Taming: Path To Be The Strongest-Chapter 114 114: Leave

An attack came from behind him. Vell dodged, stumbling slightly, surprised that the man was not down for the count. Before he could fully recover, the shadowy man landed a punch that sent him skidding back across the arena floor. He came to a stop near the arena wall, watching as the guild masters approached him, their auras feeling different now.
The righteous one spoke, his expression no longer calm. "We understand you are strong, but to think you can take all of us at once is simple arrogance, and it will be your undoing. I wanted to give you a chance, but you destroyed that. Now I will see to it that you are punished for your sins."
"There he goes again, acting like a holy knight," one of the other guild masters said, a smirk on his face.
"Hehe, let him be," another one added. "Maybe one day he will make it into the knight order."
Vell just stared at them, his expression one of pure amusement. "Let me ask you, what wrong did I do?"
"Do not try and act dumb," the big one said, his mana flowing from him in visible waves. "You attacked us, guild masters, the highest authorities in this section. That in itself deserves a death sentence."
"Hmm, that is strange," Vell tilted his head. "The rules said I could challenge you if I beat the strongest player you have. I did that, and now I am challenging you. The rules did not say anything about how I have to do it, so I decided to do it my own way. Does that not mean you all are the ones overreacting?"
A murmur went through the crowd at his words. He was right. Technically, he had followed their rules.
"He has a point," someone shouted from the stands. "He beat Rana fair and square!"
The righteous guild master's face turned red. "The rules assume a proper challenge, not this… this mockery!"
"Where does it say that?" another voice called out from the stands. "All these years you have made us follow every single letter of your laws!"
The crowd's energy began to shift, and more voices joined in.
"Yeah, what happened to 'the rules are absolute'?"
"It is a bit different when it is you on the receiving end, is it not?"
"At least he fought her head-on, not like some of you hiding behind your power!"
"SILENCE!" the shadowy guild master roared, but it was too late. The restlessness in the crowd only grew stronger.
Vell's smile widened. "See? Even they can see through your hypocrisy. You demand absolute obedience to rules that you bend whenever it is convenient for you."
The big guild master stepped forward, his body crackling with energy. "Rules or not, you are still outnumbered."
"Am I?" Vell gestured to the increasingly angry crowd. "Or are you?"
The big guild master's expression darkened at his words. He launched himself forward with terrifying speed, but Vell simply sidestepped, letting him crash into the arena wall behind him.
"See what I mean?" Vell addressed the crowd, his voice carrying easily. "They are quick to turn to violence when they are challenged. How many of your family members have they crippled for minor infractions?"
The crowd's anger grew, becoming a palpable force in the arena. "They took my brother's arm for speaking out against them!"
"My shop was burned down because I missed one payment!"
"Justice? They only know how to use force!"
The righteous guild master raised his hands, trying to calm them. "Do not listen to his manipulation! We maintain order—"
"Through fear," Vell cut him off. "I have seen how you 'maintain order'. The extortion, the threats, the people who disappear."
More voices joined the angry chorus. Even some of the arena guards started to look uncertain.
The shadowy guild master's voice cut through the chaos. "Enough! If you side with this traitor, you are all—"
A rock flew from the crowd, striking the shadowy master in the head. Another followed it. The crowd had made their choice. The shadowy guild master watched the scene unfold with a growing sense of unease. Something was wrong. Crowds did not turn this quickly, not this uniformly. Yet here they were, half the arena now openly hostile.
"Die, traitor!" a voice shouted, and others quickly joined in, supporting the guild masters. The arena split into chaos as people began turning on each other. Through it all, the shadowy master saw the look of satisfaction in Vell's eyes.
"Strange," he muttered to the others. "The timing, the unity of their responses… it is almost like—"
"Like they were waiting for this moment?" Vell finished for him, his smile knowing. "Maybe I am not the only one who is tired of your rule."
The righteous guild master's eyes widened. "You have been planning this. All those losses, the act…"
"Finally catching up?" Vell laughed. "I needed time to let the feeling spread. To let people see what you really are. Though I have to admit," he dodged another attack without even looking, "you made it remarkably easy."
