The former clan heir and the present clan heir simultaneously entered the arena from opposite sides like some warriors in a tournament.
The audience erupted into cheering as these two legendary realm Arcana Masters started walking toward the center of the field.
Their strength might be equal on the surface but the support they have is different. Vesyrn was someone who was born and grew up in the clan. He was loved and respected by every member of the clan who had seen him in person.
On the other hand, Velez Garcia is a prince of Freyles nation who just happened to awaken the Death energy and became the clan heir just a year ago. In the eyes of a common member of the Death clan, he is an outsider. His Death energy has no significance here.
Hence, Vesyrn received overwhelming support from the audience compared to Velez; which is another blow to the prince.
Vesyrn was all smiles and Velez was brooding as they reached the center of the arena where Albin Ash, the Elder of Red Pavilion is waiting for them.
After greeting both of them, he addressed the audience, "We have our clan heir and the challenger ready to fight. But, before they battle, the old and the young must familiarize themselves with the rules of this battle.
Please do note that these rules are created by our previous monarchs and have been there for tens of thousands of years. So, everyone must respect them.
1) The challenger cannot kill the clan heir willingly or accidentally. If it happens, then, the least punishment he will face is ten years' banishment from the clan. So, the clan heir can only be defeated and not killed.
However, if the clan heir insists on not backing down from the fight, he can be knocked out. The challenger can also destroy the clan heir's soul orb too.
On the other hand, the clan heir is free to do anything to the challenger. He can hurt, capture, torture, destroy the soul orb, and even killing is allowed.
2) Both the challenger and the clan heir cannot use any external items of any sort in this battle. That means no man-made weapons or artifacts, skill cards, item cards, or otherworldly treasures.
Both of them can only depend on their soul cards and the energy techniques they have learned.
3) The clan heir has the right to stop the battle for once, at any time, and call for a timeout to a maximum of 15 minutes. After the call for the timeout has been spoken out, the challenger will not attack.
In this break time, both of the warriors may rest, heal, and even recover their soul energy. There is no restriction on man-made artifacts during this time.
If any debatable incidents occurred during this incident, the pavilion masters of the clan will discuss and deliver the verdict.
4) And last but least, there is no time limit on this battle. As long as one side gives up or is in no condition to fight, this battle will go on."
After giving the audience a moment to digest the rules, Albin turned toward the VIP section where Qridus was sitting with other sub-clan leaders.
"I await your permission, Your Majesty." He bowed to the monarch of the clan.
Qridus didn't nod and permit him. Instead, he spoke, "Albin of the Ash clan, thank you for your services until now. You did great but from here on, Francis of the Blood clan will take your position as the Proctor for you lack the strength to stop the challenger and protect the clan heir."
Albin's face immediately changed when he heard that. This was his pavilion. According to the traditions, he will be the host to the awakening ceremony and the Proctor to all the matches that are going to be conducted in this arena.
But, Qridus' decision changed all of that. Not to mention, the Death clan's head was also right.
Vesyrn and Velez were legendary realm experts and a 7-star-realm Arcana Master like Albin cannot stop any of their lethal attacks if he had to intervene.
And how can he judge when he wouldn't know whether a specific lethal attack from Vesyrn would kill Velez? Not to mention, everyone knows that Albin is a good friend of Velez.
That's why even the other pavilion masters and the sub-clan leaders agreed with Qridus' decision, forcing Albin to leave his place and go toward the VIP section in bitterness.
Meanwhile, Francis Blood, the leader of the Blood clan and the peak-8-star-realm expert made his way to the center of the field.
He stopped a few meters above the ground and indifferently looked down at both of the participants, "Both of you have 30 seconds to prepare yourselves."
Vesyrn and Velez started a staring contest without summoning their Arcana as they wait for the signal from the proctor.
Meanwhile, at the VIP box, Azzy was sitting beside his mother while conversing with the Reaper. Seeing the opponent in the same realm, he couldn't help but slightly worried for his father because of the killing factor applied to Vesyrn.
Preparing for the worst, he planned to memorize every moment of this battle. And when he will rewind the time, he could warn his father with an excuse that he foresaw multiple futures of his defeat using his sixth soul skill of the hourglass, Precognition.
In reality, he didn't learn the soul skill yet as the Reaper refused to teach him. The latter was under the impression that Azzy is too young to learn it.
Azzy might be at the 7-star realm and even strong enough to go against supreme realm experts but he doesn't have enough experience to even properly bond with the hourglass, much less master it.
The Reaper, however, was confident in the power he gave to Vesyrn. But, since he can't say that for some reason, he assured the teenager of his father's life instead, "Azrael, I can see your father's future. He is destined to play a huge role in protecting this world. So, whether he wins or loses, at the very least, his journey won't stop in the battle."
"So, is there a probability that my father can lose, then?" asked Azzy.
In response, the Reaper let out a chuckle, "Does that really matter? Don't tell me you were worried that you will lose the qualifications to contend for the clan head position forever."
"No," Azzy firmly rejected that assumption from the Reaper. He clarified, "If my father becomes the clan head, then, I will have the freedom to do the things I wished to do. If Velez becomes the clan head, then, I and my family might face difficulties. Not to mention, I was worried that my father will find it difficult to listen to Velez's orders. I think I feel the same…"
The Reaper replied, "Who said anything about Velez becoming the clan head? This battle is about becoming the clan heir. Even if your father wins, he might not become the clan head. Qridus Garcia has enough life to continue his position."
"But, you heard him. The ancestor is going to leave the clan and go on a journey to look for a breakthrough. The winner of this match will also become the acting clan head," Azzy pointed out the fact.
To which, the Reaper responded with a question, "Did you forget the introduction of your future self? And by the way, Qridus Garcia is the 63rd head of this clan."
Suddenly, as a memory appeared in Azzy's mind, his eyes widened in shock, "64th head of the clan."
"Neither of them will lead the clan, Azrael." The words of the Reaper echoed through Azzy's head.
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