"You're really good at pissing everyone off."

These were the first words Roaring Black Lion spoke. He stood tall with his arms crossed over his broad chest.

​​

Leonel smiled bitterly. "Would you believe me if I said it wasn't on purpose?"

Roaring Black Lion looked him up and down as though trying to decide whether or not Leonel was telling the truth. When he had spoken to Leonel previously, he hadn't gotten the vibe that he was an arrogant man. In fact, back then, he had half expected Leonel to sneer at his words from back then and tell him to screw off. He had been hoping for that result so that he would have an excuse to teach him a lesson, but things didn't end up working out like that.

After that, he felt that Leonel kept giving him a weird feeling. It was an odd gravity that made others want to pay attention to him, and this pull was even stronger than Thunderous Clap who was a well known leader amongst the Promising Youths.

However, that feeling was completely contradictory to the hatred Leonel was garnering. Would a leader who could surpass even Thunderous Clap in charisma be so hated?

Another person might have thrown this thought to the back of their minds as soon as they had it. But, Roaring Black Lion was a man who relied heavily on his instinct. This became even more so after awakening his ability.

Not only did he smell the faint scent of death on Leonel, he could even tell that many of the things that happened today weren't exactly as they seemed.

Suddenly, Roaring Black Lion began to laugh as the crowd booed toward Leonel's response. How could they believe that all of this had been a coincidence? Since they couldn't turn their rage to Hutch, who else could face their anger if not Leonel?

They felt stifled watching Leonel win battle after battle. Now, they were pinning all of their hopes on Roaring Black Lion's shoulders.

"I want to see your strength!"

The roar of the Promising Youth's voice was several times louder than Thunderous Clap's.

In that moment, his body began to expand, the clothing on him expanding along with him as though it was specially designed for this moment. Black fur erupted across his body as his hair sprouted, becoming a mane that pushed against his mask.

His mask was removed by him. What was left wasn't the face of a human, but rather a fiendish lion with eyes deeper than a black abyss.

Roaring Black Lion had grown to almost two and a half meters tall. He still stood on two legs and seemed to be a humanoid beast of sorts, but the power in his limbs put any full beast to shame.

"There it is! Roaring Black Lion's transformation!"

The crowd was seething with excitement. Roaring Black Lion hadn't used his ability during the first round, so this was the first time they had seen it today. How could they not be excited? It was said that he was twice as powerful in this state!

Leonel's eyes narrowed slightly seeing such a scene.

[Roaring Black Lion]

[Strength: 2.71; Speed: 2.12; Agility: 1.97; Coordination: 1.92; Stamina: 2.83; Reactions: 2.73; Spirit: 0.03; Force: ???]

The crowd completely regained their liveliness when Roaring Black Lion brandished his claws.

He raised his head into the skies and billowed with all his might.

"ROOOAAARRR!!"

The arena quaked. In that moment, the roar drowned out even the crowd themselves.

'That wasn't a simple roar…' Leonel's frown deepened.

He felt that his blood and his muscles cramped upon hearing that roar. It actually had the effect of demoralizing him and weakening his strength.

All of this suddenly made sense. Roaring Black Lion likely had an ability with great evolution potential. A normal strength enhancing ability wouldn't allow him to rank amongst the top Promising Youths even though the strength boost from his transformation was so obscene.

Leonel regained his calm.

Taking a step to the side, he calmly walked to the edge of the arena.

"Haha! Is he going to quit?"

There wasn't just one person in the crowd who believed this. Even Violet Rain's gloomy expression loosened up a bit as she sighed a breath of relief. Unfortunately for her, though, this feeling didn't last for long.

Leonel walked to the weapon rack and scanned it for a moment before pulling out a plain black rod. It wasn't that he didn't want to take a spear, but if he did and the ring on his finger didn't acknowledge it, it would crumble to dust. So, using a rod was his only choice.

Plus, he had a good impression of Roaring Black Lion. At the very least, he was far more pleasing to the eye compared to the others that were here. In that case, he had no intention of harming him.

"A rod? Isn't that Thunderous Clap's weapon of choice? Indomitable uses a rod as well?"

Leonel sluggishly yawned once more, walking back to face the beast that now stood over half a meter taller than him.

He stopped ten meters from Roaring Black Lion, his eyes tired, but tranquil.

Silence fell over the arena for a moment.

"Begin."

Roaring Black Lion lashed out immediately, not pausing even for a moment.

His claws left streaks in the air. If it wasn't for the ban on killing, they would have been fully extended. However, for the sake of the rules, he attack with his palm. Yet, even with this being the case, his silvery claws twinkled beneath the arena lights, contrasting his ferocious appearance with something quite dazzling and beautiful.

Leonel didn't move at all.

A palm almost as large as his chest descended toward his tired figure. It seemed for a moment that there would be no suspense to the battle at all. It was even to the point where Roaring Black Lion's massive figure seemed to enshroud him completely.

Just when it seemed Leonel would be sent flying, he suddenly moved.

No one could tell what happened. In one moment, Leonel was standing in place. In the next, a blinding light had covered him from head to toe. He seemed to vanish in place, and by the time he could be seen by the crowd once again, the butt of his rod had landed on Roaring Black Lion's broad chest.

BANG!

The loose fabric of Leonel's sweat pants fluttered wildly beneath the air pressure of his own speed as Roaring Black Lion was sent flying. Almost like a streaking meteor, he left a black arc in the air, crashing outside the arena and skidding along the ground in a sorry state.

Silence.

At that moment, Old Hutch, who had been leisurely enjoying his pizza stood up violently, leaping to the windows of the overseer's box as though he couldn't believe what he had just seen.

Leonel calmly picked up the mask Roaring Black Lion had tossed aside, throwing it toward his collapsed figure just as the latter's ability dissolved. The mask left a trail in the air, landing just well enough to cover the youth's face.

However, Leonel no longer cared about this. His head had already turned toward the place where Thunderous Clap sat.

"Hurry up."

These were the only two words he spoke. His fatigue seemed to vanish, the flickering lights that danced across his body growing more intense with each passing moment.