Ataraxia Abyss
Chapter 23: The Boredom

There is no denying that for the first time Regal was seduced not because of the Incubus nature in him. Callen Belterre, Regal knows information about him, the second son of the kingdom of Belterre. But there are some unfortunate rumors that Callen is the result of Queen Eleanor's affair with a human.

"Let me guess, you suspect me." Regal smiled as he looked at the woman next to him. "As expected of a renowned Mercenary with Nephilim blood. But take it easy, I'm not here to watch but to say hello. Although we hate Devils and Angels, it is undeniable that we uphold the dignity of Warriors."

Regal smiled after hearing that. Callen really had a deep dignity, Regal did not even know if he was lying or not because he could keep his soul stable and not shake because he was lying.

"Are you going to participate in the tournament?" Callen smiled at Regal. "There are 4 representatives who will fight later, after you fight the last participant you will fight the Champion of the arena, which is myself."

Hearing that Regal smiled even more. "What reward do I receive when I win from you?" Callen drank wine with a flat face. "You'll see it when you beat me." Hearing that made Regal laugh, he was different from the others, Regal could tell that, than the person who talked a lot but could not stand up after 3 attacks, the woman next to him was different...

"Tell me Princess Callen. When the Angels protect and the Devil destroys. What do the Dragons hold in high regard?" Regal asked Callen, Callen answered without hesitation. "Strength... We uphold honor and strength."

Now that Regal's vigilance had gone down, he now knew what made the Dragons hate other creatures. They hated creatures like humans and other weak races because they were weak, in contrast to the reason they always held enmity towards Devils and Angels. It's all because of competition...

After that, Regal and Callen chatted for quite a while on the balcony. The two of them brought themselves closer together, it was all because they both knew that after they had spoken words, they would have a conversation with their fists.

———

The opening morning of the arena was done, not only the Dragons, many other races went to Belterre to watch the massive fight. In the preparation room Regal had worn Adamas, he then looked at Gram, the sword with the black handle and the silver blade reflecting Regal's face.

"After a long time you can finally show your strength again..." Regal then sheathed Gram in her scabbard, then she went to the match arena. When he came out he could see there were many other participants who were taking part in this match.

Molon was the representative of the Orc race, Dakath the representative of the Elf race, Kyle the representative of the Dwarf race, and of course Regal which was the representative of the Human race. Everyone including Regal is currently a rising Warrior. It's a pity that only 4 races were designated by the Dragons, but that definitely won't make this match boring to watch. Regal looked at the podium of the rulers, where he could see the rulers of each competing kingdom sitting there. And there he could see Callen.

The look in the eyes of the dragon disguised as a human was completely different from what he had seen at the party, the eyes of a Warrior, he saw this match as something sacred,similarly, the Dragons who saw the match from the bleachers.

After the arena promoter finished his opening, he immediately read out his match schedule. "The first match will be performed by the representatives of the Human race and the Orc race! Mercenary Regal and Champion of From North, Molon!"

Regal can feel it is not a handshake, Molon tried to destroy Regal's hand with the strength of his hand,but Regal did not blink at all even though the Orc's hand was grasping so hard that his veins were visible. With a smile on his face Regal saw Molon.

"It's supposed to be a regular handshake you know...?" And with just a little push, Regal made Molon realize his mistake. His lower body lost its balance, he tried to remain standing with trembling legs until he finally knelt down with his left hand holding back so that his upper body did not fall.

"What's wrong? Aren't you the one who made this into a power contest?" Regal continued to press not with strength but with technique. Molon was currently feeling the shortness of breath he was experiencing, the pressure and also the impulse it felt like he was currently inside a ravine, no... He felt like he was drowning in an ocean that had extremely high pressure, Regal gave that sensation with just a handshake.

Regal breaks Molon's right hand. The Orc was still lying with a frightened face, as he realized he finally started to feel his broken right hand. With his natural ability, Orc can heal broken bones easily, but at this time he can not concentrate with irregular breath.

Everyone who saw that was clearly amazed by what Regal did, as Molon stood up he put on an angry face, for himself to be humiliated as it really hurt his pride as a Warrior.

"You'll regret it, man...!" Molon threatened, but Regal did not answer. As the two were in their respective positions, the referee started ringing the bells of the match.

Regal did fight Molon, but when Molon watched with eyes full of anger, Regal did not look into the eyes of the Warrior. Molon who watched Regal not stare or not put the horses finally consumed by emotion again.

Molon lunged with his battle axe, trying to kill but Regal still did not stare. Until finally Molon realized, the reason why he did not stare or try to survive was because Regal did not consider himself a threat. And when Molon realized how small he was before his opponent, Regal swung his sword and split the two Orcs.

Molon finally realized, that when he shook hands with her, she was not showing her strength, but showing her weakness. It made Regal realize that this was not a fight, Regal did not feel any threat from the words of the action Molon. Eventually, Molon died. Everyone was silent until the silence turned into a cheer.

Death in the arena is rare, but it is not an offense to kill your opponent. Regal's face was exposed to blood from Molon whose body was still bleeding.

"What's as low as a Warrior in this age?" Regal did win but he felt nothing, only boredom he felt. As he felt the boredom Regal looked towards Callen. The woman also felt the match was boring, but she smiled when she saw Regal.

"Really yeah...? You're the only one worth here..." And with that Regal came out of the arena with the status of a winner.

...***...