Chapter 575: Weight Lifted

Julius used a liberal amount of aura to wipe the blood from his hands and took a deep, steadying breath. He had let some of his anger bleed through at the end. He internally scolded himself for his lack of control.

As he walked out of the arena, he noticed the crowd was much more subdued than normal. They had likely been surprised by the brutality he displayed. Julius didn’t blame them for their reaction.

When he finally returned to House Zenith’s private viewing room, he was greeted by Lily. She didn’t say anything but came over to him and gave him a soft hug. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t need to.

Aubrey didn’t seem to care and jumped on his back. “That’s what I’m talking about. You absolutely destroyed him,” she said with a laugh and rubbed his head affectionately.

“Aubrey,” Lily warned her.

“What? That git deserves it. Do you remember what he tried to pull during the second stage? That guy’s a prick, and so is his family. I say that he deserved what was coming to him,” Aubrey said with a nod.

Aubrey swatted Julius’s back a couple of times in quick succession. “Stop moping. You made it into the Top 4 and got some revenge against House Greyson. You should be celebrating, not down in the dumps.”

“I hate to agree with Aubrey, but she is right. There is no reason why you should be sulking. Be proud of what you achieved,” Edgar said to him.

Julius smiled at his friends, appreciating that they were trying to make him feel better. “Thanks, guys.”

To be honest, he did feel a little lighter. As if a small weight was lifted from his shoulders.

Aubrey rolled her eyes and dragged him over to the seating area. “Now settle down, Derek’s fight is up next.”

Julius let himself get shoved into a seat. He looked over and saw that Derek’s family was there as well. Typically, only Aliyah and a couple of members of House Zenith attended Derek’s matches. However, today must have been an exception because he spotted Derek’s father here as well.

Aliyah spotted Julius and congratulated him. Derek’s father even smiled at Julius.

“Well done. I am starting to see why my father was so keen on you,” Darius said with an assessing look on his face.

“Are you saying that you didn’t have faith in young Julius, my dear husband?” Aliyah turned and asked Darius.

Darius shrugged his shoulders unashamedly. “You always hear about the next talent or next powerhouse. But in my experience, it’s mostly empty words until they actually do something. However, now that Julius has made it into the Top 4, he has solidified himself as a genuine talent.”

Aliyah gave Julius an apologetic smile. “Don’t worry about my husband. I think he was surprised to see your match. This was his first time seeing you fight outside of sparring. He’s been really busy for the past several months, so he hasn’t had the time to watch the tournament. But don’t worry, I always had faith that you would go far. Congratulations.”

“Anything to impress you, Lady Aliyah,” Julius said with a deep bow and a grin.

She rolled her eyes at his theatrics. “Now we just need to see if Derek can make it into the Top 4 as well.”

Julius could tell that she was more nervous than she let on. The fact that she had spent all night making Derek special toffee was a sign in itself.

Darius grabbed her shoulder assuringly and looked down at the field below. “Truth be told, his odds aren’t great. The fact that he has gotten into the Top 8 was more than I could have hoped for, Derek.”

The man looked over at Julius. “Ever since he met you, he has become a lot more motivated. I know my father loves that. So whatever the result is, we are proud of him.”

Julius appreciated that Derek’s parents were so caring. He wished most parents were like this. The world would have been a better place if they were.

“You are already writing him off? He’s your son, have a little faith at least,” Aubrey said from beside Julius.

Darius glanced at her and sighed.

“I’m trying to be realistic. I know it isn’t totally impossible for him to come out on top. But Riven Briarwood is a terrifying opponent to go up against, especially since Derek only just started to take training seriously. I suspect you know that better than anyone else,” Darius said with a glance at Julius.

“I heard you fought him recently. Who do you think will win between the two of them?”

Julius frowned and thought about it for a few moments. It was a hard question, especially since Derek was his friend, but he knew the answer.

“Riven will likely win,” he admitted hesitantly. “He’s insanely talented. I was able to catch him off guard, so that was in my favor, but I don’t think Derek will have that same advantage.”

“I agree. Archmage Valis’s disciple won’t let Derek get close. If they were both Tier 4, then I would have higher hopes for Derek, but until he starts to cultivate his bloodline, Riven will have the advantage,” Darius nodded at Julius.

It sucked to admit, but odds were that Julius would be the only one left in the friend group who would continue in the tournament.

***

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Lightning and a hurricane of four elements clashed against one another. Just like Julius had feared, Derek wasn’t able to get close enough to Riven to use his spear. It wasn’t even a matter of speed or spatial skills. Riven was just too cautious and prepared.