Divine Beast Ascension

Chapter 205: The Better Brother...

Oli also took note of the other competitors and their reactions. Many mumbled or were quite vocal but few were silent, like Oli. Those were the higher ranking seeds, the ones who likely understood the two brothers the best. Seeing their faces light up in surprise made Oli feel a bit better about his odds.

But that was enough for Oli. He then turned his attention back to the ring and paid close attention as he wasn’t sure when he’d need to face one of those two powerhouses.

As flames poured out from the dynamic duo, neither cared about the other’s fire. They were fully focused on reading the next attack and visualizing what might come next.

“Clearly, this isn’t the first time these mighty brothers have fought,” commented the announcer. “But no one knows who really is the strongest son of the Forell Family, not until today!”

“You heard the man, Big Brother. Stop holding back!”

Trantor couldn’t help but laugh as Trenk picked up speed. His agile blade suddenly turned and reached for Trantor’s side while flames gathered around Trenk’s fist for a follow-up strike.

“You’re asking for it!”

.....

The older brother pounded his feet on the ground and swung his staff in a circular motion, guiding the sword strike around instead of letting the blow land cleanly. Then, as the sword whiffed past his chest, Trantor snapped the end of his staff downward into Trenk’s shoulder and follow-up punch. But he was all smiles, already knowing it wouldn’t be enough to stop his younger brother.

When Trenk punched to cancel out the staff attack, he also hurried to the side. He evaded the counterattack of Trantor swinging the staff’s opposite end upward, utilizing the momentum of Trenk’s fist to the fullest.

But as the staff struck upward into the air, a cloud of darkness was left behind in its path. That darkness grew energetically to consume the two brothers as Trantor twirled his staff. This left the crowd both feeling all the more suspense while disappointing many of them. But the sudden explosions of flame erupting within the dark mist proved that the fight wasn’t over so quickly.

On edge, many were hoping for their favorite to come out on top. The public opinion was quite split about the match, with one brother being older with a proven work ethic and great social skills while the second brother was proven to have better affinity since birth as a natural talent.

To the surprise of many, the first person to leave the cloud of darkness was Trantor. Amidst a fiery explosion, Trantor flew out of the darkness with a few superficial cuts across his torso and arms. Trenk wasn’t far behind, tailing his injured brother with a predatory gaze.

“I’m sorry, Big Brother.”

But Trantor replanted his feet near the platform’s edge and readied his next attack. “Don’t say that just yet!”

As Trantor swung the staff, Trenk parried and grabbed one end without wait. The younger brother used his grip to pull closer and deliver a stunning strike. However, Trantor did the same, closing the small gap between them all the faster. With Trenk’s reach cut short, Trantor accepted a grazing slash in exchange for grabbing the neckline of his brother’s armor.

Everyone was silent as blood was spilled and Trenk was thrown downward. Trenk reached for the stage and readied to stab the platform to steady himself, but his plans were thwarted as Trantor stored his staff and grappled Trenk completely. Now, both brothers were heading off the stage’s ledge and plummeting to the ground.

It was a ring out. To the astonishment of the crowd, the match most everyone would term as the most anticipated ended in a ring out.

Everyone was on their feet as the announcer gave the final call.

“He’s out! Trenk is out!” declared the ref. “With a fraction of a second deciding the victor, Trantor has managed to defeat his younger brother using his wits and strength in tandem. Spectacular! Simply Spectacular!”

The roaring crowd burst into cheers and cries, either celebrating their monetary gains or their great losses.

“Blasted tricks...” Reginol scoffed and shook his head. “Leading us on to only win by default? How dishonorable...”

Hurman laughed, “Says you?”

Keldon and everyone else in the Practor Family broke out in laughter as well. Graent chuckled too, almost getting the bodyguards to crack under his influence.

“Says the man who pulled the same trick back in the day...” But Reginol chuckled and grinned back at Hurman. “At least I’ll get more than enough return from this next fight.”

On the other side of the bleachers, those of the Forell Family were either the most electric fans or the most somber fans. They were the most divided by the results. Most of them would never accept such a result as the determining factor for their family’s future, but that wouldn’t stop those supporting Trantor to use it to their advantage for the time being. And the most silent was Tranton Forell, the man torn by his sons’ forced rivalry.

“Yes!” Hurrying to their side, Freele helped Trantor up to his feet. “You did it! You really did it!”

But Trantor didn’t respond just yet. Instead, he reached down and helped pull up Trenk. “Sorry, Little Brother, but that was the only way to save my energy and not hurt you too badly.”

“Either way... you won,” chuckled Trenk. His expression was a bit jarring to Trantor and Freele but his casual tone said enough to leave them at ease. “I guess that’s one way to settle it... But now you can’t lose.”

“You can bet on that.”

“I just might.”

Trenk then offered a bow to the victor and turned away. He walked past the shocked competitors with a soft smile and neared the bleacher stairs. But he stopped for a moment and politely bowed his head to the sole competitor offering him a bow in place of cheers or claps.

“Represent Master Hurman well.”

“Of course,” Oli replied, lifting his head. “But I should’ve told you the same.”

Laughing, Trenk continued and claimed a seat among his peers in the reserved area. He sat beside his encouraging mother, one seat away from his father’s hesitant grin. For the rest of the tournament, Trenk kept his opinion to himself and only gave his expression as a window to his thoughts.