*Boom!*

The first clash between the former friends produced an intense sound.

After his punch was parried, Gavin spun a right kick on Joshua's head.

Joshua, who had predicted the attack, caught his leg with his right hand.

Using the leg as an anchor, he spun around and blasted Gavin away.

*Bam!*

Gavin landed close to the center of the stage. He coughed out blood due to the force behind the throw and stood up.

Without looking, he swept his feet and the person in front of him fell. He already knew who it was. It was Joshua.

He knew that Joshua would attack him, any normal person would.

Gavin shook his right arm. It lit blue, powered up by [Spirit Essence].

With a loud shout, he dove his arm at the abdomen of Joshua, but he wasn't that lucky. His opponent had rolled away from the attack in time.

After rolling away, Joshua used the chance to trap Gavin's feet with his legs.

Like a snake, he brought down Gavin!

With an acrobatic move, he flipped back to his feet and stomped on Gavin.

By now, Joshua's body was already brimming with red [Spirit Essence]. That would explain why he was able to bring Gavin down.

His legs muscled bulged as he kicked Gavin high up in the sky.

*Pwoo!*

Coming down like a rocket, the dominated Gavin saw Joshua entering a stance with his [Spirit Essence] brimming more and more.

He knew he could not afford to take whatever attack Joshua planned.

With only his fierce willpower, he used his [Spirit Essence] to twist himself mid-air and positioned himself for a drop-kick.

'What!' reacted Joshua.

Due to the impeccable timing of Gavin, he did not foresee the attack.

Upon seeing the attack, he was only able to cross his arms and prepare himself for the attack.

The moment he blocked the attack, he was able to understand what a spectacular attack it was.

Despite Gavin's weaker strength, he was able to produce a force almost equal to the average physical force of Joshua.

However, Joshua knew that Gavin would have betted all his [Spirit Essence] on the attack.

He would be drained right now!

At least, that was what Joshua thought, but.....

"What?!" Joshua exclaimed.

He had felt a huge disturbance in the [Spirit Essence] in the air. Such disturbance could only be caused by an activation of a technique.

He looked at his opponent and saw brown [Spirit Essence] coiling around his arm to form a rocky-like glove on it.

Seeing that, he understood that Gavin had achieved [Realm-1 Hidden Stage].

'Previously, his Uncle and now him. He is now on equal strength with his uncle. Envious,' thought Joshua.

He was not jealous of Gavin's strength, but of his achievements.

"[1st Style of the Meteor series - Boulder Fist]!" announced Gavin.

His right arm pulsed as it met its way to the face of Joshua.

With the ferociously of a falling boulder, it hit Joshua and tumbled him around the stage!

*Boom!*

He hoped this attack would finalize it.

Gasping for breath, he fell on his knees as the last embers of [Spirit Essence] left him.

He laid flat on the stage as he looked at the sky, "That should have been enough, shouldn't it?"

To prepare for the attack, he had overloaded himself with [Spirit Essence] far beyond what his body could contain and forcibly suppressed it in him.

Immediately after dishing his dropkick, he used the suppressed energy to fire up his technique.

Now, he was left with only his drained body and no energy.

Still reflecting, he heard a familiar footstep.

His jaws dropped as he saw the face of Joshua with a bloodied face and arms.

There were no words for him. He knew he had lost!

Joshua finally unsheathed his sword.

He knew Gavin would not forfeit. So, he went full power. He had played with Gavin enough.

Temperature flared as blobs of hot energy entered his body and flowed into his sword.

That was the beauty of a [High-Earth Rank] weapon; it could conduct energy

With the appropriate stance, Joshua raised up his red-hot sword, which melted the droplets of sweat on Joshua's skin.

Just like the saying, "What goes up must come down", he brought down his sword in a terrifying slash at Gavin...….

...…..

A few moments ago.

Jake stood straight as he looked at his opponent, Billy Miller.

Unlike his opponent, he wasn't tense.

Normally, he would have opted to fight unarmed, which was something he was very used to, but he decided to use his sword.

As cultivators progress, unarmed combat would be scorned and detrimental.

Without further ado, Jake brought out his sword and zipped to the location of Billy.

His fast speed caught Billy off-guard as he was left to defend.

*Ding!*

Jake's sword was parried by Billy's dagger.

Just like he practiced, Jake switched his sword and used his right hand to balance himself as he threw a roundhouse kick full of energy.

Smooth. Clean. That was the style of Jake's attack.

With his near-perfect control of [Spirit Essence], he optimized his energy consumption so he doesn't run out of it early.

Jake didn't give Billy time to recover.

He swung his sword at Billy's neck only stopping when it was about to cut off the boy's head, blood dripping from the nip it made.

