Way of the Knights

---

The announcer made the call so the participants of the last batch for the second round all stood up and went towards the stage.

Raven also stood up and slowly walked towards the stage, still carrying that stoic face as he does.

While they were busy arranging themselves, the other contestants among this batch were already secretly observing their competitors. In their minds, they were already deciding whom they should target first when the round starts.

When they saw Raven going up with them, they couldn't help but to raise their brows. They found it inconceivable that a kid actually managed pass through the first round. He wasn't the first kid they saw that joined this competition but they thought all of them were eliminated already during the first round.

They all stood in a circle on top of the arena. The announcer remained below and raised his hand, after gazing at the remaining participants, he sighed and made a long chop while yelling: "6th batch, 2nd round. Start!"

Raven didn't move, as soon as the announcer started the match, he already caught several people eyeing him like a prey, he inwardly sneered and allowed them to do as they pleased.

"Be obedient boy and go down on your own." A bald guy carrying a wooden axe glared at him, trying to intimidate him with his presence.

Raven couldn't even be bothered to reply, he just glanced at that person for a brief second before looking away.

This gesture offended the bald guy, apparently he wasn't the only one who found Raven's presence here to be unwanted, the same goes for the rest since they thought that a kid shouldn't be here.

"Listen to him kid, you're in a lot of pain for being so stubborn." A guy with a long hair added, trying a patient approach.

Needless to say, he did not get a different response from Raven. He offered no words to their request.

"Someone, deal with the kid first. He's being a nuisance." Some brown haired guy sneered and told the rest. The other contestants glared at him fiercely, someone replied with an equally domineering voice.

"It's your idea so why don't you do it?"

"Chores like childcare doesn't suit a fine gentleman like me, it's up to you peasants to deal with it."

"Fine gentleman? Where? I don't see one. All I hear is a sissy." Someone sneered. This made the gentleman's face to instantly crumple in a ugliness. He turned his head around and threw a sharp glare to the person who just spoke.

"Ah, I didn't know pigs could speak nowadays." The brown haired guy fired back, he saw how the man's face turned sour by his words so he laughed and said: "Oh? Have I offended you in anyway? I didn't know pigs could be offended. My bad. But pigs should like meals right? Why don't you eat that kid first then maybe I'll allow you to roll on mud next time."

Things are starting to get really heated between the contestants. They didn't even considered the fact that they were acting like spoiled brats in front of many people.

Meanwhile, within the audience Elyion was busy stuffing his mouth with food as he watched. He then inwardly said: 'Oh, they're just really underestimating him huh?'

He swallowed his food and took a sip of his drink, 'I mean, all living things will eventually die, but some people want their deaths to arrive sooner rather than later. What can we do?'

"How unpleasant."

For the first time since going up stage, Raven spoke.

All heads turned towards him, they saw him shaking his head and showing a very disappointed expression on his face. He listened as these so called 'adults' insulted each other like spoiled brats which made him extremely irritated.

"Stop wasting time." He said as he eyed them one by one, "You people can come all at once, I'm getting tired of this."

His words drew sharp breaths from people who were watching. Those words! How arrogant! Who is this child and does he not know how to write the word 'death'?

He's directly provoking nine fully grown adults, who in their right mind will do that?

"Hahahaha!" Brown haired man burst onto an uproarious laugh as he heard Raven's words. He walked towards Raven and arrived in front of him. Everyone watch the scene unfold, with no intentions of interfering, well the kid was asking for it so letting him experience some beating should wake him up.

"You're so funny little guy! Are you perhaps a clown? My sister's birthday is about to come, if you want I'll hire you so that you can buy some candy." He said with a visible sneer in his face while looking down at Raven.

Elyion who was watching shook his head and thought: 'He's bananas.'

"I don't like the way you look at me." Raven uttered with an icy tone.

The brown haired man gave him a cold stare and replied: "Hoh? Then what are you going to do with it?"

Just as he finished talking, he felt his stomach sink in as an unbearable pain washed over his body. His eyes widened like saucers and his entire body caved in. He broke into a fit of coughing, spitting out some blood while he did.

His mind turned blank, he inwardly thought: 'What the hell just happened to me?'

He looked up with difficulty and saw Raven's indifferent face looking down at him. An absurd idea suddenly popped in his mind but he repeatedly denied it, he didn't want to believe that it was this kid who reduced him in this state.

"Now this…is more pleasant." Raven's words brought chills into the crowd. He reached out and grabbed the hair of the brown haired guy. Briefly raising it, he spoke: "Remember this angle. This is where our eyes meet, alright?"

Raven's strong grip prevented the guy from even speaking, a second later he felt his whole body felt light and a second after that, he felt a strong pain on his back. When he opened his eyes, he discovered that he was already lying outside of the arena, looking dirty and utterly humiliated.

The crowd was shocked, except for Elyion who only sighed and shook his head.

None of them saw properly what Raven did. At one point, the two was glaring at each other, seconds after that the man was kneeling in pain and was thrown like a trash out of the arena.

And to think this was the same man who spoke the loudest too, makes this whole event somewhat strange. The crowd thought at first that he should have some abilities since he's boasting that much but who would've thought that he would be eliminated first, and in such a humiliating way too.

Raven then turned around towards the remaining participants. As soon as his eyes met theirs, all of them felt chills run down their spine. All of them immediately went alert and took their stances.

"I will not say this again." Raven's chilling tone echoed once more, "Come at me together."

The eight remaining people looked at each other in dismay, the kid spoke without care and just outright discredited their numbers.

No one knew who was the first one to do it but eventually someone attacked Raven with all of his ferocity. The rest followed suit since they felt that going one by one against this kid won't work, and wasn't this what he wanted, for all of them to attack him?

But Raven wasn't fazed by their numbers. No matter how fierce they were nor how daunting their war cries were, everything was all empty in front of Raven's speed and strength.

No one even managed to land an attack, Raven's body slithered like a snake and his hand performed a swift chop on their necks, making them unconscious on the spot.

All they saw was a shadow, afterwards they fainted. It was so one sided that majority of the people who were watching didn't want to believe it. Even the winners to the previous batches didn't dare to believe this. He's a kid! He shouldn't have this much strength! He went against nine fully grown adults, took them down and wasn't even hurt in the process, how could they possibly accept all that?

'If you want to go against him.' Elyion thought while eating, 'First, make sure that your body is tougher that a fully grown tree. Second, you have to be faster than five horses combined and running in full power. Third, your fists or your weapons could cut steel. If anyone could satisfy these conditions, then maybe you can make him serious. I think. Who the hell knows actually.'

The whole arena was silent, even the announcer was struck dumb looking at the scene. Who could blame them anyway? A kid beating up nine fully grown adults isn't something that you see in your everyday life.

It wasn't until Raven's voice echoed once more that the announcer woke up from his stupor.

"Hey bud. Do your job."

"R-right!" the announcer cleared his throat and announced in a loud voice, "Winner of the 6th batch, contestant number 117!"