"Ha.. haha… hahahahaha!" Daniel started laughing out loud, making the surrounding compet.i.tors look at him with strange eyes. It was the first time anyone had heard his voice since the compet.i.tion started. Still, he didn't care.

It was always like this. It had been like this his whole life. Whenever he felt he could accomplish something, life made sure to remind him who he was. Daniel couldn't help but laugh.

It was a strange laugh that seemed to be filled with regret and anger rather than joy. For everyone around, it was as if the black man was laughing of himself. No one could see how he looked under the clothes, but they were certain it would be a rather sad expression.

Daniel looked at Amon as the boy slowly turned his gaze to him, in shock. His golden eyes, always so bright, were now misty, as if the flame in them had gone out. A silent tear rolled down Amon's face as he looked at Daniel. They both knew that neither of them could go on with this fight.

Still laughing in a tragic manner, Daniel jumped to a platform. His black clothes fluttered in the wind, flapping behind his back like dark wings. He landed heavily on the platform, raising a cloud of dust that hid him.

"Let's end this already." He said with his grave voice.

Amon didn't show reaction at first, still looking at Daniel with a sad expression. Then, he lowered his head and slowly walked to the platform, making a pitiful figure. Seeing him like this made Daniel even more upset.

Couldn't he have just lost a fight to a strong opponent? Couldn't he have given it his all, climbing as high as he could before he feel?

He had a sour taste in his mouth as he looked at the boy in front of him. He had grown taller in these seven months they hadn't seen each other. His muscles were well defined under his clothes, even if not fully developed. His features were turning sharper, and Daniel could already see traces of what one day become a beard on his youthful face.

Nevertheless, right now Amon looked like nothing more than the pitiful kid Daniel threw in the raft during the Scavenging. The way he looked at Daniel, clearly torn on how to act made Daniel feel even worse.

"You may begin." The Third Elder's voice echoed in their ears, but none of them moved.

This was it. His journey of redemption would end here. Even if he won the next fight and got in the top ten, it would be meaningless. Being the champion was all that mattered. He looked at Amon's eyes as he pulled his hood away from his face.

His black hair was a mess, and his dark eyes were sunken in his pale face. Daniel looked really worn out, as if he hadn't slept for days.

"We had a good time." He said with a wry smile, making Amon's eyes even dimmer. The masked man was truly Daniel. Having the last shreds of doubt blown away from his mind, Amon felt even worse.

Daniel had no problem showing his face. Hiding who he was didn't matter anymore. He was going to lose to his father anyway.

Amon was family to him, and he would rather be kicked out of the sect than get in the way of his growth. Daniel refused to be like Lawrence, who cared about nothing but strength. This was a line he couldn't cross. Daniel would rather be a decent person than a decent cultivator.

Daniel gave a sigh as he raised his left hand in the air. He gave Amon a sincere smile as he said with a low voice, "Sorry I didn't speak with you before; I had a few things going on."

"It is good to see you are fine." His smile widened before he turned to face the Third Elder that was near the other compet.i.tors. He opened his mouth, uttering words he would never regret "I conc…"

'Pak!'

Something hit his wrist with unbelievable strength. Daniel could feel his bones creaking, almost breaking again. He couldn't hide his surprise as he looked at the floor beneath his feet. The glowing stick that had been thrown at his hand was lying there, its light dimming before it turned back to normal.

Daniel turned to look at Amon with a dumbfounded face. To his surprise, none of the sadness or unwillingness from before showed in Amon's face. There was only anger.

"Don't you dare!" Amon screamed at him, his eyes blazing like wildfire as he extended his right hand. The stick on the floor shuddered before shooting back to his hand.

"If you dare do something like this I'll never forgive you!" Amon said with an enraged voice.

Amon wouldn't let Daniel do yet another sacrifice for him. Amon wouldn't be able to handle. He owed Daniel so much and he would still willingly sacrifice even more for him… Amon wouldn't take it. He would not accept such things anymore.

Letting others sacrifice themselves for him, letting them make his path easier while they bore the price… This was no different from being weak. Amon refused to be weak again, even more so when he owed Daniel so much. This was a line he couldn't cross.

"Amon…" Daniel looked at him with a complicated expression, but Amon was having none of it.

"Take out your sword and your s.h.i.+eld." Amon said in a serious voice. He raised his stick and a.s.sume the first stance of the Fundamentals of the Sword. He looked at Daniel, that still showed no reaction. He seemed to be in a daze.

"Take your sword and s.h.i.+eld!" Amon shouted, almost ordering Daniel.

The shout made Daniel wake up. Dark lines creased his forehead as he sent Amon a piercing look. His expression was grave as he slapped the Bottomless Pouch hanging from his waist and recovered his sword and his s.h.i.+eld.

"Are you sure about this?" Daniel asked with furrowed brows as he prepared himself.

Instead of answering, Amon kicked the ground and shot towards Daniel.

The ashen hair whipped about as he covered the distance between them in a heartbeat. Daniel was surprised when he saw those golden eyes so close to his face after a split-second. He instinctively raised his s.h.i.+eld to cover his body.

'Clang!'

