"I wonder if this was enough to crush your spirit?" Michael mumbled coldly.

He had experience when it came to dealing with people like Oliver. While pain would be a good scare-off, the humiliation was something even more effective.

There was a reason why the factions held their reputation in such high regard.

"Y—You must have cheated! I am certain!" Oliver proclaimed he couldn't accept that these were Michael's real abilities. Even worse, he had embarrassed himself before so many people.

Unwilling to let this go, he aimed again, only for Michael to disappear from his field of view.

'What?' His eyes narrowed. How did his opponent move so fast?

"I gave you one free shot, not several, remember?" Michael taunted before hitting him square in the face.

"Ugh!" Oliver's protective barrier managed to hold against the force. Due to the inertia, the man was sent skidding on the ground.

Not giving him a chance to recover, Michael began his assault and didn't stop hitting until ensuring that the shield was broken.

From the spectator's area, Isaac was watching the scene with a frown.

"Given how many resources I poured into Oliver, I was sure that he would win…" The man grumbled.

He was wondering if Oliver was simply that useless or if Michael really possessed that much prowess.

'I can't detect a tool on him, nor is he hiding his cultivation. How is he doing it?'

While the Grandmaster was in debate, the short man next to him let out a sigh.

"It's a waste worrying about the matter of mere Experts." Austin reassured. "Regardless of an Expert's talent, it would take a long time to reach the Master realm, possessing any kind of challenge."

"The problem is Oliver's incompetence." Chloe butted in. "I don't get the higher-ups. Why must he be the one to court Victoria? There are many other people that are better suited for the task—"

"Don't question the Lords." Isaac interrupted her, releasing a bit of his aura.

"I—It was never my intention to!" She began to stutter. Just the horror of answering to a Lord filled her with dread.

Most of the Experts' duels until now were bloody and hard-fought victories. Michael's battle was an exception; he didn't display much struggle against Oliver.

"Please—" Oliver's plea landed on deaf ears. With a nonchalant expression, Michael used Devil's Tongue to sever the man's head.

Gasp!

Thanks to the arena, Oliver appeared alive and well a second later. With great difficulty he began to take deep breaths, collapsing on his knees.

'I feel a bit better. I wonder if Victoria enjoyed the spectacle.' Michael mused, leaving the so-called legacy alone.

"Look how he is crawling on the ground despite his big talk! Hilarious!"

"His legacy must have been one of a pig!"

The soldiers benefited from the duel immensely. Despite Michael overwhelming his opponent, his strikes were clean and easily telegraphed. Perfect to be analyzed later by the newbies.

"A Rare cybernetic…" After inspecting his reward, Michael decided it was going to be better used elsewhere. The prowess of his faction was important after all.

"You definitely stole the spotlight!" Ava praised, her eyes gleaming in excitement.

"What did you think about it?" Michael turned to Victoria with a curious gaze. Out of everyone, she had the most beef with the man.

"I liked it." She said, looking downwards with a small smile forming on her lips. Almost reluctant to show her true feelings.

'Things have gone well then.' Michael noted.

"Hey, what are you going to do with the cybernetic?" Enzo's interest was piqued; even if he hadn't yet comprehended his reward, his sight was shifting to a better gain.

"I will make you all compete for it." Michael said, sparing a glance at the members of his faction.

"Quite generous." Leo laughed. Few could offer a Rare cybernetic so casually.

"I am grateful for the chance." Amelia bowed in appreciation.

'I wonder if you will be so grateful at the end of your training.' Michael kept his thoughts to himself.

Next in turn was Ava; with Michael's match still fresh in her mind, she was prepared to give it her all.

"It pains my heart that I must fight a cutie pie such as you. But so be it; the reward is more than worth it." Her opponent was a blonde man. With a taunting manner, he wiped his hair to the side, clearly confident in his looks.

'I don't like him.'

Yet, to the man's surprise, his actions caused Ava to start feeling disdain, boosting her overall powers.

A few minutes later, Ava stood with her chest puffed in a proud manner, while the man was lying broken on the ground, unable to get up.

With a large smile on her face, she accepted her reward.

The technique she was going to get from the Rare cybernetic was right up her alley. It allowed one to increase or decrease the weight of objects they are touching.

"I can only imagine what will happen if I double the weight of my hammer before striking!" Her eyes sparkling like a kid's in a candy store. The possibilities were simply endless.

While Ava was celebrating her win, Oliver was doing the opposite.

"I can't believe that I lost! Not only did I make myself look like a fool, but I also lost the chance to acquire a Rare cybernetic." The man complained this was certainly one of the most embarrassing moments of his life.

"Stop bitching, you imbecile." Isaac hit him over the head, causing him to shut up.

"Even with your fuck-up included, we still have things under control."

"Huh?" Oliver was puzzled by the Grandmaster's words. "How could things still be under control?"

Wordlessly Isaac showed him a detailed recording of his loss against Michael.

"Since you are a part of the Immortal Legion, you are under our protection. When the word gets around how you have been humiliated by some no-name… Let's say that Michael is going to have a lot of people knocking on his door at night."

"Hoo~" Instantly Oliver forgot the humiliation he had experienced.

With the duels of the Experts over, it was time for the main event. The Masters duels.

The gathered soldiers collectively held their breath in anticipation as they watched the first two challengers enter the ring.

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