The battlefield was quiet. A man stood between Zaren, Finn, and Jaxon.
Before the match began, Jaxon stepped forward and said, "Before we start, let me tell you the rules. No one is allowed to seriously hurt or kill the other."
He paused and remembered how Zaren had once almost killed him in a past fight. He shivered slightly, then the man continued, "This is a friendly match. And before fighting, all three of you must agree that you will use your full power only if everyone is okay with it. If anyone says no, the match will be canceled. Also, to win, you just need to make your opponents unconscious. Not dead."
Zaren, Finn, and Jaxon nodded.
Finn stepped forward and said, "I agree to use my full power."
Jaxon nodded. "Me too."
Zaren sighed. "Fine. I agree as well."
Finn smirked. "Now this will be fun."
The man said loudly, "All three of you, take your positions!"
Zaren walked back to one side of the arena. Jaxon and Finn took the other side.
The man gave a final warning: "If anything goes wrong, 10 SS-rank hunters from different kingdoms will stop the fight. Two of them were Varric and Noric."
The man stepped out of the battlefield and thought to himself, "This whole ground is going to be destroyed, isn't it…?" He looked worried and depressed.
Then he raised his hand and shouted: "START!"
In an instant, powerful energy filled the whole battlefield. The crowd of hunters roared.
"Wooahhh!! This power!!"
Jaxon used his lightning magic, moving so fast he appeared behind Zaren in a flash. He threw a punch—
—but Zaren caught his hand!
"Sorry," Zaren said calmly, "but that trick won't work on me anymore."
Then—BAM BAM BAM!!
Zaren punched Jaxon a hundred times in a few seconds. Blood came out of Jaxon's mouth as he was thrown across the field with such force that the ground cracked and shook. The fences rattled, and the audience screamed:
"ZAREN!! ZAREN!!"
In the crowd, Varric and Noric watched, shocked.
Varric said, "He couldn't even touch Jaxon when he fought him previously… But now… How?!"
Noric thought, "How does Zaren grow so fast? He has already surpassed us…"
Back on the battlefield, Zaren looked at the fallen Jaxon and said, "So… you haven't gotten any stronger since our last fight?"
Suddenly—BAM!
Zaren was hit from behind by Finn's powerful punch. He staggered, almost unconscious.
But before Finn could hit again, Zaren muttered: "Teleport."
He vanished!
Finn's eyes widened. "What?! Where did he go?!"
The kings watching from the VIP area were stunned.
King Alaric narrowed his eyes. "Who is this man…?"
Another king whispered, "This Zaren… he's not normal. Maybe I should try to buy him for Elyria kingdom. But wait—didn't Alaric already refuse an offer from Ravaria? Then he won't give him up to anyone…"
Alaric heard them but didn't react.
Suddenly, there were three Zarens on the battlefield!
Finn stepped back. "What the—?! Is this an illusion?!"
All the kings stood from their seats.
In the crowd, Maria gasped. "What theee…?"
Jaxon stood up slowly, blood dripping from his lips. "What the hell is going on? Is this… Zaren's real power?"
One Zaren walked toward Finn.
His eyes turned bright red, and an aura surrounded him. Behind him, a shadow of Bezzaro formed—his powerful form.
The other Zaren walked toward Jaxon. The same thing happened.
Both Zarens said: "Flame Sword."
A pure red sword of fire appeared in their hands.
Then they shouted: "Marto!"
The flame swords transformed into flame daggers, and both Zarens threw them at Jaxon and Finn.
The daggers hit—and both hunters fell unconscious, their bodies fading into silence. The daggers vanished afterward.
The kings stood, eyes wide with fear and respect.
The King of Emberfall whispered, "This person… He's not a normal hunter."
The battlefield was silent. Then, the real Zaren, the third one, stepped forward and smiled.
"Well… I guess the duel is over."
He looked at his two clones. "Vanish."
The two clones disappeared.
The crowd exploded in cheers:
"ZAREN! ZAREN!!"
King Alaric stood from his chair, shocked but smiling. "You really are… a mysterious guy, Zaren."
Maria smiled too. "He won… huh."
She looked at him, but when Zaren looked back—she quickly turned away and blushed.
Varric and Noric both smiled proudly.
"I guess our kingdom's hunter has become a celebrity now."
The announcer walked to the center. "Ladies and gentlemen! The winner is—Zaren from Elyria!!"
He looked at Zaren and asked, "May I know your full name, and your father's name?"
Zaren paused. He thought about Brannor, the father of Corvin, and said:
"…Brannor."
Then added, "He's not my real father. But he… treats me like a son."
The crowd went silent. Maria and the other hunters looked at him, curious about Zaren's personal life.
(Chapter 36 Fin)