Legacy of the Dark Sage

Kyran braced himself between being slammed to the ground and shifted his body to break free from it. Just as he was about to get slammed on the ground for the fourth time, he twisted his torso slightly and reached both hands toward the ground. Using his arms as some spring, he cushioned the impact he would have endured.

'Hm?' Ambros was momentarily stunned because he did not feel the same impact as the first few when he slammed Kyran to the ground.

That moment's pause was enough for Kyran to twist his body and break free from Ambros's grasp.

"What—?"

Surprisingly, Kyran managed to break free from Ambros's grasp with ease. It appeared that even if he seemed to be very proficient in moving around in human form, he was still slightly clumsy when controlling his limbs.

When Kyran slipped out of Ambros's hand, he rolled back once to regain his balance. After that, with just enough pause, he dashed forward and used all his weight to bump the latter's shin.

"Ngh—!"

Ambros seemed to have anticipated Kyran's move and summoned a wall of earth high enough to block the latter.

BAM!

"?"

Kyran was surprised because instead of bumping right at the wall and destroying it, he felt a slight recoil, which forced him to fall back.

'Seriously, this guy...' he could not help but smirk at discovering another way of using Earth magic. Or at least the concept he learned from Ambros.

The dragons cheering for Ambros a few moments ago were forced into silence at how easy it had been for Kyran to break free and launch a counter. Although the counter did not work, they admitted to being impressed at his decision to move forward rather than retreat. Moreover, they noticed how Kyran managed to face Ambros without showing signs of being disadvantaged.

Some even wondered if Kyran was indeed a human or a dragon in human form. Whether he was a pure dragon or a lesser dragon did not matter because they found it unbelievable that a human could actually fight on even grounds against a pure dragon.

Ambros might be young, but he was a full-fledged dragon. His body and overall prowess should be way above that of a human. How could Kyran fight evenly against him?

To be honest, the fight between the two was not even. Ambros had the upper hand. The only reason it appeared they were even was because Kyran managed to control his expressions and movements well.

Returning to the ongoing match, Ambros felt slightly ashamed at how easy it was for Kyran to slip away from him. But he did not let that emotion cloud his judgment and launched another attack on Kyran. After blocking the latter's attempt to bump his shin and probably make him lose balance, Ambros used Dragon Step and closed the distance between them in an instant.

He then arched his back and slammed his fist straight down toward Kyran's exposed head.

Kyran had no time to dodge Ambros's fist and decided to endure the punch instead. He raised both arms and blocked the latter's punch, and at the same time, he used the same concept the latter did with the wall of earth to the ground he was on. Doing so, the shock that should have come after Ambros hit him was cushioned by the ground.

BAM!

'Hm?'

Once again, the tremor from the point of collision Ambros expected felt lacking. By then, he knew at once that Kyran had done something.

On Velctor's side, the smile on his face widened as he noticed what Kyran was doing. He could not help but look toward Lord Aillos at the corner of his eyes and said, "It looks like there is a reason Lord Aillos allowed the spar requests."

"What do you mean by that Patriarch?" Orena, slightly distracted by his comment, looked at him in confusion.

Velctor shrugged and leaned back on his chair, "I'm surprised you haven't noticed it from that move."

"Notice what exactly?"

"The new Dragon Lord... he is learning while fighting Ambros," Velctor replied in amusement. "I'm guessing that is Lord Aillos's reason for approving all the spar requests. The new Dragon Lord might have a rare innate talent for absorbing magic concepts he had just seen or learned and applying it flawlessly."

"You're saying that again," Orena replied with a frown. Apparently, she was still not convinced about Velctor's assessment.

Velctor smiled at her wryly and said, "To think that my second-in-command would doubt my words. I'm a little hurt."

"..."

Back to the arena.

After Kyran successfully blocked and reduced the impact from Ambros's fist, the latter paused in surprise. However, he regained his composure immediately and started another barrage of punches and kicks.

