Chronicles of Forgotten Extra-Chapter 319: Alden Vs Ryou [1]

Within the grand arena, on one of the battle playgrounds, a boy with black hair and crimson eyes let out a yawn as he waited for his assigned opponent who was running late.

Alden had arrived a few minutes early but honestly, he didn't really mind, if anything, he was excited for the battle.

After all, his opponent was none other than Ryou, the mysterious boy who was far stronger than he let on and had defeated Zephyr effortlessly before.

Alden wanted to see how much he could push him.

He didn't have to wait long as a presence suddenly appeared behind him and even Alden, whose senses were sharpened by his Spirit Domain, failed to notice it.

Hmm… that's strange.

It was as if the boy had emerged from the shadows.

It reminded him of something similar to what he did when using Shadow Steps but the technique Ryou used seemed far more advanced.

Does he have a shadow element too…?

Alden slowly turned to face the abyssal black eyes of Ryou as he stared back at him lifelessly.

"Hey there…"

Alden waved casually but there was no response. He didn't really mind as a slow smirk appeared on his face.

The referee glanced at both of them before giving a firm nod. "Both participants have arrived… the battle will begin shortly."

His voice echoed throughout the arena.

As the tournament was nearing its end, there were barely few other matches ongoing. Among them, most were between second- and third-year students but even so, because Ryou had arrived late, the other matches were almost over.

The referee continued.

"Please stand in front of each other."

Alden stepped forward and Ryou did the same and only now could Alden feel it clearly.

This bastard… he was at Expert Rank.

No wonder Zephyr lost so easily.

He made a quick mental note as the referee continued repeating the same rules Alden had heard countless times before.

Soon, the referee was done reciting the rules.

He looked at Alden and Ryou one last time before announcing,

"You may begin."

For a few moments, neither of them moved or at least that's how it seemed to others watching the match.

The crowd felt puzzled as to why they weren't moving but within the arena, something else was happening entirely.

Alden saw Ryou lunge at him with a sword but didn't move in the slightest until the very last moment and even as the blade came crashing down toward his neck, he let out a small smile because he had seen through it.

The one attacking him was an illusion, the same kind Ryou had used to defeat Zephyr but unfortunately for him, Alden was immune to such tricks because of his [Voidheart] skill.

The sword passed through Alden's body without causing any harm as he looked at the surprised Ryou standing at the far edge of the arena.

"Seriously, if that was your best trick, I am utterly disappointed."

He muttered in a sly tone.

"I mean, illusions? Come on. Did you really think I couldn't see through something that trivial…?"

No matter how arrogant the words seemed, Alden's current goal was to rage-bait him into going all out as he wanted to test his strength against a powerful Expert Rank and Ryou seemed like the perfect guinea pig for that.

Ryou didn't respond, but his eyes narrowed slightly. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

He had expected Alden to resist the illusion and perhaps break out of it with some effort, but the boy had completely nullified it as if it had never affected him at all.

Not to mention, the strength Alden displayed was merely at the peak of Adept Rank, while Ryou himself was an Intermediate Expert Rank so it didn't make any sense.

Still, he wasn't one to be arrogant.

His gaze shifted slightly toward the audience stands, where he could see a girl with bright crimson hair and bright orange eyes cheering for him… his young miss was watching the match.

His expression turned serious.

I can't lose.

"Fine… I will get serious." He muttered, looking at Alden.

"That's better." Alden smiled wildly as he finally unsheathed his sword, something he hadn't done in a single match throughout the entire tournament.

Its sharp edge glinted dangerously.

Let's see if you can push me to my limits… Ryou.

—

Meanwhile, in an arena just a short distance away from Alden's, a blonde boy was locked in battle against one of the top students of his own academy.

The boy was none other than Cedric.

His crimson eyes glowed with a faint green hue as the wind embraced him like one of its own. His opponent was none other than the Elven Princess, someone he had come to know quite well.

"You are trying awfully hard to win, Cedric." The elven princess, Lana, muttered, her voice laced with mischief.

"What can I say? There's someone I need to have a sincere talk with… and I feel meeting him and fighting against him would give me that chance," Cedric replied as his body moved.

A vine erupted at the spot where he had stood just moments ago.

"You know, women don't like such obsessive guys." She pouted slightly as her spirits attacked Cedric relentlessly.

He dodged gracefully while cutting down whatever he couldn't evade.

"I don't care about what other women think… as long as you don't think bad about me." The words made Lana pause, her control slipping for just a moment.

"You… what are you saying…?!" A faint blush rose to her pale cheeks, but before she could react, Cedric was already in front of her, his sword resting lightly against her neck.

"You know, you aren't the only one who can tease." He said confidently, a soft chuckle escaping him.

"Tsk. And here I thought you were a simple guy but you are just another liar." She pouted again.

Cedric merely smiled as the referee announced his victory.

"Who said I lied, though…?" He whispered softly, shaking his head as he watched the elven princess stomp out of the arena in frustration.

Once she was out of his sight, his gaze shifted toward another arena where a monstrous battle was unfolding.

It was the battle of his half-brother, Alden.

But unlike how he would have felt a few months ago, he felt neither jealousy nor inferiority, if anything, he felt pride and excitement.

He knew he wouldn't be able to defeat his brother.

But…

He wasn't going to give up because the only way to apologise was through sincerity and he was going to show that sincerity through giving his all in battle.