"Grandpa!"
Muslo looked like she was going to raise her voice, but the people sitting across from them didn't give her the chance.
"Say that again?"
"We couldn't hear you, Supreme Sheikh of the Holy Bone Sect!"
The ones speaking weren't the Mercenaries; the Holy Fire and Holy Earth Sect Sheikhs had taken the lead. While Hueso bit and tore his lips, which had turned purple from lifelessness, he looked at his friend drinking wine with delight right beside him.
"We will not fight. I concede defeat!"
"Hey grave-robber! Is this a soup kitchen where you can fill your belly for free? You're embarrassing not just yourself, but the entire Hell Realm in front of all these guests!"
The Holy Earth was ruthless against his eternal and everlasting enemy; he attacked with words as sharp as a knife. It was no sweat off his back; he was sure his students, who clashed with the defense-loving Holy Ice, wouldn't die even if they lost, but Hueso's situation was different.
Because he stood with Atractivo, his granddaughter and his four other disciples would die if they lost, and this was the most likely outcome.
"Supreme sect leader, please rest assured. The Holy Bone Sect is a sect we know closely, we know full well they can turn tail and run even without seeing today's event!"
With the way paved this much, the Golden Leaf Representative couldn't help but chime in; his other friends were going to back him up.
"Of course we know, their cowardice is legendary in the Land of the Mercenaries!"
"Do you remember? We figured we'd drop by to say hi since they're our neighbors, and they left everything they had and bolted!"
"Yeah, yeah! They've got a bit of a timid nature!"
Even though a sect from their own lands was being dragged through the mud, the other four Holy Sects didn't make a peep, they weren't even ashamed to join in with little chuckles.
"The Holy Blood got off the hook this time, but I think we should strip the Holy Bone Sect of its title. There's no place for cowards like them in the Hell Realm!"
Tierra put the final nail in the coffin; after the words of the enemy sect leader, Hueso sprang from his seat to lunge forward.
"My, my, what am I hearing. As people living in brotherhood and absolute unity, do such hurtful words suit you at all?"
When the Holy Blood Sect Sheikh finished his speech, those trying hard not to laugh couldn't hold it in anymore. So much so that even the guards right behind them were turning left and right and laughing.
"Shall we move on to the second round? My disciples are itching to kick yours in their polite asses!"
Atractivo's smile didn't wipe off his face, but the same couldn't be said for the others. The Holy Blood Sect Sheikh didn't rein in the blood energy seeping from his body; the guards who were holding their stomachs from laughing a moment ago were now coughing up blood.
"Atractivo, get a grip!"
Two Fiends shot out from behind Eyshan and blocked the energy that was about to crash down on the guests and those from the other sects. They blocked it alright, but the color of their faces went two shades paler.
"This stuff doesn't agree with me at all. First thing when we get back to the sect, I'm quitting!"
Lashing out at the wine glass with reproachful words, Atractivo lamented to himself before downing it straight to the head. The mocking pressure built upon the Holy Bone Sect dissipated, and the Mercenary Representatives pulled back their hands reaching for their weapons.
After a ten-breath silence, the official managing the matches entered the arena. The man in the long gray robe was on edge; one of his eyes constantly drifted to the Holy Blood rows.
"Among the remaining three sects, the last winner, the Holy Fire Sect, has advanced directly to the finals!"
The official took a brief pause to catch his breath, and Fuego didn't miss the chance.
"What a pity! Burning some bone or blood wouldn't have been half bad!"
"What's your rush, you fiery tramp? Hold your horses a bit!"
Atractivo was completely wasted; he didn't hold back from throwing around various adjectives while addressing her.
"I'll show you...!"
The Holy Fire Sect Sheikh shot up from her seat; she was being insulted in front of all those guests.
"Fuego, sit down!"
Eyshan broke her long silence to rein in her fellow woman. Knowing the handsome sheikh wouldn't let it go if she retaliated, the Queen silenced the level-headed party.
"The next fight; Holy Blood against Holy Ice!"
The first to stand up was Nafız; for some reason, she was very eager to fight this time.
"If your circus act is over, clear the way for the warriors!"
Shoving the Holy Bone Sect Sheikh's granddaughter with the back of her hand, Nafız leaped onto the arena with the black floor in one move.
"You little bitch, I'll cut that tongue of yours out!"
Muslo wasn't pleased with the treatment she received. First, she was stopped from fighting, and now she had been subjected to the humiliation of someone from another sect.
"Would you mind stepping aside?"
Despite everything, the young girl was literally standing right in the middle of the path. Even if Jashua didn't shove her like his master, he had changed the tone of his voice quite a bit.
Her grandfather pulled the girl digging her heels in and sat her down next to him, and the other four members of the Holy Blood Sect took their places on the stage.
"I'm very curious, what will they be able to do in a real battle after an energy battle?"
The Diamond Leaf Guild representative called out to the dark-skinned man clad in ruby-colored armor sitting right next to her.
"It'll be my first time seeing someone fight with blood energy. You know, even though there are artificial versions of the other energies, artificial blood energy hasn't been used efficiently yet!"
"What a massive waste! Even though it's the easiest type to obtain, once it leaves the owner's body, it's very hard for it to adapt to the user. Even the Supreme Engineers haven't been able to find a complete solution to this problem yet!"
The representatives chatting among themselves didn't care if the others eavesdropped, they were even talking freely about the energy type of the Queen who used fire energy. While they kept talking, the Holy Ice disciples also took their places. They were going to fight in a V-shaped formation again, and the name at the very tip was none other than Nieve.
"So you're going to keep leeching off the three energy sources!"
When Nafız drew Mora's training daggers, her other three friends also went for their weapons. While Lareina was taken inside the Blood Dome formed by Jashua, the rest were marching towards the enemy with large strides.
Jashua was using his ring bearing the symbols of the Holy Blood Sect and the Blood Moon Fiefdom; a waterfall of blood was flowing from the void between spaces.
"Wow, how did he manage to store so much blood at such a young age!"
The Young Count had been under Nafız's care since the remains fragment was shoved into his mouth. Even though he got his ring when he came to the Hell Realm, most of what was inside was earned on the Orc Steppes.
"He's just bluffing. Sheikh Atractivo must have provided the bloods!"
"Maybe so, but since he's spilling it around, he intends to use it. I'm very curious how he'll pull it off!"
The representatives were watching not only the clash moments but every phase of the battle with great attention. It was written all over them that they came from lands where people slaughtered each other like slitting chickens' throats. You had to make a difference to survive, and judging by the armors on them, they were the ones who succeeded in doing so.
Ralf plunged his weapon into the sea of blood Jashua created and went on the offensive towards the Holy Ice Sect disciples, quickening his pace.
"First strike is mine! Bite, Basilisk!"
When the majestic sword was revealed, gasps of astonishment rose from the spectator rows, but the biggest reaction was going to come from the Holy Bone Sect Leader.
"You Bastard! I thought you didn't have any weapons left!"
The giant blood snake, with its two massive fangs shooting out of its jaw, was right on top of the Holy Ice. The battle of the two Holy Sects was officially beginning.