At least, that was what Ambros intended. Kyran did not allow it and moved out of the way when he found a gap in Ambros's movement. But he did not try to gain some distance from the latter. Instead, he prepared to counterattack by launching himself forward.

Ambros greeted Kyran's attack with his fist, and the two exchanged another round of kicks and punches.

Seeing the two go another round, most of the patriarchs and seconds-in-command could not help but shift uncomfortably in their seats.

They found it somewhat embarrassing that a promising talent like Ambros could not even knock out Kyran in a few minutes. Some tried to gauge Velctor's thoughts about the match since Ambros was part of his tribe. However, they were surprised to see Velctor enjoying the match and even seemed to have shown interest in Kyran.

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"This is only the first match, yet half an hour has passed."

Aillos suddenly remarked. His voice was not loud and could only be heard by the patriarchs and seconds-in-command.

Obviously, they knew it was intentional and that his words were only meant for them to hear.

Velctor looked at him and said wryly, "The clan has gained another genuine talent. I am truly impressed. I also looked forward to his growth."

"..."

Aillos did not respond. However, his countenance changed slightly, which only his aides would have noticed.

Velctor took the hint and looked toward Eissen, who was already looking at him. It was obvious that he had been waiting for Velctor to say something, especially since the match happening below was between his tribe's talent and Kyran.

"I believe both participants have already achieved what they wanted in this spar," he said, using a loud voice for everyone in the dome to hear.

Ambros and Kyran also stopped upon hearing him speak.

Velctor looked between Ambros and Kyran before turning his attention back to Eissen.

"A clear victor is not required during a spar. Both have shown equal strength and talent for this match and believe the result to be a draw."

"Patriarch, I—" Ambros initially wanted to protest. But one look from Velctor made him swallow the words he was about to utter.

On the other hand, Kyran remained silent and only looked at Velctor calmly.

Velctor returned his gaze and smiled, "What do you think, new Dragon Lord? No, I should properly address you. Shall we view this match as a draw, Null?"

"...Alright."

Kyran's response appeared curt and even disrespectful to the other dragons. But Velctor did not mind and even smiled in appreciation. He said, "I hope to get to know you and your people soon."

"...I share the same sentiments, Patriarch."

"Hm," Velctor smiled before looking at Eissen. "We are done with the match, Aide Eissen."

Eissen nodded before addressing the audience.

"Since both participants agreed, this match is considered a draw."

As soon as he announced the end of the match, two pillars of light shone down on Ambros and Kyran, respectively. They were then transported back to the waiting room for the participants.

The audience did not react to the match's sudden ending. They also believed that the match between Ambros and Kyran would have dragged on without a clear victor. Thus, they agreed with the decision and waited for the next match to start.

"We will take a ten-minute break while we restore the arena," Eissen announced. "As for the next match, please look forward to Null's next spar partner."

Most knew Kyran would be sparring against several dragon tribes, so what Eissen said was true. Although they did not know if other tribes sent spar requests against each other, to be honest, they were only interested in watching the matches between Kyran and other tribe talents.

Ambros appeared inside the Earth Dragon Tribe's waiting room with a frown. He did not like how his match against Kyran ended with a draw. That match was considered his official match outside his tribe, and he felt dissatisfied that he failed to show everything he had.

"Don't be disappointed," Olis, another young talent from their tribe, told him and patted his back. "It is only a spar. There is no need for you to show everything you've got."

If not for Olis's reminder, Ambros would have truly forgotten that.

That was right. It was only a spar, so why was he adamant about defeating Kyran?

"But seriously, that human is something... ah, right; since the Patriarch has acknowledged him, it will be rude if we continue to call him that human."

"...You're right. Anyway, that guy is a little annoying. When you thought you had the upper hand, he would suddenly prove you wrong."

"I did notice you got a little worked up after he managed to break free from that prison."

"..."

"Anyway, Patriarch sent something. I think it is his assessment of your match. Read it, and learn from it."

"Thanks."

Meanwhile, when Kyran returned to his room, Cyneah immediately tended to his wounds.

"...Isn't it only a spar? Why are you full of wounds?"