Hero of Darkness

Inside the 100 meter wide battle ring, six combatants were ready to face off against the opponent team. Nearly half a million people comprised of different races and species had their eyes glued towards their match as everyone was expecting an intense and entertaining fight. 

On the other end of this battle ring, stood a dual swordsman tengu who was clad in golden armor from head to toe. Even the dual swords in his hands glowed bright indicating they both were at least epic rank weapons. 

The other members of this team were a female demonkin mage and a female enchantress who seemed to be a hybrid between Leshen & Succubus species based on her physical appearance. 

All of these opponents were intermediate rank grandmasters and coincidentally, their lineup also matched with Kahn's team as both crews had a male who was a swordsman while two females, one of whom was a pureblood while the other one was a halfbreed. 

As soon as Kahn laid his eyes on them, he was slightly taken aback and had no choice but to take this match seriously. 

Because the swordsman had some top-grade armor and weapons. And since Kahn himself dealt in weapon manufacturing business, he knew how top-notch quality goods they were. 

In his opinion, the tengu swordsman was definitely an heir of some top clan or had backing from a formidable force if he could be so well geared. 

As he looked at his current rare rank sword, Kahn felt like the current weapon in his hand won't even last 20 strikes in a head-on clash based on the quality of the opponent's gear. 

"I will fight the swordsman. Elaine, you handle the mage and Cattleya, you take down that enchantress. 

This is the best way for us to level the playing field instead of giving them an advantage." spoke Kahn in a serious tone. 

"What are you saying? I should face that tengu swordsman. He can fly and I can counter him perfectly." said Elaine in a surprised tone. 

"Given his armor and equipment, do you think your arrows and skills can harm him before he knocks you out?" asked Kahn as he rolled his eyes. 

"That.." spoke Elaine but her words stopped as soon as she noticed the tengu swordsman's armor and swords. 

She knew her skills well and given the current predicament, even her best offensive skills would only do some minor damage and the armor won't even be destroyed. 

"Alright. I'll handle the mage then." she complied after giving it a thought. 

The next moment, Cattleya spoke as well. 

"An Enchantress vs a Summoner.. I like a good challenge." she said with fired-up eyes after gazing at the hybrid succubus. 

Kahn was relieved to see that his new teammates weren't some good-for-nothing pretentious girls but actually good fighters with a brain. Both of them had no problems fighting based on their circumstances and readily adapted to win the match without causing a fuss. 

[I guess I have no choice then.] he thought. 

The next second, a black and red greatsword with crimson veins that leaked blistering heat appeared in his hands. 

For the first time in this competition, Kahn decided to bring out his best weapon of choice so far. And that was.. 

Lucifer! 

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Ding! Ding! 

As soon as the match started, the enemy side got into a defensive formation. But instead of getting ready to face the opponents with their own formation, Elaine and Cattleya quickly ran to the left and right sides respectively. 

Kahn stood in the middle of this 100 meter wide battle ring and his teammates picked a side of their own. 

However, this already surprised the opponents. 

"What the hell are they trying to do?" spoke the demonkin mage. 

"Be careful. This feels more like a trap than an opportunity to attack and take out the enemy team's members. I think they're trying to bait us." said the tengu swordsman in the front in his mature and rustic tone. 

"I can cast some defensive formations and create barriers if you want. But my range will be limited." said the mixblood succubus. 

But after both Elaine and Cattleya took one side and took control of one side of the battlefield, they looked at their respective opponents as per their previous agreement. 

And what Kahn and the two beautiful women did surprised not just their opponents but the whole crowd that paid attention to their match. 

Middle finger! 

Kahn, Cattleya and Elaine gave a middle finger to their opponents after they directly looked into their eyes. 

Smirk! 

All three of them smirked and challenged their respective opponents as if saying 'fight me if you dare' with a condescending expression. 

GASP! 

Thousands of onlookers were were surprised by this impolite gesture by Kahn's team. 

"These bastards! They're looking down on us!" spoke the tengu swordsman in an angered tone. 

This was a publicly open challenge to their team. 

And now, if they ganged up and defeated their enemies one by one, their reputation as warriors would be thoroughly damaged in the public eye. And would also affect their reputation in the eyes of their respective forces. 

"I will be looked down upon in my clan if I let that bitch challenge me like this and I don't beat the hell out of her." spoke the female demonkin mage. Her eyes turned wrathful as she looked at Elaine. 

"How dare that bastard challenge me.. I am the chosen representative of my clan in this competition. Even my armor and weapons are made by one of the best blacksmiths of the empire. And yet he doesn't seem to be scared at all. 

I will turn into a eunuch if I don't put his head under my feet!" declared the dual swordsman. 

"Ah.. That slut thinks she's better than me because I'm a halfblood. I can see it in her eyes. 

I don't know about you two but I'm not going to swallow this insult." said the succubus enchantress with furious eyes. 

"Fine then. Let's put these trash in their place." said the tengu and all three of them separated from the formation and headed towards their respective provocateurs. 

After all, none of them were some no names. All three came from distinguished family backgrounds and reputed forces. And this was a slap in their face. 

[[Author : Reference Art for Tengu Swordsman, Demonkin Mage and Mixblood Succubus in chapter comments. Check it out.]] 

After the tengu swordsman came 20 meters close to Kahn, he spoke in an aggravated tone. 

"You.. Prepare yourself to eat dirt. I'm going to make you pay for provoking me." 

To him declaration, Kahn asked with a calm demeanor and a benign smile on his face. 

"Since when were you under the impression that this wasn't part of my plan?"