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Meanwhile, there was also a slight commotion occurring beside the stone platform.

Hiyuki, who had sensed Asmina was about to jump towards Revan, hurriedly pinned her arms behind her back and stopped her from running.

“Hey! It’s against the rule to break into the arena when the match is still ongoing!”
“Release me! If it continues like this, Big brother Revan will die!”

Asmina screamed and flailed her arms like a spoiled brat as she could not push away Hiyuki, who was overwhelmingly superior in status, despite what her petite and slender physique entails.

“The match has yet to be decided! Revan still looks like he can continue, who will believe in him if you don’t!? It would be a akin to betrayal to Revan if you interrupted the match, do you know that!?”
“I don’t care if the match is lost or I become a traitor, as long as Big brother Revan can live!!”

◆◇◆◇

Her voice had reached Revan’s ear too.

Suddenly, his heart, which had almost shriveled from the looming sounds of footsteps of crushing death, strangely became calm.

―Come to think of it, something similar had happened not long ago, hadn’t it?

He recalled the match that had been held in the presence of his master, the Beast King, in the earlier days, as the scream of his little sister and the voice of Hiyuki’s trying to pacify her poured into his ears…

―Goodness. I still haven’t grown up.

A smile, despite the situation, made its way to his lips when he thought of this. His heart suddenly became clear as if the fog had been lifted.

Acheron’s eyebrows shot up in doubt seeing the sudden calmness of his opponent but he didn’t let his opponent’s behavior break his concentration as he condensed the energy of his whole body and shot up with a protruding right palm thrust.

“Haaa!”

He had the confidence that Revan, who is suffering from grave internal injuries, wouldn’t be able to dodge it, or by luck, even if he was able to dodge, he could immediately chain another attack and end this fight.

But, the moment Acheron’s hand touched Revan’s chest, it happened.

Acheron’s attack sliced up the empty space, feeling a tender response as if pushed by the air itself.

Revan turned around counterclockwise and moved behind Acheron, his movement as natural as a feather flying in the wind.

After shifting his position, Revan proceeded with a chest punch very naturally.

It was the very basic technique his master had taught him in the beginning. There was no hesitation or waste movement in it. Just like how Hiyuki did it at that time, on that day.

一Thump!

The punch was obviously made like a light tap, but it generated a huge shockwave like an explosion from that place, and with oneself’s ultimate technique turned counterproductive by further adding to the cause, Acheron was blown away several meters back like a kite cut from its string and fell from the stone stage.

Though Acheron desperately made his body stand up, it was obvious the impact just now had made the bones all over his body break. It wouldn’t be impossible if the bones have stabbed his internal organs either.

“Thank you very much for your guidance, Chief Acheron. Due to you, I was able to engrave the things important to me to my body once again.”

Acheron was stunned by his words for a moment and then burst into laughter jovially.

“Gratitude for winning? You’re quite something, lad. I would have been completely drunk in ecstasy had it been my win…… Geez, I surrender.”

The air stagnated for a moment after his voice echoed all over the venue before it was soon drowned in the following thunderous applause and cheers.

“Big brother!!”

Asmina’s tears flowed out as she was overcome with emotion and rushed towards Revan.

And Hiyuki, who was supposed to have restrained her completely, was left dumbfounded at the impossible happening with only the questions “What?!” and “How??” when Asmina managed to fling her away using all her strength and rushed towards the stage.

◆◇◆◇

In this way, Revan, formally recognized as the ‘Successor of Beast King’, gathered all the tribe’s chiefs after the competition and raised his proposal to withdraw their Cres kingdom from the Federation and officially tie-up with Imperial Crimson.

Amidst this process, the Federation government (or more precisely, the allied nations with Cent’luna as leader) had dispatched its troops under the pretext of suppressing the Cres Kingdom for suspected rebellion. The Beast Tribes’ accumulated dissatisfaction finally erupted and the Federation was almost divided into the Cres Kingdom faction and the Cent’luna nation faction internally.

At first, leaving aside the individual’s combat ability, the Cres Kingdom faction appeared to be on the losing end of the countrywide battle. However, with various influential tribes, starting with the Tigerkin, united under the banner of the young Lionkin tribe chief, Revan, the war appeared to be in deadlock for a while.

With Imperial Crimson assuming the responsibilities of securing war supplies as well as the commoner’s safety, they fought against the Cent’luna nation with more than just equal terms as they were gradually being overwhelmed by the lack of personnel and supplies.

That continued, until, the Graviol Empire began to invade Cent’luna nation with the backing of the Holy Kingdom of Aeon who didn’t let this chance slip by.

The several countries in the Federation that had been keeping their neutrality switched sides when the Cent’luna nation was unable to deal with the war breaking out on multiple fronts and the Cres Kingdom that which had barely been keeping in check also showed signs of pushing forward.

Eventually, the Cent’luna nation as well as Yuz Grand Duchy and several other powerful nations were ceded to the Graviol Empire, thus effectively ending the era of the Cres-Cent’luna Federation in both name and fact. At the same time, the Federation President, Baldum, was placed under permanent house arrest in the Empire.

Just when everyone thought a full-blown war was imminent between the Empire and the remnants of the Federation, Cres kingdom (Revised to Cres Freedom United Nation), a treaty was officially signed between the respective authorities of Cres Freedom United Nation and Imperial Crimson, turning it into the vassal nation of Imperial Crimson like Amitia from before. And so, a settlement suggestion was sent from the Graviol Empire, which was worried about the lengthening and expansion of war. With both parties mutually consenting to it, they decided to bury the hatchet then and there.

Henceforth, the chain of events ended in around one and a half month with the Cres-Cent’luna Federation bidding goodbye to being No.1 among the three major nations of the continent, which was then succeeded by the former No.2 Graviol Empire. Imperial Crimson filled the space of former No.2 (based on the nation’s size), thus forming a power dynamic of Two Great Empires + Holy Kingdom of Aeon.

Incidentally, it was said that when Hiyuki, the sovereign of Imperial Crimson, was given tabs on the current international situation by King Collard of the Amitia Republic, their vassal nation, she mumbled something like,

“一That was too fast. Why did it happen…?”

and cradled her head in her hands. Though its authenticity was up for debate.