"That's Alba, right from the Crimson Crane?"
"Yeah, I think you're right, I heard that she had been staying in the city for a while, quite a few people have seen her here and there."
"It's not just her, I've seen other members from the Crimson Crane as well. I wonder if they have some deal going on with the Demonic Faction."
"Maybe, but you have to remember they are wanderers, so they can go wherever they want. I doubt that they will cause any trouble while they are here."
The whispers and mumblings were caught by Safa and Simyon. They too had heard of the Crimson Crane. They were the biggest wandering Clan.
There was a debate on whether they were the strongest Clan in existence because the other clans were so much larger in number compared to them, that and the wanderers would hardly get into scuffles with any of the clans from other factions to maintain their neutral position.
"Man, I can't believe our luck, now we'll have two silver coins, we can go for a big feast after this!" Liam said.
Safa couldn't help but smile at the comment. Because the way Liam was speaking, it made it sound as if Simyon had already won. He had great confidence in him, and she felt somewhat guilty for not believing as much in Simyon as Liam did.
But it was all because she had gone against him for two solid minutes. This Black Tiger's strength was one that was either equal to Ricktor's or even greater.
In order to make it more of a show, Simyon stood where the chair once was that had been moved out of the way. He then faced the crowd, spread his feet out wide, bent his knees slightly, and placed both of his fists by his waist.
"Alright, bring it!" Simyon said.
While Mantis was getting ready, Rod walked over and whispered in his ear.
"Remember, these guys ruined everything for us. We won't have enough now. We'll have to stop after this, so do whatever you want."
Mantis nodded, and then he got into the same stance as he did before hitting the pillar. He crouched down, his hand wasn't like that of a fist but opened up like a claw, almost touching the floor.
"Here I go!" Mantis shouted.
He kicked off with his Qi, but unlike before there was no visible Qi in his steps behind him. It was the same when throwing out his fist; there was no visible Qi, but he still increased the power of his Qi and slammed it right into the center of Simyon's stomach.
A loud shockwave went off, blowing the hair of those that were standing near. Simyon's feet had shifted around a meter on the ground.
'This guy, he's the same age or younger than me. I can't use my full strength, otherwise he could die.'
There was an ache in his hand that Mantis noticed. It hurt, it didn't feel like he had hit flesh, but almost like punching a large solid rock. Now that he looked at the person in front of him, he also noticed that he should have fallen over or gone flying in the air, but instead, he was still standing in place.
"ARGHHHH!" Simyon roared out loud in the air, letting out all of the pain he could feel. His stomach muscles were throbbing, and with each throb, pain would be sent through his whole body.
'What a hit!' Simyon thought. 'If I hadn't reached the uncommon metal body, I would have been taken out by that. Damn, this hurts more than anything Dame has ever done to me before.'
The crowd was impressed, and they started to cheer on Simyon, seeing this. What they thought was going to be a simple one and done, now looked like it was going to take a bit more than that.
"I thought as much," Alba said, her smile larger than before. "All three of those kids that were together. They are very interesting, a lot more interesting than those from the Pagna Academy.
"They feel fresh, yet somehow, they have this special air about them." She was glad that her bet paid off, but the real question was, what was going to happen now.
Simyon resumed his stance, walking back to where he was before, and placed his hands by his side again.
"Three hits right, so I guess I got two more?" Mantis said, his hand shaking.
'Maybe I went too easy on him. I'm the Black Tiger, I'm the hope of the Demonic Faction and the Academy. I can't let this nobody stand in my way.' He thought.
Getting in the tiger stance once more.
'I still don't want to kill him, but let's see you stand after this.'
Mantis didn't say anything else, and this time when he rushed forward the same way as before, the visual Qi could be seen coming off his foot. A blaze of black energy across the ground.
When throwing out his hand though, there was none, and he twisted his fist like before hitting Simyon in the stomach. His body skidded across the ground, and he had gone back around three meters, twice the amount he did last time.
His face looked like it was boiling red as he held in his breath, his legs were shaking and finally, he opened his mouth.
"PFT!" Out from it, specks of blood went out and onto the floor. The throbbing pain was even more intense than before, and through his clothes, where the fingers had hit him, blood could be seen soaking through.
"So you made it through my second hit, huh?" Mantis said as he got back in position, getting ready to strike again. He couldn't believe it, even adults wouldn't be standing up. What was going on?
Wasting no time, he was ready to go again, and when Simyon moved back to his spot, his legs were like shaking water. Rather than cheering on from the crowd, instead seeing this there was concern for him.
"Hey… hey, he's not going to go for a third hit, is he?" Liam said. "He can barely stand?"
Safa also didn't have a face that showed she was happy with what Simyon was deciding to do.
As Simyon walked across the ground, he started to remember certain memories.
'I wanted to be a Pagna warrior, right? I was the one that decided this. Back then, when I got this strong body, I thanked Raze and decided to be loyal to him, but what have I done to help him?'
'All I'm able to do so far is become a meat shield. Yet, here I am, getting taken out by another Pagna student. This isn't an adult, or some dimensional boss. It's a student just like me, so I'll take this hit.' Simyon wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
As he was getting into position, he started to think of something. Earlier he remembered that they were talking about something, they had mentioned a certain name, and it made him think.
Why would students be talking about being stronger than someone from the Dark Faction? There was a particular idea that floated in his head.
"Hey, this White Dragon you talked about being stronger than?" Simyon answered. "It isn't someone who happens to be from the Dark Pagna academy, right?"
Hearing this, Liam started to shake, as he had figured it out too.
"Ha, so you have heard the rumors too!" Rod shouted. "We all know that the Dark Faction is weaker than the Demonic Faction. They are far too tame in their methods. The rumors of the White Dragon are exaggerated, and the Black Tiger will show it at the next martial arts gathering!"
Safa, and both Liam knew exactly who they were talking about now. With the white hair and what he had done, it made sense for rumors to have spread around.
"You said you were stronger than the White Dragon?" Smiling, Simyon revealed his bloody teeth. "I'm sure whoever he is, he could kick your arse! Bring it on!"