“One in ten?! Those odds are useless in a real fight!”
“Don’t be an idiot. I may be old, but I’m EX-Rank. This may just be training, but you still hit me. That deserves respect. As the man called Overdeath, I assure you, Noel—your hand-to-hand combat abilities are EX-level.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked with a sigh. “You said you’d make me into the best Seeker ever, didn’t you? And I know I’ve gotten stronger thanks to your training. You taught me about beasts, fighting techniques, tactics, strategy—all sorts of things. I’ve remembered all of it. But it’s made one thing even clearer: I’m a Talker, and making it as a Talker is like facing a mountain of difficulties…”
The Talker’s support abilities were incredibly powerful, but there were plenty of other classes that came with buffing skills. In the end, the Talker’s lack of abilities and self-defense techniques made it unappealing. How was one of us supposed to reach the top?
“Because of you, I know I can make it to the mid-levels,” I continued. “But I’ve given everything I can to get this far, and it still doesn’t feel like it’s enough.”
“Does it leave you feeling hopeless? Empty?” asked Gramps.
“Yeah, I guess…” I tried to smile and shrug it off with a chuckle.
“Noel,” said Gramps, giving me a serious look. “Why do you think I taught you Roaring Thunder even though it doesn’t work against beasts?”
“Huh? Uh…because the Seeker industry is filled with rough types, and you don’t want any of them pushing me around?”
With good martial arts abilities under my belt, I could defend myself in case of any Seeker-on-Seeker violence. Gramps had told me over and over again, “Before you learn how to fight beasts, learn how to fight humans.”
“Not just that. Roaring Thunder is a support for you—it is your core.”
“How’s that work?”
“You’re right when you say that Talkers aren’t suited to being Seekers. On the other hand, you have now mastered a skill that can take down an EX-Rank opponent. You may not understand or grasp the implications, but it gives you a mental edge. At your core, supporting everything you do, you have something no other Seeker has—and all-new possibilities will sprout from that.”
“Like what?”
“That’s not for me to say. But I have faith you’ll arrive at them in due time. After all,” said Gramps, his expression softening, “you are my grandson.”
My concentration returned to the present moment. The vision of me impaled on Leo’s fist grew stronger, but I did not doubt my victory. I refused to.
Leo, you are indeed the strongest—as strong as the gods themselves. Perhaps even as powerful as Overdeath in his prime. But that’s exactly why I won’t lose. Why I can’t lose. Even if the strongest man in the world stands in my way, defeat is not an option. I inherited everything from my grandfather. If you are the strongest ever, then I will rise even higher.
Because I am Noel Stollen, grandson of Overdeath.
“Roaring Thunder!”
My spinning kick collided with Leo’s chest, and the sound echoed through the colosseum like a clap of thunder. At the same time, the future in which I died collapsed into reality.
“Wh-what the…?”
Leo’s pained, confused voice trickled from his lips. He did not fire off a counterattack and instead collapsed in a heap. The results spoke for themselves. I had made the future—nay, fate itself—kneel before me.
My Roaring Thunder had just defeated a god.
The victory reverberated through the venue. Seeing Leo at my feet filled the crowd with shock and confusion. They were completely silent. Everyone was waiting for me to speak. They all wanted to hear the words of the man who had defeated a god.
“Let me be brutally honest,” I declared to the crowd. “I did not want to stop these two from fighting. However, they made their decision when they elected to break the rules of the Seven Star Cup, and I had no choice but to intervene. That said, I don’t think badly of either of them. It is a pure, beautiful thing when two warriors risk their lives in a battle to decide who is stronger. I am sure that all of you can attest to that after everything you’ve seen thus far.”
Voices of agreement immediately rose up from among the crowd. There were only a few at first, but then the feeling spread, and the silence gave way to praise and cheers for Leo and Zeke. Naturally, the ones who’d kicked it all off had been planted there by yours truly for this very moment.
It was crowd psychology 101. People tended to side with the majority in large groups. All it took was one person to raise their voice, another to agree to it, and then the message would disperse until everyone felt the same. The spectators had been here all day—they were joined together by camaraderie, and it was far too easy to use that connection to my advantage.
“Though the rules demand that both competitors face disqualification, I would like to declare a winner. The champion of the Seven Star Cup: Leo Edin!”
Yes, Leo had won the battle. The crowd went wild, everyone cheering for the first-ever champion of the Seven Star Cup. In response, Leo opened his eyes and slowly sat up.
“This was what you wanted all along, wasn’t it?” he asked.
Leo had grasped what was going on immediately, which was to be expected. The crowd was chanting his name, but everyone was looking at me with honor and respect. While he had won the tournament, Leo was its champion in name only.
“I won’t deny that you’re strong, Leo,” I said. Then I opened my arms wide, gesturing to the audience with a huge grin. “But I am stronger.”
He was struck silent for a moment. Then, without warning, he bellowed with laughter.
“Well, there’s no way I could have pulled this off!” he said, his red eyes locking on to mine. “When you lost the way you did, I thought something was up. I never imagined you’d have gone to these lengths. You are truly strong, Noel Stollen.”
“Don’t talk down to me,” I snapped. “You’ve lost.”
“I did. And I can admit it. You beat me. So I won’t need this anymore.”
Leo reached a hand up to his mask and threw it away. His muscular face was there for the crowd to see, and with this sudden reveal, they cheered once more.
“Remember this face,” he said, “because I will kill you. You are my prey.”
Leo’s smile was one of joy, insanity, and murder as he jumped away from the ring and walked away. As I watched him go, I noticed Leon looking surprised about something.
“What’s up, Leon?” I asked.
“It’s nothing,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s just a smaller world than I thought.”
I knew he was hiding something, but I didn’t press him on it.
“Noel, do you think it’s okay to start healing Zeke now?” Leon asked.
I shook my head. “It would be dangerous to heal him in that condition. He’s already at the limits of his exhaustion. That, and the medical team just got here.”
The medics loaded Zeke on a stretcher and quickly carted him away.
“Let’s go,” I said. “The fight’s over.”
We waved goodbye to the crowd and were met with deafening applause as we hopped out of the ring. The long road to the Seven Star Cup—and the short day in which it bloomed—had come to an end.