The Herb King

Michael's position in the third spot was cemented after that battle. No one dared to challenge him. Even Grace who was known for her explosive speed and unpredictable dagger strikes was defeated by him.

In truth, no one knew the extent of his powers. Earlier, Michael forfeited his second match against Alec. It was unknown why he was hiding his strength. People began to speculate the reason, but they could not come up with an answer.

Michael came from the Singler Household, a family known for its long history and their ancestor was even one of the forefathers of the Leone Empire. Their current family head, Jade Kristine Singler is one of the four Administrators of the Alchemy Tower. Her status was only beneath that of the Alchemy Tower's Supreme Director, Karman Leone. She was a late stage Level 4 Esper as well as a peak Level 3 Alchemist!

Meanwhile, inside the VIP room of the Imperial Family. Jade Kristine Singler stared at the figure of Aethelwolf. It was said that this man was a Level 4 Alchemist and his talent in Alchemy was even praised by many people.

Despite being forty years old, Jade was able to maintain the image of a young woman and she appeared to be someone in her late twenties. With her bob-cut brown hair and slanted almond-shaped eyes, she looked beautiful and stern at the same time. She remained single all her life and even the heir of the Singler Household, Michael, is the child of her older brother. Many tried to ask for her hand in marriage, but all of them were rejected with no exceptions.

On the battle stage, Alec Ward pointed his sword at Janrose. "Come up here and fight me!" His voice was cold and his eyes revealed traces of ruthlessness. He received a secret message earlier to kill this woman regardless of the consequences.

He knew what this implied.

The Northern Viper Group has abandoned him and they chose to sacrifice his life in exchange for the death of Janrose!

Something must have happened that forced them to make drastic decisions. Alec felt indignant, but he knew that death was a certainty if he failed to do his mission and even if he won, the chances of him being able to escape this place were close to zero. His father was also nowhere in sight. At this moment, his face suddenly became serene. The impending doom made him strangely calm. 'I'll shoulder this responsibility. I will take all the blame to ensure the survival of our Ward Household.' He muttered in his heart.

Janrose stepped onto the stage with a confident look. She had practiced the sword technique she learned from her teacher yesterday.

"I won't hold back so you have to use your full strength." Alec warned his opponent while taking out his sword. It was the gift he got from the Leader of the Northern Viper Group. He liked it before, but it no longer has the same appeal to him. He was furious. He thought that he would become an important member of the bandit group, but he was so wrong. Alec realized that he was merely a pawn and even his Ward Household was just treated as spare chess pieces by the Northern Viper Group.

Alec initiated the fight with a quick sword strike. His slash created a sharp sword wave that produced an unpleasant wailing sound.

Clang!

Janrose parried his slash by raising her sword, she then countered with a downward strike that swiftly cut through the air.

Alec was a bit surprised by the sheer ease of her movements. Her footwork and the movement of her sword were very synchronized that it looked like she was performing a sword dance.

Clang!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The two young people appeared to be comparable in terms of power. They exchanged dozens of moves, causing violent sounds of swords clashing to echo in the entire arena.

No one seemed to have the upper hand and the stalemate continued for more than a minute.

The crowd held their breaths in anticipation as they watched the fierce battle. Whoever wins this fight would be crowned as the champion of the battle event.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Suddenly, Alec's eyes flashed with coldness, and a trace of killing intent suffused in his heart. He thrust his sword, aiming for Janrose's neck!

Inside the VIP room, Aethelwolf who was watching this scene immediately noticed the killing intent behind Alec's gaze. His eyes narrowed as he stood up from his seat. He would make a move if Janrose's life would be in danger. 'Why does Alec want to kill her? Is it just a simple jealousy?' Various thoughts appeared in his head as he prepared to make a move. He then activated his [Virtual Map] and he found out that there were two red dots inside the arena. One was Alec, while the other one was someone inside the room he was in. He connected the dots and realized that it was Hugo Ward, the father of Alec Ward. 'Dammit! I was careless! Because of this weakened state, I failed to notice that enemies are close by! Could the Ward Household be part of the Northern Viper Group?'

Thinking about this, Aethelwolf glared at Hugo and bellowed. "What is the meaning of this, Hugo?!"

Everyone inside the VIP room were top experts so they also noticed the killing intent behind Alec's gaze.

Hugo felt his back covered in cold sweat under Aethelwolf's intimidating eyes. It felt as if an ancient prehistoric beast had locked its sights on him, making him suffocated by the intense pressure. He also didn't know why his son had exhibited the desire to kill Janrose, but a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind. 'Did the Northern Viper Group tell him to do it?'

Hugo felt a wave of terror gripping his heart when he realized this. From the looks of it, the Northern Viper Group has already abandoned them. If the Leone Imperial Family finds out that they were spies, their Ward Household would certainly fall!