BXBX NOVEL Chapter 209: It begins
They checked around the beast's neck for a runic slave collar—those usually placed on beasts to turn them into mounts—but there was none. This only made the Awakened even more perplexed.
If there was no collar on the beast's neck, didn't it mean it was a free wild creature? But how did it look so tame?
Kron, standing beside the duke's curtain, stared at Nox with a strange expression. Among the lords, only he and the duke knew that Nox possessed the ability to make beasts do his bidding, and they suspected it had something to do with his class.
*To think this kid would also be able to make an elemental beast his puppet... It's frightening.*
Kron's expression changed instantly, and seeds of doubt began to form in his heart. He glanced at the boy again. Nox seemed very different from how he looked five years ago, when Hendrix had beaten him along with the other kids. Now, he seemed much taller, his body refined, and his face no longer appeared naive.
*Why do I have the feeling that this fight won't be as easy as it seems?* Kron thought, anxiety crawling onto his features. As he watched Nox's calm and confident gestures, the worry only grew in his heart. His thoughts were soon interrupted by the loud cheers of the crowd.
"Hahahaha, fucking bastards! The Dark Eyes Menace is finally here!"
A loud voice came from the stands of the Cromwell Barony, shattering the silence. That voice snapped everyone out of their trance, and they started shouting Nyx's name at the top of their lungs. The towns that had been mocking them minutes ago shrank in their seats.
The amount of vulgar words coming from the Cromwell stands was so intense that Aina, who was close by, had no choice but to cover Serena's ears.
"Y-you..." Klein stammered, pointing a trembling finger at Astralux. "That thing doesn't bite, right?"
"It does," Nox smiled darkly, "if you have bad intentions."
Klein's expression turned pale as he saw those lightless eyes. In that moment, Nox looked like a handsome devil from hell.
"Ah, don't mind me. I'm just joking with you." Nox laughed as he lightly patted Klein's shoulder, though the playful grin never reached his cold, calculating eyes. Klein's legs nearly gave out beneath him, his forced laughter sounding more like a nervous wheeze.
A moment later, Nox telepathically instructed Astralux to take her non-combat form, which she gladly did, causing a series of gasps from the crowd.
"Damn, so it can also change size."
It was only the common folk and some newbie Awakened who were surprised by Astralux's transformation. The likes of Bridget, Nathan, Zarek, and various lords maintained their composure... Well, not all of them.
Nathan displayed a wide grin stretching from one side of his face to the other. "Oi, bastards, what were you saying?!" He turned to the other lords, who felt their scalps go numb with embarrassment. They were tongue-tied and had no retort.
"Hahahaha, cat got your tongue?" Nathan laughed loudly, causing the ears of those nearby to hurt terribly. They couldn't do anything and could only curse Nathan's ancestors silently.
Because of his grandson's presence, the anger Nox had felt was slowly fading away.
Back in the arena, the commentator cleared his throat, color returning to his face. "Since you weren't here before, I'll go through the rules once more." He sounded more confident now that Astralux had taken a relatively small form.
Nox and Wendy paid strict attention to what was being said, absorbing everything like sponges. It took barely twenty minutes for Klein to explain everything, and under the loud cheers of the Cromwell Barony, the two stepped forward.
"I know you want to say it... You can let it all out," Nox teased with a slight smile hanging on his lips. His gaze was fixed on Nyx, who was balling her fists and looking at Nox as if she'd murder him. Then, with sheer willpower, she spat:
"I didn't miss you, you dumbskull."
"Guilty conscience," Nox smirked.
"What did you say?" Nyx threatened, losing her calm façade slightly. Though she was indifferent to others, her twin brother always ruined this when he was around.
"I said guilty conscience," Nox repeated provocatively. "I never said anything about missing me, and you jumped to conclusions by yourself... which means you were actually missing me. Now, say 'I miss you.'"
"How about I give you a punch to the face?" Nyx suggested with a mad grin splitting her face.
"Hmph, you're no fun."
"Hey, guys!" Wendy suddenly called out from the side, attracting both Nox and Nyx's attention. She pointed at the commentator, the officiator, and the crowd, all of whom were looking at the twins with annoyance plastered across their faces.
"We're the only ones left. I know you two really missed each other and would like to continue your sibling bonding banter, but..." She paused, gesturing to the portal. "We should probably step inside the portal before the crowd does it for us."
"The young miss is right," Klein nodded in agreement.
Nox went to the Cromwell Barony stand and performed a low bow. The citizens stood on their feet and started cheering and clapping. Their collective cheers numbed the ears of the others, who had annoyed looks on their faces.
Nox then winked at his mom, Aina, who was all smiles, her eyes filled with longing. After all, she had not seen her son in months now. But she'll wait until the tournament ends before giving him a long hug.
Nox then nodded at his grandfather before approaching the portal.
However, before entering, he turned around and made a cutthroat gesture at Duke Felix. His gaze lingered on Kron as well before he passed through the portal alongside Nyx and Wendy.
Duke Felix was immediately consumed with anger, while Kron felt a shiver down his spine. For a moment, he thought he saw a dagger impale him.
As soon as the three passed through the portal, various landscapes flickered to life on the massive screens hovering in the air. It was the live feed of the mysterious realm. Similarly, the recording crystal installed there activated, transmitting the live feed to the Cromwell Barony. The Cromwells weren't the only ones who had thought of this; the other towns did something similar.
A moment later, the tournament that would determine the fate of all the towns in the west officially kicked off.
But as soon as they entered the mysterious realm, Klein's voice rang out.
"You guys are free to go all out and kill each other." Then he smiled darkly. "Oh, and one more thing... You're not the only ones in the mysterious realm."