Jake was having too easy with his opponent.

Billy lacked experience and was at [Realm-1 Stage-3]. There was no possible way Billy could have posed a threat to him.

With a sword by his neck, Billy tried to counter-attack.

He twirled his short dagger, infused it with [Spirit Essence], and took a jab at Jake.

He thought he was successful until he felt a crushing knee on his stomach.

He held his stomach in pain as he spat out blood.

Trying to keep himself in the fight, he ignored the pain and stood up, but before he could fully stand, he felt the cold feeling of metal on his neck again.

Jake had pointed his sword on the neck again.

Jake coldly asked him, "Give up."

"No!"

Getting his reply, Jake smiled, "I thought as much. What is with you people and being stubbornly persistent, anyway?"

In a gentlemanly manner, he sheathed his sword and looked at Billy, his voice becoming colder and colder, "Thankfully, I thought of a way to get over this ordeal."

Using his hands as his sword, he yanked Billy's long hair, bringing it to his eye level, and punched it.

He began his barrage of attacks!

Giving him no time to think, Jake threw at him an onslaught of punches, all not directed to his face.

With his fast speed, he plummeted Billy, pushing him closer to where he wanted him to be.

Jake used his knuckles to further submerge Billy into a pile of mess.

To Jake, the scene was nostalgic.

Months ago, he had been beaten into a pulp by the [Curved Spiked Ape].

Now, months after, he is doing the same to someone else. Except, in a more civilized way.

While reminiscing, he gave grabbed Billy's hair again.

With great strength, he used the hair to slam Billy on the opposite side of the stage.

After being satisfied with his work of art, he dragged Billy to his destination, leaving a blood trail on the floor.

"Bloody," commented the spectators.

It was like watching a horror movie. Some of them covered their children's eyes, but they did not shout at Jake.

He had every right to do that since his opponent refused to forfeit.

While holding Billy, Jake saw that Billy was trying to resist.

He sighed, "Again!"

Without mercy, he punched Billy in the guts.

He was already where he wanted to be, the edge of the stage, so he decided to enjoy it a little bit.

Jake grabbed the head Billy and kneed it.

After that, he powered up his right arm.

Using it as a sword, but this time not to cut, his fast and vicious arm jabbed at the abdomen of Billy.

The attack blasted him off stage and Billy collapsed into the separating wall between the stadium seats and the stage.

"Perfect," Jake dusted his hands.

He noticed they were full of Billy's blood. He shook his hands with great speed and swiped the blood away.

Taking a last look at the unconscious Billy, he sighed, "What a sad life?!"

"Now, what do I do. Hmm….."

Something caught his eyes.

The fight between Gavin and Joshua Vargas, despite looking like Gavin's win, was actually far from that.

He wondered how Gavin could have thought he could finish his opponent with the attack.

It was sure he was desperate as Gavin was probably not looking for a battle of attrition. That was why he took his chances.

"Hmmm...If things go on, he would lose," commented Jake.

He saw this as an opportunity to repay the debts he owed the Elliot family.

They had done a lot for him, and if he intervened in the fight, he would be repaying them.

Jake practiced the principle of equivalent exchange and was not comfortable owing someone.

So, the instant Joshua raised his sword, Jake entered his stance and channeled the principle of his technique.

He increased his energy consumption, and blitzed away, not to Gavin's side, but instead to the other two opponents, Lucy and Jody.

While fighting, he had watched them a little bit. They were not strong at all!

No less than five seconds he arrived at their location.

"What?!" Jody who was pressing her opponent got shocked at the arrival of another individual.

She didn't get to reply all she saw was the appearance of a cold blade, and she fell down with her eyes closed.

It was definitely a shocking moment as soon as she fell down, her opponent, Lucy, fell with her.

Looking at the fallen bodies, Jake smiled, 'So, it worked.'

One may wonder why the girls weren't bleeding. It was because Jake made it that way.

He controlled his strength and pressed on the "sleep button" of the girls.

As for why Lucy fell, Jake smiled. He had hit her, but not many people could see the attack.

.......

Current time.

"Match 2 - End!"

Joshua's attack was paused by the referee's word, much to Gavin's convenience.

He grimaced as he knew he could not disobey the referee, but he could also not de-activate the technique.

Getting an idea, he shouted, "Referee!"

The referee nodded at him, understanding his intention.

Joshua finally released his attack. He threw a red energy slash at the referee, who caught it in one hand.

The referee held the slash and despite it melting his clothes, he didn't make a sound.

He opened his mouth and blew out the hot energy on his hand.

It was a terrifying display of strength and it earned the cheers of the crowd