The glowing stick hit the golden s.h.i.+eld with tremendous force, greatly surprising Daniel. He was forced to take a step back to not lose his balance as Amon forced the strike in. Amon's golden eyes shone with determination as he looked intently at Daniel before retreating and creating some distance between them.

Daniel had great difficulty to hide his surprise at the strength of Amon's attack. He was not entirely ready to receive the strike, but it was incredibly powerful nonetheless.

"How the h.e.l.l did he manage to get to this level in less than a year?" Daniel was asking himself as he looked at Amon carefully. He knew Amon had gotten stronger, but he never imagined it was to such a degree.

Amon's eyes glinted as he approached again. His stick whistled through the air with a sound that could pierce the ears as it made its way to Daniel. This time, Daniel was ready. He stomped the ground and held his stance as the strike hit his s.h.i.+eld.

'CLANG!'

The strike this time was even stronger. Daniel could actually feel the s.h.i.+eld trembling for a moment as the strike hit it.

It was even stronger than the last strike. Daniel was forced to take a step back again, but this time Daniel did not have the excuse of not being ready. The shock in his eyes grew stronger and stronger as Amon unleashed a flurry of attacks, making Daniel retreat to the edge of the platform.

In this fight, Amon didn't care about strategies. He didn't care about giving or creating openings. He didn't care about being witty and cunning. He didn't care about victory. He pushed Daniel back step by step because he wanted to make a point. This was what he cared the most in this fight. As long as that point came across, he didn't mind the results.

Daniel gritted his teeth as he held his ground. He looked at Amon with a serious look as he took a step forward instead of retreating. He used a s.h.i.+eld bash to push Amon away, but as soon as Amon's feet touched the ground, he jump forward again, not giving Daniel a chance to breathe.

Amon seemed to be in a frenzy as his face started reddening and his eyes shone with a ferocious light. He didn't hold back at all in his strikes, and Daniel had no chance to counter.

No, that was wrong. In truth, Daniel had many chances to strike back, but as he saw Amon's look he understood what he wanted. Daniel welcome his intentions with open arms as he never once looked away from Amon's eyes.

He wanted to understand him better. He wanted to see how much he had changed. Daniel wanted to give Amon the chance he wanted to prove himself. As such, Daniel faced that barrage of strikes head on, using his own strength to hold Amon back.

Daniel took a deep breath, and Amon seemed to understand. He stopped his attacks and took a step back, breathing heavily. His chest heaved up and down as he tried to recover and beads of sweat were falling from his forehead.

Daniel stomped the floor, making it crack as he rea.s.sumed his stance. He bent his knees slightly to maintain a better balance, and his body stood in an angle, almost sideways as he used his s.h.i.+eld to cover his body.

Amon looked at him calmly, waiting. When Daniel was ready, he gave Amon a light nod. Amon closed his eyes for a moment, focusing. When he opened them again, he threw his stick to the side and closed his right hand into a fist.

He kicked the ground, flying towards Daniel like a cannonball. His eyes where s.h.i.+ning with resolve as he approached Daniel in the blink of an eye. Amon extended his arm as he threw a punch with all that he had.

'BANG!'

The s.h.i.+eld seemed to resonate as Amon's fist collided with it, making a deafening noise. Hidden in all that noise, a 'crack' could barely be heard.

Amon hid the pain in his eyes as he forcefully opened his right hand again. His fingers were trembling, bent in awkward direction, and the skin in his knuckles had been torn away. Blood started seeping out from the injury, flowing down his hand into his wrist. Amon had broken all of his fingers and his wrist in that punch.

Amon raised his eyes to look at Daniel, and saw that he hadn't taken a step back. Daniel had firmly received his strongest punch. Amon couldn't hide the disappointment in his face as he saw that. He gave a wry smile as he looked at Daniel.

Daniel undid his stance, but didn't look at Amon. He looked down, at his own feet. There was a very faint mark on the floor, made when Daniel was pushed back a few centimeters and his feet dragged in it. Even if his stance hadn't been broken, even if he hadn't taken a step back, Amon had moved him.

He looked at Amon, giving a wide smile. He couldn't hide the praise in his eyes as he said "You have grown strong."

"I worked really, really hard." Amon said as his eyes teared up. Daniel took a step forward and ruffled his hair playfully.

"I can see that." He gave Amon a pat in the back with his left hand.

Amon looked at him and gave Daniel a tight hug, ignoring what anyone watching was thinking. He didn't mind one bit their opinions. He didn't know any of them and they didn't mean anything to him. Daniel was more important to him than the words these people would utter. As Lya had said, they were nothing but vibrations in the air.

"I missed you. I'm glad that you are fine." Amon said in a trembling voice as tears started falling form his face. Daniel didn't say anything, and hugged him back with his good hand.

"I missed you too, brat."

"Thank you." Amon said with a smile as he walked away. He was thanking Daniel for what he did in the Scavenging. He was thanking Daniel for how he helped Amon take care of his mother. He was thanking Daniel for being Daniel.

Amon locked his golden eyes with the Third Elder, Richard Layn, that was watching the scene in silence with a strange look in his eyes.

Amon gave a very happy smile as he raised his left hand, which was still in one piece, and uttered without hesitation.

"I concede this match."