Chapter 65

Third-Person POV

Every single person in the conference room got up to leave. They were all headed in one direction, and that was Master Rob's training ground. It was the only division in the entire kingdom that was hard enough to continue the battle between Master Blake and Master Frederick.

"Hey, Rob, would you like to take a guess as to who you think will win this fight?" Master Gerald asked as he approached Master Rob.

Rob stroked his chin for a while as he continued moving forward. "Although it is only a hypothesis, I think Frederick is going to win the fight," he said.

"Oh, really? Because the statistics from their last battle wouldn't back Frederick up. I mean, Blake defeated him so crushingly. If I were to bet, I'd rather put my money on Blake," Master Gerald said.

"Well, it is true that Blake has a much scarier and thicker aura than Frederick. But when it comes to how sharp they are, Frederick has improved greatly. His dexterity is unmatched, and there's a good chance he may be the strongest of all the elders," Master Rob said.

"Aside from you, of course," Gerald said, looking at Master Rob with a knowing smile.

"Well, I can't say I'm weak, but I can't really say I'm particularly strong either," Master Rob said modestly. He then turned to look at Master Gerald and added, "To be honest, we haven't really seen you fight that much either. What we do know is that you're particularly good at protecting people, and every single person who has hired you to safeguard someone has always ended up being safe. I think you have a particular set of skills that makes you invincible."

"I'm not invincible, Rob. It's just that the enemies I face are particularly weak, and that's it," Master Gerald said.

"The enemies you face are particularly weak?" Master Rob asked, flabbergasted. "There was a time you escorted an important person on a journey, and he was nearly assassinated by the famous Flash Dagger assassin. That assassin was known for his speed and precision with the dagger. He had killed many army commanders and was known to be almost immortal. Yet, he suffered a gruesome death. I don't think you killed him just because you were lucky," Master Rob said.

"You may be surprised. Maybe it was just luck. Maybe he slipped up, and I took the opportunity to end his life," Master Gerald said, continuing their walk to the training division.

"Okay, then how about the Green Serpent? He was known for his ability to camouflage in forest areas, and the enemy would not know of his presence until he struck. He killed all the people he was sent to kill, but when he encountered you, he died. Many other famous assassins have all died as soon as they tried to assassinate you or whoever you were guarding. In my opinion, there is a chance you are stronger than both Blake and Frederick over there, but you just won't admit it, will you?" Master Rob said, looking at Master Gerald intensely.

"I could say the same thing about you. We all know just how strong you are, but you refuse to show it. Either way, since neither of us is going to fight now or ever, this discussion is unnecessary. So let's drop the topic, okay?" Master Gerald said. "By the way, I was wondering if you would like to place a little wager on the victor of the fight," he added, bringing out a bag of coins.

"Oh, well, since this involves money, I don't think I'm willing to opt out. So, you place your bet on Blake?" Master Rob asked.

"Yes, my bet is on Blake, and yours is on Frederick. So, let's keep it like that," Master Gerald said calmly.

"If you don't mind, I would love to get in on that," Lord Mark's voice rang out from behind.

Both of them hadn't expected anyone else to be listening, and they were actually surprised that Lord Mark had heard their conversation.

"You would like to bet?" Master Gerald asked, looking at Lord Mark, unsure.

"Yes, that's right, I would like to place a little wager," Lord Mark said as he reached into his garments. He brought out a bag of coins that was bigger than both Master Gerald's and Master Rob's combined.

He dropped it in Master Gerald's custody and walked on ahead.

Master Henry, realizing that something was going on, walked up to them and then asked, "What's going on?"

"We're placing a little wager as to who would win between Blake and Frederick," Master Gerald said.

"Oh, well, in that case, have this," Master Henry said, bringing out a bag of coins too. "My bet is on Frederick." And with that, he left.

"Are you guys up to something here?" Master Francis said, walking over.

In a short amount of time, Master Gerald's hands were completely full with bags of coins and wagers that were placed.

Unable to keep track of everything, he asked a nearby servant to bring him some paper, a pen, and a table on which to place the bags of coins.

Eventually, he got everything he needed when they arrived at the training division, where Master Blake and Master Frederick stood on opposite sides of the field.

He took down everyone's name as well as who they had bet on.

"Lord Mark, who was it you bet on again?" Master Gerald asked, with a quill in his hand.

"My bet is on Blake," Lord Mark said.

"Okay then, I guess that's everybody," Master Gerald said, then set the paper and quill aside.

Maverick stepped out and officiated the beginning of the match.

He came out with a rock in hand and began to speak. "This fight will determine the superiority in the long-standing rivalry between Master Blake and Master Frederick. As soon as this rock touches the ground, your fight may begin." Maverick waited three seconds before throwing the rock into the air and exiting the field.

As soon as he left the field, the rock hit the ground, and the fight officially began.

The field was a plain ground covered in shallow sand. Even if one were to fall from normal heights, as long as one had the strong body of a lycan or werewolf, they would not feel too much impact.

Master Blake and Master Frederick were observing each other, waiting for one to make a move. Neither one was ready to strike first because they believed that if they moved first, they might leave an opening for the other to exploit.

Eventually, Master Frederick moved his hands, and two knives fell from his garments. They fell into his palms, and he took a stance that showed he was ready to begin the fight.

Without much hesitation, he jumped in the direction of Master Blake and struck out using his right hand, aiming directly for Master Blake's neck.

Master Blake dodged to the side and swung his machete upward to deflect the dagger attack coming at him from Master Frederick's left hand.

And with that, the first wave of attack had been deflected.

Master Blake did not wait around anymore for Master Frederick to attack first, and once he defended against the first attack, he lunged at him with his machete.

Master Blake struck out violently, only to realize that Master Frederick had suddenly pulled out a spear from nowhere and was using it to deflect Master Blake's attacks. Master Frederick was fighting in such a way that his spear did not clash directly against Master Blake's machete because even he knew that if that were to happen, his spear would split in half.

He struggled, deflecting the machete by the side, leaving Master Blake frustrated.

Eventually, Master Blake grew angry enough that he struck out violently and swiftly, and the spear in Master Frederick's hand was compromised. The force with which Master Blake struck out was so much that the spear left his hand and flew into the air.

Feeling confident in his ability to disarm Master Frederick, Master Blake took a moment to bask in his minor victory.

But all of a sudden, he realized that there was a silver substance just under his eye. He tilted his head to the right and barely escaped it, leaving a light mark on his cheek.

He touched his face and realized there was actually blood there. Master Frederick had managed to draw first blood.

He looked behind him and saw a tiny knife that Master Frederick had thrown at him when he had disarmed him of the spear.

"It seems senile old men are unable to tell when weapons are heading directly for their faces. If this had been a life-and-death battle, I would have used that knife to kill you. But since it's not, I guess I can only give you a few scratches here and there until you admit your defeat," Master Frederick said, bringing out two swords.

"I was wrong about you, Frederick. You definitely have improved over the years. But that simply means I can go all out against you," Master Blake said, tightening his grip on his machete as his aura began to rise rapidly.