The tension had just begun to coil when a voice from outside came. "You started the party without me? Ildiem, you son of a bitch."

A cold draft slipped into the hall, and with it came a presence heavier than the host of this party.

His boots hit the marble, producing sounds that challenged every other. His frame was lean and wrapped in a long coat of crimson and black, lined with patterns that showed it was not nominal.

"Reginald Seraph!" his name started to travel in whispers through the masses. His silver hair was pulled back, and the wrinkles on his clean-shaven face explained his age. But his bright smile and demeanor didn’t seem to care about it.

His march wasn’t halted. He never looked around in awe. He walked as if every inch of this palace and every breath taken inside these walls was something he had already seen and surpassed. And yes, he had.

Morris was not alone when he created Blessed Knuckles, he had a promoter. A 5000-man commander was a nice position when wars were common. After the treaty, they became nobody.

Reginald Seraph was a general. He backed Morris and was his partner.

When Morris died, Reginald created his own new promotion and made it legal, a thing he never did when Morris was alive.

When he entered, a man suddenly walked towards him and whispered something. "Oh." Reginald replied.

He turned his eyes and found them instantly. Vidu, Hawk, John, and the rest. His eyes landed on Thane, who was injured and angry, very angry.

He had never been knocked out before, and today, he let Max get taken hostage.

Reginald slowly walked towards him. "How old are you?" he asked.

Unbeknownst to him, anger had clouded Thane’s head. "Who the hell are you?" Thane retorted and glared at him.

"You don’t know me?" Reginald was calm, smiling as if he were dealing with a child, which he really was.

"Get lost, I am very pissed," uttered Thane as he looked at Topda, who was standing on the other side, regretting his decision to come along with Vidu.

Reginald cackled, his laughter reverberating through the hall. "The last man who talked to me like that was cut into fifty-seven pieces, lumped into a sack, and buried ten feet deep."

"I don’t care, piss off," Thane retorted again.

Reginald was now confused. Was this guy insanely bold or just insane?

Reginald, apart from being the biggest fighting promoter, was a five-lined blessed. The five lines were visible on his face.

Reginald was on the same level of blessing as the two old men in robes Thane had met at the toilet. However, the situation was different now.

Thane was a strong, innocent, and pampered teen. The only thing he cared about now was finding a way to smash that lanky fellow.

John walked quickly. Reginald recognized him. He revealed Thane’s and Max’s identities to Reginald in a low voice, with the surroundings controlled by his blessing.

He couldn’t bear the thought of Reginald making an enemy of them or killing any of the teens during one of his uncontrollable mood swings.

Reginald looked at Thane with a smile. "Your grandfather and I once fought together against the Krynova Kingdom," he whispered. Just like John, he used his blessing to make sure only Thane heard it.

Thane looked at him in awe, finally. His gaze softened, and he recognized the lines. His eyes widened.

He met three five-lined blessed on his first day in the capital.

Reginald winked at him and looked at Hawk. He didn’t say a word to him and simply gave him a nod before moving away.

But then he looked back and uttered, "You’re doing a good job, kid. I get to hear the name of Huma Bird quite often."

He then went to Ildiem and gave him a hug. "How have you been?"

"Solve this mess, sir, it’s giving me a headache." Reginald was like a teacher to Ildiem. He was afraid of Morris, but he always admired Reginald.

"Leave it to me." Reginald said with a smile. He dragged a chair from the side to the center and sat on it. "Get over here, you two."

Vidu and Hawk looked at each other, hatred sparking in their eyes, but Reginald wasn’t someone to be ignored. Vidu was nearest, so he arrived first.

"Oh my." He looked at Vidu and mumbled, "You have made terrible enemies."

"I don’t care, uncle," Vidu replied.

Reginald nodded. "I know, I know... but you should." His words carried no harm, yet they were pressuring.

Hawk finally came. Reginald looked at him and said nothing. There was a warm smile on his face, different from the ones he had been giving until now. "Has life been tough on you?" he asked.

Hawk shook his head. "No, uncle. My masters are very generous."

"What do you want? If you want to go home, Vidu will never touch you, as long as I am alive."

Vidu panicked. "Uncle. How co-"

Reginald raised his finger. He didn’t look at Vidu, nor did he raise his voice. A mere gesture from his finger was enough, and Vidu Morris quietly stood still.

"Speak," he told Hawk.

"I want to end it," Hawk replied.

"How?"

Hawk paused for a second. "A fight to the death."

Now Reginald paused. He didn’t utter a word. Several seconds passed. Reginald let out a big cold sigh and scratched his wrinkled forehead before questioning, "Any conditions?"

"If I win, The Pit will be mine," Hawk added.

"And if you lose?" Reginald asked again. Vidu smiled in his heart. Reginald was indeed an old player of this game.

Hawk couldn’t answer. He couldn’t risk the casino. He was about to say something when Max spoke. "Then Vidu can have my casino, Den of Legends."

Hawk jerked his head back and looked at Max, who was pressing his neck with a handkerchief.

John, as his uncle, warned him about the consequences. "Max, Vidu is a dangerous guy. You can lose everything."

Max shook his head. His life was at stake because of them. "We are beyond that point, uncle. I will put my everything on Hawk, including my trust."

Reginald, after hearing all that, stood up. "Tomorrow, at the Blessed Fighting Championship, two sons of Morris Niero, my late partner, will unfortunately fight until one of them stops breathing.

Whoever is willing to watch this bloodbath must buy tickets beforehand. It’s a sudden once-in-a-lifetime event.

You know Vidu Morris, right? His record is 156-2-0, a fascinating record, isn’t it?

On the other hand, we have Diamond Head. He is one of the two men who were able to defeat Vidu Morris.

He left fighting eighteen years ago, and during his time as a fighter, his record was 96-0-0."

Vidu clenched his fists. "That coward mixed poison in my water," he said through gritted teeth.

The masses were surprised. Rivals with a complicated past are far more fun to watch, especially when it’s a fight to the death.

Reginald was the true king of this sport. Ildiem’s party was ruined because of the fight, and he turned that fight into a huge event for Ildiem.

He could have named his own promotion to earn from it, but he didn’t. That’s why even people like Ildiem Zenonar admired him.

"Hold on, old man," a voice came.

Reginald looked. It was Thane.

"I want to fight this bastard. Right here, right now," Thane said as he pointed his finger at Topda.

Topda smacked his lips. "What the fuck, man."