An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori

Carter smirked while looking at the spear thrust toward him. With a swift motion, he faced the attack head-on with his sword.

Their weapons collided and created a shockwave of energy.

The waves rippled outward like a tide, and it caused their robes to flutter and their hair to stand on end.

Both combatants stood firm. They were locked in a tense standoff as neither was willing to back down.

Brandon gripped his spear with both hands as he channeled his true energy while he tried to overpower Carter with his strength. But no matter how hard Brandon pushed, Carter held his ground.

The spear clashed with the sword, and the two were locked in a fierce struggle.

The air crackled with bursts of energy as their weapons strained against each other.

"Hmm?" Brandon's brow furrowed with surprise.

As one of the top ten talents of the Celestial Alliance, he should have easily dominated his opponent in Group C. However, he hadn't anticipated this relatively unknown figure to match him so evenly.

"Celestial Glide!"

As Brandon realized he was losing ground, he swung his long spear and knocked Carter's sword aside. Then, he swiftly unleashed a fierce sweeping strike aimed at Carter's waist.

In the end, every inch mattered. The long spear's advantage lay in its wide-reaching attack range. It could strike before the opponent's sword closed in.

Brandon had made up his mind. Since he could not overpower Carter with sheer strength, he would rely on his marksmanship and extensive combat experience to defeat Carter.

As the spear swept toward him, Carter leaned back. He narrowly dodged the attack like a falling plank.

"Serpentine Evasion!"

aimed toward Carter's chest. The timing was perfect, just as Carter's body was about to

artists wouldn't have been able to react in

Carter seemed to anticipate Brandon's move. As the spear came at him, he slammed

jabbed into the ground and created a hole. As Carter regained his

straight for

steps back. Using his spear, he deflected Carter's attack. However, the force of the blow sent

in shock at the sight. Their faces were filled

Why is Brandon being pushed

is just a nobody. Brandon can't be

begun. Brandon hasn't shown his

never failed us. Let's not freak out and just

unexpected performance left the gamblers

had expected Brandon's skill to secure an easy

a disadvantage after just a few exchanges

in this match?" Ruby asked nervously from her seat in the

just wagered all her celestial stones earlier. She knew that winning would bring a huge reward, but she also realized that losing would mean losing

and won't

understood that slip-ups are part of being human. So, he figured Brandon might

Carter would be a breeze once

had underestimated Carter, but their recent exchange showed him that Carter was just as strong as

that victory might slip away if he didn't give his

I thought," Brandon

an aggressive stance with a piercing gaze. "I underestimated you earlier and almost paid the price. But I won't make that mistake again. Because now, I'll

be looking forward to it," Carter replied with

back his spear before thrusting forward with