Ethan didn’t expect the sheer number of people that wanted to snatch his “wife” away from him.
The Kendall Tribe, as well as the seven other tribes that formed the Alliance were participating in the duel.
The young man thought that they would conduct a Battle Royale and the last man standing would challenge him. However, this didn’t happen.
“When the Great Overlord was still alive, he would hold tournaments where our tribes would compete with each other, to gain prizes,” Great Chieftain Adrian said. “This is why everyone is very eager to join this tournament. They believe that this activity is the best way to commemorate his rule, and give him one last day of entertainment before he joins our ancestors in the Land beyond the Veil.”
Since there was an upcoming war, each tribe conducted their own elimination matches without making everyone “fight” each other using weapons.
There were eight tribes, and only one person would represent that tribe in the Semi-Final matches.
One of the tribes conducted a race, and the fastest would be chosen as their representative.
Another tribe conducted spear throwing, and the one who threw the farthest would become their champion.
The Kendall Tribe, and some of the other Tribes, decided to have a hunting competition. The one who would be able to catch, or kill, the best beast would become their representative.
Ethan found all of this quite amusing because it reminded him of the Olympics. The best athletes of every nation would represent their countries to win the medals that were highly sought after.
Before the day was over, the victors were chosen.
The semi-finals was held the next day, and they decided to make it similar to a sumo match.
They had drawn a circle around the combatants and made them push their opponents outside of it. The one who remained inside the circle would win.
By noon, a warrior that went by the name Rex became the final winner.
This warrior was surprisingly quite handsome. He had tanned skin, a well-sculpted body, showing the right amount of muscles, without making him look like a bodybuilder that spent hours in the gym lifting barbells.
He was nearly two-meters tall, and the most surprising thing of all was that he was only twenty five years old.
Rex belonged to the Brave Tribe. They were warriors who specialized in wielding spears, and the young warrior was the best among them. 𝒐𝓥𝗅xt.𝒞𝒐𝕞
For such a young warrior to beat all the others meant that he was a true prodigy. The other thing about him was that he was oozing with charisma, making the single ladies look at him with affectionate gazes.
Lily also looked at this warrior with great interest. However, Ethan knew that she was only interested in fighting against Rex.
Of course, Rex didn’t know this. When he saw Lily looking at him, he gave her a charismatic smile, which the young beauty returned with a smile of her own.
When the other warriors saw this, they felt quite envious because they thought that Lily was attracted to Rex as a potential Mate.
The Great Chieftain of the Brave Tribe was also very happy with this development. If his warrior really won the match, they would gain a young and powerful Shaman in their tribe, allowing it to become stronger.
“You like him?” Ethan asked.
“Jealous?” Lily asked back with a smile.
“Of course not. You and I know why.”
“Heh~”
Seeing that the two were talking with each other, Rex cleared his throat and made an announcement.
“Although I don’t really like the idea of stealing the wife of others, I believe that Lily deserves better,” Rex stated. “This is why I will win and make her happy. I hope that you will not feel bad about this.”
Ethan wanted to roll his eyes at the shameless warrior.
Although Rex stated that he didn’t like the idea of stealing the wife of others, that didn’t change the fact that he was determined to do it.
Seeing that Ethan didn’t reply, Rex, as well as the other warriors, thought that this was his silent agreement to his challenge.
“The Final Duel will be held tonight,” Great Chieftain Adrian stated. “Both warriors will use their weapons, and fight against each other. I’d just like to make things clear. This is not a death match, so killing each other is prohibited. The winner will win if his opponent surrenders, loses consciousness, or is unable to battle. Until then, I hope that none of the warriors will do anything to sabotage this match.”
The warriors of the different tribes cheered in agreement.
Rex gave Lily one last glance before returning to his tent to prepare for the match that would be happening in a few hours.
As for Ethan, he did the same.
Lily followed behind him because she didn’t like the idea of being ogled by the other warriors, who had lost their matches.
A few hours later, the sound of drums being played resounded within the Weeping Shrine.
Torches were lit up, as everyone gathered to watch the duel between Ethan and Rex.
Truth be told, no one was expecting Ethan to win. Even Great Chieftain Adrian and Marco thought this way.
Deep inside, Great Chieftain Adrian felt guilty because things had escalated like this. As a man who loved his wife, he would fight to the death if someone wanted to claim his woman.
Inside the tent, Ethan had just finished his meditation. This was something that Nicole had taught him in order to calm his nerves before a battle took place.
When he opened his eyes, he found Lily sitting across from him with a smile on her face.
“Are you ready?” Lily asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Ethan replied before standing up.
He then took the magic bracelet out of his storage ring and slipped it onto his wrist. Lily watched him with a solemn expression on her face as she, too, stood up.
“I’m going,” Ethan said before walking towards the exit of the tent.
“Wait, Ethan,” Lily called out to him.
The young man turned back and was about to ask Lily what she wanted to tell him, but his words became stuck in his throat.
He felt something soft press over his lips, which made his eyes widen in shock.
A few seconds later, Lily pulled back with a smile on her face.
“You don’t have to worry about winning or losing,” Lily said with a smug expression on her face. “No one in this tribe can force me to marry them. If they insist, I’ll be more than happy to turn them into blocks of ice. Let’s see if they don’t change their mind then.”
Ethan blinked once then twice before his body shuddered. He could feel powerful magic power surging inside his body, making him sigh due to how good it felt.
“Thank you, Lily,” Ethan said. “I’ll go now.”
“Do your best, Ethan.” Lily winked. “If you win, I might just give you another kiss as a reward.”
Ethan smiled as the Sea God’s Trident in his hand extended to its true form.
As someone who had fought against Wizards and Witches, Ethan wanted to know how he fared with an experienced warrior who didn’t know about magic.
He knew that Rex was strong because he had fought Nicole and Lily, who were formidable fighters in their own right.
The handsome young man was certain that Lily wanted him to gain some experience in this duel, so he decided to give it a shot.
The young beauty walked a few meters behind him and watched his back.
In her eyes, Ethan wasn’t really a strong warrior, and after finding out that his magic had limitations, she felt sorry for him.
Even so, she could tell that his gait was more steady, and his steps more firm than they had been before. There was a subtle aura of confidence in the way he presented itself, which made Lily anticipate the duel that was about to happen.
When Ethan arrived at the clearing where the duel would be held, he saw thousands of people looking at him.
Rex was already waiting for him, holding his spear and shield. His eyes were telling Ethan of his determination to win.
The young man from Dud Manor smiled as he stood opposite his opponent, holding the Sea God’s Trident firmly in his hand.
Deep inside his consciousness, his other half was smiling.
Although Ethan didn’t want to admit it, he also didn’t want to lose.
“Are both of you ready?” Great Chieftain Adrian asked.
Ethan and Rex nodded at the same time.
“You already know the rules,” Great Chieftain Adrian stated. “Let the duel begin!”
As soon as the signal was given, both young men charged at each other with their weapons at the ready.
A moment later, the clash between their weapons resounded throughout their surroundings.
The cheers of countless people reverberated in response as the battle that would hold great significance in the upcoming war, officially took place.
————————
Author’s Note: Reader’s Challenge! If this novel gets 10 reviews, I will post 2 chapters daily for an entire week. After that, I will conduct another reader’s challenge, and as long as you guys hit the targets, I will maintain 2 chapters everyday.
Don’t worry, I won’t ask for anything too extreme. Kekeke! Goodluck, and may you reach the target!