Chapter 423: Beginning of the Duo Tournament
Seeing that the girl was still struggling through some past trauma, Azmodeus incredulously shook his head before patting her head. "There is no need for all that; after all, we are partners, are we not?"
A smile so gentle that it could whisk away all her worries—that was how Anna would describe what she was staring at in that moment. Her temperature rose exponentially as her heartbeat raced. She softly touched her face, only to realize that it was burning up, causing her to avert her gaze in embarrassment. "...You really are an incorrigible jerk…"
"What was that?" asked Azmodeus, his voice filled with confusion.
"N-Nothing! Let's just go to that Duo Tournament already! Gah! What are you still standing here for?? We're going to be late!" Anna stormed away with a pout further accentuating her already cute features. Even though Azmodeus was still very much perplexed by a number of things, this had been one of his prime goals in joining the Eternal Jade Academy, so he let the grumbling young miss lead the way.
Before long, Azmodeus and Anna found themselves outside a vast stadium. Thousands of people were gathered around its Roman architecture, with almost all of them holding back a blood-pumping fire that was just raring to go. Curious, Azmodeus scanned their internals and quickly found that all of them were brimming with an extreme amount of… excitement.
"Anna?"
"Yes?"
"Is the Duo Tournament always this packed and filled with people who seem like they just found an oasis after being severely parched for years?" asked Azmodeus, his cunning eyes honing in on the gorgeous woman snuggling close to his right side. Answering his question, Anna cutely bobbed her head, causing her purple hair to become a little messy. "Yes, the Duo Tournament and really any competition hosted by the Academy and Eternal Jade Sect is like this. Why? Did you think it would be something small or something~?" she teased, her eyes glazed flirtatiously.
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Azmodeus was used to ascending to higher realms and being seen as the ignorant country bumpkin, but getting it pointed out so obviously like this was just… Haiz. He lightly palmed his face before dragging the cheeky girl the rest of the way to the wide, metal-barred entrance of the Arena. Entering through after confirming their identities, they sashayed over to the area for participants. Or, at least, that was what it looked like for all the single Pringles chewing on their handkerchiefs while watching the hearts poke them in the head.
"Screw that guy!"
"I wish it were me…"
"How unscrupulous! To act like that in broad daylight! Just who are these two!?"
"I don't know who the man is, but the purple-haired woman is definitely one of the Three Belles of the Eternal Jade Academy! I would recognize those swaying hips and supple curves anywhere!"
"I wish it were me…"
"..." "..." "..."
"Dude, you really need to get a grip. You are just making yourself look so pathetic right now…!"
"I wish it were me…"
Silence.
The others in this group of conversing spectators wondered if other people saw them as someone like this pathetic guy just because they were together. Afraid that this was the reality of the situation, they scattered, leaving the loner boner to draw circles on the ground with a sorrowful look on his face. He just wanted someone to affectionately hug him as well! He wanted a cute girl to look at him as if he were the center of her world!! Why was life so unfair!?
As many guests and spectators approached the ticket booth and purchased their tickets, the ones who would be serving as the entertainment for the day made their way toward the spacious Participant Hall. Including Azmodeus and Anna, there were hundreds of students from the Eternal Jade Academy gathered in the hall. They were all of varying grades and from different classes, but their objectives aligned with each other. They wished to win the competition and attain either fame or fortune, with their confident expressions indicating at least that much.
Of course, there were some among the hundreds of students that showed little to no emotions, with their arms posed behind their backs or their hands coldly clasped onto their weapons. Gauging their cultivation bases, Azmodeus was able to figure out that not a single one of them was below the Immortal King Realm, with several of them having already touched upon the peak of the Immortal King Realm. He even saw two with cultivation similar to his, both in the Half-step Immortal Emperor Realm. One was a rough-looking man, while the other was a pale, cold beauty. Surprisingly, the man spotted him and Anna right away, with his lips curving up into a cruel smirk.
Azmodeus was a bit puzzled by this immediate hostility he was feeling, but upon sensing the familiar aura lingering on this young man, he was able to discern he had some sort of relation to Issac. 'It seems like that stubborn fool is really begging for death to catch him… Good, that saves me some trouble from finding an excuse to help my little benefactor over here.' He fondly looked down at the beautiful woman. Anna adorably tilted her head in his direction, but quickly cleared her mind and hugged him even more affectionately before motioning to him to listen.
Azmodeus was a bit confused at first, but then he heard a loud voice over the speakers that lined the roof of the expansive Participant Hall.
"Participant Duo #34 and #57 are to take the stage!"
Then, from in front of the dimly lit hall, bright rays of light shone through as a huge metal gate ascended, accompanied by the clanking of chains and gears. The first participants of the day strutted away from the crowd of students, heading straight for the uproarious stadium outside. They didn't appear even the slightest bit nervous, only expectant of the glory that was to come after they eventually won the whole competition.