Digitize: Rebirth of the Silver Death God

When Avollo walked up to the battle platform, many cast their sights on him. That was even more so for those who stood at the top of each Digitizer's Union.

"The Mendez clan..." Pale Brightwood said, having a tinge of animosity in her voice.

Hatman Chief Dale smiled and said nothing; his attention turned from Avollo back onto Nero as the look in his eyes grew icy cold, his thoughts unknown to others.

'Haha, excellent, that kid didn't let me down, but if it's as that information says, I suppose I shouldn't be too excited,' Reil thought to himself, feeling a bit more intrigued at Nero's performance.

Xu Waren, who also stared at Nero, had a frown on his face as a person whispered something in his ear, his eyes showing shock before uncertainty.

'Be it his mother or father, I can't seem to garner enough information about them; how odd, it's as if they're being blocked by something... or someone?'

Xu Waren thought with a deep look on his face, but as if determined, he stared at his attendant and whispered, "Keep digging; I don't care what method you use; I want his information by the day's end."

"Understood," The attendant said as he left in a hurry.

Avollo, who had appeared on the stage, looked up at the display board that showed the following information back on the battle platform.

____

[Nero - 3 win, 0 loss | 3 pts]

[Kenra - 1 win, 1 loss | 0 pts]

[Seya - 1 win, 1 loss | 0 pts]

[Judy - 1 win, 1 loss | 0 pts]

[Ashton - 1 win, 0 loss | 1 pts]

[Mikan - 0 win, 1 loss | -1 pts]

[Lira - 0 win, 1 loss | -1 pts]

[Andrew - 0 win, 1 loss | -1 pts]

____

'Huhu, who would have thought you'd take the lead? You're like a protagonist in some book," Avollo murmured with a light laugh, his attention soon after turning to the masked man who looked at him in silence.

Not wasting any more time, Avollo spoke, "I, Avollo, would like to fight; who wants to face me?"

When the audience heard Avollo's words, a strange tension filled the air as many digitizer talents began to converse.

"That's Grass Root Sword Child, the prodigy of the sword; I'd be insane to challenge him!" One voice said.

"Hmph! He's only at Level 10; now that we're all at the same level, I refuse to believe that I'm inferior to him!" Another voice said, coming from a person with more confidence.

Many others had such thoughts, with few expressions of their fears; Avollo looked down on the stage with a bored look on his face; no one was coming up, so he yawned and sat down in silence, treating the platform as a chair.

"This guy... he's even more arrogant than Wild Silver, maybe I should go teach this so-called high ranker some manners," Jillian said, finally taking an interest in battles; his eyes shone as if he wanted to make a stand right now.

Like Jillian, Kailua Mei, Kojima Ryusei, Kyle, and even the icy Ashton showed more interest in Avollo, who sat idly on the stage. In fact, even the masked man that stood in silence nearby Avollo had a pondering expression behind his mask.

'Huhu... I wonder, which monster will step out to challenge this one, this should be quite the...' The man was about to say something, but soon, he heard a voice from the side of the Marfields.

"Jason, you go and test your limits," A familiar voice said.

"Huh? Should I?" Another voice said.

"Consider it a good chance to test yourself," The previous voice said.

"If you say so, huhu..." The other voice replied in a laid-back manner.

Not only the masked man, but many others had also heard the words spoken; they turned and saw Velmon calmly sitting down with his finger pointing towards the battle platform.

The hook nose youth, Jason, who had previously sat down, had gotten up and stretched legs, looking like he was gearing up for a battle.

"Huh? The strange guy is actually thinking of challenging Grass-Root Sword Child with a lackey; who does he think he is?" Someone said with a voice of discontent.

"Another arrogant prick," A voice said soon after.

Nero, who had now recovered from his injuries, looked at Velmon with cold eyes; he asked inwardly, "You've warned me about Velmon, but that guy… isn't he Jason, what's with him?"

Adult Nero had a deep look on his face; when he stared at Jason, he felt a deep aura within him, somewhat comparable to Avollo's. He thought for a bit before answering, "It's odd, he's never shown this kind of progress back in my timeline. It appears that my suspicions were right, that Velmon is also not the same."

'Hmm, what do you mean?' Nero inwardly asked.

"I mean, that..." Adult Nero was about to say something, but Jason made a smirk and leaped towards the battle platform right at this moment.

As he landed, he glared at Avollo with his hawk-like eyes and arms within his pockets as he spoke, "I, Jason Max, will be the first to challenge you."

Avollo opened his eyes from what seemed like meditation; he stared at Jason with a surge of sharpness in his eyes, an invisible force flowing around the battle platform that caused even the tiles to show traces of cracks.

The masked man's eyes lit up at this but said nothing; he waved his hand and vanished, leaving behind only his words.

"Begin!"

Immediately after the man left, Jason, who stood before Avollo, felt an intense pressure around his body, one that seemed as if it was trying to crush him into bits of rubble. However, as if it was nothing, he stood his ground calmly with his head raised, his hook nose pointing to the ceiling like a bird looking down on his foe.

"What incredible Sword Force! That boy is truly a genius of the sword, no wonder he's the next in line successor of the Mendez," Kailua Meng said with a look of surprise.

Hatman Chief Dale's eyes lit up as he spoke, "Indeed, he's as gifted as that brother of his..."

The others also agreed as even Reil, who wasn't tight with the others, had to agree with their words. Pale Brightwood, on the other hand, snorted at this, showing a look of discontent.

"Even if he's talented, it's not likely that he'll win. Can't you see how easily that boy is withstanding his pressure?" She said in a strange tone.

The others had taken note of Jason's strangeness but didn't say anything; Reil, who was in disgrace with everyone, soon spoke, "Indeed, he's a bit different. There are no records of him fighting in any parts of the Novice Zone, but here is, casually withstanding the Sword Force of a progeny on the levels of Grass Root Sword Child. This battle might be a tough one for that kid."

The others also felt those words to be true, they continued to observe in silence, but on the battle platform, Avollo knitted his brows as he looked at Jason, who smirked as if he wasn't affected.

"I've heard rumors about it, but this is my first time witnessing Sword Force. You truly are deserving of your fame, Grass Root Sword Child," Jason said with a flicker in his hawk-like eyes, causing an unknown force to erupt, which counterbalanced Avollo's sword force. Instantly, a shockwave-like effect spread across the battle platform as both forces vanished, returning everything to normal.

Everyone who witnessed this was shocked; they were surprised by Avollo's prior Sword Force, but Jason's unknown power that neutralized it had stricken to their core.

"That boy..." Ian Mendez said with a deep look on his face, not finish his words.

Yullia and Screwgelman also had stern expressions as they never thought a random youth of no origins could even perform such a feat. Not to mention them, even Nero and Elly looked at the screen in shock.

"It looks like this won't be an easy battle," Nero murmured.

"Indeed," Elly said in agreement.

Avollo took note of not one else; he stood up from this sitting posture and cracked his joints. His manner, now one of seriousness, unlike his usual laid-back mood. He waved his hand, twirling the bamboo stick before gripping it from its end firmly.

Shing! The sound of a sword unsheathing sounded as he pulled the end of the bamboo stick, unveiling an ultra-thin sword that shimmered in an icy blade light. He then sheeted the sword once more, holding it at its side as he lowered his torso with his legs spread out and head facing forward.

"Who… are you?" Avollo said as he raised his free arm over the bamboo sword's handle, his finger steady like a sword itself.

Jason chuckled at this adopting a stance with feet crouched and arms raised; two curved-shaped blades appeared in his arms that he swung around in circles as he replied, "Call me, Hawk..."