Above them, the fighting in the stands intensified. Guards struggled to maintain order as years of buried resentment exploded into violence. The guild masters drew closer together, their voices dropping to urgent whispers.
"This is worse than we thought," the shadowy one muttered, his cloak moving with barely contained energy. "He has been orchestrating this from the start."
The righteous one's eyes moved between Vell and the crowd. "We need to end this now. If word of this spreads to other sections…"
"Agreed," the big one growled, rubbing his shoulder. "But we cannot just kill him. Look at how many people are watching. If he dies too quickly…"
"Then we make it look like self-defense," the shadowy master said, his voice cold. "Provoke him into doing something we cannot ignore. The laws still protect us if we are 'defending' ourselves."
"The crowd is the bigger problem," another added. "If we do not contain this soon…"
"Split up," the righteous one commanded. "Three of us will handle him. The rest will deal with the crowd. Once the witnesses are… managed… we can take our time with this upstart."
But before they could move, Vell's voice rang out. "Planning something interesting over there?" His predator eyes gleamed with amusement. "Do not let me interrupt you. Though I should warn you…" He pointed to the crowd. "They can read lips."
True enough, several people were now pointing at the guild masters, their faces showing fresh rage as they told others what they had seen.
"You—" the righteous one sputtered, realizing their quiet plotting had only made things worse.
"Me?" Vell's smile turned sharp. "I am not the one who just got caught planning a massacre. It seems you are determined to prove my point about what you really are."
The five guild masters sprang apart, taking up positions around Vell. Their coordinated movements showed years of fighting together, each one automatically covering the others' blind spots.
"Enough games," the shadowy one snarled. "Show him what masters can really do."
They attacked as one. The righteous one's holy light shot forward like a spear. The shadowy master's darkness moved like a living void. The big one's earth-shaking force threatened to crush everything. Two others launched elemental attacks that warped the air. Five different attacks, all carefully aimed to leave no escape.
Vell watched them come, his expression almost bored. "At least you are finally taking this seriously."
His arm drew back, mana gathering around his fist with frightening intensity. The air itself seemed to hold its breath.
"But seriously is not enough."
He punched forward. The mana exploded out in a perfect cone, hitting all five attacks at once. For a second, the energies clashed, creating a spectacular light show that forced most of the people watching to cover their eyes.
Then Vell's mana simply pushed through.
The guild masters' combined attack shattered like glass, their own energy scattered. The backlash hit them before they could react, sending all five of them flying backward to crash into the arena walls with bone-crushing force. Craters formed in the walls behind them as they slumped to the ground.
Silence fell over the arena. Even the fighting in the crowd stopped as everyone tried to process what they had just seen. Five guild masters, each powerful enough to destroy a small town, had just been casually thrown aside by a single punch.
Vell flexed his fingers, looking almost disappointed. "I was hoping that would be more interesting."
From their various impact points, the guild masters struggled to get up. The righteous one coughed up blood, his golden armor cracked and dull. The shadowy master's cloak was in tatters, revealing the stunned face underneath.
"How…" the big one wheezed, clutching his chest. "Just what are you?"
"That is not the question you should be asking," Vell replied, slowly walking toward them. "You should be asking yourselves why you thought your power was so absolute in the first place."
The crowd began to murmur again, but this time, there was awe mixed with their anger. They had just seen something many had dreamed of but never dared hope for. The mighty guild masters, brought low by a single punch.
"Okay everyone, this is going to get rough soon, so it would be best if you all leave the arena now. You can watch on the TVs all over town," he said, summoning a new sword that vibrated in his hand.
The crowd hesitated, torn between watching the spectacle and saving themselves. Vell's warning carried weight. The sword in his hand hummed with an energy that made their skin crawl.
"I will not repeat myself," he added, his voice harder now. "Leave."
That broke the spell. People began streaming toward the exits, some helping the injured, others simply running. The arena emptied with remarkable speed, leaving only the guild masters, their loyal guards, and a handful of the bravest or most foolish spectators.
Sara gripped the railing, refusing Henry's attempts to pull her away. "We need to go," he insisted.
"Yeah…"