Oliver was stunned as he watched Auron walk toward Nolan. He had never imagined that the noble he was so eager to see was actually the same person he had fought yesterday.

"Haha... hahaha..." Oliver tried holding back his laughter but failed.

His mother quickly noticed his strange reaction.

"Why are you laughing, dear?" she asked curiously.

"N-No, it’s nothing, Mum. I just remembered something funny from the past," Oliver replied as he finally managed to calm himself down.

’If I fight him one-on-one, I think I can win.’ Oliver thought confidently.

’Last time, things only became troublesome because of that girl.’

His gaze shifted toward Aria, who was currently sitting gracefully on a luxurious chair while soldiers stood guard around her.

"Behold, everyone!" Emorim loudly announced.

"On this glorious day, Lord Auron Vas Labre, heir of the great House of Labre and future ruler of the County of Oaken, formally challenges the champion of Ashville Town!"

Nolan immediately stepped forward.

"Nolan Strife humbly accepts the challenge," he said with a slight bow before straightening his posture once more.

Honestly, Nolan believed his chances of victory were extremely low. But that did not mean he intended to hold back. He would fight with everything he had.

’Tch. That masked guy really isn’t here.’ Auron thought in annoyance.

His motivation quickly faded, and he now planned to finish the battle as fast as possible before moving on to the next town.

Emorim then stepped forward and took out a magical crystal.

Crack!

The crystal shattered in his hand, and a massive magical barrier instantly expanded around the battlefield, preventing the battle’s aftermath from affecting the spectators outside.

"Now... let the battle commence!"

The moment the announcement ended, both fighters summoned their monsters and sent them charging forward.

Woodthera and Ignivor appeared simultaneously before clashing head-on in the center of the field.

BOOM!!

The clash between the two monsters released waves of flames and shattered wood across the battlefield.

All the spectators watched anxiously as the strongest tamers of their town fought to protect their home.

"Root Frame, Thorn Form!"

Nolan immediately shifted into an offensive form and charged toward Auron. Sharp wooden thorns extended from his elbows and knees as he launched a relentless close-range assault.

Auron, however, remained completely calm. Flames instantly covered his body as he casually blocked Nolan’s attacks.

THUMP!

Auron delivered a powerful kick to Nolan’s torso. Nolan reacted slightly too late to defend himself and was sent sliding backward several meters across the ground.

"Guildmaster!" the hunters shouted in alarm.

Nolan quickly stood back up, but parts of the roots covering his body were now burning with flames. Without hesitation, he tore away the burning roots and replaced them with new ones.

"Root Frame, Strangle Form!"

Suddenly, massive roots burst from the ground and tightly bound Auron, forming a thick cocoon-like growth around him.

But moments later, smoke began rising from the roots before burst of flames exploded outward. The roots burned away completely, revealing Auron standing there unharmed.

The sight was overwhelming.

Nolan continuously attacked with different forms and techniques, while Auron simply stood there and effortlessly neutralized everything thrown at him. Nolan kept switching between Strangle Form, Thorn Form, and Defensive Form in an attempt to break through.

But after several minutes, Nolan’s movements gradually slowed as his mana was running low. Sweat dripped down from his forehead and exhaustion began catching up to him.

Suddenly, Auron charged forward.

Before Nolan could fully react, Auron’s flaming fist slammed directly into Nolan’s abdomen.

BAM!

At the last second, Nolan managed to form roots around his stomach for protection. But even then, the impact still sent him flying backward.

BOOM!

Nolan crashed heavily against the magical barrier.

Crack! Crack!

The barrier immediately began shattering before collapsing completely.

"Guildmaster!" the nearby townspeople shouted as they rushed toward Nolan.

Nolan groaned in pain and barely able to stay conscious.

Emorim slowly shook his head.

"It seems the battle has reached its conclusion. The winner is Lord Auron Vas Labre." he announced.

The soldiers immediately began cheering and clapping proudly.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, Auron shouted loudly.

"I’m not finished yet."

He slowly scanned the crowd.

"I know all of you are hiding your true strongest tamer, the masked tamer!" Auron declared.

"Masked tamer?"

"How did he know about that guy?"

All the townspeople were surprised. Of course, all of them knew who the mysterious man was. He was the one who saved them from the rogue boss monster that almost trampled their town. But even they did not know his true identity.

"I will give you 10 minutes to call him here. If not, I will call my father to come today and demolish your town," Auron said.

Aria on the other side just shook her head. She knew her brother’s attitude very well.

His objective was only one, to become the strongest tamer.

Back at their place, no one could even touch Auron because of his absurd strength. Every day, he would ask the soldiers to fight him alone. His father had also tried his best to find someone worthy enough to battle Auron in this region, but to no avail. Just hearing Auron’s name alone was enough to scare people.

Only after their master started teaching them did Auron finally find someone he wanted to surpass, because she could easily defeat him.

And now, all of his attention was focused on the masked man, the only person who had managed to injure him.

All the townspeople started becoming anxious and panicked. They whispered among themselves nervously.

On the other side, Robert nervously bit his nails.

He then looked toward his son, Ray.

"Ray. Can you try to fight him? You also have a fire elemental monster, right?" Robert asked.

"Are you kidding me, Father? There is no way I can defeat him with my current Flamlio." Ray’s face turned pale. If his Flamlio evolved into a higher rank, then he might have a slight chance to fight. But even then, he was not sure he could win against the almighty Ignivor.

At that moment, Oliver was observing his surroundings. His parents looked worried.

’Do I really need to reveal myself here? Is it truly worth protecting a town that hates me?But... this is the place where I was born and raised. This is my home.’

Oliver remained deep in thought as he weighed the risks and benefits. He was in a dilemma.

Suddenly, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder.

He turned around and saw Tamera smiling at him. She seemed to understand exactly what he was thinking.

"Don’t think too much about it. Just follow what your heart feels, Oliver. That’s what matters most."

"What my heart feels..." Oliver muttered.

Then, a smile slowly appeared on his face.

"Thank you, Tamera. I know what I need to do now." He then started walking forward.

"Where are you going, Oliver?" Arnulf asked. Irmine was also wondering the same thing.

"I’m sorry, Father and Mum. I’ve been lying to both of you all this time. But this time, I will protect our home," Oliver said with a smile.

Arnulf and Irmine looked confused.

"It’s fine, Father and Mum. Just watch what our Oliver is really capable of," Tamera said calmly.

Oliver walked closer toward the center of the field. All the townspeople looked at him and immediately started scowling.

"Why is the failure walking there?"

"Has he gone mad?"

"Someone stop that child!"

However, Oliver kept walking until he finally stopped in front of Auron.

Auron looked Oliver up and down.

Suddenly, his eyes widened before a grin slowly appeared on his face.

"So, it was you!"

"We meet again," Oliver replied with a smirk.

Aria, on the other side, immediately stood up as she wanted to get a closer look at Oliver.

The one who had saved her and the one who made her feel that mysterious emotion.

Auron then signaled Emorim to activate the magical barrier once again.

All the townspeople looked confused as Oliver suddenly stepped forward to challenge Auron.

But all of their questions disappeared in the very next second.

"Come to me, Husk!"

"Auuuuuw!"

Husk appeared from a magical array with a loud howl. His appearance looked elegant yet terrifying as crimson aura burst outward from his body, causing even the magical barrier to shake slightly.

"Let’s start the second round!"