Unlike his previous provocations, Jashua did not advance toward his place this time; he continued to stand before the Ten Lilies.
"Two by two is getting very boring, how about you all come?"
Jashua challenged all five members of the Ten Lilies sitting in the third row at once; this move caused the arena to practically shake.
"He's out of his mind!"
"Ignorant bravery, there can be no other explanation!"
While the discussions rose like a storm, the Ten Lilies had put their heads together, but no one had eyes for them.
"Come on then, you said you were going to bet on that kid again. If you've got the balls, you'll bet all your winnings!"
The young boy who had been mocked earlier grabbed his friend's arm furiously.
"I'm probably going to bet on Jashua again, look at that stance! Let alone five, what does it matter if there are fifteen lilies, go get 'em boy!"
His friend, looking as if hypnotized, watched the Young Count advancing toward the center of the arena; the sincerity in his words was reflected in his facial expression.
"Open the bets!"
Then he raised all the blood crystals in his hand and shouted; hundreds of people within the arena followed him. Both winners and losers were waiting for the new bet, stamping their feet and shaking the arena.
Of course, this wasn't possible until the Ten Lilies group made a decision; while they argued among themselves, the shouting of the others increased the burden on them a hundredfold.
"We have to respond to the challenge!"
"Sure, let's respond, but it's a double-edged sword. If we win, there will be no reward, they'll say five people managed to beat one man, but worse, if we lose, we won't be able to breathe in the sect anymore!"
While the four talked, the hooded one only listened, holding his head in his hands, thinking.
"The four of you go down to the battlefield and destroy that dog no matter the cost!"
The ones who received the order jumped into the arena without waiting a second; the betting office's announcement caught up right behind them.
"The bets are open! The Four Lilies to win is 3 to 1; Jashua to win is 2 to 1!"
Shock came after shock; the betting office was giving lower odds for Jashua to win, who was going to fight one against four.
"Ha ha ha, they've lost their minds!"
"All my crystals on the Four Lilies!"
"May the spoon of the one who turns back from the rice break; on Jashua!"
A portion of the audience was split in two, and a large majority were confused by the betting office's latest move.
"I lost like crazy, I need to make it up!"
"He can't possibly beat all four of them, man, this guy hasn't even been in the sect for three days. I'm betting on the Four Lilies."
"You're right, plus the odds are high!"
The majority of the confused chose the option paying out triple, meaning the Four Lilies, but there were still those who did not turn back from their path.
"Let him be defeated, let me lose blood crystals, so what? When was the last time you watched someone like this, he takes them all on, man!"
The Holy Blood Sect was no different from the wild. In a domain where the strong were the natural rulers, people tended to be impressed by such individuals. Maybe not many, but many disciples in the crowd looked at Jashua with eyes full of admiration.
"So you dared to come to the battlefield, but you are missing one person, why?"
The Young Count spoke as if giving orders to the servants beneath him; this attitude would not please those across from him.
"Did you expect the leader to make a move for a piece of trash like you? Know your place!"
Jashua began to laugh heartily; the ringing tones that started out cheerful grew arrogant towards the end and suddenly ceased.
"I really don't know, what is this 'place' you speak of? Why don't you teach me!"
Raising his weapon above his head, Jashua took a combat stance. They were entering a path of no return; the tension on the battlefield reached the spectator rows.
"Attack!"
With the command, two people with crude machetes appearing in their hands dashed straight toward Jashua; one more person followed behind them, his hands empty. The one who gave the directive surveyed the situation from behind his friend with the drawn bow, while Jashua watched what was happening quite calmly.
"You called this the Five-Petal Lily, right? But it seems you are missing one energy specialist member?"
The steps of the two men charging forward faltered for a moment, and they called out to the one holding the bow using the energy path.
"How does this guy know so much?"
"Are we changing the plan?"
Even though they expected the answer from the person leading the four-man formation, the reply came from elsewhere, from their leader sitting in the spectator rows.
"Continue, paying attention to the puddles of blood on the ground. There is death, but no turning back!"
The slowing feet sped up again; there were five, maybe six steps left until the final clash, but Jashua did something no one expected.
Instead of lunging forward to clash his weapon with the two crude machetes, he quickly retreated, leaping ten steps back in one move and taking his combat stance again.
"What are you waiting for, come on!"
The two men had stopped and were waiting at the spot where the estimated clash would have occurred; the small person who had tagged along behind them had drawn his daggers and was behind them.
"What a clunky formation! It works quite well in crowded battlefields, I have to give it that, but it's worthless here. Just like everything else that belongs to you!"
As soon as he finished his words, Jashua lunged forward; at the same time, sharp needles began to rise from the puddles of blood between the three leading members of the Four Lilies and the archer left behind.
The target of the blood needles was the archer; they all rained down together on the Lily left furthest back.
Jashua, with the comfort of having cut off the enemy team's connection to the rear, swung his massive weapon toward the remaining three people. The assassin, left with no chance for a surprise attack, was running backward to avoid taking the blow.
When the main purpose of their formation was unraveled, the Four Lilies took a defensive stance. Even though they used heavy machetes, they weren't amateur enough to clash weapons against an enemy coming at them fast while they were stationary. In this way, they managed to ward off a few blows from Jashua's weapon, and then a command reached their ears.
"Don't worry about me, all three of you attack at once!"
When the archer fended for himself, the duo with the crude machetes began to press a bit more aggressively. The guy with the daggers was trying to make surprise attacks through the gaps, until that word spilled from Jashua's mouth.
"Kneel!"
The guy who had been attacking with agile movements until that moment was nailed to the spot, and the Young Count met the two machetes with his massive weapon.
The scene inside the arena was becoming very interesting; there was an archer fleeing from the blood needles targeting him, two hulking men bearing down on the enemy with their crude machetes, and right behind them, a person on his knees.
Jashua seemed to be struggling to control the two machetes bearing down on his weapon, which he held horizontally in front of him; with every push from the hulking men, he took tiny steps backward.
"What a man! While resisting two people, he is simultaneously attacking the other two using blood energy!"
"Whatever, look, he's already reached his limit! If they hold on a little longer, the ones with the machetes will take the show-off down!"
Praise and condemnation, admiration and hatred, came hand in hand. Whichever wound of the people you pressed on, they would react to you accordingly. The Young Count touched on the search for a hero in some, and the inferiority complexes in others, but his retreat against the two men with machetes continued.
"Nartallo, I'll hold him down, you get Aranzabal away!"
The man who had gathered the remaining tuft of hair on the top of his shaved head and braided it into a ponytail shouted to his friend beside him, then pressed down a little harder with the machete in his hand.
Blood was flowing from the nose of the person they called Aranzabal. Foreseeing what would happen if they delayed any longer, the duo took the initiative and acted. The man who pulled his machete off Jashua's weapon picked up his friend on the ground and started running backward; the one left on the Young Count was smiling nastily.
"Come on, bring me to my knees too, if you can!"
When he finished speaking, the man with the interesting hair stuck out his long tongue and wagged it at Jashua; this caused the corners of the Young Count's lips to curl upward.
"I was just thinking the same thing!"