Chapter 679
To be fair, Black Rose was quite stunning, with her exotic, mixed-heritage looks and curves in all the right places. They thought, ‘Why does she have to chat Caleb up, of all people? Are we just not manly enough?’
The brothers exchanged a glance, then looked away, each feeling a bit put out.
On the other side of Mount Soultaker. The two teams struck a deal: one-on-one pure martial arts duels. The winning team would get a half-hour head start.
Naturally, Aria was pitted against Wade, while the remaining matchups were decided by drawing lots. Saintiger ended up facing Rosalie.
Their eyes locked, unspoken complexity flickering between them, each secretly hoping the other’s team would win, yet neither willing to hold back.
Given the current situation, Aria’s team clearly has the upper hand.
With Saintiger being such a formidable opponent, Rosalie felt she could finally fight without holding back.
The moment Aria and Wade clashed, the rest also sprang into action. Owen, Joel, and Harry stood a short distance away, quietly watching the scene unfold.
Joel asked excitedly, “Guys, which team do you think will win?”
Harry shot him a look. “Is that even a question? Of course it’s Aria.” He turned to Owen and teased, “Right, Owen?”
Unfazed by the teasing, Owen shot the two a cool look before turning his attention back to Aria.
Wade was a head taller than Aria. Gifted with raw, natural strength and tempered by years of relentless training, his power far exceeded that of any ordinary person.
Avoiding direct confrontation, Aria quickly deciphered Wade’s punching patterns.
Wade seized his chance, wrenching Aria’s right arm until her shoulder popped out of its socket. In the next instant, before he knew it, a hand was at his throat.
“You lost,” Aria said calmly. She sacrificed an arm to take his life.
Wade looked dazed, never expecting to lose so quickly. He suddenly realized just how vast the gap was between him and Aria.
Owen hurried over with a grim expression, just about to reach out. Without a word, Aria snapped her dislocated arm back into place.
Owen’s hand hovered in the air for a moment before finally dropping. “Does it hurt? Let me rub it for you.”
Joel and Harry stood there, dumbfounded. “Aria is absolutely gorgeous! And Owen… He’s also not bad.”
Even in disguise, Owen looked surprisingly in sync with Aria when they stood together.
Saintiger’s movements faltered for a split second when he saw Wade fall. Rosalie capitalized on the opening and kicked him flying.
By the time Saintiger snapped back to his senses and tried to fight back, Rosalie had already pressed her knee against his throat. “Had I not held back,” she said coolly, “you’d be dead.”
1/2
In confrontations of this caliber, even a split-second distraction can prove deadly. Saintiger sat up, immediately met by the furious glares of his teammates.
Three wins each. The surefire victory ended up being the reason for the draw.
Yvonne fumed, stomping her foot. “Cap, Saintiger absolutely threw that fight on purpose. Kick him out!”
The other three team members also shot him furious looks. Saintiger opened his mouth, but no words came out. He was distracted.
Wade’s face darkened, suspecting Saintiger was deliberately holding back. He snapped, “Saintiger, you’re with Echohawk now. Give it your all.”
Saintiger really wanted to say, “Cap, you threw me off!”
Having won, Rosalie glanced at Aria somewhat sheepishly. Aria gave her a faint smile and said, “Good work.” Rosalie’s face instantly lit up with joy.
In the end, only Saintiger got hurt. What a perfect outcome.
Wade said, “Saintiger didn’t fight at full strength. You should’ve won. Go ahead.”
Aria said calmly, “Rosalie never takes opponents lightly. She won through sheer skill. The draw stands as fact. We’ll take a half-hour break. You can go ahead.”
Wade frowned. “This isn’t charity. You go first.”
“Alright.” Aria turned to her teammates. “Cap Wade insists we go first. Everyone, thank him.”
“Thanks, Cap Wade!” Yvonne and the others chorused.
