Elsewhere on the battlefield, Liang tried to kick one of his opponents away, but his foot passed straight through the figure in front of him. Without wasting any time, he turned his body and caught a sword coming toward him with his bare hand. He then pulled the person responsible for the attack and slammed him violently into the ground.
"Jade Dragons!"
Three jade dragons appeared around Liang, preparing magical attacks inside their mouths. They raised their heads and simultaneously unleashed condensed green energy blasts at the opponent charging toward him from above.
"They're much stronger than I thought."
Liang was facing the team belonging to the person who was supposed to be Bruno Icaro, the third-ranked student from the best academy in Floravita. From what he had discovered, the boy had abandoned his former academy and transferred to an unknown institution one day after the qualifiers, which had surprised everyone.
However, what caught everyone's attention the most was that he was now wearing a cloak, and someone else seemed to have taken over as the team's leader. Everyone was astonished by the appearance of this individual, who did not even belong to one of the well-known academies, but rather to an unknown institution.
Liang wasn't fighting Bruno, as the boy had chosen another one of his companions as his opponent.
"I can't believe this, but they really were hiding their power."
The person Liang was fighting was completely wrapped in bandages, with deep black eyes that seemed lifeless. However, he wasn't the individual who had defeated Yue, but merely one of his companions.
'If this guy is already at my level, imagine how strong the other one must be.'
A shadow appeared behind him, but Liang had already realized that the opponent in front of him was a clone. Therefore, he remained still and allowed the figure to hit him, knowing it was nothing more than an illusion.
"I already know which one is the real one, and I won't let you escape my sight."
Covering his body with jade armor, Liang charged forward and landed a punch on his opponent, making him spit blood from his mouth.
"I'll get revenge on you for eliminating Yue."
Yue wasn't his blood sister, but the two had grown up together like siblings. Because of that, they had always shared a strong sense of protectiveness toward each other. Liang even supported the girl's decision to fall in love with a boy she had seen for the first time, without even speaking to him or knowing what he looked like when they participated in the aquatic dungeon months ago.
'Well, I only accepted it because he seems like someone trustworthy.'
The person he was talking about was Kael, someone quite powerful. It was even possible that he had already reached Circle Three, as Liang had discovered that the boy had been working as an official mercenary on weekends for some time.
'Considering how much time has passed, he must have reached Circle Three before me. That damn chatterbox really has potential. Even so, I think I'd prefer someone like Enrico.'
His opponent tried to grab him with both hands, but Liang barely managed to dodge, shifting to the left at the last moment.
Taking advantage of the opening, Liang grabbed his opponent by the hair and drove a knee into his face, launching him into the air. Before he could fall, Liang caught his foot and pulled him back toward himself, preparing another attack as he created a jade sword in his hand.
'This guy is tough, but there's no way he can withstand this.'
With a single slash, he split his opponent in half, causing both pieces to fall to the ground. Liang sighed for a moment, but soon noticed something strange: the body hadn't disappeared. Instead, the two halves began joining together again.
"Wait... Is this regeneration? No, it's an illusion!"
A kick struck his back and sent him flying forward with tremendous force. Liang rolled across the ground, surprised by the attack. He was certain he hadn't taken his eyes off his opponent during that moment. Liang brought his hands to his eyes, wearing a confused expression.
'Damn it! He must have placed an illusion over my eyes.'
His jade armor was beginning to develop a few cracks. Throughout the entire fight, his opponent hadn't used any magical attacks other than illusion magic, which meant his unique ability wouldn't be effective against him.
'This is strange... This situation makes it seem as though our abilities have been analyzed down to the smallest detail.'
His opponent seemed to have studied his abilities or, at the very least, received detailed information about them. After all, the person in front of him acted as though he were simply following a predetermined script.
'I don't know who the bastard is that thinks this is some kind of play, but I won't let this battle be decided that way.'
Increasing his mana output, Liang made his jade armor evolve. He had been saving that technique for the next time he fought Enrico, but now he had no choice but to use it.
"Jade Armor: Draconic Weapon Creation!"
His armor became even more complete as three weapons appeared around him: the sword he had already used, a spear, and a shield. The jade dragons that had remained at a distance approached and transformed into draconic warriors, each wielding one of the three weapons.
"Let's begin!"
Caught by surprise by an ability he had never seen before, the bandaged man received a punch to the face that sent him flying backward. Before he could even regain his balance, one of the draconic warriors raised its sword and slashed his back. The attacks came from different directions and at such incredible speeds that it was difficult to follow all the movements, let alone defend against them.
"Jade Dragon's Roar!"
Appearing above his opponent, Liang pointed his arm downward and unleashed a blast of green energy directly at his head.
"Is this guy still standing?"
Amid the dust, his opponent remained standing, looking upward as he prepared something. Liang immediately prepared himself for whatever attack might come, creating a jade barrier around his body.
"Why don't you give up? Your entire team has been completely defeated."
Both of them looked toward the source of that voice. Liang saw his three remaining companions lying on the ground. He had joined Han and Yue's team because they were childhood friends, and seeing them in that state made it impossible for him not to feel angry, even though he still managed to control himself.
"How interesting... You remind me of someone. You feel anger, but you can keep it under control. Although..."
The person who had defeated the three advanced and stomped hard on Han's head, making him scream in pain. Han wasn't the type to cry out because of injuries, so that could only mean his skull was being crushed with enough force to cause immense pain without the barrier considering him dead.
Liang bit his lower lip, his face twisting into a furious expression.
"Heh... You defeated my little sister and still have the nerve to show me this? I really don't like you."
The next moment, Liang charged forward at an incredible speed and appeared in front of the masked person, wielding his sword and spear. At the same time, the three jade warriors positioned themselves around him, ready to join the battle.
One minute later.
"Team Thirteen eliminated! Three teams remain for the conclusion of Block A!"
[Isn't that Liang's team?]
"The team that defeated his companions belongs to Icaro... Was he really that strong? As far as I know, he was still at Circle Two."
Enrico had previously researched Icaro and several other competitors when he used Kael's identity to complete some mercenary missions after reaching Circle Three.
'Have I found the third reincarnated person? Or is he simply a change that occurred in the story? And what if the third reincarnated person is the one who's always standing beside him?'
Enrico didn't know whether that man was good or evil, but for some reason, he had a feeling that he wouldn't like him. And, to be honest, he believed his instincts were right. Therefore, he decided to keep an even closer eye on that individual than on Icaro himself.