Mercenary God: Reborn with a talent for fighting.-Chapter 31: Ch Abel vs Gilhunt.

The coliseum was packed to the brim with people both near and far.

Within the Evernight Ranges, the Bladeheart family were the Lords — they held as much influence as the Emperor himself, so nobody wanted to miss out on the selection of the new Patriarch.

Among the crowd, murmurs full of speculation echoed, and across the Internet, dozens of forums were discussing the outcome of the match.

The first duel was between Abel Bladeheart, the strongest youth of his generation, and Gilhunt Bladeheart, the most experienced of said generation.

When their stats were compared, one might consider the match even.

Such would be the mindset of the common folk who hardly engaged in the world of warriors, but to true veterans of combat and aura mastery, this was going to be a completely one-sided match.

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It began suddenly.

There was no host to perform any announcements or anything of the sort — just an initiator in the form of Lady Camilla, who would signal the start of the duel.

This wasn’t the annual world-class tournament held in the capital; this wasn’t a game for entertainment but a duel with the fate of the family at stake.

Without wasting time, both combatants took to the stage.

There was Abel — as graceful and majestic as always.

In a stylish black tunic molded after the uniforms worn by sects in the Eastern Region and Eastern Continent, he stepped forward, his stance lax and his sword in hand.

As if welcoming his presence, a mysterious wind blew through the surroundings, causing his hair to sway back and forth.

A few of his female fans shrieked in excitement at how much flair he had going on.

On the other side stood Gilhunt, his large and hulking form towering over Abel, an obsidian-bladed axe resting on his shoulder.

He lacked Abel’s dramatic flair, but his presence was undeniable.

He was strong — far stronger than he let on — but would that change the outcome? Nobody knew.

After seconds of walking, they stood facing Lady Camilla, who welcomed their presence with a nod of acknowledgment.

"You may begin!"

Just as she declared, her body blurred and a massive shockwave erupted as Abel and Gilhunt clashed weapons.

"Strong as always... I expected nothing less from you."

Abel, his sheathed blade chipping against the edge of Gilhunt’s axe, smiled faintly as he locked eyes with his cousin.

His elder cousin was the complete opposite of his father — Gilhunt was kind, accepting, and held no disdain for Abel or his family.

Even now, as he suffered from the weight of Gilhunt’s strength, not once did Gilhunt express hatred. To him, this duel wasn’t a matter of envy — just a rule he was following, and Abel was glad for that.

"Time to show you what I’ve got then."

Knocking his sword out of its sheath with a finger, he tilted the sheath, altering the path of Gilhunt’s slash and allowing it to swing past him, cleaving the ground behind in half.

Confident it wouldn’t stop Gilhunt for long, he rushed to his now-falling blade, grabbed hold of it, then spun in a fluid motion — his sword, dyed in his intent, tracing a golden arc that met another attack from Gilhunt.

A loud ring followed by another shockwave exploded throughout the coliseum, tearing through the tiles and shredding the ground completely.

[Fuji Movement Style: Mirage X1000]

Like a phantom, Abel’s body, shrouded in golden aura, dissolved into mist that engulfed Gilhunt, who hacked at it with brute strength.

Each swing of his axe leveled the ground and dented the forcefield protecting the crowd from their attacks.

As he cut through the mist, he was left confused and horrified as it exploded into dozens of Abels who floated in the air like clones.

"Uncle Holi could only create a hundred," he muttered, surveying the thousands of mirages of Abel leaping into the air in unison.

They planted their feet against the forcefield and, in an impressive burst of speed, propelled themselves at him.

"It doesn’t matter."

In a fluid motion, he raised his axe in the air as a surge of crimson aura exploded from his body.

"It doesn’t matter how many of you there are — ten, a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand. As long as you can’t get near me, it’s useless."

[Heaven Defiance Style: Divine Presence]

The aura surging around his body began to expand and grow.

The surroundings trembled, the earth was leveled, and every mirage of Abel was extinguished with the ease of candlelight.

As the mini-nuke contained by the forcefield cleared, the crowd watched in awe.

Gilhunt, crimson aura still lingering around him, launched himself into the air to clash with the real Abel, who descended onto him like a lightning strike.

Gold and red clashed — the resulting impact launching them apart, only for them to meet again.

Streaks of colorful light flickered back and forth as the normal spectators lost sight of the battle, while even S-ranks like Holi found it hard to trace their movements.

"Marvelous... even sound itself is lagging behind them," Holi exclaimed in excitement from the observation chamber alongside the other Elders.

He wasn’t the only one impressed — Camilla, usually indifferent to combat, found herself engrossed in their battle.

She had expected a one-sided match, but Gilhunt had far exceeded her expectations.

Even Kian, who hadn’t expected much, ended up frowning at the sight.

Ignorant of the changing reception, Abel and Gilhunt lunged at each other once again.

No technique — just pure aura — as Abel sidestepped a heavy swing and retaliated with a crescent slash.

Gilhunt, realizing he couldn’t guard fast enough, kicked the base of his axe, forcing it upward; with the added momentum, his axe accelerated and blocked Abel’s blade.

Abel’s form blurred after the unsuccessful strike, reappearing behind him.

Gilhunt spun and hacked his axe diagonally, parrying the attack, but Abel wasn’t done — he dropped to his feet and followed with a leg sweep.

Gilhunt leaped into the air to avoid it and raised his axe for a strike, but Abel was faster. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Quickly standing back up, his stance shifted anew.

Pushing his dominant foot forward and extending his blade toward Gilhunt, he took a light step forward — the tip of his sword lashing out like a viper at the descending warrior.

With no room for retaliation, Gilhunt was forced to tilt his head to dodge, but Abel had already abandoned his sword.

Grabbing hold of Gilhunt’s axe arm, his back facing him, Abel strengthened his core and arched forward, carrying the momentum that dragged Gilhunt down and slammed him and his axe hard into the ground.

Bouncing across the ravaged floor, his axe kicked aside by Abel, Gilhunt quickly stood on his feet — only to cough up a mouthful of blood as a devastating punch carved a dent into his stomach.